I don't know where these people get these ideas.
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ST. MARY'S
Just to clarify things for those who aren't familiar with the situation, St. Mary's is a town in Pottawatomie County of Kansas. The SSPX does not own it, although there's no doubt in my mind that they'd like to add it to their long list of properties. St. Mary's College and Academy is located inside (or just outside depending on who you talk to) the city limits of the town.
The Topeka Capital-Journal newspaper for March 26th, 1993 ran a couple of stories regarding St. Mary's (the SSPX's property). The articles reported that fifteen families "have broken away" from St. Mary's and the SSPX. Some view the matter so seriously that "a member of one of those families said the situation could become 'another Waco at any moment.'"
A death threat was made against Fr. Rizzo on February 13th. The caller said "If you come near us you're a dead priest." The newspaper reported that a one million dollar life insurance policy had been taken out for Fr. Rizzo's protection. I spoke to the person involved in obtaining the insurance and he said that if anything happened to Fr. Rizzo the money would go toward bringing other priests in from the outside to continue Fr. Rizzo's work. So those who would consider violence against Fr. Rizzo, were it to be fatal, would then have several "independent" priests to contend with instead of just one.
Fr. Rizzo had been scheduled to say Mass in the St. Mary's (the town) Community Room but according to police, someone used Super Glue on the locks of the doors so no one could get in. The room is located in the lower level of the 1st National Bank building. You can imagine what the Methodist bank president must have thought of all this! To keep the peace, Fr. Rizzo's people paid for the repair of the locks.
A ten thousand dollar reward was offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person who made the death threat. An additional reward of two thousand dollars was offered for those who glued the locks. While a couple of St. Mary's partisans admitted guilt they later recanted when they found out the penalty for their vandalism - there was not enough evidence for trial without the confessions. The St. Mary's PTA also had to cancel their meeting for that day. The bank vandalism was being investigated by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation. Another Mass location was hastily arranged by Fr. Rizzo's supporters.
Fr. Rizzo then held traditional Good Friday services in a Catholic Church of the local diocese. Attendance consisted of about 190 people from St. Mary's. This number represents about 15-20% of those who would normally attend Mass at St. Mary's. It is evident that Fr. Rizzo had much support despite the efforts of apparent Fr. Angles loyalists to prevent it. Others with children attending St. Mary's may have wished to give support to Fr. Rizzo but were afraid to do so lest the powers that be hold up report cards or diplomas for politically incorrect activities as the Society has been heard to do.
One individual who feared for his life has said, according to the newspaper report, that the SSPX has "begun resembling a cult in the past several years." The article noted that "Members of the breakaway group want to start their own church and school. They say the Pius X Order doesn't want them to do that." One woman interviewed has said that "They are after utter, total control of everything in our lives. They won't let us go."
Others interviewed have noted that the SSPX has gone over the line from "conservative Catholicism to cult practices." As reported in the article, evidences of alleged cult practices cited are these:
children are told the teachings of the priests and nuns of the Pius X order take precedent over what their parents tell them;
priests call people sinners by name from the pulpit;
followers are taught the only way to salvation is through the Pius X order;
followers are taught to avoid watching television, listening to the radio and socializing with people who aren't followers;
some loyalists (of Fr. Angles and company) have armed themselves with "assault" rifles;
a youth group known as the Knights of the Precious Blood is really a paramilitary training group;
loyalists have loosened lug nuts on the wheels of cars driven by those who have broken away.
Fr. Rizzo when asked why he left the SSPX replied that "there was something sick or dysfunctional taking place there." Fr. Rizzo stated in the article that despite the death threat he was not afraid to go back to St. Mary's to say Mass for anyone who wishes to attend. Fr. Rizzo said "I just want to do my best to save souls."
Reports that came in from St. Mary's have told of a verbal harangue by Fr. Angles toward Fr. Rizzo's twin brother Joseph. During the half hour to forty-five minute tirade, reportedly in front of other priests and deacons, Fr. Angles apparently made an offhand threat to Joe. In view of the climate of vandalism and violence occurring at St. Mary's Joe took the threat seriously and called the cops. It is understood that Fr. Angles went in for questioning which lasted for three or four hours.
I think that more strange and bizarre behavior can be expected on the part of the Society and / or its supporters in the future. As if to support that belief Fr. Hewko some time later allegedly said to students at St. Mary's that they must learn to hate those who are opposed to Fr. Angles and what he is trying to do at St. Mary's.
That's funny. I always thought it was love the sinner and hate the sin, if, indeed, a sin was committed. But as many have found out, it has become a sin to oppose Society policies. The eleventh commandment - "Thou shalt not criticize the Society for they are an elite."
ABSOLUTE OBEDIENCE
At Nuremburg the refrain from the nαzιs on trial for war crimes was "Befehl is befehl," "orders are orders!" Anyone even vaguely familiar with the history of nαzι Germany, knows that the members of the Wehrmacht (German army), unlike those of the United States and other countries, were required to swear allegiance not to the state but to the person of Adolf Hitler. Such allegiance was considered absolute; a promise of perfect submission to the Fuhrer.
I've been told that according to the SSPX, the Knights of the Precious Blood (KPB) at St. Mary's had to promise perfect (that is, absolute) submission (obedience) not to the Church, but to the Society of St. Pius the Tenth. The SSPX has told us that outside the Society you will lose your faith and your soul. What they are saying is that outside the Society, rather than the Church, there is no salvation. The Society, it appears, is claiming to be the Church.
In the case of the German soldier the morality of the Ten Commandments and other laws of God were replaced with a subservience to the tyrant Hitler who, obviously, was guaranteed no freedom from error. Likewise, we find that the members of the KPB are required to promise absolute obedience to the tyrannical leadership of the SSPX which also has no guarantee against error. Or does the Society now claim to have the protection of the Holy Ghost? That would seem to be a prerequisite in order to assume the Papacy, wouldn't it?Specialized Group This consists of a polarization of people around an ideal which is considered out of the main stream. For the Society, this embodies a historically false notion of 13th century Catholicism and the Tridentine Rite of the Mass. They consider this period a purer time for the Church in its relations with the "state." Comparing apples and oranges, the Society pushes this supposed ideal without explaining just how, politically, they will accomplish it.
The Only Answer Society priests have been heard to say things such as outside of the Society one is outside of the Church. They consider using any rite but the Tridentine, essentially, as the work of the devil - that "their" thoughts and ideals are the only way to be followed for a person to save his soul.
Omnipotent The Society considers itself to have knowledge others do not have and presumes to speak for God and without the blessing of the Church. The Society alone, one is told, has all the answers and is the final determiner of what is or is not morally correct.
Emotional Cult members are generally emotional, hence the SSPX plays to the natural feeling of many people for a more edifying and uplifting rite and its associated liturgies. They play to the emotional appeal the more venerable Tridentine Rite inspires in people.
Exterior Orientation As viewed by many on the outside it appears the Society is performing a worthy function for Catholic faithful - typical of cults. But the lie is put to this by the many priests and laity who have fled from the Society before and since the 1988 episcopal consecrations and even more so since Archbishop Lefebvre died.
Control It is said that within cults many tests are run to see how much control can be exerted on followers. Even small changes will be made for no apparent reason, just to see how well the leadership can control the followers. One means the Society uses is to restrict the reading material of its patrons to the point of telling them that they cannot read from patently Catholic reading material unless the Society has previously given it their blessing.
Godmen The Society's authority is self-contrived, and, as such, they presume to speak for God. They've attempted to build a facade of legitimacy through articles and sermons about what they call supplied jurisdiction. Using this ruse they twist Canon Law to the point where everything they wish to do can be done without permission of the local ordinaries or Rome because it is a matter of "necessity." Necessity - in true liberal/modernist fashion they reserve unto themselves the right to determine, finally, what is right and wrong, what is Catholic or un-Catholic.
Double-talk and Confusion The Society leadership does not shrink from saying one thing while meaning another. They speak of obedience, unity, submission, and authority to their patrons, but they would never consider placing the SSPX under obedience to Rome. We have but to remember that at another time of crisis in the Church, Pope Clement XIV, in 1773, unjustly suppressed the Jesuits. It wasn't until forty-one years later (1814) that the order was reestablished. But did the Jesuits go off and start their own seminaries and chapels? Did they refuse obedience to the Pope? As good sons of the Church, they showed their confidence in the promises of Christ, to be with His Church until the end of time, by faithfully and obediently submitting to the authority of the Pope and closing up shop.
Always Changing In cults it will usually be found that their values, precepts, rules, methods, ideas, plans, and even mores can change over time - characteristics noted by those who have fled the Society.
Strong Leadership Central leaders consider themselves unique and with a special relationship to God. We know this is true of the Society because on October 18th, 1992 Fr. Scott, SSPX District Superior in the U.S., told a meeting in Chicago that they, the Society clergy, are an elite.
Dependence Development Cult followers have it pounded into them that they must pursue and live up to cult beliefs, lifestyle and behavior - so much so is this inculcated, that, for the follower, leaving the cult becomes virtually unthinkable.
Fear of the Future Because of this dependence and the fact that the followers now believe that only the SSPX has the answers, as in other cults, followers fear being separated from the cult to the extent that they will change their own beliefs to stay with the cult. Cult members will even fight vigorously to defend their abandoning of formerly, strongly held beliefs. Those who patronize the Society know that where Peter is, there is the Church. Nevertheless, they obey the Society rather than Rome.
Spy Network That the Society uses its followers to spy on one another is now irrefutable. This was seen in the Chicago mission of the Society after the District Superior, Fr. Scott, forced out the majority of the laymen who were most instrumental in developing and maintaining this mission since 1982. Fr. Scott's replacements kept watch on, and, even followed people around the church to see what they were doing (getting a drink of water, going to the bathroom, checking the bulletin board, etc.). People have testified to the same use of informants at the Society's College and Academy (grade school/high school) in the town of St. Mary's, Kansas. As with other cults, the Society does not discourage such spying, but, rather, uses it to maintain a "Big Brother" element of fear lest someone deviate from cult thinking.
The SSPX - Catholic? Hardly! Out of loyalty to Holy Mother Church and the Papacy, Catholics have a duty to avoid this group as best they can. Anything less is an insult to Our Lord.
Topic: SSPX (Read 4392 times)