I cannot watch this go on any longer without saying something.  We went through this at Christmas and here we are again.  

I realize most of you do not know Fr. Roberts.  I understand your suspicion these days of any priest, especially one who has been accused of something horrendous.  But I'd like to give you MY impression of Fr. Roberts.

I met this good priest last Fall.  I was impressed from the first moment I met him at his chapel.  I knew practically nothing of the allegations against him and after meeting him such suspicions never even crossed my mind.

Now mind you, in my working years I worked alongside openly gαy men because they happened to work for the companies I worked for.  In a large city that is the case.  So I have been well-acquainted with the characteristics of a gαy man.  

In my years in the Church I have met priests whom I suspect were gαy because I saw the same characteristics in them.  

I SEE NONE OF THIS IN FR. ROBERTS.

If there ever was a heterosɛҳuąƖ man who went by the book, it is he.  There is NO funny business about him in any way whatsoever.  I attend his Mass weekly and only regret that I cannot attend daily.  His sermons are out-of-the-ballpark good--especially the one he gave for the Sunday near the Feast of the Sacred Heart about how little devotion there is to Jesus's Heart and how little loved He is.  I haven't heard these kinds of sermons since I was a kid before Vatican II.  He quotes Scripture.  He quotes Canon Law.  He refers to Tradition when asked why this or that or what to do in such-and-such a circuмstance.  He is a walking encyclopedia of Church history, lives of the Saints, you name it.  

I've been searching for 51 years for a priest to answer some personal (apply only to me) questions I've had and Fr. Roberts is the ONLY priest who has been able to answer them.  Again, he quotes Jesus's words and explains how they apply in the situations I asked him about.  No priest has ever been able to do this for me.  AND HE MAKES PERFECT SENSE.  The ability to guide a soul (and I understand I am not the only one) with such precision is totally incompatible with someone in the state of mortal sin.  If you don't believe me, look in your theology books.  It's there.  I've gotten one crazy answer with no foundations for it from priest after priest until I met Fr. Roberts.

Not only do I know him from Mass and Confession, but socially as well.  He is a delight to be around.  I've spoken to him privately and in a group setting.  He has a very well-rounded personality and his conversation is fascinating because of his intelligence and knowledge.  

Father wears the full Dominican habit all the time.  I do not know his standing in the Dominican Order.  He has a Dominican Third Order group in Jacksonville, FL and is starting up a Discalced Carmelite Third Order group there as well.  

I will tell you one thing:  It is worth moving to Jacksonville, FL to have the God-given grace to have this priest for your Mass.  I've seen 51 years of priests and this one is OUTSTANDING.  He encourages us to take up our cross and follow Jesus, that the servant cannot be greater than the Master, that we should pray to become holy, that our attention should be focused on God dwelling within us (if we are in the state of grace and if not, to get to confession ASAP) and our eyes should be on Heaven and not on the things of this earth.  He has told me many times to "accept suffering" as that proves love of God and to depend on Divine Providence to work out my difficulties in life.  HE CAUSES ME TO REMEMBER WHAT BEING A CATHOLIC IS ALL ABOUT, which I thought I knew until I met this hard-hitter priest (in the sense of nothing is trivial if it offends God).  And he will spend as long a time as needed with you in confession to set your soul at ease and he lets you ask as many questions as you want.  

Now you can say this is emotional and not based in facts about the allegations, but let me say this:  You can read the top theologian's books on what a priest should be and this priest is IT.  I know.  I've read the books and have been searching for such a priest all my life.  

As for his possible "reformation" -- I can't possibly see what there could have been to "reform."  (Pardon me if I am using the wrong term but if I try to go back to see what was posted I'll lose this page for sure.)  We recently celebrated his 17th year of ordination.  He recounted to us his history with the Society and the St. John's group, etc.  As I recall, he said he didn't like what was going on at St. John's and left.  I wish I had paid more attention but my mind was centered on how utterly deplorable it is these days that a good priest like Fr. Roberts should have to endure so many difficulties just to be a good Catholic priest.  

I am suspicious of ALL priests as I've had some things happen to me in dealing with some that are too shocking to write here so I don't automatically place ANY priest on a pedestal just because he's a priest.  I learned to not do that the hard way.  I've watched Fr. Roberts for months just waiting for something shocking or unpleasant to happen and the more I get to know him, the more I admire him.  

Let me say this:  I've had cancer recently.  I'm still in the time period when it is most likely to return.  Should that happen, I hope and pray Fr. Roberts will be my priest when I'm on my deathbed.  I want HIM to prepare me to be judged by God.  I mean this sincerely.  I don't know what higher recommendation I can give a priest.  


 

It is nice to hear something good about a priest for once. I hope he truly is a good priest as you say he is. :applause:

Quote

What I read online pertained to the reasons for Fr Roberts' dismissal front the Institute of Christ the King's seminary by then-rector (and now independent priest) Fr Patrick Perez (ie., long before the ssj existed).

This false claim was put against Father Roberts when he was at the ICKSP Seminary. Just two weeks prior to the acquisition, Father Roberts had publicly denounced the Seminary Canon Law professor as a Modernist. He attributes this as the reason as for his being asked to leave the Seminary. One key point to this whole unfortunate incident was that he was never expelled from the Seminary. He was given the option of leaving the Seminary while they investigated or he could be transfered to an African Mission.  He choose to leave and when he asked if he should still wear the cassock ( I don't think he was in Major Orders) they answered in the affirmative. The reason he left the Society was because at the time, he disagreed on the Society granting annulments. He then became a Priest of the Society of Saint John. After 8 or so years Father left the SSJ ( prior to the Scandals in the order)because they were becoming liturgically liberal ( they were using the 1965 Missal). He then became a Diocesan Priest for another year or two were he taught at a Catholic school.  He lost his position at the school because of the fact that he dared to say " That there is no Salvation outside of the Catholic Church". He began to serve an independent Traditional Chapel near Scranton, and for that he had his Faculties taken away by the Bishop. The Bishop of Scranton then told him that he would let Father stay in a parish in the Diocese if he could say the New Mass. Father refused, and the Bishop gave him permission to leave the Diocese and find a Traditional Chapel elsewhere. He then went to a few different Dioceses, including in his native Kentucky, searching for a place where he could be incardinated. Everywhere he went, Doctor Bond followed, spreading the most blatant lies. One example was that he said Father hugged a women in the confessional. Now Father ONLY says confession in a Traditional Confessional ( or out in a field if he were on pilgrimage with hundreds of people around). One thing you must keep in mind is that out of all of these acquisitions on the Internet, not one person ever actually accused him of anything. It is all Doctor Bond spreading rumor. Also the websites that this is located on is Renew America, which as it says in it's about page, it is dedicated to spreading

Quote

"the cause of preserving our nation upon its founding ideals, specifically those in the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution, as well as those derived from biblical principles."

Personally, I would take everything that website says with a grain of salt just because of that one comment.  He then found St Michaels in Jacksonville Florida and became their Chaplin. The first thing he did was go and see the local Bishop and try to get the Chapel regularized. The bishop said he would recognize the Chapel if Father would agree to say the new Mass at other Churches when the need arose. He has officially been Independent ever sense. Believe me, I was EXTREMELY troubled by these acquisitions when I discovered then a few weeks after I discovered this Chapel about a year ago. I stopped attending Father Dominic's Mass for a year because of it. One day though I began looking on the Renew America and discovered what that website was all about.  I discussed it with some very close friends who attend the Chapel as well as Father Dominic and their explanation made absolute sense. Apparently a parishioner in the Chapel has a huge collection of docuмents disproving all of Dr Bond's allegations. To conclude, I would just like to say that this is not the first time this type of discussion has arose and people have to do research if they want to know what really happened. I challenge anyone interested to find an article that convincingly proves Father's guilt originating from another website other than Renew America or Doctor Bond.

It's interesting that you say Fr. Roberts "...lost his position at the school
because of the fact that he dared to say" that "there is no Salvation
outside of the Catholic Church."  

It's interesting because Fr. Perez is also wont to say, "There is no salvation
outside the Church," and he too had left his order, ICK, and I would not be
surprised if it had something to do with his abiding penchant to pronounce
Church dogma.  We live in an age when anyone who dares to teach what
the Church has always taught is rubbed out or marginalized or castigated or
expelled or sent to the south pole to evangelize the penguins.

I cannot watch this go on any longer without saying something.  We went through this at Christmas and here we are again.  

I realize most of you do not know Fr. Roberts.  I understand your suspicion these days of any priest, especially one who has been accused of something horrendous.  But I'd like to give you MY impression of Fr. Roberts.

I met this good priest last Fall.  I was impressed from the first moment I met him at his chapel.  I knew practically nothing of the allegations against him and after meeting him such suspicions never even crossed my mind.

Now mind you, in my working years I worked alongside openly gαy men because they happened to work for the companies I worked for.  In a large city that is the case.  So I have been well-acquainted with the characteristics of a gαy man.  

In my years in the Church I have met priests whom I suspect were gαy because I saw the same characteristics in them.  

I SEE NONE OF THIS IN FR. ROBERTS.

If there ever was a heterosɛҳuąƖ man who went by the book, it is he.  There is NO funny business about him in any way whatsoever.  I attend his Mass weekly and only regret that I cannot attend daily.  His sermons are out-of-the-ballpark good--especially the one he gave for the Sunday near the Feast of the Sacred Heart about how little devotion there is to Jesus's Heart and how little loved He is.  I haven't heard these kinds of sermons since I was a kid before Vatican II.  He quotes Scripture.  He quotes Canon Law.  He refers to Tradition when asked why this or that or what to do in such-and-such a circuмstance.  He is a walking encyclopedia of Church history, lives of the Saints, you name it.  

I've been searching for 51 years for a priest to answer some personal (apply only to me) questions I've had and Fr. Roberts is the ONLY priest who has been able to answer them.  Again, he quotes Jesus's words and explains how they apply in the situations I asked him about.  No priest has ever been able to do this for me.  AND HE MAKES PERFECT SENSE.  The ability to guide a soul (and I understand I am not the only one) with such precision is totally incompatible with someone in the state of mortal sin.  If you don't believe me, look in your theology books.  It's there.  I've gotten one crazy answer with no foundations for it from priest after priest until I met Fr. Roberts.

Not only do I know him from Mass and Confession, but socially as well.  He is a delight to be around.  I've spoken to him privately and in a group setting.  He has a very well-rounded personality and his conversation is fascinating because of his intelligence and knowledge.  

Father wears the full Dominican habit all the time.  I do not know his standing in the Dominican Order.  He has a Dominican Third Order group in Jacksonville, FL and is starting up a Discalced Carmelite Third Order group there as well.  

I will tell you one thing:  It is worth moving to Jacksonville, FL to have the God-given grace to have this priest for your Mass.  I've seen 51 years of priests and this one is OUTSTANDING.  He encourages us to take up our cross and follow Jesus, that the servant cannot be greater than the Master, that we should pray to become holy, that our attention should be focused on God dwelling within us (if we are in the state of grace and if not, to get to confession ASAP) and our eyes should be on Heaven and not on the things of this earth.  He has told me many times to "accept suffering" as that proves love of God and to depend on Divine Providence to work out my difficulties in life.  HE CAUSES ME TO REMEMBER WHAT BEING A CATHOLIC IS ALL ABOUT, which I thought I knew until I met this hard-hitter priest (in the sense of nothing is trivial if it offends God).  And he will spend as long a time as needed with you in confession to set your soul at ease and he lets you ask as many questions as you want.  

Now you can say this is emotional and not based in facts about the allegations, but let me say this:  You can read the top theologian's books on what a priest should be and this priest is IT.  I know.  I've read the books and have been searching for such a priest all my life.  

As for his possible "reformation" -- I can't possibly see what there could have been to "reform."  (Pardon me if I am using the wrong term but if I try to go back to see what was posted I'll lose this page for sure.)  We recently celebrated his 17th year of ordination.  He recounted to us his history with the Society and the St. John's group, etc.  As I recall, he said he didn't like what was going on at St. John's and left.  I wish I had paid more attention but my mind was centered on how utterly deplorable it is these days that a good priest like Fr. Roberts should have to endure so many difficulties just to be a good Catholic priest.  

I am suspicious of ALL priests as I've had some things happen to me in dealing with some that are too shocking to write here so I don't automatically place ANY priest on a pedestal just because he's a priest.  I learned to not do that the hard way.  I've watched Fr. Roberts for months just waiting for something shocking or unpleasant to happen and the more I get to know him, the more I admire him.  

Let me say this:  I've had cancer recently.  I'm still in the time period when it is most likely to return.  Should that happen, I hope and pray Fr. Roberts will be my priest when I'm on my deathbed.  I want HIM to prepare me to be judged by God.  I mean this sincerely.  I don't know what higher recommendation I can give a priest.  


 

I have known Fr.Roberts for more than 4 years I see him at least twice a week at Mass I serve Mass for him every Saturday,and I have never seen or heard anything that would make me think that he was in any way deviant.Fr.'s theology is bed rock solid, his Faith is what one would expect and hope for in a Traditional priest;as far as his sermons, listen to them yourselves on the chapel website,but unless you can come out into the clear light of day and not hide behind an avatar and prove what you accuse, kindly shut up.

It is Fr Perez who, as then Vice-Rector, is alleged to have dismissed Fr Roberts from the Institute of Christ the King seminary on the basis of ɧoɱosɛҳųαƖ overtures made to a fellow seminarian.

Therefore, he is the only one (other than Fr Roberts or the alleged seminarian) who can attest to the veracity or falsity of the accusation.

As I have said before, if this account is false, the slander is a most grave offense by those who made it, and put it in the public domain.

But Fr Perez is the only one who can say whether this actually happened.

Hence my observation that interested parties can reach out to him.

Someone has obviously misunderstood the entire post. There is absolutely
no implication that anybody committed any wrong doing. The very
clear meaning of my words were to hold one's tongue when speaking of such matters;
And if you need clarification of what went on at such and such s place, the respectful thing to
do would be to speak to the principals involved in the whole drama-- don't listen to
hearsay, rumor, and gossip.

And I don't think this is the correct forum to carry on this kind of discussion.

Someone has obviously misunderstood the entire post. There is absolutely
no implication that anybody committed any wrong doing. The very
clear meaning of my words were to hold one's tongue when speaking of such matters;
And if you need clarification of what went on at such and such s place, the respectful thing to
do would be to speak to the principals involved in the whole drama-- don't listen to
hearsay, rumor, and gossip.

And I don't think this is the correct forum to carry on this kind of discussion.

Whether someone misunderstood or not, hasn't been shown.  I was
commenting on the implications that emerge from your post that
you probably would not have intended, but come from your improper
use of the words you used.  You have to be very careful when using
some words in some situations.  

Hopefully, the reaction of yours and of SeanJohnson's above, can
serve to clarify that you are not making any such indirect accusations
where you did not intend them.

Points 1 & 3): Fr. Roberts has been a Third Order Dominican for some years. This may be why he is allowed to wear the habit during his postulancy. It may also be why he may put the O.P. after his name. Having been a Tertiary would speed up his entry into the first order.

Point 2): He is not affiliated with Avrille. I am not sure who he is under, but it may be Bishop Robert McKenna who is a Dominican. The Dominicans of Avrille are not the only traditional Dominicans on the planet.

Point 4) Generally the religious name is given to the person at the time of their clothing (reception of the habit). Since Father has already been clothed upon entering the novitiate in the Third Order, he probably received his religious name at that time. As a Tertiary, it is not usual for one to use one's religious name except with other religious or in matters concerning the order.

Point 5) If you are really familiar with traditional Dominicans, you would know that the friars usually do not append their last name to their religious name. Case in point, if you will go to the Angelus Press web site here for the list of speakers at this fall's upcoming conference, you will see that Fr. Albert is listed as "Fr. Albert, O.P." and not with his last name.

(By the way, Fr. Albert is no longer affiliated with the Dominicans of Avrille, despite what Angelus Press says.)

BTW, I am a Dominican Tertiary.