Send CathInfo's owner Matthew a gift from his Amazon wish list:
https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/25M2B8RERL1UO

Author Topic: Atila and the TFP  (Read 8174 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Cera

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5208
  • Reputation: +2290/-1012
  • Gender: Female
  • Pray for the consecration of Russia to Mary's I H
Atila and the TFP
« on: March 26, 2019, 04:41:31 PM »
  • Thanks!0
  • No Thanks!0
  • Here's a link which explains in great detail why the name Our Lady of Good Success was chosen 30+ years ago in the first book written in English about the apparition https://traditioninaction.org/Questions/B999_M120_OLGS.html  

    Can someone post the article in the link here on this thread, I do not know how to do it.
    Our Lady of Good Success or
     Our Lady of Buen Suceso?



    In Honor of ‘Maria Santissima del Buen Suceso de la Purificacion’

     Our Lady of Good Success aka Our Lady of Buen Suceso aka Mary of Buen Suceso aka Holy Mary of Good Success aka... and on and on...

     However, the official title that Our Lady asked for in Quito, Ecuador was:

     The title Maria Santissima del Buen Suceso de la Purificacion which was also extended via the "godmother" or "madrina" of the statue, the Marquesa de Solanda to: Maria Santissima del Buen Suceso de la Purificacion y Candelaria which in English translates to: Most Holy Mary of Good Success of the Purification and Candelmas.

     Wow, either one of those Spanish titles are a real mouthful, aren't they?!? Those titles are extremely difficult for me – an American – to read, much less pronounce! But there they are!

     I imagine many devotees of Our Lady of Good Success are now more confused than ever! What is the correct title to call this beautiful Lady in Quito that came to Mother Mariana de Jesus Torres in the 1500-1600's to warn us about our times? You could say that they ALL are correct in one way or the other, but for us, Americans, must we say the complete official Spanish title, or a combination of sorts, or what?



    Well, in order to answer this question, I thought I would share a little 20th century history of how the title Maria Santissima del Buen Suceso de la Purificacion came to be known as Our Lady of Good Success. And rest assured, Our Lady has well-accepted her title as Good Success for many, many years now! I will start with the most recent and how I discovered this historical data and go backwards... as I learned it.

     In 1998 or 1999, when I read for the first time about Our Lady of Good Success, I was first taken by her face – that image that is on the front of the book by Dr. Marian Horvat titled Prophecies for Our Times. Reading the title of her name of Our Lady of Good Success, well, it sounded so good to my ear and expressed feelings of hope, inspiring me to know more about this Lady who I knew nothing about!

     My first thought was what a sweet, innocent, child-like, yet motherly, face it was!!! I had no idea what the story was behind that photo – that miraculous image of the countenance of Our Lady!

     Thus, upon reading the story – her prophecies and how they related to the era in which we lived, I was so excited that I wanted to spread this devotion! But, I thought I needed to know more... I scoured the internet looking for any other book that had been printed in English on the subject.

     There was nothing except for an obscure green book titled: A Spanish Mystic in Quito: Sor Mariana de Jesus Torres by Msgr. Luis E. Cadena y Almeida, written in 1987 in English. The publishing date was marked as 1990 by "The Foundation for A Christian Civilization." It is in this book that one can also read that back in 1987, Nuestra Senora del Buen Suceso was translated as Our Lady of Good Success.


    Msgr. Luis Cadena y Almeida
    This is fairly significant as this author, Msgr. Cadena y Almeida, was also the Postulator for the Cause of Mother Mariana de Jesus Torres until his death. He was a very educated priest holding a doctorate in Philosophy, History and Letters. He was the director of the Archiespiscopal Archive of the Curia of Quito. He founded at least six Educational Institutions in Quito. He had also received a number of awards for education etc. (btw he presented all of his awards to Our Lady of Good Success in a solemn ceremony on October 6, 1985).

     He bore all the credentials of a learned man – someone who should be put in charge to do the work that he did! In other words, this priest was no slouch! I had truly hoped to meet him, but, unfortunately, he died before I could get to Quito on my next visit!

     He, also, wrote several other books on the topic of Mother Mariana and Our Lady of Good Success, but this book was the only one to be translated into English. I think this particular book is an important piece of historical evidence as it proves and verifies that the Buen Suceso was translated, or at least allowed to be translated by the Postulator for the Cause, to Good Success.


    Text in English approved by Msgr. Cadena y Almeida using the expression Our Lady of Good Success
    Additionally, the Official Title of the Blessed Mother appearing to Mother Mariana de Jesus Torres was: Maria Santissima del Buen Suceso de la Purificacion and was translated there as Holy Mary of Good Success of the Purification.

     Throughout the book, he often refers to Our Mother as Our Lady of Good Success. I would say that is quite a change from the official title. One wonders why he did such a thing?

     Well, the best hypothesis that I could come up with is that as he pondered introducing this approved devotion to the English-speaking people – a devotion that was actually approved – give or take – 400 years ago i.e., in the Spanish Colonial period in Ecuador, he considered that there somehow needed to be an adjustment.

     One can imagine this title would need to measure up to other prayers and devotions to Our Lady. For the last 150 - 200 years or so, the Catholic Church had gained a number of approved apparitions from the Blessed Virgin Mary. And guess what? The greater majority of these Madonnas had been titled in their English translation as: Our Lady of ... For example: Our Lady of Fatima, Our Lady of Lourdes, Our Lady of La Salette, Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, and on and on.


    The book by Msgr. Cadena y Almeida from where the texts above were taken
    As well, Our Lady of Fatima stated she was Our Lady of the Rosary but we never call her: Our Lady of Fatima of the Rosary and Our Lady of Lourdes stated that she was The Immaculate Conception but we never call her: Our Lady of Lourdes of the Immaculate Conception! It would be too wordy and superfluous! Thus, it would make sense that this postulator, in trying to assimilate this 400 years devotion into 20th century American Catholic Culture, wanted to have the English translation of the name to coincide with the other Marian devotions so as to, in a way, "fit in" or "catch up" with the other approved devotions to Our Lady.

     And to me, an average Catholic raised in a solid Catholic Family, it really makes sense. Additionally, I have never seen any combined language in a title to the Blessed Mother such as this Our Lady of Buen Suceso before.

     For example: we don't say: Our Lady of El Rosario – we say: Our Lady of the Rosary etc. I know that many people on trying to read or pronounce this "Spanglish" title of Our Lady of Buen Suceso have had a lot of trouble and become confused!!

     One can see here that even in the "Last Will and Testament of Mother Mariana," the Postulator for the Cause of Mother Mariana, Msgr. Cadena y Almeida, has Mother Mariana call the Blessed Virgin Mary: Our Lady of Good Success.

     At the end of Msgr. Cadena's book on page 157, under "Acknowledgement," Msgr. Cadena wrote:

     "After having written this modest book in order to reveal the preferential love of God for the Ecuadorean nation ... a miracle happened ... a generous hand drew it from obscure anonymity and will present it to the immensely noble and benevolent people of the United States of America."


     Thus, it cannot be contested that Msgr. Cadena y Almeida made this translation particularly for those of us here in the USA!

     Additionally I would like to add that I don't imagine he ever expected us to have to say the official Spanish title nor would he imagine her title here in the USA to be anything but: Our Lady of Good Success.

     In fact, the following prayer was composed by Msgr. Cadena dedicated to Mother Mariana de Jesus Torres which is more proof that it was his wish that we would not only call this Virgin of Quito who graced the Monastery of the Immaculate Conception Our Lady of Good Success, but that we should pray to her under this beautiful title as well!

     
    Solemn Pledge to Mariana de Jesus Torres
     by Msgr. Luis A. Cadena y Almeida

     Blessed be thee, Mariana Francisca de Jesus Torres! Thy warnings of justice have struck our very bones. We acknowledge that we are in kinship with thee for having sown in these Andean Mountain ranges the white and blue lilies of the Immaculate Conception; for having won for us the gift of the Christian Faith and love for Mary; and for having sprinkled in our lives the iridescent gold of hope engendered by the devotion to the Mother of Good Success, the certain anchor of salvation.

     By the example of thy life, resplendent with virtues; by the fulfillment of thy prophecies and the Divine message that thy hands placed in our consciences; by all the marvels of sanctity, love and graces worked by God to form thee, educate thee, and perfect thee; and by thy sacrificial and permanent self-surrender for our conversion and salvation; for these and all that we owe thee, we offer to thee our undying gratitude.

     And, as a pledge of this, we also offer:

    • To be faithful to the devotion and propagation of the cult of Our Lady of Good Success.
    • To form a stronghold with our hearts, our minds and all our human and superhuman efforts in order to defend the interests, ideals and purposes inherent to the existence of thy foundation of the Royal Convent of the Immaculate Conception.
    • To join prayers and efforts of every kind to achieve from the ecclesiastic authorities the acknowledgement of the sanctity of thy life and thy work so that thou might be crowned with the honor of the altars for the glory of God, the Church and Ecuador and the World.
    (N.B.– This prayer was written by Msgr. Dr. Luis E. Cadena y Almeida – Postulator for the Cause of Beatification of the Servant of God Mother Mariana Francisca de Jesus Torres y Berriochoa, Quito, March 1, 1987. This prayer was found in his book, A Spanish Mystic in Quito. This book bears an Imprimatur)

     God bless Msgr. Cadena y Almeida for his good work to spread this devotion to the United States of America!!!

          Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord...

          Kathy Heckenkamp
          The Apostolate of Our Lady of Good Success
          1288 Summit Ave Suite 107
          Oconomowoc, WI. 53066
          phone 262-567-0920
          website: www.ourladyofgoodsuccess.com


     
    Posted March 6, 2019
     
    ______________________

    Pray for the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary


    Offline Last Tradhican

    • Hero Member
    • *****
    • Posts: 6293
    • Reputation: +3327/-1937
    • Gender: Male
    Re: Atila and the TFP
    « Reply #1 on: March 27, 2019, 05:30:36 AM »
  • Thanks!1
  • No Thanks!0
  • After reading all of this material, it is clear that the SSPX is correct on this and Atila is wrong.
    I think you made a mistake in writing down your thoughts, you wrote them down backwards, no? 
    The Vatican II church - Assisting Souls to Hell Since 1962

    For there shall arise false Christs and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders, insomuch as to deceive (if possible) even the elect. Mat 24:24


    Offline Incredulous

    • Hero Member
    • *****
    • Posts: 8901
    • Reputation: +8675/-849
    • Gender: Male
    Re: Atila and the TFP
    « Reply #2 on: March 27, 2019, 10:14:19 AM »
  • Thanks!1
  • No Thanks!0
  • We shall fun teasing Jade with her new nick-name "the Agent", next time she comes to town.

    Yeah... and straight-up, American cowboy style, please ask her the following:

    1. What's she doing at the convent? (her business and purpose?)

    2. Who is her SSPX and Quito Diocese contacts?

    3. When does "la China" plan to leave?

    :cowboy:

    "Some preachers will keep silence about the truth, and others will trample it underfoot and deny it. Sanctity of life will be held in derision even by those who outwardly profess it, for in those days Our Lord Jesus Christ will send them not a true Pastor but a destroyer."  St. Francis of Assisi

    Offline cosmas

    • Jr. Member
    • **
    • Posts: 486
    • Reputation: +277/-141
    • Gender: Male
    Re: Atila and the TFP
    « Reply #3 on: March 27, 2019, 10:58:17 PM »
  • Thanks!2
  • No Thanks!1
  • Why is it anybodys business what jade does. Shes evidently spending her own time helping the nuns there in Quito. Praying,sacrificing and doing the things Catholics are supposed to be doing. NOT GOSSIPPING and CALUMINATING !
    She, Jade is doing with her time, trying to spread devotion to Our Lady and Her Son. This is more than alot of her detractors are doing.

    Offline Markus

    • Jr. Member
    • **
    • Posts: 203
    • Reputation: +100/-36
    • Gender: Male
      • Reign of Mary
    Re: Atila and the TFP
    « Reply #4 on: March 27, 2019, 11:58:30 PM »
  • Thanks!2
  • No Thanks!0
  • All I could find out about this Catholic lady is this
    :
    We had an apostolate in Tanay twice, assisting the faithful in St. Philomena Chapel to sing in the choir. We also helped Ate Jade Liboro in the distribution of St. Anthony's Bread for the poor in the slum areas in Payatas. Then also, we helped in the general cleaning of the Church in preparation for the grand welcome of the new prior, Fr. Adam Purdy.

    It is neither Catholic nor charitable to pile on with attacks on this lady based on the word of one less-than-honorable person, Atila the agent of the TFP.
    Mr. Atila is not an "agent of the TFP". He hasn't been a member of the TFP since 1997.


    Offline Cera

    • Hero Member
    • *****
    • Posts: 5208
    • Reputation: +2290/-1012
    • Gender: Female
    • Pray for the consecration of Russia to Mary's I H
    Re: Atila and the TFP
    « Reply #5 on: March 28, 2019, 01:07:23 PM »
  • Thanks!2
  • No Thanks!1
  • Cera,

    Let me guess... did you score low in reading comprehension in high school ?
    No need to attempt to be insulting. Did you read both docuмents? Just for the record I am a retired university professor.
    Pray for the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

    Offline Cera

    • Hero Member
    • *****
    • Posts: 5208
    • Reputation: +2290/-1012
    • Gender: Female
    • Pray for the consecration of Russia to Mary's I H
    Re: Atila and the TFP
    « Reply #6 on: March 28, 2019, 01:38:09 PM »
  • Thanks!1
  • No Thanks!2
  • TIA Atila left TFP
    We are well aware of the story told by TIA of their claimed separation from TFP. We have read the docuмents presented by Atila to support this claim.
    https://www.traditioninaction.org/HotTopics/Internet_Files/F142_Defense_Eng.pdf

    Problem One:
    Why did Atila fight so hard to remain attached to TFP?
    Plinio Correa de Oliveira’s group, TFP, was condemned by the Catholic Church in Brazil and Venezuala.
           "In its 23rd General Assembly, April 10 to 19, 1985, the Bishops approved in plenary session a notice regarding the TFP. It therefore has all the official character of an Assembly of the Bishops of Brazil in Conference, and not simply a press release. The notice reads as follows: "Its esoteric character, religious fanaticism, the cult given to the personality of its founder and head, the abusive use of the name of Most Holy Mary, according to circulated information, cannot in any way merit the approval of the Church. "We lament the difficulties flowing from a civil society which presents itself as a Catholic religious entity, without a tie to the legitimate pastors.
            "This being the case, the Bishops of Brazil exhort Catholics not to enroll in the TFP, and not to collaborate with it.
            "The above stated was signed by +Dom Raymundo Damasceno Asas, Secretary-General of the Conference on National Bishops of Brazil on April 23, 1997."
            Immaculate Heart Messenger, ed. Father Robert J. Fox. January - March 1998 edition p. 29.
      
           In 1984 the local T.F.P. branch was outlawed in Venezuela, accused by a special parliamentary commission of being a "cult ... which warps the minds of young people, turns its members into fanatics and brainwashes them".
            Osservatore Romano, July 7, 1985, p. 12, n. 408, weekly Spanish edition quoted in Tradizione Famiglia Proprietà: Associazione cattolica o sètta millenarista?, Rimini 1996, frontispiece
            http://www.unitypublishing.com/Apparitions/TFP-AmericaNeedsFatima.htm

       Plinio Correa de Oliveira’s group, TFP, was condemned by the civil authorities in Brazil. This was reported by investigator Thomas Case in Fidelity, the monthly organ of the highly conservative Ultra-Montanists in its May 1989 issue.
    https://ephesians511blog.com/2013/09/28/america-needs-fatima-a-cult-using-the-fatima-name/
              
            TFP had been repeatedly accused by the Brazilian authorities of “inducement to flight, reckless transfer, and concealment of minors”–and this despite TFP’s own slavish devotion to the military regime.
            Young men were alleged to have been deceitfully recruited by TFP, to be trained in their academies as “warrior monks” for the cause.
            According to the Brazilian government, TFP sought to obtain legal guardianship over the minor children of parents dedicated to TFP and then turned their sons against both them and the mainstream church, regarded by TFP loyalists as an institutional fraud.


    Problem Two:
    Why did TIA wait over 20 years to post the purported letter from TFP?  It was supposedly written in 1997, but not made available to the public until after 2017.

    TIA’s story is:
    “In January 2017, TIA hosted an Event (sic) celebrating the publishing in English of the 11-volume Collection Eli. Eli Lamma Sabacthani? by Atila Sinke Guimarães. . .”

    At that event, those present raised questions regarding “the expulsion of Atila from the TFP” and “insisted that a translation of it to English should be available to the public.” 

    In response to those questions, Marian Horvat began to translate the supposed docuмent from Portuguese to English.

    Problem Three:
    For a letter purportedly from a hostile presient of the TFP organization from which Atila is, supposedly being cut off, it is surprisingly full of praise for Atila:

    This is from:
    “The Letter of the President of the TFP to Atila Sinke Guimarães, November 20, 1997
    . . .  Very dear Mr. Atila, because of your elevation of sights, your gifts of intelligence, your energy and, above all, the many graces that Our Lady has poured over you, you have a great role to carry out in the  Counter-Revolution  and  in  the  TFP. . . I take leave with inalterable esteem.”

    Thats. Just. Odd.

    :
                           


    Pray for the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

    Offline Cera

    • Hero Member
    • *****
    • Posts: 5208
    • Reputation: +2290/-1012
    • Gender: Female
    • Pray for the consecration of Russia to Mary's I H
    Re: Atila and the TFP
    « Reply #7 on: March 28, 2019, 04:27:20 PM »
  • Thanks!1
  • No Thanks!1
  • The REAL reason the Pliinio- worshipping TIA (much like its sister organization the Plinio-  worshipping TFP) is attacking SSPX:

    way back in 1983, the SSPX's Angelus magazine had the following concerns of Plinio and his organization:

    Quote
    Quote
    *  Dr. Plinio will never die. When his mission on earth is fulfilled, he will walk into an earthly paradise and then ascend into heaven.

    *  Dr. Plinio's mission is to defeat "the revolution," the Communistic and/or demonic forces which are corrupting the human race. He is the "pilgrim of justice" sent by God for this purpose.

    *  Next to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Dr. Plinio is most loved by God. Hence, St. Michael the Archangel is his own personal guardian angel.

    *  Dr. Plinio has the power to read a man's soul in order to determine if he possesses "Tau," the vocation and quality to fight the revolution. He is even supposed to be able to make this determination from viewing a photograph. "Tau" can be found only in males.

    * Members of the TFP are required to pledge their allegiance to Dr. Plinio. They make a consecration of slavery to the Blessed Mother and to Dr. Plinio. So highly regarded is Dr. Plinio that we were encouraged to kiss one of his hats that had come into our possession. And we kept a special room set aside for him where we had a special bed raised on a platform above the floor.

    Source: http://www.angelusonline.org/index.php?section=articles&subsection=show_article&article_id=773

    Pray for the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary


    Offline Meg

    • Hero Member
    • *****
    • Posts: 6173
    • Reputation: +3147/-2941
    • Gender: Female
    Re: Atila and the TFP
    « Reply #8 on: March 29, 2019, 07:57:07 AM »
  • Thanks!0
  • No Thanks!0
  • More neo-SSPX intrigue in Ecuador.  Link


    When Ecuadorian friends refer to her, they call her la China; when Brazilian friends speak of her, they say a Filipina; I will refer to her in this article as the Agent.

     I will analyze the four main goals that the Agent attained for SSPX.

    • A change of the name of the devotion in English;
    • A change of the juridical status of the Conceptionist Convent with the Archdiocese;
    • The expulsion of the disciples of Prof. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira who were in charge of several functions in the Convent;
    • The consequences of this expulsion for the Convent and for SSPX.
    Should my analysis require it, I will post its continuation(s) in days to follow.


    The article by Guimaraes lists four main goals of the supposed "agent," but the article does not address the last two (number 3 and 4 on the list), that I can see. Though maybe I missed it, since the article is so lengthy.

    On # 3 above, Guimaraes is concerned that the agent is working for the goal of the expulsion of the disciples of Prof. Plinio Correa de Oliveira who were in charge of several functions of the convent.

    #4 describes the consequences of this expulsion for the convent and for the SSPX.

    Question:
    Why should Atila Sinke Guimaraes be concerned about the supposed expulsion of disciples of Prof. Plinio Correa de Oliveira?
    "It is licit to resist a Sovereign Pontiff who is trying to destroy the Church. I say it is licit to resist him in not following his orders and in preventing the execution of his will. It is not licit to Judge him, to punish him, or to depose him, for these are acts proper to a superior."

    ~St. Robert Bellarmine
    De Romano Pontifice, Lib.II, c.29

    Offline Cera

    • Hero Member
    • *****
    • Posts: 5208
    • Reputation: +2290/-1012
    • Gender: Female
    • Pray for the consecration of Russia to Mary's I H
    Re: Atila and the TFP
    « Reply #9 on: March 29, 2019, 01:02:04 PM »
  • Thanks!1
  • No Thanks!4
  • Question:
    Why should Atila Sinke Guimaraes be concerned about the supposed expulsion of disciples of Prof. Plinio Correa de Oliveira?
    Go to TIA for the answer to your question. Go to the search box and enter Plinio Correa de Oliveira. You will get 814 articles by or about how wonderful he is. Both TFP and TIA engage in Plinio-worship.
    They only pretend to be separate organizations.
    Pray for the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

    Offline Incredulous

    • Hero Member
    • *****
    • Posts: 8901
    • Reputation: +8675/-849
    • Gender: Male
    Re: Atila and the TFP
    « Reply #10 on: March 29, 2019, 01:23:16 PM »
  • Thanks!3
  • No Thanks!1
  • Go to TIA for the answer to your question. Go to the search box and enter Plinio Correa de Oliveira. You will get 814 articles by or about how wonderful he is. Both TFP and TIA engage in Plinio-worship.
    They only pretend to be separate organizations.

    Cera,

    You are an agent of misinformation.

    Your citation on "Plineo worship" makes me think you're either hardcore neo-SSPX, or even Opus judei.
    "Some preachers will keep silence about the truth, and others will trample it underfoot and deny it. Sanctity of life will be held in derision even by those who outwardly profess it, for in those days Our Lord Jesus Christ will send them not a true Pastor but a destroyer."  St. Francis of Assisi


    Offline Incredulous

    • Hero Member
    • *****
    • Posts: 8901
    • Reputation: +8675/-849
    • Gender: Male
    Re: Atila and the TFP
    « Reply #11 on: March 29, 2019, 01:26:00 PM »
  • Thanks!2
  • No Thanks!1
  • No need to attempt to be insulting. Did you read both docuмents? Just for the record I am a retired university professor.
    Cera,

    If you are a retired scholar, your intelligent analysis of the docuмents was conspicuously lacking.
    "Some preachers will keep silence about the truth, and others will trample it underfoot and deny it. Sanctity of life will be held in derision even by those who outwardly profess it, for in those days Our Lord Jesus Christ will send them not a true Pastor but a destroyer."  St. Francis of Assisi

    Offline Meg

    • Hero Member
    • *****
    • Posts: 6173
    • Reputation: +3147/-2941
    • Gender: Female
    Re: Atila and the TFP
    « Reply #12 on: March 29, 2019, 04:30:59 PM »
  • Thanks!0
  • No Thanks!0
  • The REAL reason the Pliinio- worshipping TIA (much like its sister organization the Plinio-  worshipping TFP) is attacking SSPX:

    way back in 1983, the SSPX's Angelus magazine had the following concerns of Plinio and his organization:

    Quote
    Source: http://www.angelusonline.org/index.php?section=articles&subsection=show_article&article_id=773

    What exactly is "tau?" It's sounds a bit new-age. I see that it has something to do with being able to fight the revolution, but I've never  heard of anything like that in Church teaching.
    "It is licit to resist a Sovereign Pontiff who is trying to destroy the Church. I say it is licit to resist him in not following his orders and in preventing the execution of his will. It is not licit to Judge him, to punish him, or to depose him, for these are acts proper to a superior."

    ~St. Robert Bellarmine
    De Romano Pontifice, Lib.II, c.29

    Offline Cera

    • Hero Member
    • *****
    • Posts: 5208
    • Reputation: +2290/-1012
    • Gender: Female
    • Pray for the consecration of Russia to Mary's I H
    Re: Atila and the TFP
    « Reply #13 on: March 29, 2019, 06:04:16 PM »
  • Thanks!0
  • No Thanks!0

  • Previous link not working

    (The following was published in The Angelus, July 1983).

    Also available in PDF  HERE

    TFP: A DANGEROUS CULT

    John T. Armour

    I WAS A MEMBER of the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property (TFP) from July 1980 until January 1981. I affiliated with the group after meeting with a TFP sympathizer in my home state of California. As a member, I lived at "the TFP seat" in Mount Kisco, New York, where I received the training and indoctrination that all members are given. I consider myself very fortunate to have been convinced by some good friends to separate from this group.

    Looking back, I can now see that the TFP is a dangerous personality cult whose purpose is the glorification of its Brazilian founder, Dr. Plinio Corea de Olivera. Many highly idealistic and religiously motivated young men have been captivated by its persuasive program. The appeals to moral, dogmatic and liturgical tradition which are so refreshing in this age of turmoil are, in my opinion, simply a means to lure individuals into the cult.

    During the period of training which I received, I was taught:

    * Dr. Plinio will never die. When his mission on earth is fulfilled, he will walk into an earthly paradise and then ascend into heaven.

    * Dr. Plinio's mission is to defeat "the revolution," the Communistic and/or demonic forces which are corrupting the human race. He is the "pilgrim of justice" sent by God for this purpose.

    * Next to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Dr. Plinio is most loved by God. Hence, St. Michael the Archangel is his own personal guardian angel.

    * Dr. Plinio has the power to read a man's soul in order to determine if he possesses "Tau," the vocation and quality to fight the revolution. He is even supposed to be able to make this determination from viewing a photograph. "Tau" can be found only in males.

    * Members of the TFP are required to pledge their allegiance to Dr. Plinio. They make a consecration of slavery to the Blessed Mother and to Dr. Plinio. So highly regarded is Dr. Plinio that we were encouraged to kiss one of his hats that had come into our possession. And we kept a special room set aside for him where we had a special bed raised on a platform above the floor.

    When I first arrived at TFP headquarters in New York, the leaders convinced me that the group was not a cult. They asked me what I had heard about the group and, after correcting minor mistaken notions I had, and after I had assured myself that I was not getting into something I would later regret being a part of, I became a member. Right away, a man was assigned to watch over me, answer my questions and keep me from knowing too much until they were sure of me. He even told me what to write in my letter to my parents. Those of us whose parents did not agree with the TFP soon found ourselves referring to our mothers and fathers as the "fountain of my revolution" (FMR). The inference was that each of us had a trace of the revolution in him, and it had been obtained as a result of the corruption and leniency of our parents. We were convinced to reject and ignore any advice from them, to see this corruption in all our family members, and to treat them accordingly. In time, I grew to despise my family. On one occasion when I was being encouraged in this attitude, I told the leaders that I had caused my mother to cry when I had talked with her by telephone. The leaders actually laughed. But, at the same time, we were urged to convince our parents that they should be proud of us because we were clean-cut gentlemen who were doing God's work.

    It may seem odd that a group such as the TFP could attract and hold anyone's confidence and loyalty. But the appeal of spirituality was very strong. We all knew that something was wrong both in the world and in the Church. Here was a dedicated group living an exemplary semi-monastic life, ostensibly formed to fight the decay we knew existed. And we were young and inexperienced. I was actually convinced that I was in the Blessed Mother's special army.

    The religious overtones were very heavy. We were encouraged to receive Holy Communion daily in the TFP Chapel. That it was distributed to us by a layman who was one of our own was done only out of supposed need. That need, of course, served to provide more evidence of the spread of the revolution. (A large number of hosts were consecrated three or four times a year by a visiting priest from Canada. He left them in our Chapel tabernacle.)

    The converted mansion where about sixty of us lived was full of holy pictures, statues and other religious articles. We were required to pray all fifteen decades of the Rosary daily, and meditation was encouraged. Each evening, after dinner, instruction from Dr. Plinio was given to all. Most often, this instruction came via recordings; sometimes it was a printed message that was read. All messages were in the Portuguese language which was translated into English by one of the leaders.

    We were led to believe that, if we left the TFP, Our Lady would chastise us because She did not want anyone to leave Her army. Many tales of terrible deaths suffered by those who left were recounted. We actually knew a Brazilian member who had been transferred to the United States, but who left the organization to get married. When he contracted a bone disease which killed him, many were pleased to learn that such justice had been delivered to a turncoat.

    The atmosphere cultivated within this group is one which holds that the entire world is corrupt and only the TFP has escaped the corruption. Even traditional Catholics, such as Archbishop Lefebvre and his followers, are scorned—though never publicly.

    Very few members ever attend Mass on Sundays, not because of any inability to locate a Tridentine Mass chapel, but because most do not want to go. A few do attend Mass at a nearby Byzantine Catholic Church. Members of the TFP derisively refer to faithful Catholics who do attend the Tridentine Mass as "trads." I was mocked one Sunday for reading the Mass to myself out of a missal. TFP leaders even joke about "trad" priests saying on one occasion that they would like to have one kept in the basement to be brought out when needed.

    The TFP members I knew do not believe that Pope John Paul II is a true Pope because, according to them, he has excommunicated himself by stating heresy. The group believes that the See is vacant. Neither of these attitudes, nor many other of the aforementioned attitudes will ever be stated in public, however. TFP members are very anxious to cultivate a favorable image, even among those they constantly denigrate.

    It is my hope that no one will accept the TFP at face value. I believe the group to be a dangerous cult which does harm to those within its web, and to the Catholic Church which I thought I was serving while I was with it.


    SOURCE
    Pray for the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

    Offline Cera

    • Hero Member
    • *****
    • Posts: 5208
    • Reputation: +2290/-1012
    • Gender: Female
    • Pray for the consecration of Russia to Mary's I H
    Re: Atila and the TFP
    « Reply #14 on: March 29, 2019, 06:06:54 PM »
  • Thanks!0
  • No Thanks!0
  • What exactly is "tau?" It's sounds a bit new-age. I see that it has something to do with being able to fight the revolution, but I've never  heard of anything like that in Church teaching.
    I think Plinio made up the word.
    From the Angelus article: TFP: A DANGEROUS CULT

    John T. Armour
    We were taught that . . .
    Dr. Plinio has the power to read a man's soul in order to determine if he possesses "Tau," the vocation and quality to fight the revolution. He is even supposed to be able to make this determination from viewing a photograph. "Tau" can be found only in males.
    Pray for the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary