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Author Topic: Bishop Zendejas' Advice on 1962 Liturgy  (Read 5929 times)

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Offline Plenus Venter

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Bishop Zendejas' Advice on 1962 Liturgy
« on: December 17, 2023, 06:38:49 PM »
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  • This is the sermon preached by His Excellency Bishop Zendejas at the priestly ordination of Fr Eymeric Blanchet SAJM at Avrille several months ago: https://dominicansavrille.us/sermon-of-the-priestly-ordination-of-fr-eymeric-blanchet-sajm/

    Below is an excerpt with his advice to the new ordinand on fidelity to Archbishop Lefebvre's advice with regards the liturgy to be used:

    Is the traditional movement a rebellion to Authority? Was Archbishop Lefebvre against Church Authority? 
    Resisting in the spirit of Truth, Archbishop Lefebvre preserved the Deposit of the Faith including the Papacy itself from the destructive danger formulated by the innovations of the Second Vatican Council. Archbishop Lefebvre himself explained the reasons for which one should resist a higher authority. “ […] What is the first principle to know what we must do in this circuмstance, in this crisis in the Church? What is the principle?
    This doctrine is expounded by Saint Thomas Aquinas. So what does Saint Thomas Aquinas say about the authority in the Church? When can we refuse something from the authority of the Church? PRINCIPLE: ‘Only when the Faith is in question.’ Only in this case. Not in other cases… Only when the Faith is in question… and that is found in the Summa Theologica (II II Q.33, a.4, ad 2m) […].” (AL, St. Them Aquinas Seminary, Ridgefield, 1983)
    We resist and shall continue to resist, not in a spirit of contradiction or rebellion, but in a spirit of fidelity to the Church, of fidelity to God, to our Lord Jesus Christ, to all those who taught us our holy religion; by a spirit of fidelity to all the Popes who maintained Tradition. That is why we are determined quite simply to continue, to persevere in the Tradition which sanctified the saints who are rendering an immense service to all the faithful who wish to keep the faith and truly to receive the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (AL, Écône November 1, 1980)

    [...]

    Dear Abbé Blanchet, when you say the Mass of Always, some people might ask you: “Do you take care of all rubrics of 1962 Roman Missal with which you are being Ordained priest?”  You should respond: YES.

    Some people might ask you: “Do you name Pope Francis in the Roman Canon of Mass?”  You should respond: YES.

    As a Catholic Priest is a principle of monarchical order, he is the Lieutenant of our Lord Jesus Christ’s Royal Kingdom on earth, and according to his rank of authority, a Priest is sent by his bishop to proclaim the Kingship of Christ to his flock. Otherwise, it would be like a democratic priest, who chooses to say or not, to preach or not, his own personal kingdom.

    So, the reason of these and other questions is because in following the 1955 Liturgical books, there are some priests who omit the rubric “una-cuм-Francisco” at the Roman Canon of the Mass, or at the celebration of the Holy Week ceremonies. What one might think about purposely omitting the Pope’s name, as the schismatic and Protestant ministries do?

    Indeed, all we Catholics must pray more than ever to the Good Shepherd, Our Lord Jesus Christ, asking Him to have mercy on His flock, on those sheep who want to believe with integrity in His evangelical message of eternal salvation, in the Mystery of Redemption through Jesus Christ, the only Savior of the world, in the ark of salvation outside of which there is no salvation, the Catholic Church, which is the Ark of Saint Peter.

    3. The power of sanctifying: the law of prayer is the law of belief.
    We know the axiom, the law of belief is fundamental to the law of prayer. In order to comprehend the dogma, it is important to keep the words and deeds performed by the Liturgy throughout all times. It is through the Liturgy that the Spirit who inspired the Holy Scripture, still works. The Liturgy is Tradition to its highest degree in power and solemnity in the Church.” (Dom Guéranger, Institution Liturgiques, part I, chapter 1, p.18)

    It is very important to follow a principle of public and official prayer approved by the Tradition of the Catholic Church. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and the recitation of the Divine Office (Breviary) are not private personal prayers for a priest because they are codified. The deliberate omission to pray the Breviary incurs the penalty of mortal sin(Canon 135). When a Catholic Priest prays the Breviary, as Dom Marmion says, by his lips he continues the praising of Our Lord Jesus Christ to His heavenly Father. We know that Our Lord constantly recited the 150 psalms attributed to King David, because it was the official prayer, under the Law of Moses, before the coming of the Messiah. Following that Tradition in the Catholic Church, we continue to recite the 150 Psalms as well as other prayers which commemorate the dogmas and mysteries of our Faith: These prayers were put together in particular by Saint Gregory the Great.

    Nevertheless, There are some discrepancies among Traditional priests and faithful in regards to the law of praying and the law of believing, since the 1960s. From the very beginning, Archbishop Lefebvre took his decision in installing the 1962 Liturgy at Écône. The rejection of the 1962 Liturgical books has been the occasion of separations within the Society of Saint Pius X: three times these separations occurred in Écône (1975, 1979, 1981), twice in the USA (1983, 1984), once in Germany (1984), and once in Argentina (1989). And there are stil several separations due to lack of unity on the official public prayer of the Traditional Church.

    Here are some words from Archbishop Lefebvre on this subject:

    The liturgy of Écône is the liturgy that I myself have been using now for 20 years. It is a liturgy we use, more or less, everywhere in the Society. […]

    So, these priests condemned it… and they condemned me… and they condemned Écône… How is this possible? […] That they condemned the bishop who gave them their ordination? When these priests were at Écône they accepted this liturgy; when they were ordained, they accepted during the years they were at Écône. When they left, they changed, and took another orientation. […]

    Now, not only they dispute the liturgy but also about the Pope. They are in their hearts, against the fact that there is a Pope in Rome. […]

    Certainly, we agree on many doctrinal points, these priests and I. We have the same doctrine about the Church, about theology, we follow Saint Thomas Aquinas in philosophy, in theology… But to interpret the situation of the Church now, we have not the same meaning, not the same thinking… This is very dangerous. […]

    We must now do an application of the principle. For me I think that the liturgical reform of Pope John XXIII has nothing against the Faith. You can take the Pontifical, the Rituale, the Breviary, the Roman Missale, and what is in these books of Pope John XXIII against the Faith? Nothing! […]

    In reality, this reform was done by Pope Pius XII, not Pope John XXIII. When I was Apostolic Delegate in Rome, they asked me to have Episcopal Conferences in Madagascar, in Cameroon, and in French speaking Africa, to ask the bishops about the reform of the breviary. […]
    But these seven young priests said that seven men did this reform, and they were the same who did the reform of Paul VI. That is not true! Perhaps in the commission, it is possible that some of these men were there… Perhaps Bugnini was a member of this commission of Pius XII.
    But you know that during the Pontificate of John XXIII, this Pope removed Msgr. Bugnini from his teaching post in the University of the Lateran. Pope John XXIII was against Bugnini. I knew the president of the Commission who did this reform, it was Msgr. De Matto, who was the Abbot of St. Paul outside the Walls… I know him very well and I spoke with him many times. He was the president of the Commission of reforming the liturgy under the Pontificate of John XXIII. It was under Paul VI that he was removed because he was traditionalist, and they replaced him by Msgr. Bugnini… that is true. But it is not true to say that this reform of Pope John XXIII is the beginning of the reform of Pope Paul VI. […]

    So, I have said concerning this reform [1962] we must obey the Pope, especially since we have no reason to refuse it!

    (AL, April 24, 1983, at St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary, in Ridgefield, CT)

    After many discrepancies and departures of several priests from the Society of Saint Pius X, Archbishop Lefebvre required that all the candidates to Holy Orders should sign The Declaration of Fidelity, from April 11, 1981 until his death. In addition to the Declaration, there were required to say the Anti-modernist Oath and the Profession of Faith declared by Pius IX. Certainly, I myself signed and complied with these requirements throughout the reception of the major orders of subdiaconate, diaconate, and priesthood.

    The Declaration of Fidelity contains the UNITY OF THE THREE POWERS  which a Priest receives on the day of his Ordination: it affirms one Faith, one Head, one Liturgy – it confirms the Truth, the Authority and Public priestly Liturgical Prayer under which the candidate is ordained priest in the Catholic Church.

    Here is the Declaration of Fidelity in its entirety:

    “[For unity of government]
    I, the undersigned, __N.N._______ recognize _Pope’s name_ as Pope of the Holy Catholic Church. That is why I am ready to pray publicly for him as Sovereign Pontiff.
     
    [For unity of faith ]
    I refuse to follow him when he departs from the Catholic Tradition, especially in the questions of religious liberty and ecuмenism, as also in the reforms which are harmful to the Church.
    I grant that Masses celebrated according to the New Rite are not all invalid. However, considering the bad translations of the Novus Ordo Missae, its ambiguity favoring its being interpreted in a Protestant sense, and the plurality of ways in which it can be celebrated, I recognize that the danger of invalidity is very great. I affirm that the New Rite of Mass does not, it is true, formulate any heresy in an explicit manner, but that it departs “in a striking manner overall as well as in detail, from the Catholic theology of the Holy Mass”, and for this reason the New Rite is in itself bad. That is why I shall never celebrate the Holy Mass according to this New Rite, even if I am threatened with ecclesiastical sanctions; and I shall never advise anyone in a positive manner to take an active part in such a Mass.

    [For unity of Liturgy]
    Finally, I admit as being legitimate the liturgical reform of John XXIII. Hence, I take all the (1962) liturgical books from it to be Catholic: the Roman Missale, the Breviary, the Pontificale and the Rituale; and I bind myself to make exclusive use of them according to their calendar and rubrics, in particular for the celebration of Mass and for the recitation in common of the Breviary. In doing this I desire to show the obedience binding me to my superiors, as also the obedience binding me to the Roman Pontiff in all his legitimate acts.

    CONCLUSION

    Dear Abbé Blanchet, if you celebrated Mass and prayed your Breviary, according to the rubrics of 1955, it would certainly be a valid Mass and you would conform to the recitation of the Breviary, but you would most certainly be moving away from the spirit and attitude of Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre concerning his understanding of the crisis within the Catholic Church, as well as for his purpose to Ordain Priests for the perpetuation of the Latin Mass along with the calling for his Crusade. May the Blessed Lord give you the grace of the interior life, and to be a principle of order in the public prayer of the Catholic Church.

    Indeed, we are not schismatics. We are not heretics. We are not rebels. We are resisting that wave of modernism, of secularism, of progressivism, which has invaded the Church since the Vatican II Council, formulating a conciliar church to destroy everything sacred, supernatural, divine, and reduce it to human dimensions.

    May Our Lady intercede for us so that we may keep up the Crusade launched by Archbishop Lefebvre for the continuation of Tradition, for the glory of the Holy Trinity and the exaltation of the Catholic Church by recapitulating all things in Christ so that all Christendom should again proclaim, “He must reign”.

    AMEN.





    Offline Plenus Venter

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    Re: Bishop Zendejas' Advice on 1962 Liturgy
    « Reply #1 on: December 17, 2023, 06:54:03 PM »
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  • The Bishop's advice here with regards staying faithful to the position of Archbishop Lefebvre on the question of the 1962 Liturgy is the obvious default position of the Resistance. Yet not all in the Resistance agree, and we have already seen division. We have heard much on this forum from the proponents of the pre-1955 Holy Week, especially in the wake of Dr Carol Byrne's work. Is now the time for the Resistance to change? I believe such a change would be ill-considered, just now when we are claiming to be the faithful heirs of Archbishop Lefebvre.

    That there could be a case for considering some of these reforms illegitimate I do not deny, but I think it is far from certain and it is a question we should leave for Rome in better days. All in the SSPX and Resistance agree that Archbishop Lefebvre was raised up by God for this extraordinary mission of preserving the Faith and the priesthood in this crisis. We have seen the good fruits. ABL was the guide that the Good Lord gave us, and there was no one better qualified to make these decisions. The Pius XII Holy Week reform had already been accepted in the Church for 10 years before the conclusion of Vatican II. Let us continue our holding action as he bequeathed it to us and wait for the return of Rome to Tradition. I believe that to change things now would only lead to scandal and further division.


    Offline Nadir

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    Re: Bishop Zendejas' Advice on 1962 Liturgy
    « Reply #2 on: December 17, 2023, 09:11:10 PM »
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  • Thank you for publishing this sermon, Plenus Venter. It clarifies the puzzle (to me) of the disputing over the ‘62 Mass.
    Help of Christians, guard our land from assault or inward stain,
    Let it be what God has planned, His new Eden where You reign.

    +RIP 2024

    Offline Horatius

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    Re: Bishop Zendejas' Advice on 1962 Liturgy
    « Reply #3 on: December 18, 2023, 04:38:47 AM »
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  • Has anyone here witnessed a Holy Week celebrated by Bp. Zendejas?

    I wonder if he employs any of the customary changes to the reformed Holy Week, as the majority of the SSPX priests.

    If he believes that celebrating the reformed Holy Week is a matter of legitimacy then he should celebrate it exactly as the books specify. Normally it would be a grave sin to alter a rubric substantially.

    Online Ladislaus

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    Re: Bishop Zendejas' Advice on 1962 Liturgy
    « Reply #4 on: December 18, 2023, 05:39:37 AM »
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  • Some people might ask you: “Do you name Pope Francis in the Roman Canon of Mass?”  You should respond: YES.

    As a Catholic Priest is a principle of monarchical order, he is the Lieutenant of our Lord Jesus Christ’s Royal Kingdom on earth, and according to his rank of authority, a Priest is sent by his bishop to proclaim the Kingship of Christ to his flock. Otherwise, it would be like a democratic priest, who chooses to say or not, to preach or not, his own personal kingdom.

    :facepalm:  R&R's new "monarchical order" that entails paying lip service to some monarch, putting his picture up in your vestibule, and then ignoring anything he has to say.


    Online Ladislaus

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    Re: Bishop Zendejas' Advice on 1962 Liturgy
    « Reply #5 on: December 18, 2023, 05:47:29 AM »
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  • So, the reason of these and other questions is because in following the 1955 Liturgical books, there are some priests who omit the rubric “una-cuм-Francisco” at the Roman Canon of the Mass, or at the celebration of the Holy Week ceremonies. What one might think about purposely omitting the Pope’s name, as the schismatic and Protestant ministries do?
    ...
    Dear Abbé Blanchet, if you celebrated Mass and prayed your Breviary, according to the rubrics of 1955, it would certainly be a valid Mass and you would conform to the recitation of the Breviary, but you would most certainly be moving away from the spirit and attitude of Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre ...

    So he dedicated the entire sermon at an ordination to whether or not you'd use the 1962 Missal.  There are very good reasons (promoted by some of the Resistance) for rejecting even the 1955 Rites and going pre-1955.  Outside of the CMRI, few "sedevacantists" actually use the 1955, but the pre-1955, which has nothing to do with sedevacantism, since they all believe that Pius XII was a legitimate pope.  It's actually a bit R&R-ish of them to reject the 1955 Liturgy, which is probably why the CMRI use it.

    Offline Plenus Venter

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    Re: Bishop Zendejas' Advice on 1962 Liturgy
    « Reply #6 on: December 18, 2023, 05:52:57 AM »
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  • Here is part of the Archbishop's conference to the US seminarians in 1983 from which Bishop Zendejas takes some of his quotes:


    The transcript of the Archbishop's conferences on this, and other differences with 'The Nine', can be found here:
    https://archive.org/details/LefebvreRidgefield8283A/mode/2up

    Offline Plenus Venter

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    Re: Bishop Zendejas' Advice on 1962 Liturgy
    « Reply #7 on: December 18, 2023, 05:58:37 AM »
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  • So he dedicated the entire sermon at an ordination to whether or not you'd use the 1962 Missal.  There are very good reasons (promoted by some of the Resistance) for rejecting even the 1955 Rites and going pre-1955.  Outside of the CMRI, few "sedevacantists" actually use the 1955, but the pre-1955, which has nothing to do with sedevacantism, since they all believe that Pius XII was a legitimate pope.  It's actually a bit R&R-ish of them to reject the 1955 Liturgy, which is probably why the CMRI use it.
    Interesting observation, thanks Ladislaus. No, his sermon was more extensive than that, I provided the link if you wish to read the whole thing.


    Online Ladislaus

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    Re: Bishop Zendejas' Advice on 1962 Liturgy
    « Reply #8 on: December 18, 2023, 06:18:42 AM »
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  • Here is part of the Archbishop's conference to the US seminarians in 1983 from which Bishop Zendejas takes some of his quotes:

    Right, the same period in the earl 1980s (when +Lefebvre was asking to make the "experiment of Tradition" and seeking a practical agreement with Rome) from which the neo-SSPX also cherry-pick quotes that run counter to the Resistance position.  Resistance should be cautious about using quotes from that period because by and large they back the neo-SSPX position.

    Offline Catholic Knight

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    Re: Bishop Zendejas' Advice on 1962 Liturgy
    « Reply #9 on: December 18, 2023, 06:53:27 AM »
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  • Some people might ask you: “Do you name Pope Francis in the Roman Canon of Mass?”  You should respond: YES.

    Rather, the priest should respond:  NO.

    Offline Matthew

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    Re: Bishop Zendejas' Advice on 1962 Liturgy
    « Reply #10 on: December 18, 2023, 05:29:00 PM »
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  • +ABL:
    So, I have said concerning this reform [1962] we must obey the Pope, especially since we have no reason to refuse it!

    I completely agree with him here.

    "cooties" isn't enough of a reason to reject the 1962 Missale. There is no way in which it is defective, much less dangerous to the Faith to ANY degree.
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    Offline Plenus Venter

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    Re: Bishop Zendejas' Advice on 1962 Liturgy
    « Reply #11 on: December 18, 2023, 05:48:26 PM »
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  • Resistance should be cautious about using quotes from that period because by and large they back the neo-SSPX position.
    It is not caution in quoting the Archbishop that is required, but understanding, especially of context. For those who have but a superficial understanding of the reality, they may indeed be easily deceived by appearances, just as the Catholics in the Conciliar Church are deceived by apparent obedience, when in fact the reality is the exact opposite. Bishop Williamson is the beacon of light and truth that has been given us in this 'Vatican IIb' crisis as he calls it, for exposing the reality behind the appearances.

    Offline Plenus Venter

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    Re: Bishop Zendejas' Advice on 1962 Liturgy
    « Reply #12 on: December 18, 2023, 07:04:49 PM »
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  • It is not caution in quoting the Archbishop that is required, but understanding, especially of context. For those who have but a superficial understanding of the reality, they may indeed be easily deceived by appearances, just as the Catholics in the Conciliar Church are deceived by apparent obedience, when in fact the reality is the exact opposite. Bishop Williamson is the beacon of light and truth that has been given us in this 'Vatican IIb' crisis as he calls it, for exposing the reality behind the appearances.
    Proof of this, for those who have eyes to see, is not only what the SSPX did in 2012, but what the neo-SSPX has continued to do since. What honest person can imagine Archbishop Lefebvre playing games with Conciliar Bishop Huonder and ignoring a valiant defender of the Faith like Archbishop Vigano? What a scandal! The Archbishop must be rolling in his grave.

    Online Giovanni Berto

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    Re: Bishop Zendejas' Advice on 1962 Liturgy
    « Reply #13 on: December 18, 2023, 08:07:02 PM »
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  • The interesting thing about criticism of the 1962 missal is that people need a whole lot of study to understand what happened behind to scenes to be able to understand the criticisms.

    It was obviously a step towards the New Mass and the Council revolution in general, but the same could be said about the election of Pius XII, for instance. Yet, there is not one single group who says that the was not Pope, even though he endorsed the 1955 Holy Week.

    Pope St. Pius X was also revolutionary when he reformed the Breviary, as I have read. Yet, is there a single Traditionalist group out there using the Breviary as it was before St. Pius X? None that I know of.

    If I were to choose, I would prefer the older missals, but we all have our preferences, don't we? Some people would probably prefer the St. Pius V missal, if they could choose.

    Online Ladislaus

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    Re: Bishop Zendejas' Advice on 1962 Liturgy
    « Reply #14 on: December 18, 2023, 09:28:19 PM »
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  • The interesting thing about criticism of the 1962 missal is that people need a whole lot of study to understand what happened behind to scenes to be able to understand the criticisms.

    It was obviously a step towards the New Mass and the Council revolution in general, but the same could be said about the election of Pius XII, for instance. Yet, there is not one single group who says that the was not Pope, even though he endorsed the 1955 Holy Week.

    That was my point.  Contrary to what +Zendejas implies, there's no necessary linkage between seeing the 1962 Missal as part of the revolution and sedevacantism, as nearly all the SVs who use the pre-1955 Missal accept Pius XII as a legitimate Pope.