Father’s Distress

A family father knows not where to turn?
Dear Dad, Our Lord will never crash or burn!

Your Excellency,

I am sorry to bother you, but I am a father responsible for getting many little souls that God has entrusted me with to Heaven and I’ve never been so lost or confused about how to do it as I am now. I am trying not to feel hopeless as I see both my Catholic world and the rest of the world in a tail-spin, about ready to crash and burn. A clerk in today’s United States gets sent to jail if they refuse to issue a license for a same-sex marriage. What next? But I do go on hoping because God has given us many children, and another is on its way. Why is God allowing us to bring more children into this world when it seems as if it’s about to end? Should my wife and I be preparing ourselves to see them martyred? I have not up till now found devotion to Our Lady too easy, but now even I find myself turning to her.

The immediate problem is what we have found to be happening with our local Traditional Catholic parish. We moved here to guarantee for the children especially, but also for ourselves, the true Mass and a Catholic formation. Alas, many things have come to light that have left us shocked, confused and feeling defeated. There seem to be demonic influences at work, and we have had to wonder if even the priests are not under their evil grip, because they are not the same priests we knew a year ago. For the past year we have done our best to help, but to no avail. We have continued to attend Mass there, all the while praying, fasting and doing Novenas in the hope that things would change. We have “watched and prayed,” and like the spouse of an alcoholic we have made excuses for them for as long as we could. But finally things have occurred which are driving us to look elsewhere if we do not want our children to be confused about their faith.

So where do we go from here? Obviously I want the children to have the Sacraments and to continue to grow in the faith by attending a valid Mass, so long as it is there. To raise these children’s souls for Christ my wife and I also have an essential need of the graces of the Mass. We want to stay away from major cities. My work situation is such that I could seek work anywhere in the United States. Where do we go?

Dear Father of a large family,

First and foremost, as I read everything you write, let me advise you to count your blessings. Almighty God is not making things easy for you, but nor did he do so for his own Son on earth. This is a “valley of tears,” but amid the tears, God is giving to you and to your family many graces. You are keeping the faith, you have been given to see the need for true Tradition, and your making it your first priority to get your family to Heaven is another huge grace. The Devil may have thrown quite an obstacle in your way, but you have seen it was him. Count on it, there will be many more such obstacles before this crisis is over, and the worst of them a re liable to come from the priests (“We carry our treasure in vessels of clay,” says St Paul). Never be surprised by evil today, the Devil is running wild. Therefore above all, keep well in mind how much God is doing for you, as he did for the Holy Family, despite all the apparent hardships. That will put them in the right perspective. And do not be surprised if as the man of the family, God wants you to take some manly decisions for its future. He is not going to take these decisions for you.

Alright, you say, but the question remains, where do we go? Answer, wherever you are sure of finding firstly, work for yourself and secondly, the true Mass, in that order, because the family cannot survive without a breadwinner. As for the Mass, 20 years ago one might not have hesitated to say, it must be a Society of St Pius X Mass. Today, that is no longer so sure. I would say, go rather by the priest than by his Congregation, or label. Expect failures and betrayals. We are all adrift in a sea of apostasy. But have a boundless, a boundless confidence in Our Lord and his Mother. They will never let you go unless you want to be let go. Have compassion on your fellow human beings. And God bless you.

Kyrie eleison.

I think we all know what priests His Excellency is referring to...

Indeed.  

We have to remember that these letters are translated and distributed all over the world in a variety of languages from French to Spanish to Portuguese. However, the term "I am sorry to bother you" is very American and I would be shocked if it was from a non-American father.
This is just one of many, many signs in the letter that point to that special place in the South with the "unique" issues.

We have to remember that these letters are translated and distributed all over the world in a variety of languages from French to Spanish to Portuguese. However, the term "I am sorry to bother you" is very American and I would be shocked if it was from a non-American father.
This is just one of many, many signs in the letter that point to that special place in the South with the "unique" issues.

To be perfectly honest, it would not surprise me in the slightest if the "letter" was the Bishop's own creative license.

However, I didn't really understand when His Excellency stated "[...] wherever you are sure of finding firstly, work for yourself and secondly, the true Mass, in that order, because the family cannot survive without a breadwinner."
I don't really understand what he was alluding to when he stated "work for yourself." Can someone please explain it? I'm not sure if it's a British saying but I'm just a little confused as to what he is referring to.

Priority #1 : Suitable employment

Priority #2 : Sacraments

Quote from: MaterDominici

Quote from: Henry101

However, I didn't really understand when His Excellency stated "[...] wherever you are sure of finding firstly, work for yourself and secondly, the true Mass, in that order, because the family cannot survive without a breadwinner."
I don't really understand what he was alluding to when he stated "work for yourself." Can someone please explain it? I'm not sure if it's a British saying but I'm just a little confused as to what he is referring to.

Priority #1 : Suitable employment

Priority #2 : Sacraments

But I still don't understand that. Doesn't Faith come first? If I have a job on Sunday shouldn't I make an effort to take Sunday off to spend with my family? Not really sure about his rationale about this. I'm not trying to be rude or condescending, but I'm just a little confused.

I'll try to be verbose.

He's saying that when you're contemplating a relocation in order to have better access to the sacraments, you should FIRST make sure that you'll be able to support your family in any potential location before you move. The SSPX has somewhat of a history of people relocating to their major Mass centers for the sake of things like schools and daily Mass, and then not being able to find an adequate job to support their family.

@Herny101 He does not talk about working on Sunday. He simply says that the reason and faith belong together and can´t be separated one from the other. Then the Bishop says that the main thing is to get in contact with a true catholic (I add: catholic and humble) priest that believes in all the Catholic dogmas and does not act and behave anti-catholic.  It is important to find an honest priest that is not a modernist and not a heretic, and does not work for any division but for unity. I agree! I believe in the present moment: It does not matter whether the priest is part of the SSPX or Institute of Christ the King, that's what counts ist that the priest himself, loves God, is teaching the true catholic doctrine (and does not try to convert us to conciliar and schismatic people). Because the SSPX is betraying our Lord RIGHT NOW, as well betraying the Archbishop Lefebvre, I would not attend any SSPX Mass! I do not want to be there at this betrayal! If I would have a family with many children, I would certainly go for example, to the holy mass of a good and kindly priest of the Institute Christ the King. Most priests became Priests in this Institute with good intentions! But the priests in the SSPX are right now betraying the own founder and Christ! No, I refuse to enter the SSPX chapel, chapels where Christ through the superior and most of the priests, is slaughtered. Maybe it is better to go to the indult mass... this would be better, because most priests knows neither Lefebvre nor that that they are doing something wrong. But the SSPX priests are not innocent! They know what they do! No matter what, it is good to find a good catholic and humble priest, and not priests who think to be the Pope!

I was happy to read this in my e-mail.

This is the real spiritual guidance and direction that we Catholics need at this time.

Having blind support for any congregation of religious at this time is dangerous.

We are lost and adrift.  The only thing we can do is find a priest, wherever he may be, that upholds the True Faith and offers the True Sacraments.  I don't think it is hard to judge where one might find such a priest.  

Also relocating to some place without adequate employment is bad judgment.  I have known people who have done this.  The children suffer.  Sometimes those children rebel against the Faith  because they believe they have been deprived of their needs.  Not a good outcome in my opinion.