Catholic Info
Traditional Catholic Faith => SSPX Resistance News => Topic started by: DAW on December 17, 2012, 11:49:03 AM
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The following was read and distributed to parishoners at St. Athanasius Church in Vienna, VA, on Sunday, December 16th:
November 9, 2012
Dear Father Rostand,
Thank you for your letter of October 12 in which you offer to meet to discuss the situation within the Society of St. Pius X. While this is a very kind offer on your part and I appreciate it very much, I don't think such a meeting will serve any meaningful purpose, since the problems stem from the Society's top leadership, and you are not in a position to change that.
It is true that I have been a strong supporter of the Society for many years. This support was based on the fact that my mission as a priest, and the Society's mission were one and the same, to help souls hold onto the Catholic faith during this time when it appears to have been abandoned by post Vatican II Rome.
Now I have to be more cautious and reserved in that support. I am alarmed that the Superior General would say that 95% of Vatican II is acceptable. I am astounded that the Society's leadership would respond to three of the Society's bishops by suggesting that they are making the errors of Vatican II into a "super-heresy." I am disappointed that the Society's response to Assisi III was so weak and anemic. I am saddened by the Society's unjust disciplining of priests who are following the example of Archbishop Lefebvre, and I am outraged at the treatment of Bishop Williamson -- not just his recent expulsion, but the shabby treatment he has gotten over the past few years.
Prior to this year, when asked about the Society by an inquiring parishoner, I always gave the Society a green light. Given the Society's recent actions, I do not yet give the Society a red light, but I do give a yellow light of caution. The red light will come if and when the Society allows herself to be absorbed into the Conciliar Church that Archbishop Lefebvre so vigorously resisted.
It is with great sadness that I write these words. There are many good, zealous, faithful priests within the Society's ranks. Many of them I know personally and admire. Many souls depend on them. It is out of love for the Society that I fear for her future. I fear that she is on a suicidal path. The leadership may think that a deal is off the table, but I fear that is not the thinking of Rome.
I pray for the Society to return to the mission given her by Archbishop Lefebvre without compromise or hedging. When she does, she will have my unreserved support.
May God bless you and Our Lady watch over you.
Fraternally yours,
Rev. Ronald J. Ringrose
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Thanks for posting this. We couldn't shake it yesterday, the sorrow. Fr. mentioned a new SSPX chapel here in town?
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Thank you for posting this, DAW. God Bless Fr. Ringrose.
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Is Fr. Ringrose a member of the SSPX or an independent?
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Elizabeth,
The SSPX offered a mass in Rockville, MD, yesterday. I don't believe it was celebrated in a chapel but in a non-permanent location. They never before felt the need to offer such a mass as they knew Father Ringrose at St. Athanasius took care of souls seeking the traditional Catholic faith in the area. Just as "in olden days" the conciliarists would offer a mass near any newly-instituted SSPX chapel to lure away the faithful, so the SSPX seems to have learned from the Vatican II church to play the same game. And indeed a notice was sent to certain St. Athanasius faithful announcing the SSPX mass in Rockville. This seems to be the SSPX response to Father Ringrose's letter to Father Rostand.
I have attended St. Athanasius Church for close to 28 years. Father Ringrose has not changed his teaching since my first day there. So who has changed?
DAW
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Thanks for posting this. We couldn't shake it yesterday, the sorrow. Fr. mentioned a new SSPX chapel here in town?
Yea, apparently Fr. Rostand's reply was to set up shop down the street from St. Athanasius.
I don't know if they intend that to be a permanent arrangement, but it says a lot.
Sorry for roughly a repeat of DAW's post, crossed in the ether.
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Anyone who has any doubts about "who is in the wrong" regarding the SSPX crisis -- you can put them to rest now.
It's clearly the SSPX leadership that has changed.
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Elizabeth,
The SSPX offered a mass in Rockville, MD, yesterday. I don't believe it was celebrated in a chapel but in a non-permanent location. They never before felt the need to offer such a mass as they knew Father Ringrose at St. Athanasius took care of souls seeking the traditional Catholic faith in the area. Just as "in olden days" the conciliarists would offer a mass near any newly-instituted SSPX chapel to lure away the faithful, so the SSPX seems to have learned from the Vatican II church to play the same game. And indeed a notice was sent to certain St. Athanasius faithful announcing the SSPX mass in Rockville. This seems to be the SSPX response to Father Ringrose's letter to Father Rostand.
I have attended St. Athanasius Church for close to 28 years. Father Ringrose has not changed his teaching since my first day there. So who has changed?
DAW
Dear DAW,
Actually I need to process this...I was not certain this was said, because there were babies and my kids rustling simultaneously.
:cry: :cry: :cry:
Do you know when Old St. Mary's began the Indult? I know it was there 18 or so years ago..
Rockville, "There's no 'there' there."
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The following was read and distributed to parishoners at St. Athanasius Church in Vienna, VA, on Sunday, December 16th:
November 9, 2012
Dear Father Rostand,
Thank you for your letter of October 12 in which you offer to meet to discuss the situation within the Society of St. Pius X. While this is a very kind offer on your part and I appreciate it very much, I don't think such a meeting will serve any meaningful purpose, since the problems stem from the Society's top leadership, and you are not in a position to change that.
It is true that I have been a strong supporter of the Society for many years. This support was based on the fact that my mission as a priest, and the Society's mission were one and the same, to help souls hold onto the Catholic faith during this time when it appears to have been abandoned by post Vatican II Rome.
Now I have to be more cautious and reserved in that support. I am alarmed that the Superior General would say that 95% of Vatican II is acceptable. I am astounded that the Society's leadership would respond to three of the Society's bishops by suggesting that they are making the errors of Vatican II into a "super-heresy." I am disappointed that the Society's response to Assisi III was so weak and anemic. I am saddened by the Society's unjust disciplining of priests who are following the example of Archbishop Lefebvre, and I am outraged at the treatment of Bishop Williamson -- not just his recent expulsion, but the shabby treatment he has gotten over the past few years.
Prior to this year, when asked about the Society by an inquiring parishoner, I always gave the Society a green light. Given the Society's recent actions, I do not yet give the Society a red light, but I do give a yellow light of caution. The red light will come if and when the Society allows herself to be absorbed into the Conciliar Church that Archbishop Lefebvre so vigorously resisted.
It is with great sadness that I write these words. There are many good, zealous, faithful priests within the Society's ranks. Many of them I know personally and admire. Many souls depend on them. It is out of love for the Society that I fear for her future. I fear that she is on a suicidal path. The leadership may think that a deal is off the table, but I fear that is not the thinking of Rome.
I pray for the Society to return to the mission given her by Archbishop Lefebvre without compromise or hedging. When she does, she will have my unreserved support.
May God bless you and Our Lady watch over you.
Fraternally yours,
Rev. Ronald J. Ringrose
This humble, straightforward letter appropriately summarizes the current situation.
I hope I get to meet Father Ringrose one day.
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Elizabeth,
The SSPX offered a mass in Rockville, MD, yesterday. I don't believe it was celebrated in a chapel but in a non-permanent location. They never before felt the need to offer such a mass as they knew Father Ringrose at St. Athanasius took care of souls seeking the traditional Catholic faith in the area. Just as "in olden days" the conciliarists would offer a mass near any newly-instituted SSPX chapel to lure away the faithful, so the SSPX seems to have learned from the Vatican II church to play the same game. And indeed a notice was sent to certain St. Athanasius faithful announcing the SSPX mass in Rockville. This seems to be the SSPX response to Father Ringrose's letter to Father Rostand.
I have attended St. Athanasius Church for close to 28 years. Father Ringrose has not changed his teaching since my first day there. So who has changed?
DAW
Indeed!
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I heard this letter live in mass from him. God bless Fr Ringrose
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Is Fr. Ringrose a member of the SSPX or an independent?
Fr. Ringrose has never been a member of the SSPX. He is an independent priest. He received, however, conditional ordination from Archbishop Lefebvre. This information can be found in the book "Priest, Where is Thy Mass? Mass, Where is Thy Priest" published by The Angelus Press, a book written by the SSPX about several non-SSPX traditional priests. At one time, not so long ago, the SSPX did not positively fight independent traditional priests.
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God bless Fr Ringrose
:pray:
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Yes, the SSPX fighting or competing with independent priests is certainly a new development.
Something "happening". Something "real".
Not a maybe. Not a rumor.
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His sermon was this exact letter. It was very poignant, clear, and direct. Everyone in the pews were silent and eyes focused on him standing at the lectern on the Mary side of the church.
There is action underneath the surface , he's a reserved man but ready to do what he needs to in order to protect his flock.
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Elizabeth,
The SSPX offered a mass in Rockville, MD, yesterday. I don't believe it was celebrated in a chapel but in a non-permanent location. They never before felt the need to offer such a mass as they knew Father Ringrose at St. Athanasius took care of souls seeking the traditional Catholic faith in the area. Just as "in olden days" the conciliarists would offer a mass near any newly-instituted SSPX chapel to lure away the faithful, so the SSPX seems to have learned from the Vatican II church to play the same game. And indeed a notice was sent to certain St. Athanasius faithful announcing the SSPX mass in Rockville. This seems to be the SSPX response to Father Ringrose's letter to Father Rostand.
I have attended St. Athanasius Church for close to 28 years. Father Ringrose has not changed his teaching since my first day there. So who has changed?
DAW
Hi DAW,
Thank you for this letter. I was only just thinking the other day how the novus ordo FSSP has acted like a leech or parasite towards the SSPX setting up indult Masses to draw people away from the SSPX and now the SSPX has taken on those same leech/parasite characteristics.
Did you notice any significant drop in attendance at your Chapel in Vienna when this other Mass was offered? I wonder how well attended the other Mass was.
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Very good point, VCR.
The FSSP has indeed done that. Very interesting (not to mention sad) that the SSPX is now using the same tactics of those aligned with modernist Rome... in some cases, they have used tactics that are even worse.
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Elizabeth,
The SSPX offered a mass in Rockville, MD, yesterday. I don't believe it was celebrated in a chapel but in a non-permanent location. They never before felt the need to offer such a mass as they knew Father Ringrose at St. Athanasius took care of souls seeking the traditional Catholic faith in the area. Just as "in olden days" the conciliarists would offer a mass near any newly-instituted SSPX chapel to lure away the faithful, so the SSPX seems to have learned from the Vatican II church to play the same game. And indeed a notice was sent to certain St. Athanasius faithful announcing the SSPX mass in Rockville. This seems to be the SSPX response to Father Ringrose's letter to Father Rostand.
I have attended St. Athanasius Church for close to 28 years. Father Ringrose has not changed his teaching since my first day there. So who has changed?
DAW
Vatican II is the new school working within the SSPX and as you can see, they are fast learner students, unfortunately.
Looking at the positive side now, I presume St. Athanasius won't have to put up with characters such as the McFarlands any longer... That's quite of an accomplishment.
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Looking at the positive side now, I presume St. Athanasius won't have to put up with characters such as the McFarlands any longer... That's quite of an accomplishment.
Are the McFarlands attendees of Fr. Ringrose's Masses?
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Yes, they are.. or at least used to be.
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VCR,
The church is packed at nearly every mass, and the McFarlands do not attend according to what I've been told. Not sure how well the SSPX "siphoning" is doing.
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I so appreciate you posting this DAW.
This letter to Father Rostand is very good and speaks the truth, and speaks it with charity.
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Thanks for posting this. We couldn't shake it yesterday, the sorrow. Fr. mentioned a new SSPX chapel here in town?
Yea, apparently Fr. Rostand's reply was to set up shop down the street from St. Athanasius.
I don't know if they intend that to be a permanent arrangement, but it says a lot.
Sorry for roughly a repeat of DAW's post, crossed in the ether.
It would take many years for them to become so established. What I am wondering is which priest was sent to Rockville Sunday? Does anybody know? It will be a hard act to follow, as they say.
Then, what about the issue of chapels less than three years old-I'm drawing a blank-was that resolved?