Well I spoke with the priest yesterday. Basically to partake of communion there, I'd have to attend sede chapels exclusively. He referred me to Father Cekada's articles on not attending any Mass where the Pope's name is mentioned in the canon. I was pretty disappointed to hear this. But he is a very kind elderly man. He spoke with me for 2 hours and we really hit it off. From what I gather, he's totally convinced that sedevacantism is an absolute fact and he wants to have meetings with me to try to prove it to me. I am at a crossroads. I love it there and I really hit it off with this priest but the thing is, I'm not convinced of the sede position anymore than the R&R position. Please, please pray for me everyone, that the Holy Ghost will show me the truth and give me confidence in it.

 

The priest obviously is a heretic. He creates his own dogmas. Communicatio in sacris with heretics does not please God.

Of course I could be wrong but he seems very genuine. He's probably 90 years old. The chapel is very, very tiny. He doesn't have a computer and isn't privy to most current events or what other trad priests say about these issues except the ones he has known personally in his past, like Father Cekada. After having spoken to him for a couple hours, it seems to me that he thinks the way he does because of his age and the fact that he's disconnected from technology and what goes on in the trad world. He wasn't even sure what the Byzantine Church was and wrote it down to ask Bp. Dolan. He also didn't know what a DVD was called but neither do my grandparents so I guess that's normal lol. He joined CMRI in the early 90s and suffered through the scandal on their leader at the time and then went independent. Don't get me wrong, he knows the traditional Catholic faith very, very well but it seems like he knows less about the trad movement and what other sede priests allow and don't allow than do. He appears to genuinely believe that all sede priests say you can't go to una cuм Masses. He'll refer to certain articles or pamphlets on these things. I get the impression that he's always been completely focused on his priesthood (offering Mass, distributing the Sacraments, preaching, etc) and never studied a lot about the intellectual proofs and ideas of sedevacantism. Keep in mind that his advanced age may have an effect on these things for various reasons. Like I said before he's got to be in his 90s and I honestly think he's confused about what goes on outside of his own life living in rural Ohio offering Mass at several very small mission chapels and bringing the sacraments to many off the beaten path. He drove an hour just to meet with me and we talked for several hours. He appeared to be very happy to have someone to sit and talk with. I didn't sense any deceit or dishonesty whatsoever. With all of this in mind, I appreciate and completely understand everyone's warnings which I am considering very carefully. Please pray for me.

He may be old and computer illiterate. He joined a cult and is stuck. We can feel for this priest's position because he wants to faithfully fulfil his lifelong vocation as a priest of God, but the crisis in the Church means his opportunities have been and are limited, as all of ours have. This is so sad. 

Don't get me wrong, he knows the traditional Catholic faith very, very well

Then he should also know that nobody has the right to invent new doctrines. This is absolutely forbidden. He may not enforce this false teaching, and prevent you from receiving Our Blessed Lord.


But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach a gospel to you besides that which we have preached to you, let him be anathema." [Galatians 1:8]

What's the difference between this sede priest and those who refuse communion with the SSPX on other grounds such as entering into a premature agreement with Rome?  Isn't this really just the same mentality applied to different problems?  Earlier in this thread someone offered a definition of what it means to be a "classical" traditional catholic and the definition included something about being aloof from the official hierarchy (whatever that means).  Is this not adding something extraneous to the faith?  Or another suggested that we must adhere to his definition of "conciliar church" in order to be in good standing as a traditional catholic (according to him).  At least the sede priest is concerned about being in communion with a man who openly denies the faith, whereas some are more concerned about the mixing with actual catholics who hold differing opinions or ideas that are open to charitable debate. 

If he didn’t know what the Byzantine Rite was, he’s certainly not been properly educated.  That should clearly come up during a normal course of seminary studies, whether in History or a class on the Mass and Sacred Liturgy.  That sets off some alarm bells for me.

I shouldn't have said he didn't know what it was. When I elaborated he didn't seem to be familiar with it or if there have been any changes with their ordinations/consecrations. I can't say for sure if he didn't know what it was or just didn't know much of anything about it. Like I said, I've only had one meeting with him so what I've said are first impressions, for I do not know him well at all.   

Oh yes, this thread is good.

That's a pretty rough situation, even more for me, because I suffer with no traditional chapels here, neither sede ones. I only have an Indult Diocesan mass here. I pray to get a job and move out to a city that has a Resistance chapel here in Brazil, most probably the Benedictines of Santa Cruz, of Bishop Thomas Aquinas.