Is this how the SSPX now recreates? Is it normal for the priests and other clerics to relax like this?!!
http://sspx.org/chapel_news/sanford_fl_3-8-2013/sanford_fl_3-8-2013.htm Sanford priory and the importance of community life
SANFORD, FL
3-8-2013
We present here some pictures of a recent recreational outing taken at Sea World in Orlando, Florida by priests from St. Thomas More Priory in Sanford and some visiting clergy.
The event occurred on Monday, February with visiting priest, Fr. David Pagliarani, the seminary rector at La Reja, Argentina, and a visiting deacon, Rev. Baquerizo (attending the La Reja seminary) and seminarian, Mr. Joshua hαɾɾιson (from the Winona seminary). The day was not only spent viewing the aquatic wonders of God's creation, but also experiencing His natural law of gravity... via a roller coaster!
In conjunction with these images, we also offer a short piece on the importance of living in common for the priests of the Society of St. Pius X.
Text and photos courtesy of Fr. Leo Haynos.
From left to right: seminarian, Mr. Joshua hαɾɾιson, Fr. Louis Alessio,
Fr. David Pagliarani, Fr. Marc Vernoy (the prior at Sanford),
Fr. Leo Haynos and deacon, Rev. Baquerizo
The importance of community life in the SSPX
We have to say it: the world and its continual temptations are lying in ambush for our priests. They are living in a dangerous, difficult environment… The solution is for priests to live in community in a priory.
It is useless having an apostolate if the interior life is gone… the life of community and the interior life take priority over the apostolate. It is obvious.
If our priories disappeared, there would be no more Society... The existence of our Society rests essentially on our priories, on that life in community; that life which is a little bit cloistered… protected from the world… the role of our priories is absolutely vital for our Society and they are the future of the Church, because of the life of prayer that reigns there.
When visitors, and especially priests, come to one of our houses, they have to sense an atmosphere of gaiety, of simplicity, of concord; of firm attachment to the truth, but also goodness, charity, indulgence, openness of heart toward those who come to visit, in order to bring them closer to our Lord. (Extracts from Priestly Holiness by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre)
"A joyful spirit attains to perfection more quickly than any other." St. Philip Neri
As Archbishop Lefebvre very clearly states, the community life is of the utmost importance for the members of the Society of St. Pius X.
God made man social by nature, and the Archbishop shows a very good grasp of human nature in these passages quoted. As he points out, common prayer is by far the most important aspect of community life. It nourishes the priest’s interior life and is the powerhouse which gives fruit to his apostolate, but it is not only this which our Founder speaks of when he emphasizes the necessity of community life. Meals in common, speaking and recreating together are also of great importance.
Community life provides a set structure for one’s life. The priests must do certain things at certain times, and the fact that everybody else is doing so helps them.
Being a man, a priest needs to take recreation occasionally, to renew and refresh his body and soul. If he is behind in his work he may want to put this off far longer than he should in order to catch up. Or he may feel lazy and want to take more recreation than necessary. If everybody recreates at a certain time, both of these dangers are lessened.
A good community life is extraordinarily helpful to a priest to help him stay faithful. Constantly bombarded by the world he feels very much alone. Yet men are social, and he needs company he can enjoy; if he cannot find it with his fellow priests, he will look for it elsewhere.
The priory is a home for priests, and as such is much the same as the family home. Married women are often told: if you do not make your home such that your husband looks forward to returning to it, he may go looking elsewhere. Upon returning to the priory the priest must "sense an atmosphere of gaiety, of simplicity, of concord."
Priests have in them both Divine and human elements. The Divine element is helped in this by common prayer and the interior life. The human side is helped most especially by community recreations.
Topic: SSPX going to mainstream recreation parks! (Read 26574 times)