After a bit of cursing the darkness (and fighting errors) I decided to try the opposite approach -- let's just put the truth out there, and "light a candle" as it were.

(Hopefully Fr. Zendejas will forgive me for writing this. I know he'll probably not like me saying so many good things about him, especially in such a public way. But for the good of souls, the truth must prevail!  It grinds up my guts inside whenever I read something obviously false -- especially when innocent third parties seem to be lapping it up! There is nothing I hate more than error.)

Why I am happy about the upcoming Consecration of Fr. Zendejas as bishop

Fr. Zendejas:

* Is of a mature age, but not so old as to be feeble, have difficulties travelling, or be a "short term selection" for bishop.
* Has maintained a spotless reputation (morality, behavior, prudence, doctrine, etc.) during his 28 year priesthood.
* Has proven himself to be a hard worker in Our Lord's vineyard, as well as a good organizer.
* Has shown himself to be prudent, rational, and level headed
* Has shown himself able to obey superiors, unless they attempt to lead into error (example: SSPX)
* He has shown good judgment, discretion, and discernment. He knows when (and who) to fight, and more importantly, when not to. But equally important: after he prudently discerns a need to fight, he has the fortitude to do so!
* Has always been faithful in teaching the Catholic Faith to his flock without compromise, error, or respect of persons.
* Has the spirit of mortification (self-denial) and of discipline (1)
* He is a man of prayer (this seems simple or a "no brainer", but unfortunately no it isn't!)
* Has, in my opinion, an above-average grasp on holiness, and the spiritual life.
* Speaks several languages, especially English and Spanish, which qualifies him as a good bishop to dispense Sacraments in North America. I believe he also knows French (and of course Latin).
* He was so devoted to the care of souls, and so dedicated to the teaching and preservation of the Catholic Faith, that he even "gave a go" to writing sermons (to be distributed around) in a 2nd language! That's hard work, as it's much more difficult to talk about complex topics in a second language -- as any polyglots will tell you (as a polyglot myself, I understand this).
* Those that know him tend to be "pro-Zendejas", while only those who
A) have previously attached themselves to his enemies, and took their slander to heart
or
B) never met him
or
C) oppose his position on the Crisis in the Church (e.g., sedevacantists)
-- are able to be against him.


(1) For example, I couldn't tell you what recreations he enjoys or what foods/drinks he likes. Even though I've been involved with his apostolate for the past 2 years, if he has any preferences, he has kept me ignorant of them. On All Saints Day, he seemed to know quite a few details about every saint, even relatively obscure ones. So maybe he spends his time reading spiritual books and lives of the saints?


For the sake of objectivity and full disclosure:

The only negative I can think of, regarding Fr. Zendejas, is that he can seem a bit paranoid, or "too careful" at times. Sometimes he takes being careful/secrecy a bit too far. But that is only because he's used to being careful and prudent. Moreover, it is true that he is attacked on all sides (from the SSPX on the left, and the Pfeifferites on the right). As the joke goes, you're not paranoid if they ACTUALLY ARE trying to get you!

Seriously, though, considering the state of the World, the Catholic Church, and Catholic Tradition, I don't really blame him for being a bit over-careful when it comes to people. If he's extra cautious when someone new calls him (for example), it's more "a sad testament to what Father has experienced over the years" than any real fault of his.

But if, during a month's time, his constant caution catches 8 spies/troublemakers, but also gives false-positives on 2 innocent individuals, is that really a bad thing? Those 2 false-positives should be understanding with Father, knowing that his caution protected him and his apostolate for those other 8 cases.


P.S.
Many of these good things (above) could be said about other priests and bishops as well: Fr. Chazal, Fr. Garcia, Fr. Girouard, Fr. Morel, Fr. Ringrose, etc. (to list them in alphabetical order) plus the existing 3 Resistance bishops. 

But A) they are not the subject of the recent scrutiny and attacks, and B) I don't know many of these clerics as well as Fr. Zendejas, who has been saying Mass at St. Dominic's Chapel regularly since May 2015. I also knew of Fr. Zendejas even back in my seminary days.

There Church be a "C)", but I will let you think about that.

I don't follow. Not talking about agreement/disagreement. I don't even get what you're saying.

I trust that you understand a sedevacantist would easily think the choices are not limited to A and B.

So when you said, "There Church be a C)", you meant "There should be a C)".

I confuse "Church" with "should" all the time...


So you're saying that sedevacantists neither bought into slander against him, nor are they unacquainted with him. They automatically oppose him, because they oppose all recognize-and-resist. Is that what you're trying to say?

I think they fall into category B) then -- those who don't know the man.

I went to a few Masses by Father Zendejas years ago when he used to say Mass in Manhattan. I thought he was a good priest and was very impressed by him and loved him, though I did not know him well because I only went to a few of his Masses. The people who knew him better from going to his Masses more thought highly of him.

I can speak from personal experience that many, many years ago when I needed some help on a personal matter he helped me even though it was extremely inconvenient. He didn't even express any annoyance. I will always remember that. Now, I am not one to give undue heaps of praise on someone but I highly respect him and really do appreciate his love for souls.

My question, if I my ...

Is Fr. Zendejas,   (soon to be Bishop), recognize the present heretical person, ( francis) to be the Pope of the Holy Roman Church ?

I believe I can answer that one --

No, Fr. Zendejas is not a sedevacantist.

So they fit into group B) -- those who don't know the man.

I don't know any Sede priests very well, even though some of them might be holy. So wouldn't I fall into the category of those who are ignorant of a given holy Sede priest? Of course I would.

If there were question of the holiness/fitness for the episcopacy of a given Sedevacantist priest, my opinion would be disqualified on the grounds that I don't know the priest.

I know in America today everyone thinks they deserve a voice, and that their vote "should count", even though they don't understand the issues, or really know the candidates well at all. Women think they have a right to vote for who is more sexy or attractive (as they did in 1992, solidly choosing Bill Clinton).

But sane Catholics would object. The rational and sane would argue that those who aren't qualified -- who are ignorant of the persons or issues involved -- shouldn't have a voice.


The sane would argue that voting for President of the United States on the basis of "who is more sexy" is ludicrous -- unless the women involved are to have sex with the victor. In that case, sexiness would be a valid factor in the choice.

Likewise, anyone with a superficial (nothing more) knowledge of a priest should keep his peace -- a.k.a. listen but don't talk, or keep your mouth shut. Opinions are like armpits. Everyone has one, and they stink. That is especially true about superficial, "flip a coin" type opinions. What's more important are the FACTS.

Doctrine can be known without knowing the man. Regardless of descriptions of piety, good-will, etc., problems with doctrine always take precedence in consideration.

Hello. Yes, I'm a lurker. In fact, I may never post again.   :o

And while very articulate in some ways, I am not so much when it comes to this kind of thing. Certainly, I am not as well versed as Matthew, nor do I know all the slander being thrown Father Zendejas' way. 

I will speak from my heart here. I have known Father for 8 or 9 years now. Anyone misaligning him does not know him.

I find him, actually, to be quite intelligent, although his language barrier at times may make him appear to be not so. He is like a walking encyclopedia in regards to the saints, or church teaching, etc. He is a tireless worker, and I know of personal situations in which he has gone out of his way, when it was inconvenient or exhausting to do so, to help souls in whatever way necessary. I have never seen or known of the man to lose his temper, even when it is obvious he is stressed, tired, or irked. And believe me, I have seen priests, sadly, do so. And a priest losing his temper, especially with a group of youngsters or teens, especially altar boys, does more damage than all the smiles of a thousand.

I am certain he has his personal foibles and junk like we all do. After all, God gives or allows crosses for all of us to bear to test our faith and to grow us in holiness. Having said that, I oftentimes feel bad for being such a weak Catholic when Father Zendejas is obviously such a holy, devout Priest. There are times the past few years when just knowing he was on the front line injected some perseverance into my spine and kept me moving forward. 

I agree with AMDGJMJ. I do not understand why we let the liberal mindset of the world infect Christendom. We look for fault constantly just like the world does, seeking perfection from others while withholding mercy when they do not live up to our perfect standards. We should, instead, be praying hard for the restoration of Christendom and the Catholic faith, and praying for Father Zendejas as he goes toward his consecration. As well as praying for the consecration itself to be smooth and trouble free. Anything else is simply a distraction from the task at hand.