Rev. Fr. Carl Pulvermacher O.F.M. Cap.
(1926-2006)
From the Holy Family Chapel bulletin, Melbourne, Florida

Rev. Fr. Carl Pulvermacher   
 

Independent traditional Capuchin priest, Fr. Carl Pulvermacher, passed into eternity on May 29, the feast of St. Mary Magdalen dei Pazzi in Dickinson, Texas. He'd been a priest for 54 years, the last 30 with the SSPX.

Born to a Catholic family of nine children in Wisconsin, he followed two of his older brothers into the Capuchin order in 1944. He attended Saint Anthony's Seminary of the Capuchin Province of Saint Joseph to which the Venerable Father Solanus Casey also belonged and whom Father Carl had the opportunity to meet during the 1940's. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1952. In 1965, Father Carl was assigned to the mission founded by Jesuits in the late 1880's at the Crow Indian Reservation in Montana. He worked with the Crow and Northern Cheyenne Indians in the towns of Ashland and Saint Xavier.

When the Novus Ordo Missae was implemented, Father Carl said it, albeit begrudgingly, as he could not understand why the Mass had to be changed. Nevertheless, he continued to privately offer the Mass of his Ordination. Then his superiors told him that either he "will be fired or you will resign" as he was not making the changes in the new liturgy quickly enough. So in 1970 he was sent back to Saint Anthony¹s Seminary. He remained there until October of 1972 when he was transferred to Australia. During his tour of duty down-under, Father made the acquaintance of some traditional Catholics who wanted the Tridentine Mass and he obliged them at clandestine home Masses. While in Australia, Father was able to make the acquaintance of Archbishop Lefebvre in Sydney in 1974. In December of 1975, Father Carl was summoned by the convened forces of Father Provincial (similar to the District Superior), Father Guardian (of the Monastery), as well as the pastor of the parish which he was servicing! At this Modernist Inquisition, Father Carl was served an ultimatum: stop saying the Tridentine Mass or leave. Father chose to leave and kept saying the Tridentine Mass. It was not a light decision to make considering after over 30 years on the order! But leave he did in January of 1976, and while he was at it, he made a trip around the world on the way to his new destination. From Australia he went to Singapore, Bombay, Athens, Assisi, Rome, Ecône (where he met the Archbishop again), Lyons, Lourdes, Ars, Paris, London, New York City, and then Wisconsin to visit his parents. There he met the Archbishop a third time, as well as Fr. Hector Bolduc and it was then that he decided to assist Fr. Bolduc with the work of the United States District. At that time, from Our Lady Queen of Angels in Dickinson, Texas, the entire United State was serviced mainly by Fathers Bolduc and Carl. They often spent two weeks on the road servicing the various chapels before returning home. Father said that it could be disheartening during those years, since every time a new priest was ordained, another priest from the District would leave or defect, thereby neutralizing the hopeful additional number of priests to assist with the work, but "you had to keep plugging away." Among his traditional priest friends, Father counted Malachi Martin who would use his profile in the novel, Windswept House, to help build the fictitious character, Father Guttmacher.

Late in 1977, Father Carl was instrumental in founding The Angelus magazine, the prelude to the Angelus Press. The first issue was published in January 1978. Father served as the managing editor from 1977 until 1990, when the Angelus Press was moved to Kansas City, MO. However, his official title was rather deceiving as he also took care of the typesetting, printing, collating and mailing of The Angelus as well as the various other books that the infant Angelus Press "made from scratch." In 1991, SSPX District Superior Father Peter Scott asked him to take over the Society's work in Florida. While Father Carl was quite happy in Dickinson, he nevertheless went to "fill this corner of the United States." He moved to Davie, FL where he not only continued to weather the storm of Modernism but also that of Hurricane Andrew in 1992. Since then, all of the Society's chapels in Florida pray every day after Mass for temperate weather.

When such a veteran of the holy fight was asked for advice in dealing with the crisis in the Church, Father would reply in his usual simplistic Franciscan manner: "Learn your faith and hold on to it. For priests and brothers: be faithful to your recitation of the Divine Office; where Mass is not available, keep Sunday holy as best as you can; hold on to your Rosary and be faithful to your devotion to Mary."

Please remember to pray for the repose of the soul of this Holy priest of God.

I was gifted by God by having had Fr. Carl as my confessor and friend, starting almost within weeks of my return to the Church, when I was like 40. Deo Gratias.

WWFCD - What would Fr. Carl do regarding sedevacantes?

The local sedevacantes chapel, serviced by Fr. Jenkins, only had mass every other Sunday, therefore all those sedevacantes went to mass at Fr. Carl's chapel during the other 13 days when they had no mass in their chapel. Fr. Jenkin's went to confession with Fr. Carl, albeit hidden from the general public.

Everyone respected each other and I never saw any conflicts between all the parishioners. Fr. Carl set the tone, he loved and respected all of us and we loved and respected him and each other for his sake. To this day I have absolutely nothing against sedevacantes and I don't see why SSPXers are so scared of being labeled a sede. I find it childish.

Can anyone cite the quote attributed to Fr. Carl Pulvermacher that when there are no more Roman Catholic priests they will let us have the Latin Mass?  Was it written or spoken, when and where? Thank you for your posts!

Thank you for your reply!  Did he indicate why he thought so?  We have a positive doubt as to the consecration of bishops to the Novus Ordo rite enabling those bishops to ordain Roman Catholic priests to the Latin Roman Catholic Rite.  Did you ever discuss that as a reason for the lack of Roman Catholic priests?  I appreciate anything you can share.

By the way, the SSPX use to teach that the new ordinations of priests and consecrations of bishops are both doubtful at best.. It is only since like 2005 that Menzigen totally changed the tune, likely in preparation to join the new rite priests and bishops.