Bishop’s Note
Though God, in His wisdom, has seen fit to leave us without a visible Shepherd for these decades since Vatican II, we ought to be grateful to Him for pointing out the way through the dark storm that the Church is going through. One of the ways in which He has done this is by raising up to sainthood the zealous Pope Pius X.
This pope’s zeal against the Modernists was unflagging. There was no surrender and no compromise on his part. Modernist rectors of seminaries were at once removed from their posts; those who remained obstinate in modernism were excommunicated. Of course, you all know his famous saying: “They want to be treated with oil, soap and caresses, but they should be beaten with fists. In a duel, you don’t count or measure the blows, you strike as you can.” Pretty strong words, but they are words that show a deep love for the faith which Our Lord gave us, the Apostles preached, and the Church has handed down through the centuries. They are words that show a readiness to fight and to suffer for the doctrines of Christ and His Church.
Sad to say, the SSPX, which has taken this saint as their patron, has lost his spirit. Their theological position is one of compromise and a complete betrayal to their saint. It is hard to be constantly fighting against Modernism and explaining our beloved faith to our Novus Ordo family and friends, but this is the cross of our day. I am sure that Pope St. Pius X felt pretty exhausted at having to fight against the Modernist clergy, too. Exhausted or not, he persevered in the fight and has left us a legacy that we can only hope to imitate. It is, after all, our duty and privilege to defend the faith and to preserve it in our families so that the next generation remains Catholic. It is our fight and it cannot be ignored.
Another cross in our day is the attitude adopted by many Traditional Catholic clergy regarding the formation of future priests. The bishops who ordain priests without first seeing to their formation according to pre-Vatican II seminary standards, as well as the priests who accept these untrained men, do not understand the dignity and the grave responsibility of the priesthood. As a result, they have left us many uneducated, untrained priests. They do so under the guise of zeal for the Church and for souls, saying that the need for priests is so great. Well, the end does not justify the means. Quality is always preferred over quantity. And, furthermore, it is not zeal for souls which leaves their salvation in the hands of men who did not receive a sound priestly formation. Souls are purchased by the Blood of God and their value should never be forgotten. The salvation of souls demands that the standards of training and expectations of the priesthood should never be lessened or ignored. If anything, they should be upheld all the more strictly.
Don’t be discouraged by the state of the Church. Our Lord is always at her helm and continues to guide her around the rocks that threaten to sink her, the storms that rise up against her, and the waves that threaten to engulf her. Nothing will ever destroy the Church. Neither her enemies, nor even the ignorance and neglect of otherwise Catholic bishops and priests. We might feel the turmoil of the storm, but we are certain that the Ark of the Church will weather every storm and lead us to the port of salvation. All we have to do is hang on and let God do His work. Pope St. Pius X, pray for us!
– Bishop McGuire