The Bishop’s Note
This note is being written from Loches, France, where Fr. Brueggemann and I are visiting with Fr. Hecquard. I realized, as I was trying to think of something to write about, that I don’t know what has been going on back home. Hopefully, you will be satisfied to hear what we are doing in France.
We arrived at Father’s St. Joseph Mission in Sains on Tuesday. Sains is an old town very near Mont St. Michel’s and was at one time attacked by the Freemasonic Revolutionaries. Now, it is a quiet farming town, even quieter nowadays because the government is making it hard for farmers to live. So, they are all moving to the cities. People there have pretty much given up the faith and they do not even have the Novus Ordo on a regular basis. Interestingly, the mayor of the town is quite good friends with Fr. Hecquard and is close to converting to the true Faith. The mission is nestled right in the shadows of the old parish church…and I do mean this literally. St. Joseph chapel has no heating and is quite cold in the winter time, especially since it is so damp from the humidity (we are only a few miles from the Atlantic Ocean, after all). One begins to understand the piercing cold that our Infant Savior experienced on the night of His birth.
On Thursday, we made a pilgrimage to Our Lady of Pontmain and were able to offer Mass in a small chapel for some of the Faithful there. The story of Our Lady of Pontmain is a touching one. If you remember, Bishop Dolan preached on this some years ago. She is known as Our Lady of Hope. Look up this apparition some time!
Now we are in Loches, where Father has a beautiful old church which he has been working on for a number of years now. The church is on top of a little cave which was once occupied by a saintly hermit. He has two houses here, one of which he uses for retreats which he preaches in the summer. This old town is famous for the time that St. Joan of Arc came to visit the Dauphin to deliver a message to him. The nearby church also has a precious relic of Our Lady’s cincture. France is filled with things like this. Everywhere one goes there are connections with the lives of the saints. So many of the town names that we go through are the very same ones that we read about in biographies. Truly, it is amazing!
On Saturday, we have a conference with some of the Faithful, in which we will speak of some of the problems in the Church, and then a recorded interview with Mr. Remy. On Sunday, the Sacrament of Confirmation will be administered. God willing, we will be home on Monday afternoon.
Remember to say some prayers for Fr. Hecquard, who has a lot of work to do. He is all by himself and struggles to keep up. He does have a truly Benedictine spirit, though, and has persevered through some rough times. The people need him, and he has been very loyal to them.
That is the report. See you at the Solemn High Mass of Our Lady of Lourdes this Tuesday as we celebrate Fr. McKenna’s priestly anniversary.
– Bishop McGui