The Recusant

It was a cold, blustery winter night, at the seminary on Stockton Hill, in Minnesota. Fr. Yves le Roux tossed and turned in his bed. Because it was New Year’s Eve – the changing of the year – he reflected on how the SSPX has been changing over the last several years. Eventually, he drifted off to sleep.

Suddenly, he was awakened by a ghostly apparition that looked like an elderly bishop. Fr. le Roux was startled and blurted out: “Archbishop Lefebvre!” The apparition looked at him sternly and told him: “I am the Ghost of the Society Past.” The apparition pointed his finger at Fr. le Roux and warned him: “It is a strict duty for every priest wanting to remain Catholic to separate himself from this Conciliar Church for as long as it does not rediscover the Tradition of the Church and of the Catholic Faith.”[1]

Having delivered this warning, the apparition disappeared. “Well”, thought Fr. le Roux uneasily, “it was certainly unpleasant to hear from him! I need sleep. I will do my best to forget about him and his words.” Slowly, Fr. le Roux drifted into a fitful slumber.

All of a sudden, Fr. le Roux was again startled from sleep. He saw a ghostly apparition that looked like a burly priest in a white cassock. Fr. le Roux exclaimed: “Father Pfeiffer!” The apparition looked at him gravely and told him: “I am the Ghost of the Society Present. You are betraying the Faith and our Founder!”

Having delivered this warning, the second apparition disappeared. Fr. le Roux was quite unhappy. “This is unpleasant indeed!”, he thought, “All of this negativity could cause me to lose my peace of soul.” So to expel these thoughts from his mind, Fr. le Roux cheered himself up by reflecting upon the magnificence of the new seminary he would soon command. He slowly fell into a restless doze.

Abruptly, Fr. le Roux was awakened a third time. This time, he saw the ghostly apparition of an Argentinean figure in a white cassock, wearing a rainbow-colored bracelet and “luv” beads. Fr. le Roux noticed the comforting, rhythmic strains of Kumbaya playing softly in the room. He exclaimed: “Pope Francis!” The apparition smiled at him serenely and said “I am the Ghost of the Society Future. There is room for you and the Society, in the big, conciliar tent. We will join together to fight those who resist us. As for everyone else, who are we to judge?” Fr. le Roux gave him a look of gratitude and appreciation, as the apparition faded away.

Whilst I was sitting on the grass reading, on a beautiful sunny day in the countryside yesterday, a youngish man, leaning heavily on a walking stick, nearly tripped over my feet. I hastily rose and offered to help him when, regaining his posture, he still seemed heavily dependent on his cane. He began to thank me and asked me what I had been reading. Eagerly I showed him my copy of the latest Recusant. He recoiled in horror falling backwards, cane flying as he collided with a passing matron pushing a pram, ending up sitting on her howling baby.

It was my turn to be horrified but he would not allow me to assist him. Instead, he brushed me aside as he got back on his feet. He allowed me, however, to retrieve his cane which he snatched out of my hand.

Puzzled, I was about to leave, when out of his mouth poured a torrent of jumbled words denouncing me. Heavens! I don't even know the man! Before I had completed the thought, he accused me vehemently of being a liar, a deceiver, a traitor and spreader of calumnies. He refused to listen as I tried to pacify him and ask if he had mistaken me for someone else.

Finally, he said,

“No, I have not mistaken you for someone else. I have no intention or desire to know you. I already know what you think.”

Before I could answer he jerked his head up in response to someone calling,

“Gregory where are you!?....oh Gregory....?”

Jerking his head around in the direction of the voice he shook his cane-holding hand at me and departed.

As I sat down again a thought kept troubling me. How can he possibly know what I think when he doesn't even know me?..never spoken to me before? I wish he had stayed long enough to share my lunch.

Oh well, back to my reading!

October 2014

George sent me an email today. He said he still goes to the “Resistance”. He’s going to send me another Recusant. I’ll throw it away like the last one. He says he’s adding milk goats to his small farm. What they harvest from their large garden feeds them through winter along with the cow, pig and chickens they butcher. He says they still love homeschooling and the kids do most of the farm work. I bet that’s a lie. Anyhow, I could never live in the country. I’ve always been a city slicker.

November 2014

The SSPX made the deal with Rome! Father announced it from the pulpit today. He said nothing much will change. “We’re still the same ol’ SSPX.” That’s good.

December 2014

It’s been one month now since the deal with Rome. It’s great how uncle Jo and some other relatives have begun writing and calling us, now that we’re not outside the Church any more. Father announced that they’ll begin saying the hybrid Mass next week and asked for male volunteers to be lectors, but he promised we’d never have women lectors and never altar girls either. They’d better not! I’ll never be a lector… ...or at least, I don’t think so…?

Christmas Day 2014

There was no Midnight Mass. The rules for the Hybrid Mass allow the priest to forgo the Midnight Mass in case of necessity (such as if the priest and faithful are too tired). So we didn’t have it. Too bad! That was always the highlight of Christmas for us. We went to the 9.00am Mass. The choir sang “Santa Claus is coming to town” for the entrance hymn and “Jingle Bells” for the Offertory. A few of us questioned the choir director about it after Mass and she said Father approved it because Santa Claus is really St. Nicholas and he is a “type” of Christ and so “Santa Claus is coming to town” is really “Jesus is coming to Bethlehem” and “Jingle Bells” refers to the bells rung at the Offertory in the Hybrid Mass. I heard that the Resistance priest flew all the way over from Kentucky to offer Midnight Mass for his flock. He must really love them.

March 2015

Another couple at church is getting divorced. I can’t believe it! That’s the fourth one this year and it is only March!

April 2015

I’ve been corresponding a lot more with George. He told me to read p.513 of ‘Marcel Lefebvre: The Biography’ by Bishop Tissier. Archbishop Lefebvre preached before ten thousand faithful calling for a new crusade. It was the occasion of his Priestly Jubilee at the Porte de Versailles in Paris, 1979. He said the crusade would rebuild Christianity. Families were to consecrate their homes to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, pray as a family and “accept many children as a most beautiful gift from God.” He asked them to home school if possible and go back to the land “which is healthy, brings one closer to God, evens out temperaments and encourages one to work.” Then he asked his priests to support the crusade. Well, they really dropped the ball on that one. The only person I heard speak about getting back to the land over the years was Bishop Williamson. I wonder why the SSPX priests don’t foster this way of thinking?

May 2015

George sent me another Recusant. I skimmed through it. I don’t see how we could ever join the “Resistance”. We just can’t be counter-revolutionary; we’d lose all our friends. Father said we’re going to have women lectors because not enough men want to do it.

June 2015

I tried to go to Confession last night but there was a sign in the vestibule saying that Confessions were cancelled. There were quiet a few other parishioners there and we were all puzzled and disappointed. Since ours is one of the largest parishes in the SSPX with six resident priests, Confessions are never cancelled. Today, I found out that all the priests were out on a dinner cruise with the entire school faculty to celebrate the end of the school year. That’s more important than the Sacrament of Penance?

July 2015

I’ve been reading Archbishop Lefebvre’s Spiritual Journey, which he wrote at the end of his life. On page 21 he asks priests to encourage the faithful to leave the cities, which are places of scandal and perdition and move to the country and to take advantage of correspondence courses for the religious and secular education of their children. Maybe I should have bought that 20 acres bordering George’s property ten years ago. He sure was trying to talk me into it. I could have taken that computer job opening and worked at home. And Rita, just 7 years old then, could have had the horse and sheep she always wanted. But no, we would’ve had to home school and Father told us homeschooling was wrong and we should stay in town and support the schools. Well, at least our kids have gone to Catholic schools from K.G. up. We’re blessed.

September 2015

Anthony is in 10th grade this year and we’re finally going to get him his own computer. He needs to use the internet for high school. I just hope he doesn’t misuse it. The priests never mention anything about that anymore, so it must not really be an issue. I’m just glad Anthony is into sports and not girls.

October 2015

Father’s sermon today was on “Temptation”. He said it is helpful to expose our children to temptation and occasions of sin, that it makes them stronger. I questioned our pastor about it and he confirmed the teaching adding that even proximate occasions of grave sin was fine. I guess I don’t need to worry about Anthony and the internet any more.

November 2015

Anthony seems obsessed with sports. It’s all he ever talks about, almost like a religion to him. What upsets me is, he’d rather go to hockey practice than Mass… and the competition is so cut-throat. George’s son, the one who wants to be a priest, has a part-time job on a cattle ranch. I doubt he has ever seen a hockey game.

Christmas Day 2015

The 9.00am Mass was a “Children’s Mass”. Father was dressed up as St. Nicholas and at the Offertory he “offered” candy to the children as they sat on his lap at the communion rail. Then he changed into his vestments and continued the Mass.

January 2016

I’m worried about Rita. Her teacher, Sister Rose, has been talking about careers in religion class lately. I guess, as seniors, it’s something they need to think about. But Rita and some of her friends think they want to join the Armed Forces. As Sister sees it, they’d be practising the virtues of courage and magnanimity by joining the military. Rita always wanted to be a mom and have ten kids, but she never talks about marriage and motherhood any more. Her best friend, Annie, wants to be a fighter pilot or a bomber pilot. Annie’s sister, who graduated two years ago, is the best combat soldier in her division. George sent me a present: a pair of gloves his teenage daughter knit from the wool she carded and spun from their own Shetland sheep. It seems she has a thriving homespun business going.

February 2016

Antony’s religion teacher told them the four marks of the Church have changed. They don’t mean what they did before. I wonder what he’s talking about?

. . .

Father cleared up the matter today. The topic of his sermon was: The New Teaching on the Four Marks of the Church, One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic. The biggest change is in “One”. In the past, “One” meant that the Church had one belief, one creed, one catechism all over the world, all down the centuries. Now it means the Catholic Church embraces all churches because we’re all “one”. One people, one church, one world religion. That really is different, but I guess if the SSPX thinks it’s OK, it must be OK…?

March 2016

Father is ordering all new vestments to go with the new liturgy. At Easter he is going to auction off all the old vestments to raise funds for the new priests’ resort at the lake. “They need their R&R too.”

April 2016

We have only two Masses on Sunday now, instead of three, because the number of faithful has dropped by 40% since last year. Where have all the families gone? Rita graduates next month. Twelve years at the girls school, quite an accomplishment!

August 2016

At dinner tonight Rita broke the news that she joined the Marines. Boot camp starts next week. We are in shock!

November 2016

Rita called and said she’s a member of the choir at her Novus Ordo Church on base. She doesn’t know why she can’t go to the Novus Ordo Mass.

Christmas Day 2016

I’m reading a book I came across: Fatherhood and Family, published by Angelus Press. George gave it to me the year Rita was born. I wish I had read it then! Now I’m beginning to understand what the man’s role really is as the head of the family and how serious it is… not just for his family but for the Church and society as a whole. It seems like everything is against the man and the family ever since the Industrial Revolution. We men are supposed to restore the Social Kingship of Christ and we’re not. I sure made a lot of mistakes. I wish the priests would relentlessly drill this stuff into us, but they hardly ever preach about these topics and even then, just superficially.

January 2017

Rita sent us an email wishing us a Happy New Year. She wants to marry a Marine. He’s a non-Catholic, some kind of Buddhist or something, and he has been married before. How can this be happening? Also, she signed up to be a Eucharistic minister. I wonder how George is doing?