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THE ATHANASIAN
A publication of Traditional Catholics of America ¢ Editor: Fr. Francis E. Fenton, STL
Volume V, No. 1 + January 15, 1984
Communism, Freemasonry and
the True Mass
Fr. Francis E. Fenton
I t was back in the middle and late 1940's that | first
became aware of the diabolical nature of Commu-
nism and its objective of world conquest at whatever
cost in human life and suffering—an objective from
which it has never wavered. While the USA was, I knew,
the prize target of Communism, it was not until some
years later—say, around the middle 1950’s—that | be-
gan to realize the extent, even then, of the Communist
penetration of the American government. How well | re-
call giving sermons and speeches on the evils of Com-
munism at that time—and that was some 30 years ago.
My efforts met with little popular support though. Even
among the scores of priests in the diocese to which |
belonged, only one gave me any show of support while
the powers that be in the diocese jooked upon my anti-
Communism crusade with something less than enthusi-
asm. In fact, I’m sure that they considered me to be, at
besi, a troublemaker—at worst, slightly unbalanced.
Another few years were to transpire, however, before |
would gradually arrive at the conviction that Commu-
nism had not only deeply penetrated the American gov-
ernment but had made significant inroads into the
Roman Catholic Church as well. True, | was well aware
that the abolition of all belief in God and all standards of
morality was a prime goal of Communism and that,
among religious bodies, the Roman Catholic Church
was foremost on its list for destruction. Yet because of
the nature of the Church and knowing it to have been for
so long the greatest bastion in the world against Com-
munism, | just knew that, though all else might fall victim
to it, the Roman Catholic Church would stand firm and
impregnable. How wrong | was! Although, as | later
learned, the Reds were in the woodwork of the Church
long before Vatican Council Il, the first unquestionable
proof to me that Communism must have deeply infil-
trated the Church was the fact that that Council never
once condemned Communism throughout the four
years of its deliberations! In fact, in the written transcript
of those Council sessions the word is mentioned but
once-—and that, as | recall, by way of a footnote.
Today's Conciliar “Catholic” Church, of course, is one
of the Reds’ cherished allies on the world scene.
Incidentally, in his many speeches and statements
around the world over the past five years, has John Paul
il ever So much as mentioned the word Communism, to
say nothing of condemning it? Not to my knowledge.
And then there is Freemasonry, every bit as much the
enemy of Church and civil government as is Commu-
nism—however ignorant of this stark fact may be its
rank and file members. The top echelon of international
Masonry is well aware of it though. Not without very
grave reason has the Roman Catholic Church con-
demned this secret order and attached the penalty of
excommunication to those of her members who have
joined it. At least 10 popes have expressly denounced
Freemasonry over the past two and a half centuries.
That the Conciliar Church now permits its members to
become Masons is but one more powerful indictment
against that Church. This evil organization is today what
ithas ever been, as declared by Pope Leo Xill, “a deadly
poison circulating…in the veins of human society.” In
that same pontiffs words, “…Christianity and Freema-
sonry are, by their nature, irreconcilable.” Isn't it strange
that the wiles and deceits and objectives of this nefari-
ous society are all but unkown by the generality of peo-
ple, even by many Roman Catholics and even though it
is “the central enemy of the Catholic Church’?
It is the conviction of many traditional Roman Catholics,
including the author of these lines, that extensive Com-
munist and Masonic infiltration into the Roman Catholic
Church is the fundamental cause, in human terms, of the
sorrowful deterioration of that Church over the past two
decades as well as the basic reason for the existence of
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the current Conciliar Church. One may cite other contri-
buting factors but the prime villains are those inveterate
and relentless enemies of Catholicism—Communism
and Freemasonry. The destruction of the Roman Catho-
lic Church has ever been one of their principal goals and
Vatican Council Il provided them with a signal opportuni-
ty to pursue their iniquitous aims with a vengeance. The
years since that disastrous Council have manifested
with ever increasing clarity how successful has been the
Communist and Masonic penetration and subversion of
the Church from the Vatican on down—indeed, so strik-
ingly successful that at some indeterminate point along
the way a new Church, the Conciliar Church, came into
existence. And so again, while other forces were also in-
strumental (Modernism, secular humanism, liberalism,
for example)—-and there is much overlapping among
these various factors—yet Communism and Freema-
sonry were and are, | submit, the major causes for the
massive destruction wrought upon the Church during
and since Vatican Council Il.
As for the present state of moral decadence in America,
is there a parallel between this situation and the tragic
history of the Roman Catholic Church over the past 20
years or $0? In other words, is there a relationship be-
tween the overwhelming godlessness and immorality in
this nation today and the decline and fall of the Church
from the powerful position of influence for good it for-
merly occupied on the American scene? |, for one, have
no doubt but that there is a close connection between
the two. While the USA was hardly a model of sinless-
ness and righteousness for the world back, say, in the
30's, 40’s and 50’s, yet, in retrospect, spirituality and
morality among the generality of the American people
might be said to have flourished in those days by com-
parison to the present time. Multitudes of Americans to-
day do not even possess a sense of sin. And itis, | con-
tend, no mere coincidence that the gradual descent of
the USA in recent years into its current state of moral tur-
pitude parallels, and is in large part the consequence of,
the decline of the Roman Catholic Church during that
same period of time. As the spiritual and moral power
and influence of the Church deteriorated, so did our na-
tion degenerate to become a twentieth century version
of Sodom and Gomorrah.
But is it possible to specify another cause, even beyond
Freemasonry and Communism, for the present lament-
able state of both Church and country? There are many
traditional Roman Catholics who would unhesitatingly
give an unqualified “yes” to that question, namely, the
near total cessation of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
And surely a strong case can be made in support of that
contention. The Mass and Holy Eucharist are the heart
and center of the Roman Catholic Faith and the inex-
haustible source of divine grace for the living of the
supernatural life. “In the Eucharistic Sacrifice the Cath-
olic Church possesses the sun of her divine worship, as
well as the heart of her life of grace and virtue, her
supreme good, her greatest wealth and her most pre-
cious treasure.” (The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass by
Father Nicholas Gihr). Countless volumes have been
written on the Mass (the one book cited above is nearly
800 pages in length) and every properly instructed Cath-
olic knows well the preeminent place of the Mass in the
Roman Catholic Church. As the Church teaches, the
Mass is the perfect act of worship given to God on this
earth, the prayer “par exellence” of man to his Creator.
in the words of Saint Leonard of Port Maurice (The
Hidden Treasure: Holy Mass), “…were it not for holy
Mass, at this moment the world would be in the abyss,
unabie to bear up under the mighty load of its iniquities.””
Although those words were written some two and a half
centuries ago, how strikingly applicabie they are to the
present time! The condition predicted by Saint Leonard,
if there were no Mass, is today becoming more and
more a stark reality. And if this nation and the world are
not here and now totally “in the abyss” because of their
“iniquities’, could this be because the True Mass is still
preserved and offered by traditional priests, however
pitifully few in number those priests may be? Yes, it
could very well be indeed. Over the past 15 years or so
we have seen both the widespread destruction of the
True Mass by the Conciliar Church on the one hand and
the massive spiritual and moral disintegration of our na-
tion on the other hand. Is there, | wonder, a direct con-
nection between the two? Although | am unable to prove
it, | strongly believe that there is.
It is a doctrine of our Faith that the Roman Catholic
Church will last forever, that ‘the gates of hell shall not
prevail against it.” Nor shall the powers of hell as mani-
fested in Freemasonry, Communism, Modernism, liber-
alism, secular humanism, etc. Today that Church is
found and exists in traditional Catholicism which alone
preserves the totality of divine truth as revealed by God
and taught by the Church throughout the Christian cen-
turies. And, among all of the inestimable possessions of
our God-given Faith, the treasures supreme are the Holy
Sacrifice of the Mass and the Blessed Sacrament of the
Eucharist. At the present time those treasures are, if
possible, more precious than ever because the world is
largely without them. The world, of course, is not aware
of its loss although that loss could well be the root cause
of its abysmally degenerate condition. +
The Athanasian
January 15, 1984
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EXPOSING THE
CONCILIAR CON GAME
John Kenneth Weiskittel
T wo New York City detectives sit in their parked
squad car munching hot dogs. Suddenly, they spot
aman and accost him. Within two hours, the man has
been identified and placed in the custody of FBI agents.
Frank Abagnale—alias Frank Williams, alias Robert
Conrad, Frank Adams and Robert Monjo—was, at the
time the law finally caught up with him in 1971, one of
the world’s most successful and most hunted impostors.
He parlayed his ability to convince people that he was a
Pan Am airlines pilot, an assistant state attorney, a pe-
diatrician, a college professor, an FBI agent, (to name a
few of his postures) into “earnings” of over two and a
half million dollars and, in so doing, became the object of
hunts by police in 26 foreign countries and all 50 states.
Abagnale was, in short, a con man extraordinaire.
His remarkably successful career in crime was based on
his ability to act, speak and move in precisely the ways
that the victims would associate with the actions,
speech and movements of the mimicked vocation. This,
in turn, enabled him to gain their faith in his honesty.
Abagnale, in his confession-memoirs, Catch Me If You
Can, says the one trait necessary in all victims Is blind
trust.
The term ‘‘con”, then, in such phrases as “con game”,
“con man” and “con artist’, is short for confidence. Un-
like the ordinary thief, who makes no pretense regarding
his aim, the adept con artist is able to extract money or
other valuables from his victims by having them willingly
—or even happily—hand them over to him.
Researchers on the subject have found that untold thou-
sands of people are bilked out of billions of dollars each
year, but add that truly accurate figures can’t be given
because many victims of such crimes are too embar-
rassed to admit to law enforcement authorities that
they've been “taken”.
The Gypsies, who are also known for having brought
their own brand of witchcraft and fortune-telling with
them when they entered Europe centuries ago, are
widely thought to be the originators of the con game.
(The slang expression “gyp”, meaning “to cheat”, is de-
rived from “gypsy’”.) In America, the “art” of conning
has had a colorful history, proving the truth of the words
of the showman P.T. Barnum, “There's a sucker born
every minute.” Today's list of swindles would have to in-
clude mail-order fraud, chain-letter chicanery, pyramid
schemes, phony charities, loan sharks with their (not so)
easy credit, false advertising, counterfeiting (since our
currency is today backed only by the empty promises of
politicians, and not by gold, this may be said to be a con
upon a con!), bogus land deeds and numerous other
swindies performed by flim-flam operators and fly-by-
night businesses.
A more pervasive con, and one that goes beyond the
mere theft of money, is the anti-Christian conspiracy that
has taken root in our land and that boasts as its mem-
bers politicians, educators, social activists, bankers, in-
dustrialists, entertainers and people in nearly every walk
of life. One can hardly turn on the evening television
news or read a mass-circulation magazine without con-
fronting journalists who, by and large, are more sympa-
thetic to promoting dishonestly the programs of the con-
spiracy than they are to a truthful presentation of the
news.
Most disturbing of all, for Catholics, must be the fact that
agents of this same conspiracy, having succeeded in
penetrating to the highest positions of the Church, have
either indoctrinated or neutralized into silence other
leaders, and have taken the world’s three-quarters of a
billion Catholics into a sort of spiritual captivity in which
the prisoners are scarcely, if at all, aware that they are
enslaved. The remainder of this article focuses on this
spiritual con game: how its practitioners operate, why
people are taken in by it and how to help its victims see
through it so they'll stop playing the game. Hopefully,
some encouragement may also be derived from the
article.
Caveat Credens (Let the Believer Beware)
In law, there is a saying that neatly sums up the respon-
sibility of the buyer to check any item for flaws before
purchasing it: caveat empztor (let the buyer take care).
Even so, consumers are protected by truth-in-adver-
tising laws; and hospital patients, by safeguards against
The Athanasian
January 15, 1984
Page 4
medical malpractice. Similar statutes defend citizens in
nearly every area of human conduct.
Unfortunately, one of those areas not covered is reli-
gion. Catholics can’t file suit against a clergyman for
liturgical malpractice. Nor can they invoke the laws guar-
anteeing truth in advertising when Modernists in the
Conciliar Church decide to place a sign in front of their
church, proclaiming it a ‘‘Catholic Church” or a “Roman
Catholic Church”.
For the Catholic, then, the rule is strictly caveat credens
—-let the believer take care; believer, beware!
In a sense, the entire history of the human race has been
the story of the battle between the conned and those
who refused to be conned. The outcome of the first such
encounter finds Eve answering God: “The serpent de-
ceived me, and | did eat.” This would later cause Christ
to call Satan the father of lies. In truth, he can also be
called the father of con artists.
lt has been a continual struggle for the Church to turn
away one attack after another from spiritual con artists of
all different sorts—united only in their hatred of the
Church. These children of the devil have tried to devise
heresies in ways best suited to deceive the faithful.
They nave been anathematized in the Scriptures: “Woe
to you that call evil good and good evil: that put darkness
for light, and light for darkness: that put bitter for sweet,
and sweet for bitter.” (lsaias 5:20) In the very first heresy
of the Christian era—Gnosticism—the tricksters delib-
erately sought to “employ traditional Catholic terminol-
ogy in a secret, perverted sense that threatened to trap
the unwary pious soul.” (Fr. Newman Eberhart, Sum-
mary of Catholic History, Vol. |, p. 91).
In the fourth century the Church faced a new threat with
the rise of Arianism. While the doctrines of the Arians
were different than those of the Gnostics, both shared
the common trait of appearing to be orthodox Christians
while actually being something far removed from the
Church.
When finally challenged to profess the Catholics truths
defined by the Council of Nicaea, the Arians claimed
they had been misunderstood and, as Dr. Rama Cooma-
raswamy wrote in the April 1982 issue of The Roman
Catholic, they presented Emperor Constantine a state-
ment of their beliefs which ‘by the use of ambiguous lan-
guage gave the appearance of their being reconciled to
Nicaea.” (St. Athanasius, Part |: The Rise of the
Heretics”).
In the same article, Dr. Coomaraswamy elaborated on
the use of deceitful communications:
Ambiguity has always been the ploy of the heretic
and was rightly called in Medieval times “Verba du-
plicita et maligna’ —an evil and duplicitous use of
language. Pope Leo XIli was to teach that, when
ambiguity was used in such situations, it was al-
ways to be understood in the heretical sense.
In other words, the heretic will speak in a manner that
does not conform to what he really believes.
By the time the Protestant Revolution rolled around,
some one thousand years later, its leaders had refined
this defrauding of Catholics even further. Martin Luther,
though he no longer believed in the Mass as understood
by the Church, made every effort to hide that fact from
the average churchgoer: “in indifferent matters our
churches are so arranged that a layman…seeing our
Mass, choir, organ, bells, chantries, etc., would surely
say that it was a regular papist church.” (Summary of
Catholic History, Vol. tl, p. 154). Other “Reformers”,
such as England’s Thomas Cranmer, would follow
Luther’s lead and offer what appeared on the surface to
be Catholic rites.
All of these errors through the centuries have merely
been precursors of that “synthesis of all heresies” —
Modernism. Conceived by freethinking priests at the
turn of the century, but courageously suppressed by
Pope St. Pius X, the plague of Modernism remained dor-
mant for most of this century until its agents at the
Second Vatican Coucil allowed it “legally” to subvert the
Church.
St. Pius makes it clear in his encyclical Pascendi that the
Modernists, like their brother heretics, “make a pretense
of bowing their heads, (yet) their minds and hands are
more boldy intent than ever on carrying out their pur-
poses.” To achieve their goals, the Holy Father con-
tinues, they find it “necessary…to remain within the
ranks of the Church in order that they may gradually
transform the collective conscience (i.e., the way the
Church thinks as an institution).”
The method for bringing about this “transformation”?
The same method used with great success in Eden…
deceit. Abbé Alfred Loisy, the French priest who came
to be known as “the Father of Modernism’, mastered
the con game. Michael Davies, in his short study, Parti-
sans of Error: St. Pius X Against the Modernists, reveals
Loisy’s insincerity:
The Athanasian
January 15, 1984
Page 5
… Thus, ina letter to The Times he wrote: “| was a
Catholic, | remain a Catholic. | was a critic, | remain
one.” In a letter to (Vatican Secretary of State) Car-
dinal Merry del Val on 24 January, 1904, he states:
“| accept all the dogmas of the Church.” He wrote
this after consultation with (fellow Modernist) Baron
von Hugel, but his real thoughts were set down in
his diary: “I have not been a Catholic in the official
sense of the word for a long time… Roman Catholi-
cism as such is destined to perish, and it will de-
serve no regrets.” (pp. 70-71)'
Conciliar commitment to the Loisy “ideal” of a de-
stroyed Church continues unabated, even as these
words are put to paper.
The “Con” in Conciliar
As pet peeves go, | suppose I'd have to place high on
my list the way the television networks like to tout their
news anchors as being “the most trusted” or as having
“integrity” while, in reality, the reverse is shown by night
after night of biased ‘news’ coverage. More disturbing,
however, is the manner in which millions of Americans
do trust these untrustworthy sources.
The condition contracted by said millions ought to be
studied by clinical psychologists. After all, there is a clin-
ical name for those who blindly fear and distrust without
reason—paranoia. For the opposite of paranoia, that is,
the illogical trust in others, a term is needed. Until a more
precise word is found, why not call it Barnum Syndrome,
after the nineteenth century showman and trickster who
first noted the disorder?
One place where an epidemic of Barnum Syndrome
runs rampant is the Conciliar “Catholic” Church. The
most flagrant deviations from Catholic teaching; the
wildest, most unrestrained incidents of “liturgical ex-
pressiveness”; the “updatedness-at-any-cost” mentali-
ty: all of these attacks on the True Church are accepted
by churchgoers in the name of Vatican II.
This tactic is carried out in one of two ways, depending
on the susceptibility of the victim. The method used
against the majority of parishoners is simply to say that
what is being done was mandated by the Council and, if
you don’t like it, leave. If the more studious members
complain about the outrages being staged in many
churches, they're apt to hear the typical ‘Well, what
you're talking about are abuses,”
‘Quoting Michael Davies in these pages should not be
construed as any endorsement of his position relating to
the Conciliar Church.
So, why do they stay? Why aren't they fleeing in droves
to the nearest traditional priest, and dragging with them
anyone who will listen to reason and, more importantly,
who will listen to the teaching of the Church? What is it
that keeps ther going back week after week, when their
best instinct should tell them something's wrong. ..dras-
tically wrong? The answer: the con artist's biggest ally—
blind trust.
One example stands out, before all others, in my mind. |
often visit the local Conciliar church in search of periodi-
cals useful in my research. One evening, upon entering
it, | was surprised to hear a voice over the public ad-
dress system, at a time when | knew no services were
scheduled.
The sight | saw was amazing for, scattered throughout a
church with seating for over 1,000 people, | saw no
more than 50 individuals, all listening, | presume, to the
source of the voice. There it was at the foot of the altar: a
reel-to-reel tape recorder, broadcasting for all present
an explanation of why the “New Mass’ is really the True
Mass, even if it doesn’t seem to be!
That's just my experience. I'm certain the reader can
supply incidences from his or her own life that would
confirm the nature of the New Church just as well. All of
them get back to the same point, however, and that is
that the Conciliar Church leaders are obliged now to do
something that no true Catholic leader ever did—or ever
needed to do. They are attempting to “sell” a bad bill of
goods to their people—and the sorrow of it all is, they're
succeeding at it. The rea/ Catholic Church has never
needed to defend its Sacraments to the faithful.
Modernism is like a wounded serpent that still lives be-
cause no one bothered to make certain it was dead. In
Donald Attwater’s Catholic Dictionary (1942) as in so
many books published after Pascendi, it was taken for
granted that Modernism “was destroyed by the energet-
ic action of Pope Pius X.” In reality, of course, it crawled
away to hide, until it healed. Later, in authentic con-man
style, it returned on the scene with cosmetic surgery and
anew name.
To con the faithful, the new-look Modernists schemed, it
would first be necessary to con the shepherds of the
flock (‘the innovators and destroyers within the Church
are using the obedience of the faithful as a weapon to de-
stroy the Church’). A retired priest | know told me that,
when he was pastor of a parish in the Northeast, the Oath
Against Modernism (that St. Pius required of clerics) was
no longer obligatory, since Modernism no longer repre-
sents a threat. And yet, a snake is a snake is a snake.
The Athanasian
January 15, 1984
Page 6
“All right’, | can hear some readers asking, “l can see
how the average lay person would fall for the kinds of
deception you've outlined, but how could a bishop with
all his background in theology ever be duped into allow-
ing such a wholesale sellout of the Catholic faith? | just
don't feel that that could happen to one bishop, much
less, nearly all of them. After all, they're supposed to be
experts.”
Yes, to an extent that’s true. It ought to be remembered,
however, that the Modernists did not simply disappear
after St. Pius X swept them out of the Church with en-
cyclicals and excommunications. They learned a les-
son: if they wanted to refashion the Church in their own
image, they would have to go about it quietly, injecting
their venom in articles, books and seminary lectures in
the subtlest, most disarming way they could. In a word,
they would have to give it the most convincing Catholic
look possible. If asked why they were rephrasing the
teaching of the Church, they were to reply that they
sought only to put ancient truths in a language more pal-
atable to the modern mind.
This, again, is a device of the skilled con artist: to con-
vince the potential victims of the authenticity of the
bogus goods. Frank Abagnale quickly disappeared from
his role as lawyer after he learned that a Harvard-edu-
cated attorney would be sharing the same office. He
knew his limits when faced with the prospect of being
confronted by someone with real expertise in the field.
Some frauds are so convincing, though, that even the
experts are fooled. Two art forgers come to mind whose
talents were so refined that they succeeded in conning
the experts from around the world. Not a single art critic
on either side of the Atlantic dissented from the prevail-
ing opinion when a painting appeared in Europe in the
1940's and was immediately deemed the “greatest
work ever done” by the master, Vermeer. Only later did
the real artist come forward, an artist named Hansvan
Meegeren, who was unhappy that his own work had
been ignored. Another painter of fakes, Elmyr de Hory,
has imitated Renoirs, Picassos and Matisses so well that
unsuspecting experts estimated the value of his copies
in excess of sixty million dollars. Experts can be, and
are, fooled.
Many bishops, no doubt, have had experiences similar
to one that Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre had during the
years of Pope Paul Vl’s reign. He had a visit paid to him
by one of Paul IV's legates, while he was at his seminary
in Econe, Switzerland. It was to convey a “compromise”
offered by Rome: if the good archbishop would say the
“New Mass” just once, he would be permitted to cele-
brate the Tridentine Rite to his heart's content. He would
never again be asked to offer the Conciliar service, the
legate added, but it would be helpful if he would show
his willingness to cooperate with Paul VI. His Excellency
declined. It was a good thing he did since he had just
been propositioned in a way not unlike the dope peddler
who offers his wares free the first time, conning his vic-
tim with the line, “just try it once.”
When bishops, in turn, put their imprimaturs on books
that are defective in Catholic teaching; when they permit
Modernists to write articles for diocesan newspapers,
preach in their churches and teach at their schools;
when they allow doubtful sacraments to flourish in their
dioceses; and when they gather together and make pro-
nouncements that have a distinctly un-Catholic cast—
then it must be said that the level of mystification of
today’s Modernists is complete. In the words of Isaias
the prophet, “Woe to you that call evil good and good
evil.”
John Paul U: The Greatest Con Artist?
Many semi-traditional Catholics and conservative Con-
ciliarists will agree in large part with what I’ve written so
far. Many priests and bishops are conning the laity, they
say; but, thank heavens, we have a strong Pope who
puts his foot down on any nonsense.
The clear indication that Pope John Paul Il is “on our
side”, they claim, is his action against Hans Kung, the
radical German theologian. What more proof do you
want? Well, to begin with, a little consistency on John
Paul's part would help. These fans of his don’t like to ex-
amine the other side of the ledger but doing so puts
things in a clearer perspective. Such entries as the fol-
lowing should be included:
e Kung, though technically suspended from his
teaching facilities, continues both to teach and
preach his brand of Modernism. And, despite the
“penalty” meted out to Kung, Notre Dame theolo-
gy professor Fr. Richard McBrien introduced Kung
as a “fellow Catholic theologian”. Yet, McBrien still
holds his seat.
¢ The modernistic Dominican, Edward Schillbeeckx,
is “reinstated” as a theologian acceptable to the
New Rome, after he ‘clarified’ his position on vari-
ous teachings.
® The Jesuit Henri De Lubac, whose book, The Su-
pernatural, was banned by Rome in the 1950's and
who was suspected of heresy, is made a cardinal.
e Archbishop Joseph Bernardin, who imprimatured
The Athanasian
January 15, 1984
Page 7
a book incompatible with Catholic moral teachings
and who has promoted what sounds much like pro-
cess theology (a cousin of Modernism), is made
cardinal of the Archdiocese of Chicago.
@ A letter praising the work of banned priest-scientist
Teilhard de Chardin is sent to the Catholic Institute
in Paris on the centennial celebration of that cleric’s
birthday. Later, a public statement, to the effect that
Teilhard’s writings were still forbidden, was issued
for the apparent purpose of lulling the more tradi-
tionally-minded into a false security.
* No move has been made to halt distribution or cen-
sure The American Catholic Catalog, despite the
fact that it comes out squarely for Modernism and
against the Church with statements such as: “That
Council (Trent) called forth anathema on certain
propositions that we consider, in light of our superi-
or historical research, to be reasonable and justi-
fied.” (Pope St. Pius X condemned the Modernist
belief that “Scientific progress demands that the
concepts of Christian doctrine concerning God,
creation, revelation, the Person of the incarnate
Word, and the Redemption be readjusted.’’)
® In Pope John il: The Life of Karo! Wojtyla, Mieczy-
slaw Malinski, lifelong friend and fellow priest of
John Paul, recalls that Wojtyla once told him that
“in my life I've had two great philosophical revela-
tions—Thomism and Scheler.” The “Scheler’” re-
ferred to here is Max Scheler, whose philosophy is
called “phenomenology”. Without going into de-
tails, it is enough to note that phenomenology is
very similar to Modernism in its emphasis on “ex-
perience”. Scheler argued that traditional proofs by
St. Thomas and others for the existence of God
were unsatisfactory because it couldn't be proven
through experience, but only by mental abstrac-
tion. This approach is seen in the use of new cate-
chisms, stressing ‘experiencing Jesus”, by Con-
ciliar schools.
No matter, however, to John Paul’s conservative boost-
ers. They mention that he studies with a true traditional
Catholic theologian, Garrigou-Lagrange. Again, they
don’t check; were they to do so, they would discover
that, of all he has written, it is the doctoral thesis Wojtyla
wrote for that saintly theologian which the Vatican states
to be “no longer reflecting his current views.”
If a bishop were to preach in a Lutheran church, many
semi-traditional publications would be up in arms. When
John Paul Il does the same thing, the opinion switches to
that of The Remnant, which called the action (in its
11-15-83 issue) “perplexing”. What is really perplexing
is the credulity of many Catholics.
A Slight Glimmer of Hope
The situation I've presented has, as it were, been fore-
told. The Blessed Virgin Mary, at La Sallette, warned that
Satan would penetrate to the highest positions in the
Church. The Masonic enemies of the Church have
boasted that they would groom a Pope of their own lik-
ing so that many would do their bidding, mistakenly
thinking they were following the Church. And a general
falling away of the faithful through deception is prophe-
sied in the Scriptures. Like Esau, they will sell their birth-
right for a bowl of pottage.
Some seem to be coming out of this twenty-year decep-
tion. The New Jersey Catholic News carried an article in
its January 1982 issue, ‘The Scandal of Our Seminary”,
in which traditional-minded seminarians expose the
modernistic Rector, a Fr. Edward Ciuba, whom they de-
scribe as “what you'd get if you called Central Casting to
send over a bland Lutheran minister…looking updated
and relevant.” They say he seems like such a nice guy,
but he is a “nice guy” who has “tampered with voca-
tions sent from Almighty God” and has caused “the in-
tellectual corruption of seminarians.”
On another front, Father Paul A. Wickens, a Conciliar
priest, has publicly accused Archbishop Gerety (Newark,
New Jersey) of being heretical and modernistic, after he
was suspended for refusing to allow pornographic sex
education in his parish.
Sadly, Father Wickens and the above mentioned semi-
narians are exceptions to the rule, and there is no indica-
tion that they comprehend that John Paul Il is a large part
of the problem.
In this year of our Lord, 1984, let us redouble our prayers
and missionary efforts on behalf of our “separated breth-
ren” —the Conciliar Church Catholics. And, let us do all in
our power to expose the con artists ever more and more. +
Pray
the Rosary
Daily
The Athanasian
January 15, 1984
Page 8
COLORADO
AURORA (Denver area)
OUR LADY OF VICTORY CHAPEL
2566 Sable Boulevard
(303) 364-8040
Masses at 9:00 & 11:00 a.m.
(every Sunday)
Occasional weekday Masses
COLORADO SPRINGS
OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY
(303) 636-1575
Mass at 10:00 a.m. Jan. 15, Feb. 5, Feb. 19
Mass every Friday at 9:00 a.m.
DURANGO
OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY
Centennial Savings and Loan
1101 E. Second Ave.
(303) 884-2526
Mass at 10:00 a.m. Feb. 19
STRATTON
OUR LADY OF FATIMA CHAPEL
(303) 348-5454
Mass on Jan. 22, Feb. 26
LOUISIANA
OPELOUSAS (Lafayette area)
OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY CHAPEL
Route 1, Box 195
(318) 942-9053
Mass at 11:00 a.m. Jan. 22, Feb. 12
r———— TCA TRADITIONAL LATIN MASS SCHEDULE ———+
MINNESOTA
ROCHESTER
OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY CHAPEL
5820 Viola Road, NE
(507) 282-5163 or 289-8522
Mass at 10:00 a.m. Jan. 29, Feb. 12
MONTANA
GREAT FALLS
IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY CHAPEL
2020 Second Avenue North
(406) 452-8826
Mass at 11:00 a.m. Jan. 22, Feb. 5, Feb. 26
NEW YORK
BUFEALO
OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY CHAPEL
231 McKinley Parkway
(716) 537-9533
Mass at 10:00 a.m.
on first and third Sundays
PENNSYLVANIA
EDDYSTONE (Philadelphia area)
(215) 876-8737
UTAH
SALT LAKE CITY
OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL HELP
Hilton Inn
154 West 600 South
(801) 278-7501
Mass at 11:00 a.m. Jan. 29
THE ATHANASIAN
Published by Traditional Catholics of America
Eight issues a year: (Jan. 15, Mar. 1, Apr. 15, June 1, July 15, Sept. 1, Oct. 15, Dec. 1)
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Page 9
At Long Last!
In December, 1982, we were forced to close our Christ
the King School because we were unabie to continue to
raise the $11,000 per month required to operate it. At
one point the school debt was approximately $17,000.
The last time | made any mention of the debt and ap-
pealed for assistance in paying it was in the April 15,
1983 issue of this newsletter. in that article | noted that |
would not ask further for financial help in this matter in
these pages but that “every penny of the debt will be
paid, God willing, insofar as it is humanly possible for
me to accomplish this.”
So, at long last—nine months and six newsletter issues
later—i arn most pleased to be able to announce that
our school debt is now entirely liquidated. For this, my
heartfelt gratitude to those many subscribers to this
newsletter around the country who contributed in any
amount to our TCA towards the debt payment—and es-
pecially to those whose coniributions may have entailed
some sacrifice on their part. Thank you kindly! t
ttt
‘ONE LORD, ONE FAITH, ONE BAPTISM!’
(Eph. 4:5) Hold firmly that your faith is identical
with that of the ancients. Deny this, and you dis-
solve the unity of the Church.
SAINT THOMAS AQUINAS
(“Disputations Concerning Truth,” 14:12)
Mass Requests
In the October 15, 1983 issue | asked that no more re-
quests for Masses be sent to me for the remainder of the
year since | had some 80 Mass intentions to be fulfilled
at that time. | now have 91! So, if | am ever to get caught
up on the Masses to which | am already committed, |
have no choice but to extend to March 1 the period dur-
ing which | will not accept any Mass stipends. However
much | regret having to do so, | will return any stipends |
receive prior to that date. In addition, | will, from March 1
onward, accept no more than two Mass intentions from
any one person. Please, then, do not request any
Masses from me before March 1 and, following that
date, please do not request more than two Masses with-
in, say, any three or four month period. Unless | set a
firm rule of this kind—and observe it—I'll be forever
several months behind in the fulfillment of my Mass
commitments. +
ON ONE-WORLD GOVERNMENT
The coming of a world state is longed for, and confi-
dently expected, by all the worst and most distorted
elements. This state, based on the principles of ab-
solute equality of men and a community of posses-
sions, would banish all national loyalties. In it no
acknowledgement would be made of the authority
of a father over his children, or of God over human
society. If these ideas are put into practice, there will
inevitably follow a reign of unheard-of terror.
Pope Benedict XV (July 25, 1920)
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“The Conspiracy of Freemasonry”
(a supplement to the September 1, 1982 issue
of The Athanasian.)
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