Letter from one of the Faithful - On the Threat of Losing Our Church.

 

The Oratory where is given a "rich, full and complete life of faith"

As one of the members of the Faithful associated with the Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer, I would like to record some of my experiences surrounding the media reports and Apostolic Visitation. 

We have watched in stunned awe as our Priests and our community have been attacked in a truly brutal and merciless way - and we still have not been informed of what the accusations are, nor have we received any confirmations of guilt. 

Throughout the entire ordeal, beginning with the myriad of media reports which were littered with incorrect details and unproven accusations, right through the troubling and agonising Apostolic Visitation, we have listened to our priests speak from the depths of their pain, of forgiveness for our enemies and prayer for our persecutors.

        - The Retired Bishop of Toowoomba - 

During the Apostolic Visitation involving the retired Bishop of Toowoomba, many of us attempted to put forth our stories and holy experiences of the Oratory, to completely uninterested ears. There was a feeling that we were only being allowed to have meetings with the Bishop as some sort of formality, his mind already having been made up before even meeting with us.

Something is very wrong here. Completely innocent and uninvolved people, like the Brothers of the Oratory and the Daughters of the Most Holy Redeemer, have been audaciously asked to leave their homes FOR NO REASON! The innocent are being punished right along with those who are thought (but unproven) to be guilty. This is injustice after injustice.

"We do not simply go to the Latin Mass -
The Latin Mass is who we are." 

Our hearts have been broken with the threat that we might lose our church. We do not simply go to the Latin Mass - the Latin Mass is WHO WE ARE. It is so dear to us because it is deeply entrenched in our hearts and souls. The threat of it being taken away from us has caused so much pain and stress that it is indescribable.

One might ask, why is the Kaiapoi Latin Mass not an acceptable alternative? How can one single Mass replace all we have at the Oratory? The nine weekly Masses, the catechesis of children, the traditional pre-marriage preparation, the like minded community... The Oratory has not simply provided for us one Mass per week. It has given us a rich, full and complete life of faith, generously available to us at all times during the week and has even spilt over to times outside of Mass, where priests have ministered to us through the blessing of homes and land. 

How very blessed our children have been to be able to receive the correct formation and example at the Oratory, to have the privilege of sitting in a quiet and holy environment for Mass, to learn that receiving Our Lord on the tongue is the only acceptable way, to be part of the richness of Tradition and teachings of the Saints. 

And how blessed we have been as adults to be able to assist at Holy Mass without the fear of watching Our Lord being assaulted and abused in a myriad of ways, the worst being to be touched by the unconsecrated hands of the laity and possibly being stepped on as particles of the Sacred Host fall carelessly to the ground. How joyful it has been to feel the sacred silence in our church, instead of noisy chatter of adults and busy clattering and clambering of children who are not taught to sit in quiet reverence during Mass. 

What a joy it has been to have priests who are gently and confidently in charge of the spiritual formation of their Faithful, ready to direct them and minister to them the correct way, instead of priests (however dear they are) who have been fooled into thinking that catering to the whims of their people is the way to keep them happy.

"... to sit inside that sacred church..."

How edifying it has been to sit inside that sacred church and soak in the presence of God, to watch young teenagers enter the church after Mass of their own accord in order to venerate holy images, to see little children come in with permission from their parents to kneel down before statues of Our Lady and the Saints and whisper their pure and innocent little prayers and requests to heaven. I have adored Our Lord in front of the Blessed Sacrament in many Catholic churches but I have never seen behaviour like this in any of them.

At the Oratory, we are all people who have been to other Catholic churches in the past and we are acutely aware of the stark difference between them and the Oratory. Why is this Diocese and others around the world, closing down and selling churches? Why are the churches emptying? Why are the youth not interested in going to Mass? And why is the Oratory and other authentic Latin Mass churches, overflowing with eager people - especially youth - who are falling in love with their God, their faith and with Tradition, Truth and Beauty? It truly does speak for itself. But all of this begs the question - why would anyone want to eclipse that beauty and shut it down?

How can one Kaiapoi Mass replace this beautiful world of the Oratory which we have been privileged to be a part of? It doesn't come remotely close to being able to replace it. And why should it? This is still the question on all of our minds. Why should our priests and entire religious community be asked to leave Christchurch? What on earth is this gargantuan crime they have committed which would warrant such an extreme punishment or banishment? Why should we not be allowed to be part of our beautiful church any longer? Why should our children not be able to grow up in this environment of purity, beauty, tradition and serenity with complete lack of scandal or interference in their innocence? Why?

It is no secret that there is an attempt to suppress the Latin Mass world wide. What a tragedy and a travesty and a complete attack on what is true, good and beautiful. Those who are a part of it are embroiled in one of the greatest lies to ever have been propagated within humanity.

Let it be said publicly and openly - our hearts have been broken. I have watched my adult children cry tears of grief so pained, and I have joined them in their grief. I really can't think of many things that would be worse than losing our church. The levels of stress caused to many families has been severe. We have been shamed in public along with our priests. But that humiliation is nothing compared to the threat of losing our church.