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Profession Of Catholic Faith For Converts
Words of encouragement from St. Athanasius
The infiltration of modernism into the Church
True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary
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Apologia pro Marcel Lefebvre
Stations of the Cross
Reclaim your heritage
The Catechism of the Council of Trent
The Baltimore Catechism
Catechism of St Pius X
A Tribute to Archbishop Lefebvre
Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Latin and English
The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass
How to contact a priest of the Society
The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The definitive biography of Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre
Traditional Catholic Hymns with Musical Notation
Church Conservation News
The Catholic Worker Movement Part 1
The Catholic Worker Movement Part 2
Why Christian women should not wear trousers
Is Distributism Catholic?
Vaticangate: Justice denied to Archbishop Lefebvre
The New Laity and the Anti-clerical Factor
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The Great Facade
The Great Facade: Vatican II and the Regime of Novelty in the Roman Catholic Church
by
Christopher Ferrara and Thomas Woods
Both Christopher Ferrara and Thomas Woods are internationally acclaimed writers famous for their brilliant defence of Catholic Tradition. In their latest publication, “The Great Façade”, which was published in June 2002, they lay bare with devastating clarity, the roots of the present crisis in the Church: the adoption of liberal principles by those who exercise authority in the Church.
The theme of the book in brief :
Having despised and discarded the centuries-old traditions of the Church which upheld the Faith, and replaced them with a regime of novelty and worldly wisdom, our Shepherds have brought about the destruction of all that was recognisably Catholic.
More detailed commentary:
As the authors point out at the beginning of the book:
"the post-conciliar infection of the Catholic Church by liberalism was self-induced. Through a series of decisions without parallel in Church history, the Church's own leaders, including the conciliar Popes, have imposed what can only be called a regime of novelty upon the Church since Vatican II. The effect of that regime [whether or not intended] has been largely to strip the Church of her natural defences against infiltration and corruption. The Council's much-vaunted 'opening to the world' was, in truth, a suppression of the Church's immune system, resulting almost immediately in the many-faceted disease that now afflicts her. In reaction to this regime of novelty, there has emerged in the post-conciliar epoch a movement known as Roman Catholic traditionalism, which seeks a restoration of the elements of traditional Catholic teaching and praxis that have been suppressed under the new regime. This book is both a defence of that movement and a call for Catholics to join it."
The Rationale
The authors have undertaken this work for a dual purpose :
1. as a defence of the traditional Catholic faith against the progressivist orientation of the Second Vatican Council
2. as a defence against certain present-day Catholics who accuse those who resist the new orientation of being "schismatic", "disobedient", and "out of communion with the Church".
A Trail of Destruction
"The Great Facade" demonstrates that the liberal Catholic mode of thinking is an intellectually untenable position, supported by neither Church teaching nor Church history. It is a nest of contradictions, harmful to the Church, that guarantees the unimpeded march of the Conciliar insurrection. By defending the Vatican's latest novelties [such as the syncretistic "spirit of Assisi"]; and by crying "schism" against Catholics who resist these innovations, neo-Catholics become the Watchdogs of the Conciliar Revolution, the Guardians of the Regime of Novelty, the Legion in Defence of Tradition Lite.
Some hard Questions
Ferrara and Woods ask, "Before Vatican II, when has a Pope ever proclaimed a whole 'new orientation' of the Church, ecumenical or otherwise? And what other council in Church history disclosed anything 'utterly new' and 'quite unknown previously' in the realm of doctrine? How can a doctrine of the Church, if it is a doctrine, be something 'quite unknown' before 1965? Are we now to understand that the Holy Spirit could have left the Church unaware of some important truth of the Faith for nearly 2,000 years?"
Disastrous Consequences of Liberalism
Yet post-conciliar Churchmen charge ahead, despite the fact that their new ecumenism stands condemned by Sacred Scripture] and by the Church's constant Magisterium, particularly in Pope Pius XI's Encyclical Mortalium Animos.
This ecumenical orientation has been catastrophic for the Church.
*Today's ecumenical practice gives the appearance that one religion is as good as another, or at least, that any religion is good enough for salvation.
*It is responsible for the reshaping of Catholic teaching to emphasise what we have in common with Protestants while playing down other points of Catholic truth.
*This is why traditional apologetics on the Catholic Church as the one true Church of Jesus Christ, and the infallible doctrine that there is no salvation outside the Catholic Church, have all but disappeared from Catholic teaching texts. If anything, even the Vatican now regards as "outdated ecclesiology" the notion that non-Catholics must join the Catholic Church for salvation.
*This means that the new ecumenism puts countless non-Catholics at even greater risk. The post-Vatican II helmsmen of the one ark of salvation now tell those not on board to stay where they are and enjoy the water.
*The new ecumenical orientation is also the basis for the Novus Ordo Mass, written with the help of six Protestant Ministers, that stripped the liturgy of its thoroughly Catholic bearings. The prime motivation in concocting the new rite of Mass was not to construct a liturgy that was pleasing to Christ and representative of the Catholic Faith, but to construct an ecumenical liturgy that would be acceptable to Protestants who deny transubstantiation, the sacrificial nature of the Mass, and many other truths revealed by God. This is why Cardinal Ottaviani complained that the New Mass represents a "a striking departure from the Catholic theology of the Mass as it was formulated in Session XXlI of the Council of Trent."
And these are only the first of reasons why the new ecumenical orientation is disastrous for the Church.
The authors continue on the theme of novelty, ". . . some neo-Catholic commentators are honest enough to admit that the Council and the conciliar Popes have introduced true novelties into the Church. Taking the bull by the horns, they openly declare that John Paul II is an innovator, who sees in Vatican II [as did Paul VI] a mandate for previously unheard-of progressivist undertakings.
The liberal Catholic "luminaries", however, choose to ignore a basic truth reiterated by the eminent liturgist, Msgr. Klaus Gamber. In his 1993 work, "The Reform of the Roman Liturgy", Gamber insisted: "It is most certainly not the function of the Holy See to introduce Church reforms. The first duty of the Pope is to act as primary bishop, to watch over the traditions of the Church-----her dogmatic, moral and liturgical traditions."
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LEAD KINDLY LIGHT - a biography of Cardinal Newman
LEAD KINDLY LIGHT
The Life of John Henry Newman
Michael Davies has written Lead Kindly Light with the purpose of introducing Newman to those who have not read a biography of him or who might not be familiar with the works of the great English Cardinal. But he has achieved much more than that modest objective. This is a timely and informative book which has the capacity to turn the tide of fashionable opinion and draw the world’s attention to the truth about John Henry Newman (1801-1890). Nothing less than such a tour de force would be adequate to the task, for once a viewpoint becomes fashionable, especially among influential circles, there is virtually no end to the amount of slavish support it attracts from the rank and file members of the Church.
In recent decades much interest and excitement has been generated by the ‘discovery’ that Newman was a prophet of present day ecclesiastical reform, a promoter of the laity, an advocate of inter-faith dialogue, an apostle of aggiornamiento, the patron saint of the Ecumenical Movement and therefore a man who could be called the ‘Father of Vatican II’. And as the years go by, greater chances for confusion and misrepresentation of the facts about Newman continue to arise, being fuelled, ironically, by the very scourge of religious Liberalism which now characterises the Church of today, and which Newman himself had so ardently resisted.
It is in the vital area of clarification that Michael Davies, never one to succumb to the irrational forces of political correctness, makes his most important contribution to the defence of the truth. His book acts as an important corrective to the wilder interpretations of Newman by exposing the fictional basis of such claims. The reader is thus led to the inevitable conclusion that it is only the proponents of the false ideology of religious Liberalism who persist in claiming Newman as their own and in portraying him as their Father.
No one who is equipped with knowledge of the spiritual and intellectual formation of Newman and the wider background of the main movements and ideas that shaped his journey to the Catholic Church could conceivably regard England’s greatest convert as a Liberal. Indeed the term would have been anathema to Newman himself. All the evidence that Michael Davies has amassed shows Newman as anything but a Liberal. There can be no doubt that as a priest he would have been willing to face martyrdom sooner than adopt current ecumenical practices such as Eucharistic hospitality, and that his Catholic conscience would not have allowed him to attend inter-faith services or celebrate Mass in a Catholic sanctuary that housed an Anglican tabernacle. He would have regarded this as an infringement of Divine Law because he believed that there is only one true Church and that Anglicanism was totally incompatible with it and was therefore to be rejected. In contrast to today’s indifference in matters of religion, Newman saw the necessity for all unbelievers to return to the bosom of the Catholic Church which he termed the ‘True Fold’. He would therefore have rejected the New Gospel of ‘worldwide solidarity’ among all religions.
As for the Mass itself, Newman’s devotion to it and appreciation of its supernatural mysteries bordered on the mystical, and he would have wept holy tears at the banality and irreverence with which it is commonly celebrated as a result of the reforms. For one who maintained that “The Mass must not be said …in any language but that in which it has come down to us from the early hierarchs of the Western Church”, the suppression of Latin would have been inconceivable. And his clear vision of the supernatural order of the Church would have caused him to oppose the participation of the laity in the ministry of the altar as a subversion of her hierarchical structure. If Newman was a prophet, it was of the coming decay and destruction of the Catholic Church which we are now witnessing in many parts of the world. It would be henceforth impossible to proclaim Newman a Liberal without demonstrating the veracity of Mark Twain’s axiom that “one gets such wholesale returns of conjecture out of such a trifling investment of fact” (Life on the Mississippi, 1874).
But what of Newman the man, with his hopes and fears, his affections and inner dramas, his personal relationships with those who knew him? He is here within the covers of this book. Like all good biographers, Michael Davies lets his subject speak for himself as much as possible. Newman’s letters and diaries reveal something of the inner struggles he experienced in facing the many trials with which his life was strewn: the desolation he felt when his beloved sister, Mary, died; his intense sorrow on the death of his close companion, John Bowden and that of his dearest friend, Hurrell Froude; the friendships he forfeited upon his conversion to Rome; his sense of frustration when his plans were thwarted to found a Catholic University in Ireland, and establish an Oratory at Oxford and when his preliminary work to produce an annotated English version of the Bible was abandoned owing to lack of support from the English hierarchy; his feeling of betrayal at being delated to Rome under suspicion of liberalism; his distress at the ongoing rift between the Oratories of London and Birmingham; and the miscarriage of justice he suffered in the Achilli trial. None of these tribulations crushed him, however, and he bore them all with exemplary patience and meekness, and unwavering loyalty to the Church.
In this book we have the opportunity to retrace the footsteps of the young Newman on his journey towards the Catholic Church. Every aspect of this extraordinary spiritual odyssey is analysed: the friendships he formed with fellow members of Oriel College Oxford who exerted considerable influence on his intellectual and spiritual development; his leadership of the Tractarian Movement; his ordination as a deacon and then a priest of the Church of England; his initial abhorrence of what he regarded as the errors of Roman Catholicism; his growing sense of doubt about the integrity of his own Via Media theory; his final repudiation of Anglicanism and his reception into the Catholic Church by Father (now Blessed) Dominic Barberi in 1845.
The book contains much first-hand information about Newman’s personal accomplishments, as the author provides examples of his literary, musical and oratorical skills. In these we can see the elegance of Newman’s style in both poetry and prose, his talent as a violinist and organist, and also his ability to deliver a sermon that would hold an audience spellbound and even, on occasion, move them to tears. As for the circumstances of his daily living, which could be described as abstemious in the extreme, Newman led a life of holy poverty and monastic simplicity, having made a resolve to remain celibate in his youth at a time when he felt the first stirrings of religious awareness.
The Appendices furnish us with additional information to support the author’s main thesis. There is a chronological table of the main events of Newman’s life; the testimony of Pope St Pius X (1905) posthumously exonerating him from the unjust charge of Liberalism; his defence of infallibility and the rights of conscience in his Letter to the Duke of Norfolk (his defence of the dogma of papal infallibility was praised by Cardinal Cullen who had drafted the final version of the definition); an extract from The Rambler magazine (1859) in which Newman explained how, during the Arian crisis of the fourth century, divine tradition had been upheld more by the faithful than by their bishops; and a selection of his sermons which in themselves are enough to convince the reader that Newman would not have acknowledged the ‘Catholicism’ commonly preached and practised today as being consistent with the Faith handed down from the Apostles.
Lead Kindly Light makes a delightful read not only because it has been written with great warmth and sensitivity towards the great Cardinal whose life was devoted to the honour and glory of God and the defence of the truth, but also because it abounds in extracts from Newman’s works which are in themselves a precious source of edification for the soul. Newman’s predictions of the coming degeneration of Christian values have lost none of their topicality in our age of rampant Liberalism. This book makes a valuable contribution to the debunking of popular theories which have hidden or distorted the true portrait of the Cardinal. It should be welcomed by a wide range of readers who, whatever their background or religious affiliations, are concerned with restorative justice.
Lead Kindly Light, published in hardback form sumptuously decorated in red and gold with a colour portrait of Cardinal Newman in his robes of office, and copiously illustrated throughout, can be obtained from CARMEL BOOKS, PO BOX 281, BRISTOL BS99 3ER for £19.95. If ever there was an exception to the adage that you can’t judge a book by its cover, this surely must be one! It is a joy to possess.
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Apologia pro Marcel Lefebvre Vol 1
| by
Michael Davies
This book is certainly one of great historical value. Portrays the dramatic conflict relating to the grievances between Archbishop Lefebvre and the Vatican under Pope Paul VI. Depicts the role of one who had the foresight to recognise that he could not defend orthodoxy and at the same time accept reforms "themselves oriented towards the cult of man." Completely documented.
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Apologia pro Marcel Lefebvre Vol 2
| by Michael Davies
This volume covers the story of Archbishop Lefebvre’s relations with the Vatican up to the end of 1979. The negotiations between the Archbishop and the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith form the principal feature of the book.
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Apologia pro Marcel Lefebvre Vol 3
| by Michael Davies
Covers 1979-1982, the beginning of the pontificate of John Paul II. Davies records many of the Holy Father’s directives, how they were opposed by the Bishops, and why it was necessary for Archbishop Lefebvre and the SSPX to avoid all compromise in preserving Catholic Truth. Completes the series by considering Archbishop Lefebvre within the broader perspective of the crisis in the Church.
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St Athanasius
| by Michael Davies
"The whole world groaned and was amazed to find itself Arian."
So cried Saint Jerome. Athanasius was in exile (again), a compromised Pope occupied the Chair of Peter, hardly a bishop had the courage to confront Constantius. Twelve different creeds were competing for the allegiance of Christians; the Nicean Creed was forbidden. The true Faith was being upheld by laymen, inspired by Athanasius, who held fast to what their bishops had taught them even though those same bishops had abandoned it by now.
Are there modern-day parallels in the Church and Her Churchmen?
Michael Davies’ book provides a fascinating insight into one of the most troubled periods in the history of the Church and the life of one of Her greatest saints. Documents the facts on the "Fall of Pope Liberius," who confirmed the excommunication of Saint Athanasius, and signed an ambiguous formula of doubtful orthodoxy.
Mr. Davies shows how the life of Saint Athanasius is a historical precedent for the actions taken by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre in the modern crisis.
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| (Liturgical Revolution: Vol. I)
Michael Davies
Henry VIII and Thomas Cranmer understood that if you change the way people pray, then you will change what they believe. Cranmer’s Book of Common Prayer (1549) began a process that changed the Catholic Church in England to the Anglican sect. Davies compares these changes to the modern liturgical "reform."
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Liturgical Time Bombs in Vatican II
 | by Michael Davies.
In this book Michael Davies shows how Fr Annibale Bugnini - before being removed from his position by Pope Paul VI on suspicion of being a Freemason - was able to "reform" the Catholic Mass into the constantly evolving liturgy from which the Church has been suffering since 1969. Quoting Bishops and Cardinals, as well as liberal "experts"! and Protestant observers, the author goes into the ambiguities or "time bombs" which were built into the Second Vatican Council's document on the liturgy by a few revolutionaries in order to be exploited later - and which have been detonating ever since in liturgical abuses, both unauthorised and authorised. Michael Davies concludes with statistics showing that the liturgical reforms have borne bitter fruit in a massive loss of Catholic faith and practice in the Western World. He urges a return to the Traditional Latin Mass, which has always produced great fruit in vocations, large Catholic families and saints. |
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