_ Volume 11- Issue no. 2 - Summer 2007
The newsletter of "Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice" supporting the teachings of the Catholic Church and published periodically, approximately every four months.

Editorial:

'WHAT! COULD YOU NOT WATCH ONE HOUR WITH ME?'

This loving reproach, spoken to St Peter and the other Apostles in the Garden of Gethsemane by Our Blessed Lord, the night before He died on the Cross, could be addressed to each one of us today. For, as some of you will already know, we now have in Westminster Archdiocese an appalling public scandal.

An officially approved Mass is being offered by Catholic priests in a Catholic parish church for men and women who openly admit that, although they are Catholics, they are living actively homosexual lifestyles. In spite of this, Church teaching on homosexuality is never explained at these Masses and, although the congregation are, on their own admission, objectively in a state of serious sin, they are actually encouraged to commit sacrilege by receiving Holy Communion.

Possibly such sacrilegious Communions are received at Masses throughout the country and, as we cannot question or judge our fellow Catholics, we cannot know or do anything about them. But this is quite different. These Mass-goers openly admit to the situation they are in, which puts them in the category of public sinners who must be refused Holy Communion. The Holy Father has recently repeated this strict teaching of the Church, reminding us that public sinners such as, for example, politicians who support abortion, and known Freemasons, must not be allowed to receive Our Blessed Lord until they have confessed, received Absolution and amended their lives.

Many Catholics will remember that H.E. Cardinal Pell of Sydney, H.E. Cardinal O’Connor of New York and other faithful Shepherds have bravely refused Holy Communion to homosexuals who approached the altar wearing rainbow sashes. Sometimes they paid dearly for their courage but they didn’t flinch from taking the opportunity to protect Our Lord from sacrilege and to proclaim Church teaching to their flocks. So why is Westminster Archdiocese stepping so far out of line now ?

We can only wonder and keep the Cardinal, the bishops, the priests and all the lay people involved, in our prayers. Unfortunately, evil doesn’t remain static. If it is not stamped on firmly it always spreads and this is already happening with these Masses. On the first Sunday that we protested, Mark Dowd, Chairman of Quest, the dissenting homosexual group who want to change Church teaching on this, told us that he was confident he could now get these ‘Gay Masses’ into other dioceses. And of course he is right for which bishop will refuse what the Cardinal has approved? Such Masses are already being offered in other large cities and on Saturday 12 th May Quest for young people took over the Catholic Chaplaincy in Liverpool University for a Day scheduled to introduce Catholic students and other young Catholics to the homosexual life. Our young people, already vulnerable because of the ignorance and confusion instilled by modern catechetics, are now in danger of being persuaded into a sad and sinful lifestyle from which it is very difficult to escape.

Obviously, faithful Catholics cannot just do nothing when such a scandal is being perpetrated. This is why our protests are so important. As well as reparation to Our Blessed Lord they bear witness to the fact that there are faithful Catholics who support Church teaching on homosexuality. So it is tragic that although a total of about 40 or 50 people have protested, we have only 20-30 protesters at each first and third Sunday. We are confident that many more Catholics could join us because twenty per cent of those on our Mailing List of just under 2,500, have addresses with London postcodes, which means nearly 500 of our supporters live within easy reach of Piccadilly and there are many others who live just outside London. Surely more could join us, if not every time then at least sometimes.

We are not addressing those who are housebound or who live some distance from London. We rely on you for support in prayer, alone or in groups, in churches or in homes. To be with us you need to know that we pray from 4.45 to 6.15 every first and third Sunday. In that time we say the fifteen mysteries of the Holy Rosary, the Divine Mercy Chaplet, the Divine Praises and the Litany of Our Lady. We know many of you, including good Sisters in their convents, are already with us in prayer and this gives us great encouragement. None of us should miss this God-given opportunity to show our Lord how much we love Him and the teachings of His Church. Finally, a reminder to those who can join us. We stand in Warwick Street, a few minutes walk from Piccadilly Tube Station, opposite the entrance to the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption and St Gregory. We pray and do not approach the Mass-goers though they sometimes cross the road to talk to us. These exchanges are always friendly and give us an opportunity to explain why we are there. It is sad to hear young people tell us that, yes they are active homosexuals but ‘the Cardinal says it’s all right now.’
It must also sadden Our Lord’s Sacred Heart that these Catholics are being led astray by the very people who should be guiding them towards Heaven.
We can do so little to help except remember and respond to Our Lord’s gentle words of reproach: “What! Could you not watch one hour with Me?”

MODERNISM ADDRESSED:

One hundred years ago, in July 1907, the saintly Pope St Pius X wrote his Syllabus condemning the errors of the Modernists, Lamentabili Sane. This was followed two months later by his wonderful Encyclical condemning the ‘Doctrines’ of the Modernists, Pascendi Domini Gregis. He showed courage as well as wisdom, because Modernism was at that time widespread, even among the clergy in the Church. However a Pope who was also a Saint would not ignore St Paul’s repeated insistence, as in his letter to the Galatians: 'Though we or an Angel from Heaven preach a Gospel to you besides that which we have preached to you, let him be anathema'.  

By implementing these two scholarly and outspoken Documents Pope St Pius X ensured that only the fullness of Truth would be publicly taught, saving us from the heresies which were threatening to develop a stranglehold on the Church. In their light, Catholics who had been led astray, including priests, among them apparently the young Father Roncalli, (later to be Pope John XXIII) recanted and swore a solemn oath that in future they would obey the Magisterium of the Church and follow Christ’s teaching faithfully.

With the help of Almighty God, this gave us sixty years of sound teaching in our parishes, seminaries and schools. Many of us of a certain age owe our sound formation in the faith to Pope St Pius X and these Documents. All through those years it was safe to trust teaching given from Catholic pulpits, whilst in the Catholic schools we could rely on Religious books which carried an Imprimatur because any errors which slipped in were quickly and firmly corrected before they were printed.

However, some determined Modernists went underground. They continued their false teaching privately to carefully selected seminary students and teachers, and they bided their time. The Second Vatican Council gave them their opportunity and they were ready to seize it. Their ‘doctrines’ have now re-appeared in officially approved religious textbooks (even those bearing Imprimaturs) and they are also spread in Catholic schools, seminaries and parishes. Today we all have to keep our critical faculties alert when we read and when we listen.

So far no-one in Authority has taken steps to correct this and neither does anybody in Authority seem to be celebrating this important centenary. So, following our policy of taking matters into our own hands if no-one else takes the necessary action, we are devoting the first Pro Fide Forum/Pro Ecclesia Meeting for the Autumn of 2007 to a talk on The Syllabus and Pascendi. We have booked a room at St Vincent’s Conference Centre, Carlisle Place, Westminster - near the Cathedral - for 7 p.m.on Monday 24 th Sept. The talk is called “Modenism Revisited - 100 years since Pascendi” and it will not only commemorate the centenary of an outstanding victory for Divinely revealed Truth (though such a brave and holy stand should be commemorated) it will also demonstrate how highly relevant these Documents still are today. After all, Modernism is expounding much the same errors it expounded a hundred years ago so it needs to be demolished by the same honest, clear and scholarly Documents.

We hope many of you will take this opportunity to become better acquainted with the Syllabus and the Encyclical Pascendi and so learn to protect yourself and others from the insidious errors of Modernism.

OUR PEARL OF GREAT PRICE.

Although there are many problems besetting the Church in this country at present, we mustn’t become so obsessed with what we have lost that we forget about the good things we still have. One of the greatest treasures some of us are still privileged to possess must be our understanding of the beautiful, unchanging Truths revealed to us by Our Divine Lord and taught by His Church down the ages. It was precisely because He wants us to learn to know and love Him that He commissioned His Church. So, Jesus was thinking of us and our Salvation when, just before His Ascension, He instructed His Apostles to ‘teach everything He had commanded, to all nations..’. His promise ‘to be with us all days, even to the end of the world’ ensures this continues today in places where the Church has faithful bishops, priests and teachers.

All of us who, either by sound teaching or by studying reliable books, have been privileged to receive this great Treasure, cannot have it taken away from us. We do however have a duty to pay something back for such a gift, besides the determination to live our lives according to its holy teaching. If we love our neighbours who are in the Church as well as outside it, we must do all we can to enlighten them and take every opportunity to spread the words which could bring eternal Life. Today, as well as traditional direct teaching, this requires lovingly challenging and correcting error, whoever voices it and wherever we find it. We will all need to draw on the Wisdom and the Fortitude received at our Confirmation and of course, the Heavenly guidance given in response to our prayers and the prayers of others.

Living a full Catholic life, with access to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and with frequent reception of the Sacraments is the way we were meant to live, as it is the best way to prepare ourselves for Heaven. However, in the time of ‘spiritual famine’ which may come, Catholicism can survive here as long as Truth is preserved. We should remember the Japanese Catholics who, after being converted by missionaries in the seventeenth century, received the Gospel with joy and flourished for a time. But when the Emperor who allowed Catholicism was succeeded by a less tolerant ruler the missionaries were exiled and all the Japanese priests martyred. However the Faith persisted because these Catholics knew and loved the Sacred Truths and passed them on to their children and grandchildren. For over two hundred years they baptised their babies and contracted Catholic marriages so when, eventually, a priest arrived at a nearby town they were able to recognise him as a Catholic and bring him to their villages. He soon established that, although they had never attended Mass, they were good-living, well-informed Catholics and he was able to offer Mass for them, hear their Confessions and give them their first Holy Communion. This inspiring story is a parable for our times because it helps us establish the right priorities. Nothing is more important for us humans than knowing, preserving and teaching the Truths revealed to us by God when He became Man. While, in these sad times, Catholics must also do everything they can to protect the lives of unborn children and give ready support to those who work so hard in this noble cause, we must never relegate to a back seat the Truth Our Lord ‘came into the world’ to give us, the Truth our Martyrs died for.

Fortunately we have the Catechism and the Compendium explaining these truths, we have the sound resources listed in this and other issues of “The Flock” and we have several excellent web-sites which are 100% sound emanating from this country and from America. With these supports no-one need feel they are ill equipped to defend and teach the Truth ‘handed down to us by the Apostles.’ The way we work will vary according to our situation and the opportunities we have, but we all can - and should - make this an important part of our life’s work.

'TEACH ALL NATIONS EVERYTHING I HAVE COMMANDED…'

These are almost the last words Our Blessed Lord addressed to His first Bishops, the Apostles. They were spoken when He commissioned His Church just before His Ascension into Heaven and they are the instructions given to every member of His Flock but most especially to His chosen Shepherds. It is essential we obey them if the Church is to survive, let alone grow. The Apostles and most of their successors down the centuries have obeyed this command, passing the Truth on faithfully to each succeeding generation and to every convert. Here in this country, once we recovered from the worst effects of the Reformation, we had for a hundred and forty years, schools where the Faith was conscientiously taught, which as statistics show, enabled the Catholic Church in England and Wales to grow steadily. Sadly, like many other countries, since 1970 most Catholic schools in this country have adopted ‘modern catechetics’, a distortion of Divine Revelation which not only fails to inform but positively alienates our youngsters from the Church. This is undoubtedly the main reason why the Church here is now facing the worst crisis of its history for, unless we, the local Church, effectively pass on ‘everything Christ revealed’ to the next generation we cannot expect youngsters to stay in the Church. As many of you know, some of us have worked for four decades, in every way open to us, to get sound religious instruction restored to our schools, but with little apparent success. Now the Bishops have decided to open our schools, not just to non-Catholic pupils but to non-Catholic R.E. teachers!!! Although these people may be well intentioned, they are not equipped to pass on ‘everything Christ revealed’ so Catholic youngsters will only get their faulty version of Catholic Faith and Morals. No pupil from this kind of school will leave equipped to lead a good Catholic life so we strongly advise genuine Catholic parents not to use them Unless you can afford an Independent Catholic School where the faith might be well taught you would be better off choosing a good State school and teaching religion to your children at home, or accepting the challenge to home-school your children completely. On a recent visit to Ireland I was greatly encouraged to meet a group of dedicated ‘homeschoolers’ who are determined their children will not be cheated of the faith as they had been. However,they feel they are hampered by their own ignorance, as young parents in this country are bound to be also. Here, thanks to the Grace of God and modern technology, Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice can help.

• Marion, the widow of John Edwards who, before his sad death, ran Christus Vincit Productions, has made many of John’s tapes available to us. So Howard Toon, our web-master, has been able to put 175 catechetical discs on our web-site where they can be downloaded free. They include 50 talks by the great Bishop Fulton Sheen, many by Father Hugh Thwaites S.J., my 16 tapes on what we Catholics believe and others, too numerous to mention here. Just visit www.proecclesia.com and download for free all those which appeal to you. Please tell fellow parishioners and Catholic friends about this web-site. Teaching the Faith calls for constant prayer as you can only succeed with help from Heaven, but given that, our discs, together with “Evangelium” the brilliant new Programme for adults we recommended in the last issue of The Flock and the American teaching Scheme Faith and Life - both available from the C.T.S. - Do It Yourself Catechesis should be within every Catholic parent’s reach.
  
• A further help is a splendid book on the Bible, written by an American team of Catholics and edited by Scott Hahn called Understanding the Scriptures. It is beautifully presented, with glorious reproductions, is extremely readable, has a useful Index and takes us right through the Bible with explanations and quotations from saints and scholars. There are 550 A4 pages and it costs £45 from St Anthony Communications, Mount Carmel, St Bride’s Lane, Saundersfoot, Pembrokeshire, Wales. SA69 9HL
  
• TAN BOOKS continue to produce excellent resources for Catholics. I am especially pleased to see a book by Colleen Hammond called Dress with Dignity which is available from Carmel Books, Box 40, Wellington, Somerset. TA21 9WZ We all need to be reminded that, although it may be fashionable for women to wear clothing which by any standards is neither dignified or modest, it is definitely not suitable for Catholics to wear such clothing, especially in church.
  
• Well worth reading is THOMAS AQUINAS: THE UNIVERSAL DOCTOR by Dr N. Morris. A simple but authentic introduction to the philosophy of the ‘Angelic Doctor’ which gives a well-informed insight into his solutions to the pressing problems of today in Church and State. Available from Hoath House, 22, Pentre Street, Glynneath, Neath. SA11 5HA. Price £9.99 incl. postage.
  
• We strongly recommend you visit a new web-site www.catholicassociates.com set up by our Treasurer, Michael Akerman and his wife Rita. Here you will find leaflets giving guidance on a vast number of topical problems, devotional items for succeeding seasons of the Church’s year, and much more.

We must thank God for these blessings and support the good people who have worked so hard to make them available.

A MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN OF PRO ECCLESIA ET PONTIFICE

 Dear Friends,

We on the Pro Ecclesia ….Committee feel that the situation of the Church in this country is now so bad that, at last, more Catholics are becoming aware that there is a genuine crisis and, with a little information and encouragement, are prepared to do something about it. After all, everyone sees that that there is no point in complaining and doing nothing. Our first priority must be Prayer. We are fighting against the powers of darkness, so we need to engage Heavenly Powers in our struggle.

The second essential is relentless and continuous action to expose error by challenging it at meetings and by writing letters to the appropriate authorities. We have been urging you to follow both these strategies for a long time now and I know many have responded heroically, often in the face of fierce opposition. We thank you and encourage you to keep on keeping on, knowing that your efforts will not go unrewarded.

Now a third strategy is beginning to emerge. If, in spite of all our efforts, those in Authority refuse to take the action they should, we must start taking matters into our own hands. For example, if we cannot get anyone to correct the false catechesis in Catholic schools we must undertake the religious instruction of our children ourselves. I do realise that there are problems here but perhaps enlisting help from an older relative or friend is the answer. Also, anyone who gets the opportunity to help with parish catechetics should jump at it, using the resourses listed above.

Follow our example with the talk on Lamentabili and Pascendi and arrange meetings, even perhaps small ones in your own house. You can study the Compendium or listen to and discuss one of the discs downloaded from our web-site. Learning to understand Truth better youself and helping others to do the same is an antidote to the error all around us.

Another opportunity for independent action is,the Consecration of this country to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice wrote to every bishop asking for this to be done, but with no success. Then we asked you to each write to your own diocesan bishop and I know very many of you did because some of you who received replies sent us copies. Again all the reponses were negative. So now we are suggesting you take action yourselves and, using the prayer written on the back page of this Newsletter, consecrate your family to Mary’s Immaculate Heart. This Consecration can be carried out by a Catholic lay person but of course you can invite a friendly priest to do it if you like. Choose a Feast of Our Lady, like the Assumption on 15 th August, and renew the Consecration every year on that day. Your family will receive great Blessings from Our Lady which will be multiplied if you suggest to other Catholic families that they follow your example. We may yet succeed in Consecrating this country to Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart by starting from ground level and moving up from families through parishes and dioceses to the Bishop’s Conference.

It seems hard that we have to take action normally taken by others who should be caring for us but it does give us an opportunity to show Our Blessed Lord and Our Lady that we really do love and value their help. I remember being told that Sister Lucia, the saintly Seer of Fatima, wrote in a letter to a friend, that the time would come when faithful Catholics would no longer be able to wait for their bishops to take action they would have to act themselves. It seems as if this time is here now.

Wishing every blessing on you and your families,

Daphne McLeod

PRAYER TO THE MOTHER OF GOD

APPROVED BY THE BISHOPS OF ENGLAND AND WALES

FOR RECITATION AT BENEDICTION EVERY ROSARY SUNDAY.

This prayer for the dedication of England and Wales to our Lady can be

adapted for the dedication of our families.

Immaculate Virgin, Mother of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Mother of Grace and Queen of the Kingdom of thy Son, humbly kneeling before thee we offer thee this country in which we live. It once was thine. Before it was robbed of the Holy Faith, all its children were thy children. Thou wert honoured throughout its length and breadth as its Protectress and its Queen. Again we consecrate it to you, again we dedicate it as your own Dowry. We offer our own hearts that our love and service may ever grow and increase, we offer all our brethren, those multitudes who know thee so little or who know thee not at all. May thy prayers bring back this country’s ancient faith. May thy intercession lead us all to a closer union with thy Divine Son. We consecrate ourselves to Him through thee. Obtain for us and for England our Dowry every Grace and Blessing, O Clement, O Loving, O Sweet Virgin Mary.

Suggested Adaptation for families.

• Immaculate Virgin Mary, Mother of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Mother of Grace and Queen of the Kingdom of Thy Son, humbly kneeling before thee we offer thee this family. Make it entirely thine, make its children thy children and help us all to honour you as our Protectress and our Queen. We consecrate ourselves to you and we offer you our hearts so our love and service may grow. May thy prayers keep us close to your Son. We consecrate ourselves to Him through thee. Obtain for us every Grace and Blessing, O Clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.

(For both prayers.)

Pray for us O Holy Mother of God -

That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray:
Holy Mother of God, Virgin ever blessed, O Mary Immaculate pray for us, intercede for us, disdain not to help us. For we are confident and know for certain that you can obtain all you ask from your Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, God Almighty, King of Kings Who lives with the Father and the Holy Spirit for ever and ever.
Amen.

Writing to Rome    Please play your part to help turn around the desperate situation in this country. Remember when reporting abuses and dissent to Rome, keep letters factual and as brief as possible, giving places and dates where appropriate and enclosing any supporting documentary evidence where possible.
Send to His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI (e-mail:benedictxvi @ vatican.va) a copy of any letter you write to Rome. If you are in any doubt or need advice, please don't hesitate to contact us at Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice on Tel / Fax: 01372 - 454160
or e-mail: proecclesia @ hotmail.com
Address your letters to the following:

On all matters relating to the Church, especially dissent from Catholic doctrine:
Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith
Piazza del S. Uffizio, 11
00120, Vatican City State, Europe

On matters relating to religious instruction in schools and parishes:
Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy
Piazza Pio XII, 3
00120 Vatican City State, Europe

On matters relating to Bishops:
Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops
Palazzo delle Congregazione
Piazza Pio XII, 10
00120 Vatican City State, Europe

On matters relating to the family, sex education, contraception, marriage:
President of the Pontifical Council for the Family
Piazza S. Calisto, 16
00120 Vatican City State, Europe

On matters relating to the Liturgy and Sacraments:
Prefect of the Congregation for Worship and Sacraments
Palazzo delle Congregazione Piazza Pio XII, 10
00120 Vatican City State, Europe

On matters relating to Seminaries, Catholic Schools and Colleges:
Prefect of the Congregation for Education
Piazza Pio XII, 10
00120 Vatican City State, Europe

TO ASSIST YOU WHEN WRITING TO YOUR BISHOP, FIND THE NAME AND ADDRESS HERE, LISTED ALPHABETICALLY BY DIOCESE.  

The Flock is published by Pro Ecclesia Et Pontifice.
Chairman: Mrs Daphne McLeod, 4 Fife Way, Great Bookham, Surrey KT23 3PH
Registered Charity No: 326394

Website: http://www.proecclesia.com         e-mail: proecclesia @ hotmail.com