Dear TIA,

I would like to share what was granted after each of two novenas in honor of Our Lady of Good Success, as said according to Dr. Horvat's translation published by TIA.

The first was said for a single intention during the annual novena preceding her feast day, February 2nd. A very long standing (nearly two years) and difficult to treat condition disturbing one of my young children was immediately and completely halted. Except for a single moment where I suspected a recurrence, it has not returned in over one full year. Due to the particular nature of this condition, I did not attempt to have this documented. Because of my medical training, however, I am convinced that the immediate and complete recovery can be attributed only to Our Lady, as this was by no means an expected medical outcome.

For what my observance may be worth, I will add here that this intention had been presented to Our Lady of Good Success on a previous occasion. As I recall, it was done during a different part of the year and as one of several intentions. I did note a partial improvement in one of the more extreme manifestations of the condition, but nothing beyond that assistance was granted. This prompted me to repeat the novena with a larger part of the Church, asking only for this one intention. I do not know if these particulars have relevance to anyone else, but I offer them in the spirit of assistance if they do.

The second grace received through Our Lady of Good Success was concerning a long-prayed-for conversion. It was done recently, not preceding her feast day. Several family members participated for this one intention, which was very specific for the conversion of a family on the practice of their Catholic faith. Nine days after the novena was completed, the head of this family who had proclaimed himself to be a non-Catholic, announced to us that he had been thinking of returning to Church and wanted to know what time (a traditional) Mass was. He has been attentive at Sunday Mass every week since, has allowed his wife to register as a parishioner, and has agreed to the baptism of his (we hope) soon to be Catholic baby.

Again, I do not know if this is a partial granting of a request or a full one in its early stages. It does help me to think, though, that I should be very pure and careful in my requests, as Our Lady of Good Success shows herself to be a very powerful Patroness and Mother on our behalf. I am thankful for her assistance.

     P.D.

Dear TIA,

Thanks for your defense of true Catholic doctrines vs. the errors of Vatican II.

And thanks to Dr. Horvat too for her work on Our Lady of Good Success books, also for coming to our State to speak about Our Lady's shrine in Ecuador and her message to us. Also thanks for the articles online and works for sale which teach about true Catholic morals - and how far we've gone away from what is right and good.

It's rare, I think, for anybody to even recognize today what true Catholic society and way of life should be. Sometimes you say to yourself how wrong something is - things most people never think twice about. You think you're alone - then hear of somebody else who can see - or read an article like some I've seen on your site - and it's uplifting, and gives you encouragement to keep going - till that day Our Blessed Mother promised - when God will be served again and she will be honored as Queen and Mother, which day we pray comes soon.

     D.V.

Dear TIA,

Yesterday and today [June 24, 2008] the Internet was full of news regarding the ultimatum the Vatican sent to Bishop Bernard Fellay. It demanded that the superior of SSPX give a yes or no answer by June 28 to its proposal to enter into a formal compromise on Vatican II and the New Mass, along with some five other points.

When I read this news, which I am forwarding to you below, the comments made by Mr. Guimaraes not so long ago came to my mind. He wrote that the remarks of Cardinal Hoyos [to L’Osservatore Romano] should be considered from two perspectives: one from the traditionalist point of view, another from the progressive. Yesterday, the heat the progressives are putting on the Vatican became clear. To satisfy them, the Vatican needs SSPX to take a defined position. Kudos to Guimaraes! He was right on target.

BTW, those members of SSPX who said Cardinal Hoyos was lying lost face, because the article published yesterday in Italy confirms that in 1988, Archbishop Lefebvre had already accepted the New Mass and Vatican II in a document signed with Cardinal Ratzinger. It seems clear that Bishop Fellay was considering doing the same in his friendly meetings with Cardinal Hoyos. Thus, the main points that TIA was suspicious about were actually on the table to be signed.

Who knows, if Guimaraes had not challenged Bishop Fellay to clarify his position on Vatican II – which he was obliged to do – perhaps he would have signed the Vatican agreement. It's my opinion he caught the Bishop with his hand in the cookie jar...

We are indebted to him for warning us about compromised leaders, and maybe for preventing the accord from being signed. Thank you.

     In the Immaculate Heart of Mary,

     T.P.



For our readers, we reproduce below the principle articles recently published on the topic: First, the translation of an article by Andrea Tornielli in Il Giornale, Italy; second, a comment by Tornielli on his own website; third, a statement to the press by an SSPX representative on the Vatican demand.

We are using the translations provided by the New Liturgical Movement (NLM).



The Vatican’s Ultimatum to the Rebels of Lefebvre:
Peace if You Accept the Council

(Italian original in Il Giornale)
In the relations between the Holy See and the Lefebvrians, the countdown has begun: by this 28 June, the Fraternity of St. Pius X, founded by the French Archbishop who would not suffer the post-conciliar liturgical reform, will in fact have to decide whether to accept the five conditions proposed by the Vatican in order to reenter into full communion with Rome.

Some days ago, the superior of the Lefebvrians, Bishop Bernard Fellay, met with Cardinal Darío Castrillón Hoyos, president of the Commission Ecclesia Dei, which deals on behalf of Benedict XVI with negotiations with the traditionalist group. Fellay, who previously had written to the Pope asking for the revocation of the excommunication imposed by John Paul II in 1988 to Lefebvre and the four new bishops that he had wanted to consecrate without the consent of the Holy See (among them Fellay himself), has received a letter with the five points set by the cardinal [Castrillón] and will discuss them during the next chapter of the fraternity, to be held at the end of the month.

Never as at this moment have the negotiations come so close to an agreement that would heal the mini-schism which was created two decades ago, allowing the full re-entering of the Lefebvrians into the Catholic communion. Among the points that the Holy See asked to sign, there would be, according to the indiscretions gathered, the acceptance of the II Vatican Council and the declaration of the full validity of the Mass according to the reformed liturgy: two conditions that Lefebvre had already signed with the then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger in 1988. The Vatican, for its part, offers the traditionalist group a canonical framework similar to that of Opus Dei, namely a [personal] "prelature," which would allow the Fraternity to continue its activities and to train its seminarians.

The march of rapprochement started in 2000, when the Lefebvrians made a Holy Year pilgrimage to Rome. It was followed by a brief audience granted by Pope Wojtyla to Monsignor Fellay and the beginning of the long and laborious negotiations with Cardinal Castrillón. Many things have changed since then however. The Lefebvrians asked, before making any step towards an agreement, that the old preconciliar Missal, which fell into disuse after the liturgical reform, be liberalized. The new pope, Benedict XVI, particularly sensitive to these issues, a year ago published the Motu proprio declaring the full citizenship of the old Mass, allowing it in every parish, in fact, stripping the bishop of the possibility of prohibiting it.

The application of the new papal directives has not been easy; there are a lot of cases of resistance - some blatant, as is known - but it is beyond doubt that by declaring the existence of an extraordinary Roman rite (the old one) and an ordinary (the reformed one), the Pope has authorized throughout the Church and without restrictions the celebration of the Tridentine Mass. Moreover, Ratzinger has reintroduced the Cross at the center of the altar, has begun to distribute Communion to the faithful kneeling, has restored ancient vestments: all signals that go in the direction of emphasizing the continuity of tradition.

Conditions this favorable for a re-entering into full communion will in all likelihood not repeat themselves. Many faithful, now that they have obtained the Mass according to the ancient rite, do not understand why the Fraternity does not definitively make peace with Rome. The Lefebvrians have come to realize what is happening, even if Fellay has some problems of internal resistance. The choice is whether to make an agreement and re-enter into full communion with the Holy See, or rather to remain a small separate body with the risk of turning into a little sectarian and uninfluential group.




Agreement between Holy See and Lefebvrians - the Countdown

(Italian original on the Tornielli Blog)
The countdown has begun for the agreement between the Fraternity St. Pius X founded by French bishop Marcel Lefebvre and the Holy See, as I write on il Giornale today. The Lefebvrians, who asked for the lifting of the excommunication, will have to respond by June 28 to proposals submitted on behalf of Benedict XVI by Cardinal Darío Castrillón Hoyos, president of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei. These are five points which have to be signed, and once they have been clarified, the Fraternity will be able to re-enter into full communion with Rome.

It is a unique opportunity: the Lefebvrians have for a long time demanded the liberalisation of the ancient missal - and Pope Ratzinger with the Motu proprio Summorum Pontificum cura has restored full citizenship to pre-conciliar rite - and the "catechesis" which in recent times comes from papal Masses, with the recovery of some traditional elements, is undeniable. The Fraternity must accept the II Vatican Council and the full validity of the post-conciliar liturgical rite (both points were already signed by Monsignor Lefebvre himself in 1988) and as for its [the Fraternity's future] canonical structure, it could be framed as a "prelature."

It is known, however, that there is internal resistance: this Bishop Bernard Fellay, the superior of the Lefebvrians, will have to try to overcome in the coming days, during the [Fraternity's] general chapter. Now that the old Mass has been liberalized - albeit with many difficulties and cases of blatant disobedience - many traditionalist faithful do not understand why the Fraternity does not make an agreement with Rome returning fully into Catholic communion. Circumstances so favourable in all likelihood will not come again.

Of course, the issues of religious liberty and ecumenism are still on the table, and a recent letter of Bishop Fellay (cf. here on Rorate Cæli) gives, humanly speaking, little hope for a return to full communion, as Tornielli himself, in the comments to his blog entry, acknowledges. Nevertheless if this is accurate, we are entering into a momentous week in the life of the Church, and a prayer assault for a successful resolution according to the most holy will of God is surely in order.




SSPX Confirms Existence of Vatican Offer

Gregor Kollmorgen from NLM
Following up on the Tornielli piece regarding a Vatican offer for regularization to the SSPX on which the NLM reported earlier today, Fr. Alain-Marc Nély, second assistant of Bishop Fellay, the Superior of the Society of St. Pius X, has confirmed to the Swiss Catholic news agency Kipa/Apic that such an offer indeed exists. Here is the relevant part of the Kipa/Apic item in an NLM translation:

Confirmation of the Offer, but No Indication of the Response
Menzingen, 23 June 2008 - APIC - The Vatican has proposed an agreement to the Priestly Society of St. Pius X to end the schism, reported on 23 June 2008 in the Italian daily Il Giornale. Asked Monday by Apic, Father Alain-Marc Nély, second assistant of Bishop Bernard Fellay, the superior of the Society of St. Pius X in Menzingen (Canton of Zug), has indeed confirmed the existence of proposals on the part of the Vatican.

Not wanting to go into further details, Fr Nély, however, confirmed that a proposal of an agreement was made at the beginning of this month. With conditions. The answer will be given by June 28 "God willing," and will then be made public, he said. But the number three of the schismatic fraternity did not want to indicate in what direction the response of Bishop Fellay would go.

KIPA/APIC also reports that another news agency, I.MEDIA, has asked the Holy See for confirmation, which has neither confirmed nor denied the information. A sojourn of Bishop Fellay in Rome a few weeks ago has, however, been confirmed to I.MEDIA, according to Kipa/Apic.

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