First of all, canon 844.2 only applies if it is physically or morally impossible to approach a Catholic minister for these sacraments. It teaches me obedience. But since in many places, Catholics have absolutely no idea when they will once again be able to attend Catholic Mass and receive Catholic sacraments, this clearly suggests that it will be to their spiritual advantage to get them from a non-Catholic minister if and when they can. The most recent Vatican response to this question came on September 27, 2002, in a letter from the secretary of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, Msgr. level 1 As this is an involved topic, one article … I was recently invited by a neighbor to attend Mass with her and her daughter at an SSPX church. Speaking broadly, many tend to be traditionalists who use the pre-Vatican II liturgical books, which they follow scrupulously. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that the first precept is "You shall attend Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation and rest from servile labor." I find it a useful experience to also attend at NO Mass. If the information on this website has helped you, please consider making a contribution so that it can continue to help others. That’s one of the big sticking points concerning full communion with the SSPX, you know, they have to acknowledge that Vatican II is a valid ecumenical council. Refusing First Holy Communion to Children Who Are Ill-Prepared, Ecclesia Supplet: Making Invalid Sacraments Valid. John Paul–he was forced, I mean, he didn’t do anything. Now, as far as going to masses…again, because of their irregular status, you know, people should go to parishes where the priest is incardinated into the diocese. UNFORTUNATELY THERE ARE SOME TRAITORS LIKE THE SSPX WHO REJECT ONE OF THEM OUT OF DISTORTED CONCEPT OF WHAT CATHOLIC TRADITION IS. A frequent question amongst Catholics today is whether they should attend the New Mass and if this is required to fulfill one's Sunday Obligation. Must Catholics attend the New Mass? May I Attend SSPX Masses? There are other things that have to be taken into account, though. The SSPX act without their bishops' approval and, therefore, have no canonical permission to offer Mass publicly. Tim Staples explains that anyone in full communion with Rome who attends an SSPX mass out of love for the traditional liturgy legitimately fulfills his Sunday obligation, and then gives a brief overview of the history of the society and its conflicts with the Church. (Part 1).. That obviously wouldn’t be a satisfactory response to a desperate Catholic, but it is entirely their own prerogative.). Thus it should become increasingly easier to find such a Mass. As a bishop, Lefebvre had the sacramental power to consecrate new bishops, and that is exactly what he did. Our pastors and our Archbishop have turned a deaf ear to our pleas that they utilize similar creative ways within the law to feed the flock, nor are they commenting upon any time at which they might allow the laity to return to Mass. That’s because for nearly 1000 years, the Orthodox have refused to recognize the primacy of the Bishop of Rome over the universal Church. You may also … To read more about the topic of the New Mass, see our resource page> But unfortunately, it took a bad turn in 1988, when the SSPX ordained four– or, Bishop Lefebvre, he ordained four bishops illicitly, and that is matter of excommunication, automatically, latae sententiae, and so that started–but the amazing thing is, I mean, you really sympathize with the SSPX and the craziness that was going on and such; but you also see in this whole thing how the Popes have reached out and continued to reach out. However, the Church has been, you know, bending over backward for the SSPX and those who love the traditional mass so that a permission has been given, for those who love the the Latin mass, to attend those those parishes. The mass is licit, they can ordain priests, they can licitly hear confessions and can preside over marriages. In general, therefore, the situation of people like Brooke and Spencer meets the criteria laid out by canon 844.2. I attend an SSPX chapel. Lutherans, Methodists, Episcopalians and many others may speak of “Holy Communion,” and it may often look like they’re doing what Catholics do … but theologically it isn’t the same at all. A frequent question amongst Catholics today is whether they should attend the New Mass and if this is required to fulfill one's Sunday Obligation. Tim Staples explains that anyone in full communion with Rome who attends an SSPX mass out of love for the traditional liturgy legitimately fulfills his Sunday obligation, and then gives a brief overview of the history of the society and its conflicts with the Church. No question. March 18, 2020, 9:40pm #1. Why Would a Catholic Cleric Desecrate an Altar? So who’s got a valid priesthood, apart from us Catholics? (By the way, kudos to those non-Catholic clerics who—unlike so many Catholic bishops and priests who are making no effort whatsoever—are doing their utmost to keep their churches open!). I attended Mass there last weekend and ever since every Catholic I … It would be so nice to grow our community so that we could have more influence. Host: And SSPX, Society of St. Pius the 10th. A CATHOLIC CAN FREQUENT THE OF AND THE EF BECAUSE THEY ARE ONE AND THE SAME HOLY MASS OF THE LATIN RITE OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH. We want to emphasize that the SSPX does many good things; it has been an avenue by which many have been introduced, and come back, to the traditional Catholic Faith. Well, we just–in fact I was just reading it before I came over here, I didn’t finish reading the whole letter from from the Vatican on this–but it states that our Holy Father is encouraging bishops around the world to grant faculties. Sean. Knock it off and rail and fight against real evil in the workd But I have noticed a distinctly cult like devotion to the SSPX hierarchy among many fellow parishioners. My church offers a low and high mass. “Attending a Mass of the Society of St. Pius X is a different case. It’s possible, therefore, to receive Holy Communion validly from a (male) Old Catholic priest, and also to be anointed validly by him. The confused canonical status of the SSPX has been discussed in a number of articles in this space, such as “Are They Really Catholic? But–so St. Pius X of course was a reformer bishop who, you know, wrote wonderful documents, you know, the syllabus of errors against modernism and so many things, so it was–a pope like that was a perfect fit for them. But I have noticed a distinctly cult like devotion to the SSPX hierarchy among many fellow parishioners. The next question is this: from which non-Catholic ministers can they receive these sacraments? (12). With all the evil going on all around us, I'm scandalized that Catholic people would waste thier time fighting over whether is good or bad at attend SSPX Masses. Can You Be Both a Catholic and a Sedevacantist? The Church’s concern here is that Catholics might come to believe that it makes no difference whether they attend Mass/receive the sacraments from a Catholic priest, or from a non-Catholic. John Paul picked it up–and really wanted to have a reunion–he picked up the dialogue, Cardinal Ratzinger, of course, involved when he became Prefect of the CDF. The Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX or FSSPX; Latin: Fraternitas Sacerdotalis Sancti Pii X) is an international priestly fraternity founded in 1970 by Marcel Lefebvre, a traditionalist French Archbishop.. But if the Catholic clergy are illegally preventing them from doing so, as discussed in “Do Bishops Have the Authority to Cancel Masses Completely?” and  “Can Priests Cancel Masses, and Say a Private Mass Instead?” it’s equally reasonable that Catholics begin looking for other places where they can find a valid Mass and valid sacraments. I am unsure why Father MacDonald and the Society thought this was a required video, as it is a fairly divisive issue, but they did. Of course they are valid and if any Catholic can avail themselves to receive the Sacraments there, they'd be fools not to. 751) The most recent Vatican response to this question came on September 27, 2002, in a letter from the secretary of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, Msgr. This would apply to the members, the priests and bishops, not the faithful in the pews. That’s because for nearly 1000 years, the … Catholics, therefore, cannot receive the sacraments from protestant ministers. Who would ever have imagined that we Catholics would find ourselves in this dire situation, asking questions like these? Editor’s Note: The simplest answer is that, YES, Catholics may attend Mass and receive Holy Communion at the chapels of the Society of St. Pius X without incurring any penalty, stigma or sin. We’ve just seen three different groupings of non-Catholics whose members are not in full communion with Rome, but which nevertheless retain a valid priesthood. But unfortunately it’s not when we have modernist influences infecting the Church and stripping it of it’s true beauty and graces. In the past Cathy has published articles both in scholarly journals and on various popular Catholic websites, including Real Presence Communications and Catholic Exchange. How Can You Tell a Real Catholic Monastery From a Fake? The SSPX act without their bishops' approval and, therefore, have no canonical permission to offer Mass publicly. As we Catholics know full well, these sorts of questions would probably not be raised at all, but for the mind-boggling spiritual situation that Catholics in huge portions of the globe currently find themselves in. It says that such attendance “would not be a sin” if one’s intention is not schismatic but simply “to participate in a Mass according to the 1962 Missal for the sake of devotion.” Msgr. Back in 2013, we took a look at the validity (or not) of all seven sacraments as celebrated in SSPX churches, in “Are SSPX Sacraments Valid? To date, the “further provisions” have not been made—which means that the priests of the SSPX continue to have the faculty to celebrate the sacrament of penance validly and licitly, no matter where in the world they are located. 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