My parents had also been in the military and were high achievers, and most Catholics came across to them as undisciplined pukes in their (non)practice of Catholic religion. They were exposed to bad liturgies and poor catechesis. What they discovered, however, was that God’s Church on earth was a mess (as it has always been). After all, it was supposed to be a safe haven away from the problems of Protestantism. As is often the case, they had certain preconceptions of what life in the Church would be like. My mother and father are converts from Protestantism, and they came into the Church when I was five. The “experiment of Tradition”, as Archbishop Lefebvre termed this movement and as he himself shaped it, has an inherently divisive trajectory. The more a Catholic progresses from “traditional” to “Traditionalist”, the less Catholic he or she will become. These principles have the same effect as those found in Protestantism. There are, however, certain principles of thought and action which they have received from their founder, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, that are not only tearing them apart from the Church, but also from each other. I had a very happy childhood, and I will be forever grateful for the dedication and excellence of the many priests from whom I received my Christian formation. Let me be clear: I have never been abused in any way by a member of the SSPX. Since I have been intimately connected to the SSPX from a young age, I would like to share my experience with you, and with all who may be considering joining its separate life from the Church, especially the members of our Dominican Order to whom you addressed yourself. Allow me to take you backstage, behind the Catholic props. I can only surmise that this is because, as of yet, you know only the favorable facade which this priestly fraternity and its associates present to the world. But I do not understand why you implicitly recommend your example to all of us in your decision to join the structures of the Society of St. I understand the pain you feel about the restriction of a liturgical rite that you have come to love and treasure. I read your open letter to Pope Francis and to our Order with sympathy and understanding, and yet also with great sadness. Editor’s note: A slightly different version of the following essay/letter was emailed to Rorate Cæli at the end of December 2021.
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