Letters to Friends and Benefactors

Friends and Benefactors Letter number 21, January 2016 – The Importance of Principles, Part II

admin Apologetics, conciliar Church, Letters to Friends and Benefactors, The Fight for the Faith


Letter from the Dominicans of Avrillé

No. 21, January 2016

Group photo with H. E. Bishop Faure and our three newly tonsured Brothers (see chronicle).

 

 

The Importance of Principles (Part II)

Maintaining Principles in the Modern World

Dear Friends and Benefactors,

Escaping the seduction of false principles is especially difficult nowadays because these false principles are being taught to the youth beginning at elementary school (thanks to the pseudo-educational system), continually hammered out by the media, and largely accepted by the Conciliar Church:

“The battle is mainly a battle of doctrines. Your resistance, dear brothers, consists therefore in being firm in your minds against the seduction of false and misleading principles. […]  When I ask the wise [men] of this era to identify the worst hardship of modern society, they reply unanimously that mankind is becoming weak and soft.  This reply has even become cliché.  However, we must go further, and ask the ultimate question. […]  Where does this weakness come from?  Isn’t it the natural and inevitable consequence of doctrinal weakness, weakness in belief, and, to be more exact, weakness in the Faith?  After all, courage has no reason to exist if it isn’t at the service of a conviction.  The will is a blind faculty when it is not enlightened by the intellect.  One cannot walk with assurance in the darkness of night, nor even in merely dim daylight. […]  Dear brethren, today, more than ever, the primary strength of the wicked is the weakness of the good.  The core of Satan’s reign among us is the toning down of Christianity in Christians† (Cardinal Pie. Panégyrique de Saint Émilien, November 8, 1859.  Note that Saint Pius X cited the last sentence of the above passage, in his sermon on December 13, 1908, when he beatified Saint Joan of Arc).

The Importance of Education, Especially in the Family

It is especially in the home that moral principles are acquired.  These principles are indelible when they are learned right from childhood – which is the reason why the Revolution constantly wages war against the family, in order to remove any obstacle to the spreading of its errors:

“Nowadays [in 1910!] we have become helpless witnesses to such acts which – if we were living in the ancient times of paganism – even the barbarians and savages would have violently opposed.  Everywhere in France, schools in which the young are taught to know, love, and adore God, are being closed by a government declaring openly that its goal is to establish a nation of atheists.  We are helpless to remedy the situation because we no longer have firm principles solidly established in our souls.  Instead, we have but vague and unstable ideas, incapable of giving us the strength and energy we need.  Why are our ideas unstable?  It is because the higher, fundamental principles have not at all been inculcated in the souls of children by parents, who, having been formed by these principles, have not transmitted them.  In a word, our families no longer have the sense of tradition.†  (Msgr. Henri Delassus. L’Esprit familial dans la maison, dans la Cité et dans l’État. Lille, France. Éditions Deslcée de Brouwer, 1910. pp. 147-148).

The Force of Principles

There is a force attached to the confession of the truth.  If we know good principles well, and if we count on the grace of Our Lord to make these principles known, there will always be men of good will to listen and understand:

“Today more than ever – and let it be understood rightly – society needs strong and consistent doctrines.  Even though ideas are falling apart everywhere, asserting the truth can still be done in society, provided that this assertion of truth be firm, substantial, and without compromise.  The exchanges between men are becoming more and more sterile; each one seems to hold on to a part of truth, without grasping the whole.  As in the early days of Christianity, it is necessary now that Christians attract the attention of all, by the unity of their principles and judgments.  They have nothing to borrow from this chaos of negations and endless experimentation that testify so eloquently to the powerlessness of modern society.  This society is only living off the rare remnants of the former Catholic civilization that the Revolution has not yet taken away and which God’s Mercy has preserved from destruction.  It is up to you, convinced Catholics, to show yourself as you are.  The world may fear you at first, but be convinced that it will come back to you.  However, if you try to flatter these men by using their language, you will amuse them only for a time.  In the next moment they will forget you because you have not made a serious impression on their minds.  They will see in you the image of themselves; and since they have no trust in themselves, they won’t have much more confidence in you.  There is a grace attached to the full and entire confession of the Faith.  This grace, according to Saint Paul, is the salvation of those who accomplish this confession; and experience shows that such a confession is also the salvation of those who witness it.  Be Catholic and nothing other than Catholic.†  (Dom Prosper Guéranger, O. S. B. Le Sens Chrétien de l’Histoire. The Christian Sense of History. Cited in Le Sel de la Terre: issue 22 – Fall 1997, p.196).

Community Chronicle

September 5th – 6th:  Fathers Innocent-Marie, Louis-Marie, Reginald and Terence, accompanied by a group of the high school boys, attend the yearly book fair at Chiré-en-Montreuil (the Publishing house which handles our Éditions du Sel).

September 7th:  Start of the school year for Saint Philomena Elementary School, and Saint Thomas Aquinas High School.  Among the extracurricular activities for the high school boys:  weekly study groups to give them a formation for the doctrinal, political and economic combats of tomorrow.  The number of volunteers having grown from last year, there are now three different groups, under the direction of Fathers Innocent-Marie, Reginald and Terence.

September 14th:  Start of the school year for our three clerical brothers.  On the same day, according to the Constitutions of our Order, the Regent of Studies (Fr. Emmanuel-Marie) and the Master of Novices (Fr. Marie-Dominique), renew their Tridentine Profession of Faith, the anti-modernist oath, and the oath to always hold firmly to the doctrine of Saint Thomas Aquinas.

September 26th:  “Our Lady of Fatima Youth Club†has its first meeting of the year, with Fathers Angelico and Hyacinthe-Marie.

October 3rd: Father Prior and Father Angelico represent the community at the official blessing by Bishop Faure of Saint Louis-Marie Grignon de Montfort Seminary in nearby Avrillé.

October 16th:  Entry of our three new postulants:  Filip (Poland), Tiago (Brazil), and Maximilien (France).

October 24th to 11th November:  Fathers Marie-Dominique and Angelico fly to the U.S. to preach two retreats with Father Zendejas on the 15 Mysteries of the Rosary.  In all, about 35 men and woman from all over the U.S. followed the retreats, and will now hopefully know how to get more out of their daily Rosary.  These retreats were also the occasion for five postulants to be received as novices in the Third Order.  For the Feast of Christ the King, the Fathers replaced Fr. Zendejas at his chapels in Connecticut and Pennsylvania.  Before returning to France, the Fathers made a small detour to Minnesota for Sunday Masses, and a few conferences.  A large number of faithful came out, despite the distance.  In each of the places visited, the zeal and fervor of the faithful was remarkable.

November 21st: Meeting for the preparation of next summer’s “John Vaquié Days†(yearly doctrinal session on the tactics of the enemies of the Church).  Three graduates from Saint Thomas Aquinas Boys’ school begin to take an active role in organizing this event, which gives us hope for the future!

December 1st:  As on every first and third Tuesday of the month, Fr. Angelico meets with a group of faithful in the Friary Library for the adult catechism class.  This year’s theme: Old Testament History.

December 8th:   Second annual Mass and candle-light Procession in the city of Angers, in honor of the Immaculate Conception of Our Lady.

On the same day, Pope Francis inaugurated the “Year of Mercy” with a light show at the Vatican.  The show, jointly sponsored by the World Bank, had a “New Age†environmental theme, in conjunction with the Pope’s recent Encyclical on ecology.  We cannot participate in this “Jubileeâ€, whose sole purpose is to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Vatican II and the new humanistic religion it has ushered in.  For a more detailed refutation of those who advocate participating in the “Year of Mercyâ€, please go to <https://dominicansavrille.us/should-we-participate-in-the-jubilee-of-mercy/>

December 22nd:  Feast of the Patronage of the Blessed Virgin Mary over the Order of Preachers.  Bishop Faure confers the ecclesiastical tonsure to our three clerical Brothers.

Brothers Alain, Louis-Bertrand and Agostinho offer their candles to the Bishop as part of the ceremony.

December 25th: After the solemn ceremonies of the Dominican Christmas Liturgy*, the afternoon is reserved for the traditional Christmas recreation.  As each year, Christmas carols were sung in French, English, Portuguese, Polish and Flemish (the five most common mother tongues among the members of our very international community), but this year there was something new:  it’s the first year we were privileged with the presence of a Bishop (H.E. Faure)!

*The Dominican liturgy has conserved a few practices that have been abandoned in the Roman rite, for example, the beautiful sequence Laetabundus that is sung just before the Gospel.

PLEASE NOTE:

THE UNITED STATES IRS HAS NOW APPROVED OUR TAX EXEMPT STATUS

To send a donation:

— In the U.S.:

Dominicans of Avrillé, Inc.

P.O. Box 23

Newman Lake, WA. 99025-9998

 

— In Canada:

The Association of St. Dominic

Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce

201-21 Street East

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

S7K OB8 Canada

Please specify:

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17 Comiston Road

Edinburgh EH10 6AA

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For more information write to:

Couvent de la Haye-aux-Bonshommes

49240 Avrillé, France

Friends and Benefactors Letter #20, September 2015

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Letter from the Dominicans of Avrillé

No. 20: September 2015

Corpus Christi

The Importance of Principles

Dear friends, family, and benefactors,

Bishop Charles-Émile Freppel (1827-1891), of the diocese of Angers 1870-1891, highlights the importance of principles in the following passage:

The worst kind of disaster than can afflict an era, or a country, begins when men abandon the truth, or minimize it.  It is possible to recover from any other loss, but one never recuperates from the sacrificing of principles. Men may wander from the straight path from time to time, and public morals may receive some damage from the vice and bad example of such men; but as long as the doctrines of truth are left intact, and in their integrity, nothing is lost.  For, if these doctrines are not abandoned, men and institutions will recover sooner or later; and goodness will return.  However, if society chooses to abandon these principles of truth, all hope of recovery is useless, because it is impossible to construct anything solid and durable without true principles.  Hence the greatest service that one can render to his fellow men – even when weakness and darkness rule the age, and even when no one cares to listen – is to affirm the truth without fear, like a ray of light opening a path through the minds of men.  If the voice of truth does not manage to dominate the noise of the moment, at least it will be received sometime in the future as a messenger of salvation [Bishop Charles-Émile Freppel. Panégyrique de Saint Hilaire à Poitiers. January 19, 1873. Å’uvres de Mgr Charles-Émile Freppel. Paris, Roger et Chernoviz, 1881. p. 234].

Are Principles Unchangeable?

That certain principles are practical – as opposed to speculative principles, which are at the origin of the speculative sciences – does not imply that these principles are only relative.  Principles, even those which are practical, remain unchangeable.  Thus, the truths of the Decalogue are not relative; and the Syllabus (1864) of Pope Pius IX cannot be reformed.  What is changeable, however, is the application of the principles to different circumstances.

For example, the 5th Commandment requires that we “do not kill†(the innocent).  This principle applies in the case of abortion, forbidding the killing of the unborn child.  However, the principle does not apply in the case of the death penalty.  The convict can be judged and executed legitimately because he is not innocent.

Maintaining the Purity of Principles

When circumstances prevent the full application of Catholic principles, these principles cannot be replaced by false ones.  It is characteristic of liberal Catholicism to mix truth and error together.  Such is what took place at Vatican II, which affirms, in Dignitatis Humanae, that “all men are obliged to seek the truth, especially regarding God and His Church†(§1), and yet claims, in the next paragraph, that man has a right to religious liberty, which is a false principle.

The following is a citation of Pius IX’s speech in Rome to pilgrims from Nevers, France in June 1871:

Mixing principles together is the affliction of your country which prevents it from meriting God’s blessings.  I will now express my thoughts and will not hold my peace.  I do not fear these miserable men of the Commune of Paris…  Rather, what I fear is this wretched political code – Catholic liberalism – which is the true scourge of France.  This teeter-tottering between truth and error is destroying the Catholic religion.  Although one must be charitable, doing all that is possible to bring our erring brethren back to the fold, it is not necessary to adopt their opinions.

…to be continued in the next newsletter

Community Chronicle:

April-May-June: Fathers Marie Dominique, Angelico, Marie Laurent and Hyacinthe Marie are busy with regular tertiary meetings in Paris, Brittany, Avrillé, Alsatia, Lyons…

May 23rd: Confirmations for 42 faithful by newly consecrated Bishop Faure. Despite the inconvenience for a large number obliged to watch the ceremony on a projector screen in the vestibule (because of the crowd), all were happy to get together and meet with their fellow “combatants for the Faith†in a joyous and relaxed atmosphere after a beautiful ceremony.

May 24th:  Father Angelico accompanies Bishop Faure for the Pentecost pilgrimage in Rocamadour.

June 3rd: Funeral services for one of our most edifying faithful, Mr. Jean Kerhoas.  Always willing to help out, he was no less diligent in his desire for religious instruction, even taking notes during the Sunday sermon. R.I.P.

Confirmations by Bishop Faure

June 25th-30th: Fathers Marie Dominique and Angelico make a brief trip to the U.S.  After two days visiting with Fr. Ringrose and the faithful at St. Athanasius Church (Vienna VA), they participated in a Confirmation ceremony with Bishop Williamson, organized by Fr. Zendejas in the Connecticut area.

June 27th:  End of the year ceremonies for St. Philomena Elementary School, and St. Thomas Aquinas Boys’ School.  With the Solemn High Mass, buffet lunch with the families, a student play recounting the life of Garcia Moreno, and the graduation award ceremony – complete with musical interludes by the students – it was a very full day for Fathers François Marie, Innocent Marie, Louis Marie, Reginald and Terence, who had the consolation of seeing all their hard work throughout the year come to a wonderful conclusion.

July 11th– 13th:  “True and False Counter-Revolutions†was the theme of our yearly doctrinal seminar dedicated to studying the enemies of the Church and their tactics.  The Friary was honored with the presence of ecclesiastics from many different communities (and continents!), as well as a good crowd of heads of family with a serious desire to study the problems affecting Church and society.

Boys’ summer camp in Brittany

July 14th-29th:  Fathers Reginald and Terence find themselves once again with the high school students for the summer camp in the countryside near Tours.  The summer camps for the middle school boys (in Brittany) and the Our Lady of Fatima Patronage (in Anjou) were also in July.

July 13th –August 1st:  Three retreats were preached at the Friary for men, women, and couples. Fathers de Mérode and Salenave, as well as Fr. Bruno O.S.B. were also there to help out for confessions and retreat instructions.

August 4th-13th:  As every year, all the Fathers and Brothers are back at the Friary for our annual spiritual retreat, placed between the feast of Our Holy Father St. Dominic and the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  Fr. Pinaud of the Priestly Union Marcel Lefebvre nourished us for ten days with the profound doctrine of Cardinal Pie (1815-1880), the Bishop of Poitiers whose writings had a great influence on St. Pius X.

August 14th-18th: “The Dominican Friendship Days†brought once again to the Friary a large group of tertiairies from all over France (and beyond), for several days of Catholic camaraderie and instruction.

September: The Friary gets back into its normal rhythm of studies, as the school year starts up again for our three clerical brothers (14th September), as well as the Boys’ School and Primary School (7th September).  On October 5th, it will be the turn of our three postulants, who will be joined by several seminarians from Bishop Faure’s seminary located nearby in Avrillé.

News from our work sites:

Mr. Maertens, father of Br. Jan Maria, built us 2 magnificent chests of drawers for the storage of priestly vestments.  Until now, these vestments had to be folded when put away, which was damaging the fragile fabric.

Delivery of the new tractor

For a bit over a year now, the Friary has a tractor, generously donated by a retired farmer, and refurbished by a mechanic friend.  With another donation of equipment for cutting hay and splitting logs, this has allowed us to save much on property maintenance expenses, and fill up our reserve of wood for heating in winter.

The classification and moving of books into the new library is continuing at a regular pace.  We succeeded in acquiring a few metal carts and rails necessary for the installation of moving book shelves (which allow for a more economic use of space).  A blacksmith, friend of the Friary, adapted them to the required dimensions, which enabled us to install a dozen shelves.  We now only need about 20 more to finish the installation.

A picture says a thousand words

During a papal visit to Bolivia in early July, the President Evo Morales offered a blasphemous “hammer and sickle†crucifix to Pope Francis, who accepted it joyfully (contrary to certain rumors).  Morales is a socialist internationally known for his campaign to legalize the trade of coca [used in the production of cocaine].  One of his slogans is “long live coca – death to the Yankees!† While in Bolivia, Pope Francis publically praised Morales for his “reformsâ€.   We need to pray now more than ever!   Not only do these recent Popes refuse to consecrate Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, but they actively participate in the spreading of “Russia’s errors†against which Our Lady of Fatima warned us so emphatically.

“November Dead Listsâ€

Several of you have asked if we accept “November dead listsâ€.   This pious custom consists in giving a list of deceased loved ones to a priest, who will then keep the list on the altar each time he celebrates Mass throughout the month of November.   If you send us such a list (on paper in a neat, small format), we will be happy to perform this duty to the Poor Souls.   Prayer for the souls in Purgatory is a devotion that has always been in honor in the Dominican Order.   (Please send them directly to Avrillé, France.   However, any donations should still be sent to the Newman Lake address.)

For timely articles and spiritual reading, please go to our website:

www.dominicansavrille.us

To send a donation:

— In the U.S.:

Dominicans of Avrillé, Inc.

P.O. Box 23

Newman Lake, WA. 99025-9998

— In Canada:

The Association of St. Dominic

Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce

201-21 Street East Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

S7K OB8 Canada

Please specify: CAN$: acc. #40-91531

— In the U.K.:

The Association of St. Dominic

The Royal Bank of Scotland plc, Edinburgh Comiston Branch, 17 Comiston Road

Edinburgh EH10 6AA

Please specify: Acc # 00105564

For more information:

Couvent de la Haye-aux-Bonshommes

49240 Avrillé, France

Friends & Benefactors Letter #20, April 2015

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Letter from the Dominicans of Avrille

No. 19, May 2015

Dominican Life:   A Mixed Life

The Consecration at a Solemn Dominican High Mass.

Dear Friends, Family and Benefactors,

“Seeing how great is the evil nowadays and how no human strength will suffice to smother the fire kindled by heretics – even though attempts have been made to organize opposition against them – as if such a great and rapidly spreading evil could be resolved by the mere force of material weapons, it seems to me, nevertheless, that we should now conduct ourselves as in time of war : The sovereign of the country retires into a fortified city, out of which, from time to time, he attacks and wins the battle thanks to the courage of the city’s elite warriors. Since this little castle of ours, our castillo, is the home of good Christians, no one must be won to the enemy’s cause. Therefore, the captains of the castle, namely, the preachers and theologians, must be eminent. Hence, it is indispensable, as I have already said, that the ecclesiastical arm, and not the secular one, come to our help.â€

The above citation from Saint Teresa of Avila’s work, The Way of Perfection, well describes Saint Dominic’s motives in founding the Order of Friar Preachers.

Religious life is distinguished as belonging to two categories. The first category consists of contemplative religious who continue the role of Saint Mary Madeleine “seated at the feet of Jesus to listen to His words,†loving Him exclusively.

The second category consists of active religious who continue the role of Saint Martha, drawing out of their love of God the zeal to serve their fellow men, in whom they serve Jesus Himself.

However, Dominican life does not belong to either category.

Our friary some years ago before the fourth wing and a bell tower were built.

In fact, Saint Dominic aspired to the apostolic life – the form of life of the Apostles themselves – in which the priests and religious would be “entirely consecrated to prayer and to the preaching of the Gospel†(Acts 6:4). Saint Thomas Aquinas, the most eminent son of Saint Dominic, summarized the apostolic life and spirit of the Order by the famous expression, “Contemplari, et contemplata aliis tradere – to contemplate and to give to others the fruits of one’s contemplation†(II-II, q.188, a.6).

Consequently, the friar preacher is neither a pure contemplative, nor a pure active – supposing that these two categories could exist in a pure state. Rather, Dominican life is a mixed life, which is not merely adding exterior action to contemplation. On one hand, after spending several hours at chapel, the hospital Sister, animated by the love of God, spends the rest of her day caring for the sick, yet her religious life remains active. On the other hand, for apostolic Orders, such as the Dominicans, the exterior action of preaching is the direct continuation of contemplation. Thus, the hospital Sister cares for the sick using medicine and bandages – and not what she had contemplated in prayer – whereas the friar preacher imparts to souls the truths and lights received from contemplation. In fact, the Dominican has the obligation to “shout from the housetops what he has heard in his ears†(Mt. 10:27).

Hence, the contemplation and exterior action of a Dominican are well united: firstly, due to the motive, which is divine charity; and secondly, due to the content: “the words which Thou gavest me, I have given to them†(John 17:8). Consequently, the Dominican preacher must be able to repeat the following words of Saint John: “We announce to you that which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and which our hands have handled, of the Word of life†(1 John 1:1).

The litany of the Blessed Virgin at the end of Compline on Saturdays.

Even theologians outside the Dominican Order consider apostolic life – or the “mixed†life – as the most perfect form of religious life, because priority is given to contemplation, and because exterior action is considered only as the continuation and fruit of contemplation. Here is a passage written by the Carmelite Fathers of Salamanca, Spain, cited in the work Une Journée à Saint-Maximin (A Day Spent at the Dominican Monastery of Saint-Maximin) by Bernadot O. P., Father Marie Vincent; Saint-Maximin, France, 1924, pp 11-12:

The mixed religious Order is more perfect than the other Orders, because it is similar to the life of Christ, the Apostles, and bishops. The mixed religious Order is not ordered firstly to preaching and teaching, but, rather, gives priority to contemplation, by principle, and, only afterwards, performs exterior works for the good of others as the overflow of contemplation. Without this principle, much perfection would be lacking in the preaching and teaching of doctrine… Therefore, it is wrong to teach that religious Orders dedicated firstly to preaching and teaching are apostolic. Their exterior activities do not come from the overflow of contemplation, but are, rather, works of the active life.

Thus, in order that our contemplation, preaching, and teaching of sacred doctrine may bear abundant fruit, the Constitutions of the Order provide four fundamental means to achieving the work:

  1. The religious state with the three vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience,
  2. The solemn recitation of the Divine Office,
  3. The life of regularity with its traditional monastic observances (silence, fasting, abstinence, chapter of faults, etc.), and
  4. The assiduous study of Sacred Truth.

These four means, according to the Constitutions, “have been given to us by our Holy Patriarch Saint Dominic to arrive at our goal, and, therefore, these four means cannot be suppressed nor modified substantially.â€

From this general study of the basic principles of Dominican life, an important lesson for the spiritual life can be drawn out for the good of all.

We all have the tendency, unfortunately, to put action above, and before prayer, thus not only time-wise, but also in our esteem. Even if perhaps we do not have much time for prayer, we should nevertheless consider prayer as the most important work of the day. “Seek ye therefore first the kingdom of God, and His justice, and all these things shall be added unto you†(Matthew 6:33)

Hence, let us make a real effort – at least in our esteem – to give priority to prayer, like Saint Mary Magdalene. If, however, despite all our efforts, we are crushed with work, like Saint Martha, instead of being annoyed, let us humble ourselves at the feet of Jesus, at least for a little while, in order to listen to what He has to say.

Community Chronicle

January 9: One of our Fathers assists at part of the Chapter of the Knights of Our Lady at the school of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary in Vendée.

February 5-7: Exams for our scholastic Brothers.

February 12: Father Marie Dominique is at St. Nicolas du Chardonnet Church in Paris for the funeral of Miss Claudine Germinet (Sister Marie Madeleine of Jesus, in the Dominican Third Order). Next June she would have celebrated her twentieth anniversary of profession in the Third Order.

February 25: Our boys’ school has their first rugby game against one of the biggest clubs of the area.

Our boys’ school rugby team on the pitch.

 

March 1: Rev. Fr. Faure gives a conference to our community on the fight of Archbishop Lefebvre.

March 19: At the Monastery of Santa Cruz in Brazil, Father Emmanuel Marie represents the community at the Episcopal consecration of His Excellency Bishop Jean Michel Faure.

March 28: Father Marie Dominique and Father Hyacinth Mary speak to several nurses, students in medicine, etc. about the moral problems of the present evolution of medicine. There will be regular meetings to form these young Catholics of the new St. Raphael group.

April 4: At the Easter Vigil this year we have the joy of the Baptism of an adult.

April 15: A community hike to strengthen the fraternal charity among the Brothers and Fathers during Eastertide.

The work site

After several years passed without touching his chisel, our Brother sculptor made a Sacred Heart statue in order to get the feel again. Now he will be able to sculpt the Blessed Virgin destined for the entrance of our cemetery in the woods (to replace the one that fell and broke a few years a go).

The statue of Our Lady in the woods that fell and broke and that we must now replace.

 

As for our library, built from 2007-2009, it is not yet filled with all the books. The cataloging and classing of the books has advanced thanks to several friends that come to help regularly. However there are still many books to enter on our lists and many shelves to put up.

We confide these projects to your prayers and thank all those who can help us to finish up the library by purchasing the last equipment necessary.

New information:

-Please take notice of our new US address. The address in Huntington, Indiana is no longer to be used (and please make things out to “Dominicans of Avrilleâ€).

-For more about our life and apostolate, as well as to have some doctrinal and spiritual reading, you can now go to www.dominicansavrille.us

FOR MORE INFORMATION

write to:

-Couvent de la Haye-aux-Bonshommes

49240 Avrillé, France

You may send donations to the address above, or:

— In the U.S.:

Dominicans of Avrille, Inc.
P.O. Box 23

Newman Lake, WA. 99025-9998

— In Canada:

The Association of St. Dominic

Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce

201-21 Street East

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

S7K OB8 Canada

Please specify: CAN$:acc.#40-91531

— In the U.K.:

The Association of St. Dominic

The Royal Bank of Scotland plc, Edinburgh Comiston Branch

17 Comiston Road

Edinburgh EH10 6AA

Please specify: Acc # 00105564

Issue #18 (Jan 2015), Friends & Benefactors Letter

admin Letters to Friends and Benefactors


Issue #18 (Jan 2015), Friends & Benefactors Letter

 

Before the Cathedral of Angers at the end of the procession in honor of the Immaculate Conception (see chronicle).

Dear Friends, Family, and Benefactors,

Dear Friends, Family and Benefactors,

During a September 1988 conference to seminarians, Archbishop Lefebvre responded to the objection of those who were telling him, “You only speak of anti-liberalism and anti-modernism. You are too negative.†Here are the words of the Archbishop:

“Do not be intimidated by the labels we are given, « You are anti-liberal! All you ever do in the seminary is anti-modernism! » Do not be impressed by such reflections which could well be applied to all the encyclicals of all the Popes before the Council, as well as to the Faith of the Middle Ages, the entire life of the Middle Ages – the life of Christendom – in which Our Lord reigned in civil society.â€

Moreover, the Archbishop explained that, in order to be the doctor of souls, one must know about the diseases of the soul. We know of what spiritual health consists: the principles of the Faith. However, we must also understand the current errors which are opposed to these principles, and especially the error of liberalism which is at the root of all modern errors. We must have the weapons to defend and protect the souls entrusted to our care. Such has always been the conduct of the Church. For example, in the first years of Catholicism, the Church has had to fight against the errors of the Judaizers and the Gnostics, and, later on, against the Cathars, the Protestants, the Jansenists, the “Enlightenment†philosophers, the secularists, and so on.

Procession through the streets of Angers in honor of the Immaculate Conception.

Archbishop Lefebvre continues to point out the importance of studying errors for the reason that

“We are only following the Popes, in fact all the Popes, who have studied and condemned liberalism. It is even amazing to take note of the numerous encyclicals and Papal teachings, from Popes Pius VI and VII right up to Pope Pius XII, which deal with the pursuit of error.â€

For example, the Popes, from the 18th to the 20th century, have promulgated 15 documents that condemn Freemasonry, which is just one aspect of liberalism. The encyclical Humanum Genus (April 20, 1884) of Pope Leo XIII is the most well-known of these anti-Freemasonic documents. Doesn’t this example illustrate the importance the Church gives to pursuing and condemning errors?

To study such errors is to understand the causes that are currently destroying society, and which are also destroying souls and the Church… If we remain ignorant of error, we will be incapable of understanding the current situation in the world – and in the Church – which are so disastrous. If we choose to remain ignorant of error, we will be powerless to understand the diffusion of the evil that is spreading everywhere now, even in the Church itself. Thus, not only shall we be powerless to stop evil from growing: we ourselves will fall prey to evil. Hence, “it is an absolute necessity to study liberalism, and to know it well,†concludes the Archbishop.

The Archbishop speaks further:

“Many of those who have left us to join [Conciliar] Rome have a wrong understanding of liberalism and have never really understood how the authorities in Rome, ever since Vatican II, have become infested with error. If they had a right understanding of liberalism, they would have shunned and avoided these authorities, and then remain with us. But they did not want to believe in the danger of these errors, which is a grievous matter, because having relations with these authorities necessarily results in being contaminated by them. These authorities are imbued with the liberalism and necessarily act according to their way of thinking. Therefore, once they begin having relations with us, they shall impose their ideas on us because they are the authority, and we, their inferiors. We will become liberal because they have imposed liberalism on us. Thus, as long as they hold to these errors of liberalism and modernism, there is no way to get along with them.â€

May our Infant King give us the grace during this New Year to study more profoundly both truth and error in order to fight ever more faithfully to spread His reign.

News of Occupied Rome

Our readers remember that June 8, in the Vatican gardens, the Pope and the Jewish and Palestinian Presidents “prayed for peaceâ€. Two days later Mosul fell into the hands of the Sunnite Muslims, and since then the blood of Christians has been flooding the Middle East. There have been children beheaded, people crucified, and other horrors. Yet, the prayer for peace in the Holy Land “has absolutely not been a failureâ€, as Pope Francis calmly affirmed August 18 coming back from Korea on the plane:

“The door of prayer has been opened. (…) Afterwards happened what has happened. But that is conjectural. On the other hand, this meeting was not conjectural. It is a fundamental step of human attitude: prayer.â€

At the Epistle during a Solemn High Mass of our boys’ school

For fifty years the Conciliar Church hierarchy remains obstinate in this false ecumenism that leads to death. It would be time to learn one’s lessons.

It is known that Tertullian said that the blood of martyrs is the seed of Christians. As for the Pope, after the September 7 assassination of three religious Sisters in Burundi, he hopes that “the blood shed become seed of hope in order to build a true fraternity among nationsâ€.

The Worksite

The All Saints’ Day break for the school allowed us to finish up the new dormitory “Naïmâ€. The study hall on the second floor was able to be painted and the floor installed. Thanks to your generosity, the boys now have a true dormitory up and running.

The completed boys’ dormitory

However, the projects continue (for example, a new sewer system for the school), and we still have some last bills to pay. Be assured of our grateful prayers for all your help in whatever way it may be.

Community Chronicle

August 14-18: Three days of formation and Catholic friendship for our tertiairies here at our friary.

September 8: First vows for our three scholastic Brothers: Brother Alain (Quebec), Brother Louis Bertrand (Brazil), and Brother Agostinho (Brazil). “O Lord, grant us many holy Dominican vocations!â€

September 20-21: Father Marie Dominique and Father Angelico preach for the pilgrimage to Our Lady of Laus in the French Alps.

First vows of three brothers in Avrillé

October 4: Second reunion of the Society of Jesus Crowned with Thorns (for the practice of perfect Christian ladylike modesty) under the direction of Father Prior and Father Hyacinth Marie.

October 11-12: Several meetings for our tertiaries throughout France.

October 18: Conference for the high school boys and the faithful by Father Pagès on the dangers of Islam. Although Father Pagès is not “traditionalistâ€, but he bravely says the truth about Islam.

October 24: Father Marie Dominique and Father Terence begin a mission to the US and to Canada under the protection of Saint Raphael. They have the joy to meet everywhere faithful thirsting for doctrine. Unable to visit them often, we are opening a website (www.dominicansavrille.us) in English so that we can give them articles and documents of our publications.

October 31: Most of the community goes on pilgrimage to Pellevoisin where Our Lady appeared about fifteen times to a Dominican tertiary named Estelle Faguette in 1875 and 1876.

November 15: Father Marie Dominique and Father Marie Laurent give a public conference in Paris. The theme is “How to see clearly through the current situation of Tradition†and the goal is to analyze peacefully and objectively official documents without judging persons.

December 8: A candlelight procession in honor of the Immaculate Conception follows a solemn High Mass. We give this public homage to our Blessed Mother through the streets of Angers and in front of the Cathedral.

December 22-January 6: Final preparations and solemn offices to honor, once again, Our Lord and Savior’s birth and the mysteries of His Nativity.

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Issue #17 (Sep 2014), Friends & Benefactors Letter

admin Letters to Friends and Benefactors


Issue #17 (Sep 2014), Friends & Benefactors Letter

 

Funeral Mass for our tertiary Brother Vincent Ferrer (see chronicle).

Dear Friends, Family, and Benefactors,

If we love the truth and want to defend it, we must resolutely take our place in the “camp of the truth†whose King is Our Lord Jesus Christ.

I am King. This is why I was born, and why I have come into the world in order to give testimony to the truth. Whosoever is of the truth, hears my voice. (Jn. 18:37)

“To be of the truth†means firstly to know the truth, to study it, and even to contemplate it. If our contemporaries esteem as little the love of the truth, it is because they do not know it. They learn at school lies in science (Darwinism), history (denigration of our Catholic past and exaltation of the Revolution), and especially, philosophy, morality, and religion domains. They are saturated with secondary knowledge that does not develop the mind.  Access to the beautiful (which is “the splendor of the trueâ€) is closed to them because the beautiful is found especially in classical literature (English, as well as Latin and Greek), which is no longer widely taught in most schools.

Whether we like it or not, we are all more or less marked by this abysmal ignorance. Hence the importance of a real study life is capital.

Yes, this means sacrifices: a methodological organization of one’s time, avoiding the loss of time, especially with the modern means of communication that do not form the mind and that keep us from really working (internet, TV, cell phones, magazines, newspapers…).

The Pascal candle painted by one of our Brothers.

If we desire to know the truth, we must also humbly recognize our ignorance, and learn to take advice from people who are more competent than we are. The truth is received; it does not arise from the depths of our subconscious. One who wants to receive it must be docile.

“To be of the truth†means also to prove our love of the truth by our hatred of error. Ernest Hello notes correctly:

Whoever loves the truth detests error. This is as close to naïveté as to paradox. Yet this disgust for error is the touch-stone by which the love of the truth is recognized. If you do not love the truth, you can say that you love it and even make others believe it to a certain point. But be sure that in this case you will lack the horror for that which is false, and by this sign one will recognize that you do not love the truth. (Ernest Hello, L’Homme, Perrin, 1941, p. 214.)            In particular, it is important to examine oneself on the Eighth Commandment (“Thou shalt not lieâ€). Let us never accept the smallest lie, the littlest calculated ambiguity, especially in the domain of the Faith. Pope Honorius was severely condemned by a Council, and by his successors, for having written an ambiguous letter favoring a heresy to the Patriarch of Constantinople.

Solzhenitsyn used to say that the first resistance to Communism was to never accept to collaborate with a lie.

It is exactly here that the key is found, the key that we neglect the most, the simplest key, the most accessible in order to attain our deliverance: to not participate in lying! Lies might have taken over everything, might reign over everything. It will be on the smallest scale that we will resist. Let them reign and dominate, but without my collaboration! “One word of truth weighs more than the whole world.†(Alexander Solzhenitsyn, excerpts of an essay entitled “Do not live with lying!†and of the Nobel Prize discourse, 1972)

Let us flee from the media! They are the kingdom of lies, even if it were only by omission, because they never speak of God. Or if they speak about Him, it is in order to place Him among the miscellaneous events, or to lie abundantly making one believe that all religions honor God.

“To be of the truth†means finally to practice the Charity of the truth.

Litany of the Blessed Virgin each Saturday after Compline before her statue.

Truth is man’s first good. It is truth that delivers him (“Veritas liberabit vos, the truth will set you free.†Jn. 8:32). The Faith (truth about God) gives us eternal life (“The just man lives by faith.†Heb. 10:38).

If we truly love our neighbor, we must desire to bring him to the truth. This Charity of the truth spurred on Catholics, especially the missionaries, to the most heroic acts in the times of Christendom. Today, alas! Charity has grown so cold, and one hardly dares to give witness to the truth as did Our Lord “Who came into the world to give witness to the truth†(Jn. 18:37).

Let us find once again the zeal of our forefathers. Let us place ourselves resolutely on the “side of the truth.†Let us study it in order to  be capable of explaining it, and then let us profess it without fear!  It will be for our salvation and that of those who listen to us.

Today, more than ever, may it be well understood, society needs doctrines both strong and logical in themselves. In the middle of the general dissolution of ideas, only the assertion, a firm and pure assertion will be accepted. (…) There is a grace attached to the confession of the full and entire faith. This confession, says the Apostle, is the salvation of those who give it, and experience shows that it is also the salvation of those who listen to it. Let us be Catholics and nothing other than Catholics.

Dom Guéranger, Le Sens chrétien de l’histoire

News of Occupied Rome

April 27, the Pope “canonized†Popes John XXIII and John Paul II, the two who are principally responsible for the crisis in the Church. These canonizations are certainly invalid in the eyes of the Catholic Church (see Le Sel de la terre 88). They are false saints put on the altars of the Conciliar Church which separates itself ever more fully from the Catholic Church.

May 29, the Pope, Rabbi Skorka and Imam Abu (“friends†of the Pope who accompanied him during his entire trip to Israel) hold arms in front of the “Wall of the Templeâ€.  The amused Jewish journalists who were present will later qualify the trio as “the Blessed Trinityâ€!  The continuation will take place on June 8.   In the Vatican gardens, the Pope “prays for peace†with the Jewish and Palestinian Presidents.  The Muslim representative does not follow the prepared prayer and asks his “Master†(i.e. Allah) in Arabic: “Give us victory over the unfaithful people.â€Â  Two days later Mosul fell into the hands of the Muslims, who massacred the Christians.

How much time will be still necessary before the hierarchy of the Church understands the utopia of Conciliar Ecumenism? How much longer will God allow Masonic Lodges to infiltrate the hierarchy?

The Worksite

Father Emmanuel Mary, head of the work-site for the future dormitory, inspects the future shower room.

Thanks to your generosity we have almost completed the future dormitory for our boys’ school and for retreats, seminars, etc. during vacation times. We, however, beg once again your help because all the bills are not yet paid, and many other projects need to be done as well. In the near future we need to redo the second part of the road to enter our property that we could not do last summer, as well as install a new septic system at our boys’ school (there will be about seventy-five from sixth to twelfth grade this year).

Be assured of our daily prayers for both your financial and spiritual support.

Mr. Mertens, the father of our Brother Jan Maria, puts up a gutter in order to avoid damaging the recently redone road.

 

Community Chronicle

April 26: Father Reginald and Father Terence leave for Poitou-Charente for a short camp of the Cadets du Sacré-Coeur, a group of boys formed to spread the Reign of Christ the King.

May 11: Father Mary Dominic and Father Hyacinth Mary are in Alsace for a pilgrimage with our tertiaries and for the consecration of the regional Third Order chapter to the Sacred Heart.

May 13: Solemn High Mass for the funeral of Mr. Philippe Girard, Dominican tertiary, French and history teacher at our boys’ school, and generous collaborator with our review Sel de la Terre. He passed away on May 9 and wished to be buried in the Dominican habit.

May 24: Father Mary Dominic and Father Hyacinth Mary preside over the pilgrimage with our tertiaries at Paray-le-Monial for the consecration of the south and southeast Third Order chapters to the Sacred Heart.

June 7: First meeting for the “Society of Jesus crowned with thorns†in order to promote perfect Christian modesty among women and young ladies. This society was founded in 1878 by Father Emmanuel at Mesnil-Saint-Loup which later on received the blessing of Saint Pius X.

July: During this month, as each year, several Fathers and Brothers organize boys’ camps. We also hold the annual weekend formation on the combat of the Two Cities. Several retreats are preached by our Fathers. Of course the different work-sites at the friary continue as well, and they will last until the end of the summer at least.

August 4-12:  Our annual retreat is preached to us this year by Father Salenave, U.S.M.L. (Union sacerdotal Marcel Lefebvre – Priestly union Marcel Lefebvre).

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