October 1982 Print

by James S. Taylor

Readers of The Angelus at about this time last year will recall that the review of the pilgrimage of 1981 began by remarking that it has always rained on the first day of the Marian Pilgrimage, as if by design, for the last three years. The fourth Marian Pilgrimage to St. Mary's was no exception, but this time the rain, which fell in abundance, began about three o'clock Friday morning, August 13th, and continued vigorously for about an hour. Flooding was reported in Lawrence, Kansas, and Kansas City, Missouri, as a result of this storm, but not for St. Mary's! The downpour ushered in a welcome three days of cool mornings, moderate temperatures during the day, with the glare of the summer sun covered by a thin layer of overcast sky. More than a few pilgrims, especially those familiar with Kansas summers, were heard to attribute this ideal break in the hot weather as a special grace from the Blessed Mother for the faithful who traveled to St. Mary's to honor her, the Mother of God.

For one who has had the advantage of being at St. Mary's for over three years, as this writer has been so privileged, it is most obvious how well the efforts for this large event have become so efficient and organized. This was particularly noticeable at the registration line which opened at 10:00 a.m. on Friday morning. In fact, this smoothness of operations continued throughout the Pilgrimage—from one event to another. And it was not all from members of the staff of St. Mary's. This year's pilgrims brought a particular spirit of cheerfulness and Catholic sense of purpose—to restore the Faith in their lives—to St. Mary's. It was the pilgrims, as much as the people of St. Mary's, that made this year's pilgrimage the success that it was!

The afternoon of the first day offered the opportunity for the pilgrims to refresh and renew themselves spiritually in the Sacrament of Penance. Three priests of the Society of St. Pius X were on campus in Assumption Chapel from 2:00 until 5:00 p.m., to hear Confessions, and while one cannot help but be edified to see this sacrament given pride of place in the first day of the Pilgrimage, one must also sadly reflect why such a long schedule of Confessions is necessary; namely, that for the most part, sin is "out" in the new American Church. The Sacrament of Penance is either no longer offered in many parishes, or it has been reduced to a minimum. Even then, the new "rite of reconciliation" is often more like an encounter with a psychology counselor than with a priest of Jesus Christ who, in His Name, can cleanse the troubled soul. So it is fitting that the Pilgrimage began with this proper renewal of the soul which never fails to establish the wonderful inner dispositions of faith, hope and charity.

During the afternoon there was also time for tours of the campus which were conducted by Mr. David Yockey, St. Mary's Academy teacher.

The first Mass of the Pilgrimage was offered at 5:00 p.m. in Assumption Chapel which was followed by a "Get-Acquainted Dinner" in Bellarmine Cafeteria. There, Father Bolduc, District Superior of the Society of St. Pius X in the South-West, greeted the capacity crowd of pilgrims and St. Mary's parishioners, then introduced those who were seated at the head table. These included Father Matthias, recently arrived from India, who, like his countryman, Father Pinto, has associated himself with the Society and will soon be offering Mass to the faithful on the circuits in the South-West District. Next were Rev. Mr. John Parrot, subdeacon from Ecône; Brother Anthony and Brother Vincent of the Society who are assigned to St. Mary's; two Blue Franciscan nuns who have recently moved to St. Mary's, Sister Mary Elizabeth and Sister Mary Agnes, who, between them, spend eighteen hours each day in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament. In addition to the three Sisters of the Society of St. Pius X who live in the convent at St. Mary's, but who were not present at the dinner, Father Bolduc introduced Sister Mary Raphael of the Society, who was visiting from Queen of Angels in Dickinson, Texas. Father went on to remind the audience that the success of the Society's history at St. Mary's is directly the result of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Everything that is done at St. Mary's has been done for and through her—especially these yearly Pilgrimages in her honor.

"Evidence of the blessings of God through Mary are revealed in the signs of growth at St. Mary's," Father said. For example, the Academy, now containing a completely separate girls' and boys' school, will enroll nearly 250 students this fall. St. Mary's College, a four-year liberal arts college, the only one of its kind in North America, will enter its second year of operation with an increase in students and in professors. The first Third Order of the Society of St. Pius X in the world was founded last year at St. Mary's and has grown quite large in the United States. The main reason, however, that St. Mary's has been so blessed is because of the Mass. "Everything we do at St. Mary's revolves around the Mass," Father said. "The Mass is the center of our lives... I don't think you could go anywhere in the world and find a group of traditionalist Catholics who are more devoted to the Mass than they are here."

"The many pitfalls we have encountered at St. Mary's have been overcome because of the Mass....As long as we hold the Mass in honor and reverence it, and give God His due, we will succeed and God will not allow us to fail....It is through the Mass and the Blessed Virgin Mary, the co-Mediatrix of all graces, that we owe the entire existence of St. Mary's, and I would say this is true of every single chapel in the world. They have to have that combination: true devotion to Mary—true love of the Mother of God and the true Mass, the unchanging Mass, the Mass which Archbishop Lefebvre refers to as 'The Mass of All Time,' that is, the Mass that has existed perpetually since Christ gave it to us."

Father concluded his address by urging this year's pilgrims to concentrate on the spiritual aspect of the pilgrimage and to visit with the priests and religious available to them on campus for these three days. He also urged the pilgrims to make sure and visit with one another since, as he said, "We are a diverse group of people, but we beat with one heart—and that heart is the Mass and the love of our Faith."

That first evening Stations of the Cross were held outside on the spacious quadrangle, followed by the Rosary and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament in Assumption Chapel.

At 7:00 a.m. the next morning the Angelus bell alerted everyone staying on campus that the Feast of the Vigil of the Assumption had arrived and, at 8:00 a.m., the Chapel was filled and the High Mass began. The celebrant, Father Bolduc, in his sermon, compared the role played by our earthly mothers with the role played by our spiritual Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary. "From the very beginning of our lives, from the earliest of recollection, our first thoughts are about our mother," Father said. "It is they who have cared for us and held us so closely, and saw to it that the first words that came from our lips were the names of Jesus and Mary....Therefore, in honoring the Blessed Mother, as we do today, we cannot help but remember our own mothers as well. The role that they play in our lives is similar to that of Mary's. As we ran to our own mothers when anything troubled us, so today we find comfort in the protective mantle of Our Lady. Above all, we should remember in the crises that faces us today, both in the Church and in the world, Mary stands out as a guiding beacon, she is the light that is inextinguishable. It is on her that we set our sights so that we arrive at Jesus. As a mother she will always suffer anything for the betterment of her children, as she will always protect them through every means possible. So, our Blessed Mother, the Mother of mankind, does not turn a deaf ear on the pleas of her children in what we recite daily as being this vale of tears. Mary knows our plight more than any saint in heaven and because she is directly responsible for us as our Mother, she will not allow us to be forgotten."

"Mary takes her place along the saints of old to bring us through this very difficult time in trying to save our souls in a Church which today has grown perverse, in an age which is immoral, in a world that does not recognize it has an obligation to its Creator, at a time when everything seems to be dark. But for us who are Catholic, and especially us who are traditional Catholic, who truly know the value of our Mother, she becomes a ray of hope in that darkness. It is through her that we will gain the inevitable triumph!"

Later in the morning a delicious brunch was served, and after a time to visit and relax, the first of several talks began in McCabe Theatre at noon. Father Douglas Laudenschlager, priest of the Society and Pastor of the Immaculate Conception Chapel and School in Post Falls, Idaho, delivered an address on the "Unity in the Church." With the recent appearance of the schismatic bishops in Mexico, France, and the United States, claiming to be traditional Catholic bishops while denying the Church has a valid Pope and planning to elect their own pope—perhaps even several popes!—and whose consecrations are deplored by Archbishop Lefebvre, the crowd that came to McCabe Theatre to hear Father Laudenschlager was most attentive—and they were not disappointed. Father explained that often there are men who will not be tempted by the sins of self-indulgence and sensuality, but allow themselves to be duped by the devil into heresy and schism under the pretext of better serving the Church. "It is now in our day," Father said "that the sin of schism—breaking of unity with the one true Church—is becoming prevalent. "We can become schismatic then, either by failing to recognize the Vicar of Christ, or by refusing to have anything to do with other faithful Catholics around us," Father said. "Many of those who claim to be preserving the Catholic Faith have already, around the world and in different little communities, in different little sects, fallen victim to this temptation."

"In many communities, such as Palmar de Troya in Spain, a gentleman received holy orders in an illegitimate manner; he now claims to be Pope. There is another just like him claiming to be Pope—with the same name no less—in the Province of Quebec. My own neighbor in northern Idaho, Francis Shukhart, with his Fatima Crusade, is another layman who received holy orders in a completely illegitimate manner. Shukhart has founded a community where he tells the faithful they are the only Catholics left in the world, and he, of course, the only true bishop. Finally, those bishops you have heard about recently who have received holy orders, again in an illegitimate manner, include one American from Texas, soon to be followed by another [American]. These things are manifestations of this sin of schism which, while preserving certain external appearances of Catholicism, separate souls from the unity of the Catholic Church. Although they may be offering Mass, it is an irrelevant question whether their ordinations be valid, since it is outside the true Church, it can only be displeasing to Almighty God. Their sacraments cannot be for us or for anyone a source of grace, for they themselves have amputated themselves from the Body of Christ."

Father Laudenschlager concluded this portion of his talk by emphasizing, especially in light of these schismatic developments, the importance of the work of the Society of St. Pius X which is guided by the authority of a legitimate bishop of the Church. "We go forth," Father said, "under the banner of our Blessed Mother, and pray to her daily, who from the beginning of the world has crushed all heresies, that she may crush them in this day as well and spare us not only the sin of heresy but spare us in any way from ever separating ourselves from the unity of the true Church."

After this first lecture, everyone went to the Hospitality Room for snacks and a time for visiting before the afternoon address by Father Bolduc on the Society of St. Pius X.

Later, Father Bolduc explained that the recent rumors of the Archbishop's resignation were completely false and that His Grace's recent visit to Rome was no more than a routine meeting with the Holy Father's representative, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. Father continued that, in His Grace's visit to the Vatican (in April of this year), the Vatican agreed to accept his (the Archbishop's) position on the Second Vatican Council which is that all documents are to be interpreted in the light of tradition and magisterium. Archbishop Lefebvre has revealed that he considers this concession an important step toward Rome's acceptance of his stand on the Mass, an acceptance which the Archbishop feels is only a matter of time in coming. Father Bolduc said that although a statement has not yet been issued in this matter of the Mass, headway has been made. In informing the audience that a General Chapter Meeting of the Society of St. Pius X would be held at Ecône in September, Father Bolduc said he was sure His Grace would have more information to impart at that time.

The well-planned balance of this year's pilgrimage between the often serious nature of the lectures and the spiritual exercises for the faithful was most evident this second day. For, after the afternoon talks by Fathers Laudenschlager and Bolduc, the pilgrims gathered in procession to the lovely Grotto honoring Our Lady of Lourdes, to the statue of the Sacred Heart, and other shrines on the campus, all the while singing Marian hymns and all experiencing the unity of the Faith that Father Laudenschlager had spoken of so well.

After dinner that evening, everyone was treated to a delightful and moving film, "Come to the Stable," with Loretta Young and Celeste Holm portraying two holy and industrious nuns determined, with prayer and cleverness, to establish a hospital in America. The inspiring film was a proper prelude to the final events of the evening—the Living Rosary, followed by Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.

Again, the Angelus bell sounded at 7:00 a.m. on the morning of the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. If this point had not been the conscious focus of the pilgrims before, it was now! The talks on Mary and the Church that had preceded this Feast, the campus dedicated to her, the whole reason for the pilgrimage, and, as stated before, the Marian spirit of the St. Mary's staff and the pilgrims, all combined on this morning in one single shared response of devotion and piety. One knew this even without being able to express it as the Chapel continued to fill and all eyes were drawn to the altar decked with white flowers. The bell from the sacristy sounded, the congregation rose, and the choir magnificently sang out: Tu es sacerdos, as the priests came forward for the Solemn High Mass to honor the Mother of God in the most sublime and heavenly means possible on earth.

"If we all wish to be like Mary," Father Bolduc said at the sermon, "as we all should, because she is the epitome for us of what a Catholic ought to be, then we first have to start by imitating her soul. We have to imitate the fact that she was without sin." Father went on to point out that although Mary was created special by God, without sin, she still had free will, just as we have a free will. "We too have been given an option by God," Father said. "We can choose to sin or we can choose not to sin. If we will only use Mary as an example throughout our lives we will find ourselves constantly being moved toward a path that will lead us to sinlessness and which will lead us directly to heaven."

Appropriately, and in this same spirit, Rev. Mr. Parrot delivered the afternoon address on the Blessed Virgin to the crowd gathered in McCabe Theatre. "In our human way of looking at things, He [Jesus Christ] seems in a certain way to be distant," Mr. Parrot said. "And God, in His infinite wisdom, took this into account from the beginning of all creation. He has given us Our Lady...and Our Lady, in many respects, is like the link between God and His creation. The priest is the mediator between God and man, therefore he is a kind of link between us and Our Lord. A priest, when he begins saying Mass, starts at the foot of the altar by reciting the Confiteor in which he acknowledges his own sinfulness. And so, once again, even in viewing the priest as the mediator between God and man it seems that there is still an immense distance between the priest and Our Lord Himself. Well, this gap, so to speak, in the whole hierarchy of creation is filled by Our Lady. Her qualities are so extraordinary the theologians and mystics do not hesitate to tell us that she is greater than all the rest of creation put together—greater than all the totality of angels and men!"

It was on this lofty and sublime level of praise of Mary that the rest of the afternoon's devotions were made: the Total Consecration to the Blessed Virgin Mary in Assumption Chapel, followed by the procession to Our Lady's Garden and the Crowning of Mary with the wooden carved statue of Our Lady of St. Mary's with the specially-commissioned gold and jeweled crown made for this statue and purpose.

With the 200 pilgrims, St. Mary's residents and staff, priests and religious, several hundred people were seated for the final banquet in the gymnasium. It was here, after the superbly catered meal by the St. Mary's kitchen staff, that Father Bolduc delivered the major address of the Pilgrimage. Essentially, he appealed to all Catholics to be bold in the practice of their Faith, to be fervent and unafraid, especially in their God-given right through the Roman Catholic Church to assist at the Latin Tridentine Mass and to do everything possible to give their children a traditional Catholic education. Commenting on the fact that Almighty God, Jesus Christ, chose suffering as the means to redemption, Father said: "And we today are faced with the same prospect of having to arrive at a desired goal by knowing there is no easy way of getting there, knowing that we are going to have our Calvary, knowing that we are going to have our suffering to go through, knowing that we are going to have to acknowledge the fact that if we wish to remain Roman Catholics and keep our true Faith and save our souls and the souls of our children, that we are going to have to do something extra. The Church today does not need mediocre Catholics." After developing a rather dark picture of the state of the world and the parallel disastrous condition of the Church, Father said, "...and things will get worse, but that doesn't mean you give up because things are going to get worse—you find that extreme in the traditional Catholic movement. You've got to determine that what you can do is important. Too many Catholics take themselves for granted and don't realize the potential they have. So much goes wasted! If we put our energies together there is not anything we couldn't accomplish! But so many are afraid to take the step...that isn't what is going to bring the Church back! Self-sacrifice, penance, suffering: that's the only way from here on out! Anything else we get is gravy and undeserved. We have to give, and give until it hurts, of ourselves, of everything, to sacrifice everything so that the Tridentine Mass will survive. That is the key to our redemption, that is the key to salvation, that is the key to our lives...we would suffer spiritual death without the Mass!"

In closing, Father Bolduc asked the pilgrims to ask themselves as they left St. Mary's what they could do to help God, what they could do for the traditional Catholic movement, what they could do to preserve the Mass. "Answer it," Father said, "then go out and do it! Start your school; send your children to a traditional Catholic school; teach them their catechism; defend the traditional Catholic priests; start up your colleges; start up your Mass centers; and if it's going to cost you something, forget it for be it material or otherwise, you're not going to take it with you!"

"Don't let God down," Father concluded, "take up the cross where He left it. He left it standing there empty on Calvary... and the vacancy He left there was intended for you and me to pick up. Are you going to say no to Christ, are you going to turn your back on Mary? Are you fruitful? Are you contributing anything? You have been given your Faith on a silver platter! All you have to do is make it alive: live it! He's given you a tremendous opportunity; He has put you where the action is! He needs you! People have gone through civilizations where they had to do nothing for the Faith! What poor miserable creatures! Where we are right in the middle of it, we're dodging the bullets, we're on the front line! Everything we do, every word we utter, every act is something for God... God chose us special for this time... What are we going to do? Really, there is no choice: we should leave here, go home, and immediately start on that work of returning the Church to normalcy, to sanity."

After a vigorous round of applause, after the pilgrims visited for a time and reflected on Father's words, after that evening's Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, followed by the final film of the Pilgrimage, Song of Bernadette, after one realized, as if suddenly, another St. Mary's Pilgrimage had come to a successful end, one sensed with a real amount of conviction that there were now among us those faithful Catholics whose faith had been inflamed by this Marian Pilgrimage, by the graces from the sacraments they had received these three days, by the challenging and sometimes "hard sayings" of the priests, and that they would indeed return home to take up the good fight for the Holy Roman Catholic Church in whatever way God and the Blessed Mother would guide them.