MSM’s OUR LADY’s AFRICAN FUND VISIT TO KENYA

In 1961, Strathmore College was started in Nairobi by a group of members of Opus Dei and their associates, with the intention of contributing to the development of a soon-to-be independent Kenya. By the mid-80s it was fully established as a school of accountancy and a secondary school, and it was decided to start a primary school. Through friendship with one of the chaplains, Fr Cormac Burke, I was recruited to help the kick-off, and taught there in 1987-1988, before returning to U.K. After 2000, I built up a tiny system of contributing to bursaries for pupils at Strathmore under the MSM banner. By the time I was able to sponsor some children at a primary school and feeding centre – run by nuns – at the edge of a large slum, I had gathered a couple of associates and a widening list of generous benefactors. The basis of our Fund was the exchange of prayer between benefactors and beneficiaries. This continues to be so.

In 2011, I was invited by staff at Strathmore to be at the celebrations for their 50^th anniversary. I decided to go, as I could meet our bursary boys and their families, and visit St Martin’s. I also wanted to meet the boys whom I had taught when they were 6 and 7 years old … now in their early 30s. Well. It was a family celebration, and during the course of the week I able to do most of what I had intended.

I was told how many families could be fed for how many years by the equivalent of the price of a Merc. A lot of Kenyans believe in the emergence of a new, democratic and egalitarian society, but the widespread corruption from the highest in the land to the policemen who will waive a justified fine at the gift of a few shillings must be eliminated. What a big role Christian education has to play if the dream is to come true, and a personal sense of challenge – which seems a characteristic of Kenyan youth … one of my former Strathmore pupils, Kimathi, deliberately chose, for his secondary education, to board at one of the toughest and roughest of Nairobi grammar schools, to train himself to be ready for anything that life might throw at him.

Nor can one miss the fact of Kenya’s religiosity. I attended Mass at 7 a.m. at  the Consolata sanctuary in Westlands on the Monday… a congregation of around 100 sang hymns! Although Kenyans certainly love piety, they meet the hardships of life with an acceptance that we in the North find difficult. Nor is the religious sense limited to Christianity… next to my hostel (run by a charming German nun) was a mosque, and the contribution of the Sikh and Ismaeli communities is a valued part of modern Kenyan history. I noticed a slogan painted on the back of a public minibus which might sum up the Kenyan attitude: ‘I work for a Jewish Carpenter!’ The Kenyan sense of God’s presence, hard work and order, the evident family life certainly suggest the possibility of vocations to the Knights of Our Lady, and Nairobi is becoming a Marian city!

And the Strathmore Project? Strathmore University now has several thousand students and increasing faculties… a study of philosophy is already a requirement for all courses. I was shown another project launched by Strathmore which also impressed me immensely: the Eastlands College of Technology. Eastlands is a deprived district around the railway area linking Nairobi with the coast and with Lake Victoria and it is full of stallholders eeking out a living by selling, mainly, foodstuffs from upcountry. Providing short courses and a qualification for graduates of local schools in business management is going to enable a growing stream of upwardly mobile young people to feed Kenya’s prosperity. Each young graduate is asked to make a regular contribution from per new income to the College to promote the expansion of the system, rather than be hi-jacked into socialism or communism. I think that this project is worth supporting. Our Lady’s African Fund is thus considering taking up a bursary or two.

I met several of the families that our Fund has been supporting, being invited to their homes to share a meal. I was driven through the Kibagare slum to St Martin’s Good News and Feeding Centre, to be met by Sister Leah – the Administrator – with a big smile on her face at the gate. She introduced me to the Headmaster, Mr George Gichuki, and to the Staff and finally to the 10-12 children whom we have been sponsoring, to whom I gave greetings cards from children in the London schools who have raised funds … My host for the visits was Michael Pike, of the Strathmore School academic council. He assured me that Strathmore secondary is widening its doors to boys from a variety of primaries and economic backgrounds. More bursaries are needed. Finally I was able to dine with some of my former pupils … some now married and fathers, with executive jobs: part of the future of this great country!

- Stephen de la Bédoyère, MSM Preceptor of Great Britain, Founder of Our Lady’s African Fund (OLAF)

Passing of Dom Niggl, OSB, Abbot Emeritus, German Prioral Chaplain

Dom Dr. Thomas Niggl, OSB, German Prioral Chaplain of the MSM, received his eternal reward on December 10th 2011 at the Abbey of Ettal in Altabt, Germany.  Dom Nigel was Abbot Emeritus of the Abbey of Weltenburg in Bavaria.

An MSM Chaplain for over 15 years, Dom Niggl dubbed eight Knights of Our Lady between 1997 and 2003,including British Preceptor Stephen de la Bedoyere, British Knight Andrew Cesana, and French Prior Yvon Pinson.

Four Knights of Our Lady and one Lady of the Order were present at his funeral in Weltenburg on December 15th 2011.

May he Rest in Peace and May Eternal Light Shine Upon his Soul. Resquiat in Pacem!

Passing of Servant of Our Lady Rosemary Rendel, Dame of St-Gregory

Please remember the repose of the soul of Servant of Our Lady Miss Rosemary Rendel, who died on 12th December, 2011, aged 87, at her residential home in Shepton Mallett near Glastonbury.

Rosemary was received into the MSM as a Servant of Our Lady at the Oratory on 18.04.98.

She was distinguished as a historian of Recusancy (i.e., the persecution of Catholics in XVIth, XVIIth and XVIIIth centuries in England) and played an important part in preserving the Catholic Central Library. She was nominated 'Catholic Woman of the Year' and appointed a 'Dame of St Gregory'.

MSM Presence at the Rosary Crusade March of Reparation, London, October 8th 2011

Preceptor Stephen de la Bédoyère, with Mgr. Keith Newton (Protonotary Apostolic of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham), Knights and Dames of Malta, and Brothers of the Little Oratory, preparing to march:

MSM leading the processing through the streets of Westminster, Chelsea, Knightsbridge and South Kensington, immediately following the Brothers of the Little Oratory:

Preceptor de la Bédoyère and Chev. Gauthier, with Altar Boys, the Knights of Malta and Mgr. Newton, at the conclusion of the reparation service, in the Sacristy of the Brompton Oratory:

THE MSM's PROFESSION AND THREE VOWS

After several years of formation and practical acquaintance with the Rule, some are called to chivalry and make their knightly profession; their wives may join them in this, if they so wish. What is involved is an authentic consecration setting them on the quest for evangelical perfection. This profession involves three solemn private vows:

-        Conversion of life: promising to live thenceforward in all the circumstances of life according to laws of chivalry and the Rule of the Order, as a vassal of Christ the King and Our Lady. The knight never forgets that the struggle against evil begins with his own conversion.

-        Fidelity to the Order: giving obedience to the officers of the Order within the limits of the Rule, and observing the duty of giving fraternal support to all other members of the Order.

-        Defence of the Church: a commitment to loving the Church by generously promoting a love for Her teaching, Her discipline and Her hierarchy.

By means of the above vows, the newly professed knight gives himself completely once for all to a ‘quest’ which will thenceforth govern, guide and unify his life ‘as a Knight of Our Lady before all, in all, always and everywhere.’

THE THREE PILLARS OF THE LIFE OF THE MEMBERS OF THE MSM

PRAYER: We participate in the Prayer of the Church through the Eucharist, the Office of Our Lady, personal prayer, and meditating on the Rosary. Steeped in Marian spirituality, the Knight of Our Lady is ever mindful that  Chivalry gave the Blessed Mother the beautiful title of ‘Our Lady.’ The MSM belongs to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God and Mother of the Church. Each member is consecrated to her according to the devout formula of St Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort, which forms an essential part of our knighthood. As St Louis-Marie wrote: ‘It is through Mary that Jesus came into the world and it is also through Mary that He will return at the end of time, although in a different way.’

FORMATION: The knightly struggle today supposes a holistic preparation: spiritual, doctrinal, intellectual, cultural, physical, and moral. The Order helps each member to sit down at the school of Mary, in order to acquire the necessary formation to pray and act. As noted by Pope John Paul II: ‘The situation today points to an ever-increasing urgency for a doctrinal formation of the lay faithful, not simply in a better understanding which is natural to faith’s dynamism, but also in enabling them to “give a reason for their hope” in view of the world and its grave and complex problems’ (Christi Fideles Laici).

ACTION: Each member of the MSM is required to have an on-going apostolic or charitable activity, in the service of his Sovereign Lady Mary, in relation to his situation, his personal vocation, and his talents. The Order also offers its members group action, within a variety of fraternities. As appropriate, these associations welcome the collaboration of Christians who are not part of the Order.

THE THREE AIMS OF THE MSM

TO SERVE THE FAITH

TO DEFEND THE CHURCH

TO PROMOTE CHRISTIANITY AND PEACE

Hymn of the Knights of Our Lady

‘ Guide our steps along the true path,

O Mary, Lady of the Knights;

Be the Star of our quest,

And draw us beyond the veil.’

SUMMARY OF THE OBSERVANCES OF THE MSM RULE

The obligations and strict observances of the MSM Observantia are as follows:-

EACH DAY:
- A liturgical Hour from the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
- A period of mental prayer.

EACH WEEK:
- Attendance at Mass at least once beside Sunday.
- The recitation of one Rosary during the course of the week.
- The reading, with meditation, of a passage of the Rule.

EACH MONTH:
- Attendance at the Command chapter meeting.

SEVEN TIMES A YEAR:
- Mass and Holy Communion on the solemn feast and five major feast days of the Order, and on the feast day of the Priory’s patron saint.

DURING THE YEAR:
- Regular reading of Holy Scripture.
- Study necessary for doctrinal formation.
- Participation in the activities of the Order, each according to his chosen concerns.

ONCE A YEAR:
- Attendance at the General Chapter (or that of the Priory).
- A retreat of several days’ duration in a recollected environment such as that of a monastery (c.f., chap. XI  of the MSM Rule -Note that this observance has yet to be formally included among the Observances in the next edition of the Rule )

MSM Meeting with Mgr. Hendricks in Southwark,UK

On September 13th 2011, Stephen de la Bédoyère and Jean-Paul Gauthier were blessed to have an audience with Mgr. Paul Hendricks, Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Southwark.

Bishop Paul gave us nearly two hours of his time. He listened to our explanation of the MSM, and asked many questions (his episcopal speciality is humanism ).

Mgr. Paul expressed a positive view of the MSM, and is happy for us to keep in touch. He also suggested a visit to the Archbishop of Southwark, Mgr. Peter Smith.

We discussed recruitment and formation. He considers that the importance we give to the formation, especially to brother-at-arms, is a good sign of our vitality and challenge…

As we explained the Marian basis of the MSM, Mgr. Paul felt that contacts with the pilgrimage centres of Aylesford and Walsingham would be beneficial; also continued contact with Mgr. Moth of the Military Archdiocese and the new Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham (the new structure and rite for Anglican convert to Catholicism).

Mgr. Paul showed himself most interested in the International Familiaris Consortio Institute, and its development in G.B.

We mentioned the importance of family life as the setting of our way of life and the first area of our apostolate. We also mentioned also the importance of our professional work, whatever it might be, for evangelisation.

When Mgr. Paul asked for the two keys to our spirituality, our response was: Humility with Our Lady, Consecration to Our Lady.
__

Stephen de la Bedoyere, Preceptor of Great Britain

MSM Marian Consecration according to the Montfort formula

The words of consecration are:

O Eternal and incarnate Wisdom! O sweetest and most adorable Jesus! True God and true man, only Son of the Eternal Father, and of Mary, always virgin! I adore Thee profoundly in the bosom and splendors of Thy Father during eternity; and I adore Thee also in the virginal bosom of Mary, Thy most worthy Mother, in the time of Thine incarnation.

I give Thee thanks for that Thou hast annihilated Thyself, taking the form of a slave in order to rescue me from the cruel slavery of the devil. I praise and glorify Thee for that Thou hast been pleased to submit Thyself to Mary, Thy holy Mother, in all things, in order to make me Thy faithful slave through her. But, alas! Ungrateful and faithless as I have been, I have not kept the promises which I made so solemnly to Thee in my Baptism; I have not fulfilled my obligations; I do not deserve to be called Thy child, nor yet Thy slave; and as there is nothing in me which does not merit Thine anger and Thy repulse, I dare not come by myself before Thy most holy and august Majesty. It is on this account that I have recourse to the intercession of Thy most holy Mother, whom Thou hast given me for a mediatrix with Thee. It is through her that I hope to obtain of Thee contrition, the pardon of my sins, and the acquisition and preservation of wisdom.

Hail, then, O immaculate Mary, living tabernacle of the Divinity, where the Eternal Wisdom willed to be hidden and to be adored by angels and by men! Hail, O Queen of Heaven and earth, to whose empire everything is subject which is under God. Hail, O sure refuge of sinners, whose mercy fails no one. Hear the desires which I have of the Divine Wisdom; and for that end receive the vows and offerings which in my lowliness I present to thee.

I, N_____, a faithless sinner, renew and ratify today in thy hands the vows of my Baptism; I renounce forever Satan, his pomps and works; and I give myself entirely to Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Wisdom, to carry my cross after Him all the days of my life, and to be more faithful to Him than I have ever been before. In the presence of all the heavenly court I choose thee this day for my Mother and Mistress. I deliver and consecrate to thee, as thy slave, my body and soul, my goods, both interior and exterior, and even the value of all my good actions, past, present and future; leaving to thee the entire and full right of disposing of me, and all that belongs to me, without exception, according to thy good pleasure, for the greater glory of God in time and in eternity.

Receive, O benignant Virgin, this little offering of my slavery, in honor of, and in union with, that subjection which the Eternal Wisdom deigned to have to thy maternity; in homage to the power which both of you have over this poor sinner, and in thanksgiving for the privileges with which the Holy Trinity has favored thee. I declare that I wish henceforth, as thy true slave, to seek thy honor and to obey thee in all things.

O admirable Mother, present me to thy dear Son as His eternal slave, so that as He has redeemed me by thee, by thee He may receive me! O Mother of mercy, grant me the grace to obtain the true Wisdom of God; and for that end receive me among those whom thou lovest and teachest, whom thou leadest, nourishest and protectest as thy children and thy slaves.

O faithful Virgin, make me in all things so perfect a disciple, imitator and slave of the Incarnate Wisdom, Jesus Christ thy Son, that I may attain, by thine intercession and by thine example, to the fullness of His age on earth and of His glory in Heaven. Amen.

What the MSM Likes About the 3rd Edition of the Roman Missel

Pope John Paul II announced a revised version of the Missale Romanum during the Jubilee Year 2000. The process of translating the new Missal began in 2003 and has been ongoing since then. The Roman Missal was implemented in the United States of America on the First Sunday of Advent, November 27, 2011.

The bishops in the early seventies were anxious to get the new Missal to the people as quickly as possible. But the translation they hastily approved was distorted because it was based on a flawed principle of translation known as “dynamic equivalence”. The principle was endorsed in Comme le prévoit, the 1969 translation guideline produced by the Consilium for Implementing the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy. The International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL) was faithful to much of that instruction, and even went beyond it, so what we ended up with was a paraphrase rather than a translation.

A reorganized ICEL has worked on the translations, under the guidance of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments (CDW) through the Vox Clara (“A Clear Voice”) committee, chaired by Cardinal George Pell. The new principles for translation are set out in an official instruction, Liturgiam authenticam.

Among other things, the revised edition of the Missale Romanum contains prayers for the observances of recently canonized saints, additional prefaces for the Eucharistic Prayers, additional Votive Masses and Masses and Prayers for Various Needs and Occasions, and some updated and revised rubrics (instructions) for the celebration of the Mass. The English translation of the Roman Missal also includes updated translations of existing prayers, including some of the well-known responses and acclamations of the people.

Striking examples of inaccuracy are evident if Latin references to Our Lady in the Missale Romanum are checked against the ICEL texts previously in use.

In the old ICEL version the bland expression “the Virgin Mary” is used again and again. This does not truthfully translate a variety of references to Mary in the Missale Romanum. Nor does “blessed” truly render “beatissima”, because this superlative, “most blessed”, is reserved for the Mother of God, proclaiming her as the pre-eminent saint, the Queen of all Saints. “Dynamic equivalence” becomes more destructive when Marian phrases that convey doctrinal truths taught by the Church are simply removed. In the first Preface of Our Lady, two unequivocal Latin phrases expressing Mary’s perpetual virginity just vanished. The second became a paraphrase: “She became the virgin mother of your Son”. But that does not carry the Latin “virginitatis gloria permanente”, literally “the glory of her virginity remaining”. “She became the virgin mother of your Son” barely hints at Mary’s perpetual virginity as set out in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. In the collect for the third day before Christmas the adjective “immaculate” also vanished. In the collect for the Memorial of Our Lady of Mount Carmel the mystical representation of the Son of Mary as a holy mountain has also vanished, even if it is central to Carmelite spirituality. Why? Here we touch on ideological motives reflecting the era when the first ICEL translations were made. These examples of the destructive effects of “dynamic equivalence” as employed by the earlier ICEL translators reveal a vernacular version of the text of the Roman liturgy that in some places tells lies, so that, at these points and many others, it is no longer the Roman liturgy. Here we find an amazing failure to comprehend a basic principle of Christology and Mariology. The Marian adjectives are doctrinal not poetic. Let me assure you that all this is corrected in the new translation, which gives full honor to the Mother of God.

The new ICEL translations reflect not only accuracy but reverence for the mystery of God, indeed the centrality of God, which is the meaning of Christian worship. In the Roman Canon, after the consecration we find a rhythmic repetition: “hostiam puram, hostiam sanctam, hostiam immaculatam”, now to be rendered as “this pure victim, this holy victim, this spotless victim”. At present this is boiled down as “this holy and perfect sacrifice”. The ICEL of the past avoided repetitions, but repetition is always a part of prayer. In the “I confess” we will admit that we have “greatly” sinned, “through my fault, my own fault, my own most grievous fault”. Again the new ICEL is not afraid of symbolic repetition and respects familiarity with the “mea culpa” phrase among Catholics (and, indeed, western Christians). The only change in the “Holy, holy...” is replacing “God of power and might” with a more literal “Lord God of hosts”, Dominus Deus Sabaoth, the word “Sabaoth” being a Hebrew reference to the countless angelic armies. This is a return to the first (1964) English version of the Mass. A particularly beautiful development is the complete retranslation of the invitation to Communion. Instead of the blunt and bland “This is the Lamb of God … happy are those who are called to His supper”, the priest will say, “Behold the Lamb of God. Behold Him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb”. Our response will be closer to the words of the centurion in the Scriptures (Luke 7: 6-7): “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.” Note the shift to God’s initiative, not “that I should receive you” rather “that you should enter under my roof” and the restoration of “soul”. There was a fear of the word “soul” among theologians forty years ago.

The entire Church in the United States has been blessed with this opportunity to deepen its understanding of the Sacred Liturgy, and to appreciate its meaning and importance in our lives.  Parishes should now be in the planning process for the implementation, with a goal toward executing that plan in the coming months.

Archbishop Chaput of Denver's Letter to the MSM

Dear M. Gauthier,

Thank you for your very kind email, but more importantly, for your witness.  I browsed the hyperlinks you included, and the men and activities of MSM are quite impressive.  One of the real problems in the Church since the council has been the decline of a credible Catholic masculinity and a weakening of our historical memory.  This is the reason I speak from time to time on the ideal of knighthood, and why your own service is so important.

As you can imagine, the demands on my time are pretty heavy – I’m afraid it goes with the work of a bishop – but if I meet men who might fit with the MSM vocation, I will definitely send them your way.

God bless you for your work, and please remember me in your prayers.  I will keep you in mine.

With best wishes in Christ,

+cjc

Denver, CO, April 6th, 2011

Michael's Story

Background

What follows is a copy of a letter that was written by a young Marine to his mother while he was hospitalized after being wounded on a Korean battlefield in 1950. It came into the hands of a Navy Chaplain, who read the letter before 5,000 Marines at a San Diego Naval Base in 1951.

The Navy chaplain had talked to the boy, to the boy's mother and to the Seargant in charge of the patrol. This navy chaplain, Father Walter Muldy, would always assure anyone who asked that this is a true story.

This letter had been read once a year in the 1960's over a Midwestern radio station at Christmas time. Since October is the month of Holy Angels, we thought our readers would find it of interest. We present the letter and let it stand on its own merits. (J.V.) "Catholic Family News" October 1998

The Story

Dear Mom,

I wouldn't dare write this letter to anyone but you because no one else would believe it. Maybe even you will find it hard but I have got to tell somebody. First off, I am in a hospital. Now don't worry, you hear me don't worry. I was wounded but I am okay, you understand? Okay. The doctor says that I will be up and around in a month. But that is not what I want to tell you.

Remember when I joined the Marines last year; remember when I left, how you told me to say a prayer to St. Michael everyday? You really didn't have to tell me that. Ever since I can remember you always told me to pray to St. Michael the Archangel. You even named me after him. Well, I always have.

When I got to Korea, I prayed even harder.  Remember the prayer that you taught me? "Michael, Michael of the morning fresh corp of heaven adorning", you remember the rest of it. Well I said it everyday. Sometimes when I was marching or sometimes resting. But always before I went to sleep. I even got some of the other fellas to say it.

Well, one day I was with an advance detail way up over the front lines. We were scouting fot the Commies. I was plodding along in the bitter cold, my breath was like cigar smoke.  I thought I knew every guy in the patrol, when along side of me comes another Marine I never met before. He was bigger than any other Marine I'd ever seen. He must have been 6'4" and built in proportion. It gave me a feeling of security to have such a body near.

Anyway, there we were trudging along. The rest of the patrol spread out. Just to start a conversation I said, "Cold ain't it?" And then I laughed. Here I was with a good chance of getting killed any minute and I am talking about the weather.

My companion seemed to understand. I heard him laugh softly.  I looked at him, " I have never seen you before, I thought I knew every man in the outfit." "I just joined at the last minute," he replied. The name is Michael."  "Is that so," I said surprised. "That is my name too."  "I know," he said and then went on, "Michael, Michael of the morning..."

I was too amazed to say anything for a minute. How did he know my name, and a prayer that you had taught me? Then I smiled to myself, every guy in the outfit knows about me. Hadn't I taught the prayer to anybody who would listen? Why now and then, they even referred to me as St. Michael.

Neither of us spoke for a time and then he broke the silence. "We are going to have some trouble up ahead."  He must have been in fine physical shape or he was breathing so lightly I couldn't see his breath. Mine poured out in great clouds. There was no smile on his face now. Trouble ahead, I thought to myself, well with the Commies all around us, that is no great revelation.

Snow began to fall in great thick globs. In a brief moment the whole countryside was blotted out. And I was marching in a white fog of wet sticky particles. My companion disappeared.  "Michael," I shouted in sudden alarm.  I felt his hand on my arm, his voice was rich and strong, "This will stop shortly."

His prophecy proved to be correct. In a few minutes the snow stopped as abruptly as it had begun. The sun was a hard shining disc.

I looked back for the rest of the patrol, there was no one in sight. We lost them in that heavy fall of snow. I looked ahead as we came over a little rise.

Mom, my heart stopped. There were seven of them. Seven Commies in their padded pants and jackets and their funny hats. Only there wasn't anything funny about them now. Seven rifles were aimed at us.

"Down Michael," I screamed and hit the frozen earth.  I heard those rifles fire almost as one. I heard the bullets. There was Michael still standing.  Mom, those guys couldn't have missed, not at that range. I expected to see him literally blown to bits. But there he stood, making no effort to free himself. He was paralyzed with fear. It happens sometimes, Mom, even to the bravest. He was like a bird fascinated by a snake.  At least, that is what I thought then. I jumped up to pull him down and that was when I got mine. I felt a sudden flame in my chest. I often wondered what it felt like to be hit, now I know.

I remember feeling strong arms about me, arms that laid me ever so gently on my pillow of snow. I opened my eyes, for one last look. I was dying. Maybe I was even dead, I remember thinking well, this is not so bad.  Maybe I was looking into the sun. Maybe I was in shock. But it seemed I saw Michael standing erect again only this time his face was shining with a terrible splendor.

As I say, maybe it was the sun in my eyes, but he seemed to change as I watched him. He grew bigger, his arms stretched out wide, maybe it was the snow falling again, but there was a brightness around him like the wings of an angel. In his hand was a sword. A sword that flashed with a million lights.

Well, that is the last thing I remember until the rest of the fellas came up an found me. I do not know how much time had passed. Now and then I had but a moment's rest from the pain and fever. I remember telling them of the enemy just ahead.

"Where is Michael," I asked.  I saw them look at one another. "Where's who?" asked one.  "Michael, Michael that big Marine I was walking with just before the snow squall hit us."  "Kid," said the sergeant, "You weren't walking with anyone. I had my eyes on you the whole time. You were getting too far out. I was just going to call you in when you disappeared in the snow."  He looked at me, curiously, "How did you do it kid?"  "How'd I do what?" I asked half angry despite my wound. "This marine name Michael and I were just..."  "Son," said the sergeant kindly, "I picked this outfit myself and there just ain't another Michael in it. You are the only Mike in it."

He paused for a minute, "Just how did you do it kid? We heard shots. There hasn't been a shot fired from your rifle. And there isn't a bit of lead in them seven bodies over the hill there."  I didn't say anything, what could I say? I could only look open-mouthed with amazement.  It was then the sergeant spoke again, "Kid," he said gently, "everyone of those Commies was killed by a sword stroke."

That is all I can tell you Mom. As I say, it may have been the sun in my eyes, it may have been the cold or the pain. But that is what happened.

Love, Michael

Michael, Michael of the Morning

Michael Michael of the morning,
Fresh chord of dawn adorning,
Keep me safe today,
And in time of temptation
Drive the devil away

MSM Founder Remembered at St-John Cantius in Chicago

In order that the MSM's founder Dom Lafond might be remembered in North America as well, he hasbeen enrolled in the Perpetual Mass Society of the Canons Regular of St-John Cantius (Society of St-John Cantius -SJC), in the name of the Militia Sanctae-Mariae. Masses will be offered in the Extraordinary Form (1962 Missale Romanum) at St. John Cantius Church in Chicago, at 6:00 a.m. each Wednesday, as long as the Congregation continues to serve that church.

Saint Michael's Prayer

Saint Michael, Archangel, defend us in battle.
Be our protection against the wickedness
and snares of the Devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray;
And do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host,
by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan and all the other evil spirits who prowl about the world
seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

Sancte Míchael Archángele,
defénde nos in prælio;
contra nequítiam et insídias diáboli esto præsídium.
Imperet illi Deus,
súpplices deprecámur:
tuque, princeps milítiæ cæléstis,
sátanam aliósque spíritus malígnos,
qui ad perditiónem animárum pervagántur in mundo, divína virtúte in inférnum detrúde.
Amen.

MSM Doctrinal Capitulary No.2 (on the Novus Ordo Missae)

Doctrinal Capitulary No. 2 (February 1970, Summary)

Approval

Cardinal OTTAVIANI:
Rome, February 11, 1970

“Very Reverend Father [Dom Lafond],
I received your letter of 23 January and the Doctrinal Note, dated January 29. I commend you for your work, which is remarkable for its objectivity and the dignity of his expression. This was not always, alas, the case in this controversy in which we saw ordinary Christians, genuinely offended, mixed with those who use disorder souls to increase the confusion of minds. For my part I only regret having been abused in a way that I did not wish, by the publishing a letter that I sent to the Holy Father without allowing anyone to publish it. I was very pleased to read the speech of the Holy Father on the issues of the new Ordo Missae, and especially its doctrinal clarifications contained in the Public Addresses of 19 and 26 November, after which, I believe, no can honestly be shocked. This Note will make a careful and intelligent work of catechesis to remove some genuine bafflement that the text may generate. In this sense I wish your Doctrinal Note and activity of the Militia Mariae wide dissemination and success.
Sincerely, Most Reverend Father, the expression of my distinguished honors, accompanied by a blessing for all your employees and members of the Militia.
A. Card. Ottaviani”

Cardinal Charles Journet:
Fribourg, January 30, 1970

“Thank you for your kind letter of 25 January. Thanks again for the Doctrinal Note on the new Ordo Missae, which I have just read with joy. I am in full agreement with everything you say. I hope you pass your study to Rome. I know your work will be considered there in the preparation of a new edition of the "typical" of the Ordo which has considered the requested changes. [...] I thank you for the solid, bright, balanced pages you allowed to me to read.

I assure you, etc.
Journet Ch [...]”

Monsignor Nestor ADAM, Bishop of Sion, Prelate of the Order for Switzerland:

“I received your letter of February 21, 1970 and the note that accompanied it. I took good knowledge of it. It is a work that deserves the highest praise. The author has expressed what we believe in our heart and conscience, and that which we supported whenever the opportunity presented itself. He really brings out the character of the new Catholic Mass, and he had the courage to formulate several requests with relevant explanations on passages that demanded clarification. We must commend the emphasis he put on demanding respectful obedience to the Holy Father, because we absolutely must stick to the doctrine and legislation of Pope Paul VI...

Please accept, etc.
Nestor Adam, Bishop of Sion [...]”

PREAMBLE
[...] Our study is sufficient, with the very high approvals it has collected, to demonstrate the spirit of good faith and the traditional character and the orthodoxy of the new Ordo, and the obligation of every Catholic to obey the Pope, who was legitimately issued it. [...]

THE SOVEREIGN POWER OF THE HOLY LITURGY
[...] The Roman Pontiff, acting supremely in the matter of paramount importance which the way to celebrate the sacrifice of the New Covenant represents, enjoys the charism of infallibility. It is inconceivable that he could deceive, mislead the bishops, all priests and all the faithful of the Latin Church, by enacting a Mass that would be heretical or close to heresy, or is likely to induce the Church into error on the nature of the Eucharistic Sacrifice. […] The new order is fully Catholic. This is evident from the scrutiny that we have done. It relies on papal infallibility, which is a dogma of Catholic faith.

GENERAL CONCLUSION
In this study, we have shown, texts in hand, that the new order, while bringing about significant changes in the way of celebrating the Mass, in no way constitutes a subversion of the traditional liturgy. Our Catholic Mass remains what it has always been: the renewal of the sacrifice of the Cross. [...] Do not yield to the temptation of the Little Church, nor that of the Little chapels. Since the Pope gives us a new order, receive it with respect; enthusiasm and joy will follow. [...]

Note 4.
The petition that we address the Holy Father lists a considerable number of points, especially in the Institutio Generalis, which should be written with a greater concern for doctrinal accuracy. In a "normal" era, interpretations of the Ordo of a liberal or modernist nature would not necessarily come to anyone's mind. But we are not in a normal time ... The Declaration of the Congregation for Divine Worship, dated 18 November (see Cath. Doc. of 1 March 70) clearly indicates that changes may be suggested to the typical edition: “If one can find expressions for clearer understanding pastoral and catechetical and greater perfection of topics, the Apostolic See will ensure that this is so.”

MSM Doctrinal Capitulary No. 1 (on Vatican II)

Order of the Knights of Our Lady

X^th Chapter General –Chartres, 1967

Doctrinal Capitulary No. 1

"The Church accepts the offering of your work and of your life itself, she calls you more than ever, ye soldiers of Christ, for the difficult and holy battles in her name. Do you not see how the Faith needs to be defended today, how it needs to be openly embraced, with clear statements, assiduous preaching, statements of values, and loving and generous Witness? " –HH Paul VI to the Jesuits, November 16, 1966.

PREAMBLE

The Knights of Our Lady, meeting at Chartres in their tenth General Chapter and in this Year of Faith, discussed the below framework, presented to them, and found it suitable to express the authentic doctrinal line of the Order on the various considered items. Accordingly, the Master of the Order issued it as Doctrinal Capitulary No. 1, and ordered its publication as part of the Proceedings of the X^th General Chapter.

SUMMARY

i -       On the Second Vatican Council and its Interpretation
ii –     On Obedience to the Pope
iii -     On the True Roman Catholic Faith
iv -     On the Love of the Church and of Tradition
v -     On Action in favor of Peace

I –On the Second Vatican Council and its Interpretation

1. We receive with reverence the Second Vatican Council and its decisions, giving them the full commitment of our intelligence and our will, as the Church asks us and according to the Lord's words: "He who hears you, hears Me".

2. We all recognize the texts promulgated by the Pope, and they alone, as an expression of this Council and containing genuine spirit. We hold null and void, since they differ so little that it is, the constant teaching of the Church, all comments, all statements, all the misconceptions that have accompanied, followed or follow the sessions of the Council.

3. We know that no new dogmatic definition was inserted in the Council’s texts, and that outside the defined dogmas which they build on, these texts contain and express similar truths of faith, theologically certain, or common. They are not tainted by any theological error. Their authority varies according to whether or dogmatic constitutions simply pastoral, decrees or simple declarations. We do not choose among these texts, as this would be heretical, and we grant each of them the respect they are due, without seeking to augment or subtract from any. But disdaining the sake of fashion and novelty, we receive with particular fervor the major texts that give a wonderful synthesis of Tradition, including in the Constitutions on the Church, Revelation, Holy Liturgy, etc. We receive with particular joy the Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity outlining a doctrine of light on the relationship of the earthly city with the heavenly city. This doctrine is one we have been defending in the Order, and is the basis of our chivalry.

4. We hold Catholic Tradition as the supreme and infallible rule of interpretation of the conciliar texts, so that these texts cannot possibly contradict past teaching of the Church as given by the Roman Pontiffs, ecumenical councils, the unanimous and the ordinary magisterium of bishops united with the Pope, and by the bi-millennial Faith of the Church from the time of the Apostles until today. Those that would present difficulties must be interpreted in their context, which is none other than the tradition of the Church in general, and not the opinion of this or that particular conciliar father, even if they are the text’s editors, for the true author is none other than the teaching Church, which may in no way contradict itself.

5. As with all the texts of the Magisterium, the Acts of the Council may receive three kinds of interpretation:
a) "Authentic" official and normative interpretation, which may only come from the Legislator, that is to say either the Pope alone, expressing its intention explicitly, or the "College" formed by the Pope and the Bishops and acting as such, by the expressed will of its leader. No bishop or group of bishops from one or more nations can provide an "authentic" interpretation of all or of any part of the conciliar texts.
b) The interpretation given by the Pope and the Bishops in their ordinary and unanimous teaching; or
c) Private theological interpretation, which emanates from competent persons (theologians, bishops, priests and laity) applying the traditional rules in this matter, and taking into account authentic interpretation where it exists. This private interpretation is to be assessed on the merits of its arguments and must be judged objectively.
 
6. We believe that the causes of the current troubles of the Church existed before the Council and that these disorders would have occurred anyway, probably in even more brutally had they not been raised at the Council. We believe that the rules established by the Council in its wisdom will bear fruit if all believers -laity and hierarchy- apply them with a true spirit of Faith and devotion to Tradition.

7. There is a true and a false "spirit of the Council." The true spirit is one of Living Tradition. The fake spirit is that the progressive or neo-modernist one for whom the Council was a step to a radical transformation of the Church and her faith, and their configuration in the world and its spirit.
II - On Obedience to the Pope

1.   Due obedience to the Pope goes without saying for Knights. This is a supernatural, filial obedience, which ultimately relates to Christ, for whom the Roman Pontiff is Vicar. This principle is absolute when it comes to the internal governance of the Church, even where the measures taken seem harmful. Because the Pope has a status commensurate with his august mission, and is in possession of information that we do not possess. He is therefore entitled to favorable consideration. Moreover, he is to be judged by God alone, the Supreme Judge. Even if he committed errors of application in a given situation, as has happened during the long history of the Church, our duty would still be to do as he commands in his Sovereign Authority, leaving it to the Lord to remedy any such errors, because He has promised to attend to his Church until the end. It is in any case excluded by this very promise that the Pope and Government of the Church could lead to its own destruction.

2. In the dealings of the Church with temporal States, we must remember that the primary objective of our common Father is to ensure for Christians, under whatever regime they may live, the best conditions for access to salvation, that is to say a hierarchy, a priesthood, the sacraments, and the Word of God. We will thus not be scandalized when he builds relationships with totalitarian and anti-Christian regimes, or reaches understandings and agreements with them, even if such acts to some extent limit the ability to defend the oppressed. We know that, in these cases, it is the obligation of the laity, and primarily to the Knights of the Church, to declare the law.

3. As for properly and merely political and diplomatic acts of the Holy See, they are obviously not subject to religious obedience. They still require our respect, because of the high authority from which they emanate, and of their ultimate purpose for the common good of all Christendom.

 
III – On the True Roman Catholic Faith

 

1. We protest that the Council could not have intended, and indeed that no one in any case wanted, to abolish or weaken anything that belongs to the Revealed Deposit of Faith. Ecumenism, dialogue, and openness to the world cannot serve any denial of this sacred deposit, and do not to compromise the smallest point of our faith. The Church would cease to be itself –and this is impossible because of the Word of God- if it ceased to confess the Truth revealed in all its fullness and to condemn the errors that are opposed to it. True Catholic Faith, as has always been taught by the Roman Church in its extraordinary and ordinary magisterium, must be intensely and boldly confessed, in season and out of season, in the face of the world.

 

2.   We reject with indignation the distortions to which some Christians of our time are subjecting the True Doctrine. We reject the idolatry of the world, the worship of man, the confusion of the natural and of the supernatural, the theory of " implicit Christianity," systems with an aim of total desacralization of human life and, and even the multiple errors Father Teilhard de Chardin and his Christian followers, and above all else, the false, absurd and ruinous view that the secular world is evolving on its own towards human and spiritual perfection, and is effectively preparing the Kingdom God.

 

3. We publicly confess our Catholic faith, and especially the currently threatened dogma on original sin, incarnation, the atoning sacrifice of the Cross, the reality of the bodily resurrection of Christ, the historical reality of His miracles and their significance in relation to the Faith, His real Presence and Transubstantiation in the Sacrament of the Eucharist, the Immaculate Conception and Perpetual Virginity of His mother, her bodily Assumption, the personal existence of angels and saints, their sacred ministry, and the revolt of demons against God and their fate, as damned men, to eternal hell.

 

4. We also profess the doctrine, essentially biblical and traditional, of the Universal Kingship of Our Lord Jesus Christ, based on the Incarnation of the Word and fully manifested in the Resurrection: this eternal and absolute Kingdom embraces all worlds and times, and can be evaded by no creature. We believe that this Kingship should extend that to all human activities, and that building an orderly and peaceful world is impossible without it Also, the more this holy and blessed Kingship is to any degree ignored or denied, the more we must confess and proclaim it. We await with firm hope the Return of Christ to take effective possession of his Kingdom, from which He shall forever chase away all evil influence, communicating the glory that is his by virtue of His Resurrection from the dead.

IV - On Love of the Church and of Tradition

 

1. As stated in our Rule, "The Knights of Our Lady will love the Church with the same love that they have for the Mother of God ... Insofar as anyone loves the Church, it is to this extent that he has within him the Holy Spirit" (III, 7). We love the Church because she is the Immaculate Bride of Christ and our Mother. We love her not only in her mystery, but also in her earthly existence, and despite the faults of her members. We love her in her faith and integrity and in her institutions. We love her in the past and the present, and we shall, with the grace of God, love her in the future. We love her thirst for the salvation of all men and we love her uncompromising doctrinal intransigence, the sign of her mystical virginity and of her belonging to Christ alone, her Lord. We love too the Anathema by which she rejects, for herself and her children, the adultery and spiritual licentiousness the world unceasingly offers them.

 

2. We absolutely refuse to admit that the Church has been wrong for centuries in its doctrine, in its conduct or its institutions. We know that the Christian people and their pastors have always been sinners, and that sin is an obstacle, sometimes tragically so, to the activity of the Holy Spirit, but also know that at no time has the way of salvation been abandoned, nor the spirit of the Gospel forgotten. We revere equally the Church of the Apostles and Martyrs, the Church of Constantine and that of medieval Christianity, the pre-and post-Tridentine Church, and the Church of our time. We defend the Church in its entirety against all those who, under the guise of reform, hate and seek to distort it.

 

3. We refrain from all harsh criticism or denigration of the pastors of the Church, because they are our fathers in faith and as such deserve our most filial love, but exercise as necessary, with humility and reverence, that holy freedom we possess as the children of God so well highlighted by the Council, to express our views as the Laity, and make known our needs, our rights, and even our reservations.

 

4. We love the Church everything that is truly traditional, which has been of long and legitimate use. We do not dispute that some innovations are necessary and beneficial, but we wish with the Council that these innovations find their meaning within the Living Tradition and not be understood as a sharp break with the past of the Church.

5. We are committed to our traditional liturgical treasures, the Latin language, Gregorian chant, the beauty of our churches and the splendor of our sacred ceremonies. We are determined to defend them, as prescribed by the Council, as is our right and our duty.

6. We refuse all private initiatives in liturgy, all that leads to secularization and the desecration of liturgy. We will insist of our priests, politely and firmly, in all charity, that they show respect for laws passed by the Council and the legitimate organizations approved by the Pope. We refuse to add further disorder, but will take up all appropriate measures with the responsible authorities.

V - On Action in favor of Peace

1. We declare that Peace, and the tranquility of order, is one of the highest purposes of chivalry, and that true knights once rightly received the beautiful name of "Paissiers" or peacemakers.

2. We find that, in this second half of the twentieth century, a new state of war reigns; a subversive war, leveraging for its own ideological aims all available means, poisoning people from all walks of life, and not hesitating to pervert the desire for Peace to help in its subversive aims.

3. We must strive to ensure that the action of the Church in favor of peace, continuous over the centuries, not be misinterpreted today as favoring a moral disarmament or desertion before the enemies of Christianity and the true welfare of man. We shall never tire of showing that self-defense is necessary –that one must be strong to negotiate, that dialogue with the communists is impossible, that the only way to win in this subversive war is to oppose it with a firm commitment, grounded in unshakable conviction- that communism and other forms of subversion hold within themselves the principle of their own destruction –and that they exist only through the intellectual weakness and moral cowardice of men, and especially of too many Christians. We believe that, ultimately, only faith and constant recourse to God in prayer, only the sincere conversion of our peoples, can destroy the works of our enemies. Leveraging the Faithful from the inside will deprive our enemies of their main resource for criminal action against Christendom.

4. We express our solidarity with all peoples suffering under the implacable and inhuman grip of communism, which is "intrinsically evil," and who are fighting through all legitimate means within their power for their freedom and for ours. Our love and gratitude especially go out to our Christian brethren of the Churches of Silence, who must not only face the enemy but must also endure, as did Our Lord Jesus Christ, the misunderstanding and betrayals of their own errant brothers.

5. The peace we relentlessly pursue is the natural, Christian "tranquility of order," which is based on truth, justice, charity, and freedom (Pacem in Terris Encyclical). "This is an enterprise too lofty and too sublime to be realized by man left to his own strength. For present human society, even with perfect fidelity, help from above is absolutely necessary to achieve the Kingdom of God"(Ibid., 166).

The peace propaganda of the Communists and of their agents of subversion is a war machine that moves throughout the world, affording them victories without a fight. Our clear and strong commitment to Christian peace, based on faith, hope and charity, is alone capable of diverting men from the lies of the Prince of this world and of procuring for them the Peace of Order in Freedom which is necessary to eternal salvation.