Right Order vs Demonic Anarchy
Part 7 - The True Remnant
As we draw this examination to a close, and have been forced to humbly and regrettably declare so many outside of the True Church, an even greater sense of humility overwhelms us.
The Great Apostasy so often spoken of by the late Bishop Louis Vezelis, O.F.M. D.D. is obviously in full force and is progressing closer and closer, day by day, to the end of this world as we know it. The material and spiritual devastation is apparent to us as we hope that it is to all of our readers by now.
In this spiritual (and material) devastation that we see, there is also seen the once great physical body or tree of the Church now mercilessly severed from Its roots lying dead on the ground. There are many souls still attached to or trying to attach themselves to it, thinking that the life blood of Christ is still coursing through its capillaries. Our once great Churches, Cathedrals, etc., even our once Catholic Vatican City is now nothing but a corpse self-severed from the forever living, True Catholic Roots of Christ, the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. Anti-popes, anti-cardinals, and anti-bishops, etc. fill this corpse and give the illusion of life, but that is all it is — an illusion. Many are deceived by this great illusion and so will be lost.
This image that I have so poorly tried to reveal is for those who are unaware, none other than a literary license of a revelation that is well known within the Franciscan Order. The upper portion of the tree that was once the Church has been severed, but from the life giving roots springs a new shoot and that new shoot is none-other than the Franciscan Order to fulfill that original command to St. Francis to rebuild My Church.
Having examined the terrain around us, we are forced to declare that the Modernist Novus Ordo is but the corpse of what was once the Church; The various "Religious Communities " united and one with this corpse are likewise dead; The various anarchistic Traditionalists of every variety and kind are likewise disassociated from the roots either attempting to unite to the dead body or simply "independent " of every and all vestiges of the Church.
In all humility we are therefore forced to boldly declare that the continuation of the Church to the best of our knowledge is found in this small and simple humble Franciscan shoot rising from the massive roots of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church; and that we and all those united with us are that shoot. That shoot outside of which salvation is not to be found. The rest of the world may ridicule and laugh, and may declare us insane, or conspiracy theorists, and even attempt to persecute us into silence or death, but they cannot change the reality of the situation.
We however, as much as we regret seeing all those souls heaping coals of fire upon their own heads in their attempts to destroy us, welcome the opportunity to be found worthy to suffer all of this for the love of Jesus Christ. If the world has hated Him, it is an honor for us to be hated by that same world that is forever excluded from the beatitudes of Heaven.
We might ask, how do we know that we are this remnant solitary shoot? First, by way of exclusion, which I have hopefully manifested clearly in the previous installments of this work; there are not many left standing after observing all those who have fallen in one way or another. This might be seen as the negative proof. As for the positive, we must look for a continuous uninterrupted and uncorrupted succession from before the great tree was severed right up to the present day.
In the case of the Franciscan Order we see this preservation in none-other than the late Bishop Louis Vezelis, O.F.M. D.D. He entered the order truly (validly and licitly) before the great severing from the Root that took place with the culmination of the false "Vatican II Council ". He fulfilled his canonical novitiate continued in his studies and temporary vows and progressed to and through his Solemn or Final Vows and as such is forever a son of St. Francis. He suffered much for his adherence to the customs and rules of the Order and temporarily escaped the persecution from his own community by a special grace from God that came from the last true Minister General of the Order in Rome. The Minister General sent him under holy obedience to work for the establishment of the Order in South Korea.
He worked for eighteen years in this missionary land for the salvation of souls and the continuation of the Franciscan Order. But, sadly even here in all the poverty and misery surrounding them the Modernists came to undermine, persecute and attempt to destroy. Circumstances forced him to return to the United States to work for the South Koreans that were losing their faith to the Protestants here in the States. Due to his continual and persevering adherence to the Franciscan life and therefore Catholic life, the Modernists began their attempt to ostracize and alienate him. Little did they realize that it was not Bishop Louis that was being alienated but it was themselves that they were alienating from the Order and the Church. Even a once trusted confrère of Bishop Louis told him that the Order that he joined is now dead. Another told him that he should establish a friary and continue his labors to establish the Order here in the United States in faithfulness to the obedience he received from the Minister General. What he was inhibited from doing in South Korea he was now by divine grace able to accomplish in the United States. There are now a few but true Solemnly professed Franciscan religious thanks to the mercy and goodness of God that has worked through the humble human instrument we know as Bishop Louis Vezelis, O.F.M., D.D.
Much of the details of his life can be found in various previous issues of THE SERAPH.
So much for the preservation of the true Order of St. Francis of Assisi; we must now consider the continual and uninterrupted succession of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church how it has been and is continuing still. For this we must look to none-other than the late Bishop Ngo Dinh Thuc.
I would like to repeat here the public statement made by Archbishop Ngo Dinh Thuc in Munich, Germany on February 25, 1982:
"How does the Catholic Church appear in our days? In Rome there rules `Pope' John Paul II, assisted by a college of Cardinals, as well as by a large number of Bishops and Prelates. Outside of Rome, the Catholic Church appears to be flourishing with Her Bishops and Priests. Catholics are numerically important. Each day, the Mass is celebrated in many churches, and on the Lord's Day the churches welcome many of the faithful to hear Mass and to receive Holy Communion.
But, in the eyes of God, how does the Church actually appear?These Masses, daily and Sunday, at which the faithful assist, are they not pleasing to God? In no way, because this Mass is the same for Catholics and Protestants. For this reason, it is not pleasing to God and is INVALID. The only Mass pleasing to God is the Mass of Saint Pius V which is celebrated by a small number of priests and bishops, of which I make up a part.For this reason, and in the measure possible, I will open a seminary for candidates to a priesthood pleasing to God.Over and above this "Mass " which offends God, there are a number of elements that constitute an object of reproach to God. For example, in priestly ordination, in episcopal consecration, in the Sacraments of Confirmation and Extreme Unction.Besides these things, these "priests " mentioned above profess: 1. Modernism 2. A false ecumenism 3. The Cult of Man 4. Religious indifference 5. The refusal to condemn and excommunicate heretics.For these reasons, in my capacity as a Bishop of the Roman Catholic Church, I judge that the Apostolic See of the Church is vacant, and that it is my duty as a Bishop to do all in my power to assure the continuation of the Roman Catholic Church for the eternal salvation of souls. " Munich, 25 February 1982 + Peter-Martin Ngo-Dinh-Thuc ARCHBISHOP
This truly humble but great man, had the courage to stand up and condemn the severed tree and all its adherents, and possessing within himself true Apostolic Succession set out in his limited but effectual manner to preserve and pass on to the next generation the life blood of true Apostolic succession as well as consistency in the doctrine and laws of the Church. He did later denounce some who he was deceived in laying hands upon, but undeterred he tried again. He eventually consecrated Bishops Carmona and Zamora in his private residence with two Catholic laymen as witnesses. These in turn consecrated Bishop Musey and then the three of them in union consecrated Bishop Louis Vezelis, O.F.M.
These three bishops (perhaps at the inspiration of Bishop Louis) met and solemnly vowed before the Blessed Sacrament to recognize Bishop Ngo as their true and legitimate superior and to not ordain or consecrate anyone else without the unanimous consent of him and the other bishops. Circumstances arranged that Bishop Ngo would reside with Bishop Louis in Rochester NY. At this time Bishop Louis was given power of attorney for Bishop Ngo, but regardless of his best efforts Bishop Ngo was abducted by the Novus Ordo and eventually died in the hands of the enemy, just as Our Lord had done. The Novus Ordo may have struck the head of this remnant but little did they know that the shoot was already breaking forth.
It is true that Bishops Musey, Carmona, and Bravo created a schism by breaking their solemn promises before God in the Holy Eucharist, but the Church still survived in Bishops Louis, Martinez and Zamora. Briefly, Bishop Musey wanted to establish himself as some kind of patriarch in the United States and eager to accomplish this began to attempt to consecrate everyone and anyone who would accept him. This tragically involved some who were known to be heretical or of questionable orthodoxy and worthiness. Bishop Louis warned Musey and the others of the dangers they were exposing themselves to; they continued none-the-less and subsequently were cut off from the Church as schismatics.
These various "bishops " now schismatic/heretical continued on their various "lines " all claiming to descend from the line of Bishop Ngo. Bishop Ngo if he were able would have denounced these just as he did those others that deceived him and stole orders from him previously. Bishop Louis as his legal representative both (civilly and clerically) denounced them and declared to all the world what they were guilty of and how this has cut them off from the Mystical Body of Christ. (See THE SERAPH Vol 15 No 6 February 1995.)
So we see how it is that both the preservation of the Franciscan Order and the True Church fell upon this humble but determinedly faithful friar. He held within himself both the future of the Church as well as of the Franciscan Order.Neither of these have died with him. Bishop Louis preserved the laws and doctrines of the Church in those he prepared and ordained to the priesthood. He preserved Apostolic succession in those he has consecrated: Bishop Giles Butler, O.F.M. D.D., Bishop Madrigal D.D., and Bishop Bonaventure Strandt, O.F.M. D.D.
Bishop Louis has likewise preserved the Franciscan Order in those who have been trained and formed by his hand and have made their solemn Profession in the Order to God: Father Joseph Noonan, O.F.M; Father Bernard Colussy, O.F.M.; Bishop Giles Butler, O.F.M. D.D.; Bishop Bonaventure, O.F.M. D.D. and Brother Dominic Brueggemann, O.F.M. all forming the First Order. He has also formed and accepted many into the Third Order of St. Francis. In the future, God willing, there will also continue from this shoot a vital Second Order of St. Francis.
I make bold to state once again (even at the risk of mockery , ridicule, and great suffering) that as far as is known, outside of these Franciscans the other Catholic Religious Orders have died, and no longer exist. I further make bold to state that to the best of our knowledge outside of these three remaining Bishops the Catholic Church is dead. Only in this tender shoot rising from the great roots of the One, True, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church can we find the means to save our souls as it is all that remains of the Mystical Body of Christ here on earth.