Our Lady of the Holy Rosary

Catholic Church
Celebrating Catholic Tradition in Durban, South Africa
and
The Silver Jubilee of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary
Catholic Church at Gumtree Avenue
 ii

“The celebration of the Mass is the most worthy and

most perfect divine service, for it procures to the Most
High a worship and a veneration which million of words
would be incapable of rendering Him ... It is a unique
Sacrifice [and] infinitely excels in value and dignity, in
power and efficacy, all the many prayers of the Church
and the faithful ... As often as this memorial sacrifice is
celebrated, the work of redemption is performed ... It is
the soul and the heart of the liturgy of the Church; it is
the mystical chalice which presents to our lips, the sweet
fruit of the passion of the God-man – that is, grace” -
Gihr: 1929
 iii

Dedicated to…
 iv

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
 v

FOREWARD
We, traditionalist have a vital role to play for the good
of the Holy Church. I am tempted to say that we have
been given this mandate by Our Lady. We must work
together, one heart, one soul. We must at all times give
the good example to all our Catholic and non-Catholic
friends. Less critics and more action. Let them say of us;
See how devoted they are, how united, how they love one
another, as was said of our first Christians. Can we at the
moment agree with this statement – all of us?
T Le Breton
 vi

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Foreward ......................................................................... v

Chapter One: Introduction ........................................... 1

Reference ..................................................................... 8
Chapter Two: : 1975-1980 .......................................... 10

Reference ................................................................... 30
Chapter Three: 1980-1985 ......................................... 31

Reference ................................................................... 53
Chapter Four: 1985-1991 ........................................... 54

Reference ................................................................... 57
Chapter Five: 1991-1996 ............................................ 58

Reference ................................................................... 59
Chapter Six: 1996-1998 .............................................. 60

Society of Saint Pius X .............................................. 61

Reference ................................................................... 65
Chapter Seven: 1998-2002 ......................................... 66

Chapter Eight: 2002-2010 .......................................... 69

Apostolic letter ‘Summorum Pontificum’ issued Motu

Propio Benedict XVI ...................................................... 75
Memories of Durban –Rev Fr Wall ........................... 82
Reference ................................................................. 100
 vii

Chapter Nine: 2010 - 2016 ....................................... 101

Fond memories of Durban – REv Fr. Carlo Magno O.

Saa ................................................................................ 102
Chapter Ten: Archbishop Denis Hurley .................. 112

Pastoral letter on Association of Saint Pius X [1] .. 113

Archbishop Lefebvre: A case for the defence by
Michael Davies [1] ....................................................... 126
The Contemporary Bishop ................................... 129
The ICEL Connection........................................... 130
Sacrilege ............................................................... 131
Reference ................................................................. 133
Chapter Eleven: Rev Fr Ranger............................... 134

Reference ................................................................. 134

Chapter Twelve: Our Lady of Fatima...................... 135

Introduction .......................................................... 135

Fatima .................................................................. 136
Pastoral letter on the consecration of the
archdiocese of Santa Fe to the Immaculate Heart of
Mary .......................................................................... 138
100 Years after the Revelation of the Fatima
Message ..................................................................... 150
Chapter Thirteen: Gallery ....................................... 158
 viii

Chapter Fourteen: Conclusion ................................. 173

Index ............................................................................ 174

APPENDICES............................................................. 176
 ix

LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: Portrait of Bishop Jean-Francois Allard [5] .. 3
Figure 2:Portrait of Fr Sabon OMI [8] .......................... 4
Figure 3: Marianhill in Pinetown, Kwa-Zulu Natal[9] . 6
Figure 4: Pope John XXVII at the opening of The
Second Vatican Council [11] ............................................... 7
Figure 5: Nanette Kuhn, Lynn English, Dorothy
English, Rev. Fr. Gregory Zier and Denis English (from
left to right) ....................................................................... 14
Figure 6: Rev. Fr. Gregory Zier in his office. ............... 14
Figure 7: Rev. Fr. Gregory Zier constructing crucifixes
........................................................................................... 15
Figure 8: Rev.Fr. Gregory Zier ..................................... 16
Figure 9: Sister Angela, Rev. Fr. Gregory Zier and Rev.
Fr. Marcus Mncwabe (from left to right) ......................... 19
Figure 10: Sister Angela and Rev. Fr. Schiesser ......... 21
Figure 11: Bishop Williamson , ...., Lynn English,
Michael Lowry, Tomy LeBreton (from left to right) ........ 27
Figure 12: Lynn English, Michael Lowry, Bishop
Williamson..., ...., ...., ...., Tomy LeBreton....(from left to
right) .................................................................................. 27
Figure 13: Les Mitchells home in Durban North ........ 29
 x

Figure 14: His Excellency, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre

........................................................................................... 32
Figure 15: His Excellency, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre
and Bishop Williamson (1981) ......................................... 32
Figure 16: Rev. Fr. Gregory Zier and His Excellency,
Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (August, 1981).................... 33
Figure 17: Eric Magic, Maureen Lowry and Freida
Grossman (Front row -from left to right); Rev. Fr.
Bedingfield, John Lowry, Andre Le Breton, Rev. Fr.
Williamson, Denis English, Archbishop Williamson,
Dorothy English and Doris Herrmann (August 1981) .... 33
Figure 18: Men at Ignation Retreat (1982) given by Rev
Fr Williamson.................................................................... 36
Figure 19: Advert for Ignatian Retreat in local
newspaper ......................................................................... 37
Figure 20: Attendees of the Ignatian retreat (Harding,
July 1982) .......................................................................... 39
Figure 21: Newspaper clipping documenting Rev. Fr.
Brady ................................................................................. 42
Figure 22: Thommy Le Breton's wine cellar which was
converted to a chapel ........................................................ 44
Figure 23: Thommy Le Breton was converted to a
chapel................................................................................. 45
 xi

Figure 24: Sacristy in Le Breton's garage ................... 45

Figure 25: Le Breton's garage before being converted
into a chapel ...................................................................... 46
Figure 26: Kings Hall (1991) ........................................ 47
Figure 27: Confirmations at Kings Hall with Bishop
Williamson......................................................................... 48
Figure 28: Confirmations at Kings Hall with Bishop
Williamson......................................................................... 48
Figure 29: Double Storey house in Clarence Road ...... 49
Figure 30: Rev. Fr. Leslie in Clarence road chapel ..... 49
Figure 31: Baptism of Tracy Chetty at Clarence Road
........................................................................................... 50
Figure 32: Baptism of Tracy Chetty at Clarence Road
........................................................................................... 50
Figure 33: Notice displayed outside the church .......... 51
Figure 34: Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta.................... 140
Figure 35: Original exterior of chapel purchased at
Gumtree Avenue ............................................................... 55
Figure 36: Original interior of chapel in Gumtree
Avenue ............................................................................... 56
Figure 37: Golden Wedding Sadie and Percy Moore
with Father Leslie 1990 .................................................... 57
Figure 38: Rev. Fr. Leslie ............................................. 58
 xii

Figure 39: Farewell party for Rev. Fr. Leslie .............. 59

Figure 40: Father Griego .............................................. 60
Figure 41: First Holy Communion recipients with Rev.
Fr. Buffet ........................................................................... 60
Figure 42: Pilgrimage to Italy organised by Rev. Fr.
Esposito (2000) .................................................................. 66
Figure 43: Sally Anne Blyth and Hilton Lowell wedding
2001 ................................................................................... 67
Figure 44: Stephen Blyth and Claire McCormick
wedding 1998 .................................................................... 67
Figure 45: Traditional Third order Dominicans - Avrille
France - Anthony Perumal,....,Agness..., Rev. Fr. Esposito
and Regina Moloy (from left to right)............................... 68
Figure 46: SAS Camp ................................................... 69
Figure 47: Funeral of Rev. Fr. Leslie ........................... 72
Figure 48: Church refuses burial for priest ................. 73
igure 49: Procession at the funeral of Rev. Fr. Leslie . 74
Figure 50: Renovations at the parish house ................ 84
Figure 51: Renovations at the parish house ................ 84
Figure 52: Rev. Fr. Wall, Rev. Fr. Daniels, Brother
Konrad and Rev. Fr. Thomas (from left to right). ........... 87
Figure 53: Rev. Fr. Saa, Brother Konrad, Rev. Fr. Wall
and Brother Vincent (from left to right). ......................... 88
 xiii

Figure 54: Paul Vermaak and Peter Hayward busy

with church renovations ................................................... 90
Figure 55: Renovated church bell ................................ 91
Figure 56: Renovated kitchen cupboards .................... 92
Figure 57: Bishop Tissier de Mallerais with the
Confraternity of the Holy Rosary ..................................... 93
Figure 58: Bishop Tissier de Mallerais and Rev. Fr.
Wall.................................................................................... 94
Figure 59: Corpus Christi processions ......................... 95
Figure 60: Mens Ignatian retreat organised by Rev. Fr.
Wall.................................................................................... 97
Figure 61: Farewell for Rev. Fr. Wall .......................... 98
Figure 62: Farewell for Rev. Fr. Wall .......................... 99
Figure 63: Farewell for Rev. Fr. Wall .......................... 99
Figure 64: Christ the King procession in eFolweni ... 105
Figure 65: First Corpus Christi procession around the
block of the priory ........................................................... 108
Figure 66: First Corpus Christi procession around the
block of the priory ........................................................... 109
Figure 67: Confitmations with Bishop Fellay ........... 109
Figure 68: Confirmation with Bishop Fellay ............. 110
Figure 69: Christopher... and....with Bishop Fellay .. 110
 xiv

Figure 70:Archbishop Denis Hurley, centre, at the

freedom march in 1989 with other religious leaders [3] 119
Figure 71: Letter from Archbishop Lefebvre to Rev Fr
Zier on his 50th anniversary .......................................... 158
Figure 72: LABEL....................................................... 158
Figure 73: Grave of Rev. Fr. Gregory Zier ................. 159
Figure 74: Home of Rev. Fr. Gregory Zier ................. 159
Figure 75: Archbishop Lefebvre's visit to South Africa
1981 covered by the press ............................................... 160
Figure 76: Archbishop Lefebvre at airport with the
press................................................................................. 160
Figure 77: Archbishop Lefebvre at airport (1981) ..... 161
Figure 78: Rev Fr Williamson at airport in South Africa
(1981) ............................................................................... 162
Figure 79: Press conference at the airport ................ 163
Figure 80: Press conference at the airport ................ 163
Figure 81: Archbishop Lefebvre conference at the
airport .............................................................................. 164
Figure 82: Archbishop Lefebvre and Rev Fr Williamson
interview with Carmel Rickarts ..................................... 165
Figure 83: Press conference in South Africa ............. 165
Figure 84: Denis and Dorothy English ...................... 166
 xv

Figure 85: Arrival of Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre in

Durban - 2nd August 1981(Rev. Fr. Norbet, Rev. Fr.
Gregory, Frieda Grossman, Elizabeth Murphy and
Maureen Lowry (from right)) ......................................... 167
Figure 86: Arrival of Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre in
Durban............................................................................. 167
Figure 87: .....Rev. Fr. Duverger, Rev. Fr. Esposito and
altar boys ......................................................................... 168
Figure 88: Rev. Fr. Duverger, Rev. Fr. Esposito, Rev.
Fr...and altar boys ........................................................... 168
Figure 89: .................................................................... 169
Figure 90: .................................................................... 169
Figure 91: .................................................................... 170
Figure 92: .................................................................... 170
Figure 93: .................................................................... 171
Figure 94: .................................................................... 171
Figure 95: .................................................................... 172
Figure 96: Archbishop Lefebvre comes to Durban .... 183
Figure 97: Catholics urged to shun rebel French
archbishop ....................................................................... 184
Figure 98: Hundreds of Catholics defy bishops ......... 185
Figure 99: Letter to Editor, Bishop Lefebvre defended
......................................................................................... 186
 xvi

Figure 100: Hidden messages behind the hits .......... 220

Figure 101: Church shuns controversial visiting priest
......................................................................................... 221
Figure 102: 'Sinful' rebel followers warned ............... 261
Figure 103:hurley onody ............................................. 296
Figure 104: Father Leslie 'was dedicated to old ways'
......................................................................................... 298
Figure 105: Rebel with a cause .................................. 299
Figure 106: Hurley besieged ...................................... 300
 Page 1 of 324

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION

Pope Urban VIII said of the Mass:

If there is anything divine amongst the possessions of
man, which the citizens of Heaven might covet, were
covetousness possible for them, it would certainly be the
most Holy sacrifice of the Mass, whose blessing is such
that in it man possess a certain anticipation of Heaven
while still on earth, even having before their eyes and
taking into their hands the very Master of both Heaven
and earth. How greatly must mortals strive that the most
awesome privilege be guarded with due cult and
reverence, and take care lest their negligence offence eyes
of the angels, who watch with envious adoration [1]

South Africans had this Catholic Treasure introduced

with the arrival of the first Catholic Bishop, Patrick
Griffith, on Easter Sunday in April 1838. Since the
settlement in the Cape in 1652, the practice of the
Catholic religion was prohibited by civil authorities in
South Africa. On 25 July 1804 General De Mist declared
that all religions in the Colony were lawful and in 1805
three Dutch Catholic priests arrived in the Cape to
 2

administer to the Catholics [2]. However, this was short

lived and the following year the military authorities
ordered them to leave. On June 16 1837, Pope Gregory
XVI constituted the Cape of Good Hope as a vicariate and
appointed Bishop Patrick Griffith as the first resident
vicar apostolic. This was the first permanent residency of
a Catholic cleric in South Africa and the beginning of
Catholicism in South Africa [2].
Bishop Griffith applied to Rome for a separate
vicariate in 1847 for the Eastern Cape which was
approved the following year. Reverend Father Aidan
Devereux became the bishop of the Eastern Cape. Rev
Fr Devereux sent a priest to visit Catholics in Natal and
another vicariate was created [3]. The Oblates of Mary
Immaculate (OMI) were placed in charge of the Natal
vicariate under the guidance of Bishop J. M. F. Allard [3].
The Oblates arrived in Natal on 19th March 1852 after a
four month voyage by sea and land from Marseilles,
France [4]. By the end of April Rev Fr Sabon was ill with
malaria. Many of the priests and brothers who arrived
with Bishop Allard found the mission too difficult and
returned to Europe within the year end. Bishop Allard
 3

was left with one priest and one deacon. The bishop
himself took on the duties of parish priest [4].

Figure 1: Portrait of Bishop Jean-Francois Allard

[5]

Bishop Allard’s mission was sent to evangelise the

Zulu’s, but he failed in his attempts. Repeated efforts to
establish a mission among the Zulu resulted in no
conversions. Bishop Allard wrote to his priests; After so
many years not a single conversion. It is awful! You must
not lose heart because of it. The time will come when the
 4

merciful grace of God will produce a sort of explosion and

your Church will be formed [4].
The year 1860 saw the arrival of 350 Indians to Natal
from India aboard the Truro as indentured labourers.
Among the 350 were 50 Catholics [6]. Rev Fr Sabon
immediately visited them and attended to their needs.
Within a short time he learned to speak and write Tamil
and opened the first Indian mission [7].

Figure 2:Portrait of Fr Sabon OMI [8]

Bishop Jolivet succeeded Bishop Allard in 1874.

The Trappist arrived in Durban in two groups, on 27
November and 10 December 1882. Bishop Jolivet offered
the Trappist’s the mission land of St Michael’s however
 5

the Trappist Prior, Prior Francis Pfanner, stopped the

trek to St Michaels. Abbot Pfanner found St Michaels
unsuitable for his purpose [xx]. Abbot Pfanner then
purchased a farm called Zeekoegat from the Land
Colonisation Company in Pinetown. Bishop Jolivet
welcomed the Trappist’s into his Vicarite on 19 December
1882 but declined any financial involvement in their
undertakings [xx]. The first mass was celebrated on 27
December 1882 and was the missionary was given the
name Marianhill by Abbot Pfanner in honor of Our Lady
and Saint Anne. This was in pious remembrance of his
stepmother who bore the name Mary and Anne [xx]. This
was the beginning of the extraordinary growth in the Zulu
community in Natal. By 1898, Marianhill became the
largest abbey in the world. Marianhill missionaries
separated from the Trappist monks in 1909 and formed
the Congregation of Marianhill Missionaries. The reason
for this was because the Trappist rule of life required
religious discipline and silence which was not suitable for
mission work [3].
 6

Figure 3: Marianhill in Pinetown, Kwa-Zulu

Natal[9]

Politics played a major role in religion in South Africa.

The National Party won the South African Government
elections under the leadership of D.F. Malan in 1948. The
National Party introduced apartheid and new policies.
The new policies that the National Party implemented
had a direct effect on the Catholic missionaries in South
Africa . The implementation of the Group Areas Act
resulted in many Catholic schools and churches,
particularly Indian and African, left empty. There was
also not enough priests to service all areas and the
Catholic church lost many parishioners [6].
Pope John XXIII had been Pope for scarcely three
months when he told seventeen astonished cardinals of
his intention to call an ecumenical council, on January 25,
1959, in the Benedictine monastery adjoining the basilica
 7

of St. Paul Outside the Walls [10]. Pope John XXVII’s

stated that his intention for the Council was to increase
the fervor and energy of Catholics and to serve the needs
of the people. He expressed his desire in Italian,
Aggiornamento, which translates to the church must be
brought up to date and must adapt itself to meet the
challenging conditions of modern times (ask Fr Esposito
to translate this). When the Pope was asked to reveal his
intentions he moved to a window and threw it open to let
in a draught of fresh air [6]. The Second Vatican Council
opened on 11 October 1962. More than 2 500 priests were
present at the Mass, the greatest gathering at a Council
in the Church’s history.

Figure 4: Pope John XXVII at the opening of The

Second Vatican Council [11]
 8

Among the 2 625 Bishops present at Vatican II, 311

were from Africa. Bishop Denis Hurley from Durban was
one of the Bishops present. After Vatican II Catholic
Bishops in South Africa began to send representatives as
observers to Protestant conferences and invited
Protestants to theirs. Catholic and Anglican Bishops met
to discuss matters of common concern [3].
In 1969, The Novus Ordo Mass was first implemented
in South Africa. Lay Catholics and some Catholic priests
were unhappy with The Novus Ordo Mass. Rev Fr.
Marcus of Marianhill, Rev Fr. Gregory Zier, Rev Fr. Dick
Bedingfeld, Rev. Fr Maximum and Rev Fr. Eldred Leslie
were some of the priests in Natal who continued to say
the Tridentine Mass after 1969.

REFERENCE
[1] Pope Urban quote-get reference
[2] Archdiocese of Cape Town, [website].
http://adct.org.za/history/, (accessed 13 June 2016).
[3] Christianity in South Africa: A Political, Social,
and Cultural History By Richard Elphick
[4] http://stbenedicts.co.za/Religion/OMI/OMIinSA/tabid/
214/Default.aspx
 9

[5] Pic of bishop allard

[6] The Second Vatican Ecumenical Council
Dedicated to the ‘Immaculate’, [website],
http://www.christusrex.org/www1/CDHN/v1.html,
(accessed 13 June 2016)
[7] http://emmanuelcathedral.org.za/the-sabon-
chapel
[8] Pic of Fr Sabon
[9] Pic of marianhill
[10] Ref about Pope and St Peter outside the wall
[11] Pic of pope john xxiii
[12] [xx] Marianhill book 100 year history
 Page 10 of 324

CHAPTER TWO: : 1975-1980

In Natal, Mr Denis English was alarmed at the Novus

Ordo Mass. Mr Denis English was a convert to
Catholicism in the late 1930’s. He was given catechetical
lessons for his conversion by the priests at Emmanuel
Cathedral, among whom was Rev Fr. Denis Hurley. For
Mr English the Mass in English was almost similar to the
Anglican services he had been forced to attend at
boarding school. When his daughter, Miss Lyn English
was at Natal University, Rev Fr Fitzgerald from the
Seminary at Cedara came to say the Novus Ordo Mass on
a Sunday evening. At the Communion the recipients had
to stand in a circle around the altar and receive the Host
in their hands and wait so that all could eat together.
Lyn told her father, ‘isn’t that the correct way of eating
the Lord’s Supper?’ ‘No – it is NOT a supper, it is a
SACRIFICE!’, Denis reminded his daughter.

When the English family moved to Amatikulu, Denis

English started a Rosary group inviting local Catholics
which included the Souchon family. Denis English read
traditional publications avidly and searched for older
Catholic Priests who were sympathetic to his objections to
 11

the Novus Ordo Mass. Among these priests was Rev. Fr.
Maximum from Emoyeni Mission. In 1974 Denis
subscribed to the Catholic Family Magazine written by
Mrs Nanette Kuhn, who was quite “Traditional”.
Nanette organized a Holy Year pilgrimage in May 1975.
Denis , his wife, Dorothy, and Lyn plus two other of their
children went on that pilgrimage to Europe. The group
included Benna Oekerse, mother of Rev Fr Francis
Oekerse, Maureen Lowry, from Durban, Ida Venebles,
from Grahamstown and other staunch Catholics who later
persevered in the fight for the Tridentine Mass.

Soon after returning from pilgrimage in 1975, Lyn met

Doris Herrmann. Lyn had gone a few times to the
evening Novus Ordo Mass at St Catherine’s,
Queensburgh, celebrated by the parish priest. Usually
there were only 4 or 5 other women, all teachers, present
at the Mass. The priest was very modern and once asked
the ladies to stand around the altar and help him
“consecrate”. At Communion time the priest objected to
Lyn stepping forward and kneeling to receive
Communion on the tongue, as they all had throughout the
pilgrimage. Father accosted Lyn outside the church and
 12

asked why she wanted to receive Communion in this

manner? The priest enquired whether she was holier than
the others. Just then one of the other ladies, Doris ,
rushed up and defended Lyn. They reminded the priest
who they were receiving. ‘But not even the apostles
knelt’, the priest argued. ‘Yes, they DID – St. Thomas
fell on his knees, My Lord and my God’. Eventually the
priest said, ‘If I believed what you believe I too would
grovel!’ The priest hastened off into the church and it was
the last time Lyn or Doris attended his mass. Michael O’
Donoghue experienced the same kind of reaction from
Archbishop Denis Hurley about the same time in the
seventies. Michael knelt to kiss the Bishop’s ring and
addressed him with reverence. Archbishop Denis Hurley
asked Michael to stand as this was no more a Catholic
practice.

Doris and Lyn introduced themselves and so started a

life-long friendship. The next week they started a weekly
Rosary in Doris’ home. Doris and Lyn invited friends to
the weekly Rosary and the group grew rapidly over the
weeks: Maureen Lowry, her mother and two brothers,
John and Michael; Frieda Grossmann; Les Mitchell; Eric
 13

Magic, now Brother Eric of the Society of St Pius X

(SSPX); Stephen Kuhn and his wife Charmaine,
occasionally his brothers, Phillip and Anthony Kuhn;
Eddie Smith and his daughter Maureen; Dorothy
Charlton, Mrs Houston, and several more. The ordinary
Rosary was recited. However, sometimes the ordinary
rosary was replaced by a Penitential Rosary, with
readings for each decade. Lyn English reflects that in
hindsight, groups meeting to say the Rosary was the
starting point of many of the Traditional Mass centers in
Southern Africa, Australia and other parts of the world.
Before the pilgrimage in May 1975, Nanette Kuhn had
introduced Denis English to Rev Fr Gregory Zier at
Marianhill, a wonderful old missionary priest, known far
and wide for his work with witchdoctors and people
troubled by demons. Rev Fr Gregory was of German
descent and had come to South Africa after World War I.
He worked in close collaboration with the Mariannhill
Fathers; however he remained a secular priest. Christopher
(Surname) recalls that Rev Fr Gregory's office was packed with
staffs abandoned by sangomas. He did this to prove to the
Zulu’s that these artefacts did not hold any power and
shouldn’t be feared. He only said the Tridentine Mass.
 14

Christopher recalls that Fr Zier was thought to have a gift

and was able to exorcize many people, although he kept
the number a secret.

Figure 5: Nanette Kuhn, Lynn English, Dorothy

English, Rev. Fr. Gregory Zier and Denis English
(from left to right)

Figure 6: Rev. Fr. Gregory

Zier in his office.
 15

Figure 7: Rev. Fr. Gregory Zier constructing

crucifixes
 16

Figure 8: Rev.Fr. Gregory Zier

Denis English begged Rev Fr Gregory to celebrate nine

First Friday Masses for his family and some friends. Rev
Fr Gregory reluctantly agreed. The first Mass was
celebrated at Doris Herrmann’s house in Escombe,
Queensburgh, with Andre Le Breton, a friend of Rev Fr
Gregory, serving. The second was at the house where Lyn
boarded in Malvern. George Souchon or Andre Le Breton
usually served at the Masses. Thereafter, Andre Le
Breton insisted that all the Masses should be offered at
his house in Ashley, Pinetown. This he believed would be
more convenient for Rev Fr Gregory coming from
 17

Mariannhill. The English’s and Souchon’s travelled down

from Amatikulu for the First Friday Masses. As word of
the First Friday Masses got around more and more people
came - Mr. and Mrs. Andre Hardy, Guy and Mithe Le
Breton, most of the Queensburgh Rosary group and the
Duval’s (subject to confirmation). By the end of the initial
nine First Fridays Masses celebrated by Rev Fr Gregory,
the demand for the Tridentine Latin Mass was increasing
and the group of faithful in Natal was also growing. Other
Mass venues had to be hired to accommodate the number
of people attending the Mass. One of the centers hired
was the Ashley Scout Hall (tell us where the hall is
located).

The growing group of Traditional Catholics wanted

Sunday Masses as well. Fr. Gregory expressed concern
and said that this request would cause trouble at
Marianhill. Initially some of the members of the group
joined Andre Le Breton in going to Rev Fr Gregory’s
Sunday morning Mass in the Chapel of the old age home
at Mariannhill but there were soon complaints from the
residents. Doris and Lyn together with others had been
scouting around looking for priests who they heard were
 18

‘Traditionally minded’. They attended Sunday Mass with

Rev Fr Leslie in Pinetown on two occasions; went to
St Philomena’s Children’s Home in Malvern for one
weekday morning Mass, and even got an old priest, Rev
Fr Raphael, at the Home to let them attend the
Tridentine Mass in his little room. They attended the
Tridentine Mass and a talk given by a visiting French
priest, Rev Fr Guigon, at Therese Koenig’s home in South
Ridge Road. Much later there was Rev Fr Leach from
Island of Malta who stayed with the Souchons and Rev Fr
Crowdy from England who serviced this newly formed
Traditional Catholic group.

In 1979 Doris Herrmann {Appendix A:see letter from Doris to

Mr Topper dated 5.11.79 1} begged Rev Fr Marcus of Our
Lady of All Graces in Umlazi, an old friend of Rev Fr
Gregory, to let them attend the Mass he offered. His
Mass was in isiZulu up until the Offertory, then the
congregation sang, right through the Consecration, while
Rev Fr Marcus switched to the old Tridentine Rite in
Latin. He faced the altar not the congregation.
Christopher recalls that Rev Fr Marcus was one of those
old priests who held fast to the old teachings of the
 19

Church. He was so good that it was said when the Bishop

appointed him as his Vicar he told Rev Fr Marcus that it
is you I want, so that you will stop me when I go astray.
Prior to The SSPX in Natal a group of white Catholics
would attend our mass at Our Lady of Grace Mission in
Umlazi. I used to serve Fr Marcus’s mass during
weekdays. He was allowed to say the full Tridentine
Mass. However, the presence of a large contingent of
white people began to cause comment.

Figure 9: Sister Angela, Rev. Fr. Gregory Zier and

Rev. Fr. Marcus Mncwabe (from left to right)
 20

Another friend of Rev Fr Gregory, Rev Fr Norbert

Schiesser of Marianhill, took pity and offered to say
Sunday afternoon Mass at various venues. However, the
Mass venue was Doris’s house in Malvern most of the
time. Someone, usually John Lowry, would pick Rev Fr
Norbert up as he “took a stroll” after lunch outside
Marianhill and returned him to the same spot a couple of
hours later. This was done in the hope that the Bishop
and Superiors at Marianhill would not be aware that
Rev Fr. Norbert was assisting Traditional Catholics with
the Latin rite of the Mass.
 21

Figure 10: Sister Angela and Rev. Fr. Schiesser

The Marianhill priests, Rev Fr Gregory Zier, Rev Fr

Marcus Mncwabe and Rev Fr Norbert Schiesser, were
taking a huge risk. If they were found to be saying the
Old Mass publically they would be specifically forbidden
and would have to obey. They could even be moved from
Marianhill. Rev Fr Marcus could have lost his parish, or
at least been forced to say the whole Novus Ordo and his
many parishioners would suffer. The Bishop of
Marianhill was however privately sympathetic, but he too
had to follow the “rulings of the Vatican Council”.
 22

In Zululand, the English’s and Souchon’s, asked Rev

Fr. Gregory to visit them once a month for a weekend.
Lyn would drive Rev Fr. Gregory to Zululand on Friday
afternoon or Saturday morning and Fr. Gregory would
stay there till Sunday afternoon, saying Mass each day
that he was there. This Zululand group soon started
showing signs of growth. They were joined by the
Antelme’s, the Robert’s, Mr. Beckett, and .... (? Ask
Monique Souchon). The faithful in Zululand sometimes
attended Mass offered by Rev Fr Maximum, from the
Emoyeni Mission near Gingindhlovu. {see photo of Fr
Greg at English’s home at Emoyeni – near Ging.&
Amatikulu – with Bill & Raubach, Maureen Lowry and
Les Mitchell}
Rev Fr Gregory advised Doris and Lyn to contact
Archbishop Lefebvre. In late 1978 Doris Herrmann wrote
to Rev Fr Richard Williamson, now Bishop Williamson, a
professor at SSPX’s Econe seminary. He had published a
few articles in the Traditional Magazine, Christian Order
– a publication from England. Doris Herrmann became
aware that Rev Fr Richard Williamson had apparently
heard of the Catholics that wanted the Traditional Latin
Mass in South Africa and promised to come visit them.
 23

Rev Fr Williamson envisaged holding conferences and

even a retreat in South Africa. Doris, at this juncture,
realised that more traditionally minded Catholic people
needed to be found in Natal, and in other centers in South
Africa. Michael O’Donoghue was one of these
traditionally minded Catholic people. He recalls how in
1970 he yearned for the old liturgy. But priests and
Bishops in Natal seemed to ignore this desire despite
Pope John Paul II requesting that his clergy show full
respect for those who yearned for the old liturgy [2b].
Doris then embarked with this task with the help of
the Durban Traditional Catholic faithful. A Rosary Group
and a Newsletter were her tools for finding more
traditionally minded Catholic people. Doris chose a very
traditional Catholic newsletter written by Rev Fr Boxler,
in Switzerland, and carefully translated it from German.
Lyn typed and printed the Newsletter and sent copies to
every name collected by the group. A good source of
names was the Catholic Newspaper, Southern Cross, and
Letters to the Editor. Many people in South Africa were
unhappy with the New Mass and other developments in
the Church after Vatican II. Some of them expressed
their views through the Southern Cross. The newsletter
 24

contained news from Europe and especially of Archbishop

Lefebvre. The first copy of the Newsletter was
accompanied by an introductory letter stating that the
Newsletter was in defense of the Tridentine Mass, where
it originated and promising a Mass for all subscribers
every month. The Newsletter was free, but donations
were gratefully accepted, as were names and addresses of
like-minded people {see attached copies of introductory
letters –changing slightly over the years} Thus
MYSTERIUM FIDEI was born. To protect the publication
a postal address in Pietermaritzburg was used – the
English’s old post box. The first copy was dated January
1979 and the last was issued in 2002. Mysterium Fidei
did its work as people responded from all over South
Africa, Zimbabwe and even countries out of Africa. People
were put in touch with others in their area and
Traditional centers grew in Cape Town, Zimbabwe,
Johannesburg, Pretoria, Port Elizabeth and Namibia.
Some of these centers already had established
organisations. By 1982, there existed four main groups:
the Traditional Roman Catholic Society in Harare,
Zimbabwe; the Traditional Roman Catholic Society of
South Africa in Bloubergstrand, The Cape; Saint Pius X
 25

Society (Transvaal) in Pretoria and the Association of St

Pius X (Natal) based in Durban. However, it must be
stressed that all this was achieved under very trying
times as Doris Herman relates in one of her letters; We
are fortunate to get a Traditional Mass on Sundays- but
for that most of us have to travel 20 to 40 kilometers.
Those who live in Zululand have a priest visiting them
twice a month and first Fridays. He says mass for them in
a home but the Bishop has restricted the attendance to
two or three families. In addition to that traditional mass
once a month, they travel to Durban to have a Latin mass
said in a private home. There are twenty to thirty people
who attend. Our regular Sunday Mass is said by an
African priest who belongs to Marianhill. Our position is
very precarious. There are also several priests in Natal
who say the Tridentine mass in a camouflaged way. We
are a very small and scattered flock but we know each
other and aim at bringing all the Traditionalists together.

Doris Herrmann arranged for Rev Fr Williamson’s

flight and Rev Fr Williamson arrived in South Africa for
the first time in October 1979 and immediately gave a 3
day Retreat for 21 people over the long weekend, at
 26

Melville Convent. Rev Fr Williamson stayed with Doris

Herrmann and visited some local priests and Traditional
Catholics. Rev Fr Williamson presented talks and a slide
show at 320 West Street in Durban. (see photos:group in
Doris’home & Fr Willamson and Fr Greg together}
About 70 people were present including the Marianhill
priests, Sister (Sr) Angela, Sr. Diomedes and 30 people
from Zululand. For many people this was the first
encounter with the Society of Saint Pius X in Durban and
this was the first interaction for many of the future active
members of the Association of the Society of Saint Pius X.
These individuals included Thommy, Andre and Guy Le
Bretton, Mr & Mrs English, Lyn English, Doris
Herrmann, Frieda Grossman, Doreen Darnay, Andre and
Irene Hardy, Grattan and Frances (Fay) O'Donoghue. The
demand to listen to Rev Fr Williamson was so great that
some nights ended at 11 pm.
 27

Figure 11: Bishop Williamson , ...., Lynn English,

Michael Lowry, Tomy LeBreton (from left to right)

Figure 12: Lynn English, Michael Lowry, Bishop

Williamson..., ...., ...., ...., Tomy LeBreton....(from left
to right)
 28

Rev Fr Williamson went on to do the same in the

Eastern Transvaal, Johannesburg, Pretoria and The
Cape. At each center he encouraged people to get
organised, fight the modernist Bishops and to pray the
rosary daily. {see attached “SOUTH AFRICAN NEWS”
sent out with M.F. October 1979}

After Rev Fr Williamson’s visit in 1979 the Traditional

Catholics continued to attend the Mass when and where
they could but mainly with Rev Fr Gregory, Rev Fr
Norbert and at Umlazi with Rev Fr Marcus Mncwabe.
Rev Fr Marcus Mncwabe baptised one of Denis English’s
grandchild in February 1980. Rev Fr Richard Bedingfeld,
from Izolgolweni near Harding, and Rev Fr Shelmerdine,
in January 1981, came to Durban to say the Tridentine
Mass. Venues included private homes, scout halls and
Kings Hall.

Thommy Le Breton would arrange for mass to be said

at his home. In the late 1970’s Rev Fr. Gregory
occasionally visited Rev Fr. Leslie in Pinetown and
encouraged Rev Fr. Leslie to give up the New Order of
Mass. Later, when Rev Fr Leslie was parish priest at
 29

Our Lady of Fatima, Durban North, he celebrated the

Tridentine Mass for the Traditional Catholic group on
First Fridays at the church and once at a parishioner’s
home in Durban North. Rev Fr Eldred Leslie would also
say the Tridentine Mass on Sundays at his parish in
Durban North, Our Lady of Fatima, after he had said the
Novus Ordo Mass for his parishioners. Many more people
started joining the Traditional Catholic group. This
included, amongst others, Thomy Le Breton, O’Donoghue
families, De Robillard’s, Dumee-Duval’s, Mr and Mrs Bill
Raubach, Mr and Mrs Norman Woods, Reg and Cherry
Woods, Clement Newton-Barker and his mother, Mr and
Mrs M. Daniel. (See figure 13).

Figure 13: Les Mitchells home in Durban North

 30

REFERENCE
Source Lyn English, Michael O’Donoghue, Christopher
XX and Monique Souchon
 31

CHAPTER THREE: 1980-1985

Rev Fr. Williamson travelled to South Africa with
Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre in July-August 1981.
Thommy Le Breton had done most of the organisation.
The Press showed intense interest in the visit of
Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. (see Press clippings and
photos) Pastoral letters were sent out by the local
hierarchy, especially Archbishop Denis Hurley, forbidding
Catholics to attend Conferences, Masses and any contact
with Archbishop Lefebvre under pain of grievous sin.
After a few dramatic days in Johannesburg (see press
cutting- the same Fr Josef Fitzgerald of Lyn’s varsity
days?) the Archbishop arrived in Durban, Sunday, 2nd
August 1981. He was met by enthusiastic Catholics,
including Rev Fr. Gregory, Rev Fr. Norbert and the press
who wanted immediate interviews, photos etc. {see
inclusions} He spent much time on Monday and Tuesday,
when not busy with press interviews at his hotel, at Lyn
English’s home in Queensburgh. Here it was arranged
that individual people, especially priests, could talk to
him privately and secretly if necessary.
 32

Figure 14: His Excellency, Archbishop Marcel

Lefebvre

Figure 15: His Excellency, Archbishop Marcel

Lefebvre and Bishop Williamson (1981)
 33

Figure 16: Rev. Fr.

Gregory Zier and His
Excellency, Archbishop
Marcel Lefebvre (August,
1981)

Figure 17: Eric Magic, Maureen Lowry and Freida

Grossman (Front row -from left to right); Rev. Fr.
Bedingfield, John Lowry, Andre Le Breton, Rev. Fr.
Williamson, Denis English, Archbishop Williamson,
Dorothy English and Doris Herrmann (August 1981)

On the Monday evening, 3rd August 1981, as per a

notice in the Press {Attached}, the Archbishop gave a
 34

lecture followed by Confirmation and Holy Mass at the

Red Cross Hall, Old Fort Rd. Attempts had been made by
the official Catholic Church hierarchy to cancel the
bookings. The pastoral letter from Archbishop Hurley,
read out in most parishes in Durban probably prevented
many coming, but the Hall was full. When Fr. Dick
Bedingfeld arrived that night with a busload of Zulu
parishioners from his mission on the South Coast the hall
was packed to capacity. Many people were confirmed {see
list of 14 names} and the Missae De Angelus was sung,
rather weakly - Doris had done her best to train the
Rosary group. Then the African parishioners began to
sing as only they can! Archbishop Lefebvre was thrilled
as it took them back to his missionary days in Africa.
Later in the evening Archbishop Lefebvre mingled with
the Africans. (See press release and report) Several
priests and nuns were present but some came incognito
for fear of retribution from authorities of the Church.
Even the South African Police’s Special Branch came to
check that no anti- apartheid meeting was going on.
Given the time in South African history, and the political
leanings of Archbishop Hurley and the Church Hierarchy
in South Africa, the police came to make sure that there
 35

was no political meeting. The Press repeatedly tried to get

Archbishop Lefebvre on to the subject of politics and race
as he was reportedly anti-Archbishop Hurley. From
Durban the Archbishop and Rev Fr. Williamson flew to
Cape Town for more conferences.
Rev Fr. Williamson returned to S.A. in June –July
1982. He spent approximately 10 days each in Transvaal,
Natal and the Cape, then a quick second visit to
Salisbury, Zimbabwe. Rev. Fr. Willamson had previously
been in Salisbury in 1980. His stay in Transvaal included
a 5 day retreat for 11 men. {see letters arranging his
itinerary} By this time the Association of St Pius X of
Natal had been formally and legally established and the
Mass, Conferences and an Ignatian Retreat for men was
advertised in the newspapers in Durban. {see notice
“CATHOLICS”} The venue of the Natal Retreat was the
mission at Izolgolweni, freezing cold in tents and was
attended by 16 men. {see SOUTHAFRICAN NEWS 2 for
comments of attendees and photos}
 36

Figure 18: Men at Ignation Retreat (1982) given by

Rev Fr Williamson
 37

Figure 19: Advert for Ignatian Retreat in local

newspaper
 38

During this Retreat Francis Oekerse from

Johannesburg was “struck in the Spirit” – he reportedly
fell to the ground during Mass , got up and later told Rev
Fr Williamson that he wished to enter the priesthood. He
immediately left his university studies and returned with
Rev Fr Williamson to Econe to begin his priestly training.
Mysterium Fidei set up a Vocation Fund to pay back his
university loan of R2000. The fund grew quickly and the
surplus was spent on travel fares, and other expensed,
and finally handed over to the Association of St. Pius X of
Natal as part of their Vocation Fund. (See green Report on
Funds)
 39

Figure 20: Attendees of the Ignatian retreat

(Harding, July 1982)

Several young men and women tried their vocations

over the next few years. Eric Magic, now Brother Eric
Magic with the Society in New Zealand and Jerome
Menage, now Rev. Fr. Andrew OSB in 2012. A few from
the Transvaal and several from Zimbabwe, including
Marcie Sutherland and her cousin Morag , now Religious
Sisters,. Rev. Fr. Esposito, from Zimbabwe, left for Econe
in 1979, before Fr Willamson came to Southern Africa.

Sadly, Rev. Fr. Norbert died in 1981. Rev. Fr. Gregory

died on 22 Feb 1982. Fr. Gregory left his books to Mr
 40

English and his cassock to Fr. Leslie – “the cloak of the

prophet” (his words!- Fr Gregory or Fr Leslie????). {see
photos of graves} Sr. Angela who took care of Fr. Gregory
was transferred to Germany two days after Fr Gregory
died. At this time the Traditional group in Durban was
being administered by an elected committee under Thomy
Le Breton.
In 1982 The Association of Saint Pius X of Natal was
legally established. The Constitution of the Association
was unanimously approved at a meeting held on the 17 th
June 1982 and the first Committee and Office bearers
were elected at a meeting on June 23rd of that year Our
Lady of the Holy Rosary was chosen as the Patron Saint
of the Association. The Association was formed out of fear
that Archbishop Hurley would place a ban on them
disallowing them from celebrating the Tridentine Mass in
his Archdiocese. The objectives of the Association was to
defend the Authentic Magisterium of the Roman Catholic
Church as expressed by the Pope and as defined by all
Dogmatic Councils of the Church. The promotion of the
celebration of the Immemorial Holy mass in every parish.
The promotion of the traditional liturgical music of the
Church and the promotion of Traditional schools, the
 41

traditional Cathechism and traditional youth groups. A

summary of the Association’s membership fees and
objectives was sent out with the Mysterium Fidei. The
chairman of the Association was Mr T Le Breton, vice
chairman was Mr R Robinson, the committee comprised of
Miss L English, Miss D Herman, Mrs B de Robillard, Mrs
M T Le Breton, Mr R Robinson, Mr B Redman, Mr M
O’Donoghue, Mr W Koenig, Mr J Lowry, Mr D
O’Donoghue and Mrs A Descroizilles. Archbishop Hurley
condemned this and released a pastoral letter warning
parishioners in his Dioceses from attending mass
organised by the Association. Within a year of the
establishment of the Association, 179 members had
joined. Approximately 100 people attended mass
regularly. {See letter TO ALL MEMBERS AND
PROSPECTIVE MEMBERS and Copy of the Constitution
and all Minutes with Fr Esposito ?}
In February 1982 Thomy Le Breton contacted a priest
in England as a more permanent priest was needed for
the Association of Pius X in Durban. This priest was Rev.
Fr. Brady. Mike O’Donogure travelled to Pretoria to get
permission to meet with the Minister of the Interior, a Mr
Stein, to request permission to obtain an entry and
 42

residence permit for Father Michael Brady.

Rev. Fr. Brady was to provide for the
spiritual needs of the Association of Pius X
and those of other centres in South Africa
and Zimbabwe. {see notice TO ALL TRAD.
CATHOLICS dated wed. 24th Feb}.

Figure 21: Newspaper clipping

documenting Rev. Fr. Brady
 43

Mr Le Breton converted his wine cellar into a chapel.

(see photos} {Query: when were we at King’s Hall in
Aliwal St? See venues on Minutes and Agendas of
Association.} This is where Rev Fr Brady celebrated
Sunday Mass until a flat was rented for Rev Fr Brady to
live in and celebrate mass. Initially, Rev. Fr. Brady was
accommodated by Mrs. Hardy and eventually took up
residence in a one bedroom flat in Bexhill, Windermere
Road. Fr. Brady travelled to offer Mass in
Pietermaritzburg, Johannesburg, Cape Town, Harare and
Bulawayo. He was away from Durban about 2 weeks
each month. He offered Mass in Thomy Le Breton’s
Chapel on Sundays and in his flat during the week. The
Association at this stage had grown to about 179 and had
to find a proper Church or Chapel. {Read Chairman’s
review dated June 1984} Archbishop Denis Hurley
releases a pastoral letter stating that any Catholic who
wilfully participates in services conducted by Rev Fr
Brady will be guilty of grave sin.

The committee began actively looking for premises to

purchase for a Chapel. There were two main reasons for
the Associations desire to purchase a property for chapel.
 44

The first reason was the fear that someone would report
Mr Le Breton for using his private home for public
worship; the second reason was to make the Traditional
Mass more accessible to Catholics seeking the Tridentine
Mass.

Figure 22: Thommy Le Breton's wine cellar which

was converted to a chapel
 45

Figure 23: Thommy Le Breton was converted to a

chapel

Figure 24:
Sacristy in Le
Breton's
garage
 46

Figure 25: Le Breton's garage before being

converted into a chapel

Rev Fr Brady returned to Ireland due to poor health in

1984. The Association was once again left with no parish
priest. Rev Fr Eldred Leslie decided to resign from the
Archdiocese and became the parish priest of the
Association and took over the responsibilities of Fr Brady.
Once again Archbishop Hurley expressed his unhappiness
about this and chose to publicly castigate Fr Leslie by
publishing articles about Fr Leslie in the Daily News.
The flat rented to say Mass was becoming too crowded
and the Association needed to find a larger venue. Fr
Leslie was a well respected priest and he used his
influence to get a bigger venue, Kings Hall. Members of
 47

the Association would clear out the dining hall on

Saturday evening after supper and prepare the dining
hall for Mass. After the Sunday mass the dining hall had
to be set up and ready for the residents to have lunch.
However, Fr Leslie expressed that that a more suitable
premise was needed.

Figure 26: Kings Hall (1991)

 48

Figure 27: Confirmations at Kings Hall with Bishop

Williamson

Figure 28: Confirmations at Kings Hall with Bishop

Williamson
 49

In 1987 The Association purchased a double storey

house in Clarence Road and converted the ground floor
into a chapel. Fr Leslie lived on the first floor.

Figure 29: Double Storey house in Clarence Road

Figure 30: Rev.

Fr. Leslie in
Clarence road
chapel
 50

Figure 31: Baptism of Tracy Chetty at Clarence

Road

Figure 32: Baptism of Tracy Chetty at Clarence

Road
 51

Figure 33: Notice displayed outside the church

 52

On 11 April 1985 The Association met to discuss the

possibility of purchasing a Church. The church was a built
1937. The minutes read, the property consisting of a
church hall, out-building and a three bedroom house is
situated very conveniently in Gumtree Avenue off Berea
Road. The location is ideal as it would suit parishioners
on the North Coast as well as the Western Highway area,
it is also very central. The church could seat 180 people in
comfort and also has a hall that could hold approximately
50 people. There is ample parking and the property is
completely fenced. The only work envisaged is to re-
design the interior of the church. The committee also
considered the possibility of building a three or four storey
building to be used as a school with undercover parking.
Those part of the committee in 1985 were Mr T Le Breton,
Miss C Wood, Mr D O’ Donoghue, Mr R Robinson, Mr J
Hull, Mr C Duvall, Mrs M T Le Breton, Mr C Newton
Barker, Mr M Odonoghue, Mrs B de Robillard, Mrs A
Ridgwell, Mr D Whyatt and Rev Fr Brady.
 53

REFERENCE
Source Lynn English and Michael O’Donoghue
[1] The Wonder of Fatima Book
[2] The Angelus
[3] Letter of Bishop Fellay
 Page 54 of 324

CHAPTER FOUR: 1985-1991

In 19xx (Need to confirm date) The Association’s offer
to purchase the property on Gumtree Avenue was rejected
because the seller was doubtful about the Associations
relationship with the Pope. The following year, 19xx, the
church was still for sale and the Association made a cash
offer to purchase the church. This time their offer was
accepted. Minor renovations and repairs were done before
the parish moved to Gumtree Avenue. Fr Brady felt that
the seats were too comfortable and suggested that
kneelers had to be installed. A new altar was also
installed. On 1 November 1991, All Saints Day, the first
mass at Gumtree Avenue, Our Lady of the Holy Rosary,
was celebrated by Rev Fr Leslie.
 55

Figure 34: Original exterior of chapel purchased at

Gumtree Avenue
 56

Figure 35: Original interior of chapel in Gumtree

Avenue
 57

Figure 36: Golden

Wedding Sadie
and Percy Moore
with Father
Leslie 1990

REFERENCE
Source Lyn English and Michael O’Donoghue
 58

CHAPTER FIVE: 1991-1996

Rev Fr Leslie was the first parish priest at Gumtree
Avenue. In 1996 Fr. Leslie left for England and the
Society of St. Pius X took over the pastoral care of the
faithful in Gumtree Avenue. The Association of St. Pius X
now ceased to exist (need to verify this).

Figure 37: Rev. Fr. Leslie

 59

Figure 38: Farewell party for Rev. Fr. Leslie

REFERENCE
Source Lyn English and Michael O’Donoghue
 60

CHAPTER SIX: 1996-1998

In 1996, when Rev Fr Leslie handed over the parish to
The SSPX. The SSPX is an international priestly society
that was founded by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre in 1970
[1]. Rev Fr Vincente Griego was the parish priest of Our
Lady of the Holy Rosary at Gumtree Avenue for two
years. Rev Fr Craig Buffe was his curate.

Figure 39: Father Griego

Figure 40:
First Holy
Communion
recipients
with Rev. Fr.
Buffet
 61

SOCIETY OF SAINT PIUS X

The Society of Saint Pius X was founded by Archbishop
Marcel Lefebvre in 1970. Archbishop Lefebvre entered the
French Seminary in Rome in 1923 at the age of 18. He
was ordained a priest six years later and thereafter
completed his doctorate in theology. In 1932 Archbishop
Lefebvre joined his brother in Gabon and temporarily
joined the Holy Ghost Fathers as a seminary professor
and was then promoted to rector. Pope Pius XII appointed
Archbishop Lefebvre later appointed him as Vicar
Apostolic of Dakar and consecrated him as bishop. In
1948 Pope XII granted him the title of archbishop and
named him the Apostolic Delegate to French Africa. Pope
John XXIII appointed Archbishop Lefebvre to the
Preparatory Committee of the Second Vatican Council.
Around this time Archbishop Lefebvre was also elected as
the Superior General of the Holy Ghost Fathers. The
preparatory committee was required to set the agenda of
the ecumenical council. Most of the texts that Archbishop
Lefebvre helped prepare for the council were rejected and
more liberal versions were substituted in their place.
Archbishop Lefebvre and a few other prelates formed a
conservative, reactionary group called Coetus
 62

Internationalis Patrum. Archbishop Lefebvre was the

chairman. However, the Coetus was unsuccessful on
stopping the modernist reforms discussed in Vatican II. In
1968 Archbishop Lefebvre was forced by The Holy Ghost
Fathers to resign as their Superior General. Archbishop
Lefebvre was 63 years old at the time and at an age where
he was contemplating retirement [1].
However, he received several requests from young men
who desired a traditional priestly foundation. Archbishop
decided to open a seminary in Econe, Switzerland. On 1
November 1970 The Priestly Society of Saint Pius X was
formed. Bishop Charriere, the local ordinary, gave
Archbishop Lefebvre his blessing to open the seminary
[1].
The Archbishop did not approve of the ecumenical
nature of Vatican II. Archbishop Lefebvres strong stance
on Vatican II was not well received by some of the Roman
authorities who wanted the New Novus Ordo Mass to
flourish within a liberal Church [1].
In 1974, two apostolic visitors visited the seminary at
Econe to conduct an official tour and inspection of the
seminary. They were impresses with the seminary’s high
academic standard but they complained that they did not
 63

see the new rite of the Mass celebrated at the seminary.

However, they took a favorable report back to the Pope
[1].
Despite their favorable review, Archbishop Lefebvre
was shortly called to Rome and was interviewed by three
cardinals and on 6 May 1975 the new bishop of Fribourg
suppressed the SSPX. Shocked, Archbishop Lefebvre
issued an official appeal and asked for the reasons behind
this drastic act. Neither Fribourg nor Rome responded [1].
Then in 1976 the Archbishop Lefebvre was suspended,
ab ordinum collatione—from ordaining deacons and
priests—and later a divinis—from all sacred functions,
including saying Mass [1].
Despite the persecution, Archbishop Lefebvre resolved
to continue his duties as the Rector of the seminary in
Econe. He continued to ordain priests and even took his
seminarians on a pilgrimage to Rome as a sign of good
faith [1].
He ordained priests that summer as normal. He also
took his seminarians with him on pilgrimage to Rome as a
sign of good faith [1].
The SSPX continued to grow despite the suppression it
received from Rome. New seminaries were opened in
 64

Germany, America, Argentina and Australia. Religious

brothers, sisters, and lay third order members joined and
by 1987, the SSPX had spread its apostolate to every
continent in the world [1].
Archbishop Lefebvre, after repeated but ultimately
unfruitful negotiations with Rome, decided in 1988 to
consecrate four new bishops to serve the SSPX and its
faithful. In response, the pope issued a declaration of
excommunication to the archbishop and these four new
bishops [1]. This greatly saddened the archbishop, but he
firmly believed that he could not in good conscience have
acted otherwise and was bound to provide for the
preservation of the SSPX and its worldwide apostolate.
Archbishop Lefebvre died just three years later on March
25, 1991.
 65

REFERENCE
[1] http://sspx.org/en/about
 66

CHAPTER SEVEN: 1998-2002

In 1998 Rev. Fr. Anthony Esposito replaced Rev. Fr.
Griego as parish priest. Other priests who served during
this period included Rev. Fr. Suresh and Rev. Fr.
Swanton. Brother Kimbo also spent a period of time
assisting at Gumtree Avenue.

In 2000 Rev Fr Esposito arranged a pilgrimage to

Rome.

Figure 41: Pilgrimage to Italy organised by Rev. Fr.

Esposito (2000)
 67

Figure 42: Sally Anne Blyth and Hilton Lowell

wedding 2001

Figure 43: Stephen Blyth and Claire McCormick

wedding 1998
 68

Figure 44: Traditional Third order Dominicans -

Avrille France - Anthony Perumal,....,Agness..., Rev.
Fr. Esposito and Regina Moloy (from left to right)
 69

CHAPTER EIGHT: 2002-2010

In 2002 Rev Fr Sebastian Wall replaced Rev Fr

Esposito as the parish priest. Rev Fr Wall spent eight
years in Durban and in 2010 was assigned to Mexico. Rev.
Fr. Wall had a number of curates assisting him. These
inculded Rev Fr Andre, Rev Fr Jasney, Rev. Fr. Garcia
Rev Fr Thomas, Rev Fr Taouk and Re. Fr. Saa. Brother
Konrad was the priory brother for a few years.

Rev. Fr Thomas arranged the first Saint Andrews

Society girls camp in 2004 that was held in Margate.
Adult Catechism was arranged for parishioners every
friday afternoon between 2008 and 2009.

Figure 45: SAS

Camp

Fr. Leslie returned to South Africa in 19xx and moved

into a house in Pietermaritzburg where he established a
 70

small Mass centre. He often visited his old parishioners

and assisted the priests of St. Pius X in Durban.
Tragically he was murdered in his home on 21 January
2009 in Pietermaritzburg.

Ironically, this was the day Rome declared that the

Society of Pius X and its Bishops were not
excommunicated [1]. Sadly Rev Fr Wall met with
resistance from the Archdiocese while arranging Rev Fr
Leslie’s funeral. Cardinal Napier refused to allow Rev Fr
Wall to celebrate Rev Fr Leslie’s Requiem Mass in any of
the churches in his Archdiocese. The Bishop of Marianhill
allowed Rev Fr Wall to use his church to celebrate the
Requiem Mass. Cardinal Napier said in an interview [2];
‘When I saw the story in the paper I called two of the
priests who were approached by Reverend Wall of the
Fraternity of St Pius X. They agreed to do a funeral for
Father Leslie in their churches, but indicated that they
would have to celebrate the Mass. However, Reverend
Wall insisted that one of their own do the funeral. No
parish priest could allow that because those priests do not
have ‘faculties’ to celebrate a service in a Catholic
Church.’ He further stated that “The priests of the
 71

Fraternity do not acknowledge the authority of the

Archbishop. Consequently, they do not see the need to
present themselves to him in order to receive faculties
from him. Faculties are the canonical permission or
license to minister in the territory of a diocese.” Cardinal
Napier questioned what the local Traditional Catholic
Church’s motives were for wanting to hold a funeral for
Father Leslie in a Catholic Church. ‘If their church on
Gumtree Avenue in Durban is too small, why did they ask
to use a Catholic church? The Archdiocese has itself on
numerous occasions used venues such as the
International Convention Centre, the Durban Exhibition
Centre, Absa Stadium or Westridge Tennis Stadium. Why
are they making an issue of using one of our churches?’
He also said he could not understand why Father Leslie’s
funeral was reportedly to be held at Mariannhill
monastery near Pinetown. The Congregation of
Missionaries of Mariannhill is a Catholic order.

The Bishop of Marianhill responded to Cardinal Napier

stating that they were just providing a venue [3]. Rev Fr
Leslie was well known by a number of people around here
and this is not a doctrinal issue. They are not opposed to
 72

the Catholic faith. We took into account the new

developments that have taken place and the process of
reconciliation towards church unity that the Pope has
initiated.

Figure 46: Funeral of Rev. Fr. Leslie

 73

Figure 47: Church refuses burial for priest

 74

Figure 48: Procession at the funeral of Rev. Fr.

Leslie
 75

APOSTOLIC LETTER ‘SUMMORUM

PONTIFICUM’ ISSUED MOTU PROPIO
BENEDICT XVI
On 7 July 2007, Pope Benedict XVI issued an Apostolic
Letter on the celebration of the Roman Rite according to
the Missal of 1962 [4]. In that letter Pope Benedict stated
that; In more recent times, Vatican Council II expressed a
desire that the respectful reverence due to divine worship
should be renewed and adapted to the needs of our time.
Moved by this desire our predecessor, the Supreme Pontiff
Paul VI, approved, in 1970, reformed and partly renewed
liturgical books for the Latin Church. These, translated
into the various languages of the world, were willingly
accepted by bishops, priests and faithful. John Paul II
amended the third typical edition of the Roman Missal.
Thus Roman pontiffs have operated to ensure that 'this
kind of liturgical edifice should again appear resplendent
for its dignity and harmony [5]. But in some regions, no
small numbers of faithful adhered and continue to adhere
with great love and affection to the earlier liturgical
forms. These had so deeply marked their culture and their
spirit that in 1984 the Supreme Pontiff John Paul II,
 76

moved by a concern for the pastoral care of these faithful,

with the special indult 'Quattuor abhinc anno," issued by
the Congregation for Divine Worship, granted permission
to use the Roman Missal published by Blessed John XXIII
in the year 1962. Later, in the year 1988, John Paul II
with the Apostolic Letter given as Motu Proprio, 'Ecclesia
Dei,' exhorted bishops to make generous use of this power
in favor of all the faithful who so desired. Following the
insistent prayers of these faithful, long deliberated upon
by our predecessor John Paul II, and after having listened
to the views of the Cardinal Fathers of the Consistory of
22 March 2006, having reflected deeply upon all aspects of
the question, invoked the Holy Spirit and trusting in the
help of God, with these Apostolic Letters we establish the
following:

Art 1. The Roman Missal promulgated by Paul VI is the

ordinary expression of the 'Lex orandi' (Law of prayer) of
the Catholic Church of the Latin rite. Nonetheless, the
Roman Missal promulgated by St. Pius V and reissued by
Bl. John XXIII is to be considered as an extraordinary
expression of that same 'Lex orandi,' and must be given
due honour for its venerable and ancient usage. These two
 77

expressions of the Church's Lex orandi will in no any way

lead to a division in the Church's 'Lex credendi' (Law of
belief). They are, in fact two usages of the one Roman rite.

It is, therefore, permissible to celebrate the Sacrifice of

the Mass following the typical edition of the Roman
Missal promulgated by Bl. John XXIII in 1962 and never
abrogated, as an extraordinary form of the Liturgy of the
Church. The conditions for the use of this Missal as laid
down by earlier documents 'Quattuor abhinc annis' and
'Ecclesia Dei,' are substituted as follows:

Art. 2. In Masses celebrated without the people, each

Catholic priest of the Latin rite, whether secular or
regular, may use the Roman Missal published by Bl. Pope
John XXIII in 1962, or the Roman Missal promulgated by
Pope Paul VI in 1970, and may do so on any day with the
exception of the Easter Triduum. For such celebrations,
with either one Missal or the other, the priest has no need
for permission from the Apostolic See or from his
Ordinary.

Art. 3. Communities of Institutes of consecrated life and

 78

of Societies of apostolic life, of either pontifical or diocesan

right, wishing to celebrate Mass in accordance with the
edition of the Roman Missal promulgated in 1962, for
conventual or "community" celebration in their oratories,
may do so. If an individual community or an entire
Institute or Society wishes to undertake such celebrations
often, habitually or permanently, the decision must be
taken by the Superiors Major, in accordance with the law
and following their own specific decrees and statues.

Art. 4. Celebrations of Mass as mentioned above in art. 2

may - observing all the norms of law - also be attended by
faithful who, of their own free will, ask to be admitted.

Art. 5.1 In parishes, where there is a stable group of

faithful who adhere to the earlier liturgical tradition, the
pastor should willingly accept their requests to celebrate
the Mass according to the rite of the Roman Missal
published in 1962, and ensure that the welfare of these
faithful harmonises with the ordinary pastoral care of the
parish, under the guidance of the bishop in accordance
with canon 392, avoiding discord and favouring the unity
of the whole Church.
 79

2 Celebration in accordance with the Missal of Bl. John

XXIII may take place on working days; while on Sundays
and feast days one such celebration may also be held.
3 For faithful and priests who request it, the pastor
should also allow celebrations in this extraordinary form
for special circumstances such as marriages, funerals or
occasional celebrations, e.g. pilgrimages.
4 Priests who use the Missal of Bl. John XXIII must be
qualified to do so and not juridically impeded.
5 In churches that are not parish or conventual churches,
it is the duty of the Rector of the church to grant the
above permission.

Art. 6. In Masses celebrated in the presence of the people

in accordance with the Missal of Bl. John XXIII, the
readings may be given in the vernacular, using editions
recognised by the Apostolic See.

Art. 7. If a group of lay faithful, as mentioned in art. 5.1,

has not obtained satisfaction to their requests from the
pastor, they should inform the diocesan bishop. The
bishop is strongly requested to satisfy their wishes. If he
cannot arrange for such celebration to take place, the
 80

matter should be referred to the Pontifical Commission

"Ecclesia Dei".

Art. 8. A bishop who, desirous of satisfying such requests,

but who for various reasons is unable to do so, may refer
the problem to the Commission "Ecclesia Dei" to obtain
counsel and assistance.

Art. 9.1 The pastor, having attentively examined all

aspects, may also grant permission to use the earlier
ritual for the administration of the Sacraments of
Baptism, Marriage, Penance, and the Anointing of the
Sick, if the good of souls would seem to require it.
2 Ordinaries are given the right to celebrate the
Sacrament of Confirmation using the earlier Roman
Pontifical, if the good of souls would seem to require it.
3 Clerics ordained "in sacris constitutis" may use the
Roman Breviary promulgated by Bl. John XXIII in 1962.

Art. 10. The ordinary of a particular place, if he feels it

appropriate, may erect a personal parish in accordance
with can. 518 for celebrations following the ancient form
 81

of the Roman rite, or appoint a chaplain, while observing

all the norms of law.

Art. 11. The Pontifical Commission "Ecclesia Dei", erected

by John Paul II in 1988 [6] continues to exercise its
function. Said Commission will have the form, duties and
norms that the Roman Pontiff wishes to assign it.

Art. 12. This Commission, apart from the powers it

enjoys, will exercise the authority of the Holy See,
supervising the observance and application of these
dispositions.

We order that everything we have established with these

Apostolic Letters issued as Motu Proprio be considered as
"established and decreed", and to be observed from 14
September of this year, Feast of the Exaltation of the
Cross, whatever there may be to the contrary.

From Rome, at St. Peter's, 7 July 2007, third year of Our

Pontificate.
Pope Benedict XVI
 82

MEMORIES OF DURBAN –REV FR WALL

On this felicitous anniversary I have been asked to
provide my own memories of the chapel in Gumtree
during my nine years there. If I were better organised I
would have dates and events neatly marshalled but alas
that is not the case and so if my memories seem a little
chaotic please be indulgent.

I first came to Durban shortly after my ordination

for a first Mass. At that time, long before Our Lady of the
Holy Rosary became a priory of the Society of St. Pius X,
we saw ourselves as the collaborators of all priests who
were trying to maintain tradition in a post-conciliar
world. Fr. Leslie very kindly received me and I followed
his exhausting schedule for Sunday: Low Mass early,
sung Mass then off to Pietermaritzburg for a Mass in a
school as I remember. It must have been 1994, I can
remember Frieda Grossman, Doris Herrmann and John
Lowrie who did the driving.

When I returned it was as curate to Fr. Esposito, a

happy time which was all too brief. In September he left
for Kenya, Gabon and Johannesburg and I found myself
 83

suddenly as Prior in Durban. Anthony Perumal tells me

that I was Prior the longest in Durban which surprises
me.

For priests of the Society it’s quite a difficult posting

since we’re quite isolated. Already Africa is far from the
beaten path (I think it was seven years before I saw a
bishop of the Society after arriving) and Durban is even
further for potential visitors. This made it particularly
difficult for my curates in that time. The first, Fr. Marcus
Jasny, barely lasted five months. During his time I think
the most significant thing we did was to gas the house
against borer. Over a hundred years old it had some
beautiful features, particularly oregan pine floors covered
in ghastly nylon carpeting, lovely wooden doors and
windows. These latter were held together mainly by paint
and once the borer had been killed we could start to think
about renovation.
 84

Figure 49: Renovations at the parish house

Figure 50: Renovations at the parish house

 85

The second curate, Fr. Ramon Garcia, lasted a little

longer perhaps but was hampered, like his predecessor,
by not speaking English. Once or twice he gave a sermon
in French (so animated, in fact, that even those in the
chapel who spoke no French were fascinated) and also
offered confession in that language. It was during his time
that we started work on the little garage next to the
house. It had been sufficient for Fr. Leslie but now, with
two cars (and two priests) I thought we could expand a
little. I also saw an opportunity of providing extra
accommodation for visitors, should we ever have them.
We had two bedrooms in the house but because the third
bedroom was used as the prior’s office it meant we had
nowhere to put the superior or a bishop or anyone who
popped in. I, therefore, thought that while we were
constructing a garage for our cars I could put on another
storey and create a little guesthouse. This cut down our
garden, where I was already growing herbs and
vegetables and planting drumstick trees but we went
ahead and in the end we had a spacious office and two
guestrooms as well as the two garages and another utility
room.
 86

I was promised someone who spoke English for my

next curate and indeed Fr. Thomas Hufford, newly
ordained took his place as curate no. 3. For a youngster he
lasted surprisingly a year but had intimated to the new
Superior, Fr. Coenraad Daniels, that the climate and
various other factors were affecting his health and so he
was moved on to Harare.

He was replaced by another American, Fr. David

Thomas. He outstripped his predecessor by around six
months before being moved on to Johannesburg to run the
school there. In his time we finished the new building
putting in a new driveway and finally removing the cycad
tree which had been sold by Fr. Leslie. The new building
had been designed to fit in with the original house with
sash windows, skirting boards, wooden floors and ceilings
and had taken some time to finish. Fr. Thomas helped
with much of this work.
 87

Figure 51: Rev. Fr. Wall, Rev. Fr. Daniels, Brother

Konrad and Rev. Fr. Thomas (from left to right).

His replacement was a Frenchman, Fr. Yannick Andre.

I think of all the curates he was the quickest to adapt to
the difficulties of the apostolate. He fitted in to our small
community very well, spoke excellent English (I don’t
think he spoke French to me even once during his time
there). I had high hopes but they were dashed when he
left suddenly to return to France.

Five curates in as many years! To lose one curate is

understandable but five looks positively careless. Anyway,
the Australian Fr. Raymond Taouk was the next in line.
He had the disadvantage of not being able to drive which
 88

complicated things somewhat but at any rate he was

replaced relatively quickly by the most enduring curate of
my time, Fr. Carlo Magno Saa. Fr. Saa stayed with me
until the end of my time in Durban.

Figure 52: Rev. Fr. Saa, Brother Konrad, Rev. Fr.

Wall and Brother Vincent (from left to right).

If the curates didn’t stay very long the one constant

element during most of my time in Durban was Brother
Konrad. He was a pillar of strength for over nine years
and was instrumental in many of the physical changes
which were effected in that time. The ripping up of the
carpets in the house and the polishing of the floors
(replacing the concrete block in the dining room with new
 89

boarding), the refitting of the kitchen and bathroom, the

laying of the parquet flooring in the sacristy, together
with the new cupboards, the fitting of the new building –
ceilings, floors, skirting boards etc. Whether it was tiling,
painting, carpentry or simple maintenance the Brother
worked tirelessly with me to restore, improve and
beautify the property on Gum Tree. There were other
changes in which he was not directly involved – the air-
conditioning in the chapel, the acquisition of the two new
cars, the fitting of a central locking system in house and
church (when I arrived I had to open 13 different locks to
leave the house and prepare the church for Mass) but in
all he was a figure of support and constancy while curates
came and went. One should also mention his work in the
liturgical life of the chapel. All his work in the sacristy,
preparing for Mass or Holy Hour, funerals or (rarely)
weddings, baptisms. In a world where work or other
activities prevent our men from serving Mass it was a
great comfort to have someone not only available but
desirous of serving as many Masses as was necessary.

It must be remembered that our means were

relatively modest. We received no money from the district
 90

and relied on the Sunday collection for all the restoration

work as well as our daily needs. We were helped on some
days by ladies of the parish who brought in food for us
and sometimes we received a donation from overseas but
we were able to do all the work we did because on the
whole we did it ourselves. We have put in floors and
ceilings, tiled, painted and sanded. In them more
specialised tasks various faithful came to our aid – Paul
Vermaak with the electrical work, Peter Hayward with
the construction of the new building.

Figure 53: Paul Vermaak and Peter Hayward busy

with church renovations
 91

Figure 54: Renovated church bell

Slowly, as we got the money, we replaced the aging

infrastructure and fittings. A new stove, washing
machine, boilers for the house and new building, we were
given a three piece suite for the living room to replace the
ageing one we had which was missing many springs! We
were even given a piano. Many thanks to all who
contributed either financially or by giving up their time.
 92

As I have said, we had no

cook in the priory but
various ladies brought food
in two or three days. During
the rest of the time the
cooking was done by me, the
Brother or in the latter
years by Fr. Saa. One of our
faithful did come in during
the week to clean the house
and we employed a
gardener, James, for many
years.
Figure 55: Renovated kitchen cupboards

One of our acquisitions during my time was the organ.

The priory in Roodepoort built a pipe organ and kindly
gave us their old organ which we managed to haul up to
the choir loft thanks to George Oravecz. The only problem
was that no-one could play it! I stepped in whenever I
could but if I was saying Mass.
 93

Perhaps the most extraordinary event which took

place during my time at Our Lady of the Holy Rosary was
the Pontifical Solemn Mass which we held on the feast of
Christ the King during the visit of Mgr. de Galerreta. By
artifice (ear-buds and a recording) and much rehearsal we
not only assembled a men’s choir to sing the Mass but we
also managed to assemble the priests and servers
necessary. As far as I know that was the only time there
has been a pontifical Mass in Durban.

Figure 56: Bishop Tissier de Mallerais with the

Confraternity of the Holy Rosary
 94

Another extraordinary event, though a much

sadder one, was the funeral of Father Leslie which was
held in the monastery of Mariannhill. We would have
willingly held the funeral in our little church but
anticipating the number of people who wanted to attend
this would have been impossible and since the Cardinal
forbade the use of one of his churches we had to go outside
the diocese to the monastery church where Father was
also to be buried. Father’s great friend of many years, Fr.
Walter Ranger, was the celebrant, I was the deacon, the
sermon was given by the present prior, Fr. Esposito.

Figure 57: Bishop Tissier de Mallerais and Rev. Fr.

Wall
 95

Figure 58: Corpus Christi processions

Since Fr. Leslie had retired to Pietermaritzburg the

weekly journey up the N3 was no longer necessary on a
Sunday. For a brief time we did pop up the N2 to
Empangeni, I think once a month, but our main mission
during my time in Durban was the regular flights to Cape
Town and Port Elizabeth. I have an idea that later we
 96

only had to go to one of these since the other was serviced

by Johannesburg. At any rate, in those days the airport
was just down the M4 around fifteen minutes away.

Perhaps a problem that we saw in Durban like in

many of our centres in South Africa was the general decay
in the number of faithful. The once flourishing parish in
the time of Fr. Leslie suffered from the usual losses due to
death – I buried Thomy LeBreton, George Souchon,
Dorothy and Denis English among others. I do have to say
that many in Durban show an admirable longevity. Many
live well into their nineties and some even over a
hundred. But death is a normal part of any parish life.
The problem in Durban, particularly since 1994 was the
slow but sure migration of the second and third
generation of faithful. If we were going to Empangeni it
was because various groups of faithful had moved up
there and we stopped since they moved elsewhere. Many
young families moved either to Johannesburg or even
overseas. With shrinking numbers in the original
missions as well we needed to think of the future.
 97

Figure 59: Mens Ignatian retreat organised by Rev.

Fr. Wall.

Towards the end of my time we made contact with a

group of Catholics interested in preserving the faith of
their fathers in the small community to the South-West of
Durban. This was not, as might be imagined, in Umlazi
from whence many of our faithful had been coming for
years but on the other side of the river in eFolweni. Due
to its rural nature many of the older and very young
faithful had an imperfect grasp of English and so
confession was in Zulu and even the sermon. Some of you
 98

might remember the only time I gave a Zulu sermon in

Gum Tree for the funeral of Edward Mkhize (you can see
an excerpt on youtube under ‘Zulu sermon’). Is this the
future of our mission here in Natal? From the occasional
masses which were held in my time I believe that that
growing community now has Mass every week. This is
very encouraging and in a strange way guarantees the
presence of the Society in what was where I have spent
the longest time in my priestly life. Life in Gum Tree has
changed a lot over the years and I was very happy to be a
part of it. May God bless and preserve you all in our
beloved parish of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary for many
years to come.

Figure 60: Farewell for Rev. Fr. Wall

 99

Figure 61: Farewell for Rev. Fr. Wall

Figure 62: Farewell for Rev. Fr. Wall

 100

REFERENCE
[1] SSPX Bishops not excommunicated
[2] Napier on Fr Leslies funeral
[3] Bishop of Marianhill on Fr Leslies funeral
[4] https://www.ewtn.com/library/papaldoc/b16Sum
morumPontificum.htm
[5] St. Pius X, Apostolic Letter Motu propio data,
"Abhinc duos annos," 23 October 1913: AAS 5
(1913), 449-450; cf John Paul II, Apostolic Letter
"Vicesimus quintus annus," no. 3: AAS 81 (1989),
899
[6] Cf John Paul II, Apostolic Letter Motu proprio
data "Ecclesia Dei," 2 July 1988, 6: AAS 80
(1988), 1498
 101

CHAPTER NINE: 2010 - 2016

Rev Fr Esposito returned to Gumtree Avenue as the
parish priest in 2010. Rev. Fr. Saa continued to assist
Rev. Fr. Esposito as curate till 2013. Thereafter, Rev. Fr.
Laignelot and Rev. Fr. Lundy assisted Rev. Fr. Esposito.

In 2011 the parish held its first public procession on

Corpus Christi.. Rev Fr Esposito organised the
Confraternity for the Poor Souls in Purgatory. Rev Fr
Esposito also started conferences that are held every
second Sunday of the mass.
 102

FOND MEMORIES OF DURBAN – REV FR.

CARLO MAGNO O. SAA
My first assignment in Africa was in Harare,
Zimbabwe, I arrived there precisely on 19 March 2006,
the Priory’s patronal feast. I stayed there for 19 months.
During that period, I was able to have my first visit to
Durban when I replaced Fr. Wall and Brother Konrad
while they were on holidays at Victoria Falls sometime on
February 2007. Never had I thought that by November
2008, I would be assigned to Durban for quite a while. In
fact, it was my longest assignment in one Priory – 6 years
all-in-all!

Immediately after our Priest Retreat in Johannesburg,

on November 2008, I went directly to my new assignment
in Durban to replace Fr. Raymond Taouk. I used to visit
our chapels of Cape Town and Port Elizabeth every forth-
night. Once, I thought I would die already because we had
an aborted landing in Port Elizabeth due to its proverbial
winds. In any case, on January 2009, Fr. Taouk rejoined
us in Durban. With an extra priest, we started a regular
monthly visit to Efolweni. Since that mission was
growing, Fr. Vernoy assigned someone else to Cape Town
 103

and Port Elizabeth missions while I stayed to develop

Efolweni.

Sometime on March 2009, I celebrated the first Good

Friday Liturgy at Efolweni and prepared about 30
candidates for Easter baptism. Then we prepared 60
candidates for Confirmation for the following September.
The first Society Bishop to visit Efolweni was Bishop
Bernard Tissier de Mallerais. Around this time also, Fr.
Wall encouraged me to establish the Legion of Mary in
Durban. I hesitated because I don’t know enough Zulu.
But, I did ask God for a sign. So, one day, Brother Konrad
and I went to Marianhill to visit Fr. Witstein. There, we
also see their Bro. Konrad and we asked him if they have
an extra copy of the Handbook of the Legion of Mary in
Zulu. He went to their library and found 3 of them. So, he
gave us one. And so, I have no excuses not to establish the
first true Praesidium of the Legion of Mary in the SSPX
District of Africa. We called it Praesidium – “Maria
Enkanyesi Yasolwandle…Mary Star of the Sea”. After all,
is not Durban, by the sea as well?
 104

But, Durban is not a bed of roses. If my memory does

not fail me, it was in 2010 that the terrible tragedy of Fr.
Leslie’s death happened. Two boys from Austria came to
help us build the sacristy cupboards. We were about to
finish lunch when Fr. Leslie and his nephew Ken arrived.
He asked one of the priests to hear his confession. Since I
finished eating already, I went to the chapel with him and
we exchanged confessions. Then, he joined us for his
whisky and dessert. Great was our shock the next day,
when around 5.00PM, Mrs. Alford phoned us that Fr.
Leslie was murdered inside his house! The next morning,
I went to Fr. Leslie’s house with the Chief Investigating
Officer to consume the Blessed Sacrament from his
tabernacle. Thank God, the Marianhill Fathers allowed us
to use their Church and cemetery for Fr. Leslie’s burial.
May he rest in peace!
 105

On August 2010, Fr. Wall left for his new assignment

in Mexico after having served Durban for about 8 years.
Bro. Konrad and myself were left in Durban for a while
because Fr. Esposito has settle the problem of resident
priests in Harare. They were expelled out of the country
on April 2010. And so, the Prior of Durban is also the
Prior of Harare. Nevertheless, we hold on in Durban and
Efolweni was growing steadily. In October that year, we
had the children’s First Communion at Efolweni as well
as the very first Christ the King procession around the
village with the Blessed Sacrament. Yes, we want Jesus
to be King of Efolweni also! Then, the following month,

Figure 63: Christ the King procession in eFolweni

 106

Fr. Esposito blessed the first marriage from our

Efolweni faithful at the Priory.
In 2011, there was a big celebration in Durban during
Corpus Christi. For the first time, we make a procession
around our block of the Priory. In that same day, we also
celebrated the priestly anniversaries: 25 years for Fr.
Duverger, 20 years of Fr. Carlile, and my 10th
anniversary of ordination. Yet community life was rather
hard since Bro. Konrad was transferred and most of the
time I am alone when Fr. Esposito was in Harare. This
was the rhythm of the Priory from 2011 – 2013. In fact,
there were times when we only see each other at the
airport of Harare, exchange our confessions and give the
keys of the other Priory! Still, we managed to keep
Durban, Efolweni and Harare intact.

On September 2013, a newly ordained priest, Fr.

Benoit Laignelot joined us. This time, at least, we are two
at Gum Tree Avenue. Unfortunately, the following year,
Fr. Laignelot was transferred to Kenya. So, I’m alone
again when Fr. Esposito is in Harare. On November 2014,
Fr. Bertrand Lundi arrived. He succeeded me at the
mission in Efolweni. And, Fr. Duverger asked me to join
 107

Fr. de Claussonne in Harare the following year. If you

only know what it means to sacrifice Durban and
Efolweni in order to go back to Harare!

Still, I obeyed and stayed there for 9 months. However,

during my annual holidays in the Philippines on
September 2014, I accidentally came across the new
District Superior of Asia, Fr. Karl Stehlin. He asked me
how many years was I in Africa. I told him, 8 years
already. He said: “8 years! You must come back to Asia.” I
answered: “Well, Father, you are the Superior. It’s for you
to ask Bishop Fellay.” I thought it was just a joke. But no,
he insisted on it during the SSPX pilgrimage in Lourdes
in 2014. Fr. Pflugger visited us in Harare, late November
that year. So, after Christmas, I quit Harare and on 28
December, I gave my last Zulu sermon in Soweto. I then
spent New Year in France with grand-mere, and by 26th
January 2015, I was back in Manila. I helped our
missions in Hong Kong, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur
during weekends. But during weekdays, I’m teaching
Latin to our High School students in our small parochial
school of about 60 children. Then, since July 2015, I was
 108

assigned as Parish Priest of Our Lady of Victories

Church, the biggest SSPX Parish in Asia.

And so, the spiritual adventure continues, the hunting

for souls goes on! Thank you, dear Durbanites, for your
kindness, generosity and cooperation when I was with
you. To tell you the truth, my best time in Africa was in
Durban. I miss you all, and may God bless you all!

Figure 64: First Corpus Christi procession around

the block of the priory
 109

Figure 65: First Corpus Christi procession around

the block of the priory

Figure 66: Confitmations with Bishop Fellay

 110

Figure 67: Confirmation with Bishop Fellay

Figure 68: Christopher... and....with Bishop Fellay

111
 112

CHAPTER TEN: ARCHBISHOP DENIS

HURLEY
It has been mentioned in page 41 of Chapter Three that
in 1982 The Association of Saint Pius X of Natal was
legally established. The Constitution of the Association
was unanimously approved at a meeting held on the 17 th
June 1982 and the first Committee and Office bearers
were elected at a meeting on June 23rd of that year. Our
Lady of the Holy Rosary was chosen as the Patron Saint
of the Association. The Association was formed out of fear
that Archbishop Hurley would place a ban on the
Traditional Catholics in Natal that would disallow them
from celebrating the Tridentine Mass in his Archdiocese.
This fear was not unfounded. Archbishop D. Hurley
reacted to the formation of the Association of Saint Pius X
of Natal with a Pastoral Letter
 113

PASTORAL LETTER ON ASSOCIATION OF

SAINT PIUS X [1]

(to be read at Mass on the earliest possible occasion)

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ.

1. With a sad heart I write to you about an organization

recently established in Durban. It is known as the
Association of St. Pius X and consists of the followers of
Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre who practice their religion
independently of Church authority and in disobedience to
it.

2. Unfortunately, they have priests to minister to them in

contravention of the solemn promises made at their
ordination, or in virtue of their ordination at the hands of
Archbishop Lefebvre.

3. Archbishop Lefebvre was suspended from his priestly

and episcopal functions by Pope Paul VI on 11 July 1976
and he has never been reinstated. He has disregarded
that suspension and continues to celebrate the
sacraments and perform other functions in flagrant
 114

disobedience to the Pope. Suspension renders the

celebration of a sacrament unlawful but not invalid except
in the cases mentioned later in this letter. Archbishop
Lefebvre has recently resigned from the leadership of the
Association of St. Pius X.

4. The rebellious attitude of Archbishop Lefebvre and the

Association that he founded stems from their
unwillingness to accept the Order of Mass promulgated by
Pope Paul VI after the Second Vatican Council and also
other conclusions and decisions of the Council, for
example' on ecumenism and religious liberty. Many
members of the Association maintain that the sacraments
of the Eucharist and Holy Orders celebrated according to
the rites promulgated by the Pope after the Council are
invalid.

5. Recently, a priest of the Association of St. Pius X, by

name Father J. Brady, set himself up in Durban. He
resides in Clifford Court, Park Street, Durban, and
celebrates Mass and conducts other religious services both
there and at 473 Musgrave Road, Durban, the home of
Mr. and Mrs. T. J. Le Breton. According to the newsletter
of the Association, Father Brady ministers to the
 115

followers of Archbishop Lefebvre from the Cape to

Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, and spends one week each month
in Johannesburg.

6. Disregarding the law of the Church, he has not

presented himself to me, and is performing his acts of
ministry in the same spirit of disobedience as Archbishop
Lefebvre. His celebration of the sacraments is unlawful
and therefore in itself sinful. However, the sacraments
celebrated by him are valid except in the case of
confession. He cannot validly absolve because this
requires a special authorization from the bishop over and
above priestly ordination. This authorization is also
required for a priest to assist at marriages. Without it a
marriage is not valid in the eyes of the Church.

7. A rebellion against the unity and authority of the

Church is a very serious matter. Any Catholic who
knowingly and wilfully participates in services conducted
by Father Brady or supports him in any way is guilty of
gravely sinful conduct. This is not a matter of choice.
Those who join in Father Brady's services, even if just
occasionally, share in his grave disobedience.
 116

8. These are strong words. I have made them so

intentionally in order to leave no doubt in the minds of
people about the Church's attitude to Archbishop
Lefebvre and his Association.

9. A situation like this calls for prayer and penance that

those who separate themselves from the Body of Christ
may realize the harm that they are doing and the scandal
that they are causing and that they may return in love
and humility to full communion with the Church, the
Pope and the bishops and all their brothers and sisters in
the faith. In begging our heavenly Father that this may
come about let us remember the prayer of Jesus at the
Last Supper.

"May they all be one. Father, may they be one in us, as

you are in me and I am in you, so that the world may
believe it was you who sent me. I have given them the
glory you gave to me, that they may be one as we are one.
With me in them and you in me, may they be so
completely one that the world will realize that it was you
who sent me and that I have loved them as much as you
loved me." (In.17: 21-23)
 117

Associating myself and all of you in this prayer of Jesus, I

remain,

Your devoted and affectionate pastor in his service,

Denis E. Hurley, O.M.I.

Archbishop of Durban

Despite Archbishops Hurley’s warning against the

Association, the Association continued to grow in Natal.
Rev.Fr. Eldred Leslie resigned from the Archdioceses of
Durban in 1985 and became the resident Priest of the
Association of Saint Pius X, taking over the flat and
Priestly duties from Fr. Brady, much to the disgust of
Archbishop Dennis Hurley.
On the 7th April 1989 Archbishop D. Hurley responded
to Rev. Fr. Eldred Leslie actions by writing a letter to
every parish in the diocese [2]Archbishop Hurley titles the
letter ‘A Letter from the Archbishop Concerning Father
Eldred Leslie". The letter informed all the parishes in the
Diocese that he, The Archbishop, had withdrawn "the
authorization granted him to perform priestly ministry…I
 118

took this step because…it was impossible for me to

continue taking responsibility for his ministry. Sadly a
consequence of this is that his celebration of Mass, his
preaching and instructing and ministering to the sick and
dying are in themselves rebellious actions. Moreover the
absolution he imparts in the sacrament of penance is
invalid and marriages at which he assists as officiating
priest are also invalid in the eyes of the Church. A further
consequence is that those who knowingly and willingly
accept his ministry and support him in his attitude are
guilty of grave disobedience to lawful authority in the
Church".
 119

Figure 69:Archbishop Denis Hurley, centre, at the

freedom march in 1989 with other religious leaders
[3]

In response to Hurley’s calumny, Father Leslie wrote

his archbishop a humble letter dated 15th May 1989 in
which he stated [2]:
"…With respect, Your Grace, never once have I
expressed unwillingness to submit to your authority
lawfully exercised. I have indicated that, in conscience, I
could not submit to what I am convinced is clearly an
abuse of that authority, an abuse which denies Catholics,
priests and laity, their right, under the law, to the
Immemorial rite of Mass and to the teaching of the
 120

Catholic Church. Nor have I ever indicated to you that the

promulgation of the new Order of Mass lacked binding
force… What I have maintained and still do maintain is
that imposition of the new rite as of obligation and the
prohibition of the old rite are "ultra vires" and I have
provided sufficient evidence to support this. Eminent
canonists have agreed that the Immemorial rite has not
been abolished and, in law, is freely available to
Catholics."

Obviously not satisfied with the damage he had already

done to Rev Fr Leslie’s good name, Archbishop Hurley
slandered him in an even more public way, asserting in a
letter to the editor of the Daily News that was published
January 7th 1994 [2]:"Father Eldred Leslie has refused to
obey a Church law concerning the celebration of Mass. As
a result Father Eldred Leslie is not entitled to perform any
priestly ministry in the Catholic Archdiocese of Durban or
anywhere else in the world."

In the wake of this latest attack, a couple of letters to

the Daily News editor expressing support for Father
Leslie soon followed, such as one by L. Onody [2]:
 121

"I write in support of Father Leslie whose suspension by

the remorseless Bishop Denis Hurley was nonsensical and
groundless. While Father Leslie’s sermons, traditional
Masses and priestly activities have helped hundreds of
Catholics to strengthen their faith, the unrepentant,
retired archbishop has caused great damage to the faith,
by permitting even encouraging, that which is forbidden,
such as altar girls, liturgical dancing, bread of
questionable validity etc."

Finally, Father Leslie defended himself in a letter

published on the 26th January 1994 [2]:

"It is unfortunate that Archbishop Denis Hurley should

accuse me of refusing to obey a Church law concerning the
celebration of Mass. This, it is respectfully submitted, does
not accord with the facts. On no occasion have I ever
refused to obey such a law. On the contrary. For several
years now my efforts have been devoted, inter alia, to
upholding and defending the rule of law against local
official policy of denying priests and laity their right,
under the law freely to offer, or assist at the Immemorial
Rite of Holy Mass and to follow the traditional teaching of
the Catholic Church. The archbishop does not mention
 122

which law I allegedly refused to obey. I can only surmise

that he refers to "Missale Romanum", the document that
introduced the new order of Mass. In our discussions, the
archbishop wished me to acknowledge that this document
abolished, or at least, replaced the so called Tridentine
Mass. In conscience, I could not do so since a careful
reading revealed that the document contained not one
word prohibiting the old Roman Rite. Confirmation of this
position comes from Rome…"

Bishop Denis then attempted a rebuttal of this defence

with another open letter on the 17th March 1994 [2]:

"Father Leslie tried to refute my allegation that he was

acting in disobedience to a law of the Catholic Church
concerning the celebration of Mass…. I have tried for years
to get Father Leslie to read with unbiased eyes the
following words which are a translation of part of the
Latin text of the decree. These words can be found in the
introductory pages of any altar missal of the new rite.
They are headed Apostolic Constitution. After describing
the changes made in the rite of Mass Pope Paul VI
concludes:"What we have prescribed in this constitution
shall begin to be enforced from the first Sunday of Advent
 123

of this year, November 30. We decree that these laws and

prescriptions be firm and effective now and in future,
notwithstanding, in the extent necessary, the apostolic
constitutions and ordinances issued by our
predecessors…" If that does not convey that the old rite has
been abrogated in favor of the new, what do words mean?"

Father Leslie waited a while before countering in

the Daily News on the 13th April 1994 [2]:
"With due respect to Archbishop Denis Hurley, it can be
confidently stated that an unbiased reader of the
constitution "Missale Romanum" would arrive at a
conclusion opposite to his… The clause quoted by the
archbishop, standard in documents of the nature of the
constitution, is an enactment clause bringing the new rite
into operation. It refers to the contents of "Missale
Romanum." These contents contain no provision for the
abolition of the old Rite of Mass. Canon 22 of the 1917
Code of Canon Law, which was in vogue when the
constitution was promulgated, requires that, if a later law
sets out to abolish a former law, it must explicitly mention
this in a repealing clause. This is a fundamental legal
principle which is not adhered to in the constitution. If the
archbishop will refer to my correspondence with him, he
 124

will observe that I do not deny that Pope Paul VI decreed

the firmness and effectiveness of what "Missale Romanum"
prescribes; only what it does not prescribe, viz the abolition
of the old Rite of Mass…".
Despite his sound arguments, there was no reprieve
from the vindictive Bishop Hurley, nor from his successor,
Cardinal Napier.
As before, Father Leslie continued his offer of
assistance to the archbishop [2]:
"During my last visit to Durban, I was distressed to
learn that it had become necessary for you to issue a
pastoral letter on the short supply of clergy and its effect
on the availability of Holy Mass and pastoral services. As
you know, Your Grace, it is my great desire to return to
full time work in the Archdiocese and I am more than
willing to offer my services to alleviate the pressure on
other priests. Accordingly, I respectfully ask that you
kindly make available to me and to our traditional
Catholic layfolk, a church or chapel where the Holy
Sacrifice may be freely celebrated in the "Tridentine" rite
(using the 1962 Roman Missal) as the law provides. I
would gladly take responsibility, under your Grace, for the
pastoral welfare of those who assist at Mass at this church
 125

or chapel, including the catechization of the young and

adults and pastoral visitation. Should you desire me to
assist other hard pressed priests for confession, devotions
etc. my services would be available to them…"
Despite the crisis, his helping hands continued to be
ignored. J.D.A. Hull probably summed it up best in
another letter in the Daily News [2]:
"… I have been somewhat surprised at certain attitudes
of the archbishop. He has set himself up as accuser,
prosecutor, judge and executioner in his own cause. This
does not augur well for justice."
 126

ARCHBISHOP LEFEBVRE: A CASE FOR

THE DEFENCE BY MICHAEL DAVIES [1]
In this article I shall be re-producing and commenting
upon a pastoral letter by a Catholic bishop. The letter
warns the faithful of his diocese about something, which
puts their faith at risk.
There are all too many such dangers pervading our
society today, so the bishop in question had a wide choice
from which to select the most serious. He might have
chosen to denounce the abortion holocaust, he might have
condemned the tidal wave of pornography, he might have
associated himself with the present holy Father and Pope
Paul VI in making it clear that contraception is
intrinsically evil. He could have taken a firm stand on
religious education - his first duty, as a bishop is to guard
the Deposit of Faith and hand it on intact.
He has a particular obligation to protect the faith of
Catholic children in schools under his jurisdiction. Unless
his diocese is an exception to the general rule in the
western world today, unless it is an island of orthodoxy in
a sea of Modernism, what the children in his schools will
be learning will be at least an inadequate version of the
faith.
 127

The February 1983 issue of Christian Order contains

an article by Mgr. Eugene Kevane, a member of the
Pontifical Academy of Theology in Rome. He asked a very
pertinent question: "How have we Catholics come to
produce a generation of religious illiterates?"
The answer is simple: it is because so many bishops
have been willing to devote themselves to anything but
their primary duty of preserving and handing on intact
the Deposit of Faith. If you want an instant comment on
any topic from trade union rights, injustice in South
America (or anywhere outside Communist countries), to
sexist language in the liturgy, you can ask almost any
bishop in the West today. But it would hardly be worth
your making the effort, as his answer will usually be
predictable, simply an echo of whatever the trendy liberal
press is saying on the subject at the time. Yet, if you go to
him to complain of priests propagating heresy, liturgical
abuses, or inadequate instruction in Catholic schools, you
would be exceptionally fortunate if he took effective
action.
It is a sad fact of contemporary Catholicism that the
loyalty of most Western dioceses to the Holy See is only
nominal. The Pope no longer exercises effective control
 128

over the Church in a number of countries. I had a long

interview with Cardinal Seper, Prefect of the
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, in 1980.
He admitted to me that the Vatican was ignored with
impunity by the American bishops, and was, for the time
being at least, unable to rectify this deplorable situation.
This state of de facto schism had first become apparent in
Holland, and spread swiftly to other countries. It became
manifest to a scandalous degree in the failure of so many
bishops to uphold the teaching of Pope Paul VI in his
encyclical Humanae Vitae, reaffirming the consistent
teaching of the Church that contraception is intrinsically
evil.
It would be the understatement of the century to note
that the response to Humanae Vitae of the author of the
pastoral letter reproduced in this article was hardly one of
loyal and enthusiastic support. It will, therefore, be
necessary to take rather more than a pinch of salt when
reading his effusive protestations of the need for full
communion with the Pope.
 129

The Contemporary Bishop

Professor Dietrich von Hildebrand is undoubtedly one
of the greatest Catholic thinkers of this century, and
received a papal decoration from Pope Paul VI for his
courageous defense of Humanae Vitae. He was an
academic of integrity who chose to uphold Catholic truth
rather than win the applause of the media. In his last
book, The Devastated Vineyard, Professor von Hildebrand
spoke out against bishops who:
...make no use whatever of their authority when it
comes to intervening against heretical theologians or
priests, or against blasphemous performances of public
worship. They either close their eyes and try, ostrich-
style, to ignore the grievous abuses as well as appeals to
their duty to intervene, or they fear to be attacked by the
press or the mass media and defamed as reactionary,
narrow-minded, or medieval. They fear men more than
God.
The extent of episcopal responsibility for the
accelerating decomposition of Catholicism was
highlighted by Msgr. George Kelly in his latest book, The
Crisis of Authority.1 Msgr. Kelly is the author of twenty-
seven books, and currently Professor in Contemporary
 130

Catholic Problems and Director of the Institute of

Advanced Studies at St. John's University, New York.
In earlier books Msgr. Kelly had tended to place
responsibility for the present crisis upon dissident
theologians, but now accepts that this thesis is no longer
tenable. Commenting upon Msgr. Kelly's latest book in
The Homiletic and Pastoral Review, the Editor, Father
Kenneth Baker, S.J., remarked:
In his Battle for the American Church Kelly has argued
that the main problem of the Church in the U.S.A. was
located in the dissident theologians, priests and religious.
In Crisis he moves a step further and argues that the
main problem now is the refusal of most bishops to be
bishops, i.e., to guard the faith, rebuke those in error, to
teach with the authority of Christ and, if necessary, to cut
off heretics and schismatics from the body of the Church.

The ICEL Connection

Father Baker's words could be applied to Archbishop
Hurley. As well as his failure to give loyal public support
to Humanae Vitae, he is now chairman of ICEL, the
International Commission for English in the Liturgy .The
 131

deficiencies of this translation are a primary cause of the

degeneration of the liturgy in English speaking countries.
One Archbishop castigated it as "inept, puerile, semi-
literate" and claimed that it has "done immeasurable
harm to the entire English speaking world. " It is marked,
he added, "by an almost complete lack of literary sense, a
crass insensitivity to the poetry of language, and even
worse by a most unscholarly freedom in the rendering of
the texts, amounting at times to actual
misrepresentation." These are very strong words, and
they were not made by Archbishop Lefebvre, but the late
Archbishop Robert J. Dwyer of Portland, Oregon -
probably the most erudite bishop in the U.S.A.

Sacrilege
Let us go even further - there is no sin more grave than
sacrilege involving the Blessed Sacrament. It. certainly
constitutes sacrilege to allow non-Catholics to receive
Holy Communion on a totally indiscriminate basis - and
yet this happens in the Archdiocese of Durban.
Charismatic Masses take place at which both Catholics
and Protestants receive Holy Communion. The
 132

Archbishop is aware that this has happened, and yet he

has not ordered such Masses to cease - far from it, for he
sometimes presides at them personally. One orthodox
priest in Durban refused to give Holy Communion to a
Protestant lady who reacted, with no little indignation, by
informing him that she had twice received Holy
Communion from Archbishop Hurley! The Archbishop
might well claim that he cannot tell whether an
individual presenting himself for Holy Communion is a
Catholic or a Protestant. All the more reason for
forbidding these ecumenical Masses where the abuse
takes place.
What has been written so far is not intended as a
personal attack upon Archbishop Hurley. Its purpose is to
alert the reader to the fact that, contrary to the
impression given by his pastoral letter, Archbishop
Hurley is not a zealous defender of Catholic orthodoxy. He
is not a prelate prompt to remove schism and heresy no
matter where, when and from whom it emanates.
 133

REFERENCE
[1] Davies, M. Archbishop Lefebvre the Case for the
Defence,
http://www.sspxasia.com/Documents/Archbishop-
Lefebvre/Case_for_Defence.htm, (accessed 13 June
2016)
[2] Donellan, R. Dr., The Serpent and the Fox,
[website],
2004,http://www.christianorder.com/features/featur
es_2004/features_aug-sept_1_04.html, (accessed 13
June 206)
[3] http://www.sahistory.org.za/archive/memory-
archbishop-dennis-hurley-phyllis-naidoo-16-
september-2009-durban
 134

CHAPTER ELEVEN: REV FR RANGER

REFERENCE
 135

CHAPTER TWELVE: OUR LADY OF

FATIMA
Introduction
Taken from The Wonder of Fatima written by Rev Fr Joseph Cacella

One of the most gripping stories ever chronicled is

recorded in the book – THE WONDERS OF FATIMA, one
of the strangest yet one of the truest and one of the most
beautiful ever told. It is a true story, one in which the
mercy of God is again extended to the world, to ungrateful
mankind, through the intercession of His Blessed Mother,
Our Mother, Our Lady of Fatima.
It is the story of a heavenly message delivered
personally by the Mother of God to the world, through the
three shepherds of Fatima. It is a message from God
through His Blessed Mother to ungrateful mankind- a call
to repentance and salvation through the Immaculate
Heart of Mary whose mediation and expiation we obtain
through the habitual use of the Rosary.
The story of Fatima centers about the country of
Portugal, known as Mary’s Land. It occurred during the
momentous days of World War I. In Cova da Iria, Our
Lady deigned to appear to the three shepherd children,
Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta. Here was delivered
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personally, by the Mother of God, the message of Fatima;

Penance, Daily Rosary and Devotion to the Immaculate
Heart of Mary.
Today, more than ever, in a world turned away from
God and gradually succumbing to that predicted by Our
Lady of Fatima, is the message of Fatima so necessary
and important. Now is the appropriate time to learn,
heed, practice and spread the saving news of Fatima. Let
us put into faithful practice the recommendations of Our
Lady of Fatima. Let us spread this saving news around
us. We could not help more efficaciously in drawing
ourselves and the world the blessing of God
- Rev Jospeh Cacella

Fatima
Fatima is the name of an obscure hamlet situated in
the center of Portugal. It consists of little more than a
group of modest dwellings occupied by several hundred
inhabitants, and is hidden among a ridge of low
mountains named Serra d’Aire. Even today, despite its
legitimate claim to the admiration of the world, it remains
one of the poorest parishes in the ecclesiastical diocese of
Leiria.
 137

The name of Fatima is Arabic, one of a large number of

oriental words which persisted in the Romance
vocabulary long after the Iberian Peninsula was freed
from the yoke of Islam. It is significant that Fatima was
also the name if the daughter of Mohammed. Claiming to
have a mission from Allah, Fatima’s father persecuted the
Christians with fire and sword, and caused the conversion
to Islam of millions of Christians in the Near East,
Northern Africa and in some regions of southern Europe.
The Christian Church never had a greater foe than
Mohammed, Fatima’s father. After the death of this
prophet of persecution and fanaticism, his zealous
disciples carried on the work of thorough
dechristianisation and subjugation. In the Iberian
Peninsula, including Spain and Portugal, the Fatimites,
among other Moorish dynasties continued their mission of
expelling, capturing, converting or enslaving many
generations of Christians.
Our Lady, destroyer of heresies, derived from her
repeated victories over the Crescent many glorious titles
such as Our Lady of Ransom, Our Lady of Victories and
Queen of the Most Holy Rosary. Under God, Mohammed
and his cause had no greater foe than Our Lady, who
 138

brings her sweeping conquest to a climax in our own day

by assuming the name of his favorite daughter, Fatima.
That is not all, for Our Lady is terrible in her vengeance.
It was the Rosary of Our Lady that destroyed the
ascendancy of Mohammed’s religion. It was the sword of
Mohammed that humiliated the Christian Church. To
honour the weapon of her victory and engrave the
memory of it upon the minds of posterity, she who is more
terrible than an army in an array took the name Our
Lady of the Rosary of Fatima.

Pastoral letter on the consecration of the

archdiocese of Santa Fe to the Immaculate
Heart of Mary
Archbishop’s House
Santa Fe, New Mexico
September 8, 1945
Reverend Fathers, Venerable Religious and Beloved
Children in the Immaculate Heart of Mary: May the
Peace of Christ reign in your hearts:
In a spirit of deep joy and profound reverence I come to
speak to you of the Immaculate Heart of Her, who is our
life, our sweetness and our hope. Our Blessed Mother,
 139

Queen of Heaven and earth, whom we Catholic children

love with a great love, in centuries on earth innumerable
times and diverse ways. Recently Mother Mary
Immaculate has deigned again to come the aid of her
exiled children, mourning and weeping in this vale of
tears, to give added proof that never was it known that
anyone had recourse to her in vain.
This recent visitation of the Mother of God, and our
Mother was in the year of 1917 during World War I. In its
third year on May 5, Pope Benedict XV issued an appeal
to the Bishops of the world that recourse in prayer for
peace to be made by all the Heart of Jesus, Throne of
Grace, through Mary, Mediatrix of Graces, and that the
invocation, “Queen of Peace- pray for us,” be added to the
Litany of Loreto. Eight days later on May 13, three little
Portuguese children, Jacinta aged 7, Francis aged 9, and
Lucy aged 10, while pasteuring their sheep at Fatima,
near Lisbon, Portugal, were blessed with an apparition of
the Blessed Mother of God. They beheld a Lady of
incomparable beauty standing as it were on a bright cloud
over a small oak tree. Her hands were joined before her
breast and from her right hand hung a Rosary. Tenderly
she beckoned the children approach saying: ‘Have no fear,
 140

I will do you no harm. I come from Heaven. I want you

children to come here on the thirteenth of each month
until October. Then I shall tell you who I am.’ Forthwith
she exhorted the children to practice mortification, to offer
up sacrifices for the sins of the world and to say the
Rosary frequently.

Figure 70: Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta

On June 13 the beautiful Lady appeared again and

after recommending the frequent recitation of the Rosary
urged the children to pray and make sacrifices for sinners,
for she said many souls go to hell because there are none
to make sacrifices and pray for them.
It was on July 13 that the Lady urged the recitation of
the Rosary for the ending of the war since ‘She alone can
 141

bring it about.’ Then she showed them a most terrifying

view of hell. The vision of the abyss of eternal suffering
was so realistic that the children stated they would have
died of terror and dread had not the Lady assured them
that She would take them to Heaven. Then sadly she
spoke these prophetic words: ‘You have seen hell where
the souls of sinners will suffer forever. To save them Our
Lord wishes that devotion to my Immaculate Heart be
established in the world. If what I tell you is done, many
souls will be saved and there will be peace again. The war
is about to end. But if sinners cease not to offend God, it
will not be long before another war, more terrible, will
come. It will begin precisely during the next Pontificate.
When a night illuminated by a strange light is seen, know
that it is a sign from God that punishments for its
transgressions will soon fall upon the world through war,
famine and persecution of the Church and of the Holy
Father. To prevent this I ask for the Consecration of the
world to my Immaculate Heart and for a Communion of
Reparation to my Heart on the first Saturday of each
month. If my requests are listened to and granted, Russia
will be converted and there will be peace. If my petitions
are not heeded, great errors will be spread throughout the
 142

entire world, giving rise to wars and persecution of the

Church. Good people will be martyred and the Holy
Father will have to suffer much. Different nations will be
destroyed but finally my Immaculate Heart will triumph.
The Holy Father will consecrate Russia to me; Russia will
be converted, and an era of peace will be granted to
humanity.’
On the thirteenth of October, despite incessant rains,
tens of thousands had gathered at Fatima. Remembering
that the Lady had said in May: ‘In October I shall tell you
who I am and what I want,’ Lucy asked:’ Who are you and
what do you want?’ The answer came:’ I am the Lady of
the Rosary and I come to warn the faithful to amend their
lives and to ask pardon for their sins. They must not
continue to offend Our Lord- already so deeply offended.
They must say the Rosary.’
In the year 1939, our Holy Father, Pope Pius XII,
ascended the throne of Peter in the midst of spiritual and
material distress. The world was a spiritual wilderness in
which men ‘scorned to keep God in their view and so God
abandoned them to a frame of mind not worthy of all
scorn, that prompts them to disgraceful acts’ (Romans,
1:28). In his first Encyclical Letter His Holiness said: We
 143

see an immense multitude of our human brothers and

sisters who have been blinded by error, or charmed away
by poison, or led into false paths by prejudice. Abominable
sins of all kinds are every day increasing in number:
blasphemies, apostasies, shameful excesses of the flesh.
The aim of so many seems to be to get as much pleasure of
every kind out of life as life can give. Later in speaking
over the radio to us at the National Eucharistic Congress
in Minnesota in June, 1941, the Vicar of Christ said:
Earlier explorers record in their relations their utter
amazement at the mighty current that sweeps down the
Mississippi River. There is a stronger current of black
paganism sweeping over people today carrying along in
its onward rush newspapers, magazines, moving pictures,
breaking down the barriers of self respect and decency,
undermining the foundations of Christian culture and
education. Only a young man and woman of self-sacrifice-
will escape the flood. Then came the Second World War
which he referred to as a ‘dreadful demonstration of
Divine Justice.’
The Pope understood men’s dangerous condition in a
‘whole world torn by deadly strife, fire and hatred, and
paying the penalty of its own wickedness.’ He saw the
 144

need of a mediator who was most pleasing to the Heart of

God and most approachable by men. In whom could he
find could these qualities in a more perfect degree than in
the Immaculate Heart of Mary? And so on December 8,
1942, in the presence of thousands thronging St Peter’s,
the August Vicar of Christ consecrated the world to the
Immaculate Heart of Mary. From that moment, mankind
belonged in a special manner to Mary’s Immaculate
Heart; the Immaculate Heart belonged in a special
manner to men.
But this is not all. The Vatican has let it be known that
the Pope’s act will not be complete until the Faithful have
made it their own. The example of His Holiness is being
followed by many Prelates in various places. Here in New
Mexico, God willing, we will consecrate our Archdiocese of
Santa Fe to the Immaculate Heart of Mary on Sunday,
October 7, Feast of the Most Holy Rosary. While the
Archbishop in his Cathedral in Santa Fe is making the
Consecration, every Pastor will be doing the same in his
Parish, thus placing the whole Archdiocese within the
Immaculate Heart of our Heavenly Mother, the Queen of
Heaven and earth.
 145

After this solemn public act, the Archbishop asks every

family and every individual to do the same. Many
Catholic homes have been consecrated to the Sacred
Heart of Jesus, enthroning Jesus as King and Ruler of the
home and of the hearts of its members. Now is the time to
proclaim Mary as the Queen of the home and of the hearts
of all. Gathered around a picture or statue of the Mother
of God, the family may be consecrated to the Immaculate
Heart of Mary while the father or mother reads the same
form of Consecration used by the Holy Father. ‘Let all
gather round the altar of the Virgin Mother of God,’
exhorts His Holiness, ‘ and offer, not only the flowers of
the field, not only their suppliant prayers, but the
resolution to lead a more holy life, in the conviction that
nothing is more welcome to His Mother.’ The act of
Consecration thus made will be a formal entry into a pact
with Mary by which you surrender yourself entirely to
her, acknowledging your total dependence upon her.
‘Unless Mary takes possession of all your life, and not
merely minutes and hours of that life, the Act of
Consecration- even though frequently repeated- has but
the value of a passing prayer.’
 146

To return to Fatima. In the third apparition of July 13,

1917, Our Blessed Lady made known her desire that on
the First Saturday of each month a Communion of
Reparation be offered in honour of her Immaculate Heart.
Later, she explained the purpose of this devotion and
attached remarkable promises to it in a revelation to
Lucy, now Sister Mary Lucy of Dolors, a modern Margaret
Mary and Bernadette in one. Her words were: ‘My child,
behold my Heart surrounded with the thorns which
ungrateful men place therein at every moment by their
blasphemies and ingratitude. You at least try to console
me and tell them that I promise to help at the hour of
death with the graces needed for salvation, whoever on
five consecutive months shall confess and receive Holy
Communion, recite five decades of the Rosary and keep
me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the
fifteen mysteries of the Rosary, with the intention of
making reparation to me.’ This devotion of the First
Saturdays in honour of the Immaculate Heart of Mary is
hereby approved for our Archdiocese. It would be very
consoling to see this devotion as widely extended as that
of the First Fridays in honour of the Sacred Heart of
Jesus.
 147

Recently a Catholic writer and diplomat gave

expression to this admirable secret prayer: ‘I believe that
those who pray do more for the world than those who
fight; and that, if the world is going from bad to worse, it
is because there are more battles than prayers. Could we
penetrate into the secrets of history, I am convinced that
we should be seized with admiration at the prodigious
effects of prayer, even in human affairs. In order that
society should be at peace, there must be preserved a
balance known to God alone, between prayer and action,
between the contemplative and the active life. I believe
with firmest conviction that if for a single hour of a single
day, no prayer went from earth to Heaven, that hour of
the day would be last for the universe.’ It is the balance of
prayer that is the safeguard of peace in the world. This
open secret of the power of prayer is revealed at Fatima
and the prayer that Our Lady of Fatima wants of us all is
the Rosary. Yes, Mary Immaculate urges us to say the
Rosary daily. ‘What did Our Lady recommend to you most
of all?, the children were once asked. ‘That we should say
the Rosary every day,’ was the answer.
May countless souls in our Archdiocese be souls of
intense prayer, taking as their intermediary the Blessed
 148

Virgin, through whom it is Divine Will we should have all.

May the Rosary ascend to Heaven from our cities, our
towns, our villages, our homes, obtaining for us the true
perspective of life, death and eternity. Blessed be the
homes where the family Rosary is recited daily, bringing
upon them the smile of Mary. So shall the whole round
earth be every way bound by golden chains about the Feet
of God. Dearly beloved in Christ, we are confident that
extraordinary graces will be showered on us all and on
our Archdiocese by this Act of Consecration to the
Immaculate Heart of Mary. However, this Act of
Consecration is but the beginning of a life of
Consecration- that is, a life dedicated to the service of our
Heavenly Queen, for consecration means the
unconditional surrender of ourselves to Mary. At the foot
of the Cross, St John from that hour took Mary to his
own. We must do likewise and from the day of our
consecration take the Blessed Virgin as our own. Just as
little children are dependent on their mothers and look to
them in their needs, so too should we act towards our
Mother Mary Immaculate.
And now we, Thy children, salute Thy Immaculate
Heart, O Mother most fair, while we hail Thee: Queen of
 149

the Holy Rosary, Queen of Peace, Mediatrix of Graces,

Our Lady of Fatima, Mother of God and our Mother.
While so united at the feet of Mary, Rev. Fathers and
dear children, receive the blessing of the True God from
Yours affectionately in Christ,
Edwin V. Byrne
Archbishop of Santa Fe.

Shortly after the consecration of the world in 1942, the

German armies suffered defeats in the decisive battles of
El-Alamein and Stalingrad as well as the U-boats in the
Atlantic from January 1943 on. Sister Lucy wrote on
February 28, 1943, to Bishop Gurza and on May 4, 1943,
to Rev Fr Goncalves that...God would put an end to World
War II because of this act of consecration even though,
because it was not complete, it would not cause the
conversion of Russia. It is possible to see the fall of the
Berlin Wall in 1989 and the dissolution of the Soviet
Union in 1991 as some consequences of the consecration
of John Paul II in 1984.[Angelus]
 150

100 Years after the Revelation of the Fatima

Message
Dear Friends and Benefactors,
In 1917, Our Lady deigned to visit the earth. She
entrusted to the three visionaries of Fatima a message
composed of several parts, some of which are classified
under the name of “secret” so that the “message” and the
“secret” of Fatima have become almost synonymous. It is
necessary, however, to distinguish between them. The
message was communicated immediately. The parts
belonging to the secret were supposed to be divulged later,
at various dates, the latest being 1960. The secrets
concern major events in the Church and in the world, in
relation to the way in which mankind behaves toward
God. They deal with wars, the disappearance of entire
nations, serious errors spreading over all the continents,
the consecration of Russia by the pope and the bishops,
the triumph of the Immaculate Heart, and a time of
peace.
Establish devotion to the Immaculate Heart of
Mary worldwide
One year before the celebration of the centenary of the
Fatima apparitions, which have been recognized by the
 151

Church as authentic, allow me to reiterate the importance

of this event and this message, which remind us of a
number of fundamental truths of the faith and show us
God’s real intervention in human history.
1) The essence of the message is found in these words
of the Blessed Virgin to Sister Lucy on June 13,
1917:“Jesus wants to use you to make Me known and
loved. He wants to establish the Devotion to My
Immaculate Heart in the world. I promise salvation to
those who embrace it and their souls will be loved by God
as flowers placed by Myself to adorn His Throne.”
When we reflect on the Fatima message as a whole,
with its secret, while considering the influence that it has
had and still has in the history of the Church and of the
world, it becomes obvious that everything revolves around
a divine intervention: “He (Jesus) wants to establish
Devotion to My Immaculate Heart in the world. ”Later,
when Sister Lucy asked the Sacred Heart why He wants
the consecration of Russia, Our Lord replied: “Because I
want My whole Church to recognize this consecration as a
triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, so as then to
spread devotion to Her and to place devotion to the
 152

Immaculate Heart alongside devotion to My Sacred

Heart” (Spring 1936).
2) The second fundamental truth that emerges from
the Fatima message is, of course, the real intervention of
Almighty God in human history, both of individuals and
of nations. This is an obvious truth for us, but today it is
widely under attack in an atheistic, liberal, or socialist-
communist world—a Masonic world that claims to carry
out its activities and accomplish its plans without any
regard for the Creator and Savior, God, Our Lord Jesus
Christ. Unfortunately, many Church leaders, too, are
steeped in this idea that the world, nation states, and civil
governments have no accounting to render to Christ to
King, the King of Nations. Many elements of the Fatima
message show us exactly the opposite. Here are three of
them:
a) The Most Blessed Virgin explains to the children of
Fatima that God has placed the peace of nations in the
hands of Mary. Whether they enjoy peace or suffer from
war depends in the first place upon Our Lady, by an
explicit arrangement of Divine Providence.
b) Responding to the Blessed Virgin’s request for
consecration to her Immaculate Heart, the bishops of
 153

Portugal obeyed, but Spain ignored this request. Sister

Lucy herself explains that the misfortunes that afflicted
Spain afterward (which Portugal escaped) were
consequences of the Spanish bishops’ failure to make this
consecration.
c) After the announcement that if the world did not
convert there would be another, more terrible war, World
War II took place. If we consider carefully the most
important dates of that war, we must note that they
correspond to feasts of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary. In
particular May 8, the Feast of Mary Mediatrix—formerly
the feast of Saint Michael the Archangel—was the date of
the German surrender; and August 15, the Feast of the
Assumption of Mary, was the date when the Emperor of
Japan accepted the defeat of his country.
God’s real intervention in human history
3) “God is not mocked” (Gal 6:7). Here, according to the
testimony of Sister Lucy, are the words of Our Lord
Himself, two years after Our Lady came to tell her, in
1929, that the time for the consecration of Russia had
arrived—a request that was left unheeded: “Make it
known to My ministers, given that they follow the
example of the King of France in delaying the execution of
 154

My command [to consecrate Russia], they will follow him

into misfortune” (August 1931). These words recall the
request made by the Sacred Heart to Louis XIV in 1689,
which the King of France disdained to carry out. One
hundred years later, the French Revolution broke out,
which resulted in the ruin of King Louis XVI and his
decapitation. The threats made by Our Lord to His
ministers are terrible, therefore . . . they will follow the
King of France into misfortune. The current persecutions
of many, many Christians, the attacks against
consecrated persons, give us reason to think that
unfortunately the priests and the bishops, the ministers of
Our Lord, have not yet drunk this chalice of misfortune to
the dregs.
All this shows the importance that Our Lord Himself
gives to Fatima and to its message about devotion to the
Immaculate Heart of Mary.
We can conclude that the history of the 20th and
21st centuries is profoundly dependent on this divine
intention: devotion to the Immaculate Heart, and on the
gross negligence of the world and of many Church leaders
in carrying out this intention, which however was
 155

manifested with such great clarity and accompanied by

truly extraordinary miracles.
Based on Our Lady’s words themselves, we must
conclude also that God’s plans will lead to the crowning
glory of the triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
when Russia is consecrated by the Holy Father, united by
the bishops from all over the world. With this triumph, a
time of peace is promised to the world and to the Church.
So far the many attempts to make the consecration
have not obtained the effects promised by Mary. And
despite an undeniable religious renewal of Orthodox
Russia in recent years, we see today neither its
consecration nor any increase of devotion to the
Immaculate Heart of Mary in the world. Quite the
contrary.
A year to prepare for the centenary of Fatima
To prepare properly for the centenary of the Fatima
apparitions, we have decided to launch a new Rosary
crusade, the prayer that the Immaculate Heart of Mary
requested so urgently.
In order to correspond as closely as possible to the
divine intentions, and given Our Lady’s insistence on the
need to make reparation for sins, we will set our hearts on
 156

combining our rosaries with many sacrifices. We do hope

to be able to offer a crown of twelve million rosaries and
fifty million sacrifices. With all our heart we want to work
to spread devotion to the Immaculate Heart, particularly
during this time of prayer and penance. This is the
primary intention of our crusade, to which we join also
the filial request for the triumph of Her Immaculate
Heart and for the consecration of Russia according to the
directions of Our Lady. And finally, in the troubled times
that we are going through, both in the world and in the
Church, we ask our heavenly Mother for special
protection for the Society of Saint Pius X, all its works,
and all its affiliated religious communities.
We invite you all, for love of the Mother of God, of Her
Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart, to multiply these acts,
which we ourselves will do, to practice this devotion more
intensely and to spread it. Thus we recommend that, after
diligent preparation, you consecrate your homes and your
works to the Immaculate Heart, and practice the devotion
of the Five First Saturdays of the month, and personally
wear the scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, and
spread the Miraculous Medal given by the Blessed Virgin
 157

on rue du Bac in Paris—a medal which, on the reverse,

shows the Two Hearts of Jesus and Mary.
May we thus offer our small contribution to Heaven’s
requests, receive divine protection, and above all obtain in
due time the fulfillment of the most beautiful of all
promises: our salvation, the salvation of sinners.
May Our Lady deign to bless you with the Child Jesus,
as a beautiful, pious prayer from the Breviary says:“Nos
cum prole pia benedicat Virgo Maria.”
On the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, July 16, 2016
+ Bernard Fellay
 158

CHAPTER THIRTEEN: GALLERY

Figure 71: Letter from Archbishop Lefebvre to Rev

Fr Zier on his 50th anniversary

Figure 72: ....,....., Lyn English,.... and Rev. Fr.

Gregory Zier (from left to right)
 159

Figure 73: Grave of

Rev. Fr. Gregory Zier

Figure 74: Home of Rev. Fr. Gregory Zier

 160

Figure 75: Archbishop Lefebvre's visit to South

Africa 1981 covered by the press

Figure 76: Archbishop Lefebvre at airport with the

press
 161

Figure 77: Archbishop Lefebvre at airport (1981)

 162

Figure 78: Rev Fr Williamson at airport in South

Africa (1981)
 163

Figure 79: Press conference at the airport

Figure 80: Press conference at the airport

 164

Figure 81: Archbishop Lefebvre conference at the

airport
 165

Figure 82: Archbishop Lefebvre and Rev Fr

Williamson interview with Carmel Rickarts

Figure 83: Press conference in South Africa

 166

Figure 84: Denis and Dorothy English

167

Figure 85: Arrival of

Archbishop Marcel
Lefebvre in Durban -
2nd August 1981(Rev.
Fr. Norbet, Rev. Fr.
Gregory, Frieda
Grossman, Elizabeth
Murphy and Maureen
Lowry (from right))

Figure 86: Arrival of

Archbishop Marcel
Lefebvre in Durban
 168

Figure 87: .....Rev. Fr. Duverger, Rev. Fr. Esposito

and altar boys

Figure 88: Rev. Fr. Duverger, Rev. Fr. Esposito,

Rev. Fr...and altar boys
 169

Figure 89:

Figure 90:
 170

Figure 91:

Figure 92:
 171

Figure 93:

Figure 94:
 172

Figure 95:
 173

CHAPTER FOURTEEN: CONCLUSION

Or Lady of the Holy Rosary has been at Gumtree
Avenue for twenty five years. In that time there have
been many baptisms, first communions, confirmations,
marriages and funerals. There have been many Ignation
Retreats and girls and boys camps.
 174
INDEX
1969, 8
1975, 10, 11, 13, 85
Bishop Allard, 2, 3, 4
Bishop Jolivet, 4
Bishop Patrick Griffith, 2
Cape, 1, 2, 8, 24, 28, 35,
43, 117, 124, 137
Catholic, i, v, 1, 6, 8, 10,
12, 18, 23, 29, 34, 40,
43, 93, 94, 98, 99, 137,
142, 143, 144, 146, 148,
149, 151, 152, 154, 190,
191, 192, 193, 195, 196,
197, 200, 204, 206, 207,
208, 209, 210, 211, 212,
213, 214, 215
Communion, 10, 11, 127,
153, 204, 208, 214
Denis English, 10, 11, 13,
14, 16, 28, 33, 118
Denis Hurley, 8, 10, 12,
31, 43, 134, 141, 143,
145
Doris Herrmann, 11, 12,
16, 18, 22, 25, 33, 104,
175
Easter, 1, 99, 125
Emoyeni Mission, 11, 22
English family, 10
Fr Maximum, 8, 22
Fr. Dick Bedingfeld, 8, 34
Fr. Eldred Leslie, 8, 139
Fr. Gregory Zier, 8, 14,
15, 16, 19, 33
Fr. Marcus, 8, 19, 105
General De Mist, 1
Indian, 4, 6
Lyn English, 10, 11, 13,
26, 30, 31, 75, 79
Marianhill, 6, 8, 13, 17,
20, 21, 25, 26, 92, 93,
122, 125, 126
 175

Michael O’ Donoghue, 12 Second Vatican Council,

Nanette Kuhn, 11, 13, 14 7, 8, 83, 136, 196, 200
Natal, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 17, South Africa, i, 1, 6, 8, 13,
19, 23, 25, 35, 38, 40, 22, 23, 25, 31, 34, 42,
120, 134, 139 92, 118, 159, 161, 164,
Novus Ordo Mass, 8, 10, 166
11, 29, 84 The National Party, 6
Pope Gregory XVI, 2 The Oblates of Mary
Pope John XXIII, 6, 83, Immaculate, 2
99 Tridentine Mass, 8, 11,
Pope Urban VIII, 1 13, 18, 19, 24, 28, 29,
Protestant, 8, 154, 192, 40, 44, 134, 144
197, 201, 202, 204, 206, Truro, 4
207, 208, 210, 213 Zulu, 3, 5, 6, 13, 34, 119,
Rev Fr Devereux, 2 125, 129
Rosary group, 10, 17, 34
 176

APPENDICES
Appendix A: Letter from Doris Herrmann to Mr

Topper 5 November 1979

 177

Appendix B: Myterium Fidei

 178

Appendix C: 1980
179
180
 181

Appendix D: 1981
182
 183

Figure 96: Archbishop Lefebvre comes to Durban

 184

Figure 97: Catholics urged to shun rebel French

archbishop
 185

Figure 98: Hundreds of Catholics defy bishops

 186

Figure 99: Letter to Editor, Bishop Lefebvre

defended
187
188
189
190
 191

Appendix D: 1982
Christian Order October 1982
Demolishing the Church
MICHAEL DAVIES
In his Apostolic Constitution Sacerdos in aeternum (20 April
1744), Pope Benedict XIV provided an admirable summary of
Catholic belief concerning the ministerial priesthood. His
exposition followed the Council of Trent very closely. It has
been repeated and amplified by many subsequent
pronouncements of the Magisterium:
"The priest, forever, Christ Our Lord, on the same night He
was betrayed, granted the Apostles, chosen by Him, the power
to consecrate His Body, to offer, and distribute it. Later on,
after His Resurrection, having conferred the Holy Spirit, He
gave them unlimited power to remit and retain sins; at the
same time, by His example and order, He established and
sanctioned that for the future this power and this faculty should
be communicated and extended to all the Church solely by
means of lawful ordination to the Priesthood. By so doing He
abolished the old ministry of the Levites, and the priesthood of
the law of Aaron who were the type and figure of heavenly
priesthood. To all His adopted children He opened the way to a
new priesthood according to the Order of Melchisedech. Only
those called by God and rightly trained and ordained by the
Apostles and their successors can be elevated to the exercise of
this sublime ministry".
 192

Among the fundamental Catholic dogmas included explicitly

or implicitly in this passage are the following:
(1) The Sacrament of Order was instituted directly by Christ
Himself.
(2) It is imparted by the laying on of hands by a bishop whose
own orders were received in the same way through an
uninterrupted line going back to the Apostles.
(3) That a "character" is imprinted by ordination which means
that
(4) The ordained man differs not simply in degree but
in essence from the unordained
(5) And has powers which the unordained do not possess,
namely:
(a) to consecrate
(b) to absolve.
REPUDIATION OF THE CATHOLIC PRIESTHOOD
In not a single instance are these fundamental dogmas
affirmed without ambiguity in the ARCIC (Anglican Roman
Catholic International Commission) Statements, including the
1979 Elucidations. Writing in the 29 June, 1979 issue of the
London Universe, Dr. Edward Carey, an English theologian,
commented: "The labours of ARCIC have not brought Anglicans
and Catholics nearer in doctrine. Rather, the specialised jargon,
the ambiguities and even equivocations of the Agreed
Statements have inhibited any real dialogue and provide no
basis for further progress towards unity". The proliferation of
specialized jargon, ambiguity, and equivocation within the
 193

ARCIC documents is well calculated to confuse the reader who

has no specialized knowledge of theology. Such Catholics might
even imagine that in some instances the teaching of the Church
has been upheld, which is hardly surprising as the ambiguous
terminology intended to give this impression was devised by
trained theologians after years of painstaking discussion and
deliberation. In examining these documents it is perhaps even
more important to note what they do not say, rather than what
they actually do say or purport to be saying.
Fortunately, we have been provided with an excellent
criterion for deciding exactly what the first two Agreements, on
the Eucharist and Ministry, do and do not affirm from the
standpoint of Catholic doctrine. Dr. Julian Charley, an Anglican
member of the Commission, has written commentaries on
them. Dr. Charley belongs to the Evangelical (Protestant)
school of Anglicanism, by far the most numerous and influential
body within the denomination. As a committed Protestant he
clearly rejects Catholic teaching on the priesthood and the
Mass, and could not possibly have put his signature to a
document affirming this teaching unless he had undergone a
conversion. His commentaries, and a subsequent lecture, make
it clear that he has not done so. Thus, when Dr. Charley states
that an agreement does not affirm a particular doctrine, we
have every right to consider his interpretation accurate. It will
therefore be most instructive to discover which funamental
Catholic doctrines on the Priesthood and Eucharist Dr. Charley
assures us the ARCIC Statements do notaffiirm. In 1979, a
 194

document entitled Elucidations was published in order to clarify

some of the obscurities of the earlier Statements. It will be
examined to see if it remedies any of the deficiencies in
these Statements (from the Catholic standpoint), which Dr.
Charley has exposed.
In the space available to me for this article it is not possible
to provide a detailed examination of all the deficiencies of the
first two ARCIC documents. I shall confine myself to examining
them from the standpoint of the headings which I have already
listed, viz.:
The Sacrament of Order was instigated directly by Christ
Himself.
It is imparted by the laying on of hands by a bishop whose
own orders were received in the same way through an
uninterrupted line going back to the Apostles.
Vatican II follows Trent in teaching that the Sacrament of
Order in the Catholic Church is of divine institution. Our Lord
consecrated His Apostles as bishops at the Last Supper. The
powers He gave them were permanent and meant to be
transmitted to their successors by the laying on of hands. This
power was to continue without interruption and has indeed
been handed down without a break to our present-day bishops
who are the lawful succesors of the Apostles in the Church,
which is a hierarchically structured society.(1)
Not one of these fundamental dogmas is affirmed in
the Agreement on the Ministry. The Statement makes a
distinction between the function of "oversight" (episcope) and
 195

the office of "bishops" (episcopoi). The Statement affirms the

existence of oversight in the New Testament but not the
existence of bishops:
"The early churches may well have had considerable
diversity in the structure of the pastoral ministry, though it is
clear that some churches were headed by ministers who were
called episcopoi and preybyteroi. While the first missionary
churches were not a loose aggregation of autonomous
commumities, we have no evidence that ‘bishops’ and
'presbyters' were appointed everywhere in the primitive period
(para. 6)".
The agreement which the Statement reveals can be summed
up briefly as: "Episcope yes, episcopoi not proven". It interprets
the meaning of "apostolic" in the Creed not as the transmission
of orders by the laying on of hands in an unbroken succession,
but as teaching what the Apostles taught (which every heretical
sect claims to do):
"The Church is apostolic not only because its faith and life
must reflect the witness to Jesus Christ given in the early
Church by the Apostles, but also because it is charged to
continue in the Apostles' commission to communicate to the
world what it has received (para. 4)".
From his Evangelical standpoint, Dr. Charley is totally
satisfied that the Statement nowhere affirms that the
priesthood was instituted by Christ, and that it has been
transmitted from the Apostles without a break by the laying on
 196

of hands. In his commentary on theAgreement on

the Ministry (the Canterbury Statement) he writes:
"Now the Commission's Statement emphasizes "oversight"
(episcope) as an essential element in the ordained ministry
(para. 9). It does not say the same about "bishops" (episcopoi).
Instead there is a description of Anglicanism and Roman
Catholic practice – what happens and why (para. 9). No
exclusive claim is made for possessing the only acceptable form
of Church order. This is implicit in the words of the Co-
Chairmen about "respecting the different forms that the
ministry had taken in other traditions" (Preface). It leaves wide
open the question whether any other denominations would be
obliged in any futurerapprochement to take episcopacy into
their system (pp.16-17)".(2)
He adds that: "The Statement says nothing about Apostles
appointing bishops and thus establishing an unbroken chain
down to the twentieth century: the fact is that there are too
many links missing for such an assertion (p. 19)".
In its Twenty-third Session (15 July, 1563) the Council of
Trent pronounced the following anathema:
"Canon IV. If anyone saith that, by sacred ordination, the
Holy Ghost is not given; and that vainly therefore do the
bishops say: 'Receive ye the Holy Ghost’; or that a character is
not imprinted by that ordination; or that he who has once been
a priest can again become a layman; let him be anathema".
The fact that a character, a permanent designation by
Christ, is conferred by the Sacrament or Order, was also taught
 197

by the Council of Florence, it was repeated by the Second

Vatican Council, the second Synod of Bishops in 1971, and the
Declaration, Mysterium Ecclesiaepublished by the Sacred
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on 24 June, 1973.(3)
Two other sacraments, Baptism and Confirmation, imprint an
indelible character upon the soul and cannot be repeated. Each
of these sacraments makes an essential change in the person
who has received them. A person who has been baptized is
essentially different, has a different nature, from an unbaptized
person. The difference between a validly ordained person and a
layman is that ordination confers the powers to consecrate and
absolve, and also to ordain where it is a case of episcopal
consecration. The fact that an ordained person has powers
which he did not possess before is summed up in the
phrase "different essentially and not only in degree". This
phrase was used by Pope Pius XII, the Second Vatican Council,
Pope Paul VI, the Declaration Mysterium Ecclesiae, and by Pope
John Paul II in his Letter to Priests on Holy Thursday, 1979.(4)
The Catholic Church teaches that there are three forms of
priesthood. The first is the priesthood of Christ, the other two
forms are a participation in this priesthood. There is the
universal, common, or interior priesthood which derives from
Baptism and is shared by all the faithful. Pope Piuss XII
explained in his Encyclical Letter Mediator Dei (1947):
"By reason of their baptism Christians are in the Mystical
Body and become by a common title members of Christ the
Priest; by the "character" that is graven upon their souls they
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are appointed t the worship of God, and, therefore, according

to their condition, they share in the priesthood of Christ
Himself".
The Catholic people form a holy priesthood; they offer
spiritual sacrifices to God through Jesus Christ (I Peter 2:5 &
9). An error of the Protestant Reformers was to teach that
there is no other form of priesthood apart from this common or
universal priesthood. They considered it a matter of propriety,
though not of necessity, that certain persons should be chosen
and appointed by the Christian community, or its accepted
representatives, to teach the word of God and administer the
sacraments; but that, though not ordinarily lawful, there is
nothing to prevent any one of the faithful from discharging
those functions in a case of necessity. The person chosen to
preach and administer the sacraments could (but not as a
matter of necessity) receive the authorization of the community
in a ceremony of public ordination, incorporating prayer and the
imposition of hands; but they were adamant that this was not a
sacrament, nor was any sacramental grace conferred by it.
Ordination was merely a sign of public approval, admitting a
man who had received a call from God to the lawful exercise of
the function of preaching and administering the sacraments.
But the ordained minister differed only in degree from the rest
of the community; he had been appinted to an office. He had
undergone no essential change in his nature, and possessed no
powers denied to the rest of the community. Every Christian
was able to do what the minister did, but only he
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wasauthorized to do it. Martin Luther summed up the

Protestant position very clearly:
"All of us alike are priests, and we all have the same
authority in regard to the word and the sacraments, although
no one has the right to administer them, without the consent of
the members of his church, or by the call of the majority
(because when something is common to all, no single person is
empowered to arrogate it to himself but should await the call of
the Church)."(5)
Pope Pius XII explained very clearly that an ordained priest
does not derive his powers and authority from the community.
It is true that he represents his people before God, but he is
primarily the representative of God among the people. The
Pope wrote in his Encyclical Mediator Dei:
"Only the Apostles and those who since have duly received
from them and their successors the imposition of hands possess
that priestly power in virtue of which they stand before their
people as Christ's representative, and before God as vice-
gerent of the people. This priesthood is not transmitted by
heredity or blood relationship, nor does it originate in the
Christian community, nor is it derived by delegation from the
people. Before acting in God's sight on behalf of the people the
priest is the ambassador of the divine Redeemer; and because
Jesus Christ is the Head of that Body of which Christians are
members, the priest is God's representative for the people
entrusted to his care. The power committed to him, therefore,
has nothing human about it ; it is supernatural and comes from
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God… Therefore the visible and external priesthood of Jesus

Christ is not given in the Church universally, generally, or
indeterminately; it is imparted to selected individuals by a sort
of spiritual birth in one of the seven Sacraments, Holy Order.
This Sacrament not only grants the grace proper to this
particular function and state of life, it also confers an indelible
character shaping sacred ministers to the likeness of Christ,
and enabling them to perform the lawful acts of religion by
which men sanctified and God duly glorified according to the
divine ordinance".
The Church teaches that the Mass is primarily the action of
Christ, actio Christi, in which our divine Redeemer makes
present the Sacrifice of Calvary, offering Himself as a
propitiatory sacrifice to the Father, se ipsum offerens. Christ
offers Himself in the Sacrifice of the Mass through the ministry
of the ordained priest at the altar who consecrates in persona
Christi. In an important allocution delivered to the International
Congress on Pastoral Liturgy, 22 September 1956, Pope Pius
XII explained clearly how the essential sacrificial act, the
consecration, in which the divine Redeemer is made present as
a victim, is the action of Christ acting through the celebrant
alone, and not of the entire congregation: "Actio Christi cujus
personam, gerit sacerdos celebrans". The action of the
consecrating priest is the very action of Christ who acts through
His minister. Once the divine Victim has been made present the
entire congregation can join with the celebrant in offering Him
to the Father. "But", Pope Pius explains, "this action is
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not 'actio ipsius Christi per sacerdotem ipsius

personam sustinentem et gerentem"'. The Pope stressed the
same point in his Encyclical Mediator Dei:
"The unbloody immolation by which, after the words of
consecration have been pronounced, Christ is rendered present
on the altar in the state of victim, is performed by the priest
alone, and by the priest in so far as he acts in the name of
Christ, not in so far as he represents the faithful".
This teaching is repeated by the Second Vatican Council, in
the Declaration Mysterium Ecclesiae, in the 1979 Holy Thursday
Letter of Pope John Paul II, and in his 1980 Holy Thursday
Letter, Dominicae Cenae.(6)
It will be useful to quote from Dominicae Cenae to make it
clear how closely Pope John Paul II adheres to the classical
Catholic teaching as expounded by Pope XII. The two Holy
Thursday letters of the present Pope can be used to make a
point-by-point refutation of theAgreed Statements on the
Eucharist and Ministry. It is inconceivable that a Pope with such
a profound grasp of the traditional teaching could ratify the
evasive and ambiguous ARCIC Statements. Pope John Paul II
teaches that:
"The priest offers the Holy Sacrifice in persona Christi; this
means more than offering "in the name of" or "in the place of"
Christ. In persona means in specific sacramental identification
with 'the eternal High Priest' who is the Author and principal
Subject of this Sacrifice of His, a Sacrifice in which, in truth,
nobody can take His place. Only He - only Christ - was able and
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is always able to be the true and effective 'expiation for our sins
and . . . for the sins of the whole world'. Only His Sacrifice -
and no one else's - was able and is able to have a 'propitiatory
power' before God, the Trinity, and the transcendent holiness.
Awareness of this reality throws a certain light on the character
and significance of the priest celebrant who, by confecting the
Holy Sacrifice and acting in persona Christi, is sacramentally
(and ineffably) brought into that most profound sacredness,and
made part of it, spiritually linking with it in turn all those
participating in the Eucharistic assembly".
In Protestant belief, the role of the ordained minister in the
Eucharist is not essentially different from that of any member
of the congregation. He is their representative presiding over
the assembly in their name. He is simply their spokesman or
representative. He does nothing, and is able to do nothing, that
could not be done by any one of them. He presides because, as
the ordained minister, it is appropriate that he should do
so, not because he possesses a special power which makes him
the only person able to do so.
The second power imparted by ordination to the priesthood,
that of absolving, has not yet been mentioned. It will be dealt
with separately.
THE POSITION OF ARCIC
The ARClC Statement on the Ministry nowhere affirms that:
(a) A "character" is imprinted by ordination which means
that
(b) The ordained man differs not simply in degree but in
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essence from the unordained

(c) And has powers which the unordained do not possess.
Dr. Charley's interpretation of the Statement is that an
ordained minister is:
". . . the most appropriate person to preside at the
celebration of the Eucharist. The Statement says nothing about
a 'priestly character' necessary for such a responsibility, by
which an ordained man is empowered to do something which
no layman can do. It speaks rather of what is right in the light
of the nature of both the Eucharist and the ministry. The Lord's
people gather together around the Lord's table. If the minister
is the focus of the people's unity, who could be more fitting to
act as president?"(7)
Can we deduce from this that Dr. Charley upholds the classic
Protestant position that, if the community thought it necessary,
any member of the congregation could act as president; and
that the ordained minister normally does so as a matter of
propriety and notnecessity? The answer is definitely, "Yes". In a
lecture delivered at London Colney (England) on 11 November,
1974 he was asked the following question:
"In your commentary on the Canterbury Statement you say:
'It says nothing about a priestly character by which an ordained
man is empowered to do something which no layman can do'.
From what you have said I take it you wouldn't want to say
that anything happened to the bread and wine at the
Consecration. So would you therefore say that this is something
that a layman could do? Could a layman consecrate?"
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Dr. Charley replied:

"What the Ministry Statement makes quite explicit is that it
is not as if there is a kind of magical - no, magical is an unfair,
a loaded word – a kind of power which a certain person has to
do something; that the work of the reality of the Eucharist is
something that God does. But it is true at the same time that
there is an appropriate person to do it. Now I think that if l'm
honest and you were to push me over this, I would say that I
believe that the ordained person - which is what we are saying
in the Ministry Statement - who is there as the intentional focus
figure for the fellowship of Christ’s Church, he is the right and
appropriate person to be the celebrant at the Lord's Supper;
because if the Lord's Supper is the focus of our unity, and the
Ministry is to be the focal point of the leadership and so on of
the life of the Church, then there is no one more appropriate…
l'm sure there is a difference of opinion about this, about
whether a layman can ever be in a position to be the celebrant:
I fully appreciate that. I think I would have to say myself as an
Evangelical, my own personal conviction is that I believe the
right and proper person, because of Christ’s intention for the
Ministry, is the minister, that he ought to be the celebrant. But
I can find, if I’m honest, no ultimate theological reason why in
exceptional circumstances a layman could not be the
celebrant".
We must be grateful to Dr. Charley for his frankness, both in
his written commentary and in answering this question at his
lecture. What his testimony proves beyond any possible
 205

doubt is that the Agreement on the Ministry is acceptable to a

man who denies the existence of priestly character conferred by
ordination, denies the existence of special priestly powers which
a layman does not possess and believes that if the need arose a
layman could celebrate the Eucharist. In a Preface to
this Agreement the Co-Chairmen of ARCIC, The Rt. Reverend
H.R. McAdoo for the Anglican Communion, and Bishop Alan
Clarke for the Catholic Church, state: "Even though there may
be differences of emphasis within our two traditions, yet we
believe that in what is said here both Anglican and Roman
Catholic will recognize their own faith." Well, the Anglican Co-
Chairman had every right to say this, as any Protestant could
recoginze his own faith in this Agreement. It is a
straightforward Protestant statement. But how any Catholic,
least of all a Bishop, could claim to recognize the Catholic faith
in this Statement, and expect us to accept him as a man of
integrity, is a complete mystery. But even if, per impossibile,
Bishop Clark had deluded himself into sincerely believing that
this Statement did express the full Catholic teaching on the
priesthood, he was certainly made aware of its deficiencies as a
result of the very strong criticism from orthodox Catholics
prompted by its publication. The Statement on the Ministry was
published in 1973.
ELUCIDATIONS
The deficiencies which I have pointed out in this article were
made known to the Catholic members of ARCIC by many
priests and laymen, both in published articles and private
 206

letters. The Catholic members thus had every opportunity of

insisting that the true Catholic position was affirmed, or of
admitting publicly that no agreement could be reached. In
1979, ARCIC published Elucidations, which was intended to
clarify the previous Statements. Elucidations proved
conclusively, if further proof were needed, that the Catholic
members of ARCIC were not willing to offend their Anglican
colleagues by upholding authentic Catholic teaching on the
priesthood. It is explained inElucidations that:
"The Statement (para. 13) explains that the ordained
ministry is called priestly principally because it has a particular
sacramental relationship with Christ as High Priest. At the
eucharist Christ's people do what he commanded in memory of
himself and Christ unites them sacramentally with himself in his
self-offering. But in this action it is only the ordained minister
who presides at the eucharist, in which, in the name of Christ
and on behalf of his Church, he recites the narrative of the
institution of the Last Supper, and invokes the Holy Spirit upon
the gifts".
Before commenting on this passage I will quote the words of
Pope Pius XII in his Allocution of 2 November, 1954:
"There are some who have not ceased claiming a certain
true power to sacrifice on the part of all, even laymen, who
piously assist at the Sacrifice of the Mass. Opposing them, We
must distinguish truth from error, and do away with all
confusion. Seven years ago, in the Encyclical just
quoted (Mediator Dei), We reproved the error of those who did
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not hesitate to state that Christ's command 'do this in memory

of Me', refers directly to the whole assembly of the faithful, and
that only afterwards did a hierarchical priesthood follow. Hence,
they say, the people possess a true sacerdotal power; the
priest acts only as an authority delegated by the community.
Wherefore they think that 'concelebration' is the true
Eucharistic Sacrifice, and that it is more fitting for priests and
people together to ‘concelebrate' than to offer the Sacrifice in
private, with no congregatîon present".
It is clear that the passage just quoted from Elucidations is
fully compatible with the errors censured in the quotation from
the Allocution of Pope Pius XII.
(1) It could be interpreted to mean that Christ's command
"do this in memory of Me" was given to all the faithful.
(2) It could be interpreted to mean that the congregation
and ordained minister "concelebrate" the Eucharist, with the
minister simply presiding as "an authority delegated by the
community".
(3) The Statement does say that the minister "recites the
narrative in the name of Christ and on behalf of his Church",
but it studiously avoids using the phrase "in the person of
Christ". Every Protestant minister presides over the Eucharist in
the name of Christ as well as that of the congregation, but a
Catholic priest does more than preside, he does more
than "recite the narrative of the Last Supper". A Catholic
priest consecrates in persona Christi, he confects the
sacrament.
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The precision with which the language of Elucidations has

been chosen to avoid affïrming the Catholic position could not
possibly be accidental or coincidental. This is equally manifest
in the 'clarification' of the meaning of ordination which appears
in Elucidations:
"Both traditions agree that a sacramental rite is a visible sign
through which the grace of God is given by the Holy Spirit in
the Church".
Some Catholics might be inclined to accept this definition as
an adequate expression of the teaching of the Church, but in an
article in the May 1980 issue of Christian Order, Professor van
der Ploeg points out that the definition is not adequate as it
uses the preposition "through" rather than "by". He explains:
"The ambiguity of this statement lies in the words ‘though
which’ (not ‘by which’), because of the various ways a
Sacrament is thought to give grace: as opus operatum – by its
own virtue; or as opus operantis (by virtue of him who receives
the Sacrament). This latter is a Protestant doctrine".
The distinction to which Professor van der Ploeg refers is of
considerable importance. The Catholic Church teaches that
sacramental grace is derived only from the sacrament. This is
referred to as the reception of grace ex opere operato. The
grace made available is no way dependent upon the recipient of
the sacrament. But the extent to which the sacramental grace
produced by the sacrament will benefit its recipient is affected
by his personal disposition. Thus these dispositions will decide
whether a person makes a good confession or a bad confession,
 209

a good Communion or a bad Communion. The influence of the

dispositions of the recipient upon the fruits of the sacrement is
referred to as ex opere operantis.
It is of the very greatest importance to stress that in no way
at all is the grace of a sacrament ever produced ex opere
operantis. The source of grace is Christ Himself acting through
His Sacraments. The dispositions of the recipient only help to
determine the effectiveness of this grace in his particular case,
in no way can they be the cause or the source of the grace
which he receives.
As regards the Protestant position, it must be remembered
that they reject the entire Catholic concept of grace, but there
is no space here to explain the nature of their error. It must
suffice to state that they deny that the sacraments contain the
grace they signify, or that grace can be conferred by
the sacraments. However, the performance of a sacramental
rite can stir up and nourish the faith of an individual in much
the same way as reading the Scriptures can. The Council of
Trent anathematized the following propositions: the sacraments
were instituted for the sake of nourishing faith alone; they do
not contain the grace which they signify; grace is not conferred
by the rite itself (ex opere operato), but that faith alone in the
divine promises is sufficient to obtain grace.
Now to state that grace is given through the sacramental rite
is in no way unorthodox - the phrase is even used by the
Council of Trent, but within a context in which the ex opere
operato doctrine is affirmed forcefully and frequently. The
 210

significance of the choice of throughrather than by is

that through is compatible with the heresy that the sacraments
do not contain the grace that they signify, but by is not.
The quotation from Elucidations continues:
"The rite of ordination is one of these sacramental rites.
Those who are ordained by prayer and the laying on of hands
receive their ministry from Christ through those designated in
the Church to hand it on; together with the office, they are
given the grace needed for its fulfilment. Since New Testament
times the Church has required such recognition and
authorization for those who are to exercise the principal
functions of episcope (oversight) in the name of Christ. This is
what both traditions mean by the sacramental rite of
ordination". Professor van der Ploeg comments:
"Again, these words have been chosen most carefully, if we
except the last sentence, which is simply not true. Nowhere in
this description is there any mention of grace given by the
sacrament of Order: and the 'ministry’ is equated with
'authority'; bishops (or priests) are ‘designated’ for their office;
'together' with this designation they receive grace. The Church
'recognizes them' and ‘gives them authority' to exercise their
function in the name of Christ. Through the use of these words
the true Catholic doctrine is carefully avoided. What is said is
not untrue ; but from the Catholic standpoint it is essentially
incomplete. It becomes untrue because it purports to give the
‘substantial’ doctrine of the Church in this matter: ‘This is what
both traditions mean by the sacramental rite of ordination’…
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The text says that those who are ordained by prayer and the
laying on of hands receive their ministry from Christ ‘through
those designated in the Church to hand it on’. Here the word
‘designated’ is insufficient since its primary meaning is of a
juridical act and we are not told that it has another meaning as
well: the consecrating bishop has not only to be designated, but
also to be ordained (or consecrated) in the way the Catholic
Church associates with and attaches to this word".
Professor van der Ploeg is even more severe in his critique of
the claim: "Since New Testament times the Church has
required such recognition and authorization for those who are
to exercise the principal functions of episcope in the name of
Christ". He writes :
"Here we do not only disagree but protest. Ordination to the
priesthood is not to be explained as an act of authority only, or
as one of ‘recognition’ (of a grace already given). By his
ordination the priest gets real power ‘to offer and consecrate
the true Body and Blood of the Lord, to forgive sins or not to
forgive them’ and his priesthood is not ‘only an office’ (officium
tantum), as Trent has made clear and declared."
THE POWER TO ABSOLVE
The Council of Trent took great pains to make it clear that
the forgiveness of sins when the words of absolution are
pronounced by a duly authorized priest is a real judicial pardon.
The priest makes a judgement, and decides to forgive or retain
the sins of the penitent. Some Protestant sects devised a rite
resembling the Catholic Sacrament of Penance in which the
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minister informs the penitent that his sins have been forgiven.
But there is no sacramental absolution on the part of the
minister, there is no judicial sentence. He is simply reassuring
and comforting the penitent by reminding him that God has
forgiven his sins. Trent anathematized anyone who claimed
that: "The sacramental absolution of the priest is not a judicial
act, but a bare ministry of pronouncing and declaring sins to be
forgiven to him who confesses; provided only he believe himself
to be absolved". (Session XIV, Canon IX.)
The ARCIC Statement on the Ministry is totally compatible
with this heresy which Trent anathematized. It explains:
"Authority to pronounce God’s forgiveness of sin, given to
bishops and presbyters at their ordination, is exercised by them
to bring Christians to a closer communion with God and their
fellow men through Christ, and to assure them of God's
continuing love and mercy". (para, 11)
This is blatant Protestantism. When a Catholic priest is
ordained he receives the power to absolve or retain the sins of
the penitent. An ARCIC minister is given authority to
pronounce God's forgiveness of sin. This is not even subtle, but
if any doubt remains let Dr. Charley dispel it:
"'The authority to pronounce God's forgiveness of sin should
not be open to misconstruction. The relationship of such a
ministry with the word of God is fundamental. The forgiveness
is God's not ours, for sin is primarily an offence against God
who alone therefore can offer pardon. As in the Anglican Prayer
Book, where the absolution is either a prayer to God or a
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statement about God, so here the minister is simply said to

'pronounce' it".
What could be clearer? But should further clarification be
needed, Dr. Charley provided it during the lecture which has
already been cited. He was asked to comment on the Catholic
belief that absolution is a judicial act. He replied:
"In the (Anglican) Prayer Book the actual basis of the
pronouncement of absolution is either in the petitionary form of
a prayer that God will absolve, or it is a declaratory thing, that
God absolves; not, though, that I absolve ... If an offence is
primarily against God, it is God who will forgive. But there is an
authoritative Minister of Christ who has authority to say, thisis
what Christ says: "If you repent of your sins I will forgive you".
I believe that as a preacher of the Gospel I can have a
declaratory authority in the name of Christ. But that's a
different thing from saying that I forgive somebody's sins; but I
believe that I can declare something with authority, on
the authority of Christ as His representative." (My emphasis)
SACRIFICE AND REAL PRESENCE
The space available to me in this article precludes any
detailed discussion of ARCIC's treatment of the Catholic
doctrines of Sacrifice the Real Presence. In his commentary on
the Canterbury Agreement on the Ministry (p. 23) Dr. Charley
observes with great satisfaction:
"The Statement on the Eucharist" claimed to be a
‘substantial agreement’ from which, according to the Chairmen
in the Preface, ‘nothing essential has been omitted’.
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That Statement spoke explicitly of the sacrifice of Christ, but it

never described the Eucharist as a sacrifice. Even a ‘substantial
agreement’ did not requre that. The present Statement on the
Ministry is ‘the consensus of the Commission on essential
matters’ (para. 17)". (My emphasis)
Well, there we have it. The Catholic members of ARCIC,
including two bishops, are satisfied that they have reached
a substantial agreement on the Eucharist, from which
nothing essential has been omitted, without affirming that the
Eucharist is a sacrifice as well as a sacrament. In order to
affirm the Catholic doctrine fully it should be stated that it is a
propitiatory sacrifice, and not simply a sacrifice of praise and
thanksgiving - something the Anglican Reformers were
prepared to accept.
Another Anglican commentator, the Reverend Colin
Buchanan, remarked that Thomas Cranmer, the apostate
Archbishop of Canterbury, who was the principal author of the
Anglican Prayer Book, could have signed the first Agreed
Statement on the Eucharist while his (Catholic) opponents
could not, and that its statements "about the presence of Christ
in the Sacrament goes very much with his use of language, and
the footnote explaining away transubstantiation without
committing anyone to it would have made him chortle."(8)
The language in the Agreement on the Eucharist concerning
the Real Presence is well calculated to deceive Catholics with
little knowledge of theology. Some of the Protestant Reformers
used very realistic language regarding the reception of Christ in
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Holy Communion, and yet they totally rejected belief in any

substantial change in the Eucharistic elements of bread and
wine. The ARCIC Statements are totally consistent with such a
rejection. Professor van der Ploeg comments:
"In Elucidations (No. 6) we read, ‘His body and blood are
given through the action of the Holy Spirit appropriating (our
emphasis) bread and wine so that they become the food of the
new creation already inaugurated by the coming of Christ’. This
does not mean more than that the Holy Spirit takes possession
in some way or other of the bread and wine, not that they
cease to be bread and wine, having been substantially
changed".
As the Reverend Colin Buchanan remarked, Cranmer could
have signed the Statement on the Eucharist. Thomas Cranmer
would never have signed any statement that could be
interpreted as accepting a substantial presence of Christ in the
Eucharist.
DEMOLISHING THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
What conclusions must we draw concerning the Agreed
Statements? If we are objective we must conclude that the
Catholic delegates no longer accept the teaching of the Council
of Trent, and that these Statements are nothing less than an
attempt to demolish the Catholic Church. Professor van der
Ploeg writes:
"We ask the Catholic members of the Commission to read
the doctrinal formulations of the Council of Trent. True, this
Council was called as a bulwark against the Reformation of the
 216

sixteenth century; it is one of the major obstacles blocking the

way to the modem ecumenist. We know that not a few
'Catholic' ecumenists would like to break it down; but we are
not disposed to assist them in their work of demolishing the
Catholic Church". (Christian Order, May 1980.)
How, then, must we regard the Catholic members of ARCIC?
I will conclude by quoting Professor van der Ploeg. His
strictures are severe, but his logic is inescapable. I agree with
him completely:
"It is difficult to find Catholic doctrine better formulated than
in the dogmatic canons of Trent: so much so that it is difficult
or, indeed, impossible for anyone refusing to use them to keep
the Catholic faith.(9) This, apart from the fact that every
Catholic is bound to subscribe to them, so that anyone refusing
explicitly to do so cannot be called a true Roman Catholic."

FOOTNOTES:
(1) Council of Trent, Session XXII, 17 September 1562 (DB 938, 961 963); II
Vatican Council, Lumen Gentium, 20, 21 22, Christus Dominus 2, 4, 6, Presbyterium
Ordinis 2; Declaration Mysterium Ecclesiae 24 June 1973, 6; Pope John Paul
II, Letter to Priests, Holy Thursday 1979, 4.
(2) Agreement on the Doctrine of the Ministry.
(3) Council of Florence, Bulla unionis Armenorum, Exsultate Deo, (DB. 695): II
Vatican Council, Lumen Gentium, 21; Presbyterorum Ordinis, 2: Documents of the
Synod of Bishops: 1. The Ministerial Priesthood, part one, 5, AAS 63 (1971),
p.907: Mysterium Ecclesiae, 6.
(4) Pope Pius XII, Discourse on the Priesthood, 2 November 1954: II Vatican
Council, Lumen Gentium, 10: Pope Paul VI, Encyclical Mysterium Fidei, 31:
DeclarationMysterium Ecclesiae, 6: Pope John Paul II, Letter to Priests, Holy
Thursday, 1979, 3.
(5) Pagan Servitude of the Church.
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(6) II Vatican Council, Lumen Gentium, 28; Presbyterium Ordinis, 2: Mysterium

Ecclesiae, 6; Letter to Priests, Holy Thursday 1979, 3; Letter, Dominicae Cenae,
1980.
(7) Agreement on the Doctrine of the Ministry, p.21.
(8) C. Buchanan, What did Cranmer think he was doing? (Grove Books,
Nottingham, England).
(9) "It is intolerable that anyone on his own initiative should want to modify the
formulas with which the Council of Trent has proposed the eucharistic mystery for
belief. These formulas, and others too which the Church employs in proposing
dogmas of faith, express concepts which are not tied to any specified cultural
system. They are not restricted to any fixed development of the sciences nor to one
or other of the theological schools. They present the perception which the human
mind acquires from its universal, essential experience of reality and expresses by use
of appropriate and certain terms borrowed from colloquial or literary language. They
are, therefore, within the reach of everyone at all times and in all places."
(Mysterium Fidei, par. 24)
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Figure 100: Hidden messages behind the hits

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Figure 101: Church shuns controversial visiting

priest
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Appendix E: 1983
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Figure 102: 'Sinful' rebel followers warned

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Appendix F: 1984
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Appendix G: 1985
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Appendix H: 1994

Figure 103:hurley onody

Appendix I: 2009
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Figure 104: Father Leslie 'was dedicated to old

ways'
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Figure 105: Rebel with a cause

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Figure 106: Hurley besieged

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