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| Daughters walk in the orchard at the Refuge of the Lonely Child Jesus |
Today the Daughters of the Most Holy Redeemer, FSSR Christchurch, published a letter refuting falsehoods and insinuations made by media in regard to the Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer and themselves. A statement luminous in its humility and purity, the letter is a potential means of conversion for Bishop Michael Gielen, who has followed up his groundless expulsion of the Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer with suppression of the Daughters, who are in fact a private association.
Not only Bishop Gielen, but also the Marists at Cathnews - who snidely and inaccurately referred to these holy women as 'a little known apparently illicit order of nuns living in plain sight' - are in need not merely of conversion but repentance. The Christchurch Press on the other hand, being secular, might - in the most pagan nation on the planet (NZ Bishops, stand up and take a bow) - claim ignorance of God's law against false witness. But the Press may well regret their libellous statement re 'A group of women purporting to be Catholic nuns', which offends against civil law as well as religious.
Many New Zealand Catholics are likely unaware of the war waged on traditional women's religious orders by Antipope Francis and Cardinal João Braz de Aviz, who heads the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life. It's all of a piece with the sustained campaign to eliminate the Latin Mass, the major stumbling block to the globalists' agenda for a New World Church headed by none other than 'His Holiness'.
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| Cardinal João Braz de Aviz |
24th July 2024, Commemoration of St Christina
Dear Faithful Benefactors, Friends, and Family,
Live Jesus and Mary!
The bishop’s announcement on July 13th/14th, 2024, has deeply affected us. The bishop’s letter did not provide any explanation of the findings of the Apostolic Visitation that would justify such a severe decision.
Like many of you, we have also read the articles published by various New Zealand media outlets with deep sadness, as they contain insinuations and falsehoods against the Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer, our Fathers, and Brothers, whom we hold in high esteem.
Due to our close association with the Sons, we, the Daughters, have also been subjected to insinuations and falsehoods from the New Zealand media. On Saturday July 20th, 2024, the Christchurch Press published a defamatory article claiming that we never gained approval from the Catholic Church, and that all our fundraising efforts were therefore fraudulent.
Understandably, our families, friends, and benefactors are concerned about how we are coping with this misinformation which places us in a vulnerable position. Additionally, the silence from the Diocese on this matter greatly saddens us.
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| The Daughters at Holy Mass |
The Bishop’s Letters
The Daughters (have) received a decree from the bishop stating that our private association is to be suppressed. This is the first written communication we have received from our current bishop.
Unlike his predecessors, who showed interest in our activities, there was no prior dialogue or conversation before this decree was issued. We were deeply shocked and scandalised by this action. The decree provided no support for moving forward nor any explanation for why this decision. We have taken steps to appeal this unjust decision through the appropriate channels.
Who are we?
The Daughters' former chapel at Pines Beach The Daughters of the Most Holy Redeemer is a private association of Catholic women in Christchurch. In our association, we take private vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience to our statutes. We have chosen to make our vows private to live our faith in peace.
The media have made great issue over the fact that sometimes we are referred to as ‘nuns’. We have always made it clear that we are officially a private association of consecrated Catholic women. However, sometimes people refer to us as nuns.
Of course they do.
It is no secret that today the Church is using power against women who want to live their faith in a traditional manner. The Latin Mass is a prime example of something ancient and sacred that has met with excessive hostility since 1970.
Many people forget that in 1970 there were 460 nuns or religious women in Christchurch diocese alone. There were altogether 2659 nuns in New Zealand. Where have they all gone? They were nuns with official recognition. They were coerced into “updating” changing their rules, changing their dress. They were told to “get with it” and in their modernisation they slowly melted away. Official recognition did not help them. Are we officially recognised as nuns by the Church? No, we have chosen not to seek official recognition at this time.
For reasons that are blatantly obvious.
We may pursue official recognition in future when the time is right.
(W)e strive to live the spirituality of Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori, the founder of the Redemptorist religious order, the “Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer.” Saint Alphonsus was a priest and bishop who lived from 1696 to 1787 and was canonised as a saint of the Roman Catholic Church in 1839.
Pope Pius IX proclaimed Saint Alphonsus a Doctor of the Church in 1871, and he is known as the “Doctor of Prayer.” In 1950, Pope Pius XII declared him the patron saint of confessors and moral theologians. These honours were not for his personal enjoyment but to present him as a prime example for the Roman Catholic faithful to follow. He was particularly renowned for his devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, his plain and simple teaching, and his outreach to sinners of all classes, especially the poor and homeless.
For St Alphonsus, the point of his life’s work was very simple and very practical: his most important work was the salvation of his own soul – to get to Heaven, and his secondary work was to get as many other souls as he could, with God’s grace, to Heaven. Lest we forget: that is also the whole, and only, point of the Roman Catholic Church. And, so it is for us, the Daughters of the Most Holy Redeemer, individually and as a community.
Before the establishment of the Daughters of the Most Holy Redeemer, there was no religious community for women dedicated to living the spirituality of St. Alphonsus or leading a sacramental life in accordance with the Traditional Latin Mass, as codified for all time by Pope St Pius V.
The Traditional Latin Mass provides an unfailing bright line to trace that narrow difficult way which leads to salvation, following the footsteps of countless canonised and uncanonised Saints and holy men, women, and children who have reached Heaven. It provides us with sure avoidance of the broad road that leads to perdition and of which Our Lord himself warned many would take.
For the Daughters of the Most Holy Redeemer, the daily Traditional Latin Mass and traditional sacraments are not merely a preference; they are a must. We cannot live without them. We unapologetically state that this is a legitimate aspiration, as expressly recognised by Pope Benedict XVI in his 2007 Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum.
Sr Malia-Sosefa becomes a novice Religious life begins with a personal call from God. In most cases, it does not start with a call from a bishop. Since the beginning of the Church, men and women have discerned God’s call to leave the world and retreat into a desert place to live a life of ardent love for Our Lord through prayer, penance, and sacrifice. Convents and monasteries often do not begin as initiatives of those in power and authority in the Church. Instead, religious life springs up like a wellspring from the ground.
Perhaps it is not well known that religious orders often begin in lowly beginnings, just like our own, ignored or without much recognition, and sometimes with hostility from the religious authorities. For example, St Mary McKillop the foundress of the Australian Brown Josephite nuns was even excommunicated by a bishop.
We love our lowly beginning years. We are happy in our private association because we have made our own promises to God and these give us great joy and peace. Sacred promises made for the love of God are called vows. They are made to God, not to bishops.
Perhaps in time, a bishop may want to recognise our promises to God. But at present, we do not want to risk hostility from powerful authorities wanting us to change our life that is consecrated to the love of Jesus. We do not want authorities to feel free to interfere in our chosen way of love for God and people.
We are not interested in having our promises, our vows to God, raised up to some official status where people in the Church would put pressure on us, struggle and try to manipulate us, even use our promise of obedience to make us to change our dress, our life, our promises to God; as well as to go to endless meetings and become “updated”. We will carry on as strong, simple women; a lowly band of sisters, loving God and unafraid of being ridiculed. We are women who want to love God in the old way of belonging to him as nuns of our choosing.
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| The Infant Jesus' robes are changed according to the liturgical season |
The 460 nuns from our Christchurch diocese have all but gone. We feel that official recognition is dangerous to our chosen path for now. Presently we choose to keep our promises without asking for a special status. As Shakespeare said so well, “A rose by any name would smell as sweet”. A nun is a nun, officially recognised or not.
Our History and the Bishop’s knowledge of our existence.
We first needed to be able to live the proposed life and spirituality. Six months after beginning this life, on August 22nd, 2014, a founding member of the private association informed the then Bishop of Christchurch, the Most Reverend Barry Jones, about our association. The bishop responded with a fatherly letter, followed by a paternal visit from the Vicar General of the diocese.
With the guidance of the Sons, on March 8th, 2016, we established an initial structure to give expression to the life of the Daughters. This structure took the form of seven chapters under the title of The Rule for the Hermitage and the Cell. To provide a structure of governance, the founding members established the statutes for the Private Association of the Daughters of the Most Holy Redeemer on August 15th, 2016.
On 8th August 2018, the Vicar General who was then acting as the Diocesan Administrator, installed the Blessed Sacrament in our first house with a Eucharistic Procession.
In 2019, after his installation as the Catholic Bishop of Christchurch, Bishop Paul Martin SM inquired about our association. We responded to his request by providing information about our activities and a draft copy of our statutes. Bishop Martin graciously acknowledged receipt of this information.
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| St Anthony Mary blesses one of the new cells |
Our Presence in the Diocese of Christchurch and the Wider Community
The life of the Daughters of the Most Holy Redeemer is apostolic/monastic. This means we help people and we pray. As explained in our blog profile: “Our life has two halves, a rich prayer life steeped in the Traditions of the Church, which overflows into our work for others. We spend time visiting and helping out families; offer support and companionship for older people in their home or in care and aim to be there for those who need a listening ear.”
The Daughters, then, are active contemplatives as modelled for the Church by St Teresa of Jesus, Doctor of the Church who reformed the Carmelite order (and had her own difficulties with the prelates of the sixteenth century).
The Daughters of the Most Holy Redeemer have been actively involved in the Latin Mass Chaplaincy, a diocesan ministry, serving and witnessing to an ever-increasing number of fervent Traditional Roman Catholic faithful.
The Daughters have played an active role in “Maryfest,” an annual event in the Diocese of Christchurch for the past several years. This event honours Our Lady through a procession and devotions. The Bishop of Christchurch entrusted the organisation of this event to the Latin Mass Chaplaincy, of which we were a part.
As this is the bishop’s event, there is ordinarily an expectation that he presides over it. If the bishop was unavailable, the then Bishop Emeritus, or the Vicar General, would take his place. For each Maryfest, the Daughters were involved in visiting schools, parishes, and ethnic chaplaincies, inviting people to come and attend. We were also actively involved in much of the on-the-ground preparation for many of the Maryfest events.
We have also been present at many functions in the diocese. Notably, we attended the consecration of Bishop Paul Martin SM as the Catholic Bishop of Christchurch in 2019, as well as the Chrism Masses and funerals of significant individuals in our diocese. Additionally, we played an active role in organising one of the official Traditional Requiem Masses for the Emeritus Bishop of Christchurch, Bishop Basil Meeking, at St. Mary’s Pro-Cathedral in June 2020.
The Daughters have also been present in events within the wider community. We have always taken many prayer hours for the “40 Days for Life Christchurch”, and we took part in the “March for Life Christchurch” in 2020. Our photo was even published in the NZ Catholic: https://nzcatholic.org.nz/2020/09/02/christchurch-march-for-life-in-alert-level-2/
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| The Daughters at 40 Days for Life, Christchurch |
These are just some of the ways we have given witness to the unchanging and unchangeable traditional Roman Catholic and Apostolic faith publicly and openly within the Christchurch Diocese.
In all our work in the community we have always been attentive to, and complied with, all the safeguarding guidelines of the Diocese of Christchurch.
There has never been anything secret about our work.
Finances
It is well known that we do not live in diocesan accommodation, nor do we receive any financial support from the diocese. We receive no salaries or stipends and are not employees of the Church, the diocese, or the bishop, nor do we need to be. In this regard, we are no different from any other religious order or congregation. We depend entirely on donations from benefactors. There is no requirement for us to be ‘recognised by the Church’ to appeal to the charity of benefactors, as “The Press” insinuates.
We are seven poor women. The Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer bought us our property so we can live a life of devotion and support their work for the salvation of the most abandoned souls. We have never received a penny from anyone unaware of who we are and what we do; our ‘unofficial’ status is well known. We are not ashamed of it. Our circle of benefactors is small, and our accounts are available for everyone to see on the Internet.
Any of us could join an official religious order in New Zealand or anywhere else in the world and receive an official status, but this is not in keeping with the inspiration that God has placed in our hearts. We deliberately choose this humble path without recognised status because it is the way that allows us to live for God. As a consequence, we live a very simple life. Official nuns belong to institutions with vast financial resources now, especially after selling up their convents, schools and hospitals as their vocations evaporated with their modernisation. We do not have their wealth, nor do we wish for it.
We have chosen a poor life, living without many comforts that official nuns enjoy. Perhaps one can say that we are as poor as sparrows. We do not own the present property we have graciously been allowed to occupy, nor the old house that is here. Like most New Zealanders, the housing market is beyond us. In time, perhaps we will own this property but not at any cost: first for us is our life of devotion, living in this refuge with the Lonely Infant Jesus who was born in a borrowed stable in Bethlehem.
Providentially, today is the beginning of the novena to our holy father St Alphonsus, founder of the Redemptorists. I invite you all to do the novena with us for the intentions of our Association.
Let us unite our sufferings to Our Lord on Calvary and for the hastening of the triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. We keep you always in our humble daily prayers.
May the Lonely Child Jesus bless you and His Holy Face shine on you.
Devotedly,
Sister Niña Maria
PrioressDaughters of the Most Holy Redeemer
(Redacted.)
St Alphonsus de Liguori, pray for us
This should be an easy assignment for students of elementary Canon Law. As I read it, 'private association' seems disingenuous with respect to the reality on the ground. I think the Bishop is trying to exercise his Catholic authority with proper concern and the daughters are exercising their power to resist. No doubt they are free to do so but it places them outside the Catholic Church. Where the Bishop is the Church is. Nothing changes that objective reality.
ReplyDeleteWhich sections of canon law are you referring to? Can you be specific; the sections are numbered. Further, would it not make (pastoral) sense to speak to the Daughters prior to taking action?
DeleteBy his expulsion of the FSSR and now his suppression of the Daughters of the Redemptorist order, +Gielen has identified himself with the "Ape Church" of Antipope Francis, prophesied by Ven Fulton Sheen, rather than with the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church established by Jesus Christ. To all intents and purposes Rome has lost the faith, and with it the Petrine See. In carrying out the diktats of the Vatican +Gielen lacks the Catholic authority to expel or suppress the FSSR, who owe their first allegiance to Christ the King. "We ought to obey God rather than man" (Acts 5,29).
DeleteIn reply to Anonymous asking about sections of Canon Law referred to. I am not a Canon Lawyer nor a qualified commentator but informed reader. My personal opinion refers to but not limited to these Canons:
DeleteThe sections of Canon Law direct you to the relevant passages. But with respect to private associations, it is clear, as in Canon 323 no 1., 'while they possess autonomy according to the norm, they are subject to ecclesial authority according to the norm of canon 305 and even to governance of the same authority'. etc. Further and pertinent to ecclesial authority, Canon 305 no1. and 2. ‘Associations of any kind are subject to the vigilance of the Holy See; diocesan associations and other associations to the extent that they work in the diocese are subject to the vigilance of the local ordinary’.
How could the Daughters have been established as a private association of this kind without the consent of the Bishop? Did they have consent? Even now I think it would also require the Vatican's consent. The purpose of which is to protect and avoid abuse.
Further you ask why should the Daughters have not been spoken with prior to taking action. I answer that the Daughters were established before Bishop Paul was installed and after Bishop Barry was deceased. The intimation here is that Bishop Paul was not consulted as the ecclesial authority, as was his right to be as Bishop? The Bishop was ignored? The Bishop can exercise his authority, and in this case in like manner.
We have a good Catholic Bishop, I don't see how he could do otherwise. I love the Latin Mass.
You ask, "How could the Daughters have been established as a private association of this kind without the consent of the Bishop? Did they have consent? Even now I think it would also require the Vatican's consent."
DeleteCanon law states: "Can. 299 §1. By means of a private agreement made among themselves, the Christian faithful are free to establish associations to pursue the purposes mentioned in can. 298, §1, without prejudice to the prescript of can. 301, §1."
You ask, "(T)he Daughters were established before Bishop Paul was installed and after Bishop Barry was deceased. The intimation here is that Bishop Paul was not consulted as the ecclesial authority, as was his right to be as Bishop? The Bishop was ignored?"
The Daughters state in their letter (above): "Six months after beginning this life, on August 22nd, 2014, a founding member of the private association informed the then Bishop of Christchurch, the Most Reverend Barry Jones, about our association. The bishop responded with a fatherly letter, followed by a paternal visit from the Vicar General of the diocese."
I hope this clarifies the matter for you.
Not quite. Are you saying that the association was formerly established subject to Bishop Barry's authority from 2014? Did they have his formal consent?
DeleteAccording to the letter posted by The Daughter's; "In 2019, after his installation as the Catholic Bishop of Christchurch, Bishop Paul Martin SM inquired about our association. We responded to his request by providing information about our activities and a draft copy of our statutes. Bishop Martin graciously acknowledged receipt of this information." (See canon 298 no.3)
DeleteWith regard to The Daughter's being 'cancelled', were not the complaints levelled at the Sons? Why did, as you say the good Bishop not engage with them, prior to taking such drastic action; Is 'Nu Church' not big on dialogue? Would have thought that a loving father would speak with his children.
Each has a right to live and believe as they wish. That those of faith who wish to continue the good, right and beautiful practices, while others reject it, does not make their choice less valid. Nor are their rights removed.
ReplyDeleteI empathise with your sentiments, but as a Catholic I must point out that the right which people possess is the right to worship the One, True, Triune God according to His Commandments, in the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. God did not grant a 'right' to live and believe as people wish, but the right to obey Him Who gave them all the good which they possess, and so come eventually to possess all good for all eternity.
Deleteoh, I'm with you. Choosing to live as you wish does not absolve a person from God's judgement. But a person can choose anyway. God gives liberty to love him and, love can only exist in freedom of choice.
DeleteThe challenge being imposed on trads is that modernists talk of freedom but are destroying those who choose anything other than their own view. It's a common duality which flows through much of modernist philosophy.
It is moving to read what the Daughters of the Most Holy Redeemer have written, such humble and holy women.
ReplyDeleteAt last we have got some credible information, it had to come from the Daughters of the Most Holy Redeemer. Their explanation is sensible and believable. We are not getting credible information from any of the other protagonists in this fiasco, especially the bishop of Christchurch (we don't seriously expect credible information from TV3, The Press, or Cathnews).
In all this one can feel the envy and venom directed against the Sons and Daughters of the Most Holy Redeemer. They have been succeeding whereas Vatican II and modernism have been failing. But our church leaders, instead of admitting their mistakes, simply turn against FSSR, and try to run them out of town.
And now some new icing on the cake of despair. Now we have the "Abuse in Care" report, which is probably going to cost the New Zealand Catholic Church hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation to victims. This situation would have been completely avoided if our church hierarchy had acted properly decades ago.
In the absence of complete information in the case of FSSR Christchurch, all commentators have to be careful. But I do have to say the attempt to close FSSR looks political. It looks like a classic case of the forces of liberalism using their political power to close a traditional Catholic community. The characteristics are: the lack of information, the lack of consultation, the use of a massive media beat-up, the twisting of facts, the apparent punishment seeming to be out of proportion to the crime (if there was any crime). The alleged unauthorized exorcisms don’t seem to be the real reason, it seems to be a simple case of purging traditional Catholics. A similar approach is being used by the liberal church all over the world.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting to compare the process in Christchurch with the process in Palmerston North, when Bp Cullinane closed the Latin Mass at Ashhurst. At least Bp Cullinane was prepared to stand in front of the whole congregation and present his case, even as he shattered the world of so many faithful, young and old. The main plank of his case, which was supported by pages of documentation, was the supposed inherent superiority of the Vatican II direction and the Novus Ordo mass. I had previously only heard of liberals daring to so roundly contradict a bishop to his face. The obvious failings of Vatican II over the past 60 years were clearly pointed out to Bp Cullinane. The tone of the meeting was frankly horrible, but most behaved acceptably. In the end the bishop lost his cool and vigorously tore down some posters on the wall (they read “All are welcome, except the Latin Mass”). Bp Cullinane could have chosen to highlight some minor alleged misdemeanour of the Palmerston North Latin Mass community and use that as an excuse to shut it down; to his credit on this aspect, he took a more open path. But the result was a disaster. Huge numbers of faithful were lost to SSPX.
Bp Cullinane has fought a long battle with traditional Catholicism, especially the strong SSPX community in Whanganui (which is within the Palmerston North diocese). He set up a counter Latin mass in Whanganui and Ashhurst, the former died but the Latin Mass in Ashhurst prospered till he shut it down. According to SSPX, he refused to sell the St Anthony’s premises to SSPX, they had to buy it through a third party to circumvent him. This Catholic place of worship was nearly empty, now with SSPX it is overflowing.
Bp Gielen it seems, has used totally different tactics in Christchurch to get rid of tradition. Either way, shutting down a vibrant faith community is never pretty. He has offered a weekly Latin Mass far out of town as an alternative, but it seems after the way they have been treated the FSSR faithful are unlikely to find this an acceptable substitute. Can the coming canonical trial provide information, heal the wounds, and restore unity and spiritual health. We must be patient, but don’t hold your breath.
Anonymous (I) asks: "Are you saying that the association was formerly (sic) established subject to Bishop Barry's authority from 2014? Did they have his formal consent?"
ReplyDeleteNo, I'm not saying the association was formally established with Bishop Jones' formal consent. Because such a consent wasn't necessary:
"Can. 299 §1. By means of a private agreement made among themselves, the Christian faithful are FREE to establish associations to pursue the purposes mentioned in can. 298, §1, without prejudice to the prescript of can. 301, §1. (Added emphasis.)
As for "Can. 301 §1": "It is for the competent ecclesiastical authority alone to erect associations of the Christian faithful which propose to hand on Christian doctrine in the name of the Church or to promote public worship, or which intend other purposes whose pursuit is of its nature reserved to the same ecclesiastical authority."
The Daughters, who neither hand on Christian doctrine in the name of the Church nor promote public worship, were clearly free to establish their association.
I daresay neither Bishop Jones - a holy priest - nor the holy Daughters ever foresaw the possibility of such an unjust (not to say vindictive) action as expulsion from the diocese by a future bishop, under 'recommendations' from the Vatican.
+Jones responded to their association with "a fatherly letter" followed by "a paternal visit" from the Vicar General. It was a legitimate, canonical arrangement made in the traditional Catholic spirit, rather than that of the bullying and persecution endemic in the Church under this pontificate.
You say:
"Even now I think it would also require the Vatican's consent. The purpose of which is to protect and avoid abuse."
The Vatican seems intent on doing precisely as you say: protecting abuse. One need think no further than the case of the sex abuser Fr Marko Rupnik SJ and his protection by and in the Vatican.