FSSR SONS BUY HISTORIC ST ALBAN'S, OHOKA

 

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Francis no longer celebrates Mass; he 'presides' - like a death's head at the feast

The 'sanctuary' in a certain Novus Ordo church in a country town in Hawke's Bay has recently been graced with another hand rail to assist the elderly parish priest, sacristans and 'ministers of the Eucharist' (so-called) to access the lectern and 'altar'. The few children in evidence in the Sunday congregation (the only congregation, unless you can call the 2 or 3 parishioners at weekday Masses a congregation) are almost all Filippino. 

Meanwhile in Christchurch, the Traditional Latin Mass community of the Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer (FSSR) has celebrated All Saints' Day by announcing their purchase of the historic Anglican church of St Alban at Ohoka. The FSSR needed more room for their Latin Massgoers, who that morning had overflowed their Oratory of Our Mother of Perpetual Succour in Rutland Street. Every seat at the Sung High Mass was taken, some had to stand outside and the same was expected at their evening Mass. 

Comparisons are odious but in the case of these two Catholic congregations - Novus Ordo and TLM - they're glaringly obvious. Especially as the latter was ousted from its diocese, along with its priests, in July by Bishop Michael Gielen for reasons still unknown. One is tempted to think of envy: the post-conciliar, Novus Ordo Bergoglian sect is sickening and dying all over the world and in Christchurch 12 Catholic parishes  have recently merged into 5. 

+Gielen's predecessor, +Paul Martin, attributed that to the "changing dynamic" of Christchurch. "We simply don't have the same number of priests." Bishop Martin is disingenuous. He and +Gielen need only emulate the exemplar of the FSSR in Christchurch to grow their numbers of Massgoers and potential priests. 

But of course to do that they would have to celebrate the Mass of Ages and that has been forbidden by the Vatican. Because the TLM, the Usus Antiquior, celebrates and transmits the Faith of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church which Antipope Francis and his cohorts are well on the way to swapping for a new World Church to serve the globalists' totalitarian agenda.  

Mission Immaculata, Ohoka

But in sending an Apostolic Visitation to the Oratory to investigate a media beat-up on exorcisms, the Vatican picked on the wrong Order: the FSSR responded in August by taking +Gielen to court. And the upshot of that was this:

 (F)ollowing an appeal to the Holy See, the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life stepped in, suspending the decree that required the Sons to leave the diocese within 90 days.

(T)he FSSR priests remain suspended, unable to publicly celebrate Mass. However, their private liturgies continue, albeit in a restricted capacity. As Father Anthony Mary FSSR explained in a letter to supporters, the term 'private Mass' does not refer to a service without attendees, but rather to a non-scheduled Mass that can still include participants.https://zenit.org/2024/09/15/vaticans-decision-to-suspend-priests-expulsion-sparks-debate-in-christchurch/#google_vignette

Our Lady of the Assumption, Hoon Hay, closed

It's perhaps instructive also to reflect on another couple of comparisons: the ugliness of the defunct N O churches of Hoon Hay and Burnside, Christchurch, and the simplicity of the historic St Alban's, Ohoka, now become Mission Immaculata for the celebration of the Tridentine Rite (Traditional Latin Mass).

Christ the King, Burnside, closed

Christ the King, Burnside: except for the corpus on the cross, thoroughly Protestant 

FSSR's Rector Major, Father Michael Mary, writes on Facebook:  

 

"Mission Immaculata"

 

Dear Friends of our Congregation,

 

I wish you a blessed feast of All Saints! May we rejoice with all the Saints in heaven and may the Saints in heaven rejoice with us on earth, and especially here at the Oratory! This morning at the sung Mass the Oratory was overflowing with all who came to be present at Mass. All the seats were packed, some people were standing outside, and others were in Liguori. There will be another Mass here tonight, but it is common knowledge that were need more room.

 

 

Mother of Perpetual Succour Oratory, Christchurch

 

Thanks be to God then that today I can announce to you that we have a new church! Today we take possession of the very beautiful and historical Anglican church of St Alban in Ohoka.

The information we were given states that the church has architectural significance as a colonial Gothic Revival style church built to the design of local builder-farmer James Barker. Barker (1828-1906), a carpenter from Cambridge, emigrated from England with his wife Mary and their three children in 1858 and settled in North Canterbury in the following year.

 

Barker also built Rangiora’s first Anglican church in 1860 and farmed at Ohoka. It was reported that he gave the design for the church free of charge.

The church is described as a single-story church with rectangular footprint and gabled roof. Apsidal end (east elevation) and combined entrance/belltower (south-west corner). Vestry on north side. Lancet arched windows set with diamond pattern lead lights. Tripartite window in apse, hoodmolds over windows, lancet arched louvred vents in its belltower. The church is a jewel passed down to us from the early settlers.

 

Of particular interest to us is that the first Anglican Bishop of Christchurch and Primate of New Zealand, Henry John Chitty Harper (1804-1893) consecrated the church on 31st May 1882. The Church teaches that he did not have valid Holy Orders, but he was a highly recognized social dignitary in our country. Harper Avenue, one of the four main avenues in the city, is named after him.

 

This significant person set the church aside to be used in a respectful manner for religious purposes. That date today is for all Catholics a day of rejoicing in the feast of the Queenship of Mary. This feast is of special significance for our community as it was the feast upon which we took possession of Papa Stronsay in 1999.

 

Fundamentally the church gives us a presence north of the Waimakariri River.

There is a slight problem with the name. We live in Christchurch in St Albans and the church in Ohoka is St Albans too. It is rather fitting but also complicated for directions.

 

In recognition of its historical place in Canterbury, we will name the land of the property “Old St Albans”. But the church we will call by a new name, and what a number of titles of Our Blessed Mother we would like to call it! We plan to plant as many roses as there are Aves in the Holy Rosary: We would venerate Our Lady’s Queenship, Her title as Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, and especially as Rosa Mystica.

 

We would venerate Her Immaculate Heart surrounded by roses and recall the roses given by Our Lady of Guadalupe. And by the roses we would like to remember all the Holy Souls in Purgatory, especially those of our own families, friends and benefactors. With so many titles that would be fitting, we have decided to call the building Mission Immaculata.

 

As yet we do not have any public status for the property. We will not claim anything other than that it is our private property. We will not call it a “church” because this presumes a public status. We have chosen to call it a “Mission” as the early missionaries called their churches in California. So that’s to be the name, Mission Immaculata, and by this title we want to include all the titles of Our Blessed Mother.

 

The Immaculata is our Queen and we are all Her servants and handmaids; Her Militia of the Immaculata as St Maximillian called his Rosary crusaders armed with Her image on the Miraculous Medal. May She rule us as our Queen, keep us as Her children and intercede for the Holy Souls of the Faithful departed.

 

May Our Queen of All the Saints make this new Mission, bought in Her Name, a holy place where our prayers like incense and perfumed roses rise to heaven, as an odour of sweetness, united with the Precious Blood of Her Divine Son sacrificed in the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

Devotedly

Father Michael Mary, F.SS.R.

Rector Major

Mission Immaculata

258 Mill Road, Ohoka.

The Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer, Christchurch

Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.