Francis Schuckardt
Francis Konrad Schuckardt | |
|---|---|
| Superior General of the Congregation of Mary Immaculate Queen | |
 Schuckardt at Mount Saint Michael with several religious of the Congregation of Mary Immaculate Queen in August 1979 | |
| Installed | 1967 |
| Term ended | 1984 |
| Predecessor | Office established |
| Successor | Denis Chicoine |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 31 October 1971 by Daniel Q. Brown |
| Consecration | 1 November 1971 by Daniel Q. Brown |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 10 July 1937 Seattle, Washington, U.S. |
| Died | 5 November 2006 (aged 69) Redmond, Washington, U.S. |
| Buried | Sunset Hills Memorial Park, Bellevue, Washington, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Denomination | Sedevacantist |
| Alma mater | Seattle University, Seattle, Washington, U.S. |
Ordination history of Francis Schuckardt | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Styles of Francis Konrad Schuckardt | |
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| Reference style | |
| Spoken style | Your Excellency |
| Religious style | Your Excellency |
Francis Konrad Maria Schuckardt (July 10, 1937 – November 5, 2006) was an American Catholic Episcopus Vagans (Latin for "wandering bishop") known for his foundation of the Tridentine Latin Rite Church (TLRC) in 1967 in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho and for his international speaking tours during the 1960s as International Secretary for the Blue Army of Our Lady of Fátima. He was one of the first to hold the position that Pope Paul VI was not the pope (a doctrinal position termed later by others as sedevacantism) following the changes of the Second Vatican Council.
Early life
Francis Konrad Schuckardt was born in Seattle, Washington on July 10, 1937 to Frank and Gertrude Schuckardt. He graduated from O'Dea High School in 1954 and from Seattle University in 1959 with a bachelor's degree in education and linguistics.[1]
Blue Army of Our Lady of Fatima
In 1958 Schuckardt joined the Blue Army of Our Lady of Fatima, a group devoted to spreading the message of Our Lady of Fátima. In 1961, he was stricken with typhoid; this was the beginning of a long succession of illnesses. He was in and out of a coma for eight days. He experienced a remarkable recovery which he attributed to the intercession of the Virgin Mary. In January 1963, he was hospitalized with thrombophlebitis of the legs. The illness reversed itself to which Schuckardt again attributed to a miracle resulting from a promise he made to Our Lady of Fatima, promising her that he would use his legs to travel and spread her message.[2] He gained considerable fame as a charismatic speaker for the Blue Army and was elected to its International Council in 1963 at the age of 26. Schuckardt was the only member of the Council who was not a national chairman. He was subsequently appointed to the position of International Secretary, but subsequently dismissed in 1967 for criticizing the Second Vatican Council.[1]
Fatima Crusade
About the time of his departure from the Blue Army, Schuckardt began giving lectures throughout the United States, promoting devotion to the Virgin Mary as well as speaking out against the various doctrinal changes that were, he claimed, the result of the Second Vatican Council.[3]
In 1967, Schuckardt founded a traditionalist community based in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho called the Fatima Crusaders.[1]
With his rejection of the reforms and authority of what he considered to be the "new Catholic Church", or the Novus Ordo (New Order), he formed an organization known as the Tridentine Latin Rite Catholic Church (TLRCC). He insisted that this is not a "new church", but the same Catholic Church that existed for almost two millennia prior to the changes imposed by Vatican II. His followers refer to the church generally recognized as the Roman Catholic Church as the "Modern Catholic Church" or the "Post-Vatican Council II Church". They labelled Paul VI the "arch-heretic of Rome" and referred to the mainstream church as "the Church of the Beast".[4] "Who would be so bold or so foolish as to call these bishops Catholic or to pretend that they possess any legitimate authority? Including the arch-heretic in Rome?"[5]
Episcopal consecration
In 1969, Daniel Quilter Brown received episcopal consecration as an Old Catholic (English-line Old Catholic) bishop in the line of Arnold Harris Mathew. Brown had been born and raised a Roman Catholic, but became disenchanted with the reforms of Vatican II and chose to become an Old Roman Catholic bishop in order to perpetuate valid episcopal orders, believing that the Old Catholics still retained valid orders.[6] After talking with some priests, who convinced him that he had made a great mistake, Brown repented of his ordination and consecration from the Old Catholics and his involvement with them, renounced his ties with them, made a public abjuration and a profession of faith, went to confession,[7] and received absolution from a priest.[8] Despite the fact that Brown obtained his consecration in the Old Catholic Church, he and his followers called themselves Roman Catholics and refused to use the title of "Old Catholic". Shortly after his consecration, he broke all ties and communications with the Old Catholics.[9]
Bishop Brown soon became acquainted with Schuckardt and tried to persuade him to accept ordination from him. Later he proposed to consecrate Schuckardt to the episcopacy in addition to ordaining him to the priesthood. After Bishop Brown had repented of having received consecration from the Old Catholics, Schuckardt agreed to receive consecration from Bishop Brown: "[T]hese past months have been spent in intense soul searching and continuous prayer to know and follow God's holy will. Thus I could not give you a reply until I felt fairly certain in my heart and mind. Now, finally, in concluding our novena in honor of the Annunciation, I have come to a decision. It is with holy trepidation that I accept your offer"[10] Between October 28 and November 1, 1971, Schuckardt was ordained and consecrated a bishop.[11]
A Spokesman Review article states that Schuckardt claimed to be the only true Catholic bishop.[12]
Tridentine Latin Rite Catholic Church
Brown consecrated Francis Schuckardt without a pontifical mandate (i.e. permission from the Pope), which is normally required by the Code of Canon Law under penalty of excommunication.[13]
Bishop Lawrence Welsh, Bishop of the Diocese of Spokane, wrote of Schuckardt in the Inland Register (a diocesan newspaper): "Bishop Schuckardt has received no mission from the church universal and does not accept the unity of the apostolic office. Yet these are some of the very elements which make the Church Roman Catholic." In another section Bishop Welsh adds "[T]hey deny the teaching authority of the Second Vatican Council and the last four Popes. Implicitly Bishop Schuckardt has set himself up as the final and last arbiter of Catholic tradition."[14]
As related in a Spokesman Review article from 1983, Schuckardt is quoted as saying: "Some of our teachers, studying the French revolution, saw the origins of the red, white, and blue, which was adopted then. The red represented the thousands of bishops and priests who were nailed to the church doors."[12]
Many of Schuckhardt's beliefs and policies drew criticism, including:
- The dress code for women, which was modest. Women were required to have long dresses and counseled to keep their heads covered at all times.[15]
- His belief that smoking was a "gravely sinful vice".[16]
Falling out in Spokane
In April 1984, four former seminarians reported that they had been sexually abused by Schuckardt.[1]
Charges
On June 3, 1984, Denis Chicoine made several public charges from the pulpit against Bishop Schuckardt, related in a Spokesman Review article on August 26, 1984.[17]
Schuckardt left his Spokane mansion within days after Chicoine made his accusations public.[18]
Schuckardt's response to the charges
The Schuckardt faction denies they are a cult.
- Regarding Chicoine's allegation of Bishop Schuckardt's incompetency. Neither civil nor ecclesiastical law (Canon 12, Canons 1648 – 50,...) allow legal actions to be taken against an incompetent person. Since Chicoine's public accusations of incompetency, Bishop Schuckardt squared off with him in various courts of law in California, Washington, Utah, Canada.[19]
- The dress code "by traditionalists' standards" was strict, but the dress code was not based upon "traditionalists' standards" but upon compliance with the standards set forth by Pope Pius XI[20] and Pope Pius XII regarding "Mary-like" standards of modesty.[21]
- Representatives of the TLRCC assert that women were not required to cover their heads except when in Church,[22] they were, however, encouraged to have them covered whenever in public, in imitation of the Virgin Mary, whom tradition tells us always had her head covered in public.
- Men and women are indeed obliged to occupy the opposite sides while in Church. This custom goes back to the earliest days of the Catholic Church and was taught by the Fathers of the Church.[23] St. Augustine roundly condemns those who would criticize this practise.[24]
- Bishop Schuckardt did teach that smoking was against the 5th Commandment: "we all know that Rome doesn't issue decrees on every moral matter… Rome has not issued a decree against the use of heroin or LSD, but that does not absolve the local Bishops and clergy from condemning the use of it." (Fatima Crusader Bulletin, Issue 71)
- The practice of walking backwards out of church was optional, not mandatory; and when impractical, not done, as was the case when classes of students left as a group. It was encouraged, however, in an effort to keep to the ideals outlined by Pope Pius XI, on the Kingship of Christ.[25]
- By forbidding members to attend college without good cause, Schuckardt asserts that he was conforming to the teachings contained in an encyclical of Pope Pius XI, which states: "Catholic children may not attend non-Catholic, neutral, or mixed schools... and it pertains exclusively to the Ordinary of the place to decide... under what circumstances and with what precautions against the danger of perversion, attendance at such schools may be tolerated."[26]
- Bishop Schuckardt allowed only discerning adults to watch television, and even then only with a great deal of caution. He claims this is in keeping with a statement of Pope Pius XII regarding the evils that television presents to Catholics.[27]
- Regarding Chicoine's allegation of finding large amounts of cash and out-of-day checks, the Spokesman Review quoted Bishop Schuckardt as saying “an assistant failed to properly handle the matter and that he was unaware of the problem.”[17]
The Schuckardt faction considers the Chicone faction in schism. Since both Bishop Schuckardt and Rev. Chicoine acknowledged no higher Church authority than Bishop Schuckardt himself,[28] there was no lawful means whereby Rev. Chicoine could depose him and take control of the Tridentine Latin Rite Catholic Church as he did.[29]
Legal battles between CMRI and Schuckardt
In an article by Tim Hanson that appeared in the Spokesman Review article on August 26, 1984 Schuckardt is quoted as saying: "If there is some way I can just let the people know we didn't run away. We were sent away. We were thrown out of our home. If there was anyway we could have stayed there, we would have. They must know that it was made impossible." The article goes on to state that On June 7, 1984 Chicoine filed a lawsuit in Superior court asking that Schuckardt and 10 of his associates be prohibited from returning to the church property at Mount St. Michael's or Schuckardt's mansion at E2314 South Altamont Blvd.[30]
After leaving Spokane, they moved around and finally settled in Greenville, California. “One of the main reasons we move is because of the harassment we’ve been getting from Chicoine” stated loyal Bishop Schuckardt follower, Brother Mary Fidelis, “They're trying to do anything they can to destroy us, literally. We fear harm, physical harm, coming to the Bishop. We wouldn't put anything past them.”[17] As further reported by Jim Sparks in the Spokesman Review[31] "In Greenville, Calif., 102 miles (164 km) northwest of Reno Nevada, Schuckardt appears to be king once again." Schuckardt and his followers continued to operate as the Tridentine Latin Rite Catholic Church while Chicoine reincorporated the group at Mount Saint Michael as the Latin Rite Catholic Church on June 14, 1984.[32] On May 9, 1987 a Plumas County, California Sheriff's Department SWAT team, with support from the California Highway Patrol, conducted a raid on the TLRCC[33] Deputies searched Bishop Schuckardt's house and those of the Brothers and the nuns while a CHP helicopter hovered overhead to look for automatic weapons which the Chicoine faction falsely told them they possessed.[34] They found illegal drugs along with precious metals in quantity, $75,000 in cash and about eight handguns and rifles in the three separate homes. Rather than going through a lengthy and expensive trial, Bishop Schuckardt accepted a plea bargain of attending a one-day drug-diversion class in exchange for all charges being dismissed against him.[34]
The Chicoine faction subsequently filed civil suits in five different states wherein the Schuckardt faction had assets, claiming that these assets belonged to his church, but lost all of these cases. The Schuckardt faction also challenged the civil suit.[35]
Later life
For the remainder of his life Schuckardt lived in the Seattle area. As reported November 2005, the TLRCC has about 100 members in the area. The article states "At the heart of the mysterious group lies its founder, Francis Konrad Schuckardt, a charismatic leader who considers himself to be the true Pope, according to members of the group." The church has no public address or telephone number.[36]
In 2002 a reporter from The Seattle Times attempted to obtain an interview with Schuckardt for an article, but requests were denied because of health reasons, although the reporter was allowed to conduct an extensive interview with 6 Church members and given access to Church services.[37]
References
- ^ a b c d Cuneo, Michael W., The Smoke of Satan: Conservative and Traditionalist Dissent in Contemporary American Catholicism, JHU Press, 1999, p. 103ISBN 9780801862656
- ^ Official Manual for the Blue Army (circa 1966).
- ^ Early Issue of Salve Maria Regina, ca. 1969.
- ^ The Reign of Mary, Issue 16, p. 4. "Why are supposedly uncompromising traditionalists willing to wink their eyes at the compromises of such apostate bishops as Marcel Lefebvre (whose much tauted "traditional" seminaries are being operated under the watchful eye of Pittsburgh's apostate Cardinal Wright WITH THE PERMISSION OF THE VATICAN!; whose much-tauted "traditional" priests will serve apostate bishops in apostate dioceses - NOT the true Catholic remnant faithful in the catacombs (you don't build million-dollar seminaries in the catacombs!); and the venerable, but sadly mistaken, Cardinal Slipyi who addresses the arch-heretic of Rome as "his holiness" and pledges his fidelity to the apostate hierarch of the Church of the Beast - the Mystical Body of Satan?"
- ^ The Reign of Mary. Issue 18. Page 3.
- ^ "Separated Brethren", William Whalen (1958); "A Catholic Dictionary", Donald Attwater (1997).
- ^ "CMRI Conference in Cincinnati, 1991 (improved quality, complete)". sedevideos. Archived from the original on 2021-12-13.
- ^ Rev. Anthony Cekada. "Mt. St. Michael & CMRI: Brief Overview".
- ^ Letter from Bishop Brown to Francis Schuckardt (9/17/70).
- ^ Letter from Francis Schuckardt to Bishop Brown (Good Friday, 1971).
- ^ Document of Consecration (11/1/71), translated from the Latin: "The Most Reverend Lord Daniel Brown, Bishop of the Roman Catholic Church of the Latin Rite ... ordained and consecrated, according to the Rite prescribed by the Roman Pontifical, to the Episcopacy of the Roman Catholic Church of the Latin Rite, the Most Reverend Lord Francis Konrad Schuckardt, priest of said Church ..."
- ^ a b Bart Preecs, "Award will wipe out church, says leader", Spokesman Review, August 10, 1983.
- ^ The law then in effect was Canon 953, similar to Canon 1382 of the Canon Law after 1983.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2006-05-12. Retrieved 2006-04-28.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Years Beneath Her Mantle. Published by Students of Maria Regina Academy. June 9, 1972.
- ^ Our Lady of Fatima Crusader Bulletin. Issue number 71. Page 8. "In other words, smoking or any other form of delayed-action suicide is a sin against the fifth commandment. Further, if a person is addicted to smoking to the point where he cannot readily stop doing so, he no longer has complete control over his free will and smoking has become for him (or her) a gravely sinful vice."
- ^ a b c Tim Hanson, A bishop's life on the run. Spokesman Review, August 26, 1984.
- ^ Washington Case 84-2-014450-2.
- ^ Case #87-12190, #87-12258, #13096 & #13097, #87-4047, #CV87-13584, #C872893, #84-2-01445-2.
- ^ "But you especially, ... as Bishops to rule the Church of God, must... promote by all your power, everything which has to do with the protection of modesty... to admonish and exhort, in whatever way seems most apt, people of all stations, but particularly youth, to avoid the danger of this kind of vice (immodest dress), which is so opposed, and potentially so hazardous to Christian and civic virtue..." Pope Pius XI.
- ^ Ven. Jacinta: "Our Lady said that more souls to go Hell because of sins of the flesh, than for any other reason," and that "certain fashions will be introduced which will offend Our Divine Lord."
- ^ Per I Cor 11:5
- ^ "If the Church is shut, and you are all inside, yet let there be a separation, men with men, and women with women: lest the pretext of salvation become an occasion of destruction." St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Father of the Church, Catechetical Lecture, Catholic Encyclopedia.
- ^ "They, then, are but abandoned and ungrateful wretches, in deep and fast bondage to that malign spirit, who complain and murmur that men are rescued by the name of Christ... Only such men could murmur that the masses flock to the churches and their chaste acts of worship, where a seemly separation of the sexes is observed; where they learn how they may so spend this earthly life, as to merit a blessed eternity hereafter…" St. Augustine, Father of the Church, City of God, Bk. 2, Ch. 28.
- ^ Encyclical on Christ the King - "Quas Primas" by Pope Pius XI (12/11/1925).
- ^ Encyclical: "On Christian Education" by Pope Pius XI (12/31/29).
- ^ "Everyone knows well that children can often avoid an epidemic so long as the disease is outside their own home, but cannot escape it when it lurks within the home itself. It is an evil thing to bring the sanctity of the home into danger. The Church, therefore, as her right and duty demand, has always striven with all her resources to prevent these sacred portals suffering violence, under any pretext, from evil televisions shows." Encyclical Letter of Pope Pius XII - "Miranda Prorsus (9/8/57).
- ^ “[W]e believe that Bishop Francis Konrad Maria… represents the lone bastion of true, traditional Catholicism in the midst of universal apostasy so evident in the United States and throughout the world.” Letter of Rev. Chicoine (2/11/76).
- ^ “I and the members of the Tridentine Latin Rite Catholic Church no longer accept or recognize any of the above named defendants [Bishop Schuckardt et al.] as members of or as religious officials of the Tridentine Latin Rite Catholic Church…” Affidavit of Rev. Chicoine (6/6/84) - Case 84-2-01445-2.
- ^ Tim Hanson, Tridentine bishop target of lawsuit. Spokesman Review, June 7, 1984.
- ^ Jim Sparks, Schuckardt reportedly running school in California. Spokesman Review, July 27, 1986.
- ^ Corporation number 2-345308-7.
- ^ Jim Sparks, Former Tridentine bishop in drug bust. Spokesman Review. 198X.
- ^ a b Calif. Case 87 2823.
- ^ Case 84-2-01445-2.
- ^ Noel S. Brady. "Charges shed light on church: Eastside 'cult' is likely hiding members accused of sex abuse, police say". King County Journal November 25, 2005
- ^ Susan Kelleher. "The Sect Behind the Shroud". Seattle Times. November 25, 2002.