Francis Schuckardt

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Bishop Francis Schuckardt

Francis Konrad Schuckardt (born July 10, 1937 in Seattle, Washington) is an American Traditionalist Catholic bishop. He founded the Congregation of Mary Immaculate Queen of the Universe (CMRI) and the Tridentine Latin Rite Catholic Church (TLRCC). Schuckhardt was an early proponent of Sedevacantism, a theory which holds that, as a result of their alleged personal heresy, Pope Paul VI and his successors are not valid popes and therefore the Holy See is vacant. Schuckardt has been accused of being a cult leader and functions alone without any association with other Traditionalist Catholic groups.

Early life

Schuckardt was born in Seattle, Washington and graduated from O'Dea High School in Seattle in 1954 and from Seattle University in 1959 with a bachelor's degree in education and linguistics. After college, he enrolled in the seminary but dropped out before the year ended due to ill health. He began teaching high school in Seattle and worked as a linguistic research analyst.

In 1961, Schuckardt 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 a miracle of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In January of 1963, he was hospitalized with thrombophlebitis of the legs. The infection had spread and doctors decided to amputate. 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.^[1]

The Blue Army

In 1958 Schuckardt joined the Blue Army of Our Lady of Fatima, a group devoted to spreading the message of Our Lady of Fatima (see article for more information). In the 1960s Schuckardt had gained considerable notoriety 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.

Separation from the Modern Catholic Church, 3 Principle Causes:

About the time of his departure from the Blue Army, Francis Schuckardt began giving lectures throughout the United States, promoting devotion to the Mother of God as well as speaking out against the various doctrinal changes that were, he claimed, the result of Vatican Council II.

He said that after a long and hard struggle, accompanied by much prayer and research, he concluded that Church that emerged out of Vatican Council II was a “new” church and no longer truly “Catholic.” He said that three things in particular made him draw this conclusion:

1) Francis Schuckardt Accused Pope Paul VI of Being a False Pope

Francis Schuckardt concluded that Paul VI was a false pope. He based this theory upon what he said was the only logical conclusion to be drawn from the Catholic Church's dogma on papal infallibility, which states that when a pope speaks "ex cathedra" (officially as pope) and "defines a doctrine concerning faith and morals to be held by the whole church," that such doctrine is infallible and must be believed by all Catholics under the penalty of excommunication. Francis Schuckardt argued that all the popes, from St. Peter through Pius XII, taught one set of doctrines on faith and morals, and that the popes since Vatican Council II have taught a different set up doctrines. He further reasoned that popes exercising papal infallibility cannot possibly contradict one another in matters of faith and morals, and that in applying the doctrine of papal infallibility to the situation at hand, only one plausible explanation could be found for the contradictory doctrines being taught by the post-Vatican Council II popes, i.e., that they could not be true popes.

He also argued that since logic does not allow for two contradictory things to exist at the same time and in the same entity (light and darkness, heat and cold, ...), that you could not have true popes infallibly teaching contradictory doctrines (it is also an infallible teaching of the Catholic Church that doctrines can not change with time, but rather remain forever fixed); someone had to be wrong!

He stated that in logically applying the doctrines of papal infallibility and doctrinal immutability, he concluded that either the first 261 popes were true popes and the recent few were not, or vice versa, or none of them were true popes. These were the only three possibilities. Since Christ Himself appointed St. Peter, he was obviously a true pope. And since the 260 that followed after St. Peter taught the same doctrinal teaching on matters of faith and morals, they too must be true popes. That left the post-Vatican Council II popes out of the equation of being true popes.

2) Francis Schuckardt Claims the New Mass is Invalid

Francis Schuckardt claimed that one of the most sweeping changes introduced by Vatican Council II was to change the sacrificial character of the Mass.

He argued that when the New Mass was promulgated in 1969, it was defined in a General Instruction in this way: “The Lord’s Supper or Mass is the sacred assembly or congregation of the people of God gathering together, with a priest presiding, to celebrate the memorial of the Lord.” He claimed that this new definition agrees with Protestant theology, which has always denied the sacrificial character of the Mass.

He further argued that the Sacrifice of the Mass necessarily contains the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. That the Church has infallibly declared that for every sacrament to be valid (actually takes place and confers grace) there has to be proper matter, form, and intention. That if any of these three elements is absent or notably changed, there is no sacrament. (Apostolicae Curae, Leo XIII, 1896)

He pointed out that Vatican Council II changed part of the form of the sacrament of the Eucharist (at the “Consecration of the wine”). Among other changes, the words "for you and for many" were replaced with "for you and for all" (referring to the shedding of Christ’s Blood). He further pointed out that before Vatican II, every Missale Romanum (Latin Mass book) contained a decree (De Defectibus), which states: “But if someone omits or changes something in the form of the consecration of the Body and Blood, and in this changing of the words they do not signify the same thing, the Sacrament is not confected” (i.e., is not valid).

He claimed that the pivotal question is whether the change to “for all” really changes the meaning. He arguedthat this question was answered hundreds of years ago. The Catechism of the Council of Trent states, in the section on the Holy Eucharist: “With great propriety therefore, were the words, for all, omitted, because here the fruit of the Passion is alone spoken of, and to the elect only did His Passion bring the fruit of salvation.” He told his audiences that it was truly remarkable that the New Mass uses the very words rejected by the Catechism. He stated that this point is made clearer if we imagine the same change in other Sacraments: I baptize you and all men… I absolve you and all men…I take you and all men for my lawful wedded husband… Obviously, he argued, none of these would be valid Sacraments.

He also challenged the validity of the “new” Mass on the grounds of valid intention. He stated that the consistent teaching of the Church is that it suffices to intend to do what the Church does. He pointed out, however, when Pope Leo XIII, in Apostolicae Curae (1896) declared that the sacrament of holy orders was invalid in the Anglican Church, He stated: “…if the rite be changed, with the manifest intention of introducing another rite not approved by the Church and of rejecting what the Church does, and what by the institution of Christ belongs to the nature of the sacrament, then it is clear that not only is the necessary intention wanting to the sacrament, but that the intention is adverse to and destructive of the sacrament.” A priest saying the New Mass, who has the intention of merely presiding over the assembly in a “memorial of the Lord,” would not, therefore, have a valid intention, and consequently, there would be no sacrament, argued Francis Schuckardt.

3) Francis Schuckardt Condemns Vatican Council II’s Teaching on Ecumenism

The final principle argument put forth by Francis Schuckardt for separating from the post-Vatican II Catholic Church was that Vatican Council II and the thrust of its doctrinal changes is the new “ecumenism” or movement to promote “unity” amongst various religions. Bishop Schuckardt believes this ecumenism is false, and indeed heretical. He places this belief in part, on the Encyclical Mortalium Animos (On True Christian Unity). In this Encyclical Pope Pius XI lamented that “…congresses, meetings, and addresses are arranged, attended by a large concourse of hearers, where all without distinction, unbelievers of every kind as well as Christians, even those who unhappily have rejected Christ and denied His Divine Nature or mission, are invited to join in the discussion. Now, such efforts can meet with no kind of approval among Catholics. They presuppose the erroneous view that all religions are more or less good and praiseworthy, inasmuch as all give expression, under various forms, to that innate sense which leads men to God and to the obedient acknowledgment of His rule. Those who hold such a view are not only in error; they distort the true idea of religion, and thus reject it, falling gradually into naturalism and atheism. To favor this opinion, therefore, and to encourage such undertakings is tantamount to abandoning the religion revealed by God.” Francis Schuckardt argued that Vatican Council II did precisely what Pope Pius XI lamented. The whole of the Council’s Decrees on Ecumenism and on Non-Christian Religions proclaim the very errors condemned by Pope Pius XI and many other past Popes and Councils, contended Francis Schuckardt.

He furthered pointed out that in this same Encyclical, Pope Pius XII states: “And here it will be opportune to expound and to reject a certain false opinion which lies at the root of this question and of that complex movement by which non-Catholics seek to bring about the union of ‘Christian’ Churches. Those who favor this view constantly quote the words of Christ, That they may be one... And there shall be one fold, and one shepherd (John 17:21, 10:l6), in the sense that Christ thereby merely expressed a desire or a prayer which as yet has not been granted. For they hold that the unity of faith and government, which is a note of the one true Church of Christ, has up to the present time hardly ever existed, and does not exist today. They consider that this unity is indeed to be desired and may even, by cooperation and goodwill, be actually attained, but that meanwhile it must be regarded as a mere ideal. The Church, they say, is of its nature divided into sections, composed of several churches or distinct communities which still remain separate…” Francis Schuckardt told his audiences that all "popes" since Vatican Council II, John Paul II being the most noteworthy, have promulgated this very error. He says that while still Archbishop of Krakow, Karol Wojtyla wrote a book on implementing the decrees of Vatican II in his diocese. In Chapter 4 of this book: Sources of Renewal, Wojtyla states: “…ecumenical action and a truly ecumenical attitude can be born only of the hope, that, although the Church is divided by men, in the mind and will of Christ it is one and undivided.”

Francis Schuckardt summarized his argument on ecumenism from what he claims is the clear and unchanged teaching of the Catholic Church, from the time of the Apostles until the death of Pope Pius XII: there is no salvation outside of the Catholic Church.

Reaction of Post-Vatican II Church

Bishop Schuckardt charges that many in the modern post-Vatican II Catholic Church did not appreciate being exposed for introducing and adhering to non-Catholic doctrines and so used their considerable influence and power to silence him. He claims that their inability to successfully challenge him in the arena of Catholic doctrine without running the risk of exposing themselves for abandoning the true teachings of the Catholic Church, made them opt for another tried and true method of dealing with one's adversary - attack the messenger in an attempt to bury his message. This organization of over 1 billion people worldwide, he alleges, has used its considerable resources to that end for nearly 40 years, sadly with great success. Bishop Schuckardt claims that as part of their effort to disparage him, the modern, post-Vatican II Catholic Church openly condemns him and declares him to be both schismatic and some allege, excommunicated. But as Bishop Schuckardt does not acknowledge the post-Vatican II Catholic Church, he dismisses any charges of schism or excommunication by them. Because he considers them to be a new and different Church, and not the Catholic Church he believes was founded by Christ and that existed for nearly 2,000 years, he dismisses the notion that they have the authority to excommunicate him or declare him schismatic from the "true" Catholic Church. As far as being excommunicated or declared schismatic from their new Church, he finds that claim to be ludicrous because he states that he has never been a member of the post-Vatican Council II Catholic Church and that he has no intention of ever being one.

Fatima Crusaders & CMRI

In 1967, with the approval of Bishop Sylvester Treinen, the Roman Catholic Bishop of Boise, Idaho, Schuckardt founded an order of sisters, brothers, and priests known as the Congregation of Mary Immaculate Queen of the Universe (in Latin: Congregatio Mariae Reginae Immaculatae, abbreviated as CMRI). With his rejection of the reforms and authority of what he considered to be the "new Catholic Church," he formed a separate church known as the 'Tridentine Latin Rite Catholic Church (TLRCC). He insists that this is not a "new church," but the same Catholic Church that existed for over 1,900 years prior to the changes imposed by Vatican Council II. His followers refer to the Roman Catholic Church as the "mainstream Catholic Church" or the "Post-Vatican Council II Church".

Schuckardt and Chicoine began a national lecture circuit advocating a return to traditional Catholicism. Due to their outspoken rejection of the Second Vatican Council and embrace of Sedevacantism, Schuckardt and his followers were denounced by the Catholic Church. Several priests, namely Lawrence Brey, George Kathrein (who later joined the Society of Saint Pius X), Pinneau, and Clement Kubesh had joined Schuckhardt and would provide the Fatima Crusade with the traditional Sacraments and the Tridentine Latin Mass. Brother Schuckardt, however, felt the need to have a bishop to ensure, in his mind, Apostolic Succession in the Catholic Church.

In 1969, Daniel Quilter Brown, a married man with two children, received episcopal consecration as an Old Roman Catholic bishop in the line of Arnold Harris Mathew.^[2] Brown had been born and raised a Roman Catholic, but became disenchanted with the reforms of Vatican II. Brown had therefore chosen to become an Old Roman Catholic bishop in order to perpetuate valid episcopal orders, believing that the Old Roman Catholics still retained valid Orders.^[3] Despite the fact that Bishop Brown obtained his consecration in the Old Roman Catholic Church, he and his followers called themselves Roman Catholics and refused to use the title of "Old Roman Catholic." Shortly after his consecration, he broke all ties and communications with the Old Roman Catholics.^[4]

Bishop Brown soon became acquainted with Brother Schuckardt and tried to persuade him to accept ordination from him, because "in view of the fact that we cannot exist for long as Catholics without the sacraments, I would propose to ordain to the priesthood a qualified member of your group (from the information I have, this would probably be yourself)..." ^[5] Later he proposed to consecrate Brother Schuckardt to the episcopacy in addition to ordaining him to the priesthood.

Schuckardt sought out the advice of some traditional priests who had not accepted the changes of Vatican Council II, particularly from Fr. Burton Fraser, a Jesuit from Colorado, who advised him that it was in accord with Catholic principles, under the current extreme circumstances, to proceed to consecration.

In the meantime, Bishop Brown openly repented of having received consecration from the Old Roman Catholics, broke all ties with them, made a public "Abjuration of Error and Profession of Faith", confessed his sins, and received absolution from a traditional priest.^[6] It was only after these events that Brother 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..."^[7]

On October 28, 1971, Brown tonsured and bestowed the Minor Orders (Porter, Lector, Exorcist, and Acolyte) on Schuckardt while about 40 people, almost exclusively members of the Fatima Crusade from various parts of the country, were present to witness the event. On October 29, 1971, Brown conferred the Major Orders of Subdeacon and Deacon upon him. On October 31, 1971, Bishop Brown ordained Francis Schuckardt to the priesthood, and on November 1, 1971, Brown consecrated Schuckardt a bishop according to the traditional Catholic Roman Rite.^[8] The ceremonies took place in a rented ballroom in Chicago, as they were not welcome in the churches of the Catholic Church.

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Consecration of Bishop Schuckardt (Fr. Denis Chicoine on the far right)

The fact of his consecration and the source of his episcopal orders was announced at his first public Mass for the Fatima Crusade, on December 12, 1971. All but a tiny fraction of the Fatima Crusade accepted his consecration. It should be noted that other traditionalist Catholic bishops, such as Archbishops Marcel Lefebvre and Ngô Ðình Thuc Pierre Martin, had not broken with the Catholic Church at this time. Many also dispute the validity of Lefebvre's and Thuc's progeny.

At first Bishops Brown and Schuckardt worked peaceably together, Bishop Brown tending to the needs of traditional Catholics in the eastern part of the U.S. and Bishop Schuckardt taking care of the West. Shortly afterwards, Bishop Brown saw "splinter groups" forming and desired that Bishop Schuckardt lead the Church. In writing to Bishop Schuckardt in 1972, Bishop Brown deemed it "urgent that these people be united into one body with one leader who would be, logically, yourself."^[9] [Emphasis in original] Brown came to this conclusion in part because of his marital status, something which many traditional Catholics had a hard time accepting.

Later, however, Brown changed his tone and accused Schuckardt of duplicity in accepting ordination from his hands. In a letter written in June 1975, Brown wrote: "The arrangement (at the time of consecration) was to form two dioceses with each of us to head up one; however, I was never able to bring him to a decision about diocesan boundaries.... It became painfully obvious to me that he had no intention whatever of sharing episcopal authority, but, on the contrary, his aim was to 'take over' and crowd me out."

The TLRCC labelled the Pope Paul VI the "arch-heretic of Rome" and referred to the Catholic Church as "the Church of the Beast" ^[10]. They considered foolish anyone who would call the prelates of the Catholic Church 'bishops' or who believed they had any legitimate authority ^[11]. Additionally, the TLRCC also questions the orthodoxy and Catholicity of other Traditionalist bishops such as Archbishops Marcel Lefebvre or Ngô Ðình Thuc, and has had nothing to do with them. This left only Francis Schuckardt and Daniel Q. Brown as their only recognized bishops. By 1973, Daniel Q. Brown separated himself from the TLRCC claiming that "Your group has become a personal cult of Francis Schuckardt and cannot call itself Catholic." ^[12]. Some charge that instead of only providing the Mass and sacraments to the faithful and preserving the traditions of the Church up to the death of Pope Pius XII, Schuckardt strove to return the TLRCC to a purer form of Catholicism as he saw it. From this point on, Schuckardt had no peers to answer to and some of his followers considered him the last true Catholic bishop. They believed he was God's chosen insturment to save the church from the changes that resulted from Vatican II.

During the autumn of 1972, Bishop Schuckardt received the Last Rites in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, due to a gangrenous intestine; he survived, but his already precarious health had been further compromised.^[13]

Between 1974 and 1979 Schuckardt ordained Denis Chicoine and a few others to the priesthood who in turn helped him build the Tridentine Latin Rite Catholic Church, primarily through the continued lecture circuit. By 1977 the group had grown so large that they were able to purchase a former Jesuit seminary, Mount Saint Michael, just north of Spokane, Washington. The 735 acre facility with over 200 rooms, complete with a gymnasium and swimming pool, was used as a church, seminary, boys school, retreat center, print shop, and bookstore, as well as the international headquarters for the movement. The movement continued to grow, eventually sending priests to various parts of the world including Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, and the Holy Land. By 1984 the group numbered about 120 Sisters, 6 active priests, 61 Clerics and Brothers, K - 12th grade boys and girls school, the Knights of the Eucharist, the Knights of the Altar, the Knights of St. Karl the Great, the Altar & Rosary Society, Cana Cell for couples interested in courtship and marriage, the Holy Name Ushers, several Third Orders, numerous Fatima Cells, St. Anne's Home for the elderly and infirm, the Little Daughters of the Immaculate Conception Convent for the mentally impaired, the Singing Nuns, the Kevelaer School for the neurologically impaired, the St. Joseph's Workers Guild, the Mater Dolorosa Guild to aid the terminally ill, etc.^[14]

In addition to Mount Saint Michael, they also owned over 18 other properties, collectively worth millions of dollars.^[15]

Opposing Veiwpoints on Schuckardt's Consecration

A historical viewpoint: The Old Catholic Church was formed in 1871 by a group who "apostatised from the Church and formed the sect of Old Catholics."^[16]. They "repudiated the dogma of Infallibility as an innovation contrary to the traditional faith of the Church."^[17] The group maintained that Catholics had the right to adhere to the Ancient Catholic faith and they rejected the new dogmas of Vatican Council I. Regarding Arnold Matthew, the Catholic Encyclopedia relates he was: "An apostate English priest who, for a time was a Unitarian, married, then united with another suspended London priest named O'Halloran, and was was consecrated by the Jansenist Archbishop of Utrecht, is not a matter of any importance. Matthew calls himself an Old Catholic bishop, but has practically no following. Some of the few persons who attend his church in London do so ignorantly in the belief that the church is genuinely Catholic."^[18]

Viewpoint of the Pope John Paul II: Brown never received authorization from the Catholic Church for the consecration of Francis Schuckardt. The act of episcopal consescration without a mandate from Rome is considered an act of schism ^[19] by the Catholic Church and results in automatic excommunication of those consecrated and all those who support the schismatics as can be seen in the decree from Rome in July of 1988 regarding Marcel Lefebvre's consecration of four priests without papal mandate.^[20] This is considered a very grave matter since it opposes the universal Magisterium of the Church possessed by the Bishop of Rome and the Body of Bishops in union with him as is detailed by Pope John Paul II's Apostolic Letter Ecclesia Die^[21].

Viewpoint of the Catholic bishop of Spokane: In the Inland Register newspaper, Bishop Lawrence Welsh, Catholic Bishop of the diocese of Spokane Washington, wrote "In the history of the Catholic Church, after almost every general Council there have been groups which have broken away from the mainstream of the church." Regarding Francis Schuckardt specifically, he wrote: "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."^[22]

Dissension Within the Ranks

In 1982 - 84, the local media ran a number of articles critical of Schuckardt and the TLRCC alleging that Schuckhardt had been sexually seducing several of his male religious and seminarians. Additionally, many of the members of the TLRCC were becoming dissatisfied at the disorganization in the church. On June 3, 1984, Rev. Chicoine made several public charges from the pulpit against Bishop Schuckardt. Within a week, he had a public meeting in which he went into detail. In a public newsletter date June 21, 1984, Chicoine made three main charges against Schuckardt: that he was no longer competent to hold his office, that he claimed to be pope, and that he was involved in immoral acts with his young male aides. The following quotations are from an article written by Tim Hanson in the Spokesman Review on August 26, 1984. The article mentions Chicoine's newsletter and quotes from it liberally.

The newspaper article cites examples of the chaos. "Problems such as late scheduling of times for Masses and unexpected cancellations of Masses and other religious celebrations." Some of the more egregious examples contained in the article were: "This year we kept Christmas decorations up two weeks into Lent and Passiontide decorations were kept up into the third week after Easter. The article also mentions: "After we re-obtained possession of the Priory (the mansion in which Schuckardt lived), and started to go through the boxes of mail that had been accumulated over the years and simply stacked in corners we found a large amount of cash and over $15,000 in out-of-date uncashed checks."

Regarding the accusation of incompetency, the newspaper article states: "For the past several years several things in the Community have been in complete and utter chaos." and that "The vast majority of chaos is caused by Bisphop Schuckardt's inability to physically function and because of the various emotional and psychological side-effects of the medication he takes." Brother Mary Fidelis, one of 5 or 6 clerics that continue to follow Schuckardt, is quoted in the article as saying: "His pain is so severe that he can't rest. He wil be awake for anywhere from 16 hours to four or five days when he has a severe migraine. When he sleeps, it is not very long - usually between four and six hours. I've never seen him get more than eight hours of sleep." Schuckardt is quoted as saying: "Those who have taken over the community... blame my disability to function on the Demerol, which is an outright lie. It's the pain, not the Demerol"

Regarding the charge of immorality and scandal, the article states: "Chicoine has also charged that Schuckardt was sexually involved with some of his male assisstants. He said he has several sworn statments." In another public newsletter dated August 5, 1984. Chicoine went into more depth.

Regarding the topic of Schuckardt's alleged claim to the papacy, the article quotes Chicoine: "I have in my possession sworn statements by several persons whom Bishop Schuckardt told personally that he was the Pope. These persons were told not to tell myself or other priests and clerics since we did not have the grace to accept it." Several letters, on record at Mount St. Michaels, dated in the late 70s, provide documentation of this. There is also a booklet with Schuckardt's signature that makes reference to Bishop Schuckardt as Pope Hardian VII and has a chart showing Our Lady of Guadalupe presenting the papal tiara to Bishop Schuckardt.

Schuckardt left his Spokane mansion within days after Chicoine made his accusations public.

Schuckardt at Mount Saint Michael with several religious of the Congregation of Mary Immaculate Queen in August,1979

Accusations in the 80s Of the Church being a Cult

Some former members have called the TLRCC a destructive cult. They assert that TLRCC members were systematically cut off from the rest of society, which was termed "the enemy" and "worldlings" and to only deal with those in "the Community" which was composed of the members of the Fatima Crusade as the TLRCC was known at that time. They assert that members were required to sever ties with family members who did not belong to the Church, even if breaking up a marriage was necessary. Court cases in Nebraska, Ohio, and Idaho were brought against the TLRCC due to this practice. They claim that books were confiscated and only those approved by Schuckhardt were allowed. Subscriptions to secular newspapers and magazines as well as owning a television were banned. They claim that books sold in the church bookstore were also modified; whole pages were removed, or lines of text were pasted over with strips of paper when found objectionable by Schuckhardt and other Church leaders.

Some former members also claim they were required to send their children to the TLRCC schools in the Coeur d'Alene Idaho area if they wanted to remain in the TLRCC. This meant many school age children from various places in the United States needed to board at church run boarding schools. They claim that verbal abuse was also commonly used in addition to physical abuse. Threats that individuals would go to Hell if they did not conform were allegedly common.

In an article by Jim Sparks that appeared in the Spokesman Review on July 27, 1986, Zoell McKenzie related that "No matter how much you did, you were always going to hell." She spoke of mistreatment that two of her daughters suffered. One had the front part of her hair shaved off. Another received a black eye and a swollen face from a nun when she refused to eat her own vomit. Her son, David, is quoted as recalling a time in which he got 42 whacks with a wooden paddle. A former student, Joe Seale is quoted as relating that when he attended school there, he was late once leaving the gym. As punishment, he was ordered to crawl across a parking lot and up a flight of stairs. "Halfway across I felt my knees getting bloody and felt my knees slip like skin was coming off." When he saw a doctor later, he said he had damaged cartilage in both knees.

In the church's schools there were no American flags. As related in a Spokesman Review article written by Bart Preecs dated August 10, 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." He also is quoted as saying that media reports have exaggerated the church's claims that the framers of the Constitution were part of a secret conspiracy to eliminate the Catholic Church. It was a common teaching of the TLRCC that the freemasons and Jews had infiltrated the Catholic Church. The school taught the holocaust was a myth.

Other charges were: That Schuckardt had imposed fanatical rules. That he made mandatory that which had only been optional, some of these dating back many centuries and even then not universal to the Catholic Church. That the dress code for women was unusually strict with women required to have their heads covered at all times, even while swimming^[23]. That smoking was a "gravely sinful vice" ^[24]. That men and women were obliged to sit on opposite sides of the aisle at church. That members were expected to walk backwards out of church. That attending college was disallowed since none existed that Schuckardt considered as being Catholic. That single adults could not live on their own until they were in their 30s. That no dating was allowed until out of high school and then people had to attend "Cana Cell" which had stringent rules as to how often individuals who were interested in marriage could talk to and visit with their intended mate.

Counterclaims and Answers to Acccusations

The Schuckardt faction claims that the charges against the Bishop were a subterfuge to mask the real reason for the Chicoine faction's revolution. They claim that it was common knowledge within Bishop Schuckardt's inner circle and well known to the Chicoine faction that the Bishop found Chicoine and his adherents to be both incompetent and untrustworthy, and that consequently he was about to have them demoted or replaced. They allege that Chicoine and his adherents were not willing to accept this humiliation and that they saw an opportunity in the Bishop's illness-induced absence not only to keep their positions, but also to gain control of a well-established Church worth millions of dollars. The Schuckardt faction claims that it was lust for power and primal greed that primarily spawned the revolution; and that coupled with the widespread dissatisfaction of many members over having to live lives of strict, uncompromising Catholicism, Church members were eager for change and readily accepted Chicoine's accusations without question.

The Schuckardt faction also alleges that many of the charges against them are outright false and others are rooted in crass ignorance of the actual teachings and customs of the Catholic Church and answer the charges in summary here below:

• The Schuckardt faction denies that they are a cult. They assert that many of the self-proclaimed "cult experts" are using the term "cult" to mask what is really an attack on Christianity. They claim that if one were to accept the definition many of these so-called experts give to the term cult, then the Catholic Church would fall into the category of a cult, the popes as cult leaders, and Christ Himself as the ultimate cult leader and cult founder. They also assert that many of these self-proclaimed cult experts earn their livelihood as "cult interventionists" and that consequently, the more groups they can identify as cults, the greater their business base grows and the more money they can make.
  • One self-proclaimed "cult expert" who has recently been on national television labeling Bishop Schuckardt and the TLRCC as a cult, is a charlatan named Rick Ross. Ross proclaims himself as a cult "expert," yet his formal education ended upon his receiving his high school diploma. Ross is a convicted jewel thief who has been arrested at least three times. A Federal jury slammed Ross and the Cult Awareness Network he was affiliated with for 4.8 million dollars in damages; 2.5 million against Ross personally in punitive damages. The Jury stated: "Ross acted so recklessly in a way that is so outrageous in character and so extreme as to go beyond all possible bounds of decency and to be regarded as atrocious and utterly intolerable in a civilized society." (Religious Freedom Watch)
• The Schuckardt faction criticizes those who attack the principle of obedience to legitimate Church authority, because in attacking this obedience, they attack the teachings of Jesus Christ Himself, who told His apostles: "He who hears you, hears me; he who rejects you, rejects me,…" (Luke 10:16) as well as the teaching of the Catholic Church since apostolic times: "Obey your prelates, and be subject to them." (St. Paul - Heb. 13:17)
• As to the charge that the TLRCC considers the outside world as inherently evil, they are wrong if they are referring to the material world. The TLRCC does not consider any part of the material world, created by God, as evil, quite to the contrary; but they do consider as evil the spirit of the world, i.e., its maxims, philosophies, goals, etc. They do so because this is what Christ taught: "The world cannot hate you: but me it hateth, because I give testimony of it, that the works thereof are evil." (John 7:7) Again: "Love not the world, nor the things which are in the world… for all that is in the world, is the concupiscence of the flesh, the concupiscence of the eyes, and the pride of life…" (1 John 2:16)
• The Schuckardt faction claims that the rules imposed were neither arbitrary nor fanatical, but rather that each and every major directive had its basis in Catholic principles.
• 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^[25] and Pope Pius XII regarding "Mary-like" standards of modesty, as well as an attempt to answer Our Lady of Fatima's plea for reparation for the sins of man, of which she said that sins of flesh were damning more souls to Hell than any other sin.^[26].
• Women were not required to cover their heads except when in Church,^[27] 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^[28] based on the consideration that when in the presence of God one ought to separate oneself from all distraction; reason dictates and experience has taught that this is best accomplished by separating the sexes while in Church. St. Augustine roundly condemns those who would criticize this practise.^[29]

• Bishop Schuckardt did teach that smoking was against the 5th Commandment, "Thou shall not kill." While acceding the fact that no pope has forbidden smoking to Catholics in general (Pope Pius XII did, however, forbid the Jesuits and several other orders of priests from smoking), the medical science of that day had not yet discovered just how harmful smoking was to one's health. In considering this newly discovered evidence and the obligation the Church imposes upon her Bishops to "govern the diocese both in temporal and spiritual matters, with legislative, judicial, and coercive power…"^[30], Bishop Schuckardt was well within his rights to make the moral judgment that smoking was a serious sin against the 5th Commandment. He also dismissed the notion that because Rome had not condemned it, neither could he: "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)

• Only the religious were required to wear their rosary around their neck as part of their religious habit. All people were encouraged to wear their rosaries, a practice common in Catholic countries during the Middle Ages,^[31] and were taught not to be ashamed to wear them over their clothes where others could see them.
• Regarding censorship, Schuckardt asserts that the Catholic Church charges her Bishops^[32] with the duty of prohibiting reading materials that "endangers faith and morals," including but not limited to: "books, previously approved books translated from the original, new editions of books; newspapers; reviews; periodicals; sheets… that propound schism, heresy, subversion of religion; that attack religion and morality; that professedly treat of religion by non-Catholics; that are illegally published; that favor superstition, fortune telling, spiritism; that disparage divine worship or insult the hierarchy; that favor divorce, Masonry, Communism, obscenities; that represent holy things foreign to the mind and decrees of the Church…" (Canons 1395–1400). This represents a partial list and demonstrates that Bishop Schuckardt was properly exercising his office in this regard.^[33][34] That the condemnation of censorship is an American idea, not a Catholic one.
• 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.^[35]. They further respond that if this was the protocal given to many earthly sovereigns, who can condemn them for showing the same deference to the King of sovereigns?
• The very infrequent public Masses of Bishop Schuckardt were not mandatory and thus no one was "forced" to stay up late waiting for him. People were, however, strongly encouraged to do so, because Bishop Schuckardt considered Epicospal functions an important part of Catholic liturgy.
• By forbidding members to attend college without good cause, Schuckardt asserts that he was conforming to the teachings^[36] of the Catholic Church, 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."^[37].
• Bishop Schuckardt allowed only discerning adults to watch television, and even then only with a great deal of caution. This is in keeping with the teachings of the popes regarding the evils that television presents to Catholics.^[38]

• • Bishop Schuckardt watches television, but he considers himself to be a discerning adult. He also watches TV in order to record appropriate programs for his flock to watch that are in keeping with the guidelines of the Church.

• Many of the marriages that ended up in separation (due to one member joining the TLRCC), were never valid marriages according to Catholic Church law, thus rendering these individuals communal life sinful; and with rare exception, under these circumstances, the only moral solution was separation. Furthermore, it is not against Catholic doctrine for spouses to separate for reasons of adultery,^[39] or "if one of the parties has joined a non-Catholic sect; or educated the children as non-Catholics; or is living a criminal and ignominious life; or is causing grave spiritual danger or corporal danger to the other; or makes the common life too hard by cruelty - these and other things of the kind are so many lawful reasons for the other party to depart..."^[40].
• That disciplining children as described above is totally excessive and sinful, and is so outrageous that one has to question the veracity of such statements. Some of these statements came upon the heals of a multi-million dollar lawsuit filed by a Jerry O'Neil^[41] which was overturned by the Idaho Supreme Court, which noted that cases such as O'Neil's are usually motivated by vindictiveness and revenge.^[42] After over 10 years of pursuing this lawsuit, O'Neil received a jury verdict of $4,379.00 against a single Church corporation. There were no punitive damages awarded of any kind either against Schuckardt or the Fatima Crusade. Furthermore, Schuckardt contents, if there is an element of truth in the above-described disciplining, one ought to look to Chicoine (who was healthy and not bed-ridden), to the school principals and to the teachers, who ran the schools on a day-by-day basis and administered the corporal punishments.
  • Paul Welch was guilty of excessive spanking and his refusal to admit to that it was excessive was the principle reason why Bishop Schuckardt never ordained him to the priesthood.
• No one was ordered to become flagellants. The use of the flagella and other means of mortifying the flesh is something that Christ taught as necessary to salvation,^[43] was practiced by the Apostles,^[44] and is considered by all true Catholics to be a virtue.^[45].
• Regarding the charge of sexual improriety, Schuckardt's defenders point out the difficulty of proving a negative. How does one prove that an accusation is false, when by its very nature it excludes the possibility of either physical evidence or witnesses? Furthermore, it is accepted science that sexual predators are incurable, therefore if Bishop Schuckardt was a sexual predator, as some claim, surely over the last 21 years at least one more accusation would have surfaced, especially when considering that there have been people who left the Schuckardt faction between 1984 and 2004 who are very hostile towards him; but no new accusations have surfaced. It is also noteworthy that in 1987 all of the Religious men, seminarians and boys that were boarding with the seminarians, were individually questioned by the Sheriff's Department and the FBI regarding this particular accusation, but nothing of concern was found.
  • Furthermore, even if the accusations were true, the authority given to the Church by Christ is not contingent upon the personal sanctity or impeccability of the hierarchy exercising that authority. St. Peter sinned in publicly denying Christ three times, yet he remained the first Vicar of Christ. Church history bears witness to the sad fact that many popes, bishops, and other members of the Church’s hierarchy have publicly led very immoral lives; yet no one challenged their authority based on that alone. This is because the Church's clear teaching is that one does not lose his authority upon the commission of personal sin, but rather by schism, heresy, apostasy, or by removal from office by someone of even higher authority.^[46] If it were otherwise, the Catholic Church would have ceased to exist centuries ago. Therefore Bishop Schuckardt’s authority and role as a Bishop of the Church would not be affected even if the accusations were true.
• Schuckardt denies that ever declared himself to be the pope. Some of his followers, however, believe him to be so based upon their belief that he is the "last true Catholic bishop" in the world and upon the teaching of the Catholic Church that the Church must have a pope^[47], except during periods of interregnum.^[48]

• • As to the claim that Bishop Schuckardt's occasional wearing of a white cassock constituted a papal claim, the Schuckardt faction charges those making such an anology of manifest ignorance regarding Church regulations about clerical dress. According to Church law, whenever a Religious is elevated to the episcopate they may wear a cassock the color of their religious habit. ^[49] Thus when the Domninicans, Cistercians, Carthusians and the Camadulese are elevated to the episcopate, they often wear white cassocks. The religious habit of the members of the Congregation of Mary, Immaculate Queen of the Universe is solid white with a brown scapular hanging over it, thus Bishop Schuckardt's white cassock was within the prescribed guidelines regarding clerical dress for Bishops.

• • There are, however, certain insignia belonging exclusively to the pope: the tiara, the white cassock with white trim (not red or gold), the white skull cap, the fisherman's ring, etc. Those who accuse Bishop Schuckardt of making papal claims have never been able to produce a single item or picture manifesting any of these insignia. In fact, in 1987, one of Chicoine's right hand men in the ousting of Bishop Schuckardt, Louis Kerfoot, had been given full access by the Sheriff's Department during a search of Bishop Schuckardt's home (see Legal Wrangling below) and it is inconceivable that had he found even so much as a single "papal" item, that he would not have capitalized on it. Neither he nor the Sheriff's Department found any such items.

Chicoine Faction Charged with Schism

The Schuckardt faction charges the Chicone faction with schism.^[50] The rationale is that the Catholic Church is a divinely constituted hierarchical institution, and there are no provisions in Church law^[51] whereby an ecclesiastical inferior [herein a priest] can depose an ecclesiastical superior [herein a bishop], except by having recourse to someone further up in the hierarchy. Since both Bishop Schuckardt and Rev. Chicoine acknowledged no higher Church authority than Bishop Schuckardt himself,^[52] there was no means whereby Rev. Chicoine could depose him. An analogy can be found in the Church’s history of bad popes, many of whom were horrible public sinners, but unless they were guilty of heresy, they had to be tolerated.^[53] The Chicoine faction was unwilling to tolerate Bishop Schuckardt, so they delegated to themselves the authority of being Bishop Schuckardt’s ecclesiastical superior and then played the role of accuser, prosecutor, judge and jury, and awarded to themselves the Tridentine Latin Rite Catholic Church and all of its assets without trial.^[54]

The Schuckardt faction also claims that in order for the Chicoine faction to win the support of so many Church members, they engaged in calumny and detraction, which the Catholic Church declares to be a serious sin;^[55] and that the Schuckardt faction was seriously disadvantaged inasmuch as they would not meet them in kind.

Expulsion, Exile and the Aryan Nations

Chicoine found that he had the backing of the vast majority of the religious and laity alike, and took charge of the Fatima Crusade. Not long after Chicoine's denunciations, Bisihop Shuckardt, in fear for his safety,^[56] left the area with a small handful of followers. It turned out that this fear was well founded, for investigative Sheriff's Deputy Robert Cloud testified under oath in 1988 that he "had received information from the Washington area that members of the Richard Butler Aryan Nations Church had been seen on the Mt. St. Michael's compound observing St. Francis's brigades performing drills and training. During that meeting I specifically asked that question of Mr. Kerfoot, and Mr. Kerfoot was, I would say, evasive at best, but indicated that there may have been occasions when the Butler group, or Butler himself had been on the property." (Calif. Case 87-12258)

An article written by Tim Hanson that appeared in the Spokesman Review on August 26, 1984 made no mention of Schuckardt fleeing Spokane due to fear of the Aryan Nations. Schuckardt is quoted in the article 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 his associates be prohibited from returning to the church property at Mount St. Michael's or Schuckardt's mansion at E2314 South Altamont Blvd. As a result of this lawsuit, a document was served at his mansion. The article states: "Schuckardt said last week he thought the document was an eviction notice rather than an order to appear in court. He also believed an arrest warrant had been issued." Bruce Erickson, a Spokane attorney representing Chicoine stated: "There wasn't any warrant out for his arrest. I or the court or the sheriff's department can't force them to read the documents". Schuckardt and his small band of 6 followers were reported to have left the mansion on June 7. The article went on "[N]either Schuckardt nor a legal representative appeared in court. The court therefore issued an order banning the bishop from church property." Spokane County sheriff detectives confirmed that no warrant exists for Schuckardt.

It is reported that the Schuckardt faction moved secretly through the Northwest, stopping at cities in five states and Canada, at first never daring to spend more than one night in the same place," according to the Inland Register, the Catholic Church's newspaper in Spokane. One of his followers, Brother Mary Fidelis, is quoted in the Spokesman Review article of August 26 as saying: "One of the main reasons we move is because of the harrassment we've been getting from Chicoine. 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." Chicoine is quoted as replying to this charge: "For him to think that I'm trying to kill him is just more proof that he really is sick and needs some kind of medical attention. I think the poor bishop is living in a dream world"

They finally settled in Greenville, California. Members moved into several homes in the area and picked up where they had left off, but not before Bishop Schuckardt on June 30 formally excommunicated Chicoine and a handful of others working in consort with him.^[57] In the August 26 Spokesman Review article, Chicoine is quoted as saying: "We contend that it is not a valid excommunication. If he is incompetent, which we believe we've proved, then his acts are null and void." Controversy also shadowed Schuckardt's group in Greenville. As reported by Jim Sparks in the Spokesman Review of July 27, 1986 "In Greenville, Calif., 102 miles northwest of Reno Nevada, Schuckardt appears to be king once again." He goes on to report that "some of the problems that afflicted the church schjools in in Spokane, Colbert, and Rathdrum seem to be repeating themselves here. There are complaints about anti-Semitism and punishment." Carol McKinney, whose two children were in the church's school for a year stated: "These people are perpetrating fraud against these kids by teaching them that the Jewish Holocaust in World War II never happened." She also reported of her duaghter that nuns at the school "wanted to cut her off because she couldn't keep her bangs out of her face." The parish priest of St. John's Catholic Church in nearby Quincy related that he had contact with a man who wanted to leave Schuckardt's group. The priest is quoted as saying: "He was scared to death, he was afraid he was being followed. He wanted to almost fall under the couch." The priest dressed the man in his own closed and put him on a bus for Chicago.

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.^[58]

The Mount Saint Michael group sued the Schuckardt faction, alleging that they took property belonging to them. They obtained a default judgment against the Schuckardt faction for $250,000.00 as well as an injunction barring them from Mount Saint Michael. (Case 84-2-01445-2). The Schuckardt faction asserts that when Chicoine and his allies sued Bishop Schuckardt in civil court, they committed several ecclesiastical crimes carrying with it the censure of automatic excommunication from the Catholic Church (Canons 2334 & 2341).^[59]

The Default Judgment was challenged by Schuckardt in 1988 and successfully overturned.^[60]

In 1985, Fathers Chicoine, Hughes and McGilloway of Mount Saint Michael were conditionally ordained as priests by the Traditionalist Catholic Bishop George Musey. Musey himself stated his belief that these three priests had been validly ordained by Schuckardt, but that he was conditionally ordaining them to appease the doubts of some.^[61] Musey's episcopal lineage descended from Archbishop Ngo Dinh Thuc. The Schuckardt faction challenges the validity of Bishop Musey’s consecration;^[62] condemns him for impeding upon Bishop Schuckardt’s jurisdiction;^[63] condemns him for “conditionally ordaining” against Church law people who have been sentenced with a declaratory and condemnatory sentence of excommunication;^[64] and for other reasons.

Chicoine died on August 10, 1995; his excommunication by Bishop Schuckardt having never been revoked.

Arrests and Legal Wranglings

On May 9, 1987 a Plumas County Sheriff's Department SWAT team, with support from the California Highway Patrol, conducted a raid on the TLRCC. 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.^[65] 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.

Bishop Schuckardt and 13 of his followers were arrested for possession of stolen property and Bishop Schuckardt was further charged with the unlawful possession of a controlled substance.^[66] 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.^[67]

All charges against the other 13 were dismissed without prejudice^[68] and all the property seized by the sheriff’s office was returned to them, the judge ruling that it was not a criminal issue, but a civil one. Following their dismissals, the 13 then successfully obtained a Declaration of Factual Innocence and had their criminal arrests erased from their records.^[69]

Immediately after the arrests of the Schuckardt faction, the Chicoine faction filed two civil suits^[70] in California to obtain all the property the Sheriff’s Office had seized as “stolen property,” but neither was successful. They further filed civil actions against the Schuckardt group in Utah,^[71] Arizona,^[72] and Canada,^[73] but lost all of these cases as well.

The Schuckardt group then filed a Federal Civil Rights Suit against the Sheriff’s Department and the County for violation of their civil rights in the U.S. District Federal Court. At a settlement conference presided over by Chief Justice Karlton, the County agreed to pay an undisclosed, but significant sum of money to keep the case from going to trial.

The Schuckardt faction also challenged the civil suit^[74] filed by the Chicoine faction in Washington in 1984 and agreed to a settlement before the trial began in 1993. The settlement heavily favored the Chicoine faction. Nine years of legal wrangling finally came to an end, with the Chicoine faction getting the lion’s share of the Fatima Crusade’s assets.

The group decided to leave the rural county for a more urban environment. Bishop Schuckardt chose the destination: where he had been born and raised, and where his widowed mother lived, Seattle, Washington.

In September 1, 2002, the TLRCC was in the news as one of its Postulants, Sister Helena Maria (Helen Chaska) had been strangled with her rosary, raped and killed in Klamath Falls, Oregon by Maximiliano Esparza, an illegal immigrant with several arrest warrants. Her companion had also been raped by Esparza, though she survived. Esparza is currently serving a life sentence.

In 2002 a reporter from The Seattle Times attempted to obtain an interview with Schuckardt, 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.

In November, 2005, allegations of sexual abuse by two church teenagers against a minor boy, as well as the kidnapping of an elderly mother, Kathleen Raleigh, from the TLRCC were reported in the national media.

Ordination history of Francis Schuckardt
History Episcopal consecration Consecrated by Daniel Q. Brown Date November 1, 1971

External Links

• Bishop Schuckardt's Personal Website

Media reports

• Alleged cult molester surrenders King County Journal November 30, 2005
• Charges shed light on church: Eastside `cult' is likely hiding members accused of sex abuse, police say King County Journal November 25, 2005
• Church near Seattle struck by scandalMSNBC Scarborough Country November 23, 2005
• Eastside cult faces sex abuse claim King 5 News Seattle, November 4, 2005
• Denver family tries to free mother from religious cult 9 News Denver November 3, 2005
• The Sect Behind the Shroud, Susan Kelleher, The Seattle Times, November 25, 2002 (mirror of article from rickross.com
• Esparza pleads guilty to killing nun, Albany Herald-Democrat, April 9, 2003

End Notes

1. ^ Official Manual for the Blue Army (circa 1966).
2. ^ The Old Catholic Source Book - Pruter & Melton
3. ^ The validity of Old Roman Catholics' Orders was widely acknowledged by the Catholic Church: "Separated Brethern," William Whalen (1958); "A Catholic Dictionary," Donald Attwater (1997).
4. ^ Letter from Bishop Brown to Francis Schuckardt (9/17/70).
5. ^ Ibid.
6. ^ Letter from Bishop Brown to Fr. Korba (12/14/75).
7. ^ Letter from Francis Schuckardt to Bishop Brown (Good Friday, 1971).
8. ^ 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, ..."
9. ^ Letter of Bishop Brown to Bishop Schuckardt (3/4/72).
10. ^ The Reign of Mary. Issue 16. Page 4. "Why are supposedly uncompromising traditionalists willing to wink their eyes at the compromises of such apostate bishops as Marcel Lefevre (whose much tauted "traditional" seminaries are being operated under the watchful eye of Pittsburg'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?"
11. ^ The Reign of Mary. Issue 18. Page 3. "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?
12. ^ Kelleher, S. (2002). The Seattle Times. "The sect behind the shroud".
13. ^ 10th Year Anniversary Bulletin of Schuckardt's Consecration (1981).
14. ^ Ibid.
15. ^ Washington Case #84-2-01445-2
16. ^ Kirch, K (1912) Catholic Encyclopedia: Vatican Council, Vol XV. Robert Appleton Company. Transcribed by Douglas J. Potter. Retrieved from the internet on April 27, 2006 from http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15303a.htm
17. ^ Baumgarten, P. M., (1911) Catholic Encyclopedia: Old Catholics, Vol XI. Robert Appleton Company. Transcribed by Herman F. Holbrook. Retrieved from the internet on April 27, 2006 from http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11235b.htm
18. ^ Ibid.
19. ^ Canon 751 "Heresy is the obstinate denial or obstinate doubt after the reception of baptism of some truth which is to be believed by divine and Catholic faith; apostasy is the total repudiation of the Christian faith; schism is the refusal of submission to the Supreme Pontiff or of communion with the members of the Church subject to him."
20. ^ Decree of Excommunication from the Office of the Congregation for Bishops, 1 July 1988. Retrieved from the internet on February 26, 2006 from http://www.cin.org/users/james/files/l-excomm.htm
21. ^ Point 3 of the Apostolic Letter of John Paul II given July 2, 1988 "3. In itself, this act was one of disobedience to the Roman Pontiff in a very grave matter and of supreme importance for the unity of the church, such as is the ordination of bishops whereby the apostolic succession is sacramentally perpetuated. Hence such disobedience - which implies in practice the rejection of the Roman primacy - constitutes a schismatic act." Retrieved from the internet on February 26, 2006 from http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/motu_proprio/documents/hf_jp-ii_motu-proprio_02071988_ecclesia-dei_en.html
22. ^ Bishop Lawrence Welsh as related in "Cults, Sects, and the New Age," by Rev. James J. LeBar, available from Our Sunday Visitor Press, 200 Noll Plaza, Huntington, IN 46750. Retrieved from the internet on April 27, 2006 from http://www.ewtn.com/library/NEWAGE/WELSHCRU.TXT
23. ^ Years Beneath Her Mantle. Published by Students of Maria Regina Academy. June 9, 1972.
24. ^ 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."
25. ^ "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.
26. ^ 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."
27. ^ "But every women praying or prophesying with her head not covered disgraceth her head..." (St. Paul) - 1 Cor. 11:5.
28. ^ "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.
29. ^ "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.
30. ^ Canons 335, 362, 1572
31. ^ Catholic Encyclopedia: "Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary" (1912)
32. ^ Bouscaren & Ellis: "Canon Law - A Text and Commentary" (1957) Canon 1395.
33. ^ Canon 1384: "Literature is morally bad if it endangers faith or morals, and no one has a 'right' to publish such literature any more than one has a right to poison wells or sell tainted food." Bouscaren & Ellis ibid.
34. ^ "[Y]ou are the powerful barrier against the overflowing tide of useless literature. Such reading matter threatens to drag the great dignity of human nature into the mud of error and perversion... In such matters, of the gravest danger to souls, the intervention of some higher authority is justified and necessary." Address to Ecclesiastics Employed as Book Critics - Pope Pius XII (2/13/56).
35. ^ Encyclical on Christ the King - "Quas Primas" by Pope Pius XI (12/11/1925).
36. ^ Encyclical: "On Christian Education" by Pope Pius XI )12/31/29).
37. ^ Canon 1374. Bouscaren & Ellis ibid.
38. ^ "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).
39. ^ Canon 1129.
40. ^ Canon 1131.
41. ^ O'Neil v. Schuckardt, Idaho Case #80086.
42. ^ 733 P2d 693, 698.
43. ^ "I say unto you: but unless you shall do penance, you shall all likewise perish." Luke 13:3.
44. ^ "I chastise my body..." (St. Paul) 1 Cor. 9:27.
45. ^ "The Virtue of Penance" - The Catholic Encyclopedia (1912).
46. ^ Encyclical of Pope Pius XII "On the Mystical Body of Christ" on June 29, 1943.
47. ^ "[I]f anyone says it is not by the institution of Christ... that blessed Peter should have perpetual successors in the primacy over the whole church;... let him be anathema." - Vatican Council 1, Session 4, Ch. 2 (1870).
48. ^ The time between the death or resignation of one pope until his successor in office replaces him.
49. ^ Clerical Dress & Insignia of the Roman Catholic Church, Rev. McCloud, 1948.
50. ^ “The crime of one who voluntarily separates himself from the Catholic Church through refusal to submit to the authority of the Church…” The Concise Catholic Encyclopedia (1957)
51. ^ Canons 183-195.
52. ^ “[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).
53. ^ “A pope can only be deposed for heresy, expressed or implied, and then only by a general council. It is not strictly deposition, but a declaration of fact, since by his heresy he has already ceased to be head of the Church. This has never occurred …” Catholic Dictionary (1997).
54. ^ “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.
55. ^ “Detraction, usually associated with calumny, both being unjust injuries to the good name of another. Detraction is committed by revealing the true faults of our neighbor; calumny is by imputing false defects. Both include sinful judging and censuring of one’s neighbor and arise in resentment and envy. A detractor assumes that which belongs to God alone as judge (Jas. 4:11-12). Detraction and calumny are seriously sinful, being sins against justice… The sins of detraction and calumny demand restitution or repair to the neighbor’s reputation…” The Catholic Concise Encyclopedia (1956).
56. ^ Washington Case 84-2-014450-2.
57. ^ Ibid.
58. ^ Corporation number 2-345308-7.
59. ^ Automatic excommunication occurs upon the commission the crime; it is immediately effective, and there is no recourse. Penance and absolution are the only way out. The consequences of a Catholic excommunication are significant. The excommunicated cleric may not receive nor administer the Sacraments except under rare circumstances, and acts requiring jurisdiction are invalid. This means for example, that if anyone went to Chicoine for sacramental absolution, he would be unable to absolve them from their sins. Bouscaren & Ellis ibid
60. ^ Utah Case 276-3839 - Memorandum Decision.
61. ^ "[M]indful that the validity of these orders will always be doubtful in the minds of some... Personally, I have found no reason to doubt that these men had valid orders..." Open letter of Rev. Musey (4/23/95)
62. ^ Bishop Schuckardt had Rev. Chicoine and the other priests give public talks warning the people about the Bishop Thuc progeny and the doubtful validity of their orders in a Cleveland Ohio Seminary, circa 1980.
63. ^ Bishop Schuckardt, in fleeing for his safety, did not lose his ordinary jurisdiction in Spokane, WA and has had continuously, for over 30 years, faithful followers living in the Spokane area to whom he still ministers to.
64. ^ "Neither may an excommunicated person receive the sacraments, and after a declaratory or condemnatory sentence, not even the sacramentals." Canon 2260. Bouscaren and Ellis, ibid.)
65. ^ Calif. Case 87 2823.
66. ^ Ibid.
67. ^ Ibid.
68. ^ Case 87-12190.
69. ^ Case 87-12258.
70. ^ Cases 13096 & 13097.
71. ^ Case 87-4047.
72. ^ Case CV87-13584.
73. ^ Case C872893.
74. ^ Case 84-2-01445-2.