Having lived in New Hampshire I am familiar with the "Feeneyites," followers of the deceased Jesuit Leonard Feeney, a professor of Literature at Boston College who held a very strict interpretation of Extra ecclesiam nulla salus. On the Feeney scheme one must undergo sacramental water Baptism and profess juridical union with the Pope in Rome to be Catholic and hence saved, no exceptions permitted (Cardinal Cushing, a capable politician friendly with the Americanist Kennedy family, found this very embarrassing and put a lid on Feeney). I find the idea to be at best historical spurious, but I am not going to talk about Fr. Feeney's opinion itself. I am more interested in its prevalence.
New Hampshire was my first exposure to this perspective. The "Feeneyites" run the St. Benedict Center in New Hampshire which offers the '62 liturgy, promotes Immaculate Heart devotions, and prints biographical information on Fr. Feeney. They have competition from a rival group in Massachusetts. The Byzantine Catholics found the position mind boggling. Thinking this was an insulated issue, given that Feeney lived in Massachusetts, about 40 minutes from New Hampshire, I moved to Texas and forgot all about it. Now I am told that there are some upholders of this position at the FSSP church in the Dallas area, Mater Dei. Ironically the FSSPX clergy are more willing to "crack down" on "Feeneyism," possibly because it was condemned during the "good old days." This does not seem to be a "traditionalist" issue per se. The group in New Hampshire attended the Pauline Mass at a local parish under they formally reconciled with the bishop of Manchester and were granted permission to erect their own facility.
New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Texas. Are there followers of this idea where you lived my dear English readers? How about ye Portuguese? And readers in Spain? Americans are of course also invited to respond! Do please say something about the circumstances (social background, the rite of Mass used, and anything else that might be useful in aiding our understanding).
In my experience, i have known two Feeneyite priests personally:
ReplyDeleteFr. James Wathen of such notoriety. He celebrated pre-Pacelli rite I believe (my father who was new to the faith did note that Wathen did a different Holy Week than the $$PX did, so I am making an assumption).
A priest who was a friend of the family. He started in the "mainstream" church, moved to the $$PX, and then was booted for Feeneysim. He eventually spun off the deep end and went sedevecantist. Throughout the entire time I knew him, he used 1962.
Then only Feeneyite priest I knew of in England was a P.P. close to London, but was not a "traditionalist" and celebrated Mass always in the new Rite in its most standard form.He had all sorts of Feeneyite literature on sale in his church (ten years ago ?) and pens with Extra ecclesiam nulla salus and other tags printed on them. I think that one of the more recent pronouncements on The Dogma (as they call it) from the Vatican was that just as you could have a liberal interpretation so you could have a strict interpretation. Gary Potter's book After The Boston Heresy Case gives a more modern view and The Loyolas and the Cabots gives an earlier view.
ReplyDeleteCan't say I know a singlePortuguese who espouses such a belief. But given the general state of things here, I'd be surprised if I did.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in Venice, the FSSP priest allways defended tje extra Ecclesiam nulla salus, but never in such an extreme way. I never saw Feeneyism there.
ReplyDeleteIn Spain the things are, as far as I know, not very different. The ICRSS priests teach the same things the Venetian FSSP did, and their faithful (who is worth saying are, from my point of view, pretty ignorant) memorize what they teach. I also know some people frome the SSPX (excuse me, but why "$$PX"??) chapel; they seem to me to be nearer to Feeneyite thesis, but I cannot tell you I they truly share it.
Frome the new rite parishes, what I could see is just the opposite belief.
Kyrie eleison
PS: your last post was published twice
The "$$PX" term can only be understood if you have had firsthand experience with their madmen in the English speaking world. Ironically, despite my desire to never deal with them again, I found myself defending the validity of their sacraments when went to an FSSP parish.
DeleteSince you're in Spain, give my regards to Alfonso de Galeretta if you run across him (he confirmed me, not that he's remember). He's a good chap.
Back to the topic: The God of the Feeneyites is Satan.
Thank you very much!! The few SSPX priests I've met in Madrid do not seem to be fool (I have actually gone to Mass in their chapel just twice since I went here) - but the faithful, some of who I know quite well... they are a different matter.
DeleteI have never met Mgr. Galarreta, sorry :-(
Kyrie eleison
Bp. de Galarreta likewise confirmed me 23 years ago next month.
DeleteMy experience with "Feeneyism/ites" - you are, of course, correct that the SSPX does take a hard line against the Feeney interpretation of EENS, though there are some pockets of Feeney support in their chapels. Interestingly, in my time in Ridgefield, CT (New England) I had never encountered anyone who espoused that position despite the geographic proximity, though they were somewhat present in Post Falls, ID. I suspect, like sedevacantism in general, Feeneyism is yet another predominately American-Trad thing, and the SSPX is anything but beholden to Americanist phenomena.
ReplyDeleteJust for the record, the priests at the Dallas FSSP parish in question have publicly preached against Feeneyism (so-called).
ReplyDeleteI assume the priests in Dallas, Detroit and the rest of the USA are following the heretical and modernist theology to create new doctrines and a new non traditional interpretation of Vatican Council II.In this way they are not suspended.Michael Voris remains political correct in Detroit. So also Ralph Martin
ReplyDeletehttp://eucharistandmission.blogspot.it/2016/09/assume-priests-in-dallas-detroit-and.html