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15th Sunday in Ordinary Time Bulletin

July 12 Bulletin

15th Sunday in Ordinary Time Bulletin July 12 Bulletin

From Bishop Ricken regarding news of dissident groups from the Catholic Church:

Greetings in the Lord Jesus.

Over the past few months, the tragic appearance of various dissident groups from the Catholic Church has been in the news both locally and internationally. A number of you have contacted the chancery with concerns about a newly formed community in the Appleton area falsely calling themselves Catholic and we are all painfully aware of the illicit and divisive ordinations to the episcopacy undertaken by the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) in Switzerland which has placed them in a position of schism.

I write to you now to reiterate what we all already know in our hearts – that this separation from the Church is not of God and that it threatens the precious unity we have as Catholics. Since it is likely that you have or will soon receive questions from the people of God about these matters and since the pastoral challenges that these international dissident groups cause is also local in nature, I would like to reiterate the following to guide your pastoral practice.

Society of St. Pius X (SSPX): This is a group which has been in existence for over four decades, and which essentially rejects various teachings of the Catholic Church, as put forth most recently by the Second Vatican Council. What is formally rejected is the reform of the sacred liturgy which derived from the Council and also the Church’s teaching on ecumenism and religious liberty, among other matters. In the Diocese of Green Bay, there is one SSPX church called St. Michael’s Chapel in De Pere. No Catholic may actively participate in the life of this community since the SSPX rejects the authority of the local bishop and the validity of some of their sacraments remains doubtful. Those who desire to worship according to the ancient form of the Mass, may certainly attend St. Patrick’s Oratory in Green Bay which is a part of our Diocese and faithfully obedient to the Church.

St. Julia Greeley Inclusive Catholic Community of Appleton
Emmaus Ecumenical Catholic Community of Oshkosh

These two communities are part of the Ecumenical Catholic Communion, which itself is part of the Old Catholics, who broke away from the Catholic Church in 1870. They are not in union with Rome and take positions contrary to the authentic teaching of the Church, particularly on matters of human sexuality, authority in the Church, et cetera. The validity of their Sacraments is highly doubtful. No Catholic may attend these communities since they are outside of communion with the local bishop and the universal Church.

In short, if any group, movement, community, or “church” in the Diocese of Green Bay is not under the authority of the local Catholic bishop appointed by the Pope, then they are not in union with the Catholic Church and cannot call themselves Catholic. The validity of their sacraments could be in question and what they teach should not be trusted. Furthermore, it is difficult to see how Our Lord Jesus would bless such disobedience which brings division to the Church which he founded.

If pastoral challenges arise on these subjects, please do not hesitate to contact the chancery of the Diocese of Green for further direction. Together, let us ask our Lord Jesus to bless and preserve the Catholic Church we love with unity and peace.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Most Reverend David L. Ricken, D.D., JCL
Bishop of Green Bay

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