As you know, the month of June is dedicated to the devotion to the Sacred-Heart of Jesus. Following Abbot Marmion, let me give you the main idea behind this devotion:
“There is, indeed, a feast that reminds us, broadly speaking, about the love that the Incarnate Word has for us: it is the Feast of the Sacred-Heart. Following the revelations of St. Margaret-Mary, the Church is using this feast as a conclusion to the yearly cycle of the feasts of Our Saviour. It looks like, after contemplating the mysteries of her Spouse, the only thing left behind would be to meditate upon the love itself that has animated them. (...). Devotion to the Sacred-Heart is meant to be understood as a dedication to the person of Our Lord, He who is expressing His love, while showing us His Heart, as a true symbol of love.”1
We dare to say that such devotion, or rather dedication to the person of Our Lord is mostly relevant to priests. Who is the priest? He is a man who dedicates his whole life to carry on with the redeeming mission of Our Lord towards souls, mostly by means of the Holy sacrifice of the Mass, and by giving the sacraments to the faithful. Through the fulfillment of these two essential acts of the priestly ministry, the priest is working effectively for the spreading of the reign of the Sacred-Heart of Jesus upon the souls of the faithful. Yes, indeed, the priest is another Christ, and it is really what makes the grandeur of his priesthood, no matter what weakness he may have because of his wounded human nature.
As we need priests to carry on with the beautiful function of the Good Shepherd of souls, we ought to rejoice that a Canadian young man, Rev. Pierre Morin, from Levis QC, will be ordained priest on June 29 at the SSPX seminary of Ecône, Switzerland.
But the Church also needs bishops, to carry on the mission entrusted by Our Lord to the apostles, upholding the rights of God and of His Church keeping a strong voice without fear of the sirens of the world. The good Lord blessed us with Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, who was the tireless voice of Catholic Tradition during and after the Council Vatican II. On June 30, 1988, Archbishop Lefebvre transmitted what he had received, and gave us bishops to carry on with his episcopal apostolate. Thirty-five years after that historical event, the bishops of the SSPX are not alone to speak out in defence of Catholic Tradition. Other bishops are starting to open their mouth. Let me present one of them, Bishop Vitus Huonder: upon retirement from the diocese of Chur in Switzerland, five years ago, he moved in to a SSPX boarding school. Now, he made public the testimony of his journey to the SSPX, which can be found here (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3). The recording is in German, with subtitles in English.
Then, as we are heading to the summer months, let me remind you on the importance of keeping modesty in dress, and not following the fashions of this world. Consider also going to one of the retreats organised by the SSPX. They are, indeed, a precious means to help to discern the priestly and religious vocations that we are most in need of.
Finally, our dear Fr. Raymond Lillis health is improving but he is still recovering from the surgery he had on May 8. Please keep him in your prayers.
With the assurance of my priestly blessing,
Father Dominique Boulet, Prior