On 20 October, His Excellency Bishop Athanasius Schneider once again blessed with his visit the Canons Regular of the New Jerusalem and their Priory of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Charles Town, West Virginia. He celebrated a Low Mass which was accompanied by beautiful chants sung by a choir. Moreover, there were large families in attendance and Bishop Schneider also gave First Holy Communion to a little boy. After his Holy Mass, His Excellency spontaneously held a little oral presentation without prepared manuscript.
This little address was intimate and very well received by the faithful, some of whom then had many pressing questions to which the holy bishop later responded in personal conversations outside of the Church. It is always very moving to see Bishop Schneider’s humility and his immense kindness – especially toward the little ones – and his deep Faith and love for the sinner. His trust in the helping hand of the Mother of God is always present, and he also insists upon a charitable and respectful way of speaking with those within the Catholic Church with whom we might whole-heartedly and properly disagree.
Moreover, in a personal conversation with my husband and me after his Holy Mass, Bishop Schneider also encouraged Catholics to sign the recently published Declaration of Fidelity to the Church’s Unchangeable Teaching on Marriage and to Her Uninterrupted Discipline. For this reason, we give here the link to the appeal that has not only been signed by Bishop Schneider himself, but also by Cardinal Carlo Caffarra and Cardinal Raymond Burke, among now already six thousand signatories. Since the publication of this declaration – which rejects any alteration of the Catholic Church’s traditional moral teaching on marriage and the Family, as presented by the post-synodal exhortation Amoris Laetitia – many priests and theologians have signed it. It is to be hoped that this declaration becomes – just as the previous Filial Appeal which was signed by more than a million Catholics – an earnest and persevering sign of the fidelity of many Catholics throughout the world.
In addition to this document, Bishop Schneider also has other recommendations for us faithful who have to face the current crisis and confusion within the Catholic Church. In his own little talk after Mass on 20 October, he recommended that we keep our Faith and trust, knowing that the Church is in God’s hands and that He is stronger than any pope or bishop. According to Schneider, therefore, Our Lord will use once more the little ones in the Church as a channel of grace and renewal. This magnanimous and charitable prelate reminds us to keep charity for our opponents and to keep this sense of communion among the members of the Mystical Body of Christ where one member sometimes can especially help the weaker member.
Please read the full text of his speech as it was recorded and then transcribed by me, and with the approval of His Excellency of Bishop Athanasius Schneider himself that I may make a public use of this recording. I have tried my best to remain faithful to his recorded words ex corde pleno, but a few words were unfortunately inaudible to me.
Bishop Athanasius Schneider
Charles Town, West Virginia, 20 October 2016
My dear Brothers and Sisters,
I am so glad to see that here are present also children, a lot of children, young people, families, and this is really a sign of the true renewal of the Church. This can give us really trust and hope in the midst of so much confusion which we are witnessing outside and inside the Church. And so we keep Faith and trust, supernatural Faith that the Church is in the hands of God. The Church is not in our hands. The Church is not in the hands of the pope or of the bishops. The Church is in the hands of God. He is the Master. He is the head of the Church. Let us renew these Faiths, because the Church is essentially a supernatural reality, even though the Church is also human and visible.
Maybe in this time of crisis, we are too much concentrated on the human part of the Church, where we observe the weakness, the betrayal; but the invisible, the mystical, the supernatural reality, part of the Church is greater, is stronger. And no human frailness and betrayal can destroy the Church, even from the highest members of the hierarchy. And so it was always in the 2000 years of the Church. And so when we pray often “I believe in One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic Church,” we have to renew our Faith in this, that the Church is a work of God. And of course, in the times of trial and crisis, the Holy Spirit is using, usually, the little ones in the Church, those who are not in power – I mean in administrative power. And so it was always. God always chooses the little ones, those of Our Lady, the servants of God, the little ones.
Our Lord became a little one as a child; Our Lord has chosen as simple Apostles the fishermen; and so Our Lord says, He praises the Father to have chosen the little ones to reveal to them the mysteries of the Kingdom. And this is a truth of the supernatural reality of the Church because we are the Mystical Body of Christ. Let us keep this strong – the Mystical Body of Christ. Where we are all connected one to another, in a living manner, in a real supernatural manner, but really. In this connection, one member of the Church is helping the other. We are really like in a living body, connected, and so in the Church also; and so when sometimes one part of the Body of Christ is weak, maybe in our phase they are those in power, those in the hierarchy; then the Holy Spirit is using the little ones in His body to strengthen those who are visibly in power. And so I believe the Holy Spirit is doing the same in our time. And so you, my brothers and sisters, the little ones, the little innocent children with their prayers, with their sacrifices, they renew the Church. These graces, where the Holy Mass is celebrated reverently, with Faith, with dignity, with reverence, in these places where Our Lord is really adored as God during Holy Communion – inwardly and outwardly also – in these places there is happening a real renewal of the Church. And this is the power of the Holy Spirit. And even those with authority in the Church cannot stop this. Even the pope cannot stop this, because this is the work of the Holy Spirit. And the pope is weaker than the Holy Spirit, he is only the weak minister of Christ.
And so let us renew, really, our deep supernatural Faith, and pray and sacrifice for the pope and the bishops that they may receive new strength, new gifts of the Holy Spirit, especially the gift of the courage, fortitude, to witness our Faith, to defend the Faith, and to lead their lives for Christ. Please pray for them, and that God will send more and more [word inaudible] shepherds of the Church on all levels who are really – who will have the courage of the Apostles, and who will give their lives for this truth and for the souls.
And so, my dear brothers and sisters, let us remember in this time and every time of crisis and trial, that this is a time of special graces. And ask Our Lord to strengthen your Faith, the supernatural Faith, and to be proud of the Catholic Faith.
You know your Faith. You have the Catechism. You have the Baltimore Catechism, the traditional Catechism, you know this is the Faith, you have Our Lord here in the Holy Mass in Holy Communion; you have the Saints, the hope. And so be grateful to God and be proud of the Catholic Faith.
And do not allow yourselves to be confused by anyone. And say always: “I know in Whom I believe.” As St. Paul said: “I know.” And for this my Catholic Faith I am ready to suffer when it is not so [words inaudible]… and this is our richness, my dear brothers and sisters. The Catholic Faith, Our Lord in the Eucharist, and when we have Our Lord in the Eucharist, and then we have all things and that is the mystery for us, and we are the richest people in the world.
Praised be Our Lord Jesus Christ, now and forever, Amen.
The very words of this little talk to the “little ones” surely makes us strong!
Exactly what I needed. The election here in the US has had me all strung out; the insanity going on in the Paul VI hall last week had me confused as can be; the events at the end of the month have me on my knees. And then this humble, little man, with his sweet care for all things of God, who by the grace of God was consecrated a successor to the apostles, and gifted with so much supernatural love that he cannot help but be courageous in these dangerous times comes and says what so closely matches what Jesus Himself said to the disciples on the ship in the midst of the storm “Why are you afraid? Have you not faith yet?”
The Church is not in these men’s hands. It’s in the Lord’s hands. And right now, the weak ones are in positions of visible power… so the strong part must hold them up. And the strong part are the little ones. Folks… that’s us. We’re the little ones. The Church will survive, as Jesus promised, because of us little ones. The ones who have no visible power in the Church. Us little ones. And look to the children. Their simple faith in you as parents, teachers, relatives or whatever relation is there… remember that is how we need to look to Our Lord. Sure, we may get scared and begin to cry as a thunder bolt cracks in the sky above. But Our Lady is there to pick us up and comfort us… Our Lord has set before us a mighty host in heaven ready to stand guard against all evil. And there is most importantly of all Our Lord Himself; all-powerful, all-loving, all-good to care for us and even the weakest of His people. For that is who we are, who all the Church is – HIS people. Glory be to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Thank you for sharing this with us. I feel encouraged!
I remind myself that I am in a daily spiritual battle against the temptations of the evil one with a cross to bear which at times seems heavy and yet I know that no cross is too heavy if I trust in Our Lord.
Appropriate Commentary of the day. Bishop Athanasius Schneider would agree with this plain speaking as the way to lead our lives at a time when the clarity of Catholic teaching is missing.
Didache (between 60-120),
Judaeo-Christian catechesis
§ 1-6 (trans. Maxwell Staniforth)
“Choose life” (Dt 30,19)
There are two ways: a way of life and a way of death, and the difference between these two ways is great. The way of life is this: you shall love first the Lord your Creator, and secondly your neighbor as yourself; and you shall do nothing to anyone that you would not wish to be done to yourself. What you may learn from those words is to bless those who curse you, to pray for your enemies, and to fast for your persecutors. For where is
the merit in loving only those who return your love? Even the heathen do as much as that. But if you love those who hate you, you will have nobody to be your enemy. Beware of the carnal appetites of the body…
The second commandment in the teaching means: Commit no murder, adultery, sodomy, fornication, or theft. Practice no magic, sorcery, abortion, or infanticide. See that you do not covet anything your neighbor possesses, and never be guilty of perjury, false witness, slander, or malice. Do not equivocate in thought or
speech, for a double tongue is a deadly snare; the words you speak should not be false or empty phrases, but fraught with purposeful action. You are not to be avaricious or extortionate, and you must resist any temptation to hypocrisy, spitefulness, or superiority. You are to have no malicious designs on a neighbor. You are to cherish no feelings of hatred for anybody; some you are to reprove, some to pray for, and some again to love more than your own life.
Keep away from every bad man, my son, and from all his kind… Take care that nobody tempts you away from the path of this teaching, for such a man’s tuition can have nothing to do with God. If you can shoulder the lord’s yoke in its entirety, then you will be perfect; but if that is too much for you, do as much as you can.
(Biblical references: Mt 22,37f; 7,12; Tb 4,15; Mt
5,44f; 1Pt 2,11; Ex 20; Mt 24,4)
THANK YOU VERY MUCH for the quote from the Didache!!! I’m copying it into my favorite posts file..??
I will capitalize “lord” (sic), though. ?
I am sending this to family and friends asking them to sign the petition.
It is interesting to note he said we have The Baltimore Catechism, the traditional Catechism. Think on that.
He was told only on Tuesday about the Baltimore Catechism and that Catholic students used to memorize it. And on both Wednesday and Thursday he referenced it in his talks. He is a quick learner. 🙂
The faithful need a leader as well. Some one, just ONE bishop or cardinal.
It is such little for the laity to ask for.
I think in this Bishop Schneider is that leader. The answer is not action and calling out of error. The answer lies in personal holiness and fidelity. Yes, action and speaking out against error would be great, but it’s not the answer.
Yes. At the end of the day it will be between each of us and Christ, our Lord.
But, what is the purpose of a bishop? Why did our Lord give us His Church with his apostles?
TO LEAD! To protect His sheep from the wolves, to keep His Church holy, not just for the moment, but for future generations.
If the Church does not have a visible, strong leader, her sheep will scatter throughout the ends of the earth. It will be a time of great desolation, by which our Lord will be required to take ACTION.
Personal holiness must be the first prerequisite of the faithful. Of course.
And it will require Christ’s apostles to pick up their Crosses and Lead; calling out heresy, condemning what is against the our Lord’s teachings, They cannot hide in the shadows and preach to their choir any longer!! It will not satisfy. And we shall be required of this as well.
It will NOT be easy. It will require a faith like Abraham to be tested. Our Lord has a right to ask this of such a fallen people!
Personal holiness will be a witness of faith and that is ALWAYS an action.
Hmmm! I mean no disrespect to Bishop Schneider, but your words sound very hollow. He told you what you wanted to hear(wishful thinking), and now you’ve convinced yourself that the Holy Spirit is telling us “…action and calling out of errors…” is bloody well wrong!! Really!! And I’d love to know what you mean by “personal holiness”. Are you asking the Holy Spirit to make you a victim soul or to give you the 5 wounds of Christ. The Stigmata!!! Talk is cheap.
There’s no way I would have known the profound crisis destroying the church if not for Trads(starting with Michael Voris who is not a Trad)who speak the truth about this apostate Bergoglio(Voris being the exception). And surely many faithful Catholics will agree. I want to know the truth no matter how scary. So I’m pretty darned grateful for all the websites who eschew pious words and speak the stark naked truth about Francischurch day after day.
Bishop Schneider, bless him, is a good and faithful servant of the church. But holy, He is not. He is also imposing his own personality, his temperament, on the parishioners. Yes Bergoglio must be prayed for, which I do daily, but he must also be called out for the Judas that he is, and fought against until victory is assured. Would Bishop Schneider object to Cardinal Zen who just told Chinese faithful Catholics to not trust Francis, because he is a traitor to the faith?(see Hilary White’s latest post). The Vatican is throwing Chinese Catholics to the communist wolves. We all have weaknesses, blindness, and Bishop Schneider is no exception.
He is REACTIVE. He follows the flow. He does not buy into it, but he does not directly oppose the flood, the stench either. So, he puts his trust in the final outcome. That God will prevail. Which we know is true. God will prevail.
There is also the Bishop who is PROACTIVE, who will swim against the tide. He is unwilling to prayerfully wait to see if the church will be reduced to a remnant, even though he understands that the church will prevail in the end. He is unwilling to see western civilization absorbed into a one world government. He is unwilling to wait prayerfully for this corrupt man(Bergoglio) to die, be deposed or hope that God will directly intervene and give Jorge an ultimatum: Choose Christ or Satan.
In these times there would be many things which are happening under the radar because prudence requires this. We know that the clerics and professors who signed formal petitions are already being persecuted and some have been removed from their posts.
PREACH!!!!!! : )
I appreciate a man of few words. But by God, He makes the FEW COUNT.
There is much in what you say that I agree with.
I love Bishop Schneider. He has given us many wonderful teachings of how to maintain peace and tenacity during these times of chaos.
But a leader, a prophet, a strong spiritual force in the face of now flagrant and continuous fiddling with and molestation of ancient doctrines he is not, nor does he appear to be fitted for same in the future. I offer the disclaimer “nor does he appear to be” because it is hard to know what is going on behind the scenes and what may transpire in public in the future.
But he and the rest of the Bishops and Cardinals that are otherwise clear-speaking on doctrinal matters all have the smell of fear on them.
Appealing to little children to lead us out of this chaos? Appealing to the lay people to bail out the Church when we have Bishops and Cardinals?
This is embarrassing to ask, but what are Bishops and Cardinals for?
And dear Bishop Schneider, since when is the Church a democracy to be run by children and laymen anyhow?
Does this not smack a bit of the Master of the Greek cruise liner Oceanos who abandoned ship and left the women and children to fend for themselves while the hulk settled into the sea? As I said, I love Bishop Schneider, but I guess I expect more from a man, especially THIS man.
I am a layman. I work in a secular industry. I have been and probably will be in the future faced with situations where against the tide I must stand up for what is right and do it, and condemn that which is bad and refuse to do it.
Even if it costs me.
That’s simply called being a Christian man.
I believe it is right for a Bishop to expect me as a Christian man to do just that. This is really an act of basic Christian integrity.
I suggest that I have every good reason and right to expect the same of a Catholic Bishop.
Rod Halvorsen
Exactly. The times call for bold courageous leaders who are not afraid to risk all. And Bishop Schneider is not one of them. His soul is too sensitive. I see a similarity with Benedict XVl who is too “timid”.
Apparently you have missed the Reflections that Bishop Schneider published just two weeks after Amoris laetitia was issued. They thoroughly exposed the dangerous implications of its ambiguities, misquotations, and omissions. While requesting clarification, he made it clear that there was no good way out from the text of AL. He also helped compose and then signed the Declaration of Fidelity to the Church’s Unchangeable Teaching on Marriage; only three cardinals (including two of the Four) and two other bishops signed. And he alone has produced a deep and eloquent defense of the Four Cardinals. He is leading, not going with the flow.
If he also tells us we must pray, follow the words of our Lord, and not think that we are unimportant and powerless, how can you complain? He is doing his job, almost alone, and he is telling us an essential part of our job.
Good, beautiful, and true.
Amen. No one can take away the grace of fidelity and so no one can take away Hope or Charity, it can only be surrendered, so let us never surrender our fidelity to Christ and His Bride the Church.
The Word or the World. Time to choose.
In every church crisis God gives us leaders who have kept the ancient ways. Let’s pray for them.