Two hundred members of the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate petition Ecclesia Dei for separate institue Franciscans Friars of the Immaculate news

(Source: Posted on 23 October 2013 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf)

Since I am in Rome as I write, I was earnestly asked, implored, to post a prayer request.

I was informed that some 200 members of the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate have petitioned the Pontifical Commission “Ecclesia Dei” this week to establish a separate institute which would use the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite. Good idea or not, I suspected that something like this was bound to happen. The divide seemed pretty deep and the conviction of those who desire the older forms is a powerful motivation.

A lot of prayers are needed if such a thing is to take place, and a lot of elbow grease. This is a new era. I suspect that there will be resistance in the Congregation for Religious. No band of traditional-leaning worker bees, they. Who knows how Pope Francis will take this, given that he had some involvement in the imposition of an overseer for the Friars while they were having their internal fights. If a very large percentage want to have their own branch of the Friars, wouldn’t that be persuasive that there was a misstep? This is also what results when communities can’t resolve their internal problems: fracture, which is sad but sometimes good in the long run.

So, stop and say a prayer or two. Perhaps the St. Michael Prayer and the Memorare.