Are Passionists Traditional?

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IrishDude45

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I have met two Passionist priests in my life. One was wearing the traditional rough wool cassock with the heart symbol and the other was wearing an “episcopalian” type blue dress shirt with a collar. Both priests seemed very good and provided a good example. With these two very different views of Passionists in mind, I was approached by two Passionist tertiaries today before Mass who asked if I wanted to come to some of their meetings. From what I have read of the order it seems to be fairly orthodox but of course one could get that impression of the Jesuits as well if you read only certain books. Does anyone here know much about the Passionists or could vouch for their orthodoxy? I want to know what I’m getting involved with.

Thank you 🙂

In Christ,
Irish
 
I’d like to know too, actually.
I’ve never met any passionists but I’m trying to find out more about them.

Someone answer pleeeeeeeease…
 
I am a member of the Confraternity of The Passion, which is part of the Passionist order.

I go to meetings at there local monastery here, and the buildings and retreat center are all very traditional and beautifuly Catholic in there architecture. The people that are part of the Confraternity are very traditional. Women wear veils, men are dressed properly and we always start with the Rosary, Confession, than a very nice NO Mass with traditional hymns, followed up by coffee and cake. Most, if not all take the host on the tongue, Confession is face-to-face, so thats not to traditional, but almost everywhere I go these days, thats seems to be the norm. These folks are not cafeteria Catholics. They are very devout and sacramental, and are all invested in the Black Scapular Of The Passion.

Now the priests are some of the best I have ever encountered. Happy, jovial, full of life and wisdom. For an order that preaches “Christ Crucified” one might not expect them to be, but they are. I feel very attached with our Priest that runs the Confraternity. His sermons are spot on every time I am there and I look forward to his homily. And all of the priests I see at the monastery wear the traditional cossack style habit that St. Paul Of The Cross envisioned and created 400 years ago. Although this order is very contemplative, they also do retreats and missionary work around the world, so to me, thats the best of all worlds - contemplative yet public.

So I think they are traditional.

I hope I answered your question, but if you need anymore, please ask! I love talking about this fine order that is somewhat unknown compared with the big guys!🙂
 
jimcav said:
I am a member of the Confraternity of The Passion, which is part of the Passionist order.

I go to meetings at there local monastery here, and the buildings and retreat center are all very traditional and beautifuly Catholic in there architecture. The people that are part of the Confraternity are very traditional. Women wear veils, men are dressed properly and we always start with the Rosary, Confession, than a very nice NO Mass with traditional hymns, followed up by coffee and cake. Most, if not all take the host on the tongue, Confession is face-to-face, so thats not to traditional, but almost everywhere I go these days, thats seems to be the norm. These folks are not cafeteria Catholics. They are very devout and sacramental, and are all invested in the Black Scapular Of The Passion.

Now the priests are some of the best I have ever encountered. Happy, jovial, full of life and wisdom. For an order that preaches “Christ Crucified” one might not expect them to be, but they are. I feel very attached with our Priest that runs the Confraternity. His sermons are spot on every time I am there and I look forward to his homily. And all of the priests I see at the monastery wear the traditional cossack style habit that St. Paul Of The Cross envisioned and created 400 years ago. Although this order is very contemplative, they also do retreats and missionary work around the world, so to me, thats the best of all worlds - contemplative yet public.

So I think they are traditional.

I hope I answered your question, but if you need anymore, please ask! I love talking about this fine order that is somewhat unknown compared with the big guys!🙂
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Hi, thanks.
I have some questions.

Have Passionist priests been know to offer the traditional Mass?
Is the Chaplet of the Five Wounds popular among Passionists?
Do Passionist priests still generally look like this?
Do Passionists still practice Corporal Mortification, for example with the Discipline?
Is this kind of nonsense common?

Thanks.
I’ll probably have more questions later.
 
actually, AlanF has asked all of my questions! I’m looking forward to the answers.
thanks for the response.

🙂
 
AlanF said:
Have Passionist priests been know to offer the traditional Mass?
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If you mean the Latin Mass, I have never been to one at the monastery, but then again, I never asked about it. So they might do it. I will ask next time I go though. There NO Mass is very tradtional though as are there hyms, and it is a beautiful Mass to.
AlanF said:
Is the Chaplet of the Five Wounds popular among Passionists?
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It is a Passionist devotion, so yes it is popular, and all of the priests encourage this devotion.
AlanF said:
Do Passionist priests still generally look like this?
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Yes they do. Father Houben is one among many Passionist saints in the Church and he is revered among the Passionists for his great healing powers. A wonderful saint to pray to when you are ill!
AlanF said:
Do Passionists still practice Corporal Mortification, for example with the Discipline?
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Yes I believe they do, but I’m not sure what you mean by the discipline?
AlanF said:
Is this kind of nonsense common?
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No, I have never seen that type of behavior from the priests I know. But they are a happy, jovial bunch of men, so at a party who knows? But never at Church, they are very reverant and devout.

If your looking for a Carthusian style order than the Passionists might not be for you. They have opened themselves up to certain modern habits, such as face-to-face confessions, but then you see tradtional habits such as, the priests being up early for prayer, they meditate on Christ Crucified for long periods, they paractice mortification, they wear full length cossacks, they do missionary work, they do wonderful devout retreats and days of prayer and devotion, so really, I have to say they are quite traditional and old school. There founder, St. Paul of the Cross was very traditional and very hard on the priests of his order, and I believe his strict rules are still there.

It wouldn’t hurt for you to go to a meeting just to see what they are about so you can make up your own mind. If you do go, please be sure to tell us about it!🙂
 
AlanF said:
Hi, thanks.
I have some questions.

Have Passionist priests been know to offer the traditional Mass?
Is the Chaplet of the Five Wounds popular among Passionists?
Do Passionist priests still generally look like this?
Do Passionists still practice Corporal Mortification, for example with the Discipline?
Is this kind of nonsense common?

Thanks.
I’ll probably have more questions later.
Click to expand...
The Passionists I’ve met–granted only a handful–have all been wonderful, devout, servants of God. Please bear in mind that the youtube video of them acting rather silly is from the Philippines. Having spend a great deal of time there and being married to a Filipino, I can tell you that the culture is vastly different than the US or the UK. Catholicism is much more entwined in everyday life, including the jolly aspects of it.

Paul
 
Thanks, that’s encouraging.
They sound like they haven’t lost their traditions and spirituality like so many have in this age.
jimcav said:
It is a Passionist devotion, so yes it is popular, and all of the priests encourage this devotion.
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Good good.
I knew it was a Passionist devotion, I should have written “still” in my question I think; judging by many other congregations these days they could have forgotten all about it and neglect it. Thankfully, according to you they haven’t.
jimcav said:
Yes they do. Father Houben is one among many Passionist saints in the Church and he is revered among the Passionists for his great healing powers. A wonderful saint to pray to when you are ill!
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Good good.
I’ve read his Wikipedia article actually so I’m an expert on him.😃
jimcav said:
Yes I believe they do, but I’m not sure what you mean by the discipline?
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Good good.
The Discipline is a whip used for flagellation, here’s a picture of one.
jimcav said:
No, I have never seen that type of behavior from the priests I know. But they are a happy, jovial bunch of men, so at a party who knows? But never at Church, they are very reverant and devout.

If your looking for a Carthusian style order than the Passionists might not be for you. They have opened themselves up to certain modern habits, such as face-to-face confessions, but then you see tradtional habits such as, the priests being up early for prayer, they meditate on Christ Crucified for long periods, they paractice mortification, they wear full length cossacks, they do missionary work, they do wonderful devout retreats and days of prayer and devotion, so really, I have to say they are quite traditional and old school. There founder, St. Paul of the Cross was very traditional and very hard on the priests of his order, and I believe his strict rules are still there.

It wouldn’t hurt for you to go to a meeting just to see what they are about so you can make up your own mind. If you do go, please be sure to tell us about it!🙂
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Hopefully that was just a one off thing.

I looked up the Carthusians on Wiki after you said that and they look worse than the Trappists! But then again being a Trappist wouldn’t be that bad… I don’t know. So many orders, so little time!!
I’ve only known abou the Passionists for a couple of days but I’ve liked most of what I’ve seen. I already pray things like the Rosary of the Holy Wounds so their charater seems to match.

I would go and see them but I don’t believe they have any houses in England, this website says they have houses in Ireland, Scotland and Paris, all of which unfortunately are a tad distant. 😦

God Bless.
 
AlanF said:
I would go and see them but I don’t believe they have any houses in England, this website says they have houses in Ireland, Scotland and Paris, all of which unfortunately are a tad distant. 😦

God Bless.
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You are wrong my friend!:bigyikes:

The Passionists have a wonderful history in England! Father Dominic - Mother Of God - Barberi, a Passionist priest was sent to England from Italy after the reformation to help boost traditional Catholic teaching, something that might really be of interest to you! He spoke no English and was scoffed at by Protestants and weak Catholics, but he stuck with it, and developed the order that is still active in your country today. He is another of the revered Passionist saints.

I didn’t get a chance to go over the locations they have in England, but a quick google of “passionists England” revealed several retreat houses and monasteries. Please check it out!

Also, St. Paul Of The Cross wanted to start an order that was as conemplative as the Trappists and Carthusians, but as active and public as the Jesuits and Lazarists. So there you go, the best of both worlds!😃

As a member of the Confraternity of the Passionists, I hope you keep exploring this wonderful order. I think they are wonderful and they could be just what you are looking for!

God Bless…🙂
 
jimcav said:
You are wrong my friend!:bigyikes:

The Passionists have a wonderful history in England! Father Dominic - Mother Of God - Barberi, a Passionist priest was sent to England from Italy after the reformation to help boost traditional Catholic teaching, something that might really be of interest to you! He spoke no English and was scoffed at by Protestants and weak Catholics, but he stuck with it, and developed the order that is still active in your country today. He is another of the revered Passionist saints.

I didn’t get a chance to go over the locations they have in England, but a quick google of “passionists England” revealed several retreat houses and monasteries. Please check it out!

Also, St. Paul Of The Cross wanted to start an order that was as conemplative as the Trappists and Carthusians, but as active and public as the Jesuits and Lazarists. So there you go, the best of both worlds!😃

As a member of the Confraternity of the Passionists, I hope you keep exploring this wonderful order. I think they are wonderful and they could be just what you are looking for!

God Bless…🙂
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Clearly I didn’t look hard enough, I’ve just found one in north London… :o
 
jimcav said:
Also, St. Paul Of The Cross wanted to start an order that was as conemplative as the Trappists and Carthusians, but as active and public as the Jesuits and Lazarists. So there you go, the best of both worlds!😃
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That is exactly what I admire most about the order from what I’ve read! I plan to go to a couple of the third order meetings and hopefully they aren’t a token liberal group!

pax
 
I have not been impressed by their televised Masses on the Faith & Values network.
 
IrishDude45 said:
That is exactly what I admire most about the order from what I’ve read! I plan to go to a couple of the third order meetings and hopefully they aren’t a token liberal group!

pax
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I’m glad! It can’t hurt to go to a meeting or two.

However, as far as I know, the Passionists don’t have a true third order for the laity like the Franciscans or the Benedictines, at least here in the USA. They have the Confraternity and a small group of oblates, and some Passionist Associates. But maybe I’m wrong, please let me know…
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Chatter163:
I have not been impressed by their televised Masses on the Faith & Values network.
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I haven’t seen anything from the Passionists on TV, so I couldn’t say much about it. But what do mean by “not impressed”? That seems to be an odd word when talking about Mass…
 
There are a few things that have to be understood about the Passionists. First there are some canonical clarificiations.
  1. The Passionists are not a religious order. They are a congregation in simple vows. That’s the reason that they do not have a Secular Order. Secular Orders are real orders that are part of a larger orders such as Dominicans, Franciscans and Carmelites. The Passionists have a Confraternity. These members follow the spirit of St. Paul of the Cross, but do not have a rule of life as other secular orders do and do not make a solemn perpetual profession as other secular orders do. However, that does not take away from their spirit and their commitment to follow the charism of St. Paul of the cros, which is what the members are looking for.
  2. They are a clerical institute. Canonically, this means that they are an religious community of priests, but they have some religious brothers who do different ministries to support the work of the priests in the institute.
  3. They are are a contemplative community, but not a monastic community. Therefore, they combine a strong contemplative life with an active apostolic life.
Second, their liturgy, habit and discipline.
  1. They follow the universal Church in the celebration of the liturgy. The Ordinary Form is the official form of liturgy for their congregation, as it is for most religious congregations. The Motu Proprio leaves that up to the major superiors of each religious institute to decide for his institute which form of the liturgy their priests can celebrate. At this point there are very few religioius orders, secular orders and religious congregations that are allowed to use the Extraordinary Form as their regular form. This is by decree of the Vatican to the major superiors. Otherwise, the extraordinary form is no longer extraordinary. This does not mean that an individual priest cannot celebrate the extraordinary form if he gets permission from his superior to do so. This applies to the Passionists as well.
  2. Most religious communities have given up the flagellum. This practice, though it was purely symbollic and was never meant to infict damage to the body, had been misused, even by saints. Therefore, it as abrogated by almost every general chapter. But penance has not been done away with. The Passionists have a strong penitential life of fasting, abstinence, prayer and works of mercy.
  3. The black cassock with the shield onver the heart is still the official habit of the congregation. However, the general chapter of the congregation allows for them to wear whatever clothing is appropriate for the ministry and climate, just like most clerical institutes.
  4. To clarify what we mean by a clerical institute, let’s compare the Passionists with the Franciscans. The Franciscans are not a clerical institute. They are not an order of priests. They are an order of religious brothers. A brother may be ordained a priest only if his brothers approve, but he retains his status as a brother and is submissive to the other brothers, even those who are not priests. His ordination does not place him above his brothers nor does it exempt him from community obligations in order to serve the faithful. If a choice has to be made between serving the faithful and participating in community life, the brother (often referred to in Latin as the friar) must always choose his religious community over the faithful. The religious community is his number one ministry. In the case of clerical institutes, they are formed to serve the faithfu and their daily live is organized so that it allows them the time to be in a parish full-time or where ever they may be serving such as a hospital or school, etc.
  5. The Passionists are very faithful to the teachings of the Church. They are a very joyful community of men and they are excellent retreat masters and spiritual directors. I highly recommend their spirituality without reservation.
Like any family, we all have that one relative who is a loose canon.

Hope this helps,

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF 🙂
 
jimcav said:
However, as far as I know, the Passionists don’t have a true third order for the laity like the Franciscans or the Benedictines, at least here in the USA. They have the Confraternity and a small group of oblates, and some Passionist Associates. But maybe I’m wrong, please let me know…
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I did not fully understand what this group was. These meetings are withThe Community of Passionist Partners.

pax
 
I haven’t seen anything from the Passionists on TV, so I couldn’t say much about it. But what do mean by “not impressed”? That seems to be an odd word when talking about Mass…
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Why would it be odd? The OP asked if the Passionists are “traditional.” Their televised Masses, as evidenced by the choice of hymns, settings of Mass music, vestments, extemporaneous comments, etc. were hardly anything that could be called traditional.
 
Chatter163 said:
Why would it be odd? The OP asked if the Passionists are “traditional.” Their televised Masses, as evidenced by the choice of hymns, settings of Mass music, vestments, extemporaneous comments, etc. were hardly anything that could be called traditional.
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Even if they celebrate the Ordinary Form, if they are faithful to the form and faithful to the spirit of St. Paul of the Cross, then they are what they’re supposed to be, a clerical institute that promotes the spirit of the cross and conversion from sin.

Fraternally,

JR 🙂
 
Chatter163 said:
Why would it be odd? The OP asked if the Passionists are “traditional.” Their televised Masses, as evidenced by the choice of hymns, settings of Mass music, vestments, extemporaneous comments, etc. were hardly anything that could be called traditional.
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That kind of surprises me really, because that’s exactly opposite of what I’ve experienced in the Confraternity, where all things tend to be traditional as I’ve said. They seem very faithful to there founders wishes to preach and meditate Christ Crucified. If you check out the website I posted for the Confraternity, I think you’d find them pretty traditional, especially in there devotions and prayers

But as in many orders these days, there might be factions that have modernised themselves.
 
jimcav said:
That kind of surprises me really, because that’s exactly opposite of what I’ve experienced in the Confraternity, where all things tend to be traditional as I’ve said. They seem very faithful to there founders wishes to preach and meditate Christ Crucified. If you check out the website I posted for the Confraternity, I think you’d find them pretty traditional, especially in there devotions and prayers

But as in many orders these days, there might be factions that have modernised themselves.
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I believe that much of this boils down to semantics. If we’re using “traditional” to mean similar to the FSSP, none of the older religious congregations and religious orders are in that league. The Church does not expect that of them.

If you use the word “traditional” as in keeping the traditions of the congregation and their founder, the Passionists have a long tradition to which they are very faithful. They are excellent retreat masters, spiritual directors and very much in touch with the passion of Christ and the embrace of the cross as was St. Paul of the Cross. In other words, they are faithful to the Passionist tradition.

We have to be careful to recall that religious communities have a mandate to be faithful to the charism of their founder. That is the tradition to which they have to be faithful. In the case of the Passionists, they must bring the Gospel to the faithful in the manner of St. Paul of the Cross, not as we believe that they should do so.

They did not promise obedience to us. They promised obedience to God and to St. Paul of the Cross as he speaks through their major superior and their chapter.

Fraternally,

JR 🙂
 
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