Youth attending mass at SSPX chapels to "keep their parents happy"

[Phyllo]

Keep in mind, faithful Catholics can attend a Mass at a SSPX chapel. Rome has allowed this.

I think the bigger issue, to move beyond the SSPX (I don’t mean to hijack the thread) is how many plain ol run of the mill Catholics have their kids attending diocesan Masses jusy to make their parents happy? The SSPX issue is a speck on the radar compared to the overall crisis in the Church.

I thought it was OK to attend Mass at an SSPX chapel. I agree the church is in great trouble from the top down. We need to pray for the Pope right down to the local priests and seminarians.

 

[Cojuanco]

I believe validity concerns whether the Orders of the priest are valid - was he validly consecrated due to intent, form, etc.

The licitness of the act has to due with whether he has the authority to perform the act - has a Bishop or ordinary granted jurisdiction.

Correct. Validity refers to whether the sacrament actually occured; licity refers to if it is allowed by legitimate superiors in the Church.

 

[Kevin12]

Careful, now. Merely attending an SSPX chapel out of devotion to the Extraordinary Form is not grounds for ‘broken communion’. While its easy to confuse the finer points in the whole SSPX debacle, claiming that attending mass there-even once-is a schismatic act is not only wrong in the eyes of Rome, but spreads misinformation about the Society and leads to hurt feelings on both sides of this tense discussion.

The Holy See stated in 1995, that it is “morally illicit for the faithful to participate in these (the SSPX) Masses unless they are physically or morally impeded from participating in a Mass celebrated by a Catholic priest in good standing” The Pontifical Council reconfirmed this in 2003, nor is this in any way altered by the fact that the SSPX bishops have had their excommunications lifted, since they still have no legitimate ministry in the Church.

Those who have a devotion to the Extraordinary Form have the FSSP and many Diocese offer it.

I look forward to the day when the SSPX will be formally declared in schism so there will no longer be this kind of confusion, if they can not repent. The current situation allows then undue influence on the minds of the faithful. Hopefully when John Paul II is canonized the situation will be decided once and for all.

 

[ProVobis]

Not to be the devil’s advocate (since the position no longer officially exists), but if the youth at SSPX chapels are sometimes losing the faith and only go to Mass to keep their parents happy, does that really differentiate them “regular” Catholic youth?

Indeed. Or all Protestants who follow their parents, for that matter?

After all there is this little principle, that children are not responsible for the sins of their parents, in play here.

 

[JuantheTuba]

I suppose this could be said, and has been said, of many other groups, faiths, socities, cultures etc.

Note: The canonical irregularity only affects the clergy of the FSSPX, there’s no such thing as SSPX Laity, only Catholics who attend the SSPX( And might not be receiving the full benefits of the sacraments).

 

[Ghislieri]

I look forward to the day when the SSPX will be formally declared in schism so there will no longer be this kind of confusion, if they can not repent.

Look forward? I’m not an SSPX attendee (I attend an FSSP parish), but this seems rather uncharitable to be hoping for someone to be dlecared schismatic. And what exactly are they supposed to be repenting of? There is nothing that they reject of the Catholic faith.

The current situation allows then undue influence on the minds of the faithful. Hopefully when John Paul II is canonized the situation will be decided once and for all.

**Let’s wait and see if JPII is canonized before jumping to conclusions. I see what you’re getting at, but I don’t think it will change anything. **