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the report of the crusade of saint benedict center

MAY/JUNE 2015

Sister Maria Philomena, Director of the

Saint Augustine Institute of Wisdom,
Announces SAI Online!

priors column
god is good

hen my religion
class was recently
discussing
goodness, I asked them a
tricky question. How is it that,
in the creation account of
Genesis, God calls His creation,
including man, good seven
times (Cf. Genesis 1:4, 10,
Br. Andr Marie, M.I.C.M.,
12, 18, 21, 25, and 31), yet
Prior
Jesus says in the Gospel None is good but God alone
(Luke 18:19)? A bright freshman named Anne gave the best
answer. God, she explained, is goodness itself and the source
of all good, while a creature is not. Feeling obliged to teach
something more after that excellent reply, I added that God
is absolutely good or simply good while creatures are
relatively so, only inasmuch as they participate in Gods
goodness.
According to Saint Thomas Aquinas, being and good are
the same thing, but they may be logically distinguished.
That is to say that we may distinguish them in our thought
even though they are really the same. Aristotle, whom Saint
Thomas follows here, defined good as that which all
things desire. God is a self-subsisting being; the only Being
from itself; it follows that God is the greatest Good, and is
therefore supremely desirable.
Saint Jean Marie Vianney used to refer to God as the
good God. It seems like very childlike language, but it
says so much. Reflecting on Gods goodness may help us to
simplify many of the complex questions of the day. It may
also help us deal with many of the
confused or unhappy aspects of our
own lives.
Let us then go back to Annes
wise words about God being the
source of the good in which creatures
participate. I may say analogously that
God is good, that Saint Anthony is
good, and that salt is good. In each
of these three statements, something
is the same while something is very
much different. (That is the nature of
analogy.) Inasmuch as every creature
reflects something of the divine
goodness that made it, it is good. This
remains true even after the Fall, as
Saint Paul affirms when he tells Saint
Timothy that every creature of God is
good (1 Tim. 4:4).
But if every creature is good, how comes it that evil, or
sin, exists?

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The short answer is that evil is not a thing, but the

absence of a thing, much as cold is the absence of heat. A
person or a thing is said to be evil only to the degree that it
is missing a perfection it ought to have. Evil is, therefore,
privative i.e., it pertains to a deprivation, a lack, an
absence. This was one of Saint Augustines great thoughts,
and it helped him to extricate himself from the Manichean
heresy, which wickedly postulated a good god and an evil
god that were equal in power.
If the good is that which all desire, it is also something
we pursue, sometimes well, sometimes badly. We seek goods
not only of the body, but of the mind and of the soul. Most
of us, not being saints, stop short of our greatest Good
and satisfy ourselves with secondary goods. Our Lady of
Fatima said that most people go to Hell because of sins of
the flesh. This is a sobering affirmation of the truth that
the bodily good of sex, which is a true good invested with
a noble purpose in Gods providential designs for our race,
becomes sinful when sought for the sake of pleasure alone
in contradiction to Gods Law. But the same may be said of
any kind of good, including spiritual goods. The spiritual sin
of pride, which is a disordered exaltation of self, can be far
worse than lechery. Even the aesthete, whose lifes pursuit is
created beauty, sins gravely when he puts that pursuit above
God, who is both the Absolute Good and Uncreated Beauty.
The evil of sin entails the use of some creature that is in
itself good, but in a way contrary to the purpose God put
in it. No man sins simply because sin is evil; rather, we sin
under the aspect of goodness. (This is not to say that we
actually think that we are morally good when we sin.) The
thief steals because of his attraction
to the real bodily good that his sticky
fingers grasp. The glutton is overly
attached to the good of food and the
drunkard to that of spirits. (Yes, spirits
are good in due measure; Puritanism,
on the other hand, is evil). The lecher
sins by a disordered appetite of the
bodily good of the marital act. Even
purely spiritual sins, like pride, are
directed to something good our
own exaltation but in a way that
is disordered. (On the other hand,
God is willing to grant us the good
of exaltation, but He exalts only the
humble.)
In short, we sin by seeking
something good in itself but contrary
to the command of Goodness Itself.
Consider Eves sin. The Serpent did not present her with
the hideous malice of disobeying God, but with the goodness

the report of the crusade of saint benedict center May/June 2015

of the fruit: And the woman saw that the tree was good
to eat, and fair to the eyes, and delightful to behold: and
she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave to her
husband who did eat (Gen. 3:6). For this reason, Satan
himself transformeth himself into an angel of light. (2 Cor.
11:14).
Our God is a God of order. When a created good is
exalted above its station, it can easily become an idol. So,
of those gluttonous enemies of the cross of Christ Saint
Paul warns the Phillipians about, he says that their God is

Good is that which all desire.

their belly (Phil. 3:19). On the other hand, we are enjoined
to receive Gods material blessings of food and drink with
thanksgiving (I Cor. 10:30; I Tim. 4:3,4).
The remedy is suggested in that same passage to the
Philippians, where the Apostle goes on to say But our
conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the
Saviour, our Lord Jesus Christ (Phil. 3:20). Let us look to
our highest Good, and love only Him absolutely. Then, as
Saint Augustine says, the love of God will set in order all our
other loves.
Our Medieval brethren said that bonum est diffusivum sui
(Goodness is diffusive of itself ). Like heat, which radiates
out from its source to warm things around it, goodness issues
from the good thing to those around it. The saintly person
edifies others. God, in creating us and elevating us by grace
to share in his divine nature, diffuses His goodness into us.
Jesus, who is both Saint and God, continuously breathes
forth goodness from His Cross and from the Altar, if we but
appreciated the radiation of goodness that is the Mass! No
wonder Padre Pio compared it to the sun.
For our part, we must be receptive. Just as a cold object
can be shielded from the warmth of a hearth by remaining
outside, we can insulate ourselves from Gods goodness by
remaining aloof. In approaching near to Him by prayer,
meditation, reception of the sacraments, holy reading, and
good works, etc., we warm ourselves, drawing near to the
Source. All we have to give up are our sins, but, because
we are attached to these, it hurts to see them burnt by that
consuming fire (Heb. 12:29) that is Gods goodness
and love.
We know infallibly that if we hunger and thirst for
justice, we will be filled. The fourth Beatitude is confirmed
by Marys Magnificat: He hath filled the hungry with good
things (Luke 1:53). Saint Louis de Montfort recommends
that we apply this to ourselves by reciting the Magnificat as
part of our thanksgiving after receiving Holy Communion.

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Being a mere dabbler in these things, I feel as though

I am taxing my readers patience with my poor words on
the subject, so I will cite a master of the interior life on the
Good that is God. It is Saint Bruno (+1101) writing from
Calabria to his friend, Raul Le Verd, a priest and the dean
of the Cathedral Chapter of Rheims. The Founder of the
Carthusians is begging Raul to leave the world and take the
monastic habit, fulfilling a vow that he had made together
with Bruno and another friend named Fulk One-Eye:
For what could be more perverted, more reckless and
contrary to nature and right order, than to love the creature
more than the creator, what passes away more than what lasts
forever, or to seek rather the goods of earth than those of
heaven. (Early Carthusian Writings, pg. 19)
For what could be beneficial and right, so fitting and
connatural to human nature as to love the good? Yet what
other good can compare with God? Indeed, what other good
is there besides God? Whence it comes that the soul that
has attained some degree of holiness and has experienced in
some small measure the incomparable loveliness, beauty, and
splendour of this good, is set on fire with love and cries out:
my soul is thirsting for God, the God of my life; when shall
I enter and see the face of God?[Ps. 41:2-3] (Ibid, pg. 26).
Thus spoke the founder of the only Order in the Church
that has never been reformed, because (as is said) it has never
needed reforming.
If we Catholic faithful do not conceive of God as good,
then we will serve Him not out of love, but out of some
other motive, perhaps fear. There is a place in the spiritual
life for salutary fear (and we have written about it elsewhere),
but suffice it to say that fear is no replacement for love. The
Father loves us and wants our love in return. Even when we
express our sorrow for sin in the Act of Contrition, we offer
as the highest motive of our repentance that I have offended
Thee, who art all good and deserving of all my love. If we
truly hunger and thirst after the good that is God, we will
be less anxious in His service; we will not be as offput by the
machinations of our enemies, bad as they may be; we will be
more simple in our outlook, trusting in Gods Providence to
take care of us; and our efforts to convert our neighbor will
bear more fruit. At the same time, if we are rooted and fixed
on our true Good, we will not so easily be led astray by the
goods real or apparent of this world.
Give praise to the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy
endureth for ever (Ps. 117:1).
Email Brother Andr Marie at bam@catholicism.org
Do you receive the Ad Rem? The Ad Rem is a periodic
email sent from SBC featuring great articles from Br. Andr
like this one. To sign up go to: www.catholicism.org

the report of the crusade of saint benedict center May/June 2015

convent corner

wednesdays virtue

y Dear Reader, Some

weeks ago, I was
attending one of
our Saint Augustine Institute
classes on sacred doctrine.
The class was on the cardinal
virtues that evening and Saint
Thomas Aquinas was being
quoted. It was then that I
heard something that I had

word! Yes, every good woman longs in the depths of her

heart to find a man of his word and follow him.
A man of his word is a towering figure. Good men
admire him and bad men fear him. Ladies honor him
and merely ordinary women seek his attention. He is, in
summary, a Man.
And here, I, as a lady, will propose such a man for
our admiration. This man rises fully to the standard of
Sr. Marie Thrse, M.I.C.M.,
a man of his word. His feet stand upon earth while his
Prioress
head is crowned in heaven. He is, indeed, a saint. He is
never heard before.
so trustworthy, that God Himself gave him the greatest
A discussion of honesty came up as part of temperance.
responsibility of any man, ever.
In this discussion, Saint Thomas says that honesty is not
Yes, Dear Reader, I wish to honor Good Saint Joseph.
merely one of the virtues, but is the same as virtue. An
He is not merely a grace vending machine to whom
avalanche of realizations piled upon me in the wake of
all are encouraged to go for favors. He is a model of
this statement.
masculine virtue. I think he is called the forgotten saint
This means that honesty is synonymous with virtue.
or the hidden saint simply because devotion to him is
Therefore, you could call a virtuous man an honest man.
rarely coupled with imitation of his manly virtue. I am
The term that came to my mind at that point was, a man
encouraging a change!
of his word.
Every day of the week has a special devotion assigned to
I havent heard that appellation used too often! I am
it by the Church. Monday is the Holy Angels; Tuesday, the
guessing that it hearkens back to the days before Internet,
Apostles; Thursday, the Holy Eucharist; Friday, the Passion;
when men were men and the distinctions between these
Saturday, Our Lady; and Sunday, the Blessed Trinity.
magnificent beings were in terms of bad, good, and
Wednesday is dedicated to the great Saint Joseph.
excellent. A man of his word: Higher praise than this
On Wednesday, therefore, we honor The Man of His
cannot be given a man.
Word. Resolutions every Wednesday could profitably
Now, according to Dictionary.com, a man of his word
be made in his honor. For example, to be on time to
is a man who keeps promises, who can be trusted. In another
appointments, strictly truthful in what we say, and fulsource I found the description of a man of his word as a
filling promises that we have simply mentioned would be
man who always tells the truth and keeps promises.
an excellent way to honor Saint Joseph. Go ahead!
A man of his word is rare. He seals a verbal contract
Deliberately make some promises and fulfill them each
with a handshake that binds him more surely than any
Wednesday. If you catch yourself in a little dishonesty, be
signed document. He needs no lawyer to hold him to that
courageous and admit it, not only to yourself but to the
contract or remind him of what he promised. A written
person you have deceived. Take a look at a handsome
contract is merely the standard that he
statue of Saint Joseph and notice his
Saint Joseph
surpasses while fulfilling it. He considers
calm recollection, his manly gravity, his
it a dishonor to forget or otherwise not to
gentle strength in holding the Infant. Try
honor a promise. He abhors this dishonor
practicing silence as a way to prepare for
far more than he fears a lawsuit.
correct and honest speech.
With a lady, he gives his word and may
Speaking of silence, it is perhaps the
doff his cap, nod his head or possibly
secret to Saint Josephs glory of being a
put his hand to his heart in reverence.
man of his word. After all, Holy Scripture
[Ah, as the knights of old, or even as boy
only records one single word that he ever
scouts of the past!] There is no need to
said. That word is none other than the
nag him since his word holds him to a
Name of the Word of God, Whose foster
standard that is higher than any written
father, the great Saint Joseph was worthy
contract or solemn promise. And, a real
to be. Blessed be the Holy Name of Jesus,
lady knows that. A lady will never nag
the Word of God! Blessed be the great
because that would be an insult to a man
Saint Joseph, the Man of His Word!
of his word and is ineffective with a man
Email Sister Marie Thrse, at
of lesser quality. Ah! I think there would
convent@catholicism.org
be no feminism if men were men of their

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the report of the crusade of saint benedict center May/June 2015

book review by Robert Boehm

A Catholic Witness in Our Time:

A Festschrift for Dr. Robert D. Hickson:
Essays and Remembrances in His Honor

he Festschrift is a German tradition in which a

university professor is honored at a symposium by
friends, colleagues, and students who contribute
essays complementary to the educational and literary
work of the preceptor. Dr. Maike Hickson arranged such a
celebratory convocation as a surprise birthday party for her
husband, Robert. It was a tribute of gratitude to a prolific
Catholic writer, educator, patriot, and cultural warrior.
Over thirty renowned writers, from both Europe and the
USA, participated. Though not all contributors were present
at the actual celebration, the book meets well the intention
of Maike Hickson, who collected and edited, in part, the
essays, fond remembrances and warmhearted greetings of

Anyone who knows Robert knows there

are two themes which are invariably on
his lips: truth and grace.
the scholarly participants. Her intention was to have these
renowned speakers and writers offer their reflections on a
subject of their own choice, perhaps one they had discussed
with the honoree, which would accentuate his driving
passion: the Defense of the Faith, the Church, and Catholic
culture. Like the man they were to honor, the contributors,
too, would describe the sufferings and joy that accompany
bearing witness to the truth.
For those who have attended the Saint Benedict Center
conferences over the last two decades, the following words
from the invitation to the Festschrift remind us of the
many talks given by Robert Hickson, along with his longer,
generously available, and well-prepared written text on the
subjects of his discourses.
As most of you know, Robert is an ardent admirer
of Hilaire Belloc. Belloc and his friends, especially G.K.
Chesterton, have covered and discussed all major threats to
the Catholic Faith and Culture (in philosophy, economics,
feminism, politics, society in general, etc.) and joyfully and
in a manly and magnanimous way bore thereby a Catholic
witness. The discussion we could raise with this conference
should be an updated Belloc-Chesterton voice. It should
be a summary of the Catholic response and resistance to
the disorders of our time, without thereby forgetting the
joy that comes from the truth and the love and mercy of
Christ. The conference might also renew a discussion about
the strategic response and resistance of Catholics in the
world today. Where to act, how to act, when to respond?
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Most of all, it should encourage us all to be witnesses, unto

martyrdom, and most certainly at the cost of mere earthly
goods and honors. (pg. xiii)
Arranged in three sections, the first in the collection
describes The Man. A short description of Robert Hicksons
training and career can be found at catholicism.org/
author/drroberthickson. His vast experience in the military,
humanities, intelligence, world affairs, and travels abroad
has provided him a profound knowledge to share with
those interested in fighting for the One who said: If the
world hates you, know ye, that it hated Me before you
(John 15:18).
The first essay by Dr. John M. Haas, President of The
National Catholic Bioethics Center, appropriately describes
his and Roberts admiration and appreciation of their
mutual mentor, the 20th century German philosopher,
Josef Pieper. Pieper was no obscurantist, though perhaps
brilliant, philosopher laboring in the disordered traditions
of German Protestant piety, such as Kant or Hegel,
but rather a clear, lucid mind offering up lapidary but

Dr. Robert D. Hickson

profoundly deep philosophical treatises in the true western

tradition of the perennial philosophy of Aristotle and
Thomas Aquinas. Piepers thought was antithetical to much
tortured contemporary philosophy Reading Pieper is like
breathing pure oxygen after having escaped a polluted and

the report of the crusade of saint benedict center May/June 2015

continued on next page

Dr. Robert D. Hickson speaking at the annual

Saint Benedict Center Conference

congested city. (pg. 4).

According to Dr. Haas, By all reports, Robert was an
absolutely gripping lecturer with his sound orthodoxy, his
thorough knowledge of Catholic literature, and his ability
to arouse a romanticism ordered to salvation. (pg. 5)
Anyone who knows Robert knows there are two themes
which are invariably on his lips: truth and grace, the truth
of the natural and supernatural orders and the unmerited
gift of divine life. Robert almost despaired of the denial
of the truth of the natural order found in contemporary
society. He despised the undermining of morality, the
sullying of innocence and the disordering and hence
destruction of culture carried out by those who would twist
the words of truth, indeed who would rebel against the
Word, with lies. He saw it happening in the Church and in
his beloved country, for which he had fought, placing his
very life in mortal danger. He would recall Solzhenitsyns
exhortation not to participate in the lie(pg.6).
Author Gary Potters The Catholic Thing and Lost
Causes, describes well the toxic climate resulting from the
diabolical disorientation within the Church as attested to
by Sister Lucia of Fatima, in which the battle of our time
appearing to most, sadly enough, as a lost cause is being
fought vigorously by the contributors to this anthology,
and especially by the man they gathered to honor. As a
leader among the Milites Christi, Robert Hickson refuses to
surrender to battle fatigue. Potter ends his excellent piece
with this laconic affirmation: That is, like Chestertons

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man of valor longing for life but willing to die, those

annealed to the Catholic Thing and the Faith at its heart
will find meaning as well as hope by spending themselves in
their cause (pg. 56).
In All That is Gold Does Not Glitter, Doug Bersaw
(the publisher of this book) gives a commendable and
accurate estimation of Robert Hicksons contributions to
the Crusade of Saint Benedict Center. How Robert accepted
Brother Francis instructions with enthusiastic docility
and how he admired Brothers mentor in the Faith, Father
Feeney, is beautifully rendered through Dougs typically
well-chosen words. He ends his delivery with a prayerful
summation: I am grateful to Robert for many things, not
the least of which being that I feel that he is one man of
whom I can truly say that we both know the full meaning
of the words together we have fought the long defeat and
that one day, by the grace of God, together we will hear
these words Come ye blessed of my Father, possess you
the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the
world. And that upon hearing them we shall realize that we
have ended that long defeat with a glorious victory. (pg. 79)
A Modest Problem by Deacon Eugene McGuirk starts
off Section Two of the Festscriften: On The Church. This
offering highlights the current methods (so often described
in the works of Dr. Hickson) used by the adepts of Satan
in their efforts to undermine the Church by corrupting
Christian society. The corrosive machinations of determined
enemies of the order of grace and virtue, such as Antonio
Gramsci and his disciples, Freemasonry, and Communism
are briefly but well-treated by this father of four and
academician. More importantly, McGuirk stresses what is
always missing in todays prescriptions by the worldly wise
among members of the Church namely, that the only
remedy to our precarious malaise is the peace plan brought
to Fatima from Heaven by the Blessed Virgin Mary. She is
our last hope.
Complementing the theme that was elucidated by Dr.
Haas, Brother Andre Mari, M.I.C.M. capably builds
on the importance of philosophy in Catholic education.
In Savoring Reality Brother introduces the childlike
Catholic mind of his own mentor, Brother Francis. Robert
frequently speaks of the little ones, whose angels ever see
the Face of the Eternal Father. To scandalize them, Brother
said, is to earn a punishment worse than being cast into
the sea with ones neck secured to a millstone an object
whose frightful dimensions Robert has pondered in my
presence. A passage from the Gospels that has become
for me particularly Hicksonian is the account of the
Roman Centurion that all the Synoptics relate. Besides his
Faith, what is particularly moving is this noble warriors
solicitude for his puer. My offering for the Festschrift is
about a man whose mind, though brilliant, was the mind of

the report of the crusade of saint benedict center May/June 2015

a puer, for he was truly childlike in the evangelical sense.

Robert, too, knew and loved this man, Brother Francis. The
wholesome certitudes of the child, which Brother sought
to protect, are necessary for a Catholic witness in our day
(pg. 105). If the reader has yet to undertake instruction in
perennial philosophy, this essay provides the reasons for that

For a convert or for any Catholic

who has been denied a good
traditional Catholic education, this
book is a treasure.
disciplines necessity, if one is more effectively to engage
himself wisely in the battle of winning souls for Christ. But
sanctify the Lord Christ in your hearts, being ready always
to satisfy every one that asketh you a reason of that hope
which is in you (1 Peter 3:15).
In the third and last section of the collection, The World,
the speakers and writers dealt with the present situation of
the Church in the modern world. Many different topics of
concern were treated here by a variety of experts in fields

ranging from strategic patience to ongoing unjust wars to

the ACLU to Obamacare in corporate America. The weaker
the Church, the stronger her enemies and the worse are
the worlds miseries. I need not add vice versa. Dr. Maike
Hickson astutely shows the results of the adepts of the ageold Gnosticism relentlessly seeking, in our time of globalist
empirization, to exercise power WITHOUT grace! It
will be part of later historical research to determine the scale
of how much occultist-gnostic movements and ideashave
been able to shape modern thought, customs, and way of
life.(pg. 477)
For a convert or for any Catholic who has been denied a
good traditional Catholic education, this book is a treasure
replete with the unpretentious wisdom of so many brilliant
Catholic apologists. The list of thirty-six contributors is
as impressive as the table of contents. One would do well
to familiarize oneself with these current heirs of yesterdays
greater defenders of the Faith. To mention a few other
contributors, all friends of Dr. Robert Hickson: Arnaud de
Lassus, Anthony Fraser, Prof. Friedrich Romig, Dr. Tom
Fleming, John Vennari, and E. Michael Jones, PhD.

a catholic witnessA Festschrift

in our
time
in Honor of Dr. Robert Hickson

he late 20th and early 21st centuries have been an era of great
trial for faithful Catholics. Decay, collapse, self-inflicted autodemolition and liturgical suicide (to use the words of two 20th century
popes), seeming defeat, and (dare we say it) nascent resurrection have
characterised our years. This collection of articles is as good a sampling of
thought from some of the best Catholic minds and warriors of this period
of the Church's history, as may be found anywhere. It will stand for many
years as a testament to what we have witnessed, how we have witnessed,
and why we have witnessed in our days of exile.
Featuring these astute writers and speakers:
E. Michael Jones, Gary Potter, Charles A. Coulombe,
Brother Andr Marie, M.I.C.M., John Vennari, Maike Hickson,
Douglas Bersaw, Anthony Fraser, Fr. Bernward Wilhelm Deneke, FSSP.,
Fr. Stefan Frey, FSSPX., Fr. Robert Nortz, John F. McManus
To get your copy, contact our bookstore to order:
(603)239-6485
store.catholicism.org

$29.00 On Sale
$25.00+$4.50 s/h
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kelly forum
the numbers game

eminiscing over the

days when I would
spend hours at the
Brothers house in Still River,
Massachusetts, leisurely
listening to Brother Hugh and
Brother Francis converse about
the Faith and asking them
questions, I thought of the
Mr. Brian Kelly
countless times we played the
numbers game. Brother Francis loved to make all studies as
light and enjoyable as possible. Someone would throw out
a number and the players would have to give an example
of that numbers use; but it had to be something to do with
the Faith: i.e., scripture, tradition, or perennial philosophy.
This was so childlike. It was all in the spirit of Father Feeney
who used every means he could, including humor, to make
Catholic studies exciting and fun.
Take the number 153. That would appear to be a
challenge, until we think about the Rosary. The complete
Rosary has 153 Hail Marys. Theres another 153. Its found
in holy scripture. When the Risen Jesus appeared to His
Apostles on the shore of the Sea of Galilee after they had
fished all night and caught nothing, He called out to them
and told them to cast their net again to the right side of the
boat and they would find fish. Realizing that it was the Lord,
they did so, and their net filled instantly with great fishes,
more than the net was made to carry. Saint John even gives
us the number of fish caught: 153. (John 21:11).
Why do you think the Holy Ghost inspired him to
record the number? Several fathers, (I have read Saints
Augustine, Jerome, and Cyril in Cornelius a Lapides
Commentary on this), offered their thoughts as to why that
specific number, but none of these explanations was very
satisfying. Fundamentally, each of these doctors see the fish
as representing all the elect gathered in the unbroken net of
Peters barque.
I like to think that the great fishes (as Saint John has it
in this passage), compared with the good and the bad fish
of Our Lords parable in Saint Matthew 13:47-48, are the
children of Mary who are especially and truly devoted to her
Rosary. The beads and thread of the Rosary are the rope and
the knots that capture each of the fish of the 153 Hail Marys.
Lets take an easier number: three. We used to begin
our number game with the Blessed Trinity and go through
the Bible, which abounds in holy threes. Some of the more
prominent are:
1. Noe had three sons: Sem, Cham, and Japheth.
2. Isaias heard the seraphim cry out three times in praise
of the Trinity: Holy, Holy Holy, Lord God of hosts.
3. The Temple had three main parts: the outer court
where the people made their offerings (this included the

10

mancipia

court of the gentiles, the womens court, and the mens

court), the holy place where the priests offered the ritual
sacrifices, and the holy of holies which housed the ark of
the covenant. The holy place contained the altar of sacrifice
adjacent to the priests court and three liturgical items:
the seven branch candlestick, the altar of showbreads, and
the altar of incense. The ark of the covenant inside the
holy of holies contained three of the most sacred relics of
the Jews: the rod of Aaron, the tablets of the Law, and the
preserved manna that fed the Israelites in the desert. Each
of these items in the tabernacle represented Christ as
Priest, as Lawgiver, and Teacher, and as the Food of the Holy
Eucharist. There were two veils in the temple, one separating
the outer court from the holy place, and the larger veil
separating the holy of holies from the holy place. This was
the veil, sixty feet high, thirty feet wide, and six inches thick,
that was rent in two from top to bottom at the death of the
Savior.
4. The Wise Men (tradition has them as three) brought
three gifts for the King of the Jews.
5. The Holy Family was a trinity: Jesus, Mary, and Joseph
6. Jesus was three days lost to Mary and Joseph in the
temple.
7. The devil presented three temptations to Christ in the
desert.
8. Jesus returned three times in His agony to find His
three Apostles, Peter, James, and John, sleeping.

Brother Francis loved to make all

studies as light and enjoyable
as possible.
9. This was the third time these three Apostles were
singled out for a special witness. The other two were the
Transfiguration and the raising of the daughter of Jairus to
life.
10. Peter denied Our Lord three times, and after His
resurrection, Jesus would ask him three times by way of
reparation for his three denials: Simon do you love me?
and three times did He say to him feed my sheep.
11. This is one that I just read about: Jesus wept three
times in His public life: 1) at the death of Lazarus, 2) when
He wept over Jerusalem, and 3) in His agony in the garden.
12. Our Lord hung on the Cross for three hours.
13. There are three theological virtues: Faith, Hope, and
Charity.
14. There are three ages of dietary change for man: 1)
only fruit in the Garden of Eden; 2) fruit, honey from the
bees, and bread and vegetables from tilling the soil after the

the report of the crusade of saint benedict center May/June 2015

Fall and the expulsion from paradise; and 3) fruit, honey,

normally, to grow, assimilate food, and reproduce their kind.
vegetables, and meat and milk after the Flood.
Therein lies another trinity: the three kinds of souls: rational
The list could go on and on.
(spiritual, ergo immortal), sensitive (animal, and material),
All of our other created threes will be related to, or reflect, and vegetative (non-sensitive, material).
their Source, the Three Persons in One God. Shall we try to
Lets proceed further downscale to considered creation
present the major triplets that we can find in a hierarchical
under the aspect of matter alone. In what way does matter
fashion? Thats a good way to
showcase the footprint of the
proceed, but in playing the game we
Trinitarian Creator? Well, every
2015 Saint Benedict Center material thing has three dimensions:
were not always overly critical about
conference
that. If we begin with the intelligent
length, breadth, and thickness.
creation, angels and men, we find
Matter cannot be anything but
Total Consecration to Mary:
many threenesses, two of which both
three-dimensional.
The Remedy for our Ills.
angels and men share in that we are
What is the most common
both made in the image of God.
material substance on this earth?
October 16 and 17, 2015
I deliberately did not say likeness
Water, right? How does water
because, as Saint Bonaventure
manifest a threeness? It can exist
Featuring: Robert Hickson,
points out, the likeness to God is
in three states: liquid, solid, or
Gary Potter, Charles Coulombe,
the work of sanctifying grace, which
vaporous. So can many other
C.J. Doyle, Brother Andr Marie.
is a participation in the divine life;
elements exist in any of these three
More speakers to be announced.
imageness, on the other hand,
states under the variant conditions
comes from the non-supernatural,
of temperature and pressure. Then,
Call (603) 239-6485 to reserve your seat.
intellectual nature, which gives men
there is fire. Actually, considering
the spiritual powers of cognition
the extreme temperatures of the
and volition.
inner and outer core of the earth,
Angels have two immanent vital activities: they know
there is more fire on, or in, the earth, than water. The sun
and they love. By immanent we understand an action that
and stars are on fire. When something is on fire we have
begins and ends in the agent, i.e., the doer of the action. So,
three things: flame, heat, and light.
knowing and loving is a two; wheres the three? Well, what
Lets proceed even further down the scale, to things that
is involved in the intellectual act? You have to have a knower, merely in-exist with material things, but have no existence
something or someone known, and the act itself of knowing.
on their own. I speak of accidents. Two of the nine accidents
In the act of volition, or willing, or desire, you have to have
identified by Aristotle have an intriguing relation to the
a lover or one desiring a good, someone loved or some good
Trinity: time and space. Take time. Not being a substance,
desired, and the act itself of loving and desiring a good. Do
time has no essence of its own, for it is merely a relation
you see how this reflects the immanent life of the Trinitarian
between mutable material things, a measure of things
God? As Father Feeney explained in The Trinity Explained
that change in terms of before and after. Nevertheless, it
to Thomas Butler, in God, there is the Knower (the Father),
is divided into three measures: past, present, and future.
the Known (the Son, the Word or Wisdom of God), and the
The Infinite and immutable God has no past nor future
Knowing (the Holy Ghost). The same with Gods inner act
in His Trinitarian Life, for He is the Eternal Now. Men
of Love: We must have a Lover, the Beloved, and the Loving. can measure their yesterdays and tomorrows, but they
Man shares this activity in the intellectual and volitional
cannot grasp the now, even though that is the duration
life of his soul. There is the person of the knower, something
in which they live and act. Amazing, isnt it? Time is one of
or someone known, and the act itself of knowing. There is the the things that so captivated the mind of Saint Augustine
person of the lover, the person loved, and the act of loving.
that he devotes part of his Confessions to considering its
Lets move down the ladder to the non-rational material
ungraspable mystery.
creation. Here we do not speak of images of God, but
Space is a more difficult concept to consider. It brings us
rather of vestiges footprints as compared to actual
back to the three dimensions of extended material objects. In
images. Now this is where it is hard to keep the hierarchy.
order for a thing to have length, breadth, and width, it has
Not only man, but all material things that have life are
to be located in a place. Space, in its philosophical sense, is
marked by a vestige of God in that their inner vital activity,
the place in which the quantity, or how muchness of a thing,
which is ordered by their souls (yes, plants and animals
is extended. If material objects were not extended into space
have material souls, not spiritual), is identified by three
Kelly Forum continued on page 15
material powers. All material things that live have the power,
mancipia

the report of the crusade of saint benedict center May/June 2015

11

prefect s column

where is the queen of heaven today?

dare say she is still in

the Scapular is itchy, I was told, so I put it in my wallet.
Heaven, waiting. And for
I suppose the wallet might be saved, but wonder at the
what does she wait? For
tiny cross of discomfort that was rejected. Please note, the
us. For our daily Rosaries,
Scapular can be worn outside the clothes.
for our wearing of the Brown
Let us examine how much time it would take to fulfill
Scapular, for our offerings of
the most loving of Mothers requests. Offering up our daily
sacrifices as we do our daily
Brother John Marie Vianney,
duty as she requested.
M.I.C.M., Tert., Prefect
Every time she visited
If people do what I tell you,
the three little shepherds
many souls will be saved and
at Fatima, Portugal, in 1917, she asked us, through these
there will be peace.
children, to pray the Rosary. In her last apparition there on
October 13, of which we will observe the 100th anniversary
in 2017, Our Lady asked her children to wear the Scapular
of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. And she said, The
sacrifices can be an act of the will that we mentally recite
Scapular and the Rosary are inseparable. During that final
each morning on rising. We may use the simple Sacrifice
appearance, she silently held out the Scapular. Lucia said the
Prayer taught at Fatima, Oh My Jesus, for the love of Thee,
Blessed Mother wants everyone to wear it. Our Queen also
for the conversion of sinners and in reparation for sins
offered, If people do what I tell you, many souls will be
committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Give
saved and there will be peace.
yourself less than one minute for this. The beads, i.e., five
Even the most materialistic man on earth recognizes
decades of the Rosary, takes about fifteen minutes. A lot less
the sheer lack of peace throughout the world, the loss
than one moment of one day to place the Scapular around
of life everywhere, wars and threats of wars. And yet the
your neck. You need not ever remove it, thus precious time is
solution was, is, and will be the consecration of Russia to
not wasted. So, for want of about sixteen minutes, we cannot
the Immaculate Heart of Mary. We know this because the
obey the requests of Heaven? Are we not a sad lot? Are we
Mother of God told us so.
not as weak as water? Do we need the sun coming down from
We can immediately effect our part in
the sky, as it did in Fatima, to wake us up?
Our Lady of Fatima
this great request of our loving Mother. It
How many of you who are reading
is our duty to do three things: (1) to offer
this take the time to say the daily Rosary?
up every day the sacrifices demanded by
Please add it to your busy schedules as a
our daily duty; (2) to say part of the Rosary
high priority. I assure you that it will not
(five decades) daily while meditating on the
go unnoticed in Heaven and, of course, at
mysteries; (3) to wear the Scapular of Mount
your Judgment. If you have not, or are not
Carmel as a profession of this promise
sure if you ever were, inducted into the
and as an act of consecration to our Dear
Scapular of Mount Carmel, do so now. This
Mother Mary.
week. If you cannot memorize the Sacrifice
Is that really so difficult for us? Can we
Prayer above, put it on an index card and
answer Our Lord that doing those things
keep it with you to say when small or grave
place an unfair burden on us? Let us recall
problems arise. Remember, the Queen of
that our duty in life is to try to save the
Heaven awaits you.
souls of those closest to us: our spouses,
If enough of us do the three things
parents, children, grandchildren, other
above, asked by Our Lady of Fatima, and
relatives, friends, even those whom we meet
keep this promise to her, then the pope
in only a chance encounter. Such encounters
will do the consecration, Russia will be
are often provided by God since the friends,
converted, and there will be real peace.
relatives, et al, of those souls have not done
I was told that some of our Third Order
their job. They have not told them about the
members cut out the following prayers from
One True Faith, never mentioned Fatima,
a previous Prefect Column to answer Our
never encouraged them to say a Rosary.
Ladys call. I give them to you again, with
The excuses my own relatives have
the hope that this practical exercise will
given me for not wearing the Scapular are
bring you peace, as our Mother promised.
so curious I am puzzled at the reasoning:

12

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the report of the crusade of saint benedict center May/June 2015

The Seven Fatima Prayers

Prayers from the Angel of Peace:
The Pardon Prayer
My God, I believe, I adore, I hope, and I love Thee. I
ask pardon for all those who do not believe in Thee, do not
adore Thee, do not hope in Thee, and do not love Thee.
(Given during the angels third appearance in 1916).
The Angels Prayer
Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, I adore
Thee profoundly, and I offer Thee the Most Precious Body,
Blood, Soul, and Divinity of the same Son Jesus Christ,
present in the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for
all the sacrileges, outrages, and indifferences by which He
himself is offended. And by the infinite merits of His Most
Sacred Heart, and through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I
beg of Thee the conversion of poor sinners. (Given during
the angels third appearance in 1916).

The Decade Prayer

O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of
Hell, lead all souls to Heaven, especially those most in need
of Thy mercy. (Given July 13, 1917).
The Sacrifice Prayer
O my Jesus, it is for love of Thee, for the conversion
of sinners and in reparation for sins committed against the
Immaculate Heart of Mary. (Given June 13, 1917).
Prayers from Our Lord:
The Conversion and Salvation Prayers
Sweet Heart of Mary, be the salvation of Russia, Spain,
Portugal, Europe, and the whole world.
By Thy pure and Immaculate Conception, O Mary,
obtain for me the conversion of Russia, Spain, Portugal,
Europe, and the whole world. (These two prayers were given
during an apparition at Rianjo, Spain, in August of 1931)
Email Brother John Marie Vianney, at
BrotherJohnMarieVianney@gmail.com

Prayers from Our Lady:

The Eucharistic Prayer
O Most Holy Trinity, I adore Thee; my God, my God, I
love Thee in the Most Blessed Sacrament. (Given May 13,
1917).

Are You Called to Be a

Teaching Brother?

o you have a vocation to teach? Do

you have a vocation to be a religious
Brother? Not sure, but wish to discern?
Then consider becoming an intern working
in our school while exploring the life of a
Brother in the Slaves of the Immaculate
Heart of Mary.
Delayed vocations (men in their 30s or
40s), who are degreed and have teaching
experience, are also welcome to look into
our religious life.
Contact: Br. Andr Marie at
(603)239-6485 or
bam@Catholicism.org

mancipia

the report of the crusade of saint benedict center May/June 2015

13

guest column

why philosophy?
Part II: Brother Francis
Unique Ordering of the
Courses

n my last Mancipia article

I presented reasons why
members and friends of the
Saint Benedict Center should
Brother Lawrence Mary,
study philosophy. In this piece,
M.I.C.M., Tert.
I will discuss why we should
study philosophy under the guidance of Brother Francis
rather than another teacher or try to learn philosophy by
reading books.
Brother Francis presents the eight courses in an order
that is unique. From the time he was a young philosophy
student, he noticed that the popular arrangement of the
courses failed to help the students really understand and
accept the concepts. Universally, the study of philosophy
began with General Metaphysics, starting with Minor Logic
and Epistemology, followed immediately by Ontology. Only
after these did courses turn to the world around us with the
study of Cosmology, Psychology and Ethics. Often there
was a course in the History of Philosophy included in the
curriculum.
Brother observed that, by starting with the study of
the most abstract courses, Minor Logic, Epistemology and
Ontology, the students failed to connect the ideas to the real
world. As a result, they didnt fully understand and assimilate
the concepts and were easily swayed when presented with
false philosophies or sophistries. Many students lost their
Catholic Faith because they never understood the perennial
philosophy that supported it.
Brother Francis approach is the reverse. He, also, begins
with Minor Logic so that the student has some concepts
to work with, but immediately he moves from there to
Cosmology the study of the real world around us. Brother
wants to give students the confidence that the abstract ideas
they are learning are grounded in reality and are not just
ethereal notions that have no further importance.
After Cosmology, the students take the course in
Psychology the study of living beings with an emphasis
on man and his qualities, including those he shares with
the animals. Because it discusses human faculties or powers,
it is also one of the most interesting. Every student finds
something to which he can personally relate.
Brother follows this with Ethics, answering the moral
questions that are so important in our modern world.
Towards the end of this course, Brother explains to the
students that they now have a platform, a set of standards,
with which they can evaluate the ideas presented by other
philosophers, both good and bad. As Brother says, students
should have the ability to read a work written by anyone

14

mancipia

and, like bees gathering nectar from a thistle, discern correct

thinking from what is incorrect.
The next two courses discuss the History of Philosophy.
The first is the History of Philosophy from the Greeks to
Saint Thomas Aquinas. The Greeks are presented as the
pioneers of philosophy and, as such, they espoused many
false ideas together with true ones. On the other hand,

Brother Francis Teaching

the golden chain of philosophers Socrates, Plato and

Aristotle, provide the basis of what is called Philosophia
Perennis, also referred to as the True Philosophy. Brother
details the development of those ideas and their fruition in
the writings of Saint Thomas Aquinas. After having mastered
about one-hundred key concepts serious students have a
much greater appreciation for the Common Doctor than
would otherwise have been possible.
The History of Modern Philosophy follows immediately.
Learning history in Brother Francis plan of instruction is
quite exciting because the students discover they now have

By starting with the study of the

most abstract courses, students fail to
connect the ideas to the real world.
the tools to accurately evaluate the ideas espoused by these
modern philosophers. As Brother explains, the course is
polemical, meaning that students will not blithely accept
the ideas but will use their training to tear erroneous modern
notions to shreds. Students confidence grows as they
successfully take on these sophists whose false principles have
caused so much havoc in todays world.
Next, Brother presents the first of the two courses
in General Metaphysics Epistemology, also known
as Major Logic. As stated above, by now students are
convinced that the ideas they have learned are not merely

the report of the crusade of saint benedict center May/June 2015

Kelly Forum continued from page 11

useless abstractions, but are a solid basis for the study of

the great mystery of knowledge itself, what Brother calls
the fact of knowledge.
The final course is Ontology the study of being.
In this, the highest of the eight courses in philosophy,
students happily discover that they are already familiar with
nearly all of the concepts. Little-by-little, Brother has been
working the higher, but more extensive concepts, into all
of the preceding courses. When the students have reached
this point, they can look back and understand why Brother
arranged the courses in this manner. They have a firm grasp
of the ideas, understand their importance, and can readily
see through and confidently refute all modern sophisms.
Such is the progressive layout of the philosophy
courses as taught by Brother Francis. Future articles will
demonstrate our teachers signature skill in making the
complex and profound understandable. They will also
underscore his emphasis on philosophy as a basis for
meditation and contemplation, as well as his peculiar
grace to orderly transition between natural philosophy and
Divine Revelation.

they would be imperceptible to the organs of sense. In

the Blessed Eucharist Our Lords real Body is physically
present, but it is not extended into space. The quantity of
the bread and wine, which are extended into space, remain
the same after consecration, but the substance of bread
and wine in which the quantity (and other accidents, like
the qualities of color and taste) in-exists, has been changed
(transubstantiated) into the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity
of the glorified Person of Jesus Christ. We perceive by our
material senses the extension and quality of the accidents of
bread and wine, but we cannot perceive the Substance of the
Body of Christ, which exists without its proper accidents.
Actually, take any number from one to twelve, and, if
you know your Faith, you could give a course on scripture
and holy erudition on any one of these.
For a fascinating little book about the number three,
go to our bookstore at store.catholicism.org and purchase
Those Intriguing Threes, by E.J. Kalinowski.
Email Brian Kelly at bdk@catholicism.org

philosophia perennis
I

In these eight introductory courses covering each of the traditional branches of perennial
philosophy, Brother Francis combines both natural and supernatural wisdom. Just as St. Thomas
Aquinas in his Summa Theologica makes abundant use of the inspired word of God in building
his edifice of natural wisdom, so, too, does Brother Francis, as he takes his students through each
course in the spirit of the Angelic Doctor.
To order the 8 talk Introductory Course to Philosophy, call our bookstore or order online:
(603)239-6485
store.catholicism.org
Introductory Course to Philosophy

Introductory Course to Philosophy

Introductory Course to Philosophy

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15

our crusade:
The propagation and defense of Catholic dogma especially Extra Ecclesiam nulla salus
and the conversion of America to the one, true Church.

Slaves of the Immaculate

Heart of Mary

prayers for the holy father

V. Let us pray for our pontiff, Pope Francis.
R. The Lord preserve him, and give him life, and make him to be blessed upon the earth,
and deliver him not up to the will of his enemies (Roman Breviary).
Our Father. Hail Mary.
V. Let us pray.
R. Almighty and everlasting God, have mercy upon Thy servant, Francis, our Supreme
Pontiff, and direct him, according to Thy loving kindness, in the way of eternal salvation;
that, of thy gift, he may ever desire that which is pleasing unto Thee and may accomplish it
with all his might. Through Christ our Lord. Amen (Roman Ritual).

extra ecclesiam nulla salus

Ex Cathedra: We declare, say, define, and pronounce that it is absolutely necessary for
the salvation of every human creature to be subject to the Roman Pontiff. (Pope Boniface
VIII, the Bull Unam Sanctam, 1302).
Notes:
Our next conference will be held on October 16&17. Mark your calendar!
Now in our bookstore: Father Mullers book Public School Education,
also Br. Andr Maries Commentary on Saint Pauls Epistle to the Romans.
Both available at store.catholicism.org

Did you know that Immaculate Heart of

Mary School offers a free E-Newsletter?
We offer important insights on Education as
well as students work and a puzzle from our
own Sister Mary Joseph. Sign up now and
become a member of our winning team!
Go to ihmsnh.org.

Saint Benedict Center

Post Office Box 627
Richmond, NH 03470
info@catholicism.org
(603) 239-6485
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catholicism.org/donations
For more information, visit:
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