I note that considering the short amount of time that the S.S.P.X has been operating in Poland (about fifteen years) they have made significant gains: they have two priories (a new one just completed in Gdansk) and another ten chapels. Especially when one considers that the S.S.P.X Poland district does not have much money since Poland is a poor country and the good traditionalist people there cannot do much to support the S.S.P.X and that the Novus Ordo abuses haven't reached the same heights there as elsewhere. Although they still have hideous churches, resurresifixes, altar girls, &c.; they've merely been introduced more slowly. Thus you do not get the shocked outrage of people seeing traditions destroyed before their eyes and they have more time to become accustomed to blasphemies. I know this is the way of my family who over time have come to accept many abuses because the Polish parish is still "better" than all the other local parishes. So I'm sure this helps to keep many families of good will away from tradition because things don't seem "too bad" yet.
That said, During the last S.S.P.X Lourdes Pilgrimage in October 2007, two Polish bishops joined the S.S.P.X Rosary and Procession and Benediction, so there may be a bit of a movement towards tradition (certainly no American or Western European prelate would have been caught dead in the "schismatics'" procession at Lourdes).
(on the far right is Fr. Régis de Cacqueray, S.S.P.X district superior of France; with a tip of the bowler to Amemus Athanasium of Angelqueen.org)
However, not all Polish bishops are so friendly to Tradition. Most of them are true "NeoConCats" who hate tradition with a special hatred and go so far as to organize prayer rallies against traditionalists. According to Fr. Stehlin's letter, the bishop of Gdansk in particular seems to have made it his mission in life to attack the S.S.P.X by all means possible. According to Fr. Stehlin, this bishop's
accusations and calumnies were reproduced for some weeks in the newspapers, radio and major television channels. Evidently the mass media were not friendly towards us, however they made us a publicity, the outcome being that the SSPX was heard about even in the smallest villages in Poland. In spite of the empoisoned commentaries of the journalists, they nevertheless showed beautiful fragments of the Solemn High Masses and other ceremonies. The result: thanks to this campaign our church in Gdansk is full, which means twice more faithful than last year at this time.
He also wrote that the chruch in Warsaw is also growing and they will soon be adding a second Mass on Sundays. On Corpus Christi, twelve children will recieve First Holy Communion in Warsaw. In addition to six priests, they have two brothers and two nuns, and four preseminarians who will attend seminary (probably Zaitzkofen) in the fall.
The gains tradition has made in the face of fierce persecution and virulent attacks in a country where the "John Paul the Great" papolatry is at its strongest are significant in my view. They have also made great inroads with Protestants locally, including a group of Lutheran pators from Latvia, apparently well-known as the most conservative in Europe, who attended an Igantian Spiritual Retreat preached by Fr. Stehlin at the end of April. Apparently they told him they were not interested in "oecumenical activities" but complete traditional teaching of the Catholic Church. Now that is true oecumenism.
The six priests in Poland are definitely hitting above their weight in Poland. I once again solicit from our readers your prayers for their efforts and any donations you can affort which I understand can be sent to your local S.S.P.X H.Q. with a memo "for Poland".
Posted on the Feast of St. John, Apostle and Evangelist, Before the Latin Gate, a.D. MMVIII
