Traditionalist social media has been particularly angry this week over the announcement of a “Catholics in Communion Conference“ sponsored by the Trad Recovery organization to be held this summer at St. John Vianney Catholic Church in Belgrade, Montana (which is not as remote as it may sound — the church is less than a mile from Bozeman International Airport).
The planned speakers at the conference include two Catholics whose work has been featured on WPI before, Michael Lofton and Dom Dalmasso. Other speakers include three former sedevacantists: Sister Mary Eucharista, who came into full communion with Rome along with a group of nuns from her community in 2007; Andrew Bartel, who grew up in a number of traditionalist groups, including the SSPX and “home alone” sedevacantism; and Jeremiah Bannister, a podcaster and speaker with a compelling family story and faith journey from Protestant pastor to traditionalist Catholic to Sedevacantist to Atheist and then into full communion with the Church.
The other listed speaker, Fr. Eric Gilbaugh — a priest of the Diocese of Helena — is pastor of the church where the conference will be held. The conference is being organized by Laura Vander Vos (Misshappycatholic on YouTube), whom I was fortunate to interview a few months ago about her YouTube channel and her work in providing support for people who had negative (and often traumatic) experiences in traditionalist groups. Her group provides an essential role because statistically most people who leave high-demand religions lose their faith entirely. Trad Recovery helps post-trads or ex-trads find a home in the wider Church.
I think by any reasonable metric, each of these speakers would be considered a “Conservative Catholic.” They love Latin, chant, and traditional devotions and liturgy. I would not be surprised if most of these Catholics disagreed with my views on some prudential matters or if they have strong criticisms of Pope Francis’s approach. I’ve even heard a couple of them criticize WPI. These differences, however, pale in comparison to what we have in common: communion with each other, the universal Church, and the Successor of Peter. They also recognize papal primacy and seek to remain faithful to the living Magisterium.
Laura Vander Vos has, almost miraculously, brought together an online and in-person community of people who suffered abuse, trauma, and psychological damage during their time in the traditionalist movement. This group is helping them heal. The mocking, condescending, and hysterical backlash from active traditionalists against their conference has only confirmed the toxicity and the disordered spirituality that caused so much pain and woundedness in the lives of those who have escaped this harmful movement.
Laura has posted a response video to those who have attacked her and Trad Recovery:
The traditionalist label
I’d like to conclude by adding my own thoughts to something Laura speaks about in the video. Six years ago, when we first started Where Peter Is, we tried to be very careful to distinguish “types” of traditionalists. Our view was that there were “good” traditionalists out there, who accepted Vatican II, papal authority, and the legitimacy of the liturgical reforms. This was a group described by Pope Benedict XVI in his effort to justify his liberalization of the use of the 1962 Missal. He wrote, “Many people who clearly accepted the binding character of the Second Vatican Council, and were faithful to the Pope and the Bishops, nonetheless also desired to recover the form of the sacred liturgy that was dear to them.” Unfortunately, in recent years it has become clear that Benedict’s well-meaning gesture was based on an excessively optimistic assessment.
Under Pope Francis, there is no clear line between “good” traditionalists and “radical” traditionalists. Contemporary traditionalists seem to think that “radicalism” is a matter of temperament, not belief. In the final episode of the Mass of the Ages trilogy, it was odd to hear English traditionalist Joseph Shaw make light of the problems in the traditionalist movement (“Yeah, we’ve got the odd person who’s who’s deeply unhappy, but let me show you a few of those in the Novus Ordo!”) while seemingly unaware that his own public views contribute significantly to the real problem. We’ve heard from FSSP priests who shamelessly refuse to concelebrate the Chrism Mass with their bishops. This community platforms unabashed conspiracy theorists who are disconnected from reality. They continue to promote popular writers and parish speakers who have publicly and repeatedly insinuated that praying for Pope Francis to die “is indeed to pray for one’s enemies — either that they may be converted and live, or that they may be cut off in their evildoing and, to that extent, spared an increase of punishment.” This is not to mention the racism and antisemitism that runs rampant and unchecked in their ranks.
For this reason I think that Catholics of good will who accept the authority of the pope, the Second Vatican Council, and value Church unity would be wise to abandon the traditionalist label. We all have different liturgical and musical tastes, and Catholics have a variety of preferred prayers and devotions. Because of the ideological and psychological baggage tied up in “traditionalism,” why not simply say that you’re a Catholic who prefers the old Mass, or a Catholic who loves Latin and Gregorian chant? Let’s allow our unity to take precedence and allow our diversity to flourish.
Mike Lewis is the founding managing editor of Where Peter Is. He and Jeannie Gaffigan co-host Field Hospital, a U.S. Catholic podcast.
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