Msgr. Schmitz Visits DC

On Sunday 18 February 2007, Msgr. Michael Schmitz of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest offered a Missa Cantata at Old St. Mary's in Washington, DC. During his sermon, Msgr. Schmitz spoke of the apparent contradiction between God's law (or justice) and God's love, and how there really isn't an incompatibility between the two. His sermon was excellent, and he received a lot of positive feedback from congregation at the coffee and donuts hour after Mass.


Msgr. Schmitz Distributing Communion in Front of the Sacred Heart Altar

The following evening, the Monsignor spoke at the Washington, DC Bureau of the American TFP. His lecture was on "The Classical Roman Rite and the Renewal of the Liturgy." Another attendee of the lecture gave an excellent summary:



"His talk was very good and was recorded. He took some questions afterward with the recorder shut off. He responded to a question of the abomination of Communion in the hand by laying it at the feet of Pope Paul VI - a moment of weakness (I call it a Pontificate of weakness). He gave a very good talk on the TLM and how it will resurrect the church when it is more widely performed. He likened the church to a frozen giant who has been paralyzed for 40 years. He also characterized the TLM as the beating heart of the church and the Novus Ordo as a weakening of this beating heart. He explained that if the devil was intent on attacking the church that he would do that by introducing the abuses that we have experienced since the Second Vatican Council and weakening the beating heart of the church."

"He spoke for about an hour and he struck me as a very solid traditional priest, very much convinced that the only way to re-sanctify the church was through the widespread use of the TLM, whose graces invigorate Holy Mother Church, and the eventual disappearance of the Novus Ordo."

"For my money, he puts a lot of faith in Benedict XVI to turn this all around, due to his great love for the ancient liturgy, as expressed in his many writings. It was the only part of his talk that was dismaying to me. If he (B-XVI) is that passionate about restoring the Mass, he should hold Bishops and Cardinals accountable for its implementation." (Source)


The St. Peter statue on the table in front of Msgr. Schmitz is actually a second-class relic. It was belonged to a school attended by St. Teresa of the Andes, who likely venerated the statue during her time there.

I consider it a blessing that I was not only present for the Mass, but also the lecture. Msgr. Schmitz is truly a priest according to the order of Melchisedech.