by Judi McLeod
august 18, 2004
S.O.S. to Mel Gibson: Father Stephen F. Somerville, the humble priest who presided over your masses during the filming of The Passion of the Christ remains pinkslipped by Toronto’s archbishop.
Suspended by aloysius Cardinal ambrozic on July 15, Fr. Somerville marked his first month in suspension on one of the Catholic Religion’s most important days, the august 15 Feast of the assumption.
august 15 is the principal feast of the Blessed Virgin, the Mother of Christ, the day commemorating the departure of Mary from this life and the assumption of her body and soul into heaven.
as a devout Catholic, Gibson likely began his day in his chapel at Holy Family, the church on his own property in California.
The faithful followers of Fr. Somerville have no idea of how he spent his.
News of the undignified end accorded Fr. Somerville by the august archbishop of Toronto created something of a blog flurry when it was posted last month on SpiritDaily.com, the Free Republic and RemnantNewspaper.com.
all has been quiet since the suspension and there are those who dare ponder the plight of the ardent priest.
Some maintain that it wasn’t spin-off but fleeting fame from the blockbuster Gibson film that did the parish priest in.
It seems that back in the year 2002, Fr. Somerville penned an open letter to the church, in which he renounced his own career with the ponderous International Commission on English Liturgy (I.C.E.L.).
In the letter Fr. Somerville, the traditionalist, wrote of his regrets for having collaborated 10 years in "a work that became a notable harm to the Catholic Faith".
The job he regretted was the official work of translating the new Post-Vatican 11 liturgy into the English language in his capacity as a member of the I.C.E.L. advisory board.
It was roughly the same time period, when he began offering the daily Tridentine Mass for Mel Gibson and his crew, 7:30 each morning in a converted office at Cinema City at the East Side of Rome.
July 15 may have been the day of Fr. Somerville’s bishopric pink slip, but big trouble entered his life last Christmas Eve.
In a modern-day rewrite of Bob Cratchett versus Ebenezer Scrooge, Roman Catholic style, came the beginning of the Father Somerville’s saga.
"It is high time I wrote you in light of my recently acquired knowledge of your extra curricular activities," Toronto archbishop aloysius ambrozic wrote in his Dec. 24 letter. "It has come to my attention that you are celebrating mass for congregations affiliated with the Society of St. Pius X.
"as you well know, this group is not in full communion with Rome and any further ministry exercised by you on their behalf would force me, as your Bishop, to take remedial action."
On penalty of facing the prospect of suspension and/or further canonical action, Fr. Somerville was "ordered" to "terminate" his association with the Society of St. Pius X.
Incredibly, the archbishop signed off his letter, "Wishing you a peaceful and blessed Christmas in Christ."
Fr. Somerville, on the record for "being loyal to Rome, but I’m loyal to the Rome of al time, not just the Rome of right now," was nonplussed.
For the record, "John Paul is the Pope and I respect him, but I disagree with many things that he is teaching," is where he stands on the pontiff.
Of the Christmas Eve threat of the archbishop, Fr. Somerville said in a letter of response: "I am puzzled that such a serious penalty should be invoked for assisting the three hardworking priests of that society (St. Pius X), who must serve nine churches in Ontario and New Brunswick, seven of which are in dioceses other than yours.
"I respectfully request that you drop your threat of suspension."
But aloysius Cardinal ambrozic followed through on rather than dropped his threat, and the rest, as they say, is history.
The archbishop of Toronto sorely needs another letter. Only this time, one that is signed by a Braveheart.
Canada Free Press founding editor Most recent by Judi McLeod is an award-winning journalist with 30 years experience in the print media. Her work has appeared on Newsmax.com, Drudge Report, Foxnews.com, Glenn Beck. Judi can be reached at: judi@canadafreepress.com
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