Editing the editor

(I was going to relegate this to the comment box, but it got lengthy enough to merit its own entry. I'm going to close comments here, but anyone who wants to respond to it may do so in the comment thread found in the original post. It's really part of that thread, anyway.)

This serves to correct some inaccuracies that were found in the article mentioned in the previous post, and provide a fuller contextual background to the comments employed by same article.

Although Remnant* editor Mr. Michael J. Matt cites this weblog as a source for his article, all weblog comments attributed to this weblog originate at Open Book, the weblog of Catholic author Amy Welborn.

Here is the Remnant passage in question:

Juventutem’s blog sheds some light on these questions. One teenager sounded off against The Remnant, Catholic Family New [sic] and The Latin Mass, which, according to him, are "rags" that are not fit for "mopping up floors." Another seconded that. Still another went a bit further:

Let me "third" hieronymous' comments on "the rags". It may interest people to know that the "Remnant" is prohibited reading for the seminarians of the Fraternity of St. Peter, and wisely so.

I can appreciate the confusion "ordinary" Catholics have with these groups and sub-groups, but if you travel in trad. circles long enough you can tell after five minutes of conversation whether somebody has "mens nostra", or is, as Fr. Devillers says best with his French accent, "a wacko".

Posted by: David Kubiak at Aug 19, 2005 12:33:52 AM

While the full context of the conversation cited by the article may be seen here, below are the relevant comments. Passages to which Mr. Matt alludes are in boldface:

Did any American traditionalist kids go [to Juventutem]? From their publications here (e.g., The Remnant and Catholic Family News), they despised the WYDs of the past on account of the (they claimed) vulgar, popular music and lax or immoral clothing/life-styles and attitudes of the youth attending.

Posted by: Celine at Aug 18, 2005 10:51:29 AM

Celine, those publications don't speak for American traditionalists.

Posted by: hieronymus at Aug 18, 2005 11:01:56 AM

hieronymous:

If Catholic Family News or The Remnant (or Latin Mass?) don't speak for American traditionalists, who or what does? Every single person I know (and I know several) who self-identifies as a traditionalist also identifies with one or the other of these publications.

Anyway, my main question is: Do American traditionalists (whoever speaks for them) participate in WYD? If so, who organizes/represents them? If not, why not?

Posted by: Celine at Aug 18, 2005 1:24:09 PM

The Latin Mass is a much more mainstream publication than The Remnant or Catholic Family News. There undoubtedly are American traditionalists at WYD as part of Juventutem through the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter, which has about 30 North American apostolates. Other "mainstream" traditionalist voices would include the Institute of Christ the King and Una Voce America.

Posted by: Mark C. at Aug 18, 2005 1:31:48 PM

Well, I self-identify as a traditionalist (although I may not fit the stereotype that well) and I wouldn't use those rags to mop my floor, much less read them. They speak for conspiracy-theorists and cranks who happen to be traditionalists (and admittedly, traditionalists have relatively high proportions of both), but that's all.

As for who actually "speaks" for American traditionalists... well, nobody really. The magazines and organizations and priestly societies are pretty much autonomous.

To answer your question - yes, Americans are participating in Juventutum [sic]. And I imagine that many trads regard kindly the idea of World Youth Day, but find much of the vulgar music and lax clothing at the event distateful. I see nothing wrong with that.

Posted by: hieronymus at Aug 18, 2005 1:53:48 PM

I second hieronymus' statement. There is no necessary connection between traditionalism and loony conspiracy theories, often peppered generously with 'neocon' and 'Israel' (though this may not be the kind of looniness that hieronimus [sic] had in mind).

hieronymus, your posts are as impressive as your art. And, just to eliminate all ambiguity from that statement, let me say that I think that your art is very impressive.

Posted by: reluctant penitent at Aug 18, 2005 2:51:33 PM

Let me "third" hieronymous' comments on "the rags". It may interest people to know that the "Remnant" is prohibited reading for the seminarians of the Fraternity of St. Peter, and wisely so.

I can appreciate the confusion "ordinary" Catholics have with these groups and sub-groups, but if you travel in trad. circles long enough you can tell after five minutes of conversation whether somebody has "mens nostra", or is, as Fr. Devillers says best with his French accent, "a wacko".

Posted by: David Kubiak at Aug 19, 2005 12:33:52 AM

Furthermore, while the passage may be read to imply that three of the above commenters are adolescents (hieronymus, reluctant penitent, and David Kubiak), it is doubftul that any of them are - for example, David Kubiak is a classics professor at Wabash College, an all-male liberal arts school in Indiana.

Lastly, all comments were made on or around August 19, 2005, while this weblog was initiated on August 30, 2005.

At this time, it is entirely appropriate to refer once again to the letter of Rob Martin, FSSP addressed to the author of another denigratory and inaccurate Juventutem article found in the same publication - fortunately or not, that article did not make its way onto the Internet for all to see.

*As with everything, read with discernment.