Rightful Aspirations
David Sonnier
Many people have questioned the need for the Motu Proprio Summorum
Pontificum. According to these skeptics, the people who wanted to
have access to the Traditional Mass of the Latin Rite already had access
to it resulting from Ecclesia Dei (1988), in which Pope John Paul
II asked bishops and clergy throughout the Church to respect the "rightful
aspirations" of those requesting it. This book will convince you
otherwise. It is the true story of a six-year effort of an Army officer
to work within the system and obtain access to the Traditional Mass for
himself, his family, and other soldiers and their families. Were he a
mediocre soldier it would be easy to brush off this disturbing story.
Instead, it comes from a 1981 West Point graduate who loved the Army and
was in every way a model soldier: principled, talented, multilingual, and
able to handle diverse responsibilities, such as Special Forces Detachment
Commander, General's Aide, and any number of jobs requiring an advanced
degree in Computer Science. He watched as Catholic chaplains he trusted
manipulated the system to ensure that no instances of the Traditional Mass
emerged, while they systematically worked to destroy the faith of anyone
committed to Catholic Tradition and undermine the authority of the
Catholic Church from within the ranks. At some point, as he puts it, "it
was no longer possible to serve in an Army in which Witchcraft, Voodoo,
and Wicca are generously supported by the chaplains and the Mass of the
Ages is forbidden." Rightful Aspirations serves as a shocking
example of the failure of Ecclesia Dei and the need for a stronger
statement from the Holy Father which, unfortunately, came far too late for
many. 220 pp., English.
HTML Purchase in Print
HTML PDF (Free)
HTML HTML (Free)