Lettre de
Dario Cardinal Castrillón Hoyos
à
Son Excellence
Mgr Marcel André GERVAIS Archevêque d'OTTAWA

PONTlFICIA COMMISSIO
<< ECCLESIA DIE >>

Du Vatican, le 15 novembre 2005

Excellence.

J'ai appris avec satisfaction. que la paroisse Saint Clément à Ottawa s'apprête à fêter les dix ans de la présence de la Fraternité Saint-Pierre dans I'archidiocèse d' Ottawa.
Je profite volontiers de celle occasion pour exprimer à Votre Excellence toute ma reconnaissance pour avoir ouvert le diocèse à ce jeune Institut et pour lui avoir confie la cure pastorale des fidèles attachés à la liturgie romaine antérieure, pour lesquelles vous n'avez pas hésité à créer une paroisse personnelle, - ce qui a été les première fois qu'une telle solution pastorale a été réalisée.

Je suis convaincu que ces fidèles vous diront eux-mêmes avec joie, comment ils apprécient cette grande bienveillance paternelle que vous avez toujours manifestée envers eux.

Il ne me reste qu'à exprimer un double souhait:

Que votre exemple serve à vos confrères dans I'épiscopat comme modèle valable, pour donner une solution pastorale aux problèmes des fidèles attachés à la liturgie latine;

Que le Seigneur bénisse votre ministère pastoral, a l'intercession du saint Pape Clément, et vous donne la force de continuer a être le bon pasteur de tous les fidèles qui lui ont été confies.

En profonde union de prière je vous prie, Excellence, d'agréer mes salutations fraternelle cordiales.

signé

Dario Cardinal Castrillón Hoyos

Son Excellence
Mgr Marcel André GERVAIS Archevêque d'OTTAWA

His Excellency Luigi Ventura
Nonce Apostolique
Canada

Ottawa, le 23 novembre 2005

Monsieur l'abbé,

Informé de la célébration prochaine du 10ième anniversaire de la présence de la Fraternité Saint Pierre en la Paroisse Saint Clément d'Ottawa, S. Eminence le Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos, Président de la Commission Pontificale Ecclesia Dei, m'a chargé de vous transmettre ses voeux les meilleurs à cette occasion. Son Eminence remercie en particulier S. Exc. Mgr Marcel Gervais, Archevêque d'Ottawa, qui a bien voulu accueillir en son diocèse les fidèles attachés à la liturgie romaine ancienne. Me rappelant ma propre visite au sein de votre fervente communauté, je profite de cette opportunité pour vous présenter aussi mes voeux les meilleurs.
Ottawa, the 23rd of November, 2005

Reverend Father,

Having learned of the upcoming celebration of the 10th anniversary of the presence of the Fraternity of St. Peter in the Parish of St. Clement, Ottawa, His Eminence Dario Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos, President of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, has enjoined me to convey his best wishes on this occasion. His Eminence thanks particularly his Excellency Msgr. Marcel Gervais, Archbishop of Ottawa, who welcomed in his diocese the faithful attached to the ancient Roman liturgy. Mindful of my own visit within your fervent community, I avail myself of this opportunity to offer my own best wishes.

Luigi Ventura
Apostolic Nuncio

Message de son Eminence Edouard Cardinal Gagnon, p.s.s.
Montréal, le 2 novembre 2005

A l’occasion du dixième anniversaire de l’arrivée de la Fraternité
Saint Pierre dans le diocèse d’Ottawa et au moment de ce dîner
paroissial vous rassemblant en votre fête patronale, autour de votre
Archevêque Monseigneur Marcel Gervais, je vous envoie à tous, prêtres
et fidèles de cette paroisse Saint Clément, ma bénédiction,
encourageant chacun à persévérer dans sa vie chrétienne, nourri par
cette solide et si belle liturgie traditionnelle qui vous est chère.

*On the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the arrival of the
Fraternity of St. Peter in the diocese of Ottawa, and at the time of
this parish dinner when you gather around your Archbishop Monseigneur
Marcel Gervais on your patronal feast, I send all of you, priests and
faithful of St. Clement Parish, my blessing, encouraging each one to
persevere in his Christian life, nourrished by this solid and most
beautiful traditional liturgy which is dear to you.

Excerpts from Address by
His Excellency
Mgr Marcel André GERVAIS Archbishop of d'OTTAWA

Origins of Saint Clement Parish

In response to the request from Mr. J.L. Guibert of the French Embassy, Archbishop Joseph Aurele Plourde authorized the celebration of Mass in Latin for those desiring to participate in the chapel of the Monastery of the Precious Blood on Echo Drive beginning in March 3, 1968.

Your parish continued and when the indult was granted by Pope John Paul II to say Mass in the Tridentine rite, Archbishop Plourde obtained permission for Saint Clement's to celebrate in that rite.

You traveled in various places both geographically and canonically. You went from being a community, to being a quasiparish and then, finally to becoming a full blown parish in 1997.

Fraternity of St. Peter

In 1995, we had the wonderful blessing of having obtained the services of the Fraternity of Saint Peter. We had Fr. Charles Ryan as our first pastor and now we have Fr.Bizard. They have truly been a blessing to this parish and to our diocese.

And now I want to read the letter sent by His Eminence Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos, President of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei (at the request of your pastor, Father Hubert Bizard).

"It is with great satisfaction that that I learn that St. Clement's Parish is preparing itself to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the presence of the Fraternity of Saint Peter in the archdiocese of Ottawa."

"I am happy to have this occasion to express to your Excellency all my gratitude to you for having opened your diocese to this young Institute, and for having given it the pastoral care of the faithful, (who are) so attached to the earlier Roman liturgy, for who you have not hesitated to create a personal parish - which indeed was the first time that such a pastoral solution was employed."

"I am certain that the faithful will themselves communicate to you their joy, (and) how they appreciate the fatherly care that you have always manifested towards them."

"I conclude by expressing a twofold wish:

May your example serve as a good model to your brothers in the episcopate, a model that provides a pastoral solution to the problems posed by the faithful who are attached to the Latin liturgy.

May the Lord bless your pastoral ministry, and, at the intercession of the Pope, Saint Clement, grant you strength to continue to be the good shepherd to all the faith who are confided to your care."

"With deep prayerful union, I ask you Excellency to receive my fraternal and cordial salutations, (Signed) Dario Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos."

The Fraternity has been from the beginning a blessing for us in every way - with Fr. Charles Ryan coming here to the present Fr. Hubert Bizard. The Fraternity has seen to it that this community was well looked after. You have made this community into not only one that has kept a strong hold on some of the most beautiful things of our past, but you have also made of it a community that can look at the present and the future without blinking an eye. You have a strong Parish Council, a strong Finance Committee, excellent catechists and a wonderful choir that deserves special mention for all the work they put into preserving one of the most magnificent dimensions of the Roman liturgy Tridentine ritual.

I want to thank the superior of the Fraternity, Fr. Devillers, and all the members for the good work that is being done throughout our country and throughout the world.

Of the great things that our (past) Pope John Paul II. has done, one of them is to allow the full use of our Tridentine Ritual. He has done many great things. There is one thing that he has done which bears special mention: his promotion of good relations with the Jews. Pope John Paul II was very much involved in the writing of Nostra eatate, this years marks the fortieth year of its publication. This brief document has had monumental repercussions throughout the world. It is especially important for our relations with the Jews.

Who can forget his visit to the Synagogue in Rome, his visit to Yad Vashem in Jerusalem (the shrine commemorating the Shoah), his praying at the Western Wall and his leaving a written prayer there. Immediately after the pope's death, the ADL issued a statement that Pope John Paul II had revolutionized Catholic-Jewish relations, saying that "more change for the better took place in his 27 year Papacy than in the nearly 2,000 years before." (Pope John Paul II: An Appreciation: A Visionary Remembered).

There is in our Catholic tradition always the temptation to repeat as our own the accusations against the Jews leaders found in the Gospels. We must never do that, the Jews are not to be accused of having killed Christ, we cannot accuse them of deicide. The promises made to them by God, are always valid and still hold true: they are still the chosen people and we have to learn to live with that and absorb it into our thinking. Nostra aetate does away with the myths and asks us to look at the truth - salvation comes from the Jews - as Jesus said.

Now we have another wonderful Pope. When he was elected I was overjoyed, but I wanted to hear him say what he was going to promote as Pope. I got up at three in the morning to hear his first homily. I was praying in my heart that he would say that :1. He would promote Vatican II; 2. That he would continue to emphaise ecumenism; and, 3. continue to promote inter-religious dialogue. As I waited, I was overjoyed to hear him say exactly that and in that order. Then I could go back to sleep in joyful peace. We can thank the Lord that he has given us another great Pope.

Once again thank you, the faithful of this parish for having so readily accepted the Fraternity of St. Peter. Thank you, the Fraternity for serving our parish and thank God for you both.