The road to the papacy began with a road out of the Conciliar back into the Catholic Church, which none of us ever left in our hearts. This road began mid-way through second grade. I was a victim of one of the early experiments First Communion before First Confession. I made my First Communion in 1966 at age six. The next year they announced they were putting off Confession until sixth grade. My mom and one other person objected. Mom soon found an independent Catechism class that had been started by concerned parents to teach their children the Catholic Faith. I was enrolled in early 1967 and was soon in the Confessional.
In 1968 I was enrolled in Rosary School, which I attended fifth through eighth grade. We had Mass Monday through Thursday, although two days were optional. Friday was reserved for the younger students. I began serving at the altar soon after entering this school. On Black Palm Sunday of 1971, the Novus Ordo Missae was introduced. I never did like it, but went out of obedience. My final two years in this school found a new pastor and assistance. No longer were we able to go to Mass during the week. These Masses were replaced with occasional Masses. I recall one celebrated on coffee table in the nun’s living room with just my class participating. I was the only one who knelt for the Canon.
In November of 1970 Brother Francis Schuckardt and Brother Denis Chicoine of the CMRI came through Oklahoma City. Scuckardt exposed the evils of the coming Novus Ordo and of the Conciliar Church. We were later to hear that he had been ordained a priest and consecrated a bishop by an Old Catholic bishop. A year later Father James Dunphy, a La Salette Father from Saint Louis came through and brought us Mass. This was actually the second Latin Mass I served. Previously on a Saturday morning I served Father Graham Walter’s Latin Mass. He was in the practice of celebrating in Latin until the Novus Ordo was introduced. In about 1980 he finally left the Conciliar Church to bring the Latin Mass back to groups in Oklahoma City and Tulsa. In November of 1972, my family quit the Novus Ordo and the Conciliar Church. On Sundays and Holydays we prayed at home and studied the Faith, because there were few priests offering the Latin Mass.
In 1973 a priest came through, who introduced us to another priest, who could come once a month to bring us Mass. This second priest introduced us to the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX). When this second priest became allied with Clemente of Palmar de Troya, Spain, he no longer came. At this time our group asked the SSPX to send a priest, which they did. (There is not space here to go into depth in this matter.)
On May 22, 1976, I was confirmed by Archbishop Lefebvre at Saint Jude’s Shrine in Stafford, Texas. This was the same day three Mexican priests came to talk to Archbishop Lefebvre about the election of a Pope, Fathers Saenz-Arriaga, Carmona and Zamora. Several people visited with these priest, and thus everyone was talking about the election of a Pope. Father Saenz died under mysterious circumstances two months later, Fathers Carmona and Zamora became bishops in the Thuc line.
I was in SSPX seminary at Econe (September, 1977 to January 1978) and Armada, Michigan (January to December 1978). I also worked at Saint Marys, Kansas in 1979 to 1981, when I resigned on March 5, 1981. (Again there is not space here to discuss all of these things.)
At the time I resigned from the SSPX, I met Father George Musey. He was consecrated bishop about a year later, and I found out and was invited to a priest’s meeting in May of 1982 in Dallas, Texas. Again the vacancy of the papacy and necessity of electing a Pope was discussed. This discussion was carried about by concerned Catholics, and it was common knowledge that the Thuc bishops were consecrated in order to preserve Orders until a Pope could be elected. I have several documents concerning this in my files. At the end of 1983 Bishop George Musey wrote an Open Letter to Archbishop Lefebvre about the election of a Pope.
At the end of 1983 I departed the Traditionalist movement. I had watched the disunity among the independent priests and the attempt by Bishops Musey and Vezelis to impose their authority over these priests. If Traditionalism is Catholic, why isn’t it unified? At this time you had three major sects, SSPX, the Thuc Bishops and the Independent Priests. In March of 1983 nine priests broke with the SSPX to form the Society of Saint Pius V (SSPV). The CMRI was still not considered truly Catholic by most Traditionalists at this time. They would not gain acceptability until Bishop Carmona consecrated as bishop, one of their priests, Mark Pivarunas in 1981. This disunity I was led me to look for a common problem. And I found it, none of the Traditionalist organizations have any authority from the Church to operate as they do.
I wrote a letter to my friends after Christmas of 1983, explaining my position. This letter was sent to several Traditionalist priest. No one offered a correction. Note that I asked for information on electing a Pope, but was not provided any. In November of 1985 I wrote Jurisdiction, During the Great Apostasy, which summarizes my position.
In 1984 I received Briton’s Catholic Library Letter Number 1, which proposed a similar stance as my own. It also provided information proving the vacancy of the papacy. I had not sorted this out for sure before this time, reducing it a question. The Pope cannot be judged, which is a doctrine. However, a heretic cannot be Pope, which Wojtyla certainly was. Britons proposed that Wojtyla had been a heretic prior to his apparent election, which clinched it for me. Briton’s Catholic Library consisted of N. Martin Gwynne and John Daly. Daly later left Gwynne and has returned to main stream Traditionalism rather continuing in the home-alone movement as it later came to be called.
In 1987 I was in a discussion by letter with someone over the election of a Pope, when he presented the doctrine of the only Vatican Council that Peter will have perpetual successors to the end of time. At that moment, I realized that we would have another Pope, and it was my duty to do all in my power to bring about the election of a Pope. I immediately contacted several people about my decision and several of ua began corresponding and working together to bring about a Papal Election.
The first I contacted was Teresa Benns, who had written We Are the Church in 1982 to encourage the election of a Pope. Her article was published in Father Dan Jones Sangre de Cristo Newsnotes. I also met with Tom Hemple, who lived in central Missouri and was also desiring the election of a Pope. Benns and I prepared a series of articles from other sources, adding a few of our own to circulate world-wide on the election of a Pope. This came out in 1988 and was so circulated. However, there were problems. Some were still in the Traditionalist movement, although sede vacantist. Something bigger was needed.
I will discuss the distraction of the Siri hypothesis elsewhere.
Investigating the Siri Hypothesis I met with Father Peter Tran Van Khoat in late 1988 and again in early 1989. He was open to the election of a Pope, if Siri could not be convinced to put his claim forward. I realized, though, that we needed a more thorough presentation. Until people realize that they do not have legitimate Sacraments, they are not motivated to pursue a Pope, who is the source of authority in the Church. The Pope appoints the Bishops of the various dioceses and in turn these Bishops appoint pastors over the parishes. A similar program is followed in missionary territories until they are able to be organized into dioceses. Saint Paul says: “And how shall they preach unless they be sent, as it is written: How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, of them that bring glad tidings of good things!” (Romans 10:15) Traditionalist priests and bishops are not sent to us by Jesus through His Vicar, the Pope.
And so Benns and I reached the conclusion at the same time that a book had to be written. Between May of 1989 and December 12 of the same year we wrote a book, Benns doing the lion’s share of the work. This was published on January 25, 1990 as Will the Catholic Church Survive the Twentieth Century? This book was sent to every sede vacantist group in the world, as there was a comprehensive list published by Radko K Jansky of Saint Louis. Of course, we sent copies to all of those who showed any interest in the election of a Pope.
It was about this time we met Ken Mock, who was later involved in the preparation stages of two other elections, one in 1994 and one in 1998. He departed both efforts prior to the elections of Victor Von Pentz (Linus II) and Earl Lucien Pulvermacher (Pius XIII). He went to Europe to promote the election with a box of books, although he never reported back on his trip.
After the book was published we followed with Election Update, which was prepared to update people on new information on the election of a Pope and eventually to call for said election, which it did in March of 1989. Notices were also sent around to a number of people of the upcoming election. Like the Gospel of the marriage feast, people began to make excuses about why we should not hold an election here and now. All wanted delay, but no solid reason why or what would be accomplished. Finally on July 16, 1990 a few Catholics assembled and an election was held.