Institute of the Good Shepherd
Encyclopedia
The Institute of the Good Shepherd (French
Institut du Bon Pasteur) is a Catholic
society of apostolic life of traditionalist Catholic
priests in full communion
with the Holy See
.
. These priests were authorised to use the Tridentine form
of the Roman Rite
on the condition of recognising the Second Vatican Council
"in the light of Tradition" and the validity of the revised Roman Missal
promulgated by Pope Paul VI.
In August 2004 Father Philippe Laguérie
was expelled for having complained that the Society of Saint Pius X had serious problems which discouraged priestly vocations in its seminaries. As a disciplinary measure he had been transferred to Mexico, but refused the assignment.
Father Laguérie had for many years been in charge of the church of Saint-Nicolas-du-Chardonnet
in Paris, occupied by traditionalist Catholics since 1977. In 1993, he made an attempt to take over another Paris church, the Church of Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois. He carried out the operation successfully at Bordeaux, obtaining the approval of the city council, but not of the archbishop's office, to take over the church of Saint-Eloi in January 2002.
Father Christophe Héry was expelled for supporting Laguérie, as was Father Guillaume de Tanoüarn. The latter was the founder of the religious association of Saint-Marcel and the Saint-Paul Centre in Paris.
On 15 June 2006, a French court in Nanterre
(chambre du Tribunal de grande instance de Nanterre) ordered the reinstatement of Fathers Laguérie and Héry.
Father Laguérie had declared in March 2006 that agreement with the Holy See
was required by the very constitution of the Catholic Church
, and he asked his parishioners to take note of the signs of good will on the part of Rome and of its intention to put an end to the doctrinal craziness and the scandals of 1960-2000. He pointed to an address of Pope Benedict as a condemnation of using "the spirit of the Council" as a pretext for excesses.
, employing the 1962 Roman Missal
. For their part, each of the founding members personally undertook to respect the authentic Magisterium of the See of Rome with "complete fidelity to the infallible Magisterium of the Church." The members of the institute may engage in a criticism
of the Second Vatican Council
that is serious and constructive and in accord with Pope Benedict XVI
's address of 22 December 2005 to the Roman Curia
, while recognizing that it is for the Apostolic See
to give the authentic interpretation.
Cardinal Castrillón fulfilled the promise he made when the Institute was founded and on 22 September 2007 ordained five priests of the Institute, one of whom was a former member of the Society of St. Pius X. The archbishop of Bordeaux and president of the French episcopal conference
, Jean-Pierre Ricard, was present.
By 8 September 2008, the priests of the Institute had grown to 18, and the seminarians to 30. The priests became 22 in the following month and 24 in the spring of 2009.
In September 2009, the Institute had in France a house of formation for its seminarians studying philosophy, and a residence in Rome for its students of theology. It had eight Mass centres in France, and one in each of five other countries: Chile, Colombia, Italy, Poland and Spain. It also had three schools. The Institute of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd had come into existence with two Sisters taking the veil.
Although here were unconfirmed rumours in February 2008 that Cardinal Francisco Javier Errázuriz Ossa, the Archbishop of Santiago, Chile ordered the Institute to cease celebrating the Tridentine Mass and then to leave the country, the Institute is still there. It is not authorized to celebrate the Tridentine Mass publicly in Santiago. Its celebrations are therefore of private character, as permitted by the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum
.
In March, 2011, an independent chapel located in Bogota, Colombia was officially incardinated into the IBP by the Archbishop of Bogota, and is now officially recognized by the Archdiocese. The priest of the chapel has been given faculties to say public Masses (TLM) and hear confessions.
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
Institut du Bon Pasteur) is a Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
society of apostolic life of traditionalist Catholic
Traditionalist Catholic
Traditionalist Catholics are Roman Catholics who believe that there should be a restoration of many or all of the liturgical forms, public and private devotions and presentations of Catholic teachings which prevailed in the Catholic Church before the Second Vatican Council...
priests in full communion
Full communion
In Christian ecclesiology, full communion is a relationship between church organizations or groups that mutually recognize their sharing the essential doctrines....
with the Holy See
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
.
Background
Father Paul Aulagnier, who had been provincial superior of the Society of Saint Pius X in France from 1976 to 1994 was expelled in 2003 for having spoken in favour of the 2002 agreement between the Holy See and the priests of Campos, Brazil who form the Personal Apostolic Administration of Saint John Mary VianneyPersonal Apostolic Administration of Saint John Mary Vianney
The Personal Apostolic Administration of Saint John Mary Vianney was established on 18 January 2002 by Pope John Paul II for traditionalist Catholic clergy and laity within the Diocese of Campos in Brazil. It is the only Personal Apostolic Administration in existence...
. These priests were authorised to use the Tridentine form
Tridentine Mass
The Tridentine Mass is the form of the Roman Rite Mass contained in the typical editions of the Roman Missal that were published from 1570 to 1962. It was the most widely celebrated Mass liturgy in the world until the introduction of the Mass of Paul VI in December 1969...
of the Roman Rite
Roman Rite
The Roman Rite is the liturgical rite used in the Diocese of Rome in the Catholic Church. It is by far the most widespread of the Latin liturgical rites used within the Western or Latin autonomous particular Church, the particular Church that itself is also called the Latin Rite, and that is one of...
on the condition of recognising the Second Vatican Council
Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...
"in the light of Tradition" and the validity of the revised Roman Missal
Mass of Paul VI
The Mass of Pope Paul VI is the liturgy of the Catholic Mass of the Roman Rite promulgated by Paul VI in 1969, after the Second Vatican Council...
promulgated by Pope Paul VI.
In August 2004 Father Philippe Laguérie
Philippe Laguérie
Philippe Laguérie is a French priest and a Traditionalist Catholic. He directs the Institut du Bon Pasteur, which upholds the Tridentine Mass.- Career :...
was expelled for having complained that the Society of Saint Pius X had serious problems which discouraged priestly vocations in its seminaries. As a disciplinary measure he had been transferred to Mexico, but refused the assignment.
Father Laguérie had for many years been in charge of the church of Saint-Nicolas-du-Chardonnet
Saint-Nicolas-du-Chardonnet
Saint-Nicolas-du-Chardonnet is a Roman Catholic church in the centre of Paris, France located in the 5th arrondissement. In 1977 it was occupied by traditionalist Society of St...
in Paris, occupied by traditionalist Catholics since 1977. In 1993, he made an attempt to take over another Paris church, the Church of Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois. He carried out the operation successfully at Bordeaux, obtaining the approval of the city council, but not of the archbishop's office, to take over the church of Saint-Eloi in January 2002.
Father Christophe Héry was expelled for supporting Laguérie, as was Father Guillaume de Tanoüarn. The latter was the founder of the religious association of Saint-Marcel and the Saint-Paul Centre in Paris.
On 15 June 2006, a French court in Nanterre
Nanterre
Nanterre is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France. It is located west of the center of Paris.Nanterre is the capital of the Hauts-de-Seine department as well as the seat of the Arrondissement of Nanterre....
(chambre du Tribunal de grande instance de Nanterre) ordered the reinstatement of Fathers Laguérie and Héry.
Foundation of the Institute
They had already decided to embark on a new path (while, according to at least one of them, remaining members of the Society of St Pius X). On 8 September 2006, the liturgical feast of Our Lady's Birthday, they, together with Father Henri Forestier, who also was stationed in Bordeaux, formed the Institute of the Good Shepherd, a society of apostolic life in full communion with the Holy See. Several seminarians joined the new fraternity, some of them close to ordination, and Cardinal Darío Castrillón Hoyos, who signed the decree approving their constitutions for a preliminary experimental period of five years, promised to confer the sacrament of orders on them.Father Laguérie had declared in March 2006 that agreement with the Holy See
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
was required by the very constitution of the Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
, and he asked his parishioners to take note of the signs of good will on the part of Rome and of its intention to put an end to the doctrinal craziness and the scandals of 1960-2000. He pointed to an address of Pope Benedict as a condemnation of using "the spirit of the Council" as a pretext for excesses.
Agreement with the Holy See
The Holy See granted the members of the new institute use, as the institute's own rite, of the "Tridentine" form of the Roman RiteRoman Rite
The Roman Rite is the liturgical rite used in the Diocese of Rome in the Catholic Church. It is by far the most widespread of the Latin liturgical rites used within the Western or Latin autonomous particular Church, the particular Church that itself is also called the Latin Rite, and that is one of...
, employing the 1962 Roman Missal
Roman Missal
The Roman Missal is the liturgical book that contains the texts and rubrics for the celebration of the Mass in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church.-Situation before the Council of Trent:...
. For their part, each of the founding members personally undertook to respect the authentic Magisterium of the See of Rome with "complete fidelity to the infallible Magisterium of the Church." The members of the institute may engage in a criticism
Criticism
Criticism is the judgement of the merits and faults of the work or actions of an individual or group by another . To criticize does not necessarily imply to find fault, but the word is often taken to mean the simple expression of an objection against prejudice, or a disapproval.Another meaning of...
of the Second Vatican Council
Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...
that is serious and constructive and in accord with Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
's address of 22 December 2005 to the Roman Curia
Roman Curia
The Roman Curia is the administrative apparatus of the Holy See and the central governing body of the entire Catholic Church, together with the Pope...
, while recognizing that it is for the Apostolic See
Apostolic See
In Christianity, an apostolic see is any episcopal see whose foundation is attributed to one or more of the apostles of Jesus.Out of the many such sees, five acquired special importance in Chalcedonian Christianity and became classified as the Pentarchy in Eastern Orthodox Christianity...
to give the authentic interpretation.
Present situation
In less than five months, by 6 February 2007, membership had grown to ten priests and two deacons - one close to priestly ordination - incardinated in the institute and listed by name on Father Laguérie's blog. In its two formation houses it also had a not-yet-incardinated deacon, a subdeacon and eight other seminarians. There was one brother (a lay member of the institute). The ordination on 3 March 2007 added another two priests, while maintaining the number of deacons at two. Priests from many places were requesting incardination, but the institute exercised prudence in their regard.Cardinal Castrillón fulfilled the promise he made when the Institute was founded and on 22 September 2007 ordained five priests of the Institute, one of whom was a former member of the Society of St. Pius X. The archbishop of Bordeaux and president of the French episcopal conference
Episcopal Conference
In the Roman Catholic Church, an Episcopal Conference, Conference of Bishops, or National Conference of Bishops is an official assembly of all the bishops of a given territory...
, Jean-Pierre Ricard, was present.
By 8 September 2008, the priests of the Institute had grown to 18, and the seminarians to 30. The priests became 22 in the following month and 24 in the spring of 2009.
In September 2009, the Institute had in France a house of formation for its seminarians studying philosophy, and a residence in Rome for its students of theology. It had eight Mass centres in France, and one in each of five other countries: Chile, Colombia, Italy, Poland and Spain. It also had three schools. The Institute of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd had come into existence with two Sisters taking the veil.
Latin America District
On 1 November 2006, Father Rafael Navas Ortiz was nominated superior for the Latin America District. Today, as mentioned above, the district has 3 houses: one in Santiago, Chile and another in Bogotà, Colombia. The Institute closed down its house in Brazil.Although here were unconfirmed rumours in February 2008 that Cardinal Francisco Javier Errázuriz Ossa, the Archbishop of Santiago, Chile ordered the Institute to cease celebrating the Tridentine Mass and then to leave the country, the Institute is still there. It is not authorized to celebrate the Tridentine Mass publicly in Santiago. Its celebrations are therefore of private character, as permitted by the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum
Summorum Pontificum
Summorum Pontificum is an Apostolic Letter of Pope Benedict XVI, issued "motu proprio" . The document specified the rules, for the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church, for celebrating Mass according to the "Missal promulgated by John XXIII in 1962" , and for administering most of the sacraments in...
.
In March, 2011, an independent chapel located in Bogota, Colombia was officially incardinated into the IBP by the Archbishop of Bogota, and is now officially recognized by the Archdiocese. The priest of the chapel has been given faculties to say public Masses (TLM) and hear confessions.