Lucian Pulvermacher
Encyclopedia
Lucian Pulvermacher was a traditionalist
Roman Catholic
priest. He was the head of the "True Catholic Church," a small conclavist
group that, without authorization from the Holy See of Rome, elected him Pope Pius XIII in October, 1998. He resided in Springdale, Washington
, United States
.
in the town of Rock
in Wood County, Pulvermacher was one of nine children of a farm family. His three brothers became priests. In 1942, at the age of 24, he joined the Capuchin Order, taking the religious name Lucian. He was subsequently ordained to the priesthood on June 5, 1946. At first he was posted to a parish in Milwaukee, but in 1948 he was sent to Japan
. He spent the greater part of his career as a Capuchin (from 1948 to 1970) as a missionary priest in the Ryukyu Islands
, including Okinawa. In 1970, he was transferred from Japan to Australia
, where he continued his missionary work until his disillusionment with the changes that followed the Second Vatican Council
of 1962–1965. In January 1976 he left the Capuchin Order, and returned to the United States
. "I was without money," he later remembered, "without a home or anything. The few things I brought along with me I could carry in two bags." He left what he called “the Novus Ordo
, bogus Council Vatican II Church” and spent eight months “with the general Latin Mass traditionalists until I saw there was no unity. Hence, I am alone on the job here in the States since August 1976.”
Pulvermacher prided himself on an austere life: “I have my own residence (really small). Since November the first I have one helper, Miss Theresa Gutenberger, who serves as secretary and cook. Hence, if you call here you can expect (during the working hours) to have her answer the phone." From August 1976 onwards, Pulvermacher established and served a circuit of private chapels across the United States, working as an independent traditionalist priest unaffiliated with any formal religious order or society.
According to a Capuchin friar from Pulvermacher's former province, Pulvermacher died on November 30, 2009.
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...
Roman 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...
priest. He was the head of the "True Catholic Church," a small conclavist
Conclavism
Conclavism is the belief and practice of some who, claiming that Pope Benedict XVI, Pope John Paul II and other recent occupants of the papal see are not true popes, elect someone else and propose him as the true pope to whom the allegiance of Catholics is due....
group that, without authorization from the Holy See of Rome, elected him Pope Pius XIII in October, 1998. He resided in Springdale, Washington
Springdale, Washington
Springdale is a town in Stevens County, Washington, United States. The population was 285 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Springdale is located at ....
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Life and career
Born in 1918 near Marshfield, WisconsinMarshfield, Wisconsin
Marshfield is a city in Marathon and Wood counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is the largest city in Wood County. The small portion of the city that extends into Marathon County is part of the Wausau Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 18,800 at the 2000 census. Marshfield is...
in the town of Rock
Rock, Wood County, Wisconsin
Rock is a town in Wood County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 856 at the 2000 census. The unincorporated community of Lindsey is located in the town.-Geography:...
in Wood County, Pulvermacher was one of nine children of a farm family. His three brothers became priests. In 1942, at the age of 24, he joined the Capuchin Order, taking the religious name Lucian. He was subsequently ordained to the priesthood on June 5, 1946. At first he was posted to a parish in Milwaukee, but in 1948 he was sent to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. He spent the greater part of his career as a Capuchin (from 1948 to 1970) as a missionary priest in the Ryukyu Islands
Ryukyu Islands
The , also known as the , is a chain of islands in the western Pacific, on the eastern limit of the East China Sea and to the southwest of the island of Kyushu in Japan. From about 1829 until the mid 20th century, they were alternately called Luchu, Loochoo, or Lewchew, akin to the Mandarin...
, including Okinawa. In 1970, he was transferred from Japan to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, where he continued his missionary work until his disillusionment with the changes that followed 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...
of 1962–1965. In January 1976 he left the Capuchin Order, and returned to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. "I was without money," he later remembered, "without a home or anything. The few things I brought along with me I could carry in two bags." He left what he called “the Novus Ordo
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...
, bogus Council Vatican II Church” and spent eight months “with the general Latin Mass traditionalists until I saw there was no unity. Hence, I am alone on the job here in the States since August 1976.”
Pulvermacher prided himself on an austere life: “I have my own residence (really small). Since November the first I have one helper, Miss Theresa Gutenberger, who serves as secretary and cook. Hence, if you call here you can expect (during the working hours) to have her answer the phone." From August 1976 onwards, Pulvermacher established and served a circuit of private chapels across the United States, working as an independent traditionalist priest unaffiliated with any formal religious order or society.
According to a Capuchin friar from Pulvermacher's former province, Pulvermacher died on November 30, 2009.
See also
- SedevacantismSedevacantismSedevacantism is the position held by a minority of Traditionalist Catholics who hold that the present occupant of the papal see is not truly Pope and that, for lack of a valid Pope, the see has been vacant since the death of either Pope Pius XII in 1958 or Pope John XXIII in 1963.Sedevacantists...
for a more general discussion of this phenomenon - David BawdenDavid BawdenDavid Allen Bawden , is a Traditionalist Catholic recognized as Pope Michael I by a small group of conclavists based in Delia, Kansas, USA...
and Manuel Corral for other primary conclavist claimants to the Papacy - Popes John XXIIIPope John XXIII-Papal election:Following the death of Pope Pius XII in 1958, Roncalli was elected Pope, to his great surprise. He had even arrived in the Vatican with a return train ticket to Venice. Many had considered Giovanni Battista Montini, Archbishop of Milan, a possible candidate, but, although archbishop...
, Paul VI, John Paul I, John Paul II and Benedict XVI, whose papal reigns "Pope Pius XIII" claimed to be illicit and invalid.
External links
- Letter from "Pope Pius XIII"
- Vatican In Exile (a conclavist site that opposes Pulvermacher's claims)
- True Catholic website
- Letter from Father Lucian Pulvermacher