At first he was too anti-Communist, then his religious instruction wasn't modern enough. Nevertheless he defended the faith of his fathers to the end.
(kreuz.net) on 11th February in Northern France Fr. Philippe Sulmont (88) passed away.
The French District of the SSPX reported this on their website.
Fr.Sulmont was born on 16. September 1921 in Amiens, which then had 91,000 inhabitants.
He was the second child of a family with seven boys and seven girls in total.
His theological studies were completed in a Parisian Seminary in Issy-les-Moulineaux, then at the Major Seminary Le Charmes des 'Institut Catholique' in Paris.
On 25. March Father Sulmont was ordained for the Diocese of Amiens. Initially he was the Vicar of the Albert Community for five years -- 30 kilometers northeast of Amiens.
In the following five years Fr. Sulmont worked as a Professor in the Minor Seminary of the Diocese.
This activity came to an end, when the parents of the Minor Seminarians complained about the "too anti-Communist" instruction by Fr. Sulmont.
His superior reassigned him as the chaplain of a girl's finishing school. There he remained for twelve years.
Then came the year 1968 and the waves of spiritual unrest reached even the finishing school.
Fr. Sulmont was complained against again, as he was using the "old Catechism" and offered "no modern religious instruction".
The Bishop reassigned him then to a Parish, first in the 250 soul village Gorenflos, then - from 1970 - in the 300 soul neighboring community Domqueur.
The locality is located some 35 kilometers northwest of Amiens -- not far form the coast to the British Channel.
From thereon he was entrusted to the six outlying communities. Fr. Sulmont remained 37 years in Domqueur.
In the year 2007 he went to a senior home. There he died on February 11, 2010 at the age of 88.
Peter Jacques Laguerie -- the second assistant of the SSPX in France -- celebrated a sung Requiem for the deceased priest.
The Mass of burial was subsequently in the church of Domqueur.
It was by Father Maurice Vignolle -- the former priest of the 700 soul community Cambron -- celebrated in the old rite.
Father had been a staungh oppponent of the de-christianization of Europe and the encroachment of Islam.
He was a great writer and produced,for many years, Letter From a Country Priest, a kind of long newsletter with many amusing and biting comments about life in the modern church.Alan Robinson
ReplyDeleteCan we assume he said only the TLM during his life, or did he say the NO?
ReplyDeleteHe was pastor of parishes for many years after V2, so I wonder how he was able to remain in the NO system and still say the TLM?
I wouldn't assume he said the TLM exclusively all of his life because he was obedient to the point of taking on some difficult and unglamorous positions after being very decisively reprimanded.
ReplyDeleteIt's a strong bet that he continued saying the Immemorial Rite in private, if not in public, however. I'm sure he regarded the Motu Proprio with some joy.
Despite his docility to the injustices imposed on him by his superiors, he seems to have met them with equanimity and courage, but perhaps not without ascerbic comment. He was outspoken about Muslims, for example. I'd like to read his newsletter from a country priest.