Leonard Feeney

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Leonard Feeney (born February 15, 1897 in Lynn , Massachusetts , † January 30, 1978 in Ayer , Massachusetts) was a Catholic priest and Jesuit for 35 years . His life's work was the defense of the dogma of the Church's exclusive claim to salvation, which since Cyprian of Carthage has been expressed with the formula extra ecclesiam nulla salus . This led to temporary excommunication . Feeney was one of the most famous Catholic priests in the USA for a long time, also because of his literary work.

Biographical data

Leonard Feeney entered the Jesuit order (novitiate) on September 7, 1914. Almost 14 years after joining, he was ordained a priest on June 20, 1928 . In 1930 he became editor of the well-known Jesuit monthly magazine "America" . He works as a writer and publishes various books. In 1942 he was director of the St. Benedict Center, a Jesuit study center for students at Harvard University . In 1949 he also founded the order "Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary". In 1953 he was excommunicated by Pope Pius XII , which was repealed 19 years later. He died in 1978.

Early work

Leonard Feeney was born on February 15, 1897 in Lynn, Massachusetts. He entered the novitiate of the Jesuits in New York State on September 7, 1914, at the age of 17. After studying in Great Britain, Belgium, France and the USA, he was ordained a priest on June 20, 1928.

He quickly became a well-known author who z. B. wrote the book "Fish on Fridays", which was widespread among Catholics in the USA at the time, and was the feature editor of the American Jesuit magazine "America". In the 1930s he was one of the most famous and popular Catholic priests in the United States. B. Bishop Fulton Sheen he would only have Father Feeney represent him on his radio show.

In 1942, with the permission of his superiors, Father Feeney became the spiritual director of the Saint Benedict Center , a Catholic student center at Harvard University , founded two years earlier by Catherine Goddard Clarke . While it was initially a sideline job, it became a full-time job in 1945, again with the permission of his superiors. In the relatively short period in which Father Feeney regularly ran the center, several hundred Harvard students and teachers converted to Catholicism through him. The best-known member of the Saint Benedict Center at that time was Avery Dulles , later a cardinal.

Conflicts

During this time, Father Feeney began an increasingly controversial ministry. He complained about the decline of Catholicism in America and refused, for example. B. to let other Jesuit Fathers help out at the Saint Benedict Center, whereby he came into increasing conflict with bishops and religious superiors. He explained to members of the Saint Benedict Center that the decline he perceived was due to a “forgotten dogma” that he set out to find.

Two years later, in July 1947, he finally announced that he had found the “forgotten dogma”, the dogma Extra ecclesiam nulla salus (“no salvation outside the church”). He presented an extremely rigorous interpretation of this dogma and taught that anyone who was not a baptized member of the Roman Catholic Church was sentenced to hell. He also rejected the concepts of baptism of desire and baptism of blood taught by many saints , but emphasized that this was only his personal opinion.

That same summer, scared of his increasing influence over the Saint Benedict Center members, his superiors ordered him to leave his position and take a position at Holy Cross College in Worcester, Massachusetts. He also obeyed at first.

Founding of the order

Only shortly afterwards, however, members of the Saint Benedict Center who had traveled specially convinced him to return. After his return he founded the Mancipia Immaculati Cordis Mariae (Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary), which he called "my order", which should serve to defend and spread the dogma he "rediscovered". At the same time he put down the Jesuit order abbreviation SJ and replaced it with MICM. However, the order had no canonical form, and many members, formerly members of the Saint Benedict Center, were married and had children, which clearly violates canon law. It was decided to raise the children together, which brought the Mancipia closer to a sect than a Catholic order.

Suspension, disqualification, excommunication

Since Father Feeney continued to disobey all instructions from his superiors, his confessional permission was withdrawn on December 31, 1948, he was suspended on April 18, 1949 and all Catholics were banned from participating in the activities of the Saint Benedict Center.

After he had been expelled from the Jesuit order on October 10, 1949, Leonard Feeney repeatedly refused to accept his summons before the Holy Office in Rome and even wrote a letter to Pope Pius XII. in which he accused this of heresy. Finally, on February 13, 1953, for his continued refusal to appear before the Holy Office, he was excommunicated by the same with the consent of the Pope. However, most of the members of the Mancipia continued to follow him even after this step.

Relocation, reconciliation and death

In 1957, Father Feeney and his followers sold all of the houses in Cambridge and moved to the country in Still River, where they, former Harvard students, began an agricultural life.

In 1972, Leonard Feeney's excommunication was finally lifted without having to renounce any of his teachings. He only had to recite a recognized Catholic creed and decided in favor of the Athanasian creed , as this was with the words: Whoever wants to be saved there must above all hold fast to the Catholic faith. Anyone who does not keep it intact and unharmed will no doubt be lost forever. begins and with This is the Catholic faith. Anyone who does not believe him sincerely and firmly cannot be saved. ends.

Along with him, part of the Saint Benedict Center began to adopt a canonical structure and is now a recognized Benedictine abbey .

Leonard Feeney died on January 30, 1978 and is buried on the grounds of the abbey in Still River next to Catherine Goddard Clarke.

Aftermath

While part of the Saint Benedict Center tried to establish a canonical structure as early as 1974, was elevated to a Benedictine priory in 1987 and an abbey in 1993, another part opposed this procedure because they rejected the post-conciliar liturgical reform. Some of these were in turn regularized according to the papal Motu Proprio Ecclesia Dei , so that today there is actually a recognized order at the diocesan level called Mancipia Immaculati Cordis Mariae. Another part in turn lives in other dioceses without recognition, but also without censorship from the church. All three groups still adhere to the rigorous interpretation of the Extra Ecclesiam Nulla Salus. The first two groups in particular, if you consider the situation in the 50s and 60s, are examples of successful reintegration of sectarian tendencies into the church.

Otherwise, the work of Father Feeney, whose excommunication caused a sensation due to his fame, has largely been forgotten outside of traditionalist circles in America, where followers of Feeney's theology often cause heated discussions.

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personal data
SURNAME Feeney, Leonard
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American Catholic priest and Jesuit
DATE OF BIRTH February 15, 1897
PLACE OF BIRTH Lynn , Massachusetts
DATE OF DEATH January 30, 1978
Place of death Ayer , Massachusetts