Dear Reader,

We are pleased to present to you this issue of The Angelus which covers the most dangerous heresy which the Church has ever faced: Modernism. As unsavory as the topic of Modernism may seem at first, we of the Society of Saint Pius X are greatly indebted to our namesake for having pierced through the mask of this evasive heresy. And the present malaise which we are dealing with at all echelons of the hierarchy is hardly more than a replica of the Modernism of the earlier days.

Along with this effort, it is always an enriching exercise to pit our brains at the past woes which can only put into full light the foundations of our Creed and our Christian morals. In this, G. K. Chesterton, prominently figured here, was a real master with his depth of thought and wit. Other articles give us lessons of history: an American perspective of Le Sillon; a sketch of St. Pius X by G. K. Chesterton; and a study of the process of dechristianization in Europe bring a historical understanding of Modernism.

As we progress—or digress—through the 21st century, we can understand more readily the present ecclesiastical situation, in the midst of a more powerful and more universal persecution, all the more insidious as it is more subtle. Hence, the formation of the so-called “remnant” mentioned in the Apocalypse (12:17): “And the dragon was angry against the woman: and went to make war with the rest of her seed, who keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”

Confronted with the seven-headed dragon, the best thing we can do, short of locking ourselves up in a monastery, is to feed our mind and soul with the eternal truths and principles of our dear Faith, to have our families get on their knees at the end of the day and entrust our future, our souls and our society to the mercy of God and the love of His Blessed Mother. She is the one who has already crushed the head of the serpent.

Fr. John Fullerton
Publisher