By Maria Janos

Tell us a little bit about yourself. Where did you grow up, and what was your level of exposure to Catholicism as a child and as a young adult?

My parents were born and raised in Czechoslovakia during the rule of communism, thus experiencing an arduous life, yet still having a happy mentality. Before communism fell in November 1989, they experienced a life without imported fruit, no habitual cup of coffee, and noting the communists’ secret attendance in churches. After communism ended, the government divided the country in 1992 into the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Deciding among a couple of countries to immigrate too, my parents settled on Canada, where all three of us were born and raised.

We are beyond blessed to have been led and nurtured by Catholic parents. Although the Catholic faith was quite modern and deficient in the Novus Ordo, which is what we were raised in, I believe we are rather fortunate to have had a wonderful upbringing which situated in us a firm Catholic foundation and mindset. Our youth consisted of faithfully attending Sunday Mass, supporting our parish, and reciting our prayers first in Slovak, then learning them in English. Despite our Catholic upbringing, our Novus Ordo parish gradually introduced peculiar “rules” and the priests mentioned a few odd things they wished to implement which really made us question our modern faith. Here is an example: Father one day announced to the congregation that after we receive communion we shouldn’t kneel and pray, but instead stand, because kneeling would be disrespectful to the other parishioners who are standing and processing to receive communion. Remarks like this were mentioned mildly, and the implementation of many other modern practices in our Novus Ordo parish were likewise introduced gently. They caused us to momentarily question the regulation, and yet we brushed it off and carried on.

The global pandemic struck during our adolescence. We were sent home from our schools and jobs, while churches closed in fear of a sickness. We were sent with the mentality that our main priority should be our health and safety; our health on this earth was supposed to be our focus, and that focus drew us away from Christian charity, an ordered lifestyle, and from Mass and the Holy Eucharist. Our modernized Catholic faith failed to teach us the importance of nurturing our immortal souls. Our attempt to continue attending Sunday Mass as a family carried on with a laptop set on the coffee table. As a result, Mass wasn’t held with the usual secular intrusions. This grace of viewing Mass unmoved assisted us to detect a lack of reverence on the part of the priest and overall respect in his liturgy. After several weeks churches reopened while following restrictions that removed the secular aspects which usually kept the New Mass “alive” and inviting. Mass was not the same without the usual accustomed distractions, and we gradually noticed ourselves falling away, dissatisfied.

What experience first piqued your interest in Tradition?

Despite the diminished value we held of our faith at that time, Our Lord had great plans for our family. Veronica, the oldest child in our family, has been, invariably, the more pious and God-fearing child out of the three of us. In the midst of our progressively lukewarm phase, Veronica always pursued Catholic devotions and books. One day she spoke to our mom about a book she had finished reading. The book regarded, from what I recall, the virtuous life of Pope John Paul II; his famous survival of an assassination, and his canonization as saint after supposedly performing miracles. Because of the increase of screen time during COVID, we viewed videos and read articles on how our current pope, Pope Francis, had begun doing a few questionable things contrary to the Catholic faith.

I remember Veronica saying, “I know Pope Francis isn’t a great pope, but Pope John Paul II, he was amazing.” She referred to the book she held and stated a few of her favorite stories about him. The book was wonderfully written, and Veronica’s explanations sounded very appealing.

Our mom responded, “I’m not so sure, a while ago I saw a video speaking against Pope John Paul II. He was not as good as you may think.”

After Veronica viewed the lengthy video, she began delving into the topic of Vatican II, which she studied carefully. She went from Pope John Paul II, to Vatican II since it was under his rule that the Council was implemented. This had been our first time hearing of the changes, and we were certainly shocked. She uncovered the numerous results of Vatican II, and more importantly she studied the Latin Mass, which after many other videos and articles she realized to be the true sacrifice of Our Lord, instituted by Christ Himself—the proper Catholic faith. This initiated our journey to Truth, and we began comprehending more thoroughly the negative effects of the Novus Ordo Mass and its absence in instructing the fullness of Catholic doctrine. As a result, we threw ourselves even more confidently into the magnitude and beauty of the Tridentine Mass and desired to preserve Tradition, even in our lifestyle.

As mentioned above, God had important plans which unfolded in our family. Our Lord was preparing the aisle for His future bride, as He desired her strong-willed sacrificial spirit to assist in the sanctification of souls, and to “return love for love.” Discovering the Traditional Latin Mass was just the beginning of Veronica being His instrument. What followed was an exceptional call to be intimately united to Christ Crucified behind the Carmelite grille.

What issues did you wrestle with during your conversion to Tradition, and how have you found resolutions to those concerns?

Throughout the time of uncovering the reality of Vatican II and following the truths that led us to the Latin Mass, we mercifully did not have many major issues to combat. The common, “expected,” thoughts drew forth the usual lack of certainty when an individual undertakes something new and unfamiliar. Are we confident that the SSPX is the wisest community to attend? The typical questions later brought answers as we gained more understanding on Catholic doctrine and apologetics.

We concluded that we loved the Latin Mass, and that we were definitely not returning to the Novus Ordo Mass. During the switch, we were consoled immensely. But a slight inclination to fear naturally seeped in.

Why did you settle on the SSPX as opposed to some other TLM community?

Our first Tridentine Mass was in a Novus Ordo parish with the FSSP. At the time, we were unaware of other parishes where the Latin Mass was said. COVID restrictions were still in place; thus the choir couldn’t sing a high mass, and communion wasn’t distributed. Despite these restrictions, we were especially grateful to attend a TLM. Since practicing our new Traditional faith, the idea of displeasing God through sin seemed to hold more weight,thus making the sacrament of confession our focus. We made a general confession after the first few visits, and we were striving to amend our lives and please God with each passing day. Spending the next six months with the FSSP, we continued researching further about Vatican II and Tradition, aiming to deepen and fully understand the crucial changes in the Church. One day, after Veronica read another article elucidating the Old Rite vs New Rite of ordination, she expressed a hesitation whether the FSSP priests were ordained by the Old rite, considering the Fraternity’s perspective on the New Mass. We thought, were our general confessions done with priests who are ordained by the New Rite? (Later on, we realized this was not the case.) Immediately afterwards, Veronica began searching for other places in our city with the Latin Mass, hoping to find priests ordained by the Old Rite, that being what we favored. An SSPX parish came up, and Veronica emailed the prior communicating our preference, and requesting if they could hear our confessions. With a response and a set time and date, all led by Veronica, we met the SSPX parish prior for our confessions. I recall entering the church, and it being my first time seeing a beautiful Latin Mass altar with no disturbing table set in the middle of the sanctuary for the Novus Ordo Mass. The church was just stunning; with everything vastly proper and Traditional. Mass with the FSSP was in a Diocesan parish and many things were unsuitable for accommodating Tradition such as the confessionals, candle supply, and modern banners hanging on either side of the altar. In addition, we noticed a slight contrast in the priest’s personal zeal and desire for saving souls. Although the priests we met in the FSSP were amazing, we seemed to connect easily to the phenomenal priests in the SSPX, largely in their consistent principles, general perspective of the state of the Church, and recognition of the crisis in the Church. Our priests solely pursue the salvation of each one of us “I say to you, that even so there shall be joy in heaven upon one sinner that doth penance …” (Lk. 15:7). Our priests’ joy is evident, and their generous and sacrificial spirit admirable.

Following our confessions, Father invited us for Sunday Mass, and we have only attended Mass with the SSPX since. Veronica then conveyed, “I have led my family to the truth, the best thing we’ll ever find on this earth, I believe I have nothing else to do here. God is calling me to leave home.” Within the first few months in the SSPX, Veronica explored different convent congregations and visited a few in the US; she concluded her discernment and decided to pursue the Carmelite vocation.

What practices or devotions within Tradition have you found to be most fruitful for you?

Devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus has been our family’s most treasured devotion. Sr. Marie of St. Peter, a Carmelite nun, described Jesus and Our Lady revealing the immense power of contemplating Christ’s wounds on His Holy Face, and the importance of this devotion in reparation of the various insults during Jesus’ Passion. Including the association to the True Image imprinted on Veronica’s veil as part of The Way of the Cross, we’ve easily favored devotion to the Holy Face.

In addition, we have a devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel and the Brown Scapular, and otherwise all things Carmelite.

Now that you are a Traditional Catholic, what are the greatest challenges that you face?

One of our first challenges was when Our Lord took away His consolations. In the beginning of our walk in Tradition, God gave us many consolations, which we believe was to help us persevere and grow in zeal for the greatness of the Latin Mass and our newly restored Catholic faith. It felt so good to pray and meditate, everything was new and exciting, and even amidst our daily responsibilities our priorities instantly shifted to glorifying God and looking forward to our next Mass. Although temptation wasn’t absent, the spiritual life held a thrill and we simply loved loving Our Lord! When this was taken away from us, each personally at a different time, the reality of the significance of personal determination hit us hard, and this began the training of our will- an entirely new notion to us, and a struggle at the start. However, it reminds us to meditate on the Passion, and elevates us beyond earthly consolations. We should love God alone, and not the occasional warm feelings.

Another distinctive challenge was the sacrifice of Veronica. We miss her very much, considering the austerity of the life of a Carmelite, and the disconnect that comes with absence of physical interaction, letter communication, and her leaving the world entirely. Nevertheless, it is certainly an even greater gain. To have a Carmelite vocation in our immediate family is an indescribable blessing and grace, to have the assurance of prayers and sacrifices for us from a holy soul, marked with familial affection.

Do you have any advice for the reader who may be considering, but not yet committed to Tradition?

Reverence, satisfaction, and awe quickly replaced our former notion of the Tridentine Mass. Our previous thoughts leading up to our first Latin Mass were the ordinary complaints spoken by many other questioning Novus Ordo Catholics: “I won’t understand a thing if Mass is said in Latin. How am I supposed to follow along, if the language is foreign to me?” “I attend Mass for the joy of singing along to the strumming of our guitarists.” “Is the Tridentine Mass even Catholic? I have never heard of it, and I am a baptized Catholic!” I can assure you, you are not alone in these thoughts.

“Seek ye therefore first the kingdom of God…” (Mt. 6:33). In comparison with the countless secular and lay denominations in Christianity, the Tridentine Mass is the singular, unique Divine Liturgy, where you obtain a glimpse of Heaven, and grow in the virtue of hope. Where you will serve Christ the way He ought to be served, and in this way, prove and return His love for us.

Our SSPX priests and religious obviously exert themselves for and desire the salvation of souls, as is God’s Will for us, that we be sanctified. Having these exemplary figures to continually look up to helps us contemplate this end, and makes known the charity of Christ through their sacrifices for the salvation of souls. The SSPX provides a reasonable viewpoint and approach to the crisis in the Church, which makes parishioners understand more fully the evils that are present in the world, and thus comprehend the importance of returning to Tradition. Many world crises brought back the realization that living without Christ as King is impossible. We must always keep in mind that there are evils which God allows for His glory and for our greater good, and blessed are the trials that turn us back to seeking Him.

TITLE IMAGE: Girl in a Wood, Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890).