By Jim and Marise Gerrity

1. When did you come to Tradition and what brought you to it?

We are so blessed with the grace to have been born in the Catholic Church, to have been educated by our parents, many good religious and clergy in our Faith and to have received the sacraments of the Church throughout our lives.

Traditional Catholicism spans a major part of the seventy plus years from our birth and baptism. We are both “baby boomers,” born in the early 1950s to Catholic parents who were all raised in the Faith for many generations as far back as we can know. So we were traditionalists in a true sense. However, as we came of age in our teen years and later, all that was firm and unquestioned started to disappear in our parishes and in our schools. Tradition became an unmentionable mode of practicing the Catholic Faith. The religious who had educated us left in droves. Sister “Mary Andre” became “Sister Diane” overnight, leaving her identity as a religious behind. The nuns’ habits disappeared and “street clothes” became the fashion. The Mass changed, head coverings for women became passé and so very many rules were forgotten. There was a nagging uncertainty that all the truths were open for debate or even to be discarded.

During those years we wandered, never leaving the Church, but weaving our way in and out of banal and sometimes truly blasphemous liturgical rites and a lack of catechesis during the last years of our Catholic educations. We received no instruction before our marriage and saw family and friends leave the Church, departing to other various forms of worship or, in many instances, leaving religious practices entirely.

After a decade in this limbo, we arrived at a crisis that required a decision that had to be made to defend our beliefs and find answers to solve the quandary that we found ourselves in. At the Novus Ordo parish school which our children were attending, non-Catholic students were allowed to receive Communion at the once-a-month Mass that the students attended. This was the step too far. There was no way to avoid a confrontation with this situation. After all our petitions to the teachers, to the principal, to the pastor and eventually to the chancery we were told to be more tolerant. At that point, we chose to take our children home for schooling. This was the start of an entire new course in our lives.

2. At what point did you start attending with the SSPX and why did you do so?

In that transition, we met another Catholic mother who also homeschooled (there were only a handful of us at that time). Her family attended an SSPX chapel about forty-five minutes from our home. We were intrigued, but very nervous to take what appeared to be a potentially “schismatic” step.

We met with the priest who, at that time, was helping the District with that chapel. He was a priest who had been ordained in the diocese but was dismissed when he would not allow women to distribute Communion at his Masses. He listened to our story then explained that the Society was not deemed to be in schism. He said that he sympathized, understood and would accept our decision whether to attend Mass at the chapel, but still be available for spiritual support and counseling as we might have questions. He further said that we, as adults, grounded already in the Faith by our upbringing, might survive the turmoil in the Church; however, our children very well might not. That comment weighed heavily on our hearts. Looking back on our younger years we now fully understood the gravity of our children’s spiritual welfare.

Both of us attended Ignatian retreats that a Society priest conducted. We were deeply moved by the depth of the spirituality and guidance that we experienced. From that time on we decided to attend Mass at the SSPX chapel. This was not an easy decision as we had heard so many times that we would be placing ourselves in contradiction to the pope and his authorities. For a time we would regularly reevaluate our decision. Over time, it became apparent that we were receiving sound doctrinal teaching and spiritual assistance, never encountering any questionable theology. We have never looked back.

This little chapel we attended was a gem in the rough. The parishioners had bought an abandoned school house and they themselves had completed all the work to make it a fitting place for the Mass. The other parish that this priest served for the Society was about fifty miles away. Their Mass was in the morning on Sundays but in a hotel room at the time. Eventually, a rented space was secured in a strip mall where there was a competition for parking spaces with the adjoining restaurant. Later, a very small, abandoned protestant chapel was purchased and accommodated an ever-growing congregation, and eventually a small school.

After this priest left to become independent, the Society began again to send priests each weekend. There was no consistency, we never knew who was coming and as our little chapel was the third Mass center that was serviced on any Sunday, travel issues and weather would sometimes disrupt the schedule. There were Sundays when parishioners would come to the chapel, say their Rosary, read their missals and drive home with no Mass that day.

The people we met at these chapels had many stories similar to ours. One gentleman told us that when his wife told him that she had finally found a Mass that they could attend and appreciate, he was appalled to find how humble and “unofficial” it all appeared. However, after attending only once, he understood precisely what his wife had told him.

3. Did your other family members also become traditional Catholic? What effect have you seen on family members from becoming or not becoming traditional Catholic?

Although our parents remained faithful Catholics until the day of their deaths, they never returned to tradition. Our siblings, their families and any extended family we had at that point, had mostly left the Church, so we were the only members that took the path to Tradition. This caused some consternation on our parents’ part, but as one of them said, “the proof is in the pudding” as our children were devout and well-behaved. They supported our decision and attended family occasions such as First Communions, weddings and even an ordination for one of their grandsons. When we were confused and troubled that our extended family members did not try to pursue Tradition, one cleric very sagely said to us, “do not ask why they do not understand, but rather why you were given the grace to understand.”

4. Have any of your children and/or grandchildren pursued a vocation? Do you think they would have done so if they were not raised in Tradition?

We have been blessed with a family that has remained in Tradition. Four of our five children married Catholic spouses and have raised their own children in the Faith. One of our sons was ordained a priest at Winona in 2010. Our twenty-nine grandchildren range in age from one to twenty-two. One granddaughter is a postulant with the Franciscans at Christ the King Convent in Kansas City. Our oldest grandson has recently become engaged to a lovely young lady from his parish—so another generation will be establishing itself in Tradition. Deo gratias. We truly feel that this is due solely to God’s grace and the formation that we all were able to receive from the Mass and sacraments, homeschooling, SSPX schools and all that the District offers in their books and online lectures.

5. In what ways has being a traditional Catholic become easier over the decades and in what ways has it become harder?☺

The difference in our lives before our journey to Tradition in 1989 has been a remarkable one. We are at ease with how our lives have unfolded, easy or hard, because we are surrounded by like-believing parishioners and are encouraged by looking around and seeing the hard work that the priests and religious perform, the pious and rigorous lifestyle that the families pursue and that we are part of a catholic (universal) adoration of God. With all this and with the growth of Mass centers and priories in the United States District, as well as schools and retreats, life since the days of Mass at 2pm in a rustic setting or hotel room is very easy.

What has become harder is the confusion and sometimes hostility that greet our Faith and the lifestyle that accompanies it. These evoke from the world at large and from individuals, shock, contempt and dismay. The shock that results when we answer after being asked if we have grandchildren and how many is distressing and amusing at the same time. Seeing the lack of awareness, respect or understanding of wanting to know and serve God is very difficult.

What recommendations would you have for those who are just coming into the traditional Catholic world?

To those discovering Tradition for the first time, consistency is important. Consistency along with example are the most important ways to help our own families and extended family and friends understand that this is a well-thought decision, a commitment to know God and how to serve Him. Neither hesitancy nor stridency in answering legitimate questions helps with understanding on either party’s part. For those coming to Tradition, take advantage of all the classes, conferences, sermons and books that are made available to educate yourself so as to be at ease with your journey to the Traditional Mass and sacraments. This will enable those interested to be able to better receive the fullness and depth of what Our Lord has to offer to us in His Church.

What recommendations would you have for young couples who are starting out their traditional Catholic family? What should they do to assist their children to maintain the faith in a godless world?

Our advice to young families discovering Traditional Catholicism contains prayer, the daily Rosary, consecration of the home to the Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart. A disciplined and joyous lifestyle is the means that are available to all Catholics to stay firm in the Faith and conduct our lives accordingly. When you attend Mass and your children see other children dressed appropriately, people praying with devotion and attention, and all that they have learned from your example along with the people before them, you are buttressed and supported in your decisions at home.