Saturday, March 12, 2011

Franciscans of the Primitive Observance

Over the course of the past year, Boston bloggers have had numerous informants express their observations (and concerns) about a group called "Franciscans of the Primitive Observance"

A little bit of info HERE, HERE and HERE


If you'd like to share any info about the Friars, particularly info on Fr. John Sweeney and Fr. Peter Giroux, please email me at cmmckinley at aol.com. Any info we receive will be handled with the highest level of confidentiality.

25 comments:

Anonymous said...

They sneak into a secret room at night that has a television and watch PeeWee.

Veronica

TTC said...

very funny!

TheLastCatholicinBoston said...

They definitely do not dye their hair.

I hear there is a new lead guy coming to St. Anthony's shrine soon. Perhaps to get things back to basics a bit...

What's with EBH?
Did the Free Masons snuff out a few good, but potentially dangerous Catholic men? It wouldn't be the first time...

TTC said...

LCIB,

LOL.

I read in the Herald that Convertino was being re-assigned but haven't had the time to confirm it.

I went to the Shrine on Ash Wednesday. They give out ashes on the wreckovation level all day. There's some kind of new, life-size statue in the sanctuary doing a liturgical dance with his arms in the air. I've got to go back and get a picture of it.

What a disaster his tenure has been to all that is holy. He has taken the pursuit of purification and Sacraments and turned life into a celebration of licentiousness.

I arrived there at 7:30 in the morning because I wanted to go to confession and a Mass before work. Got out of the confessional and moseyed on down to the back of the Church and asked a woman giving out the donation envelopes what time the masses were. She said 10 am because it wasn't a holy day of obligation. She said everyone had been asking her and was upset about it.

I felt like saying Lady, for people who know their faith, we wouldn't go to confession without a Mass because we're a petri dish for ten thousand demons who come back with ten thousand more until we fill our soul with the presence of The Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Our Lord.

They had all these people coming in to start their Lent off on the right foot and he doesn't schedule Masses for them before work.

What a piece of work.

The Woman of the House said...

I spoke with someone who had a very bad experience with Fr. John Sweeney. Take it for what you will, just be careful out there everyone, especially with those who have a tremendous charism that makes you think you can't live your Faith without them. They might very well be a Great Saint, or they might have a little help from below. A psychologist I know told me a story about a boss of hers. He was a secular/ atheistic college professor. He had everyone running after him at his every beck and call. He had a certain something that just drew you to him. It turned out through a strange series of events, when she confronted him about his Faith, that he very well was probably possessed. (Fr. Elijah (Michael O'Brien) sort of episode.

Adele

Anonymous said...

Adele

Charles Manson crossed my mind when I read your post.

Veronica

Anonymous said...

By the way, Adele, I just looked at your profile (Do you really have 10 children? God bless you!) and thought that was very funny - telling us that the picture of Edith Stein wasn't you. Thanks for the laugh.

Now, back to the FPO...

Veronica

Anonymous said...

Three in Heaven Veronica. Lost one recently. Yeah, St Edith Stein and I are a little different virtue-wise etc!

Adele

Anonymous said...

Adele

Truly sorry to hear about your little ones and the most recent. It must be a great consolation for you, though, to know you have three intercessors in Heaven for you and the rest of your family.

Veronica

Anonymous said...

O thanks Veronica. Yes, as an old lady I know said. "You've managed to accomplish what the rest of us have been striving our whole life to do, get our kids into Heaven. Kind of a sweet thought really!

God bless,
Adele

Anonymous said...

The Fr. John Sweeney incident is a cover up that the AD of Boston has kept very secret. I'm not sure why at this point they would still refer to those tactics. It makes you wonder how many cover-ups are still being perpetuated by the local churches. He has fallen off of the face of the earth, most likely for good reasons. This community has been in existence since the mid-90's, is not growing and will most likely fizzle away like so many other movements not inspired by the Holy Spirit.

Hank Mullaney said...

I've known the FPOs for years. They're simply humble,loyal and devout men of God.

Anonymous said...

Can we all spell "calumy"? How about "innuendo"?

Anonymous said...

Oops. Calumny.

Anonymous said...

The FPO's helped jump-start my conversion. Without their prayers and presence, I don't think I would even be anywhere close to entering the convent. Praise God! I'm entering in October! I thank them from the deepest place in my heart for all their prayers and humble witness to the life of St. Francis! I truly LOVE the FPO's!!!!!!! Thank God for them!!!

Anonymous said...

I am a former member of the community. I consider most of the men in the community, including Fr Peter to be holy humble men of God. Like countless others, I have been wounded by Fr John deeply. He needs our prayers, as he is a disturbed man in need of many prayers.

Anonymous said...

I know one of there parents and they are a wonderfull and holy people from europe. There son is following in a better direction.

Unknown said...

I know this site is s few years old, but does anyone know what happened to Fr John Sweeney?

Unknown said...

Still being hidden by the church
Not someone anyone needs to contact. No good comes from Sweeney

Anonymous said...

Still being hidden just not as well as Boston thought. Please becareful of him.

mes41412@gmail.com said...

I know the FPOs and have known the elder friars since they were in the CFRs. It's so sad what has happened wothow their community, especially the Fr. John scandal. I knew him to be very charming, but also cutthroat in his ways. I believe he destroyed a lot of vocations. So sad and.sorry for.your bad experience. Br. Felix has been a light since early on and Br. James as well. Both very kind and real.

mes41412@gmail.com said...

Yes,be careful of him.

Unknown said...

He has made the news recently, so anyone curious can look him up. The FPOs should be disbanded for everything they have done, but now Bishop Sean is faced with having to discipline one of his buddies and he was failed. This group is a symptom of the sickness.

Anonymous said...

O’Malley will be the albatross around Bergoglio’s neck regarding McCarrick. I belonged to a now suppressed religious community, the Franciscan Friars Minor in Ft. Wayne, Indiana (plagued with Joachimist/Franciscan Spirituals errors) whose founder Fr. David Mary Engo kept warning O’Malley about Fr. John Sweeney, while both Sweeney and Fr. David Mary belonged to the Franciscans of the Primitive Observance (FPO). O’Malley kept hiding the Sweeney, and deflecting, finally hiding Sweeney away in New Mexico, at the Christ in the Desert Monastery. I know this is the place, because one of our former brothers eye-witnessed him there and interacted with him. This whole think is so much bigger. We are talking about massive cover-ups, including Conclave campaigning by the St. Gallen group. I know the people in this first link I have provided below, and the “exorcism” the victim describes was described to me in detail by Fr. David Mary a co-founder of the FPO, who later was allowed to form an equally (or perhaps even more) dysfunctional and now suppressed community under Bishop Kevin Carl Rhoades in the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend. That bishop has allowed them to re-found despite an avalanche of complaints and reports from former friars who have suffered from the dysfunction that is results from the ideology espoused by this group.
www.nbcnews.com/…/woman-claims-sh…
www.youtube.com/watch

Anonymous said...

here are those links I spoke of above

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/woman-claims-she-was-molested-boston-priest-who-used-exorcism-n1003041

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvYs6fo-HiE