From: https://catholicism.org/father-feeney.html With the benefit of hindsight (e.g. what has happened to the Once-Holy Jesuit Order today), may we say that diluting EENS, especially in Catholic Preaching, with "anonymous Christian" soteriology etc has been a mistake? Extra Ecclesiam Nulla Salus used to mean something. "One of the most outstanding prophets of our time." — Hamish Fraser "The greatest theologian we have in the United States, by far." — Rev. John J. McEleny, S.J., (Father's Jesuit Provincial) "The greatest theologian in the Catholic Church today." — John Cardinal Wright Leonard Feeney was born in Lynn, Massachusetts on February 15, 1897. On the eve of Our Lady's Nativity, September 7, 1914, he entered the Jesuit Novitiate of Saint Andrew in upstate New York. During his 14 year formation as a Jesuit, he studied in England, Wales, Belgium, France, and the U.S.A. At the end of a brilliant scholasticate and theologate, he took religious vows as a son of Saint Ignatius, and was ordained a priest on June 20, 1928. Father Feeney then embarked on what would become one of the most celebrated careers any priest could enjoy as a writer, lecturer and editor. During the 1930's he was literary editor of America, the Jesuit-run Catholic monthly. At the same time, his books, published by some of the major publishers of that time, were becoming standards in Catholic schools and homes all across the country. They include Riddle and Reverie (MacMillan, 1936), Song for a Listener (MacMillan, 1936), You'd Better Come Quietly (Sheed and Ward, 1939), The Leonard Feeney Omnibus (Sheed and Ward, 1943), Your Second Childhood (Bruce Publishing Company, 1945) Mother Seton, an American Woman (Dodd, Mead & Company, 1948), Survival Till Seventeen (Sheed and Ward, 1948). Father's genius as a writer, speaker and theologian, was attested to by some of the most prominent Catholic figures of his day. Bishop Fulton Sheen once said that the only substitute he would allow on his radio show was Father Feeney. Frank Sheed, of Sheed and Ward said, "For Father Feeney, dogma is not only true; it is breathlessly exciting. That is his special vocation. . . to make his readers feel the thrill." During Father's days at Oxford, Lord Cecil, the famous Oxford don admitted, "I am getting more out of my association with Leonard Feeney than he could possibly get from me." Of the Jesuit's writing, Cecil said, "it shines with a pure, clear light." In 1942, during the height of his literary fame, Father Feeney was transferred by his Jesuit superiors to Saint Benedict Center, a Catholic student center which had been founded two years earlier by Catherine Goddard Clarke. Mrs. Clarke had sought the permission of the then-Archbishop of Boston, William Cardinal O'Connell, to establish an educational oasis of Catholic truth close to the renowned secular universities in that area. The Cardinal readily agreed to the project, admonishing Mrs. Clarke to "teach the Faith without compromise." So it was that Saint Benedict Center quietly came into existence that year at the intersection of Bow and Arrow Streets in Harvard Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts. The Center's initial purpose was to provide religious instruction for the Catholic students of the universities and, in keeping with the instructions of Cardinal O'Connell, its policy was to teach the authentic doctrines of the Church through the study of Holy Scripture, and the writings of the Fathers, Doctors, and Saints of the Church. This program of studies achieved immediate success, filling the spiritual vacuum created by an obvious deficiency in the neighboring academic institutions. The Center was attended in large and growing numbers. With Father Feeney's transfer to Saint Benedict Center, a whole new era in his life — and in the lives of countless others — was to commence. Within three years, he came to see clearly that the Church was headed down a dangerous path of compromise and accommodation, leading to what is now universally recognized as a "crisis in the Church." Not only did Father see the problem before anybody else, he also saw the primary cause: the obscuring of the Catholic Church's teaching "outside the Church, there is no salvation" (extra ecclesiam nulla salus). In 1949, with the loyal support of those who had become his spiritual children, Father Feeney founded the Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. From the foundation of the Congregation until his death in 1978, Father Feeney continued to teach his disciples and form them into a community of apostles dedicated, not only to the restoration of the Dogma of Faith, extra ecclesiam nulla salus, but also to the conversion of the United States of America to the One, True Faith, outside of which no one at all is saved. After Father Feeney’s death in 1978, the great Scottish apostle of Christ the King, Hamish Fraser, eulogized him as "one of the most outstanding prophets of our time. For not only did he most accurately diagnose the contemporary malaise, long before others became aware of it; he also put his finger on the very omission which was both symptom and cause of the plague of liberal indifferentism which eventually surfaced as post-Conciliar Neomodernism and oecumania."
Traditionally, almost every Catholic understood EENS to mean at least this much - non-Christians and non-Catholics to whom we are speaking must be told they must embrace the Catholic Faith to be saved. For e.g. see this article in the Remnant, written by a Protestant convert to our Catholic Faith, https://remnantnewspaper.com/web/index.php/articles/item/3931-where-have-all-the-catholics-gone It's also not that controversial in theology to teach that all must embrace the Catholic Faith before their death, in order to obtain the grace of final perseverance, and attain to full salvation. See CCC 161 and CCC 848 http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p1s1c3a1.htm "The necessity of faith 161 Believing in Jesus Christ and in the One who sent him for our salvation is necessary for obtaining that salvation.42 "Since "without faith it is impossible to please [God]" and to attain to the fellowship of his sons, therefore without faith no one has ever attained justification, nor will anyone obtain eternal life 'But he who endures to the end.'"43 and 848 "Although in ways known to himself God can lead those who, through no fault of their own, are ignorant of the Gospel, to that faith without which it is impossible to please him, the Church still has the obligation and also the sacred right to evangelize all men." Today's liberals have made EENS almost the opposite; almost anyone and everyone, even those who hate Christ, deny God, worship idols etc can be saved, Cardinal Cushing, a liberal ecumenist who opposed Fr. Feeney, later told a Protestant friend of his, "We're told there is no salvation outside the church— nonsense." Of course, Fr. Feeney died fully reconciled with the Catholic Church under Pope Paul VI after the Second Vatican Council, and after receiving last rites and the Sacraments. Thoughts on whether it is better to preach EENS in a frank and straightforward way, that it is necessary for all to embrace the Catholic Faith to b saved? Before a Cardinal friend of Pope Paul VI, Fr. Feeney was simply asked to profess the Athanasian Creed, which has the dogmatic statement, "Whoever therefore wishes to be saved, it is necessary before all things to hold the Catholic Faith. Which Faith except each one holds firmly and faithfully, he cannot be saved".
In the light of the universalism that has overtaken The Church in recent times, we would have been better to stick with Feeneyism. However, his was the strictest possible interpretation of a debate that had being going on for many centuries. I personally think that the absolute truth in this manner lies much, much closer to Feeney than to the modern ecumenists, but wouldn't go so far as he did. If Feeney was right, this would have meant that a great Christian like C.S. Lewis would have been denied any possibility of salvation. How many here would think this to really be so?
I have recently been drawn to this topic which amazes me now that you’ve posted it. I wonder what the reverse perspective holds in store? What I mean by that is that I have been personally confronted by the Baptist’s view that we Catholics are the ones who will not be saved. I find myself praying for our brothers not fully in line with Christ’s Church. But if Feeney is right - and I’ve been drawn to Fr Isaac Mary Reyea at Fatima.org - then if other forms of Christians are outright condemning us Catholics will they still be granted the mercy of God? Thankfully I’m not the judge but I do believe we must be in line with Christ’s Church to enter the narrow gate.
Universal ism is a heresy. It is not easy to be saved -- but we live in a world that draws with crooked lines -- some people get very close to the Catholic Church yet do not enter the boat. Much is a mystery - but heaven would not be heaven without CS Lewis -- Luke 5v3 3 He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat. The latter appears to refer to the one holy Catholic Church -- where there is Peter there is the Church, the teaching Church. Mark 4v36 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. And then again - Mark Chapter 9 38 “Teacher,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us. 39 “Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, 40 for whoever is not against us is for us. 41 Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward.
"...unto whomsoever much is given, of him much shall be required". What does this imply for those of good will who have been unfortunate enough to have been born into circumstances in which they have been given little knowledge? Not to mention those of us who have!?
The Baltimore Catechism of 1962 has a picture of the Holy Catholic Church as being a huge ship, while tied to her sides are small lifeboats. The meaning is that salvation can only come through the merits of Christ’s Church, whether on the main ship or a lifeboat attached. This was the way I was taught the Catechism. It’s really a confirmation of what garabandal posted.
What a wonderful thought - small lifeboats attached to the Barque -- Bring back the Baltimore Catechism!!!!
