Orthodox Roman Catholic Movement
I sought information on the ORCM, its founders and present condition after learning from the Our Lady of Fatima, Spring Hills history page, that it was founded by a Fr. Francis Fenton. I was aware that Bishop Robert McKenna uses the name for his group. Therefore, I was curious as to the history of the group.
I had asked Fr. Morrisson, the Rt. Rev. Oliver Oravec, (who is close to the Rt. Rev. Robert Fidelis McKenna), H.H. Pope Michael I, Mrs. Teresa Benns and another person who wishes to remain anonymous. Fr. Morrisson said that he could not provide information, while Oravec did not reply.
Prax Maskaren.
Pope Michael [email protected]. Friday, 9th May 2003.
I have to think back, but I first met Fr. Fenton in 1969, when he was on the John Birch Society speakers bureau circuit. It was shortly after my dad had converted, but was still active in political things. Dad found Fr. Fenton a church to say Mass in. (English pre-Novus Ordo).
We met with him again in northern Oklahoma, when he was there for a speech. Then he quit the Novus Ordo and founded the ORCM. They were the first Traditionalist Organization in the United States.
Fenton eventually attracted McKenna and a few other priests, including Fr. Jones and Fr. White (RIP), both in Colorado. He founded a seminary and went to Lefebvre to ask to be consecrated bishop. Lefebvre refused, so Fenton sent his men to Armada under Anthony Ward, who eventually left Lefebvre. The three remained faithful, although they were a bit strange. All three were eventually ordained by Lefebvre.
McKenna split with Fenton and Fenton ended up in Colorado Springs and the ORCM eventually ceased to exist. However at one time they had several priests, including a Fr. Gorecki.
Fr. Goercki is an interesting story. I was in Econe, when he arrived to speak with Lefebvre, but never got it. But a Mr. Verani (spelling is probably wrong), from Detroit, Michigan. I had met him before at Armada, when I visited prior to entering. Verani got straight in to Lefebvre, where as Fr. Gorecki waitied a week and never got an audience.
Come to find out later Verani, who was in the paving business, was big into the Mafia. Never thought I would meet a Mafia kingpin, and at the time I didn�t know it.
The three seminarians that eventually ended up in Econe became Lefebvre priests, two with the dissident dozen, who split with Kelly and Sanborn in 1983, the other stayed with the Society, only to leave and get married. (I have met his brother here, who lives in Saint Marys, who related the story.)
I don�t know a whole lot, but hope this helps.
Pope Michael
From Anonymous:
I have this information on the ORCM from Karl Pruter and J. Gordon Melton, The Old Catholic Sourcebook, New York 1983:
Possibly the most interesting of the Traditionalist groups, because of their former leader Fr. Francis E. Fenton, the Orthodox Roman Catholic Movement grew out of the efforts of a group of Catholic laymen who wanted to support Traditionalists chapels and priests who would offer the Latin Mass. Responding to the introduction of the new mass in the United States in March 1970, Fr. Fenton began holding a Tridentine Mass in a private home in Sandy Hook, Connecticut. In March 1972 the group acquired a chapel in Brewster, New York. Later they purchased a chapel in Monroe, Connecticut, where they installed Fr. Robert McKenna as pastor-priest in January 1973.
By fall 1975 four additional priests joined the ORCM Frs. Paul Marceau, Charles P. Donohue, Leo M. Carley and Daniel E. Jones, and services were being held in California, Colorado, Florida, New Jersey and New York. A growth period followed, and by 1979 a circuit system set up among the eleven priests offered traditional masses in sixteen states.
The ORCM was an aggressive movement, and from its presses came several books and numerous pamphlets on the mass, modest dress, freemasonry, obedience to the Pope, and modern trends in the Roman Church. The Movement stood firm on "Quo Primum" and the belief that the new mass was doctrinally unsound. It has been unduly influenced in a Protestant direction.
Controversy plagued the ORCM from the beginning also. Fr. Fenton's membership in and vocal support for the John Birch Society led to continual criticism from potential supporters. While many respected the "conservative" stance of the Society and its strong opposition to communism, they disapproved of Fenton's support of a non-Catholic organization. His support distracted followers from the more central concerns of the Traditionalist Movement.
In the late 1970's internal disputes that had grown within the movement became public. Fr. Fenton and Fr. McKenna, never friendly, came into conflict over the latter's addition to the ORCM Board. A two-year battle for control of the ORCM led to a split with Fr. McKenna coming out in control. He now (1981) heads the movement from the headquarters in Monroe, Connecticut, and reports 15 chapels and missions with regularly scheduled masses.
Teresa Stanfill-Benns. 12 May 2003.
I began going occasionally to Fr. Fenton's masses in Aurora, Colorado in 1977. Fenton was a controversial figure because he was a rabid supporter of the John Birch Society, a political organization here with the stated purpose of fighting Communism. At that time he was with the Orthodox Roman Catholic Movement out of New Jersey.
In 1974, he endorsed a book entitlted In Defense of the Faith as a member of the Confraternity of Traditional Catholicism. It was a fairly mild piece on why folks should attend Trad masses rather than the N.O.
Fenton received a lot of flack from the folks in Aurora over introducing Birch themes into his sermons. One of the church's wealthier supporters succeeded in having him removed. He then went to Colorado Springs, CO where I believe he was briefly involved with the St. Pius V Society.
Fr. Robert McKenna, Dan Jones, Fr. Placid White who baptized my husband and a few others were on the old ORCM circuit with him prior to that move.
While in Colorado Springs Fenton established a newsletter called The Athanasian to which I contributed a few of my first religious articles.
We left the area shortly after that (1981) and Fenton was still in the Springs near his Birchite friends Bill and Rita Quinn. He died sometime in the 1980s.
We attended Jones' 'masses' for a few years until we realized he was not a priest, then became involved with Martin Gwynne and attended the masses of Fr. Philip Shelmerdine, who I believe was one of the last few priests left. He (Fr. Shelmerdine) died after undergoing long spells of fasting and herbal treatments while with Gwynne.
Since 1984 we have not attended any masses at all save one, and I did not receive the sacraments. It will soon be 20 years now that we have been out of the Traditional movement for good.
Hope this is of some help.
God Bless,
Teresa Benns
Anonymous reported a Fr. Paul Marceau.
The Our Lady of Fatima, Spring Hills site also informs that that church was consecrated by the Rt. Rev. Paul Marceau.
That means that sometime in between Fr. Paul Marceau had received episcopal consecration.
Anonymous knows nothing of this. And there is no information today that I can find on him. Perhaps he is no longer living?
Prax Maskaren