Mission Sunday: Collection for the District of Asia
Click here to donate
On Mission Sunday, 20 October 2024, there is a second collection at all chapels in the District of Great Britain for the apostolate of the SSPX District of Asia. Below is an interview with Father Patrick Summers, the District Superior of Asia.
ITE MISSA EST
Father Summers, please could you introduce yourself to those readers in Great Britain who do not know you?
FATHER PATRICK SUMMERS
Firstly, thank you for the opportunity to let your readers know a little about the work of the SSPX in Asia. As for myself, I was born in Michigan in 1976 into a large family. I have two brothers and five sisters. All my siblings are now married with large families of their own. After public school and college, I entered the Saint Thomas Aquinas Seminary in Winona, Minnesota. After my Ordination in 2002, I worked for two years in our priory in Post Falls, Idaho. Then I was sent to India and spent three years there before working for ten years in your District at Saint Michael’s School. Finally, I was sent back to the USA to work again in the same priory (Post Falls) before being sent back to Asia in 2018 as the new District Superior, replacing Father Karl Stehlin. This last August, I was re-appointed for another 6 years as the District Superior of Asia for a 2nd term. I think that brings us up to date.
ITE MISSA EST
So, in 2018, you were sent to the District Headquarters in Singapore to replace Father Stehlin, as he was being sent to Poland as Superior there. Were you surprised by this news?
FATHER PATRICK SUMMERS
Yes, absolutely. I had already been stationed outside of my home country for thirteen years and was happy to finally be back in the USA. So, the phone call from the Superiors to take up a new role was certainly 'a small lightning strike', which took me several days to 'digest'. However, God’s ways are not our ways … so, soon after, I went out to Asia and spent one month with Father Stehlin trying to absorb as much information as possible before he flew to Poland.
ITE MISSA EST
What does this mean 'District of Asia'? After all, there are nearly fifty countries in Asia!
FATHER PATRICK SUMMERS
Correct, it is not a simple concept when you say 'Asia'. Of course, we only work in twelve of the forty-eight countries in this vast region of the world which comprises more than half the population of humanity. We have priories in only four of those twelve countries…and the rest of the countries we visit on a weekly or monthly basis. The countries are: India, Sri Lanka, United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong ... and several other countries that it is not convenient to list here. We certainly would love to answer the call and expand to more countries, but we need more priests.
ITE MISSA EST
For such a vast region, how many priests, religious brothers and sisters do you have in your District?
FATHER PATRICK SUMMERS
We currently have twenty-four priests, fifteen brothers and fifteen Oblate sisters of the SSPX, one convent of the Consoling Sisters and a relatively new convent of Reparation Sisters. Of course, we would love to have hundreds more priests, brothers and sisters … but we must pray and do more penance to awaken the youth to answer the call of Our Lord.
'And seeing the multitudes, he had compassion on them: because they were distressed, and lying like sheep that have no shepherd. Then he saith to his disciples, The harvest indeed is great, but the labourers are few. Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he send forth labourers into his harvest.' (Matthew 9:36)
ITE MISSA EST
We sometimes hear of great difficulties for the Catholic Faith in the Far East … what do you see as some of the greatest challenges facing the Apostolate in Asia?
FATHER PATRICK SUMMERS
A good question. I will try to summarise some of the obvious challenges.
Firstly, with the exception of the Philippines, we are operating in countries that are either majority Buddhist, or majority Hindu, or majority Islamic. Naturally, this makes life more difficult for the small populations of Catholics since they are surrounded by pagans on all sides. In some countries, conversion to the Catholic faith is forbidden, in some other places even the citizens who are already Catholic are persecuted in various ways. Yes, to be a good practising Catholic in Asia is clearly a challenge.
Secondly, for the foreign priests and religious, they must try to adapt to very different cultural practices, many different languages and even brutal climates is some places. These adaptations require a physical strength for sure, but even more so a psychological and spiritual strength which comes from the Grace of God. As Our Divine Master said:
“With men this is impossible: but with God all things are possible.”(Matthew 19:26)
Thirdly, just as in Europe, the Catholic dioceses and faithful have suffered greatly due to the errors of Modernism and false Ecumenism. In every country that we function, our priests come across these poisonous errors which weaken and ultimately destroy the faith. Many souls of good will come into our chapels and churches … they are hungry for the faith. However, in many cases, they tell us that they are starving in their modernist parishes and often they do not know their Holy Faith despite many decades of going to Mass each Sunday. If they do not know their Faith, how can they love their Faith … or how can they even keep the Faith? It is truly heartbreaking to hear the stories they tell of bad catechism teachers, little or no instruction during their Sunday sermons, no substantial preparation for marriages, no idea of the good use of the Confessional … and so many other problems. After one hundred years of Modernism, the Catholic Faith is weaker than ever in these countries.
However, perhaps even more damaging is the acceptance of a false ecumenism in these countries. The idea of converting their fellow countrymen and the spread of the Catholic Faith has almost become a mythological tale … something unbelievable to most Catholics in the diocesan structures.
Of course, with both of these spiritual diseases (Modernism and false Ecumenism), there is an antidote which we are constantly dispensing through the teaching of the Catholic Faith through sermons and Catechism, orally and through books and videos.
Fourthly, we are often struggling to purchase land and build churches and chapels due to the high cost of land in these mega-cities of Asia. You only need to look at the average land cost per square meter to see how difficult it is to afford a piece of land in some of our Mass centers (e.g. Tokyo, Singapore, Hong Kong, Seoul, Manila).
Therefore, we are forced to rent out buildings or office spaces for Masses in many locations. It is not ideal, but it is the Faith that matters, not the buildings.
ITE MISSA EST
It is clear that the faithful and clergy have many challenges in Asia. What are some bright spots amid the hardships?
FATHER PATRICK SUMMERS
God is very generous in His graces to those souls of good will. There is a constant stream of souls who seek the Catholic Faith despite all the obstacles. Sometimes they are brought by their Catholic relatives and friends, sometimes by “accidental encounter” whereby God’s grace brings them across our work in strange but wonderful ways. In fact, during the weekdays, in many of our priories, the priests are kept busy by their convert catechism classes each day and into the evenings when people finish their daily jobs. It is truly a consolation to see those souls who were born and lived in darkness for many years … finally come to the realisation of the Gospel and the Infinite Love of Our Lord. Deo Gratias!
ITE MISSA EST
Thank you for your time. You can rest assured that our readers will pray for your Apostolate and their Catholic brethren in the Far East.
FATHER PATRICK SUMMERS
It was my pleasure to make our Apostolate better known. We count on your prayers and support in our attempts to bring Our Lord to all nations. Thank you.
“And Jesus coming, spoke to them, saying: All power is given to me in heaven and in earth. Going therefore, teach ye all nations; baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world.” (Matthew 28)