{"id":8325,"date":"2020-09-25T16:35:00","date_gmt":"2020-09-25T14:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.theotokos.co.za\/?p=8325"},"modified":"2020-09-25T19:22:20","modified_gmt":"2020-09-25T17:22:20","slug":"st-marys-kansas-an-sspx-town","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.theotokos.co.za\/?p=8325","title":{"rendered":"St Marys, Kansas &#8211; an SSPX town"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"fcbkbttn_buttons_block\" id=\"fcbkbttn_left\"><div class=\"fcbkbttn_button\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/DiscussingAdventismBook\" target=\"_blank\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.theotokos.co.za\/wp-content\/plugins\/facebook-button-plugin\/images\/standard-facebook-ico.png\" alt=\"Fb-Button\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div><div class=\"fcbkbttn_like \"><fb:like href=\"https:\/\/blog.theotokos.co.za\/?p=8325\" action=\"like\" colorscheme=\"light\" layout=\"standard\"  width=\"400px\" size=\"small\"><\/fb:like><\/div><div class=\"fb-share-button  \" data-href=\"https:\/\/blog.theotokos.co.za\/?p=8325\" data-type=\"button_count\" data-size=\"small\"><\/div><\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">My <a href=\"http:\/\/blog.theotokos.co.za\/?p=7744\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">blog series<\/a> on the Society of St Pius X (SSPX) and the COVID pandemic has caught the attention of at least one person in St Marys, Kansas, USA. So I&#8217;ll say hello here to all the other St Marys residents too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-heading\"><strong><span style=\"color:#cf2e2e\" class=\"color\">Hello to St Marys, Kansas!!<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"http:\/\/blog.theotokos.co.za\/?attachment_id=8323\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.theotokos.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Catholic-church-St-Marys-Kansas-USA-1851.jpg\" alt=\"Catholic church, St Marys, Kansas, USA, 1851\" class=\"wp-image-8323\" width=\"412\" height=\"220\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.theotokos.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Catholic-church-St-Marys-Kansas-USA-1851.jpg 549w, https:\/\/blog.theotokos.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Catholic-church-St-Marys-Kansas-USA-1851-300x160.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.theotokos.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Catholic-church-St-Marys-Kansas-USA-1851-150x80.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 412px) 100vw, 412px\" \/><\/a><figcaption>Catholic church, St Marys, Kansas, USA, 1851<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/St._Marys,_Kansas\">St Marys, Kansas<\/a>, is a town with a population of about 2600 people, and a size of 3.05 km<sup>2<\/sup>. It is apparently an SSPX-dominated stronghold, but there are other churches there &#8211; <a href=\"http:\/\/www.smks.info\/churches.html\">Methodist and Baptist<\/a> &#8211; who hopefully keep the SSPX under control. I wonder what they think about their SSPX co-dwellers. If you&#8217;re not SSPX, and you live in St Marys, please <a href=\"http:\/\/blog.theotokos.co.za\/?page_id=408\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">let me know<\/a> what it&#8217;s like. (If you are SSPX, feel free to <a href=\"http:\/\/blog.theotokos.co.za\/?page_id=408\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">let me know<\/a> too.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There&#8217;s a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.immaculateconceptionstmarys.com\/\">Catholic church<\/a> as well, and it seems to belong to the legitimate Catholic Church. Their parish priest and their bishop are legitimate, and their bishop visits them. They promote the use of masks during Mass, as well as social distancing, so they are reasonable people who want to keep others safe. It must be strange for normal Catholics to live in an SSPX town.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"http:\/\/blog.theotokos.co.za\/?attachment_id=8324\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.theotokos.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Why-you-should-wear-face-masks.jpg\" alt=\"Why you should wear face masks\" class=\"wp-image-8324\" width=\"371\" height=\"480\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.theotokos.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Why-you-should-wear-face-masks.jpg 742w, https:\/\/blog.theotokos.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Why-you-should-wear-face-masks-232x300.jpg 232w, https:\/\/blog.theotokos.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Why-you-should-wear-face-masks-116x150.jpg 116w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 371px) 100vw, 371px\" \/><\/a><figcaption>Why you should wear face masks<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The town has a website, and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.smks.info\/blog\/bertrand-avenue\">their town&#8217;s logo includes two pentagrams<\/a>. Whatever that <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Pentagram#Western_symbolism\">means to them<\/a>. As for the SSPX component, I wonder if they bother with masks at all, or if they&#8217;re following quacks in this regard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I&#8217;ll have to do more reading on this place. I found two longer articles. One positive, and one negative. Be wary of both.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The first:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/magazine\/archive\/2020\/01\/retreat-christian-soldiers\/603043\/\">The Christian Withdrawal Experiment \u2013 SSPX in Kansas, USA<\/a> \u2013 The Atlantic<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The second, from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/user\/bowsmith745\/comments\/93i6x3\/st_marys_kansas_sspx_fssp_is_it_a_cult\/\">Reddit<\/a>, I will embed below. It tells of the life of a young child (age 7-13) living in St Marys in an SSPX family. It&#8217;s not clear why they moved away, and whether they stuck with the SSPX after that. Note that it&#8217;s the childhood recollections of someone who gets a fair bit wrong when he uses Catholic terminology &#8211; &#8220;<em>enrollment<\/em>&#8221; instead of &#8220;<em>annulment<\/em>&#8221; for example, and mixing up the SSPX and FSSP. It may not depict the SSPX accurately, but it is certainly his own valid experience, which is rather disturbing. It sounds similar to non-SSPX cult experiences I&#8217;ve read, and it sounds similar to some SSPX experiences I&#8217;ve read. The dominating cult atmosphere portrayed in these experiences is not what I experienced attending <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/blog.theotokos.co.za\/?p=7744\" target=\"_blank\">the local SSPX chapel<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"reddit-card\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/user\/bowsmith745\/comments\/93i6x3\/st_marys_kansas_sspx_fssp_is_it_a_cult\/\">St Marys Kansas SSPX &#8211; FSSP is it a cult ?<\/a> from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/user\/bowsmith745\">u\/bowsmith745<\/a><\/blockquote>\n<script async=\"\" src=\"\/\/embed.redditmedia.com\/widgets\/platform.js\" charset=\"UTF-8\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><a href=\"http:\/\/blog.theotokos.co.za\/?attachment_id=8336\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"681\" height=\"499\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.theotokos.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/I-miss-the-rains-down-in-Africa.jpg\" alt=\"I miss the rains down in Africa\" class=\"wp-image-8336\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.theotokos.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/I-miss-the-rains-down-in-Africa.jpg 681w, https:\/\/blog.theotokos.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/I-miss-the-rains-down-in-Africa-300x220.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.theotokos.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/I-miss-the-rains-down-in-Africa-150x110.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 681px) 100vw, 681px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>My blog series on the Society of St Pius X (SSPX) and the COVID pandemic has caught the attention of at least one person in St Marys, Kansas, USA. So I&#8217;ll say hello here to all the other St Marys residents too.<br \/>\nHello to St Marys, Kansas!!<\/p><p><a class=\"more-link btn\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.theotokos.co.za\/?p=8325\">Continue reading<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8323,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"St Marys, Kansas - an SSPX town\n#SSPX #StMarys @sspxen\n#happysabbath\n","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1569],"tags":[192,1577,1610,1499,350,1609,1611],"class_list":["post-8325","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sspx-and-traditionalism","tag-cult","tag-masks","tag-reddit","tag-social-distancing","tag-sspx","tag-st-marys","tag-st-marys-kansas","item-wrap"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3fpVQ-2ah","jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blog.theotokos.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Catholic-church-St-Marys-Kansas-USA-1851.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.theotokos.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8325","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.theotokos.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.theotokos.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.theotokos.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.theotokos.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8325"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blog.theotokos.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8325\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9406,"href":"https:\/\/blog.theotokos.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8325\/revisions\/9406"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.theotokos.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8323"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.theotokos.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8325"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.theotokos.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8325"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.theotokos.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8325"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}