FOR THE SAKE OF MY BRETHREN

The tree Fleur de Lys stand for France, the motherland, and Quebec, my native province, and so does the blue. They stand also for the virtue of purity. They are three in number in honor of the Blessed Trinity.

The boat represents the one true Ark of Salvation, the Holy Catholic Church, the virtue of Faith, my many travels in the maritime provinces of Canada and especially New Brunswick, and remind us that we are travelers and strangers in this world. It has an anchor, which represents the virtue of Hope. The boat stands on the waters of the world, because we are to despise it.

The motto Propter Fratres Meos is taken from Psalm 121. It explains the motive of this episcopal consecration in these dire times we live in: For the sake of my Brethren. The virtue of Charity is the reason why I accepted the Episcopacy, my brethren being in dire need of a bishop to guide them.

The two insigna, miter and crosier signify that traditional Catholic Bishops truly hold the authority of Our Lord Jesus Christ as successors of the Apostles, and should exercise the firm and gentle role to guide the flock towards Heaven, having no doubt that God requests them to be shepherds in the full sense of the word.

Mgr Roy

Letter of Most Reverend Rodrigo Ribeiro da Silva announcing the Episcopal Consecration

Most Rev. Rodrigo H. Ribeiro da Silva

Seminário São José, Estr. dos Padeiros, 6300 - Sítio Tres Nascentes, Juquitiba - SP, 06950-000

November 16, 2023

Dear Faithful of Canada and North America,

I am currently in Mexico, visiting various churches and priests who work with us in the apostolate. Approximately two months ago, as you already know, I had serious health issues, but now – Deo gratias! – I am fine and enjoy a good health. The reason for this letter is to give you some very important news, which I believe will be for the greater good of the Holy Catholic Church, for the Glory of God and for the good and salvation of souls. I intend to consecrate Rev. Fr. Pierre Joseph Roch Roy to the Episcopacy. The ceremony will take place on January 7, 2024, in São Paulo, Brazil.

Fr. Roy, of French-Canadian nationality, has had, for many years, a very large and fruitful apostolate in Canada, and is a good priest of sound doctrine; for which reason I judge that he is suitable to be elevated to the Episcopacy.

Why another Bishop? some will ask, are not the bishops we already have sufficient? As you know, it is my duty to take care of the churches and missions which His Excellency Bishop Daniel Dolan (RIP) attended in México and all of South America; which have proved, in these past two years, to be a huge, overwhelming, and exhausting work. Therefore, I shall consecrate Rev. Fr. Pierre Roy to the Episcopacy so that he may work alongside me in the apostolate and the administering of the Sacraments in Canada, which I have previously been responsible for as well. In addition, I judge this consecration to be prudent, given the current state of affairs we are experiencing worldwide: quarantine and lockdowns are not so far behind us; the Covid “vaccines” passport could come back; many countries have closed their borders for an extended period of time not so long ago and could very well do it again in the future; we are seeing wars raging (Russia-Ukraine; Israel-Palestine) and we do not know how they may escalate in the near future. It seems prudent to look at the history of the recent years as a warning from God to get ready for more dire times and to not wait for the situation to degenerate before we organize everything necessary to ensure the survival of the Christian people.

The faithful of Canada have been deprived of the Sacraments of Confirmation and of Holy Orders for years during the lockdowns, and have been through extended periods of closed borders. Not only during this time more than a hundred people were awaiting anxiously to receive the Sacrament of Holy Confirmation, but even now, it would be hard for priestly vocations to be accepted in this country on account of the uncertainty regarding their ordination, should a similar situation happen. At any time, I may become unable to visit Canada which would render their ordination impossible. There is also the question of the Holy Oils, which would be hard to supply in such circumstances. All these issues make the consecration of a local Canadian Bishop not only a prudent and necessary thing, but also something I consider urgent.

I ask for your prayers for Rev. Fr. Pierre Roy and for all of us, your bishops and priests. I happily give to all of you my episcopal blessing.

In Jesus and Mary,

Most Rev. Rodrigo H. Ribeiro da Silva

Letter of Reverend Father Pierre Roy to his Flock

« Non enim dedit nobis Deus spiritum timoris: sed virtutis, et dilectionis, et sobrietatis. » 2 Tim. 1, 7

« For God hath not given us the spirit of fear: but of power, and of love, and of sobriety. »2 Tim. 1, 7

Dear Faithful,

We are very much alone in front of certain decisions engaging our eternity and the salvation of our brethren… And yet, sometimes these decisions must be taken and we cannot do anything to escape them, forced as we are by the circumstances in which the Lord has put us.

More than seven years have passed since my departure from the SSPX and my letter explaining the motives of this departure. As you can understand, I was then facing a very difficult decision, an unprecedented turning point in my existence which was up to then quite peaceful. Thanks be to God, I am happy today of the decision I have made then and I have no regrets other than to have taken that step very late, given the doctrinal compromises I was exposed to.

I find myself today in front of a similar turning point. As you have learned, Bishop Ribeiro da Silva has taken the decision to consecrate Father Altamira a bishop for Columbia and myself for Canada. This decision has obviously been considered for a long time, more than a year and a half, in the worldwide situation that we were facing. In spite of these objective circumstances which have put us in a situation in which we were deprived of the help of a bishop for a long time, and the real risk for this situation to come back for even a longer time, some could think that this decision of Bishop Ribeiro da Silva is imprudent or not necessary. It is to clarify the reasons of that decision that I am writing this letter to you today.

Allow me to remind you first that we are at war against the false Church of Vatican II which continues its work of destruction all over the world. As you know, my ministry expands on an immense territory, more than 1900kms, and I must take care of many souls dispersed throughout six provinces of Canada. On this immense territory, modernists are the masters and they care only to put into practice the commands of apostate Rome. Would it not be vain and illusory to say we are fighting against their evil influence, without giving ourselves the means to face them? The presence of at least one truly Catholic bishop seems necessary to this battle against the false Church in our country, to anyone who is conscious of the gravity of the present situation. « My little children, let us not love in word, nor in tongue, but in deed, and in truth. » I Jo III, 18

Bishop da Silva has called to mind the circumstances through which we have lived these last few years. I will not come back on them. We are very thankful that he came to help us.

And yet, when Bishop da Silva travelled to our country, his presence did not allow him to reach all the Faithful who were in need of the sacraments. How indeed could we ask him to travel everywhere in the immense territory that I myself have difficulty to travel through every six weeks and even less often for certain places? In spite of his generosity in coming from Brazil all the way to us back and forth, we were only able to organize the ceremony of Confirmation in Moncton and Lévis. This nevertheless requested of him a fourteen-hour drive, after an already exhausting trip from Brazil to Canada. Some Faithful, a little bit everywhere, unable to travel, have not been able to receive the sacraments which their heart desired and their soul needed. This is without saying that it is now every month that new people are joining us and are in need of the same spiritual graces. Bishop da Silva does not want to risk us being left again without the Sacraments for an extended period of time. It is in these circumstances that he asked me to take upon myself a part of the burden and that I have accepted, not without hesitating a long time, knowing perfectly that I was exposing myself to the wrath of the sea.

I have no doubt that some people will be somewhat challenged by this decision taken by Bishop da Silva and that we have accepted, but we cannot take into account their hesitations. Heaven has taken care of us in a wonderful manner up to now. But a shepherd is one who sees the dangers coming and does not fly away. « And the hireling flieth, because he is a hireling: and he hath no care for the sheep. » (John 10, 13) The love I have for my flock obliges me against my own volition to put aside my fears and to take upon myself the yoke of the Lord.

As you well know, I have received some young men to live the religious life with us and even to prepare them for the Holy Priesthood if it is God’s will. The life of these young men is precious and we cannot receive them with us without having the moral certainty they will be able to go through the steps of their vocation. The presence of a bishop seems absolutely necessary to be just toward these young men, unless we resolve ourselves to not build anything serious and to wait for the disappearance of the only priest we have, to reduce to ashes all the good work accomplished at the price of so many sacrifices on the part of each one. I find myself indeed in front of a dilemma: abandon all will to form priests to take care of your souls on the one hand, or accept the request of Bishop da Silva.

To conclude, dear Faithful, allow me to remind you that this decision is in line with everything we have done in the last seven years. Having seen clearly the compromises of the SSPX, which have since become worse, we have entrusted our souls to God and have navigated alone in the high sea, confident in the help of the Lord. « Adjutorium nostrum in nomine Domini. Our help is in the name of the Lord. » It is now time to insure the perennity of Our Lady of Joy Mission and we cannot back up after so many signs of His blessing have been given us by the Lord.

If I had any doubt that the Church of Vatican II is the Church established by Our Lord Jesus Christ, never would I have the audacity to receive episcopal consecration against the will of that Church. Having before our eyes the evidence that Rome has fallen into apostasy, not only do we have the right, but we have the duty to fight against this apostasy with all the means the Lord puts at our disposal. Circumstances are obviously exceptional, I am aware of it. My most sincere desire will be to be able to put my episcopacy in the hands of a true Sovereign Pontiff as soon as it will be possible, and I am certain Bishop da Silva is inhabited by the same desire.

You have received with joy the visit of Bishop da Silva. You have submitted to his spiritual authority by receiving from his hands the sacrament of Confirmation. You have entrusted your souls to him with happiness. Bishop da Silva, after mature reflection, has deemed necessary to make this one more step to insure we in Canada would be able to receive the Sacraments and we are very thankful for that. Please receive his decision with the same Faith and readiness as you have received him. Pray for me. I will be all the more severely judged by God that I will have been elevated higher in His Church. But the Church of Christ cannot survive without pastors and I would not want, that out of timidity, worries or fear of the attacks we will undergo from everywhere, She be left without pastors and that the sheep continue to be dispersed by devouring wolves.

May God bless you all!

Father Pierre Roy

Serve ye the Lord with gladness!

Video of the Episcopal Consecration Ceremony -

7 January 2024

Video of the Consecration

Bp da Silva’s the Sermon with English Subtitles

Chronicle of our Trip to Brazil

3 - 9 January 2024

Wednesday January 3

Nathalie drove us to the Montreal airport early for our flight which was at 8:30 am. The flight was delayed somewhat as several passengers were held up by US customs which were very slow. We were almost late ourselves. A little stress to start with.

Connor's first flight. A peaceful flight with Air Canada to Miami, Florida.

 Exiting the plane was somewhat surprising due to the temperature and scenery of Florida. We are a long way from having palm trees in New Brunswick. We took advantage of the few hours of transit to have dinner, then exit the airport and take a few photos near the palm trees.

Our second flight was with LATAM. A long flight of around 8 hours. Night flight. Good service. Nothing to complain about, except that nights on the plane are never very pleasant.

Thursday January 4

Arriving in Sao Paolo, we had to go through Brazilian customs. It didn't take too long. As soon as we left, the two deacons Gabriel and Luan were waiting for us. We went upstairs in the airport where Mgr da Silva and a faithful were seated at the table of a small café.

A brief lunch, then we left for Sao José dos Campos, a chapel and small priory served by Father Gilberto, a priest who left modernism and was ordained conditionally by Mgr da Silva after a period of training at the seminary. Meanwhile, Mgr da Silva waited the arrival of his parents who were coming from Northern Brazil to attend the ceremony.

The drive to Sao José dos Campos took about two hours. The opportunity to admire the beautiful Brazilian landscapes and exotic architecture, as well as favelas here and there. Deacons Gabriel and Luan told us about their adventures of all kinds.

Arriving in Sao José dos Campos, the heat was felt. We were no longer in Canada. We met some faithful, Sister Rosa, and two other seminarians, Henrique and Glober. I celebrated Mass, then we ate with Mgr da Silva and his parents, as well as Padre Altamira, the bishop-elect of Colombia.

We were then taken to our hotel, not far from there, where we took a short rest. We met Father Fuentes, who also stayed in this small hotel. A very friendly priest, who works with Father Roger, and was conditionally re-ordained. He received his “suspense a divinis” during our stay for having been conditionally reordained.

We were picked up in the evening. Connor stayed with the seminarians at the priory. Meanwhile, Bishop da Silva and the priests went to eat in town to celebrate the joy of being together. A very surprising restaurant -but it seems common in Brazil - where we were served quantities of meat, with servers arriving at the table with large forks on which meat was stuck. The waiters used their big knife to slice pieces of meat which we had to take with tongs. The most surprising thing was that this service never stopped. We were surrounded by a swarm of servers who always arrived with new proposals. A very pleasant moment with Mgr da Silva, Father Altamira, Father Fuentes and Father Gilberto, the last two recounting their path to joining Tradition.

We then went to the hotel to take a well-deserved rest after a long journey.

Friday January 5

We got up quite late on Friday. Once up, we had our first experiences with Brazilian “punctuality”. We waited a good while for someone to come pick us up to go to the priory. The priory was actually already crowded with clergy, which is why we were staying at the hotel. So we had coffee with Father Fuentes and discussed the situation in the Church, waiting for our driver.

Finally, we arrived at the priory where we were expected to eat. A whole commotion was going on. Trucks arrived to load all kinds of equipment for our migration to Maripora, the location of the ceremony. A swarm of sacristans and other organizers were busy packing candles, candlesticks, chalices, etc. You have to think of everything for such a big ceremony. Bishop da Silva directed operations in his own way that is difficult to describe.

Finally, we left around 3 p.m. A little over two hours drive to Maripora. A splendid landscape. Mgr da Silva rented a bus to transport around fifteen people. Fortunately, the bus was air-conditioned. A few cars followed. We stopped along the way to pick up a few sidekicks. The opportunity to better understand the Brazilian temperament. There was an effervescence of joy as soon as the door opened and Mgr came down. “Allegria, Allegria!” Brazilians are cheerful and demonstrative people. They have great respect for the clergy. People greet each other by saying “Ave Maria purissima!” or “Salve Maria,” constantly. We heard it hundreds of times during our stay. They take the priest's hand, kiss it and say “Sua Bencion, Padre”, “Your blessing, Father. » This was all very touching.

We began to climb fairly steep hills towards the place where the ceremony was to take place. A beautiful place with a small chapel and a hotel that we rented in full. Women occupied one floor and men the other floor. There were several of us per room. I was with Father Altamira and Padre Pio, a priest who works with Father Altamira and who was ordained by Bishop Morello after Father Altamira trained him for the priesthood. He had previously spent a year in Argentina at the Reja seminary.

As soon as we arrived, the sacristans set to work and prepared the two altars and unpacked most of the equipment. We were immediately summoned by the master of ceremony, Robert, an incredible young man, who knows the liturgy like few know it, with whom I was able to have long discussions on Dom Guéranger, the reform of Saint Pius V, the reform of Saint Pius X, etc. A liturgy enthusiast. A meal was served, then we went to bed after a short time of clergy reunion. Padre Holtz arrived from Rio de Janeiro. Another priest who left modernism, spent time in Bishop da Silva's seminary and now serves chapels in Brazil.

Saturday January 6

The day of January 6 began with the masses which followed one after the other. I had the opportunity to serve Padre Holtz’s mass. Later in the morning, Mgr da Silva celebrated the Missa Praelatitia, assisted by Father Altamira and myself. A good opportunity to learn how to celebrate this mass, which lasted two hours. Mgr preached on the mystery of the Epiphany. A beautiful ceremony.

After the meal served by a caterer and a necessary nap, the rest of the day was spent in rehearsals. Father Altamira and I were dragged into an interview with Controversia Catholica.

We had dinner, we met up to celebrate a little and we went to bed. Brazilians love to celebrate. All occasions are good and the festivities continued late into the night. Connor and I preferred to go to bed after some time with the guests.

Sunday January 7

The big day had arrived. Around 10:30 a.m., we found ourselves in procession order. We had to wait a good hour before the ceremony began. A truck arrived and set up tents at the last moment. Bishop Silva was shaking his head saying: “Brazil, Brazil…” Finally the ceremony began.

Words fail me to express the beauty of this great ceremony which passed for me very quickly. I was surprised, looking at my watch after the ceremony, that we had spent so much time in the chapel.

Bishop da Silva explained the importance of this day of episcopal consecration. He insisted on the invalidity of the new rite of episcopal consecration and the need to continue apostolic succession. His sermon was very touching.

It was also very touching for me that Connor, one of our seminarians at the Mission, was given the role of accompanying me so closely in this consecration ceremony. Connor was beaming with joy, and it really touched me to see him like that.

The evening of the consecration was spent celebrating. Joy was in all hearts. The Brazilians were overjoyed. I asked them what delighted them so much, since after all, Mgr Altamira and I would soon be far from Brazil. “The apostolate of Mgr da Silva is bearing fruit. We see it in these consecrations” they answered me. “The Church continues, the Church continues. »

Everyone wanted their photo with the new bishops. We could no longer take a step without being stopped to kiss the pontifical ring. “Sua bencion, Monsenhor, Sua bencion”. The piety of the Brazilian people is extremely touching. There were also Colombians and Mexicans taking part in the feast.

Finally, we got into bed after a long day.

Monday January 8

The next morning, I got up early to celebrate the Missa Praelatitia, as agreed with Robert, the master of ceremony. I wanted Connor to serve this mass with Robert to learn how to serve it well. Obviously, mass started an hour late. This is Brazil.

The masses followed one another, as in the days of the seminary. Around noon, after having dinner, it was all uproar, once again. We had to put everything away and leave the place to return to Sao José dos Campos. Everyone got to work despite being tired and we finally left.

During the two-hour drive, I chatted with the director of Controversia Catolica. A very interesting and positive man, despite the situation of the Church. This is one thing that struck me in Brazil: they believe that what we do is important. There is no defeatism. I also found great piety in Brazil. The faithful deeply respect Mgr da Silva and his priests. Of course, like everywhere, there are controversies. But there is a deep conviction that we are the continuing the Church of Jesus Christ.

Arriving in Sao José, Mgr da Silva suggested that Connor and I go eat in a pizzeria, then go to the hotel. What was said was done.

Tuesday January 9:

Once again, we waited almost an hour at the hotel for someone to pick us up, despite the agreed time.

Once in Sao José, I said mass, we had a quick coffee, then we left for the airport. We left Connor there whose flight was at 2 pm. (we could not find the same ticket on the way back), then we left for Sao Paolo. We spent a time in a small restaurant eating Brazilian meats, always salty and fatty. Then, we took a quick trip to some liturgy stores to find some material for the bishop's masses.

We had planned to visit the cathedral, but torrential rain prevented us from doing so. Mgr da Silva began to fear the traffic jams in Sao Paolo. So we headed to the airport. We were there around 7 pm. At 11:30 pm., my plane left for New York.

In New York, I realized that I had to change airports. Here I was on the New York subway with my luggage surrounded by people who sometimes seemed a bit different. I wished Connor would have been there. Good thing, policemen were everywhere. The wait in New York was long. I was surrounded by Jews waiting for the plane to Montreal. One of them came to see me and asked me if I wanted to pray with them. Surprised, I told him that I didn’t understand. He said to me: “You have a kippa, aren’t you Jewish? » I then showed him my pectoral cross covered by my coat: “I am a Catholic bishop. » He left without saying anything and I felt watched by the «community» until we got on the plane. On the plane, I obviously found myself next to the wife of one of these rabbis who kept watching me out of the corner of his eye.

Connor and I landed in Montreal almost at the same time. He was coming from Orlando, where he had to spend fifteen hours in the airport, and I was coming from New York. We took a taxi. The roads were not so good, it snowed the day before. A reality check.

Wednesday January 10 – Sunday January 14

The return home went well. Everywhere we had to celebrate: Montreal – Beaumont – St-André – Moncton. Thank you to all the faithful for their welcome and their joy. At St-André, a first communion crowned it all.

Many thanks to Mgr da Silva and all Brazilians for the great efforts they put into preparing this ceremony. Best wishes to Bishop Altamira and the Colombian people. A big thank you to all the Faithful for their many prayers for us while we were travelling. We could really feel these prayers accompanying us.

The heat was stifling in Brazil, but now you have to be a bishop at the North Pole. Connor and I were very happy to be back home. Nothing beats our country and our people.

Bishop Roy