EPISTLES

In a recent interview, Eric Sammons sat down with Fr. John Perricone to discuss his long-standing career as a priest, professor, and author, specifically focusing on his new book, Torches Against the Abyss.

Over the course of the conversation, Fr. Perricone reflected on his 50 years of priesthood, beginning his seminary training in 1970 just as the liturgical and doctrinal reforms of the Second Vatican Council were being implemented.

Life and Credentials

Fr. John Perricone is a priest, professor, and author who has spent over 50 years defending the Catholic faith.

His journey provides a unique perspective on the modern Church, as he entered the seminary just as the reforms following the Second Vatican Council began to change Catholic life.

Born and raised in Jersey City, New Jersey, Fr. Perricone grew up in what he calls the “golden age of Catholicism”. This was a time when parishes were large and full of life, and Catholic schools were overflowing with students.

He entered the seminary in 1970 and was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Newark in 1976. After serving in a parish, he pursued further studies and began a long career in teaching.

Current Role and Academic Work

Fr. Perricone is currently a professor at Iona University in New Rochelle, New York. He has spent over 42 years teaching philosophy at various institutions, including St. John’s University, St. Francis College, and St. Thomas Aquinas College.

In addition to teaching, he is a frequent writer for Crisis Magazine and has spent decades publishing articles to help educate the faithful.

In the late 1980s and 1990s, he lived at the legendary St. Agnes Church in Manhattan, where he helped organize the Traditional Latin Mass after it was released by Pope John Paul II. At the present, he celebrates the Traditional Latin Mass on Sunday mornings at Our Lady of Sorrows Church in New Jersey.

Becoming Aware of the Crisis

Fr. Perricone’s awareness of the crisis in the Church started early. As a teenager in Catholic High School, he “loathed” the incremental changes being made to the Mass. He saw no value in these changes and felt they were dishonest.

During his time in the seminary, he found himself at “loggerheads” with those who believed the Church began in 1965. He openly battled what he saw as the fraud of modern reforms, which led to significant difficulties during his formation. He describes his experience in the 1970s as living under a “reign of terror” where Orthodox views were met with high suspicion.

Thoughts on the Cause of the Crisis

Fr. Perricone contends that the root of today’s crisis is nothing less than a “complete ignorance of Sacred Doctrine.”

In his view, Sacred Doctrine is not a peripheral matter but the very axis upon which the entire moral law turns. Without it, morality loses coherence and authority.

He noted that this truth was once conveyed with remarkable clarity and simplicity in the Baltimore Catechism, which distilled the essentials of faith and morals into a form accessible to every Catholic household.

He argues that this collapse was “cleverly engineered” starting in 1965 when the teaching of the faith was essentially banned in many Catholic institutions. He identifies several key issues:

• Lack of Foundation: Even those drawn to the beauty of the Traditional Mass often lack knowledge of the actual tenets of the faith.
• Synodalism and Shifting Truths: He views the current focus on “dialogue” as a sign that nothing is considered solid or permanent anymore.
• Casual Liturgy: Liturgical training has become casual, focusing on “self-expression of the priest” rather than the Mass as the Sacrifice of Calvary.

“Many of the young clergy I know love the Traditional Latin Mass. They recognize that if they cannot celebrate it, they will “dress up” the New Mass by celebrating it ad orientem and importing the beauty and symbolism they have fallen in love with from the traditional liturgy.” – Fr. John Perricone

The Solution: A Return to Doctrine

For Fr. Perricone, the solution is simple: a return to Catholic doctrine. He believes that when Catholics are grounded in sacred doctrine, the moral law opens up and makes sense again.

He strongly advocates for the use of the Baltimore Catechism, calling it the “spine of the faith”. He believes that teaching the “rote facts” of the faith provides a necessary foundation that allows for true spiritual and moral sanity.

By returning to these unchanging truths, the Church can once again create “soldiers for our Lord” who are ready to face a corrupt culture.

New Book: Torches Against the Abyss

Eric Sammons strongly encourages Catholics to purchase Fr. Perricone’s new book, Torches Against the Abyss. He describes the work as a wonderful anthology that brings together decades of Fr. Perricone’s writings into a single volume.

Sammons notes that while some might think they can find these articles online, the book is unique because it is organized to show Fr. Perricone’s “whole outlook” and “thought process overall”.

It serves as a vital resource for those looking to move beyond surface-level aesthetics and ground their spiritual lives in the deep, unchanging truths of the Catholic faith.