A Little “St. Patrick” of Our Times: Fr. Patrick Fox, True Custodian of Tradition

Remembering a priest who never said the Novus Ordo but remained faithful for decades to the TLM and to the flock who loved it

John Fergus O’Hea, “Priest Celebrating Mass Outdoors” (source)

As my mind turned to St. Patrick of Ireland, whose feast we celebrate today (I hope at least some clergy out there are taking advantage of the permission granted in February 2020’s decree Cum Sanctissima to celebrate Mass in honor of the saints with a commemoration of the Lenten feria!), I was prompted to think anew about a noble priest of our times who had the great Irish evangelizer as his patron: Fr. Patrick Fox.

The following account of this truly heroic, principled, indefatigible Australian priest was shared with me by a Facebook friend.¹ I find such reminiscences to be very encouraging and fortifying. We need to know about the merit and mettle of the priests who preceded us in the defense of tradition—the clergy without whom, speaking in general, we would certainly not be attending the Latin Mass or receiving the other Roman rite sacraments today, nor enjoying the many other benefits that crowd together wherever tradition is loved and perpetuated.

“Et Introibo ad altare Dei—I will go unto the altar of God”

Following upon the introduction of the Novus Ordo Mass in 1969, the traditional Latin Mass was suppressed almost completely throughout Australia. However, in respect to the Sydney Archdiocese, the traditional Latin Mass was arranged to be said at Oak Hill College, Castle Hill, on the outskirts of Sydney. This was at the instigation of a small group of traditional Catholics, one of whom was a French citizen resident in Australia, another an American, plus a small group of dedicated Australians. In 1975, the Mass at Oak Hill College, which had been celebrated by a (renegade) Vincentian priest, Father Patrick Fox, was directed (presumably by the Archdiocese) to be shut down.

Not to be deterred (as no one should be by senseless diktats), a search then commenced for a suitable venue for the celebration of the Latin Mass. The Frenchman found a hall at East Lindfield Community Centre, to which he brought Father Fox. Father Fox looked at the hall, which, at the time of their viewing, was filled with ballet students doing their stretches, and said: “This is not suitable.” The Frenchman replied: “Father, this is all we have—it will have to do.”

So the Latin Masses commenced at East Lindfield Hall in 1975.

Handwritten observations by the Frenchman add the following details:

Forty of the Australian Bishops, at their meeting on 1st September 1976, declared that the old Latin Mass was ‘banned’ and threatened those of their priests who were still saying this Mass with excommunication because of their ‘schism’ and forwarded the names of those priests to the Vatican as being ‘dissident.’ Yet in 1988 [actually 1986—PK], eight Roman Cardinals declared that this Mass had never been forbidden by Rome!”