Francis Schuckardt

Styles of Francis Konrad Schuckardt
Reference style	The Most Reverend
Spoken style	Your Excellency

In 1969, Daniel Quilter Brown received episcopal consecration as an Old Catholic (English-line Old Catholic) bishop in the line of Arnold Harris Mathew. Brown had been born and raised a Roman Catholic, but became disenchanted with the reforms of Vatican II and chose to become an Old Roman Catholic bishop in order to perpetuate valid episcopal orders, believing that the Old Catholics still retained valid orders.[6] Despite the fact that Bishop Brown obtained his consecration in the Old Catholic Church, he and his followers called themselves Roman Catholics and refused to use the title of "Old Catholic". Shortly after his consecration, he broke all ties and communications with the Old Catholics.[7]

Bishop Brown soon became acquainted with Schuckardt and tried to persuade him to accept ordination from him. Later he proposed to consecrate Schuckardt to the episcopacy in addition to ordaining him to the priesthood. After Bishop Brown had repented of having received consecration from the Old Catholics, Schuckardt agreed to receive consecration from Bishop Brown: "[T]hese past months have been spent in intense soul searching and continuous prayer to know and follow God's holy will. Thus I could not give you a reply until I felt fairly certain in my heart and mind. Now, finally, in concluding our novena in honor of the Annunciation, I have come to a decision. It is with holy trepidation that I accept your offer ..."[8] Between October 28 and November 1, 1971, Schuckardt was ordained and consecrated a bishop[9] in a rented ballroom in Chicago, as they were not welcome in the churches of the Catholic Church.

At first Bishops Brown and Schuckardt worked peaceably together, but shortly thereafter went their separate ways. The Seattle Times references a letter written in 1973 by Bishop Brown in which he charges: "Your group has become a personal cult of Francis Schuckardt and cannot call itself Catholic."

A Spokesman Review article states that Schuckardt claimed to be the only true Catholic bishop.[10] Schuckardt's officials deny that he ever made such a claim, and point to the fact that he directed his clergy to diligently search for Roman Catholic bishops who might qualify as legitimate in his eyes.

Bishop Schuckardt at Mount Saint Michael with several religious of the Congregation of Mary Immaculate Queen in August 1979

Between 1974 and 1979 Schuckardt ordained Denis Chicoine and five other clerics to the priesthood, who in turn helped him preserve the traditional Catholic faith primarily through the continued lecture circuit. In January 1978, the Fatima Crusade relocated to Mount Saint Michael, a former Jesuit scholasticate in Spokane, Washington.

Brown consecrated Francis Schuckardt without a pontifical mandate (i.e. permission from the Pope), which is normally required by the Code of Canon Law under penalty of excommunication.[12] However, traditionalists cite over a dozen historical instances where Bishops were legitimately consecrated in a period of sede vacante. Traditionalists also point out the superiority of the essential doctrine of Apostolic Authority over the changeable dictates of ecclesiastical law, and hold that Christ would not leave his flock without shepherds.

Bishop Lawrence Welsh, Bishop of the Diocese of Spokane, wrote of Schuckardt in the Inland Register (a diocesan newspaper): "Bishop Schuckardt has received no mission from the church universal and does not accept the unity of the apostolic office. Yet these are some of the very elements which make the Church Roman Catholic." In another section Bishop Welsh adds "[T]hey deny the teaching authority of the Second Vatican Council and the last four Popes. Implicitly Bishop Schuckardt has set himself up as the final and last arbiter of Catholic tradition."[13]

As related in a Spokesman Review article from 1983, Schuckardt is quoted as saying: "Some of our teachers, studying the French revolution, saw the origins of the red, white, and blue, which was adopted then. The red represented the thousands of bishops and priests who were nailed to the church doors."[10]

Many of Schuckhardt's beliefs and policies drew criticism, including:

• The dress code for women, which was modest. Women were required to have long dresses and counseled to keep their heads covered at all times.[14]
• His belief that smoking was a "gravely sinful vice".[15]
• The segregation of men and women at church functions.
• The expectation that members walk backwards out of church.
• The requirement for children to attend the church schools.
• Rarely granting permission to attend college, since none existed that Schuckardt considered as being Catholic.
• The restriction of television programming and censorship of reading material.
• The prohibition of dating until out of high school. Those interested in marriage had to attend the "Cana Cell" and were required to follow established rules and guidelines regarding courtship.

On June 3, 1984, Denis Chicoine made several public charges from the pulpit against Bishop Schuckardt, related in a Spokesman Review article on August 26, 1984.[16]

The newspaper article cited Chicoine's claims: "After we re-obtained possession of the Priory, and started to go through the boxes of mail that had been accumulated over the years and simply stacked in corners we found a large amount of cash and over $15,000 in out-of-date uncashed checks." "For the past several years several things in the Community have been in complete and utter chaos." and that "The vast majority of chaos is caused by Bishop Schuckardt's inability to physically function" due to pain, lack of sleep, and medications.

"Chicoine has also charged that Schuckardt was sexually involved with some of his male assistants. He said he has several sworn statements." The article quotes Chicoine: "I have in my possession sworn statements by several persons whom Bishop Schuckardt told personally that he was the Pope. These persons were told not to tell myself or other priests and clerics since we did not have the grace to accept it."

Schuckardt left his Spokane mansion within days after Chicoine made his accusations public.[17] Chicoine found that he had the backing of the vast majority of the religious and laity alike, and took charge of the Fatima Crusade.

The Schuckardt faction denies they are a cult.

• Regarding the charge of sexual impropriety, the Spokesman Review of August 26, 1984 quotes Bishop Schuckardt says "Schuckardt denied the allegations. He said the charges are part of a plot by Chicoine to discredit him and seize control of the church... (The charges) sicken me because there's not a word of truth to it at all." Schuckardt's defenders point out the difficulty of proving a negative. How does one prove that an accusation is false, when by its very nature it excludes the possibility of either physical evidence or witnesses? Furthermore, it is accepted science that sexual predators are incurable, therefore if Bishop Schuckardt was a sexual predator, as some claim, surely over the last 21 years at least one more accusation would have surfaced, especially when considering that there have been people who left the Schuckardt faction between 1984 and 2004 who are very hostile towards him; but no new accusations have surfaced. In 1987 all of the Religious men, seminarians and boys that were boarding with the seminarians, were individually questioned by the Sheriff's Department and the FBI regarding this particular accusation, but nothing of concern was found (Calif. Case #87-2823).
• Regarding Chicoine's allegation of Bishop Schuckardt's incompetency. Neither civil nor ecclesiastical law (Canon 12, Canons 1648 – 50,...) allow legal actions to be taken against an incompetent person. Since Chicoine's public accusations of incompetency, Bishop Schuckardt squared off with him in various courts of law in California, Washington, Utah, Canada.[18] Never once did Chicoine raise the incompetency issue in any legal proceeding nor did any court of law ever question the Bishop's competence, despite the fact that the Bishop took the stand in many of these legal actions.
• Schuckardt denies that ever declared himself to be the Pope. Some of his followers, however, believe him to be so based upon their belief that he is the "last true Catholic bishop" in the world and upon the teaching of the Catholic Church that the Church must have a Pope, except during periods of interregnum.
• The dress code "by traditionalists' standards" was strict, but the dress code was not based upon "traditionalists' standards" but upon compliance with the standards set forth by Pope Pius XI[19] and Pope Pius XII regarding "Mary-like" standards of modesty.[20]
• Representatives of the TLRCC assert that women were not required to cover their heads except when in Church,[21] they were, however, encouraged to have them covered whenever in public, in imitation of the Virgin Mary, whom tradition tells us always had her head covered in public.
• Men and women are indeed obliged to occupy the opposite sides while in Church. This custom goes back to the earliest days of the Catholic Church and was taught by the Fathers of the Church.[22] St. Augustine roundly condemns those who would criticize this practise.[23]
• Bishop Schuckardt did teach that smoking was against the 5th Commandment: "we all know that Rome doesn't issue decrees on every moral matter… Rome has not issued a decree against the use of heroin or LSD, but that does not absolve the local Bishops and clergy from condemning the use of it." (Fatima Crusader Bulletin, Issue 71)
• The practice of walking backwards out of church was optional, not mandatory; and when impractical, not done, as was the case when classes of students left as a group. It was encouraged, however, in an effort to keep to the ideals outlined by Pope Pius XI, on the Kingship of Christ.[24]
• By forbidding members to attend college without good cause, Schuckardt asserts that he was conforming to the teachings contained in an encyclical of Pope Pius XI, which states: "Catholic children may not attend non-Catholic, neutral, or mixed schools... and it pertains exclusively to the Ordinary of the place to decide... under what circumstances and with what precautions against the danger of perversion, attendance at such schools may be tolerated."[25]
• Bishop Schuckardt allowed only discerning adults to watch television, and even then only with a great deal of caution. He claims this is in keeping with a statement of Pope Pius XII regarding the evils that television presents to Catholics.[26]
• Regarding Chicoine's allegation of finding large amounts of cash and out-of-day checks, the Spokesman Review quoted Bishop Schuckardt as saying “an assistant failed to properly handle the matter and that he was unaware of the problem.”[16]

The Schuckardt faction considers the Chicone faction in schism. Since both Bishop Schuckardt and Rev. Chicoine acknowledged no higher Church authority than Bishop Schuckardt himself,[27] there was no lawful means whereby Rev. Chicoine could depose him and take control of the Tridentine Latin Rite Catholic Church as he did.[28] Schuckardt formally excommunicated Chicoine on June 30, 1984. In the August 26 Spokesman Review article, Chicoine is quoted as saying: "We contend that it is not a valid excommunication. If he is incompetent, which we believe we've proved, then his acts are null and void." Chicoine died on August 10, 1995 and is buried at Mount Saint Michael. His excommunication by Bishop Schuckardt was never revoked.

In an article by Tim Hanson that appeared in the Spokesman Review article on August 26, 1984 Schuckardt is quoted as saying: "If there is some way I can just let the people know we didn't run away. We were sent away. We were thrown out of our home. If there was anyway we could have stayed there, we would have. They must know that it was made impossible." The article goes on to state that On June 7, 1984 Chicoine filed a lawsuit in Superior court asking that Schuckardt and 10 of his associates be prohibited from returning to the church property at Mount St. Michael's or Schuckardt's mansion at E2314 South Altamont Blvd.[29] As a result of this lawsuit, a document was served at his mansion. The article states: "Schuckardt said last week he thought the document was an eviction notice rather than an order to appear in court. He also believed an arrest warrant had been issued." Bruce Erickson, a Spokane attorney representing Chicoine stated: "There wasn't any warrant out for his arrest. I or the court or the sheriff's department can't force them to read the documents". Schuckardt left the mansion during the second week of June. The article went on "[N]either Schuckardt nor a legal representative appeared in court. The court therefore issued an order banning the bishop from church property." Spokane County sheriff detectives confirmed that no warrant exists for Schuckardt. The court later ruled that Bishop Schuckardt had never been given proper legal notice of the pending action and overturned its original judgment against him and a handful of his followers.

After leaving Spokane, they moved around and finally settled in Greenville, California. “One of the main reasons we move is because of the harassment we’ve been getting from Chicoine” stated loyal Bishop Schuckardt follower, Brother Mary Fidelis, “They’re trying to do anything they can to destroy us, literally. We fear harm, physical harm, coming to the Bishop. We wouldn’t put anything past them.”[16] As further reported by Jim Sparks in the Spokesman Review[30] "In Greenville, Calif., 102 miles (164 km) northwest of Reno Nevada, Schuckardt appears to be king once again." Schuckardt and his followers continued to operate as the Tridentine Latin Rite Catholic Church while Chicoine reincorporated the group at Mount Saint Michael as the Latin Rite Catholic Church on June 14, 1984.[31] On May 9, 1987 a Plumas County, California Sheriff's Department SWAT team, with support from the California Highway Patrol, conducted a raid on the TLRCC[32] Deputies searched Bishop Schuckardt's house and those of the Brothers and the nuns while a CHP helicopter hovered overhead to look for automatic weapons which the Chicoine faction falsely told them they possessed.[33] They found illegal drugs along with precious metals in quantity, $75,000 in cash and about eight handguns and rifles in the three separate homes. Rather than going through a lengthy and expensive trial, Bishop Schuckardt accepted a plea bargain of attending a one-day drug-diversion class in exchange for all charges being dismissed against him.[33] All charges against the others arrested with Bishop Schuckardt were dismissed without prejudice. They furthermore obtained a “Factual Declaration of Innocence” regarding the same.

The Chicoine faction subsequently filed civil suits in five different states wherein the Schuckardt faction had assets, claiming that these assets belonged to his church, but lost all of these cases. The Schuckardt faction also challenged the civil suit[34] filed by the Chicoine faction in Washington in 1984 and agreed to a settlement before the trial began in 1993. The settlement heavily favored the Chicoine faction. Nine years of legal wrangling finally came to an end, with the Chicoine faction getting the lion's share of the Fatima Crusade's assets.