The Following remarks were made by Richard Cuneo on Sunday, May 3^rd,for the 10^th anniversary of the death of Fr. De Pauw:

Fr. John, Members of the Board of Directors, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Today we gather in front of this Memorial dedicated to Fr. De Pauw, to observe the 10^th anniversary of his death which will be this coming Wednesday, May 6^th.

On that early May 6^th morning ten years ago, I witnessed Father’s peaceful crossing of the bridge from his earthly existence to his eternal reward. What was and still is one of the saddest moments in my life, today, is also a source of encouragement and determination to me, for what doing the right thing can bring when those final moments come.

Every year since 1965, around the time of Father’s ordination anniversary, the Conciliarist Establishment would do something to try and stop him, or at least make life very difficult for him. But Father would never be discouraged or deterred from his work. The year 2002 would be no different. Just three years before he died, Father was given what would turn out to be one final opportunity, one last chance, to betray Christ. During the course of the winter that year, he was approached by a member of the US hierarchy on five occasions, claiming to be acting in concert with Pope John Paul II and the president of the Vatican’s surrender Ecclesia Dei Commission, Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos. He offered Fr. De Pauw a simple and concrete proposal. And he told Father that his acceptance of that proposal would very much please the Holy Father and Cardinal Castrillon.

That proposal amounted to turning over all the buildings and assets of the CTM to the local establishment bishop. But, more importantly, it would provide the Vatican with a repeat performance of what occurred in Campos, Brazil in January that same year, in which a group of followers of the late Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, had their request to be readmitted to the Vatican establishment structure granted, in exchange for publicly asking for forgiveness for their 13 years of “schism”. And in return for permission to continue with some sort of Latin liturgy, they publicly committed themselves to stop all criticism of John Paul II and Vatican II, and, to admit the validity and legitimacy of the Novus Ordo mass as approved by Paul VI.

In what amounted to the theological equivalent of the famous “Nuts!” answer of the surrounded American troops to the goons of Hilter during the Battle of the Bulge, Father gave the following respectful, but firm answer to that member of the hierarchy:

“I unequivocally refuse to renew any relations with any entity of what the Father of the Novus Ordo, the late disgraced Archbishop Annibale Bugnini, so correctly called a new Conciliar Church.

What others still refer to as today’s Catholic Church, is for us traditionalist Roman Catholics, no longer the Una, Sancta, Catholica, Apostolica Ecclesia of our forefathers, the Church in which we were baptized and ordained.

Your Bugnini organization started its Journey to Hell with replacing the Sacrifice of the Mass on an altar, with a pseudo, Protestant table service.

And with that true Mass, the very heart of the true Church and source of all sacramental grace, no longer available to its leaders and members, it was bound to be only a matter of time before your new conciliar church would provide the world the fulfillment of those prophecies the Blessed Mother made at LaSalette in 1846 and Fatima in 1917.”

After having tried every trick in the book, the final attempt to silence Father was met with the final answer. That final answer would turn out to be the crown of 63 years in the priesthood; a priesthood of faithfulness to Our Lord and His true Church. And when the time came to stand up and be counted, he did not run and hide in fear as the other Apostles did on the first Good Friday, but rather, stood under the Cross of Christ, like the lone Apostle St. John.

Ladies and gentlemen…secure in the knowledge and with peace in his soul, he left us that early May 6^th morning ten years ago, confident that he had done the right thing and knowing he was about to receive the greatest joy of all, to see the face of God.

And so as we remember him today and reflect on his life and priesthood of which we still benefit from, I would like to read you the dedication which my grandparents, Vera and Leonard Britting gave to him on the occasion of his 50^th ordination anniversary and which I believe depicts his life and priesthood so accurately.

I also believe it is a lesson for us, the remaining loyal traditionalist Roman Catholics, to whom he passed the flame of the true Faith ten years ago.

It is titled Keep at your work, and the author is unknown:

“The Lord has given every man his work. It is his business to do it, and the devil’s business to hinder him if he can. As sure as God has given you a work to do, Satan will try to hinder you. He may present other things more promising. He may allure you by worldly prospects, he may assault you with slander, torment you with false accusations, set you to work defending your character, employ pious persons to lie about you, editors to assail you, and excellent men to slander you. You may have Pilate and Herod, Ananias and Caiaphas all combined against you, and Judas standing by ready to sell you for thirty pieces of silver; and you may wonder why all those things come upon you. Can you not see that the whole thing is brought about through the craft of the devil? To draw you all from your work and hinder your OBEDIENCE TO GOD?

Keep about your work. Do not flinch because the lion roars; do not stop to stone the devil’s dogs; do not fool away your time chasing the devil’s rabbits. Do your work. Let liars lie, let sectarians quarrel, let corporations resolve, let editors publish, let the devil do his worst; but see to it that nothing hinders you from fulfilling THE WORK THAT GOD HAS GIVEN YOU.

He has not sent you to make money. He has not commanded you to get rich. He has never bidden you defend your character. He has not set you at work to contradict falsehood which Satan and his servants may start to peddle. If you do these things, you will do nothing else; you will be at work for yourself and not for the Lord. Keep about your work. Let your aim be as steady as a star. Let the world brawl and bubble. You may assaulted, wronged, insulted, slandered, wounded and rejected; you may be abused by foes, forsaken by friends and despised and rejected of men, but see to it with steadfast determination, with unfaltering zeal, that you pursue the great purpose of your life and object of your being, until at last you can say “I HAVE FINISHED THE WORK WHICH THOU GAVEST ME TO DO.”