THE SOCIETY OF SAINT THOMAS OF CANTERBURY

    Of all the cults of the Saints in medieval England, that of Saint Thomas of Canterbury (better known as Saint Thomas Becket), was, for over three centuries, among the most widespread. He lived during times of immense political turmoil, and dedicated his life to the service of God. Though imperfect, as all men are, he was widely recognized for his virtue. For many years, he enjoyed Royal favor, even becoming one of the King's most trusted counsellors. However, when the King began to encroach upon the Church's rights and prerogatives, Saint Thomas valiantly defended Her, steadfastly refusing to abandon Her to secular powers. He spent several years in exile, but returned to England triumphant, with the blessing of the Holy See. It is no surprise, therefore, that on the 29th of December, 1170, he was slaughtered by the King's men; he died within the walls of his church, in defense of his Church. He refused to hand Her over to secular authorities. He refused to comprimise truth of doctrine for the sake of political gain. He chose to die in the Truth rather than to live a lie. In all these ways, Saint Thomas's life and death prefigured that of the English Church generally; his steadfast defense of the Church and her doctrines, despite his flaws, and despite the flaws of Her members, looks shockingly, stunningly similar to the fates of innumerable martyrs of the Anglican "Reformation". It was for this very reason that his cultus was mercilessly persecuted by the Henrician reform, and likewise that this Society takes him as our principal patron.

    The Society of Saint Thomas of Canterbury (SSTC) is a Private Association of the Lay Faithful, with an aim to become a canonically-established Institute of Diocesan Right, which follows the Rule of Saint Augustine and whose charism, once developed, will be principally:

1. The preservation and active use of the Use of Sarum, otherwise known as the Sarum Rite or Salisbury Use,
• The observation, in common, of the Hours, according to said Use,
• The development and implementation, in due time, of a proper Kalendar,
2. The typesetting, printing and distribution of Liturgical Books, both for clerical and lay use, namely those of the Use of Sarum,
3. The promotion of devotion to the English Martyrs, particularly those of the protestant schism,
4. The fostering of liturgical piety.

    One can reasonably deduce, therefore, from the things described above, that our goal is to become canons regular, under the title, "The Order of Saint Thomas of Canterbury", though this is, of course, open to further discernment. We hope to establish a monastery and an oratory (whether public or private yet to be determined) and to sustain ourselves principally through our publishing works.

    We live together in a house within the territory of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. Our location is semi-remote, but we hope will become more remote in the future. As we are currently a private association, members take no vows. They are free to leave at any time. However, members are expected to live according to our charism if they wish to remain in the house. Should our community receive the Church's blessing, members would then progress through the ordinary stages of Postulancy, Novitiate and Temporary Profession before taking Solemn Vows.

    Though we have not yet been blessed with canonical recognition, members conduct themselves according to our charism, while we draft our constitutions and prepare ourselves to, eventually, present our community to the Church for Her blessing. This means that, though not under pain of sin, members live according to the Evangelical Counsels of Poverty, Chastity and Obedience. While we have developed an habit, we do not wear it yet; we will wait for the Church's permission to do so. The habit for Choral members is, substantively, a tunic, belt, scapular and capuce, not dissimilar to those of the Dominicans. A mantle is worn outside of liturgical contexts. A choir cape, in wool or in other materials according to the season, is worn during the Liturgy or when sitting in choir. The tunic is light blue. The scapular, capuce and mantle are a medium/dark blue. The choir cape is black, according to the custom of Salisbury. The habit of Conversi is necessarily different. This all is only a general pattern; some parts of the habit necessarily change seasonally, largely due to our climate, and partly for the sake of tradition and solemnity. For footwear, alpargates are provided to Choral members in the summer, and boots and trousers in the winter; Conversi, particularly those whose work is principally outdoors, wear boots or shoes, as provided, throughout the year.

    Our principal labor, for the forseeable future, is and must remain the completion of our Breviary, whereafter we will turn to our Antiphonal. Only then will it be reasonable or feasable to turn focus to the Missal. No member currently has been ordained Priest, so there is no immediate need for a Missal; there is daily need for both the Breviary and Antiphonal. When these principal books are completed, we will be more free to turn our focus to the production of books for other rites or collaboration with other orders or congregations for the production of their proper books.

    Conversi, nowadays more often known as "Lay Brothers", are not bound to the recitation of the hours. They are, however, expected to recite, at a minimum, five decades of the Holy Rosary per day, and to attend Prime and Vespers each day. All members, whether Choral or Conversi, as a fact of our charism, shall, God willing, be tonsured and, in due time, ordained at least to the Porterhood.

    Until we have completed enough of the above works (and any other books or services necessary) to become fiscally self-supporting, members are both expected and required to contribute to the common funds by working outside the House part-time or by regularly contributing from previously-gained private funds. This measure is a temporary-but-necessary step in our growth, which we hope soon to overcome. May it inspire us to work and study all the more fervently, bearing in mind always the instruction of our Holy Father, Saint Augustine, in our Holy Rule, 5:7:

    Our Choral life is built upon the observation of the Hours and the celebration of the Liturgy. Conversi are, generally, principally concerned with the physical maintenance of our house and grounds and other related matters. We support each other through constant prayer and companionship, as Augustine calls us to do, saying (ibid. 1:2):

    Those coming to our society do not need to have Latin already, but they must be willing to learn. Almost the entirety of our daily cursus occurs in Latin — that is, the entirety of our Office, several of our common devotions, half of our labors, and most of our study. To facilitate learning the language, the greater part of the Choral Novitiate takes place in the Latin language as exclusively as possible. The case for Conversi is handled individually, but one reasonably may presume such a man would find great difficulty in our life if he were unwilling or unable to learn at least some basic comprehension of Latin.

    This is all, of course, merely prospective. We are still, and for the immediate future will remain, a private institute, and such things as described above may need to change.

    As with any society, there are conditions regarding who is and is not eligible. These things are best discovered through honest inquiry.

    Those interested in joining the Society should contact us directly at sstc(ã†)felisfidelis.com to that effect. Absolutely all such inquiries are warmly welcome.