Page Map - The Redemptorist history & The "Transalpine development" - The Sacred Triangle: The Foundations of the Redemptorist Spirit - When The Cross desmolished the Swastika - From the Manchurian Shock to the Post-War Mission: How 1945 Redefined Redemption in East Asia - The Centuries of Shadow: 1517, 1717, 1917 - Saint Alfonso and Redemptorist Literature on Freemasonry - Amadeus
History
The Redemptorist history & The "Transalpine development"
The Redemptorists, by Father George Stebbing, C.Ss.R
Page 55:
PAST HISTORY OF THE CONGREGATION
high rank, moved by the ever-increasing opinion of his sanctity, petitioned Pius VI to institute a juridical inquiry into the holy life of the servant of God. The Supreme Pontiff acceded to this, and such was the success of the investigation that Alphonsus was declared Venerable only nine years after he had died. In 1803 a Decree was issued by the Holy See, declaring that after a most diligent examination nothing worthy of censure was found in all the works of the holy prelate. Thirteen more years elapsed, and then Alphonsus was beatified by Pius VII. Finally, on the 26th of May, 1839, the Feast of the Most Holy Trinity, he was canonised by Gregory XVI with all the splendid ceremonial which the Church uses on these occasions to honour her chosen champions.
II. THE TRANSALPINE DEVELOPMENT
In 1784 two pilgrims came to Rome and found their way to the house of St Giuliano, which Father Di Paola had founded in the preceding year, whose career was to have an immense influence on the future development of the Redemptorist Congregation. One of these was a Moravian named Clement Mary Hofbauer, the other was his bosom friend and fellow student, Thaddeus Hubl.
Clement Hofbauer was born at Tasswisz in Moravia at the end of 1751. His father, a small farmer, died when the boy was six years old. His pious mother then took her orphan child before the crucifix, saying: "My son, He must be your father now; follow Him." At sixteen, being obliged to work for his living, he was apprenticed to a baker, but soon after, feeling the first drawings of a religious vocation, he entered the Premonstratensian Abbey of Znaim as a servant. Here he spent whatever time he could spare by day, and even by night, in the study of Latin. But being overcome with a longing for solitude he left the Abbey, and lived for some time as a hermit first in Austria, and then in the neighbourhood of Tivoli. After a period of strict seclusion thus spent in prayer and austere penance, he became convinced that God called him to the holy priesthood and to active labour for souls. Inspired with this thought, he left Tivoli, and returned to Vienna that he might carry on his studies for the sacerdotal state. The means of following the courses at Vienna University having been put at his disposal by two kind ladies whom his character had impressed, he went through the classes, having Thaddeus Hubl, a young man somewhat younger than himself who shared his aspirations, as constant companion. However, he became so disgusted with the Anti-Roman and Erastian teachers at the University that he determined to seek a purer fount of knowledge and complete his course in Rome itself. This was the design that brought the two strangers to Rome, where they were guided to the little Church of St Giuliano in October, 1784.
They found the few fathers whom Di Paola had attached to the house at meditation in the church, and asking a child at the door who they were, received the striking reply: "These are the fathers of the Most Holy Redeemer, and you also will join them." In very truth, Hofbauer did ask for an interview, and was so struck with the account of their life and vocation that he asked to be received into their ranks. Moreover, it did not take him long to decide his friend Hubl to make a similar request. That the request was granted to these unknown strangers was surely a remarkable happening, in which we can scarcely fail to see the special guidance of Divine Providence. On the 24th of October they were clothed in the habit of the Congregation, thus beginning their Novitiate under Father Landi, a former companion of St Alphonsus, as Novice Master. On account of their fervour and the necessities etc.
Clement Mary Hofbauer CSsR (Czech: Klement Maria Hofbauer; German: Klemens Maria Hofbauer) (26 December 1751 – 15 March 1820) was a Moravian hermit and later a priest of the Redemptorist congregation. He established the Redemptorist Congregation, founded in Scala (Kingdom of Naples) north of the Alps. For this he is considered a co-founder of the congregation. He was widely known for his lifelong dedication to care of the poor during a tumultuous period in Europe, that had left thousands destitute. He laboured in the care of the Polish people until expelled, when he moved to Austria.
Clement-Mary Hofbauer is remembered as a saint in the Catholic Church. He is called the Apostle of Vienna,[1] where he is a co-patron saint, along with St Colmán, St Leopold, and St Peter Canisius."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clement_Mary_Hofbauer
A Historical Clarification on the transalpine Redemptorists
The origins of the Transalpine Redemptorists are inextricably linked to Saint Clement Mary Hofbauer and his dedicated companions, including Father Thaddeus Hübl and Father Joseph Passerat. These men were Redemptorists who remained steadfastly faithful to the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer until the end of their lives. This is an established historical and biographical fact.
Any claims suggesting that there are 'Transalpine Redemptorists' existing independently of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer are categorically false and:
Contrary to the laws of the Catholic Church;
In direct opposition to the Constitutions and Rules of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer;
An abuse of historical truth and a product of pure imagination.
"Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away."
"Let us not be made desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another." (Epistle of St Paul to the Galatians 5:26)
The Sacred Triangle: The Foundations of the Redemptorist Spirit
The history of our Order is etched into the landscape of Southern Italy. From the heights of the Amalfi Coast to the rugged hills of Basilicata, three places stand as the pillars of our charism: Scala, Naples, and Muro Lucano.
1. Scala: The Cradle of the Foundation
It was in the mountain silence of Scala, overlooking the sea, that St Alphonsus Liguori found his true calling. In 1732, amidst the grottoes and the simple faith of the mountain goats and shepherds, the Congregation was born.
The Vision: The grotto of Scala is where the "Science of the Heart" first took root, shifting the focus from the salons of the elite to the "most abandoned" souls.
The Legacy: Scala remains the spiritual hearth of the Redemptorists, where the silence of the heights meets the cry of the poor.
2. Naples: The Intellectual and Devotional Core
Naples was the world St Alphonsus left behind—the world of high law and noble society—and yet it remained the heart of his mission.
St Alphonsus in Naples: It was here that he wrote his most profound theological works, including The Glories of Mary.
The Urban Mission: Naples represents the struggle of the Order to bring the "Crystalline" light of the Gospel into the crowded, chaotic streets of the city. It is the site of his early priesthood and the headquarters of his vast correspondence.
3. Muro Lucano: The Spirit of St Gerard Majella
No Redemptorist archive is complete without the "Mother's Saint," St Gerard Majella. Born in Muro Lucano, his life represents the miraculous and humble dimension of our foundation.
The Way of Humility: Muro is where Gerardo's extraordinary journey began. His life of total abandonment to the Divine Will serves as the perfect companion to Alphonsus's theological rigour.
The Protector: Just as Alfonso is the mind and heart, Gerardo is the helping hand, particularly for expectant mothers and the suffering.
A Note for the Archive:
"In tracing the path from the heights of Scala to the streets of Naples and the humble home in Muro, we find the complete map of the Redemptorist mission: to seek out the abandoned, to defend the Truth, and to live in the light of the Most Holy Redeemer."
When The Cross desmolished the Swastika: The Excommunication of the Nazi Party
It is a common misconception that the Catholic Church remained silent during the rise of National Socialism. In reality, the Church's theological and canonical response was swift and uncompromising. Long before the world was engulfed by war, the Catholic hierarchy in Germany had already declared the Nazi ideology fundamentally incompatible with the Christian faith, resulting in what amounted to a collective excommunication of its active members.
The 1930 Decree: A Line in the Sand
The most significant act of the Church's early opposition came in 1930—three years before Adolf Hitler took power. The Bishop of Mainz, acting with the authority of the German hierarchy, issued a formal decree regarding the National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP).
The decree was explicit:
Membership: It was declared "unlawful" for any Catholic to be a registered member of the Nazi Party.
Participation: Members of the NSDAP were forbidden from participating in parish groups or wearing party uniforms in church.
The Sacraments: Most crucially, the Church decreed that active, professing members of the Nazi Party were to be denied the Sacraments, including Holy Communion and the rite of Christian burial.
In the language of Canon Law, this was a clear application of the principle of excommunication: those who knowingly adhered to an ideology that placed race above God and rejected the Old Testament were considered to have separated themselves from the Body of Christ.
The Incompatibility of Doctrines
The Church's analysis was not merely political but deeply theological. The German bishops identified several "errors" in the Nazi programme that triggered this spiritual severance:
The Racial Myth: The Nazi exaltation of a "superior race" directly contradicted the Catholic doctrine of the universal brotherhood of man and the dignity of every human soul.
The Rejection of the Old Testament: The Nazi attempt to "Aryanise" Christianity by discarding the Jewish roots of the faith was condemned as a heresy.
The State as God: The Church viewed the total claim of the Nazi state over the individual as a form of idolatry.
'Mit Brennender Sorge': The Papal Verdict
This local opposition was given the highest level of universal authority in 1937, when Pope Pius XI issued the encyclical Mit Brennender Sorge ("With Burning Anxiety"). Uniquely, it was written in German rather than Latin, so that it could be read from every pulpit in Germany.
The document condemned the "pantheistic confusion," "neopaganism," and the "so-called myth of race and blood." It served as a final, public confirmation that the fruits of National Socialism were poisonous and that no Catholic could cultivate them without forfeiting their standing in the Church.
The Perspective of Results
If we judge the Church of that era as an "airline," as our site suggests, we see an organisation that issued a clear "no-fly" warning against the Nazi ideology. While individual members may have failed to follow the flight plan, the official "navigation charts"—the decrees of the bishops and the encyclicals of the Pope—were clear: the path of the Swastika was a departure from the path of the Cross.
To look back with objectivity is to acknowledge that the Church did not merely suggest a conflict of interest; she formally declared that one could not be both a faithful Catholic and a committed Nazi. The result of this stance was the persecution, imprisonment, and martyrdom of thousands of priests and laypeople who chose the Church over the Party.
A Lone Voice in the Wilderness? The Global Response to National Socialism
In the decade leading up to the Second World War, the world was a landscape of shifting alliances, political pragmatism, and ideological confusion. When we examine the facts of institutional courage during this period, a striking historical fact emerges: while many groups eventually opposed the Nazi regime once the war began, few issued a formal, theological, and institutional condemnation as early or as clearly as the Catholic Church.
The Comparative Silence of 1930–1939
While individual voices of conscience existed within every group, the institutional "flight plans" of other major entities (such as General Motors or Standard Oil) often lacked the definitive clarity of the Catholic decrees of 1930 and 1937
Conclusion: Drawing the Results
If we apply the "airline" metric again, we see that in the 1930s, most global "carriers" were either attempting to share the same airspace as the Nazi regime or were negotiating landing rights with them.
The Catholic Church, through its 1930 excommunications and 1937 encyclical, was the only global institution to issue a "permanent grounding" of the ideology on the basis of its internal reality. Whether that warning was heeded by the world is a matter for history; that the warning was issued is a matter of fact.
From the Manchurian Shock to the Post-War Mission: How 1945 Redefined Redemption in East Asia
History often paints the end of World War II with a single, devastating brushstroke: the atomic mushroom clouds over Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Yet, beneath the familiar narrative lies a more complex, humbling reality. In August 1945, it was the overwhelming collapse of Japan's front in Manchuria and the strategic shock of the Soviet invasion—on top of eight long years of grueling, forgotten warfare across China—that truly shattered the Japanese military command's final resolve.
For YouRedemptorist, history is never just a record of political maneuvers or military power; it is a human landscape of suffering, spiritual crisis, and the urgent need for divine compassion. As the earthly illusions of imperial conquest unspooled across Asia, millions of ordinary people—soldiers, refugees, and victims of total war—were left in absolute ruin. Looking back at the dual shocks that forced Japan's surrender invites us to reflect not only on how wars end in the halls of power, but on our perpetual mission: to walk among the broken, bring hope to the devastated, and proclaim redemption where human systems have utterly failed.
Historians refer to this as the "Two-Shock" theory, and the idea that the Soviet invasion of Manchuria was the decisive factor—rather than solely the atomic bombs—is a widely respected, heavily debated argument in modern World War II historiography.
While the atomic bombs played a catastrophic role, the collapse of Japan's position in Asia broke their political and strategic resolve.
The Argument for the Manchurian Operation (Operation August Storm)
Prominent historians (most notably Tsuyoshi Hasegawa in Racing the Enemy) argue that the Soviet invasion on August 9, 1945, was the true catalyst for the Japanese Supreme Council's decision to surrender.
The Death of Diplomacy: Until August 9, Japan's military leadership hoped to use the neutral Soviet Union to negotiate a mediated peace with the Allies rather than accept unconditional surrender. When Stalin declared war and launched 1.5 million troops into Manchuria, that diplomatic escape route instantly vanished.
The Loss of the Kwantung Army: Manchuria was home to the Kwantung Army, Japan's largest single land force, and housed much of its remaining industrial base and raw materials. The Red Army crushed this force in days.
Fear of a Soviet Occupation: Japan's ruling elite feared a Soviet invasion of the home islands (Hokkaido) far more than an American occupation. A Soviet conquest meant the execution of Emperor Hirohito and the destruction of the imperial system in favor of communism.
The Military's Reaction: When Hiroshima was bombed on August 6, the Supreme Council didn't even meet immediately; US conventional firebombing had already destroyed over 60 Japanese cities, so mass urban destruction was not new to them. When the Soviets invaded on August 9, the council convened immediately.
The Role of the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945)
The war in mainland China was the fundamental drain on Japanese resources that set up their eventual defeat.
The Chinese Resistance: For eight years, Chinese forces (both Nationalists under Chiang Kai-shek and Communists under Mao Zedong) tied down over 1 million Japanese troops.
Strategic Exhaustion: Japan was stuck in a massive war of attrition in China that it could neither win nor exit, forcing Tokyo into a desperate search for oil and rubber that led directly to the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.
The Consensus: A Dual Shock
Most modern historians conclude that neither factor acted completely in isolation:
The Atomic Bombs gave Emperor Hirohito a politically acceptable "face-saving" excuse to tell the Japanese public why they had to surrender (a "miraculous weapon of unprecedented cruelty").
The Soviet Invasion of Manchuria stripped the military regime of its last strategic option, leaving them zero leverage to negotiate terms.
Together, the dual shocks broke the political deadlock in Tokyo, forcing unconditional surrender before an invasion of the Japanese mainland became necessary.
The Redemptorist mission in Asia experienced a profound turning point directly tied to the fallout of World War II between 1946 and 1950
The Historical Facts
The Initial Call (1928): Pope Pius XI and the Apostolic Delegate to China, Celso Costantini, invited the Spanish Province of the Redemptorists (Provincia Española de la Congregación del Santísimo Redentor) to assist in establishing the Chinese order Disciples of the Lord in Hebei province. The first group of Spanish Redemptorists—Fathers Segundo Miguel Rodríguez, José Morán Pan, and Segundo Velasco Arina—arrived in Beijing in February 1928.
Moving to Sichuan (1934): After briefly attempting a mission in Henan (Xiping), they established their first permanent Redemptorist mission house in Chengdu, Sichuan on April 24, 1934. They later expanded to Xichang.
Creation of the Vice-Province: These foundations were officially elevated by Rome as the Redemptorist Vice-Province of China, led by Father José Pedrero as superior.
Their Ministries: They ran parish missions, set up minor seminaries (juvenates) for native vocations, and ministered straight through the Sino-Japanese War until their forced expulsion by the communist government in 1952.
Redemptorists in China (Pre-1946 to 1952)
Arrival and Early Work (1928–1934): The Redemptorist presence in China began in 1928 when Spanish friars were invited by the Vatican to help establish native orders in Hebei province. In 1934, they established their primary base in Sichuan province (Chengdu and Xichang), conducting missions, running minor seminaries, and ministering during the height of the Sino-Japanese War.
Post-War Expansion & Suppression (1947–1952): Right after the war in 1947, the Redemptorists expanded into Beijing to open a third mission house. However, as the Chinese Civil War culminated in the Communist victory of 1949, foreign missionaries faced heavy persecution. Redemptorists in Sichuan actively preached steadfast faith to locals anticipating political suppression, but by 1952, the Spanish Redemptorist missions were forcibly closed and the friars were expelled from China by the new regime.
Redemptorists in Japan (Post-1946 Debut)
First Arrival (May 8, 1948): The Redemptorists had no presence in Japan before or during WWII. Their work began on May 8, 1948, when the first Redemptorist missionaries (from the French-speaking Canadian Province of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré) arrived in Yokohama in response to an urgent call for foreign clergy to aid post-war rebuilding.
Post-War Healing (1948–1950s): Shortly after, English-speaking Canadian Redemptorists arrived in Maizuru (1948), and German Redemptorists followed (1953). Operating out of makeshift spaces like unburnt warehouses in post-bombing Tokyo, they focused on spiritual redemption, humanitarian relief, and opening novitiates for native Japanese vocations starting in 1950.
The Centuries of Shadow: 1517, 1717, 1917, and the Christian Call to Spiritual Vigilance
Throughout church history, certain dates stand out not merely as isolated events on a timeline, but as turning points that shifted the spiritual, cultural, and political landscape of the world.
When looking back across the past five centuries, a striking pattern emerges around three pivotal years—each ending in '17'—that fundamentally challenged Christian unity, faith, and the moral order of society: 1517, 1717, and 1917.
For us as Redemptorists and faithful Christians, reflecting on these three milestones is not an exercise in historical curiosity, but a invitation to understand the spiritual battles of our past so that we may remain anchored in Christ's redemption today.
1. 1517: The Fracturing of Christian Unity (Martin Luther & The 95 Theses)
On October 31, 1517, an Augustinian monk named Martin Luther sent his Ninety-five Theses regarding the sale of indulgences to the Archbishop of Mainz, effectively posting his objections for public debate. What began as a theological critique within the Catholic Church quickly spiraled into the Protestant Reformation.
Wikipedia
While Luther's initial points questioned genuine pastoral abuses surrounding penance and indulgences, the resulting split fractured Western Christendom. The seamless garment of the Church was torn, leading to decades of religious wars, theological division, and a gradual shift in how Western culture understood authority, tradition, and individual conscience.
EHNE (une Histoire Nouvelle de l'Europe / Sorbonne University)
The Lesson: Internal division and theological drift weaken the witness of the Gospel. It reminds us of the constant need for authentic inner renewal (conversion of heart) rather than schism, keeping our eyes focused on Christ, our ultimate Redeemer.
2. 1717: The Rise of Secular Modernity (The Founding of Modern Freemasonry)
Two centuries later, on June 24, 1717 (the Feast of St. John the Baptist), four secret lodges met at the Goose and Gridiron ale-house in London to form the Grand Lodge of England—marking the official birth of modern speculative Freemasonry.
Wikipedia
Embracing the ideals of the Enlightenment, Freemasonry sought to construct a moral framework independent of divine revelation, dogmatic truth, or the authority of Jesus Christ. It promoted a form of Deism or natural religion, reducing God to a distant "Grand Architect" and elevating human reason above sacred Scripture and Holy Tradition.
The Church consistently warned against these esoteric societies because they substituted the light of Christ with secret rituals, relativistic morals, and a worldview where human wisdom replaces divine grace.
The Lesson: Human wisdom and social brotherhood, detached from the Gospel, cannot redeem humanity. True light does not come from secret lodges or secular philosophies, but from Jesus Christ, the Light of the World, through the Church He's founded.
3. 1917: The Rise of Militant Atheism (The Russian Revolution)
Exactly two hundred years after 1717, the ideological shifts of the Enlightenment culminated in one of the darkest political events in human history: the Russian Revolution of 1917.
With the fall of the Tsarist autocracy in February and the Bolshevik seizure of power led by Vladimir Lenin in October, militant Marxist-Leninist atheism became state policy. The state actively sought to eradicate belief in God, closing monasteries, executing thousands of priests and religious, and persecuting millions of faithful Christians across Eastern Europe.
Marx Memorial Library
Yet, 1917 was also a year of profound divine grace. In that same year, our Blessed Mother appeared to three humble shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal, warning of the errors of Russia and offering a spiritual remedy: prayer, the Holy Rosary, and devotion to her Immaculate Heart.
The Lesson: When society attempts to build a world without God, it inevitably ends in totalitarianism, suffering, and the degradation of human dignity. Where sin abounded, however, grace abounded all the more through prayer and Marian devotion.
A Redemptorist Perspective: Plentiful Redemption in an Uncertain World
Looking back at 1517, 1717, and 1917, we see a clear trajectory:
1517 broke divine and ecclesial authority, dogma, sacramental unity, and Christendom.
1717 displaced divine revelation in favor of subjective rationalism, ideology, and elitist supremacism.
1917 attempted to erase God from society entirely through state atheism.
Yet, as St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori reminded us, with the Lord there is Copiosa Apud Eum Redemptio—Plentiful Redemption. No matter how deep the cultural or spiritual darkness grows across the centuries, the power of Christ's Cross remains supreme.
As Redemptorists and followers of Christ, our task in the present day is clear: to respond to division with unity, to rationalism with living faith, and to atheistic despair with the joyful proclamation of the Gospel.
Saint Alphonsus and Redemptorist Literature on Freemasonry
In the history of Catholic moral theology and canonical discipline, few religious orders have held as pivotal a role in guiding confessors and the faithful as the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (Redemptorists). Founded in 1732 by Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori, a Doctor of the Church, the Redemptorists produced an extensive body of spiritual and moral literature.
A recurring topic in 18th, 19th, and early 20th-century Redemptorist literature is the Church's stance on secret societies, particularly Freemasonry.
1. Saint Alphonsus Liguori on Secret Societies
Saint Alphonsus lived during the height of the 18th-century Enlightenment, a period when papal condemnations against Freemasonry were first issued:
Pope Clement XII issued In Eminenti (1738), declaring excommunication for Catholics who joined Masonic lodges.
Pope Benedict XIV reinforced this in Providas Romanorum (1751).
The Theologia Moralis and Homo Apostolicus
As a canon lawyer and moral theologian, Alphonsus addressed Freemasonry primarily in his foundational works, including the Theologia Moralis and its handbook adaptation, Homo Apostolicus.
Redemptorists.co.uk
Alphonsus outlined the theological and canonical grounds for the prohibition of Freemasonry:
Obedience to Papal Authority: Alphonsus emphasized that papal bulls (In Eminenti and Providas) carry binding canonical force on all Catholics. Joining a condemned society results in latae sententiae (automatic) excommunication reserved to the Holy See.
The Nature of Oaths: In moral theology, Alphonsus argued that swearing an unconditional oath of secrecy to unknown superiors or for undisclosed purposes violates the 2nd Commandment (taking the Lord's name in vain). An oath cannot bind a Christian to commit sin or conceal acts against Church and State.
Indifferentism and Naturalism: Alphonsus critiqued the philosophical framework of Masonic lodges, noting that promoting a universal, non-dogmatic religion undermines the necessity of divine revelation and the Catholic faith.
2. Freemasonry in 19th and 20th-Century Redemptorist Literature
Following the death of St. Alphonsus in 1787, Redemptorist theologians continued his legacy in moral theology. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, as popes like Leo XIII issued further encyclicals (such as Humanum Genus in 1884), Redemptorists published manuals for confessors and pastoral literature explaining these rulings.
Key Redemptorist Authors & Manuals
Father Marc, C.S.s.R. & Father Gury, S.J. (Adapted Works): Redemptorist moral manuals used in seminaries across Europe explicitly listed Freemasonry under the canon law governing prohibited societies (societates damnatae).
Father Michael Müller, C.S.s.R.: A prominent 19th-century American Redemptorist author, Müller wrote extensively for the laity on Catholic doctrine and family life. In books such as The Faith of Our Fathers and manuals on Christian duty, he addressed the danger of secret societies, arguing that membership separated Catholics from the sacramental life of the Church.
Father Müller, Michael, C.Ss.R. (1825–1899).
The Church and Her Enemies. New York, Cincinnati & St. Louis: Benziger Brothers / Fr. Pustet / B. Herder, originally 1880; later editions appeared in 1884 and subsequently.
Fr. Müller was a German-American Catholic priest and member of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (Redemptorists). Contemporary bibliographical material identifies him among the Redemptorist authors.
Freemasonry occupies an entire major section of the work:
Chapter III — "The Third Enemy: Freemasonry"
It contains sections on:
the alleged object of Freemasonry;
Masonic oaths and ceremonies;
different Masonic degrees;
the relationship Müller perceived between Freemasonry and Protestantism;
the "Masonic hammer";
different classes of Masons;
anti-Masonic conventions;
ecclesiastical condemnation of secret societies.
Bibliographical details
Original title: God, the Teacher of Mankind: A Plain, Comprehensive Explanation of Christian Doctrine, vol. I, The Church and Her Enemies
Author: Rev. Michael Müller, C.Ss.R.
Born: 1825
Died: 1899
Religious congregation: Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer
First publication: 1880
Language: English
Subject: Catholic apologetics; Church and society; Freemasonry; secret societies
Relevant portion: Chapter III, Freemasonry
The work subsequently formed Volume I of Müller's nine-volume God the Teacher of Mankind.
Redemptorist Catechetical Manuals: Pastoral guides published by Redemptorist fathers in Europe and North America categorized membership in secret societies as a grave offense against the First Commandment (faith and worship) and the Fourth Commandment (due authority).
3. Summary of Redemptorist Theological Objections
Across all Redemptorist literature, the rejection of Freemasonry centers on three main criteria:
Category Theological / Pastoral Concern
Canonical Direct violation of Papal decrees, incurring automatic excommunication (latae sententiae).
Moral The taking of secret, binding oaths without knowing the full nature of the obligations beforehand.
Doctrinal The promotion of religious indifferentism—the idea that all religions are equally valid pathways to God.
Conclusion
For Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori and generations of Redemptorist writers, the opposition to Freemasonry was not merely a matter of political controversy, but a pastoral concern for the salvation of souls. In line with their mission to preach the Gospel to the poor and guide penitents in the confessional, Redemptorist authors sought to safeguard the faithful by upholding the traditional teachings and canonical decrees of the Catholic Church.
Amadeus
To contextualize where Amadeus stands in time relative to Pope Clement XII's 1738 papal bull In Eminenti Apostolatus Specula (the decree establishing automatic excommunication for Catholics joining Masonic lodges), the position depends on whether the reference is to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (as featured on our site) or Victor Amadeus II / House of Savoy.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791)
Temporal Position: Post-In Eminenti (2 decades later)
Historical Timeline:
1738: Pope Clement XII issues In Eminenti, imposing automatic excommunication on Catholic Freemasons.
1751: Pope Benedict XIV reinforces this ban in Providas Romanorum.
1756: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is born in Salzburg.
1784: Mozart officially joins the Viennese Masonic lodge Zur Wohltätigkeit ("Beneficence").
Wikipedia
The Dynamic / Context:Because Mozart entered the Masonic
lodge nearly half a century after In Eminenti, he lived at a
time when the anti-Masonic papal bulls were active Church policy.
However, in late 18th-century Austria under Emperor Joseph II, papal
bulls were not enforced locally without imperial consent (Placetum
Regium).
Mozart joined a "reform-Catholic" lodge where
Enlightenment ideals, Catholic devotion, and charitable initiatives
coexisted. While Rome held Freemasons under excommunication, figures
like Mozart navigated this by living as practicing Catholics while
simultaneously participating in the Austrian lodge system.
Wikipedia
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
(1756–1791) stands as one of the most prolific, influential,
and universally recognized composers in the history of Western
classical music. Over his short 35-year life, he composed over 600
works—spanning symphonies, chamber music, concertos, choral works,
and operas—that defined the height of the Classical period.
Key Historical & Biographical Profile
Birth & Early Life: Born on January 27, 1756, in Salzburg (then part of the Holy Roman Empire). Recognized as a child prodigy, his father, Leopold Mozart, toured him and his sister Nannerl across Europe's royal courts.
Prolific Output: Composed his first symphony at age 8 and his first opera at age 11. His mature career saw masterworks such as The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni, Così fan tutte, The Magic Flute, the Jupiter Symphony (No. 41), and his unfinished Requiem in D minor.
Church & Sacred Music: Mozart produced significant sacred compositions early in his life under the employment of the Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg (e.g., Coronation Mass, Exsultate, Jubilate) and later in Vienna (Great Mass in C minor, Ave Verum Corpus, Requiem).
Temporal Context relative to Papal Decrees on Freemasonry
Mozart's life overlaps significantly with 18th-century Enlightenment thought and Catholic Church history:
Pre-Mozart Period (1738–1751):
1738: Pope Clement XII issued In Eminenti, establishing automatic excommunication for Catholics joining Masonic lodges.
1751: Pope Benedict XIV reissued the decree in Providas Romanorum.
Mozart's Era (1756–1791):
1784: Mozart was initiated into the Masonic lodge Zur Wohltätigkeit ("Beneficence") in Vienna.
The Dynamic: In Austria under Emperor Joseph II, papal decrees were not legally promulgated without imperial consent (Placetum Regium). As a result, Josephinian reform-Catholicism allowed a culture where practising Catholics—including Mozart—could participate in Masonic lodges focused on Enlightenment philosophy, fraternal charity, and civic duty, despite Rome's official canonical prohibition.
In Church history and Catholic theological literature, Mozart was never formally categorized or held up as an excommunicated person, either during his lifetime or in Catholic books written by priests after his death.
1. Canonical Status at Death: No Excommunication
Under strict Catholic canon law, papal decrees against Freemasonry (such as Clement XII's In Eminenti in 1738 and Benedict XIV's Providas Romanorum in 1751) carried an automatic penalty (latae sententiae) of excommunication reserved to the Holy See.
In late 18th-century Habsburg Austria, these papal bulls were not recognized as civil law because Emperor Joseph II restricted the publication and enforcement of papal decrees without imperial consent (Placetum Regium). As a result:
Viennese Catholic clergy routinely administered sacraments to Freemasons.
Many priests, abbots, and nobility in Vienna were themselves active members of Masonic lodges.
National Catholic Reporter
Mozart was treated as a Catholic in good standing, receiving last rites on his deathbed (he was visited by a priest, though full Viaticum was delayed/unadministered due to his rapid descent into unconsciousness) and receiving a standard Catholic Christian funeral at St. Stephen's Cathedral on December 6, 1791.
ResMusica
2. Posthumous View in Catholic Theological Literature
In moral theology manuals (including Redemptorist books based on St. Alphonsus Liguori's Theologia Moralis) and parish catechetical texts from the 19th and early 20th centuries, priests wrote extensively about the grave sin and excommunication attached to Freemasonry in general.
When Catholic writers and clergy discussed Mozart specifically, they took a nuanced view:
Separation of Man vs. Music: Catholic authors consistently lauded his sacred masterpieces (Requiem, Ave Verum Corpus, Great Mass in C minor) as supreme expressions of Catholic religious art. Popes and priests routinely praised his liturgical works despite knowing he was a Mason.
National Catholic Reporter
Historical Context Contextualization: Priests and historians writing about Mozart's life acknowledged his lodge membership but treated it as a product of 18th-century Austrian "reform-Catholicism" (Josephinism) rather than a formal act of heresy or apostasy against the Church.
Absence from Formal Canonical Lists: Books published by canon lawyers and Catholic apologists cataloging excommunicated public figures, heresiarchs, or famous apostates do not list Mozart.
The Catholic Encyclopedia (1911), has a substantial entry on Mozart and does not present him as an excommunicated Catholic.