Louis Vezelis
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Louis Vezelis, OFM (born 1930) is an American Franciscan independent bishop. He is a Traditionalist Catholic sedevacantist.
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[edit] Early Life
Louis Vezelis was born on January 29, 1930 to Lithuanian immigrants in Rochester, New York. There, he received the sacraments at his local parish and a normal elementary and secondary education, attending the minor seminary of the Holy Ghost Fathers for a year.
[edit] Entering the Franciscan Order
Invested in the Franciscan habit in 1949, Brother Louis became a member of the Order of Friars Minor's Lithuanian Vicariate and in the early-mid 1950's he studied philosophy and theology under the American Immaculate Conception and Canadian St. Joseph Provinces. During this period he received the various minor and major orders and on June 16, 1956 Father Louis was ordained to the Priesthood in the Franciscan seminary chapel at Montreal, by Paul-Emile Cardinal Leger. Until 1957 he preached and administered the Sacraments in the United States.
[edit] Missionary
Receiving the "obedience" and mandate of the minister general of the Order, Very Rev. Augustine Sepinski, O.F.M. to establish the Franciscans, especially in Korea, he spent 18 years in the Far East missions where he ministered to both natives and American soldiers. While there, Father Louis built a seminary, friaries, parishes, schools and other housing and was elected as definitor of the province. A faithful missionary with a special affection for the Korean people whose language he learned very well, but dismayed by the liturgical and doctrinal revolution in the Church, he returned to the United States in June, 1975 to be fund-raiser for the Korean missions, and also sought to establish a newspaper in that language for the many Catholic immigrants from that country to the U.S.
[edit] Faithful to the True Church
In the spring of 1978, Vezelis was was "automatically dismissed" from the Franciscans on grounds of removing himself from the jurisdiction of his superiors because he felt that in light of the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, his superiors had left the faith. The same year he became involved with the traditional Catholic movement and offered the Mass for the faithful including those following Marcel Lefebvre. Eventually he distanced himself from the Society of Saint Pius X.
[edit] Franciscan Restoration; Sedevacantism
On October 4, 1979 Vezelis founded Our Lady of the Angels Friary in his native Rochester and received its first novices in the next years, giving them religious formation. In 1982 Father Louis, already suspicious of the legitimacy of the popes since John XXIII, especially John Paul II became convinced of the sedevacantist position after John Paul embraced Robert Runcie and called their churches "sister."
[edit] Episcopal Consecration
Having been introduced to and submitted to a bishop in the line of Archbishop Ngô Ðình Thuc Pierre Martin, Father Vezelis was asked to receive episcopal consecration. On August 24, 1982 he was consecrated bishop in the presence of priests, friars and lay people and has since hadjurisdiction over the "traditional Catholics" east of the Mississipi River. Priests including Robert McKenna submitted to Vezelis as their ordinary.
[edit] The Seminary; Apostolate and the following years
Nephews of one of the Mexican bishops, and several others from that country came originally as secular seminarians but asked for the Franciscan habit instead. These were joined by Americans, but due to disobedience or a lack of vocation the majority were asked to leave. However, those who perservered were solemnly-professed and ordained. From 1983-1984 Archbishop Ngo-Dinh-Thuc lived with Bishop Louis at the Rochester Friary.
The Franciscans accepted responsibility for numerous missions and some of these still exist today, especially four churches with weekly Mass and fervent members. Pastoral trips are made around the world. Bishop Giles Butler, O.F.M. was consecrated not only as Bishop Louis' successor but as ordinary for the Western Diocese (formerly the territory of Bishop George Musey) on August 24, 2005. Currently there are six friars (two bishops, two priests, and two brothers- one lay, the other a student for the priesthood).
At 77, Bishop Louis O.F.M. is in fairly good health, remaining an active friar, bishop and superior of the true Franciscan Order. He works with Bishop Roberto Martinez of Mexico and of course, Bishop Giles, O.F.M. but does not recognize anyone consecrated post-1982 as a valid bishop, if he did not approve first.
The bishop forms Franciscans (both friars and tertiaries). Also, besides editing the Seraph, he is a published author of Discernment of Spirits, Sedevacantism: The only honest response to a painful reality,, and Archbishop Ngo-Dinh-Thuc: Martyr for the Faith.
| Episcopal Lineage | |
| Consecrated by: | Adolfo Zamora |
| Date of consecration: | August 24, 1982 |
| Consecrator of | |
|---|---|
| Bishop | Date of consecration |
| Giles Butler | August 24, 2005 |
[edit] External links
- Friars Minor (Official website of the Bishop's order)
