The Congregation of Mary Immaculate Queen (; CMRI) is a
sedevacantist Traditionalist Catholic religious congregation.
The CMRI is dedicated to promoting the message of
Our Lady of Fátima and the
devotion of the practice of Total Consecration to the Virgin Mary as taught by
Saint Louis Marie de Montfort.
The CMRI holds that the
Chair of Saint Peter has been
unoccupied since the
death
Death is the end of life; the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain a living organism. Death eventually and inevitably occurs in all organisms. The remains of a former organism normally begin to decompose sh ...
of
Pope Pius XII in 1958. The CMRI is not in
communion with the
Holy See
The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...
or any territorial church diocese.
The congregation lists over 90 traditional Catholic churches and chapels both in the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
and abroad, as well as at least 13 schools staffed by
religious
Religion is a range of social- cultural systems, including designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relate humanity to supernatural ...
.
Names
The group had used and was designated by various names:
* Fatima Crusade
* Tridentine Latin Rite Church
* Oblates of Mary Immaculate
* Fatima Crusaders
* Congregation of Mary Immaculate Queen
Leadership
Superiors Generals
*
Francis Schuckardt (1967–1984)
*Denis Chicoine (1984–1989)
*
Mark Pivarunas (1989–1991)
*Casimir M. Puskorius (1991–1995)
*Mark Pivarunas (1995–present)
Activities
The Sisters at
Mount Saint Michael record CDs and perform an annual
Christmas
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...
concert.
The CMRI hold the Fatima Conference at
Mount Saint Michael in
Spokane,
Washington every October. The Conference includes five days of lectures, daily
Mass
Mass is an Intrinsic and extrinsic properties, intrinsic property of a physical body, body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the physical quantity, quantity of matter in a body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physi ...
, devotions, and meals.
The CMRI has been involved with mass media since their founding as a method of recruitment and information. Throughout their history, the CMRI has produced books, pamphlets, and audio recordings. The CMRI runs a bookstore, Mary Immaculate Queen Center, and produces various periodicals: ''The Reign of Mary'' (quarterly magazine), ''Adsum'' (Mater Dei seminary monthly newsletter), and ''Anima Mariae'', the CMRI sisters' newsletter. The CMRI also produces CDs of the annual Fatima Conference talks, as well as a livestream of Daily Mass and devotions from the City of Mary in
Rathdrum,
Idaho
Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), ...
.
History
Speaking tours and Coeur d'Alene beginnings (1967 to 1971)
Francis Konrad Maria Schuckardt (a
Catholic layman from
Seattle
Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
, Washington) and Robert Denis Chicoine (a former
Marine, bricklayer, and newspaper pressman from
New Bedford
New Bedford is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. It is located on the Acushnet River in what is known as the South Coast (Massachusetts), South Coast region. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, New Bedford had a ...
,
Massachusetts
Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
) attracted their initial followers through international speaking tours as part of the
Blue Army of Our Lady of Fatima. Chicoine first heard Schuckardt in a 1965 talk in
San Diego
San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
about the message of Fatima. After listening to Schuckardt for three nights in a row, he became his disciple.
Beginning in the late 1960s, Schuckardt was able to attract numerous vagabond priests.
Schuckardt was
ordained
Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...
a priest and consecrated a bishop by
Daniel Quitler Brown from 28 October to 1 November 1971 at a
motel
A motel, also known as a motor hotel, motor inn or motor lodge, is a hotel designed for motorists, usually having each room entered directly from the Parking lot, parking area for motor vehicles rather than through a central Lobby (room), lo ...
in
Chicago
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
in front of 40 witnesses.
Brown had been consecrated a bishop in 1969 by Hubert A. Rogers, a bishop of the
North American Old Roman Catholic Church, but had left it and become
independent in 1971.
The same year, Schuckardt changed the name of the group to Traditional Latin Rite Catholic Church.
Properties
The CMRI owned and operated numerous schools, camps, and properties,
including a convent and girls high school in
Colbert, Washington about north of Spokane,
and a mansion at 2314 E South Altamont Boulevard in Spokane, Washington, which operated as the
priory and Schuckardt's main residence.
Chicoine era (1984 to 1989)
On June 3, 1984, Schuckardt and a small group of his followers were expelled from the CMRI and left the Spokane area, taking the name Tridentine Latin Rite Church (TLRC). In addition to Alphonsus, Schuckardt was followed by 4 religious sisters and 10 religious clerics and brothers. A larger group of the priests, religious, and laity remained with Chicoine at
Mount Saint Michael, retaining the CMRI name and the bulk of the church property. Chicoine accused Schuckardt of abuse and drug addiction.
Local media in 1984 reported that there were 5,000 followers of the group in the United States, 800 of whom live in the Spokane area.
By 1986, local media reported about half the members of the church's religious orders left.
Following the expulsion of Schuckardt, sedevacantist Bishop George Musey (of the
Thục apostolic line)
conditionally re-administered the sacraments imparted by Schuckardt, whose
validity was now considered dubious, and conditionally re-ordained the remaining priests.
In 1986, the Congregation held its first
General Chapter, which established its rule and constitutions, that were later approved by sedevacantist Bishop
Robert McKenna .
Pivarunas era (since 1989)
In August 1989, Father Tarcisius Pivarunas (
Mark Pivarunas) was elected
Superior General of the congregation.
On 1 February 1991, sedevacantist Bishop
Moisés Carmona expressed his desire to consecrate as bishop whomever the congregation chooses. On 3 April 1991, Pivarunas was elected to be consecrated a bishop. In accordance with Catholic practice, Pivarunas dropped his
religious name, "Tarcisius", and in accordance with CMRI Constitutions, resigned as Superior General. He was succeeded by Father Casimir M. Puskorius. On 24 September 1991, in
Mount Saint Michael, Pivarunas was consecrated a bishop by Bishop Carmona.
In June 2007, 15 sisters (including Rev. Mother Ludmilla) living at
Mount Saint Michael in Spokane were expelled for disputing the CMRI stance of sedevacantism. They later reunited with the Catholic Church, and formed the
Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Church (SMMC) under the authority of
William Skylstad,
Bishop of Spokane.
In 2016, Pivarunas administered the
sacrament
A sacrament is a Christian rite which is recognized as being particularly important and significant. There are various views on the existence, number and meaning of such rites. Many Christians consider the sacraments to be a visible symbol ...
of
confirmation to 20 people in
Paese, during a Mass presided by Father Florian Abrahamowicz. The
Diocese of Treviso declared the confirmations to be "
valid but illicit".
References
Further reading
* Cubbage, Bob. ''Tridentine Latin Rite Church'' (Spokane, WA: Inland Register, 1980)
*
* Lebar, James J. ''Cults, Sect, and the New Age''. Our Sunday Visitor, 1989.
* Waller, Gary.
Walsingham and the English Imagination'. 2011, p. 42.
CMRI & Tridentine Latin Rite Church(critical, ex-member)
External links
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Congregation Of Mary Immaculate Queen
Christian organizations established in 1967
Sedevacantism