Is Feeneyism Catholic? - Society of St. Pius X

20 IS F EENEYISM C ATHOLIC?
of desire being like a miracle of the supernatural order, it would be
presumptuous to affirm that there are relatively many such souls
saved by baptism of desire only. There are certainly such souls in
heaven, 24 but they remain the exceptions to the rule, the rule being
the Law of Baptism as set by Our Lord Jesus Christ. Yet such
exceptions do exist; and one could add that there are probably
more numerous miracles in the supernatural order than in the
natural order, because they are more directly connected with the
salvation of souls, which is the purpose of all that Divine Providence
does for mankind.
Note here that some of Fr. Feeney’s followers say that the salvation
of any man is a miracle. St. Thomas does not agree: salvation
does not exceed the power of its proper cause, which is
God. 25 To be saved by the grace of God, using faithfully the
means put at our disposal by Our Lord Jesus Christ, belongs to
the ordinary Providence of God, “who wants all men to be saved”
(I Tim. 2:4). But when God Himself bypasses His laws and gives
sanctifying grace to a soul without the normal means He had established,
this is like a miracle and therefore is rare.
FAITH ENTIRELY IMPLICIT?
An explicit knowledge of all the articles of Faith has never
been absolutely required! It is necessary not to deny any one of
them knowingly; but it is not necessary to know all of them explicitly.
By believing the Catholic Church, we believe virtually all
the deposit of Faith entrusted to her. It is sufficient to believe all
that one knows of Divine Revelation. But it is necessary to know
and believe something divinely revealed.
The popes (Pope Clement XI, Dz. 1349ab) and Doctors (ST,
II-II, Q.2, A.7-8) have taught that it is necessary to know explicitly
the essential articles of Faith, the Trinity, the Incarnation and
Redemption, in as much as they have been revealed to the person,
24 St. Alphonsus: “It is de fide [it belongs to the Faith] that there are souls saved
by baptism of desire” (see p.77).
25 ST, I-II, Q.114, A.10. This is the reason why I wrote that baptism of desire
is like a miracle: its proper cause is God, and as such it does not exceed the
power of its proper cause; but it bypasses the ordinary means set by God to
produce the effect of the supernatural birth, and as such it is like a miracle.