The Dimonds’ Attitude? A Layman’s Foundation
A traditional Catholic priest with whom I conversed with in October 2018 gave me a number of arguments as to why the Dimonds do more harm than good, even if their intention is based on the good will of promoting the Catholic faith. We agreed to treat them as being “journalists”, of sorts, for they have somehow forgotten the primary duties / responsibilities associated with being monks and who, if they were to submit themselves to a bishop, would undoubtedly be most embarrassed and uncomfortable in having to obey him. Simply reading Pope Pius XI’s encyclical “Mortalium Animos” [84] should be enough to convince anyone that Vatican II broke cleanly away from following Catholic tradition. And that implies that we actually don’t need any more “journalists” (like the Dimonds) informing us of the obvious.
From top to bottom, MHFM is filled with people untrained in the rigors associated with a monastic spiritual life. In view of this undeniable evidence against the monks, one should ask themselves: does MHFM merit to be considered a true Order of St. Benedict? Evangelicals like John Pontrello, Jay Dyer, and many others like them, can hardly be compared to the Dimonds, for none but the Dimonds claim to be acting on a question of eternal life or death. [85]
For those of you who have visited the Monastery’s website, have you noticed the absence of any in-depth information relating to its founding, its current hierarchy, and/or, more importantly, the life and times of MHFM’s founder Joseph Natale? There are some things you need to know. Natale proclaimed that he had been spoken with and was chosen by God; who informed him that his monastery would be "the beacon light of all Catholicism", "the forerunner of the second coming of Christ," and "the final religious order in the world.” [86] It has been inferred by certain individuals who met Joseph Natale, that stated / believed that the end of the world would occur sometime in 1999 and that Jesus would return. [87] Natale had declared to a number of people that he was chosen to be a “witness” of the second coming of Jesus Christ. But it never happened, since Joseph died unexpectedly in November 1995. Michael Dimond's brief mention on the website of Joseph Natale's past claims and alleged vision is a vain attempt to give prestige and credibility to his monastery, by inferring that MHFM has remained steadfast and on the same “straight line” since its inception. But that is not true. The founder of MHFM has always been against sedevacantism and so was Michael Dimond in 1996, pursuing Joseph Natale's initial will; before changing positions shortly after the conversion of his blood brother. [88] To Peter Dimond's own admission in his video intended as a defense of his older brother, Michael Dimond was too young young to pretend to take the place of superior of the Order of Saint-Benedict (OSB) in the monastery. [89] With testimonies like that of Richard Ibranyi and others, the arguments used by the Dimond against them are no more convincing and are of the type: "trust us, these people are lying."
One additional point: Joseph Natale was handicapped since childhood with a condition that automatically denied him the possibility of ever becoming a Catholic priest, due to the rigors associated with carrying out the functions of the priesthood. Yet, that fact did not stop him from declaring and presenting himself as MHFM’s superior, a position that only a professed and ordained member of the priesthood is allowed to hold. [90]
In accumulating the evidence on the true history of the monastery, I’ve come to the conclusion that the monks of MHFM are only laymen and should never have declared themselves as a legitimate Order of St. Benedict, but rather they should have established themselves as an independent secular group denouncing Vatican II. It’s not too late for them and/or those who follow them to reach this same conclusion. The Dimond have usurped the Benedictine office they claim to hold and are nowseen as the “the gurus” of their sect.
Simply put, the Dimonds’ have usurped ecclesiastic authority and see themselves and are seen by their base as being “Gurus”, of sorts, over their sect. Their displayed ”spiteful” behavior has produced a “spiteful” base of followers but it has also resulted in alienating countless others away from the true faith, producing at one extreme “atheist” and at the other people "discouraged" with evangelism. laymen were not sent by Jesus Christ and that they did not properly follow the training required to avoid everything that is denounced here?
It is wholly inadmissible that Michael Dimond speaks of re-establishing “tradition” in various sectors of Catholicism and not just those deemed dogmatic such as adhering to the rule of fasting, but fails to accept the “traditions” related to The Order of St Benedict. He willfully turned a "blind eye" to the rule of the Code of Canon Law of 1917 or the teachings of Pope Leo XIII on the procedures to be followed to become a Benedictine superior.
Just possibly, using Dimond’s same arrogant logic, an MHFM supporter could purport that, this being the “end times”, he has the right to slip on a surgeon's gown, reserved only for those who have first graduated from medical school and afterwards completed a lengthy surgical residency program, and intervene as a surgeon to try and save the life of a neighbor in dire need of professional medical assistance. Ludicrous, you say? Absolutely, but it’s allegorical to the Dimonds pretending to be Benedictines and save souls. Presumably, the Dimonds apply theBenidictine Rule where and when it suits them. And in so doing … they do their own will and not God's.
In the “links” section, you will find another testimony from a person who also visited the monks, saying that the Dimonds, in addition to the fact that they do not respect the Rule of Saint Benedict, [91] have within their Fillmore enclosure a huge building that holds a basketball court, complete with showers and a heated floor. [92] A shot from Google Maps may perhaps identify this building in the vicinity of the address indicated on their website. The witness indicates the building has a white roof.
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MHFM grounds with basket-ball building on the far left? Taken by Google Map
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One remains troubled and/or confused by the glaring inconsistency of how they live and worship and what their website conveys that the “faithful” should do during this “end-times” phase of extreme urgency. Judging from their preferred religious lifestyle at the monastery … extreme prudence and careful reflection should be used before deciding upon donating to MHFM. As for me, I decided a long time ago not to give them any more of my money. As for you … well, you’ll have to make up your own mind. The narratives from other people that are found in the links section may assist you making your final decision concerning donations.
MHFM’s video against Eastern Orthodoxy exposes the Dimonds in their true light. They seek not the truth. I have actually run across individuals who believe that the monks of MHFM are living their cloistered monastic lives in a medieval style monastery. What a disillusionment, isn’t it?
Notes de fin :
[84] Encyclical Letter Mortalium Animos of Pope Pius XI ; jan. 6, 1928: http://laportelatine.org/bibliotheque/encycliques/PieXI/Mortalium_Animos.php
[85] Jay Dyer, Biblical Symbolism, Allegory & Mystagogy - St. Maximos; jan 29, 2019: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZ7EkvhzQYs; 32m40s. Jay Dyer says: “I don’t think doing these streams are dangerous. I’ve had lots of support from people in Orthodoxy, so I feel what we’re doing here is positive and helpful ; converting a lot of people. Nobody else is talking about this stuff.”
[86] 23rd Street, Brother Joseph Natale’s Dream: A Refuge ... “The City of God”: http://www.23rdstreet.com/mhfm/joseph_natale_city_of_god.aspx
[87] 23rd Street, Index : http://www.23rdstreet.com/index.aspx For the allusion to year 1999 which would have been believed by Joseph Natale as the year for the Second Coming of Christ, see God Will Not Be Mocked: The Dimond Brothers : http://www.23rdstreet.com/video_texts/god_will_not_be_mocked.aspx: Joseph Natale would have received the promise “by God that he would witness the end of the world and the second coming of Christ that he professed, like Fr. Nicholas Gruner, would come in March of 1999 (a month of two moons).”
[88] 23rd Street, Frederick Dimond: Against Sedevacantism (1996) : http://www.23rdstreet.com/mhfm/frederick_dimond_against_sedevacantism.aspx
[89] Vaticancatholic, Was Bro. Michael Dimond always a Sedevacantist? ; March 11, 2010: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMN0N84Ajzg; 2m14s : “So he was actually quite young.”
[90] 23rd Street, The MHFM: Joseph Natale's Novus Ordo - Obsession, Rejection, Defiance, and Obstinacy : http://www.23rdstreet.com/mhfm/joseph_natale_novus_ordo.aspx
[91] The Rule of Saint Benedict, Translated into English. A Pax Book, preface by W.K. Lowther Clarke. London: S.P.C.K., 1931: http://www.solesmes.com/sites/default/files/upload/pdf/rule_of_st_benedict.pdf
[92] 23rd Street, The Dimond Brothers' "Monastic Life" Exposed : http://www.23rdstreet.com/video_texts/the_dimond_brothers_exposed.aspx