Anyone who missed the 2025 TFP National Conference missed an opportunity to gain insights into the challenges Catholics face inside an uplifting community of like-minded souls.
The event united supporters of the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property at the organization’s headquarters in Spring Grove, Penn, on October 24-26. Visitors also came from Canada, Europe, Latin America and South Africa.
Goals and Achievements
This year’s theme was “With America and the Church in Turmoil, We Must Set Our Gaze on Our Lady’s Triumph. TFP member Michael Drake opened the event by commemorating the thirtieth anniversary of the death of TFP founder Professor Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira. While the TFP misses his searing intellect and calm leadership, the TFP did not wither after his passing, as many of his enemies had expected. Mr. Drake employed appropriate irony, “The left has difficulties it never had before his death. We are here to help make them more difficult.”
As in past conferences, Michael Gorre described the events and accomplishments of the TFP since the 2024 Conference. Most significant were the 23,090 America Needs Fatima Rosary Rallies carried out across America. He showed clips of TFP Student Action videos on campuses, noting that its channel now has over 302,000 subscribers and one hundred million accumulated views. The TFP also distributed 1.1 million books, 618,000 calendars and 1,070,000 rosaries.
Terrifying and Defeating the Left
All the talks were given in the context of the book, Revolution and Counter-revolution by Prof. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira in which he explains history as the fight between those who want to destroy the Church and Christian civilization (the Revolution) and the forces that oppose this action (the Counter-revolution).
Senior French TFP member Jose Ureta explained how the Catholic Church in America terrifies the Revolution. He showed how conservative trends inside the Catholic Church in America pose significant obstacles to the Revolution’s designs against the whole Church. His fascinating talk demonstrated how America’s militant spirit, organizational genius, generosity, wealth and other characteristics have worked among Catholics to stop Revolutionary plans and slow down its momentum.
American TFP vice-president John Horvat remembered the action of Prof. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira on the thirtieth anniversary of his death. He explained that Dr. Plinio employed four courses of action to put together the Counter-revolution. The first is to find allies and encourage them to join the fight. The second characteristic of his battle was to identify the right enemies. He was not one to get involved in conspiracy theories or fight against windmills. Third, he employed daring and original methods to project his strong message in the public square. Finally, he was laser-focused on a final goal, which is the triumph of Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart.
Reaching the right audiences was the topic of Norman Fulkerson’s presentation. He identified target groups for the counter-revolutionary message. These include energetic supporters of counter-revolutionary thought, timid sympathizers and leftists who will be discouraged by this action. The most important target of such action is God Himself. Counter-revolutionaries must show zeal for God’s cause and thus induce Him to come to their aid.
The Path to Victory
Nelson Fragelli, a senior TFP scholar in France, spoke about the mother of the TFP’s founder, Dona Lucilia Corrêa de Oliveira. She was a lady who combined goodness, morality, exquisite manners, truthfulness and a love of ceremony. She inspired those characteristics in her son. Her influence extends beyond her son but to all those who followed him. She taught her son, “Character makes the man, intelligence comes second. One can get to Heaven without intelligence, but not without character.”
The American TFP’s Michael Whitcraft introduced the theme of combativeness with a quote from Saint Joan of Arc, “We must fight so that God gives us the victory.” He presented holy combativeness as modern Christianity’s “missing virtue.” From the very beginning, God announced in Genesis that “I will put enmities between thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed. She shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel” (Genesis 3:15). To share in Christ’s Kingdom, all must be engaged in the fight against Satan and his works. The Church is not a pacifist organization declining to draw obvious lines between right and wrong.
Julio Loredo’s presentation was on how organic Christian society lies at the core of Our Lady’s triumph. He showed how the Social Kingship of Christ is more than just a spiritual dominion but also a political reality and goal.
Building Our Lady’s Reign
The American TFP’s teacher, Michael Chad Shibler, presented practical ways to implement counter-revolutionary ideas in daily life. He outlined manners of speaking, dressing and acting that influence society. He spoke of ways to network with others, protest evils and hold rosary rallies. He encouraged participants to seize every opportunity to engage in counter-revolutionary action.
Mr. Rex Teodosio aimed the spotlight at the obligation of spreading the message of Our Lady of Fatima. He explained that many ignore this message for many reasons. Revolutionaries within the Church want the people to forget about God’s justice and continue their descent into sin. Others claim Russia’s conversion is no longer needed. To those who foment the Revolution, the message of Fatima is a constant threat. Conversely, the TFP dedicates itself to making that threat increasingly real.
The Apex and Confident Return to Battle
As always, the high point of the National Conference is the stunningly beautiful High Mass, celebrated this year at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart near Hanover, Pennsylvania.
After returning from Holy Mass, the Conference concluded with a medieval-style banquet where a large Saint Benedict medal was presented to each participant. Prince Bertrand of Orléans-Braganza, head of the Imperial Family of Brazil, addressed the gathered company with the wisdom of one who has long been engaged in the battle. “Thus, Our Lady is she, who will crush the serpent’s head, and will guide us amidst all this confusion and help us to go where we need to go…. When the devil tries to distract us with his false alternatives, let us recall the initials inscribed on the back of Saint Benedict’s medal, which stand for the following words, ‘Begone, Satan! Never tempt me with your vanities! What you offer me is evil. Drink the poison yourself!’ I ask you to please continue fighting against the Revolution, as Dr. Plinio taught us, and keep your eyes focused on Our Lady. If we do this, then the devil has no chance.”
This confidence gave the attendees courage as they dispersed. It is a spirit of hope and trust in Our Lady’s triumph. Let this trust and courage neither flag nor fail!
Photo Credit: American TFP Photo Archive