MICHAEL DAVIES RIP

Personal Reminisces
By David Reid

Michael Davies gives his report.
FIUV XV Statutory General Assembly Rome 2001

It is with deep sorrow that I have to inform everyone of the death of Mr. Michael Davies, the President d'Honneur of the International Una Voce Federation. Michael suffered a heart attack at 9:20 p.m. on Saturday 25th September and died instantly.

I received the above news the following morning in a telephone call from Leo Darroch, Secretary, International Federation Una Voce. The news although not unexpected still came as a shock. I had last spoken to Michael on 24th August and I knew that the radiation treatment had stopped the pain however I think we both knew that time was running out.

Michael & Dr. Eric de Saventhem Lively Discussion Rome 2003

It is a with a feeling of deep loss that I now take pen in hand to remember a friend who has passed away.
Michael was the friend, champion and defender of traditional Catholics not only here in Vancouver Canada but across Canada and in fact throughout the entire world.
Long before I met Michael I knew and admired him as a writer and author whose clear, concise and reasoned arguments presented a defense for all things Traditional. His works together with his considerable personal courage gave traditional Catholics the ammunition and strength to defend these very things from enemies within and without who were determined to destroy.
The VTMS first brought Michael to Vancouver for one of a number of conferences which he gave here over the years and this is where I first met him. Over dinner, at the home of Margie Mackey, Michael would relax and keep us amused with his jokes and stories.

I will always remember on one of Michael's visits I was his designated driver with the responsibility of picking him up at the Vancouver International Airport and entertaining him for half a day before his conference began.
I asked him if there was anything in particular he would like to do - his answer was "No just show me Vancouver".
I took him up to Mount Seymour where he could overlook vistas of Mountains, valleys and picturesque Deep Cove. Next came Grouse Mountain from whose look-out one gets a panoramic view of Vancouver Harbour. At this Michael remarked that "it was the most beautiful harbour he had ever seen in the entire world". High praise indeed.
Then onward to the ski slopes at the top of the mountain. He was amazed as he said "you can walk in shorts on the ocean beaches and within half an hour ski down snow covered slopes' and that in a nutshell is Vancouver.
It was on this occasion that he told me that he was going to write a book on 'Extra Ecclesiam Nulla Sallus'. I asked him if he had ever read the 5 volume collected works of Bishop Hay especially his exposition of that Catholic doctrine. He told me he had not had the pleasure.
The works of the Right Rev. Bishop Hay of Edinburgh in 5 Volumes published in 1871

Fortunately I had published this as an article in our Newsletter some time before so I was able to run off a copy for him. I will never know if this in any way influenced him but to my knowledge he never published a book on this most controversial infallible Catholic Doctrine.
On three occasions Michael and I crossed paths in Rome first at the Ecclesia Dei celebrations in 1998 then at the FIUV XV Statutory General Assembly Rome 2001and last at the FIUV XVI Statutory General Assembly Rome 2003. It was on this last occasion that he knew he was terminally ill and tendered his resignation as President of Una Voce International. I will not detail Michael's accomplishments here as in another article in this issue I will let him speak for himself.

At Michael's request the Vancouver Traditional Mass Society (VTMS) applied for and was accepted, as a member of the Foederatio Internationalis Una Voce, at the XII Statutory General Assembly held in Rome on 21st Oct. 1995. This means that as of this date Canada was officially back in the Federation and the VTMS became the official Canadian representative of FIUV.
We all owe a great debt to Michael and he will be added to the list of souls for whom the VTMS offers monthly Masses.
Go with God my friend and I know that you will not forget us and you will be a great advocate for the return of the Traditional Mass to all the Altars in God's good time.
Michael may Almighty God have mercy on your soul and may our Mother Mary and the Angels and saints and especially St. Michael be your defense at the judgment seat.
Requiem aeternam dona ei, Domine; et lux perpetua luceat ei. Resquiescat in pace. Amen.
Absolve, Domine, animas omnium fidelium defunctorum ab omni vinculo delictorum. Et gratia tua illis succurrente, mereantur evadere judicium ultionis. Et luci aeternae beatitudine perfrui.