July 2008 Print

The Society of St. Pius X

Traditional Religious Orders

Before the present crisis in the Catholic Church brought about by Vatican II, a young man who desired to enter the holy priesthood had a wide choice of fields in which he might exercise his priestly apostolate. He could enter the service of his diocesan bishop as a parish priest, or join a foreign missionary congregation or one of the Religious Orders which leads an active life of preaching and teaching, or he could enter a monastic community and spend his life in quiet study and constant prayer.

Unfortunately, the disintegration of the Church since Vatican II has caused most of these possibilities to disappear. Only very few traditional religious communities remain. Aside from these communities, the International Society of Saint Pius X, founded in 1970 by His Grace Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, offers a young man the only real possibility of corresponding to God's call to the holy priesthood of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

As the situation in seminaries throughout the Catholic world deteriorated rapidly in the years following Vatican II, and as erroneous teachings flourished and discipline disappeared, many young men began to approach Archbishop Lefebvre to beg his advice as to where they might go to receive an authentic priestly formation. Ultimately His Grace realized that no existing seminary in Europe retained the form of intellectual and spiritual life necessary to prepare young men for the awesome responsibility of the priesthood, and he courageously decided to undertake such a project himself.

This project began on a small scale in the Swiss university city of Fribourg. On June 6, 1969, the Most Reverend François Charrière, Bishop of Lausanne, Geneva, and Fribourg, gave his authorization to Archbishop Lefebvre to open a small residence for seminarians who would attend classes at the University, which was less affected than others by the rampant new teachings. As the number of young men who gathered around the Archbishop continued to grow, His Grace purchased a second house at Ecône in the Swiss canton of Valais, where he expected to send the students for a portion of their studies. However, as the situation at the University of Fribourg changed for the worse, he decided to establish a full seminary program at Ecône. In 1971 he blessed the cornerstone of the new buildings to be constructed adjacent to the house formerly belonging to the Canons of St. Bernard.

Meanwhile, Archbishop Lefebvre realized that it would be wise to unite his seminarians canonically in an officially recognized religious society. Thus on November 1, 1970, Bishop Charrière signed and sealed the Decree of Approbation for the founding of the Society of Saint Pius X, officially in French the "Fraternité sacerdotale Saint Pie X." Cardinal Wright, Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Clergy, wrote to Archbishop Lefebvre on February 18, 1971, to congratulate His Grace for his undertaking and express the high hopes which he held for the already flourishing new society. The Cardinal also took the opportunity of recommending to several young men with vocations that they attend the seminary at Ecône.

Since then, of course, the Vatican has ceased to look with favor upon the work of priestly formation of the Society of St. Pius X, although their seminaries continue to flourish and remain Catholic seminaries such as seminaries always were. An ever increasing number of vocations permitted the Society to open comparable seminaries: one for the French-speaking seminarians at Flavigny, France; for the German-speaking seminarians at Zaitzkofen in Bavaria; two for the English-speaking seminarians, one at Winona, Minnesota, USA, the other at Goulburn, NSW, Australia; and one for the Spanish-speaking seminarians outside Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The spirit of the Society of Saint Pius X and the work of its members cannot be considered separately, since the former determines the latter.

The Society, first of all, is a "society of common life without vows," that is, its members live in communities (of at least two or three, in the smaller houses) as do members of other religious orders and congregations, but they do not take public vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience as, for example, monks and friars do. Each country, composed of several houses, has a District Superior, and the whole Society has a Superior General with a council of advisors.

Although the Society also has Brothers and Sisters who aid its priest-members, it is above all a society of priests, and the spirit which Archbishop Lefebvre wished the Society to have is above all a priestly spirit: Priestly, in its wholehearted fidelity to the Holy Catholic Church. Archbishop Lefebvre declared in 1973:

My collaborators and I are not working against anyone, against other persons, against institutions. We are working to construct, to continue what the Church has always done, and nothing else. We are not linked with any movement, with any party, or with any organization in particular. We are united only to the Roman Catholic Church, and we wish to continue the priesthood of the Roman Catholic Church. Nothing else!

Priestly, in its emphasis on the essential dignity and duties of the priest. "The concern of the Society," according to its Statutes, "is the priesthood and all that has a relation with it, and nothing which does not; that is, as Our Lord wished the priesthood to be when He said: 'Do this in commemoration of Me.'" The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, instituted at the same moment as the Holy Priesthood, holds the central place in the life of every priest and member of the Society, along with the Sacraments and the Divine Office which are as a halo surrounding the principal act of the Sacred Liturgy. Archbishop Lefebvre insistently reminded his spiritual sons that the Holy Mass is indeed the raison d'être of the priest, from which source alone his apostolate will draw its efficacy.

Priestly, in its missionary spirit. The members of the Society normally exercise an active apostolate, nourished, of course, by a fervent life of prayer. In every field of action and in every place, they seek to continue in every possible manner the mission of teaching, sanctifying, and guiding for which Our Blessed Lord–Himself Prophet, Priest, and King–instituted the priesthood, each of whose members should strive to be an alter Christus–another Christ.

From these principles, let us pass to the consideration of the actual work of the Society of Saint Pius X.

As we have seen, the work of forming true priests represents the principal concern of the Society. Thus a certain number of its members, once ordained, will be called to give their energies to this noble task as professors and spiritual directors in the several seminaries which the Society has already founded or will found in different countries of the world.

Those whom their superiors do not designate for seminary work will find a place in one of the other houses, or priories, of the Society, where they will lead a common life of prayer and work together with another or several other members of the Society. At the priory they will provide the true Mass and Sacraments, religious instruction for the faithful of the area, and preach retreats of the sort that bear great fruits of conversion and sanctification. From there, their apostolate will also radiate over surrounding areas as they travel to administer the Sacraments, and encourage and instruct Catholics distressed by the present condition of the Church. Thus they will dedicate themselves only to those activities which truly belong to the priest, seeking only the good of souls.

St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary, Winona, Minnesota

In its beginning, St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary was known as St. Peter Martyr Priory. It was a house of formation for brothers and priests of the Dominican order, built in the late 1940's, to provide for the flourishing vocations of that era. In 1971, however, following the rapid decline of many religious houses since Vatican II, St. Peter Martyr Priory was finally abandoned. From 1977-81, after years of neglect, the building was leased by the Dominicans to a corporation dealing with the care of delinquents. The delinquent center folded through insufficient funding, and from that time until 1988, the building again lay abandoned.

In the summer of 1988, the seminarians and staff of St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary, formerly situated in Ridgefield, Connecticut, made the big move to the Midwest, to the little town of Winona, Minnesota. It was a colossal effort that included the moving of some 30,000 books to the new location. On top of this effort was the amount of work that went into the renovation of the building. The generosity of the faithful was abundant in the sacrifice of their time and money to restore this magnificent building to its original splendor. Working bees were held and attended with enthusiasm until the time had come to bless the new home.

Dedication day was October 8, 1988. The Seminary chapel and building were re-consecrated, to the delight of the faithful, who were numerous; and the visiting Superior General, Fr. Franz Schmidberger, declared in a conference that evening that St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary was the most important building in North America!

A Seminarian's Day

The seminarians' day is a balance of study, prayer, work, and recreation, with the emphasis on study. Learning and piety are necessary qualities of a future priest, and so the Seminary's schedule and curriculum are ordered to accomplish this balance.

When the new seminarians arrive, they are divided into those who start the year as first-year seminarians in what is called the year of Spirituality, and those who will start as pre-seminarians in Humanities. The purpose of the extra year of Humanities is to give those students a thorough grounding in the subjects fundamental to providing a solid, natural formation for future priests, a formation that is lacking in many of the young men who arrive at the Seminary today.

Manualia, or manual labor, is a big part of the day for Humanities pre-seminarians and first-year seminarians. This consists in doing whatever work is assigned for each day. The work involved could be anything from splitting wood to raking leaves, sacristy work, typing on the computers, working on the Seminary boilers, fixing cars, painting, cleaning, and so on. All of this work is done in the afternoon, right after the midday recreation, and lasts for approximately two hours, depending on the day of the week.

The first year, or year of spirituality, is designed to accustom the new seminarian to the things of God and the spiritual life of the soul, and to prepare him more especially for priestly studies. Gregorian chant is another important part of the seminarians' formation. Differing substantially from modern music both in notation and overall structure, chant proves to be a considerable hurdle for most seminarians.

The philosophy course is a two-year rotation, comprising the second and third years of the normal Seminary curriculum. Here the seminarians are introduced to what is, for most of them, quite unfamiliar territory. Logic, Cosmology, Psychology, Ethics, Apologetics, and History are the new subjects to be faced in the second year. The fourth, fifth, and sixth years of seminary are primarily dedicated to the study of Dogmatic and Moral Theology and Canon Law. The seminarians in these years attend classes together in a three-year cycle. The study of Sacred Scripture and history continue into these years.

On Sundays and Wednesday when the midday meal is over, the community has an extended recreation. This consists in a wide range of activities and all are free to do as they choose, though one must be out of the seminary building and with at least one other seminarian for two hours.

In spring and summer, one can engage in many activities such as soccer, basketball, volleyball, baseball, tennis, and racquetball. In the fall and winter, there are baseball, football, sledding, and snowball fights! Basketball, tennis, and racquetball are always available since we enjoy, by the permission of the administration, the use of the facilities of nearby St. Mary's University. This is especially appreciated in the winter months. There is always a steady group of walkers and plenty of room to ramble around the seminary grounds and surrounding areas for those so inclined.

Apart from the Sunday and Wednesday recreation, there are also several major Feastdays during the year. On these days, the schedule is arranged just like a Sunday. In the course of the year, the Seminary allows five free days: Thanksgiving Day, three days in February following the mid-year exams and the reception of the cassock and tonsure, and Pentecost Monday. On the free days, after assisting at Holy Mass, seminarians may spend the day as they wish, provided they return to the Seminary by 9:00pm for the singing of Compline.

Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament is offered every Thursday and Sunday, and after Second Vespers of first class feasts. Here, the faithful bless God with hymns and prayers, and God in turn blesses the faithful through His priest when he elevates the monstrance and makes the sign of the cross over those present.

Gregorian chant has been used in the Church's Liturgy for centuries to add to the splendor of the Sacred rites and to elevate the minds and hearts of the faithful to the things of God. Therefore, it is an important part of the seminarians' formation to learn how to sing Gregorian chant and, if possible, to teach it to others. The Seminary's schola consists of a dozen seminarians, chosen by the Schola Director and approved by the priest in charge of Gregorian chant. The Schola practices twice a week for the Solemn Mass on Sunday and any Sung Mass during the week. For the rest of the community, a separate practice is held twice a week, called Common Class. In Common Class, the Schola Director, or a Schola member chosen by him, prepares the community to sing for the upcoming Masses and Vespers of the week, and occasionally reviews some theoretical principles of Gregorian chant.

The measure of a fervent religious house is the way it observes the rule of silence. Silence is the indispensable means of prayer, recollection, and union with God. It is, consequently, the most important rule of the Seminary. With few exceptions, silence should be kept at all times outside of recreation. Apart from the general silence of the house, there is also Grand Silence. This begins when the bell rings for Compline at 9:00pm. At 10:00pm, an even stricter silence is observed, with no running water allowed until 6:00am the next morning.

After breakfast, when the meal jobs start again, Grand Silence ends. Speaking is permitted if necessary during the meal jobs to get the work done properly, but the general silence is still observed. In this way, seminarians are reminded that their work should be done in union with God and offered to Him with a supernatural intention.

The seminarian's room is modest. It has a bed, a desk and chair, a sink, some drawers for storing clothes and a closet for hanging them, a few shelves for books, and a crucifix. The seminarian should learn to love his room for the purpose of study and prayer. It is chiefly here that he must learn to acquire the indispensable twofold condition of doctrine and piety for the priestly apostolate.

Aside from being already obliged to recite the entire Divine Office each day, and having occasionally to purify the sacred linens for their use on the altar, the deacons are also required to preach to the faithful. This consists in giving a ten-minute sermon at the Low Mass on Sunday for the edification of all.

Twice in the year, the seminarians take major examinations. The first exams take place at the end of the first semester in late January, while the finals for the second semester are in early June, just before ordinations. Many seminarians find the immediate preparation for the exams rather difficult because of the wide range of subjects and the comparatively little time they have to study. Those in Humanities and seminarians in years one and two need only worry about written examinations, while seminarians in years three to six must also face ten-minute oral examinations.

The first important step the new seminarian takes towards the priesthood, though relatively small in itself, is in his first year, when he receives the cassock or clerical habit, thereby casting off the dress of a layman and enrolling himself in the service of God. The black cassock reminds the seminarian, and those who see him, that he is dead to the world and the things of the world. He is reminded in the sermon that he must now conduct himself as if he were a priest, since all who see him will think he is a priest.

This ceremony takes place on February 2, the Feast of the Purification, as does the reception of the clerical tonsure by the second year seminarians. By the tonsure, the seminarian becomes a cleric, an official member of the Church's clergy. In the ceremony, five locks of hair are removed from the head in the form of a cross, signifying the renunciation of the world's vanities and a willingness to take up the cross and follow Jesus Christ.

On his way to the priesthood, the seminarian receives seven orders from the Church, the seventh being the priesthood itself. These orders are various steps or building blocks by which a seminarian is to come closer to offering the Holy Sacrifice. Each order gives the recipient a specific duty and function to perform in the life of the Church, and a corresponding increase in responsibility. The first four orders are known as minor orders. That is because these orders do not bind the ordinand permanently, as do the major orders, and because they are relatively less significant.

The ceremony for the reception of the first major order of the Sub-diaconate is also the occasion for the reception of the four minor orders by the third and fourth year seminarians. Third year seminarians receive the first two minor orders of Porter and Lector. It is the job of the Porter to look after the House of God and the things therein, to bring the faithful into the church and keep the unfaithful or irreligious out. The Lector has the obligation of reading various lessons in the church with clarity of speech, that he may be heard by all.

The fourth year seminarians are the recipients of the next two minor orders of Exorcist and Acolyte. The Exorcist is given a participation of the power of the priest to cast out devils. While the seminarian will never be called on to perform an exorcism, he has, nevertheless, a responsibility to live in such a way as to be irreproachable to the demons. The Acolyte is the light bearer in the ceremonies of the Church's liturgy. He therefore is obliged to make the light of his good example shine before men.

The fifth year is, ordinarily, the year for the reception of the Sub-diaconate. The most striking feature in this ceremony is the actual step forward the ordinands take, signifying the total gift of themselves to God's service and their perpetual renunciation of the possibility of marriage and family life. They had been, until now, free to return to the world. Henceforth, they are to dedicate themselves entirely to the service of the Church. The sub-deacons must also recite daily the prayers of the Divine Office and purify the sacred linens used for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. They are bound, therefore, to a greater purity of life that they may be worthy of such an office.

During the sixth and final year of the Seminary, the ordinands receive the diaconate. For the deacons, there is an intimate participation in the Sacrament of Holy Orders. Their principal duty is to proclaim the Gospel, but they can also, if necessary, distribute Holy Communion, administer Baptism, and anoint the sick. In the following year, they will be raised to the dignity of the priesthood if they are deemed ready.

The day of ordinations to the diaconate and priesthood in late June is the biggest event in the Seminary's year. It is a most joyous occasion for the whole community and the faithful present, who come in vast numbers from all over the country to witness the making of new priests–priests who will dedicate their lives for the salvation of souls in imitation of Jesus Christ, priests who will be faithful to their duty and to the spirit of the Society and its beloved Founder: the spirit of sacrifice and generosity, the spirit of prayer and union with God. For the ordinands to the priesthood, it is the culmination of six or more years of prayer, study, and discipline. Everything they have done has been geared to this moment–the moment in which they receive the priestly character. With the Sacrament of Holy Orders, the new priests receive the power to consecrate, to forgive sins, and to give blessings to the faithful.

In the ordination ceremony, the consecrating bishop is the first to lay his hands on the heads of the ordinands, followed by any other bishop in attendance, and finally by all the priests. This is what is known as the "matter" of the sacrament.

After the singing of the preface and the reading of the Sacramental "form" of the rite of ordination, the ordinands' stoles are crossed, and they receive the chasuble. They are now priests. The Veni Creator is intoned to implore the assistance of the Holy Ghost and the ordinands' hands are anointed with the oil of catechumens. Their hands are then bound with a cloth and they touch the paten, host, and chalice with their fingers.

Immediately after the candle offering, the new priests concelebrate the Mass with the ordaining Bishop. Assistant priests helps them follow the missal. After communion, the Bishop again imposes his hands on the new priests and demands their future obedience. Holding the young priest's hands between his, the Bishop admonishes him and asks him to promise obedience. The priest replies, "Promitto–I promise." The Bishop then gives the new priest the sign of peace, blesses him, and gives him a "penance." The Te Deum, the hymn of thanksgiving, is sung, and all the servers, ministers, and new priests and deacons make the joyful recession back to the chapel and sacristy for photos and the final blessing.

After the ceremony, the faithful eagerly await an opportunity to receive the first blessing of the new priests. The Seminary bell rings to summon all the ordained and their guests to the luncheon banquet. For the faithful who have no special invitation, the Seminary provides a meal outside. After the luncheon, Vespers is sung in the tent to end the day's formal celebration. The next day starts with the first Mass of the newly ordained priests. An assistant priest helps the young priest to follow the rubrics of the Mass, and gives a sermon on his behalf. After attending one of the first Masses, most of the faithful who have come from near and far to witness the making of new priests return home. They leave, no doubt, with renewed strength for the spiritual battle, and with gratitude to God for providing the gift of new priests.

Discernment

It is important for a young man considering his vocation to the priesthood to understand that a vocation cannot be decided or "figured out" in the world. A young man must enter the Seminary if he is to know certainly whether God is calling him or not. With all of the distractions and temptations in the world, however, this can be very difficult. Often it is harder just to make it to the Seminary than to stay. If you think that there is any possibility that you might have a vocation, we recommend that you take as many of the following steps as possible, remembering that your salvation might depend on your answering God's call:

1) Talk to a priest. He can give you good advice on the direction you ought to take.

2) Make an Ignatian retreat. God speaks in silence. On a retreat, you will be able to see clearly what God wants you to do.

3) Visit the Seminary. Coming to the Seminary and speaking to the professors and seminarians will give you a fuller understanding of seminary life and the Catholic priesthood. If possible, a prospective seminarian should visit for a week in order to get a well-rounded view of seminary life. OMEGA2.EPS