A Brief History of the Society of St. Pius X
A Brief History of the Society of St. Pius X
On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Priestly Society of Saint Pius X, we present a revised and updated history.
Long before the Second Vatican Council, which was the final, visible eruption of long-suppressed modernist infiltration in the Church, the Society of St. Pius X was made possible by the providential foresight of an extraordinary man, Fr. Henri Le Floch, Superior of the French Seminary in Rome. In the 1920s he formed a small group of young men, future prelates and priests who, having been fully instructed by him as to the true nature of the heresy of modernism, remained faithfully attached to Tradition. Fr. Le Floch announced in 1926:
The heresy which is now being born will become the most dangerous of all; the exaggeration of the respect due to the Pope and the illegitimate extension of his infallibility.
A grateful Archbishop Lefebvre often spoke of his great teacher. We will see repeatedly in this historical recollection many churchmen close to the Society of St. Pius X who studied with our great founder under the great Fr. Le Floch.
1968
In the spring of 1968, in the Swiss village of Saxon, several local men purchase the old chapel and farm of Ecône. It was once run by the Canons of St. Bernard, and contains the shrine of Our Lady of the Fields. It is saved from being developed into a motel with a restaurant and nightclub. The local bishop is glad to sell it off.
In the same year, the General Chapter of the Fathers of the Holy Ghost revises its Constitutions in the spirit of the new Council. Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, Superior General of the order, protests before the Sacred Congregation of Religious in Rome. He is invited to take a break and go on vacation. He presents his resignation and retires as chaplain to a convent in Rome.
In May of 1968, in the French Seminary of Rome, where the great Fr. Le Floch was Superior only a generation ago, the Communist flag now hangs from the main balcony in support of the revolutionary students in Paris. A minuscule group of seminarians, still dressed in their cassocks and being shunned by the rest of their comrades and teachers, seeks out the retired Archbishop Lefebvre to ask him for help. He directs them to the still-conservative University of Fribourg in Switzerland, encouraged by the presence there of the Abbot of Hauterive and the Dominican theologian Fr. Philippe.
In the words of the Archbishop:
I said to these gentlemen that wanted to force me to do something for the seminarians, asking me to take care of them personally, “I’m going to see Bishop Charrière. If he tells me, ‘go ahead,’ then I will see in it a sign of the will of God.” I said this because I really didn’t want to do it; I felt old and I was sure that I could not undertake such a work. When you are 65 years old you do not undertake a work like the one of the Society. Had somebody told me the number of priests and what the Society would be today I would just have smiled sweetly. So I didn’t want to, but Bishop Charrière insisted, “Il faut, il faut, you must, you must; faites, faites, do it, do it! Do something, rent a house, don’t abandon these seminarians. You know what’s going on in the Church. We need absolutely to keep the good traditions.” This was the sign. The Society is therefore not a personal work; it would never have been blessed by God as it has been. It was definitely a work of God.
1970
The Swiss laymen offer the property of Ecône to Archbishop Lefebvre via a local parish priest, Fr. Bonvin, a confrere of the Archbishop in the French Seminary at Rome. The seminarians leave the rented rooms of the Don Bosco House in Fribourg and in September the first year starts at Ecône with the warm approval of Bishop Adam of Sion. On the 1st of November the Bishop of Lausanne, Geneva and Fribourg approves and confirms the constitutions and proceeds to the canonical foundation of the International Priestly Society of Saint Pius X in his diocese.
1971-74
The Archbishop expected to wait a long time for the second canonical step, the approval of Rome. Only four months later, in February of 1971, Cardinal Wright, Prefect for the Sacred Congregation for the Clergy, officially approves the Society. The official Roman document recognizes the Society’s international character and the fact that many bishops from the world praise and approve it. The Cardinal is happy that the Society will amplify the number of Catholic clergy in the world.
Much to the surprise of our founder, his small work of faith receives further encouragement. When a few priests wish to join him in the Society’s work, the Archbishop submits the case to Rome, and the Roman Curia, anticipating his desires, detaches these priests from their bishops and from their religious orders to make them depend exclusively on the Society of Saint Pius X.
This official act of Rome recognizes the right of the Society of St. Pius X to incardinate its members. Ultimately, this mandate of the Church, along with a state of necessity, constitutes the main reason for the episcopal consecrations of 1988.
In 1971, 24 candidates enter the seminary of Ecône. In 1972, 32 candidates enter the seminary. The French bishops, almost all Modernists, are closely watching the expansion of the young Society. Jealous of its unexpected success, they start a campaign of discredit. They want to close Ecône. Society seminaries are opened at Armada, Michigan, in 1973, and Albano (Rome) in 1974. The plot to close Ecône continues and the French bishops put pressure on Rome to suppress the Society.
In November of 1974, two apostolic visitors from Rome come to Ecône. Although they are modernists, their report on the seminary is positive.
1975
Nineteen seventy-five starts with a large-scale press campaign against the Archbishop. Vandalism thickens the atmosphere around the seminary. In February three cardinals interrogate Archbishop Lefebvre, and one of them, French Cardinal Garrone, calls him a fool. In May, against the provisions of Canon Law, the Society is invalidly suppressed. French Cardinal Villot forces Cardinal Staffa to refuse the Archbishop’s rightful canonical appeal to the Supreme Apostolic Signatura. The Secretary of State writes to all the bishops of the world, asking them to refuse incardination to the members of the Society. The trap is now set: Without incardination there will be no priestly work, and since the Society is supposedly suppressed Archbishop Lefebvre can no longer ordain priests. He answers this illegal condemnation with a pilgrimage to Rome of the whole Society to gain the indulgences of the Holy Year of 1975.
1976
Paul VI denounces the Archbishop as disobedient to the new liturgy. Cardinal Benelli asks the Archbishop to celebrate the New Mass just once, promising in the name of the Pope that this will suffice to solve the difficulties. The Archbishop refuses, and on June 29, he ordains twelve priests at Ecône. In July the Vatican issues its decree of suspension. In August more than 10,000 assemble at Lille to show their support.
1977
In February of 1977, traditional Catholics liberate the church of St. Nicolas du Chardonnet in Paris. Fall 1977 sees 38 new seminarians, despite the condemnations.
The Society now has 40 priests, 150 seminarians, 20 priories, and 3 seminaries. The Sisters of the Society, founded in 1974, move their novitiate to Albano, and their general house to St. Michel-en-Brenne under the direction of Mother Mary Gabriel Lefebvre.
1978
Pope Paul VI died on August 6, 1978. Pope John Paul I reigned 33 days. John Paul II became Pope on October 16. On November 16, the new Pope receives the Archbishop in Rome. After a long conversation he says he is willing to remove all restrictions on the Traditional Mass, but Cardinal Seper, standing nearby, exclaims immediately, “They make a banner of this Mass,” This remark changes the Pope’s mind.
For the Society, 1978 sees the acquisition of four priories in France, a property in Long Island, and the priory of Madrid. The German seminary of Weissbad moves to Zaitzkofen. The Jesuit College in St. Mary’s, Kansas, almost in ruins, was bought by the Society. And in Argentina, the Society opens a small new seminary in Buenos Aires, with 12 candidates.
Father Pulvermacher, a friend of the Society, founds Angelus Press and The Angelus.
1979
An old inn is purchased at Rickenbach in Switzerland to be our first General House. A large property is bought just north of Turin at Montalenghe in Italy for a retreat house. The American Seminary transfers to Ridgefield, Connecticut.
On August 15, the Archbishop is in St. Mary’s, Kansas, for the first Marian Pilgrimage.
He wrote:
It was a magnificent success. More than 2,000 people came from everywhere. I wish that this place become a great sanctuary for all America, and a center of devotion and prayers towards the Blessed Virgin, who alone is capable of stopping the moral corruption which does not cease to grow in this immense country.
And about France:
The experience of our first two schools of St. Michel in Chateauroux and of l’Etoile du Matin gives us great hopes for the truly Christian formation of young men and for vocations that will certainly spring up in such an excellent atmosphere. May God allow our schools to multiply.
The year is crowned on September 23 by the celebration of the priestly golden jubilee of the Archbishop in Paris, where he calls for a Catholic Crusade of restoration:
We must make a Crusade founded on the sacrifice of the Mass, to re-create Christendom as the Church wants it, on the same principles, the same Mass, the same sacraments, the same catechism, the same Holy Scripture. A crusade of young people, of Catholic families, of heads of families, a crusade of priests.
1980
On the occasion of our tenth anniversary, the Archbishop writes:
Our attitude for the last ten years must continue now without hesitation for the good of the Church, to help the authorities of the Church who want it to come out from the disorder in which they have imprudently engaged themselves. The conclusion of this anniversary must be depositum custodire, to keep the deposit of the faith, source of grace and sanctification.
In France, the Archbishop announces the opening of the Society’s University of St. Pius X in Paris. In May, he visits the United States and he is especially pleased with the recently acquired church of St. Vincent de Paul in Kansas City. Ecône sees the arrival of 9 seminarians from Argentina. In Ridgefield we have 12 new candidates.
1981
In the United States, Archbishop Lefebvre dedicates the complex of Jesus and Mary in El Paso, Texas. He then crosses the border for what turns out to be a triumphant tour of the country of the Cristeros.
In Rome, Cardinal Seper, the Pope’s delegate for the dialogue with the Society, writes of the possibility of sending a cardinal to find a solution to the problems of the Society.
The Archbishop goes for a long missionary trip to South Africa and then to Argentina, where he lays the first stone of the seminary in La Reja. He also visits Brazil at the request of Bishop Antonio de Castro Mayer, who is soon going to be forced to retire from his diocese.
The Archbishop then travels to Australia to prepare the foundation of the first priory in Sydney. In Rome, Cardinal Seper goes to his reward. His last letter of October does not present any solution.
1982
On March 1, St. Joseph gives us our first church in London, seating 300 faithful.
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger replaces Cardinal Seper as personal representative of the Pope. The Archbishop has a long interview with him in March. Rome wants the Society to agree that even though there may be some reservations about it, the liturgical reform is basically good.
The Archbishop says:
We believe that the reform is evil, poisoned by ecumenism, and we refuse to accept it and we are obliged to advise all the faithful against it. God only knows how long the reformers will close their eyes to the destruction of the faith, of morals, of institutions.
March 20: An all-night prayer vigil is held in Martigny, near Ecône, inspired by the message of Our Lady of Fatima asking for prayer and penance. Three thousand pilgrims assist at the consecration of the world, and especially of Russia, to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
In anticipation of the present frenzy about the new millennium, Archbishop Lefebvre declares calmly and firmly:
The 21st century will be Catholic or it will not be at all.
At Easter time, 5 monsignori and 20 diocesan priests of the diocese of Campos in Brazil publish a profession of Catholic faith in the face of the present errors, a splendid document defending the pristine doctrine and traditions of the Church, writing:
We have the absolute certainty that our position is legitimate, not by virtue of our arguments and ideas, but because we take our stand on that which the Church herself has taught us. For the Church, we wish to give our lives if it is necessary.
The first general chapter of the Society of Saint Pius X takes place in Ecône in September. In the Acts we read a declaration of principles and directives of the Society of Saint Pius X, decisions on pastoral action in the present crisis, and warnings against liturgical changes and false ecumenism, and the rejection of liberalism but also sedevacantism:
The Society of Saint Pius X is founded on the history of the Church and upon the doctrine of theologians. It believes that the Pope can favor the ruin of the Church by choosing and letting act bad advisors, also by signing documents and decrees which do not engage his infallibility and that cause considerable damage to the Church. Nothing is more dangerous for the Church than liberal popes who are in a continual incoherence.
We pray for the Pope, but we refuse to follow him in his errors on religious freedom, ecumenism, socialism and the application of reforms destructive for the Church. Our apparent disobedience is true obedience to the Church and to the Pope as successor of Peter in the measure that he continues to maintain holy Tradition....All the members of the Society have one desire, to be submitted in filial obedience to a Rome returned to Tradition.
Fr. Franz Schmidberger is elected Vicar General with right of immediate succession as Superior General.
In the seminaries, the course of studies is extended from five to six years. We have 60 new entries in Ecône, Ridgefield, Zaitzkofen, and Buenos Aires.
1983
This is the year of the publication of the new Code of Canon Law, which expresses in canonical terms the new Conciliar conception of the Church.
In March, Fr. Barrielle, an apostle of the Exercises of St. Ignatius, dies at Ecône. He was Spiritual Director of the seminary of Ecône, where he helped generations of priests, inspiring them with his zeal and giving them the key to the Exercises. The Archbishop said of him that “he had a heart of fire.”
In June, 28 new priests are ordained in Ecône. Ireland receives the first priest of the Society. The Archbishop wishes that God will bring many vocations from this island which once gave so many priests and missionaries to the Church.
In August, Switzerland sees the first traditional pilgrimage to the sanctuary of St. Nicholas of Flue, with more than 4,000 faithful attending. In Ecône 65 priests follow the priestly retreat, and in Ridgefield, 11 new students join the seminary. In Germany, Don Bosco School starts with 15 students.
In November, the Archbishop visits the United States, confirming 360 in Ciudad Juarez in the morning, and in the afternoon 350 in El Paso. Then he traveled to New York to bless St. Michael’s Chapel in Long Island.
1984
The Pope preaches in the Lutheran church of Rome in March. In May he bows before a bonze in a Buddhist temple in Thailand; at the same time the Vatican abrogates the concordat with Italy. At this point the Archbishop begins to consider seriously the necessity of an episcopal consecration.
The Society now has 120 priests and 120 seminarians at Ecône.
Mother Mary Jude is named Superior General of the Society of Saint Pius X Sisters, and in the United States the northeast and southwest districts are reunified.
Msgr. François Ducaud-Bourget dies in Paris in the middle of June. Chaplain of the Order of Malta, renowned poet and writer, faithful to the traditional Mass, he was responsible for the liberation of St. Nicolas du Chardonnet.
Expansion starts with foundations in Mexico, Colombia, South Africa, Holland, and Portugal. Seminarians spend one month in Rome inaugurating what will become a yearly summer tradition. Directed by a priest, they are exposed during four weeks to the history, art, and majestic beauty of the Eternal City.
October 3, the Indult. The Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship officially states that diocesan bishops may allow the celebration of the Mass according to the 1962 typical edition of the Roman Missal. But, among the draconian conditions, public evidence should exist that the petitioners have no ties with those who deny the doctrinal soundness of the missal promulgated by Paul VI, and that the celebration may take place only on those days and circumstances approved by the bishop. The letter is signed by Archbishop Mayer, afterwards Cardinal in charge of the Ecclesia Dei Commission. He indicates that this Indult is to be used without prejudice to the liturgical reform.
On October 18, in the so-called Document of Flavigny, the Society of Saint Pius X and 40 priests and laymen leaders of traditional works refuse the conditions of the Indult and ask for a wider application without compromise regarding the Liturgical Reformation.
The Archbishop travels to Chile in November. Four hundred confirmations are announced in Santiago; 1,200 arrive. During a ceremony of four hours the Archbishop proceeds to the longest confirmation session in his life.
On December 8 in Ecône, all the superiors make the Consecration of the Society of Saint Pius X to the Immaculate and Sorrowful Heart of Mary, prepared by an evening of prayers at Martigny attended by more than 4,000 faithful.
On December 21, Don Francesco Putti dies. He was a spiritual dirigé of Padre Pio. He founded the Disciples of the Cenacle, and the journal SìSìNoNo. He once sued L’Osservatore Romano, obtaining the first public apology that newspaper ever published.
At the end of the year, Archbishop Lefebvre visits Cardinal Ratzinger, then goes to Africa, and on his return to Rome he visits Cardinal Gagnon, who gives shocking details of the network of conspiracy and corruption in Rome. The Archbishop comments: “The situation is even worse than what we had thought until now.”
1985
In March, Father Schmidberger presents to Cardinal Ratzinger three large packages with the petitions of 129,849 traditional Catholics asking the Pope to solve the problem of tradition. Meanwhile, the Archbishop writes his Open Letter to Confused Catholics.
In Chartres, 8,000 faithful attend the pilgrimage of tradition. At the end a message of encouragement from Cardinal Gagnon is read.
In Mexico, during the Holy Week in Tlaxiaco, 15,000 faithful attend the Palm Sunday procession, and 2,500 confessions are heard during the holy days.
At the end of July, the Society preaches retreats in Lebanon. Also during summer, there are missionary trips to India, Ceylon and Gabon, where two bishops encourage a foundation.
In Ireland, a new church is bought in Dublin seating 700, and 10 new chapels open in Germany. A world-wide campaign led by the Society protests against the blasphemous film Hail Mary.
On July 22, Lady Kinnoull dies in Carmel, California. She was the very first providential benefactress of the Society. English countess, very cultivated, knowing profoundly her religion with a solid attachment to tradition, with the character of a crusader, and with a great fortune, she supported financially General Franco during the Spanish War. Restless fighter, in 1964 she flew to Paris to meet Archbishop Lefebvre while he was still Superior General of the Holy Ghost Fathers, to tell him that her fortune and influences would be at his service if he needed help to fight against the subversion within the Church. During the first years of the Society of Saint Pius X in Fribourg, she covered most of the expenses of that early foundation.
At her death, the Archbishop wrote:
She could consider the young priests of the Society as her children because without her help at the beginning it would not have been possible to fulfill our priestly work.
Mother Marie Christiane, blood sister of Archbishop Lefebvre, visits the United States in October to found the American Carmel in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. In La Reja, Argentina, the Archbishop celebrates his 80th birthday.
1986
The Pope visits Togo and India, again scandalizing the faithful by taking public part in ceremonies of a pagan nature. In January, Cardinal Gagnon calls Archbishop Lefebvre to Rome and announces that the Holy Father wants him to be associated to Cardinal Ratzinger in the Society’s case.
Our house of Gabon is founded on January 14. The President invites Archbishop Lefebvre to visit the country. Regular missionary trips begin to New Guinea, Japan, South Korea, and Hong Kong.
The pilgrimage of Chartres brings 15,000 faithful and more than 100 priests; more than 3,000 attend the pilgrimage to St. Nicholas of Flue.
The priory of Wanganui, New Zealand, opens in August. A priory is also founded in Port du France, Martinique.
Monthly Masses start in Luxembourg, and in Santiago, Chile, a large church is bought with 500 faithful in attendance. The Castle of Jaidhof is purchased in Austria to become a center of retreats and missionary work. A summer retreat in Lebanon brings 65 men to follow the Exercises.
The Society prepares a foundation in Zimbabwe, and starts a small beginning of the apostolate in India.
In the United States, at the beginning of August, the Society Sisters found a novitiate at Armada, Michigan. The headquarters of the Society moves from Dickinson, Texas, to St. Louis, Missouri.
1987
The Society now has 205 priests working in 23 countries and 263 young men filling the seminaries. The General Council determines that it is time to move the seminary in Ridgefield, Connecticut, elsewhere, and convert it into a retreat house.
St. Mary’s has 700 faithful, and in France a new Carmel is founded, the seventh after the foundations started by Mother Marie Christiane Lefebvre in 1977, one Carmel for each seminary.
In January, Mother Mary Gabriel dies. She was a Holy Ghost Sister, co-foundress and first General Superior of the Sisters of the Society of Saint Pius X.
Also in January, Fr. Raymond du Lac dies. He was a renowned canonist who studied at the French Seminary with Archbishop Lefebvre under Fr. Le Floch.
In France, the Society founds the Confraternity for the Deliverance of the Souls in Purgatory, a work that keeps growing every year and that today is in possession of its own chapel in France.
During the ordinations, the Archbishop says that after the Pope’s visit to the Synagogue of Rome, and the Congress of Religions in Assisi, after all the warnings, Rome is now in darkness. Twenty-one new priests, 130 assisting priests and 6,000 faithful are present at the historical moment when the Archbishop announces publicly that he believes it is an obligation to save the priesthood by proceeding to an episcopal consecration.
In the United States, a magnificent building that belonged to the Dominicans becomes the new seminary at Winona, Minnesota.
On July 26, Fr. Stephen Abdoo, after one year of most fruitful priestly work since his ordination, dies in a car accident in New Zealand.
In July, Cardinal Ratzinger writes to the Archbishop offering at last concrete proposals for a solution, including the possibility of a Cardinal visiting the works of the Society. The Archbishop goes to the Eternal City and Cardinal Ratzinger informs the Synod of Bishops that the Pope has named Cardinal Gagnon as Apostolic Visitor to the Society.
In October, Archbishop Lefebvre celebrates his 40th anniversary at Ecône, surrounded by 80 priests, 150 seminarians, and 4,000 faithful.
1988
In February, the Archbishop announces in Flavigny before television cameras that he will consecrate three bishops on June 30.
Our Australian seminary, Holy Cross, opens with 14 seminarians on the Feast of St. Joseph.
Rome seems confused. After a series of ambiguous negotiations, an obscure protocol is signed the 5th of May. The day after, the Archbishop discovers that there are no assurances that the conditions will be promptly fulfilled, and he decides to proceed to the consecration of auxiliary bishops. It is a survival operation of tradition, absolutely justified by the unjust persecution of faithful Catholics and the betrayal of the faith by Roman authorities.
Ecône, June 29: At the priestly ordinations, the two faithful bishops, plus 173 priests who come from all over the world, impose hands on the ordinands. That very evening Rome makes a last attempt to avoid the episcopal consecrations, sending a beautiful black Mercedes limousine to take the Archbishop on the spot to Rome. The next day, June 30, 8,000 faithful witness the historical consecration of four Catholic bishops to continue the work of Tradition.
Our Bishops do not have vacation; they go immediately on long confirmation trips. Bishop Williamson visits England, Ireland, South Africa, Zimbabwe, New Zealand, Australia, and Hawaii in the months following his consecration. Bishop Fellay visits Asia, India, and Australia.
In October, the seminary at Winona opens. In Australia, our sisters open a convent in Sydney. Fr. Marchal, one of our young priests, dies in a car accident in France.
In November, Fr. Joseph Le Boulch, a Benedictine monk and spiritual director at Ecône, dies. He joined Archbishop Lefebvre in 1975.
In December, the six Traditional bishops consecrate Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
1989
The Society starts a perpetual Mass in honor of the Immaculate and Sorrowful Heart of Our Lady. Perpetual Adoration is also begun, the Blessed Sacrament remains exposed at some house of the Society throughout the world.
In one year the four new bishops have ordained 34 new priests. Winona sees the first priestly ordinations in the new seminary. In France, summer study sessions for priests on theological subjects are started.
On November 19, at Le Bourget, 23,000 faithful gather to celebrate the 60th Priestly Jubilee of the Archbishop.
In December, in Italy, Katharina Tangari dies at the seminary of Albano. Spiritual daughter of Padre Pio, she was commanded by him to consecrate her life to help priests and laymen in Communist countries. She also was a great benefactor of the Society.
1990
In May, Fr. Schmidberger visits Hungary and celebrates Mass for 200 faithful.
In April, 20 years of the Society are celebrated before 10,000 faithful in Friedrichshafen.
The Carmelites move to Spokane, Washington. In Ridgefield the great number of retreatants make us realize that a new retreat house is needed immediately for the Southwest.
In September, in Canada, Holy Family School opens in Quebec.
In Gabon, 3,000 faithful attend the Christmas Mass in our mission.
Also at Christmas time, our sisters’ novitiate moves from Armada to Browerville, Minnesota.
1991
On March 25, Archbishop Lefebvre dies. According to the ancient martyrologies it is also the date of the death of our Savior. The epitaph he chose is inscribed on his tombstone: “Tradidi quod et accepi” [I have transmitted what I received].
Exactly one month later, on April 25, Bishop de Castro Mayer follows him to heaven.
In July, the bishops of the Society consecrate Msgr. Licinio Rangel to continue in Brazil the survival operation of the Catholic Faith of Bishop de Castro Mayer.
In May, Dom Edouard Guillou dies. He was a monk of Solesmes, a specialist in liturgy and in art, a writer of history and literature; he was one of the early teachers at Ecône.
In the U.S. District, a property is bought in Los Gatos, California, for a new retreat center.
1992
Nineteen ninety-two brings the start of missionary work in Eastern Europe: Prague, Budapest, visits to Poland, Lithuania, the Ukraine, and Russia. Itinerant missionary priests of the Society also visit Kenya, Sri Lanka, and the Dominican Republic.
In January, Fr. Spiq, a Dominican, internationally renowned as a scriptural scholar, dies in Switzerland. He was one of the early professors who helped Archbishop Lefebvre to form the first seminarians.
In May, in the U.S., the Regina Coeli House opens. Fr. Schmidberger blesses the new District Headquarters and consecrates the U.S. District to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
In August, the first priory of the Philippines is founded in Manila.
Also in August, Bishop Williamson blesses St. Pius X’s Church in Cincinnati, Ohio.
In September, in Brussels, 300 religious leaders–Christians, Buddhists, Jews, Moslems, Hindus, and Animists–are invited by Cardinal Daneels to pray for world peace.
The Society organizes a group of Catholics for a ceremony of reparation for the Cardinal’s sin with the Stations of the Cross.
1993
Forty-one priests gather in Winona for the third annual Priests’ Meeting.
In April, the General House is transferred to Menzingen.
One hundred and ten Ukrainians visit Ecône, and 20 Russians spend a week at the seminary of Zaitzkofen. Our priests start to visit Albania, Belarus, and the Baltic countries.
Fr. Paradis, an old Canadian priest in Shawinigan since 1985, goes to his eternal reward.
In May, Fr. Henri La Praz consummates his Calvary on earth.
In the summer, 400 attend the five-day Ignatian Exercises preached in South America.
Priests of the Society visit Moscow, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Guatemala on a regular schedule. A house is bought in Fatima, just behind the Basilica of Our Lady.
A new priory is based in Austria to take care of the spiritual needs of Eastern Europe.
1994
In July, the General Chapter of the Society, assembled at Ecône, elects a new Superior General, Bishop Bernard Fellay.
In August, the Pope issues another encyclical, Veritatis Splendor, another modernist masterpiece of obscurity and ambiguity.
In August, Fr. Coache dies. He was a doctor in Canon Law and parish priest for many years.
1995
In January, Fr. Urban Snyder dies. He taught at Ecône from 1972 to 1976.
In May, Fr. Barcelonne dies in France at 94 years of age. He worked for 27 years in China, and was expelled in 1952 by the Communists. He was a missionary in Brazil, in the diocese of Campos. He spent his last ten years at St. Nicolas du Chardonnet, where he was affectionately called “The Patriarch.”
The Pope issues another modernist encyclical, Ut Unum Sint.
1996
In Italy, the second theological congress of SiSiNoNo is held at Albano.
Five years after the death of Archbishop Lefebvre, Bishop Bernard Tissier de Mallerais is charged with writing his biography.
In Winona, nine priests are ordained.
Bishop Salvador Lazo from the Philippines attends the priestly ordinations at St. Pius X Seminary in Ecône.
1997
In May of 1997, the Bishop of Sion in Switzerland presented two texts that purportedly were official documents from Rome which declared that the SSPX and its adherents were in “formal schism” due to the 1988 Consecrations. However, neither of the texts were signed, dated or listed with the required Vatican Protocol Number. The SSPX then investigated the matter; at the end of the year, the Vatican published the texts!
1998
In October, Msgr. Perl issues a letter which states: “While it is true that participation in the Mass at the chapels of the Society of St. Pius X does not of itself constitute ‘formal adherence to the schism,’ such adherence can come about over a period of time as one slowly imbibes a schismatic mentality which separates itself from the teaching of the Supreme Pontiff and the entire Catholic Church.”
In October, the new church at the seminary of Ecône is blessed. Almost 100 priests and 3,000 faithful attend the magnificent ceremonies.
1999 In January, in Italy, Muslims hold a public prayer service for Ramadan. A conservative Italian political party calls the SSPX to offer a public Mass in reparation. Fr. Simoulin does so, in the presence of nearly 800 people.
The Society continues to spread in Eastern Europe, as Bishop Fellay joins Belarus, Russia and Ukraine to the District of Austria. Bishop Tissier de Mallerais confers confirmations in the Czech Republic, and the first Czech priest is ordained by Bishop de Galarreta.
In France, Fr. Laurençon institutes a Letter to Fellow Priests. This regular initiative is sent to every priest in France. He receives over 300 responses to the introductory letter.
In April, Dr. John Senior dies and is buried at St. Mary’s. He was a famous and very influential teacher; he was a longtime friend and supporter of the Society. His funeral is the largest to date at St. Mary’s.
The Year of Humanities is introduced at the seminary in Winona.
In Asia, the District Houses moves from Manila in the Philippines to Singapore in order to be more centrally located. St. Bernard’s, a pre-seminary and novitiate, is founded in the Philippines. At the initiative of Fr. Onoda, the works of Archbishop Lefebvre are published in Korean for the first time.
The Oblates of the Society continue to grow, prompting their novitiate to be moved from Menzingen to an old school in Salvan, Switzerland.
2000
In February, Fathers Couture and Wailliez go to Vietnam for the first time. Although the political climate makes such visits dangerous, there is much reason for hope in the apostolate there.
In March, Pope John Paul II apologies for various “sins” the Church has committed throughout history, such as the Inquisition and the Crusades.
In April, Bishop Lazo passes to his eternal reward. Bishop John Bosco Chuabsamai Manat, bishop of the Diocese of Ratchaburi, Thailand, begins to collaborate with the SSPX.
In August, the Society leads a Pilgrimage of Tradition to Rome for the Jubilee Year. Over 5,000 faithful attend in addition to the bishops of the Society and hundreds of priests.
The official Vatican version of the Third Secret of Fatima is released, amidst much speculation and controversy. Many point out problems indicating that parts may still be missing.
The Society continues to expand in America, opening a priory in Syracuse, New York.
Bishop Tissier de Mallerais takes up residence at the seminary in Ecône.
The Society reaches two more milestones: The number of priests now tops 400, and the Society celebrates its 30th anniversary.
In September, Pius IX and Dom Columba Marmion are beatified by the Pope.
The Society of St. Josaphat is founded in the Ukraine to work alongside the SSPX. Their first superior is Fr. Vasyl Kovpack and they found a seminary.
2001
In February, the Society presents a study on the New Mass to Pope John Paul II. It is entitled The Problem of the Liturgical Reform.
DICI (International Catholic Documentation and Information) is founded as the official communication agency of the Society.
In the United States, St. Isidore’s in Denver, Colorado, is finished and blessed. It is arguably the most beautiful of the Society’s churches in the United States.
In Europe, the Society acquires St. Joseph’s in Brussels, Belgium, an edifice bigger even than St. Nicholas in Paris!
In Argentina, the Society blesses the church at the seminary in La Reja.
2002
In June, Padre Pio is canonized.
In the United States, St. Mary’s Academy and College starts a radio station.
In Eastern Europe, Fr. Karl Stehlin restores St. Maximilian Kolbe’s Militia Immaculatæ. A priory is also opened in Lithuania, further solidifying the work of the Society there.
2003
In April, Pope John Paul II’s encyclical Ecclesia de Eucharistia is published.
The Society opens its newest African apostolate in Kenya.
In March, the British District of the SSPX founds Mater Dei, a new journal dedicated to the spread of Tradition in England.
In April, St. Bernard’s Novitiate in the Philippines is vandalized and robbed; Brother Hyacinthe is shot in the process but recovers.
Missionary work is not confined to Eastern Europe; in Asia, Fr. Couture visits China.
The Society celebrates the centenary of St. Pius X’s election to the Pontificate with a variety of conferences, celebrations, and studies.
The Society now numbers more than 450 priests.
St. Mary’s Academy and College celebrates its 25th anniversary, with 775 students enrolled.
Fr. Roch passes away, leaving behind a legacy of fruitful work in the vineyard of the Lord.
2004
In May, Hindus are allowed to perform a prayer for peace at the altar in the Shrine in Fatima.
The Society interviews 17 priests—none of whom are members of the Society—about why they remained faithful to the traditional Mass, learned how to say it, or came to Tradition. These interviews in book form are sent to all 46,000 priests in America. Many hundreds of priests respond, asking for further information.
Following on their liturgical study, on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the pontificate of Pope John Paul II, Bishop Fellay addresses the cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church in a letter about the disastrous effects of ecumenism effected through Vatican II and the Novus Ordo Missae. Included with the letter is the study From Ecumenism to Silent Apostasy.
In December, Pope John Paul II beatifies Charles de Foucauld.
2005
On April 2, after nearly 27 years as the Vicar of Christ, Pope John Paul II passes away. On April 19, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger is elected to the papacy. He takes the name of Benedict XVI.
In May, Benedict XVI announces the opening of the cause of beatification for John Paul II.
In Ireland, the Society opens its second priory, located in Athlone, in the center of the country.
In the United States, a new boys’ boarding school, Notre Dame de La Salette Boys Academy, opens in Illinois.
In Britain, the Society mails a video, brochure and letter about the old Mass and Tradition to all 5,000 priests in the country.
In August, the Society leads a pilgrimage of reparation to Fatima.
Cardinal Hoyos, President of the Ecclesia Dei Commission, publicly states that the situation of the Society is not one of formal schism.
2006
On January 25, Pope Benedict XVI issues his first encyclical, Deus Caritas Est.
The Third General Chapter of the Society meets in Ecône and re-elects Bishop Bernard Fellay as Superior General. Fr. Niklaus Pfluger is elected First Assistant and Fr. Marc-Alain Nély, Second Assistant.
In July, Bishop Fellay announces a rosary Crusade: he declares his intention to present Pope Benedict with a million rosaries by the end of October. Among the intentions, the first is “To obtain from Heaven for Pope Benedict XVI the strength necessary for him to completely liberate the Mass of all Time, called the Mass of St. Pius V.”
In October, the Congregation for Divine Worship (Cardinal Arinze, Prefect) sends a letter to the bishops’ conferences, ordering that the words “pro multis” henceforth be translated as “for many” instead of “for all.”
Yet another group of former SSPX priests forms a new Ecclesia Dei organization: The Institute of the Good Shepherd.
2007
In July, the Pope issues a motu proprio, Summorum Pontificum. It declares that the Old Mass was never abrogated, and that all priests are free to say it, even without permission from their bishop.
The Rosary Crusade is seen to be a success, as this answers the first condition requested by the Society before beginning doctrinal discussions. A Te Deum is sung in the churches of the SSPX in thanksgiving.
In November, Bishop Fellay announces a second, and perpetual, Rosary Crusade: “Thus, we are now launching a perpetual Rosary Crusade to obtain from Heaven not only that the decree of excommunication be withdrawn, but especially that Catholic Tradition be fully re-established in its due place—a crusade that will continue until the triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.”
2008
In October, the Society leads a pilgrimage to Lourdes, with over 20,000 souls in attendance. Bishop Fellay announces a second Rosary Crusade for the intention that the invalid excommunications of 1988 be retracted.
2009
On January 21, Pope Benedict XVI officially remits the excommunications of the four bishops of the Society.
The second Rosary Crusade is seen as a success, as this fulfills the second condition the Society had requested. The way is now paved for doctrinal discussions.
Bishop Fellay announces a third Rosary Crusade, for the intention of the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary as requested at Fatima.
2010
The Society of St. Pius X celebrates its 40th anniversary.
From October 15-17, Angelus Press hosts the first annual conference of the U.S. District of the Society of Saint Pius X. Commemorating the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Society, Bishop Fellay headlines “The Defense of Catholic Tradition as Transmitted by Archishop Lefebvre.” Other speakers include Fr. Rostand, Fr. Iscara, and Fr. McMahon.
As of its 40th anniversary, the Society of Saint Pius X numbers 4 bishops, 529 priests, 233 seminarians, 104 brothers, about 160 sisters, and 73 oblates, living in 183 houses in 32 countries. Together they seek the goal of the priesthood: the glorification of God, the continuation of Our Lord’s redemptive work, and the salvation of souls. They accomplish this by fidelity to Christ’s testament—the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
With innumerable publications and an apostolate that extends to all kinds of priestly activities, the Society continues the work for which it was created.
In the preface of his Spiritual Journey, the great Archbishop wrote a mysterious and unusual paragraph:
Before entering into the bosom of the Holy Trinity, I will be allowed to realize the dream of which God gave me a glimpse one day in the cathedral of Dakar. The dream was to transmit, before the progressive degradation of the priestly ideal, in all of its doctrinal purity and in all of its missionary charity, the Catholic priesthood of our Lord Jesus Christ, just as He conferred it on His Apostles, just as the Roman Church always transmitted it, until the middle of the twentieth century.
That dream is now a reality.
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