Jubilee of St. Pius X Seminary

https://fsspx.news/en/news-events/news/fribourg-jubilee-st-pius-x-seminary-51398

On October 13, 1969, the great adventure of Écône began in Fribourg, Switzerland. At the St. John Bosco school on Marly Road, nine seminarians who entered put themselves under the direction of Archbishop Lefebvre to prepare for the priesthood.

It was to the commemoration of this historic event in the Church, on October 5, 2019, that the seminary was invited.

The starting point of this pilgrimage was the Notre-Dame de Bourguillon, Guardian of the Faith, to which sanctuary the Archbishop and his followers often came to pray. Some even received holy orders there.To everyone’s great joy, a pioneer of the fight, Bishop Tissier de Mallerais was present.

After the renewal of the consecration of the Fraternity to the Immaculate and Sorrowful Heart of Mary, the procession moved and descended the steep path that leads to the Lower Town.

Bishop Morerod was so kind as to place the Augustinian Church of Saint Maurice at our disposal for Mass at the faldstool, with Bishop Tissier celebrating.

To welcome the procession, whose singing they heard in the distance, the porters set the church bells in motion, and to the sound of this beautiful carillon, a crowd of more than 500 faithful entered the church. The Swiss clergy was massively present, and the choir was no less full than the nave.

Then, radiant, the veteran of the first hour ascended to the altar for this anniversary mass, which on this first Saturday of the month was the votive Mass of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. In addition, from the choir loft of this baroque church, some baroque pieces, answered the seminary scola, giving a very solemn air to the ceremony.

In his own words, the Bishop broadly painted the providential opening of this seminary: depicting the manner in which God pushed his servant Marcel Lefebvre to take over the direction of this nucleus, he who was thinking of retirement, and did not think it was his duty to embark on such a “risky adventure.”

After the magnificent Mass, which came to a close with the singing of the Te Deum, aperitifs were served on the square.

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During the meal that followed, Fr. Pellouchoud traced the history of the foundation, and presented the protagonists of this group. Then Bishop Tissier recounted his memoirs, the recollection of the events that led him to Archbishop Lefebvre, and his first year in the seminary in Fribourg. He exhorted us to take the example of the Archbishop’s obedience to follow—and not lead—Providence. Fr. Bouchacourt, second assistant to the Superior General, concluded by insisting on the importance of holding high and firmly the torch that Archbishop Lefebvre has passed on us, and that is incumbent upon us to transmit.

With these good words, the seminary left to visit Fribourg, guided by the Fr. Mörgeli. The Bishop deigned to join the visit. The tour included St. Michael’s College, founded by St. Peter Canisius, the Catholic University of George Python and, icing on the cake, St. Nicholas Cathedral.

Deo gratias! Ad multos annos!

Organized with undeniable brilliance and great generosity by the prior of Enney, under the responsibility of Fr. Schreiber, District Superior of Switzerland, this familial pilgrimage owes its success to the innumerable considerations of Divine Providence, to the benevolence in all charity of the local authorities, as well as the encouraging presence of the many clergy and faithful from afar who came to support us.

The seminary expresses its fullest gratitude to all those who contributed to the beauty of this event, and assures them of their prayers.

Appreciating the Priesthood & the Seminary

A beautiful letter from Fr. Wegner, the District Superior.

https://sspx.org/en/publications/newsletters/us-district-letter-appreciating-priesthood-and-work-seminary-49501

Never have priests been so under-appreciated, misunderstood, and, in many instances, reviled. But never have they been so needed!

This is a time of unprecedented crisis, both in the Church and the world and, just when the role of the priest in the lives of the faithful should be key, there are fewer and fewer faithful priests to be found.

The priest is under attack constantly; certain countries are attacking the legal basis of the seal of the confessional and priests who preach traditional Catholic teaching on morality are finding themselves ostracized and marginalized.

And, with the decreasing number of vocations, there are constant calls to redefine and “update” the role of the priest. These calls come from within and without the Church. This year the Holy See has called for an upcoming synod, the Amazonian Synod, which threatens to drastically change the role of the priest and the nature of the priesthood.

German Cardinal Walter Brandmüller recently published a public criticism of the “working document,” the planning tool, of this Amazonian Synod. In his critique, Cardinal Brandmüller warns that one of the major aims of the synod is “the abolishment of (priestly) celibacy and the introduction of a female priesthood—starting first with female deacons…”

While this plays out, many Catholic faithful are losing their understanding and appreciation of the priest as the unique conduit of sacramental grace, without whom, it is almost impossible to make it to Heaven. How many souls have practically abandoned the sacraments of penance and the last rites of the Church? And, others, who still appreciate the importance of these sacraments have great difficulty finding faithful traditional priests who will hear their confession or administer the last rites.

These are two critical means of salvation which fewer and fewer Catholics avail themselves of. This leads inevitably to the loss of countless souls. This is a tragedy that can never be adequately comprehended by the living, but its consequences are eternal separation from God and immeasurable suffering. God Himself became man to prevent this horror, and He left behind His ministers to ensure that “I will be with you always, even until the end of the world.”

While vocations suffer in many areas of the Church, the Society has been blessed. Our ranks continue to grow. Just last month, on the morning of Friday, June 21, His Excellency Bishop Tissier de Mallerais celebrated the annual ordination Mass at St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary, assisted by dozens of priests and hundreds of faithful from across the nation.

The Society is not attempting to maintain the status quo in regard to the priesthood; we’re engaged in an active battle to turn the tide back to the good, the true, and the beautiful and thereby, as stated in our motto, to “Restore All Things in Christ.”

Archbishop Lefebvre had this to say about the importance of the priesthood: “A priest enlightened by his faith and filled with the virtues and the gifts of the Holy Ghost can convert numerous souls to Jesus Christ, raise vocations, and transform pagan society into Christian society.” When asked by seminarians about the importance of forming new priests, he replied, “It is my vocation! A bishop is made to make priests. A bishop makes the church grow and in this way he is a missionary… Where are priests made? In the seminary!”

The seminary is our secret weapon in the battle to save souls. Our faithful fight beside us in this conflict and we cannot win without you. It’s an awesome balance and division of labor, which consists of our priests administering the sacraments, educating souls, and forming new priests to enter the battlefield; and you, God’s faithful, providing us with the prayers and financial means to do so.

At this time, when traditional seminaries like St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary are so rare, and so important, may I ask you to make a gift in support of our seminary? A gift of $100, or $50, or even $20 would be such a great help and deeply appreciated.

Without your support, we can’t continue to provide new priests for the Church. Souls are hanging in the balance. We need you to help us in this critical moment in the history of salvation.

Please be assured of my prayers and my gratitude,

Fr. Jürgen Wegner
District Superior

2019 SSPX Ordinations

 

I had the great honor & pleasure of attending the Ordinations in Virginia for our own Fr. Carl Musemeche. It was beautiful beyond description & I highly recommend those who have never witnessed them to make every effort to do so.  It was truly a heavenly experience. May God bless our 5 new priests of the SSPX.

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The Sacrament of Holy Orders (5): Prayers of St. Therese of Lisieux for Priests

My Patroness, St. Therese had a great love, admiration & respect for the Priesthood, as evidenced in these beautiful prayers she penned.

https://fsspx.news/en/news-events/news/sacrament-holy-orders-5-prayers-st-therese-lisieux-priests-45212

Prayer of St. Therese of the Child Jesus to obtain priests through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Priesthood:

O Virgin Mary, Mother of Christ the High Priest, Mother of priests throughout the whole world, you have a special love for priests because they are the living image of your Only Son. You helped Jesus throughout your entire earthly life, and you continue to help Him in Heaven.

We beseech thee to pray for priests! ‘Pray to the heavenly Father that He send laborers into His harvest.’ Pray that we may always have priests to give us the sacraments, explain the Gospel of Christ to us, and teach us to become true children of God! O Virgin Mary, ask God the Father thyself for the priests we so sorely need; and since thy heart has all power over Him, obtain for us, O Mary, priests who are saints! Amen.

Prayer of St. Therese of the Child Jesus to Christ the High Priest:

O Jesus, Eternal Priest, keep Thy priests within the shelter of Thy Sacred Heart, where none may touch them. Keep unstained their anointed hands, which daily touch Thy Sacred Body. Keep unsullied their lips, daily purpled with Thy Precious Blood. Keep pure and unearthly their hearts, sealed with the sublime mark of the priesthood.

Let Thy holy love surround them and shield them from the world’s contagion. Bless their labors with abundant fruit and may the souls to whom they minister be their joy and consolation here and in Heaven and their beautiful and everlasting crown. Amen.

Sacrament of Holy Orders: A Divine Call (4)

The Sacred Calling does not belong to everyone but only to those that God has placed His mark upon & chosen to be imitators of Him. How many have infiltrated this sacred function to do the work of the devil by destroying morality & religion & the bodies
& souls of children?  Their judgment & punishment will be swift.

https://fsspx.news/en/news-events/news/sacrament-holy-orders-divine-call-4-45209

The Catholic priesthood, despite the war waged against it, will last until the end of time, because Jesus Christ has promised that the powers of hell will never prevail against His Church.

And the priesthood is absolutely necessary in the Church, since it is by it that the faithful participate in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and receive most of the sacraments, their instruction in the Faith, and pastors to guide them towards everlasting life.

Parents who force or oblige their children to enter into the priesthood commit a grave sin; they usurp the rights of God, who has reserved for Himself, through the ministry of the bishops, the choice of His ministers.

Those, on the other hand, who turn their children away from the priesthood also commit a grave sin, for they resist the will of God and commit an injustice by refusing their children the right to answer the divine call. They deprive themselves and their children of many graces.

As for those who would enter into the clergy without being called by God, they would commit a very grave evil and be in danger of losing their souls.

“You have not chosen me: but I have chosen you; and have appointed you, that you should go, and should bring forth fruit; and your fruit should remain: that whatsoever you shall ask of the Father in my name, He may give it you” (Jn. 15:16).

The Divine Call

In order to know whether God is calling one to the priestly state, one should

1. Fervently ask Our Lord to make His Will known,

2. Take counsel from one’s bishop or a wise and prudent director,

3. Consider carefully whether one has the necessary abilities for the studies, functions and obligations of this state. A spiritual retreat is often a very good way to discern this call from God to follow Him and serve Him

The Sacrament of Holy Orders: Dignity and Excellence (3)

What a great evil it is for a priest, consecrated in the image of God to be his representative & vicar to the people, to abuse his sacred office.  It’s truly the horror or horrors & the deepest betrayal.

The dignity of the priesthood is very great for the priest is the minister of Christ and the dispenser of the divine mysteries. As the mediator between God and men, he has power over the Real Body of Christ and over His Mystical Body, that dispense the divine goods to lead men to eternal life.

“Let a man so account of us as of the ministers of Christ, and the dispensers of the mysteries of God.” (I Cor. 4:1)

“For Christ therefore we are ambassadors, God as it were exhorting by us…” (II Cor. 5:20)

The holy Curé d’Ars used to say, “Oh, how great is a priest!” He esteemed that “it is the priest who continues the work of Redemption on earth,” and that consequently, the sanctification of souls and parishes depends on him: “A good pastor, a pastor according to God’s heart, is the greatest treasure that God can grant a parish, and one of the most precious gifts of divine mercy.”

“When you see a priest, think of Our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Because of this excellence and dignity, it is a grave sin to despise or insult priests. Through them, the contempt and insults touch Jesus Christ Himself, who said to His Apostles: “He that heareth you, heareth me; and he that despiseth you, despiseth me; and he that despiseth me, despiseth Him who sent me” (Lk. 10:16).

Preparation and Call from God

By reason of its divine mission and the spiritual powers attached to it, the Catholic priesthood requires a serious preparation and the practice of virtue, as well as a great zeal in following Christ, the priest’s model.

“But in all things let us exhibit ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in tribulation, in necessities, in distresses, in stripes, in prisons, in seditions, in labors, in watchings, in fastings” (II Cor. 6:4-5).

For this reason only those who, having been called by God and tried by the ecclesiastic superiors, intend to work for the glory of God and the salvation of souls, are to be admitted to the dignity of the priesthood: “Neither doth any man take the honor to himself, but he that is called by God, as Aaron was” (Heb. 5:4).

The Sacrament of Holy Orders: The Matter, Form and Minister (2)

It’s always beneficial to go over the basics of our Faith & how the chain of authority works together for our salvation.

https://fsspx.news/en/news-events/news/sacrament-holy-orders-matter-form-anminister-2-45115

The only minister of this sacrament is the bishop, successor of the Apostles.

The matter of the Sacrament of Holy Orders is the imposition of the hands by the bishop, in silence, and the form consists in the words of the Consecratory Preface. Pope Pius XII solemnly defined this:

Wherefore, after invoking the divine light, We of Our Apostolic authority and from certain knowledge declare, and as far as may be necessary decree and provide: that the matter, and the only matter, of the Sacred Orders of the Diaconate, the Priesthood, and the Episcopacy is the imposition of hands in silence, but not the continuation of this imposition by the extension of the right hand nor this continuation accompanied by the words ‘Receive the Holy Ghost’…The form consists of the words of the ‘Preface,’ of which the following are essential and therefore required for validity: ‘Grant, we beseech Thee Almighty Father, to Thy servant here present the dignity of the priesthood; renew in his heart the Spirit of holiness that he may conserve the ministry of the second order received from Thee and that by the example of his manner of life he may instill good conduct.’ (Apostolic Constitution Sacramentum Ordinis, November 30, 1947)

It is of the utmost necessity for the Church to have many holy priests, ministers of God and dispensers of His grace through the sacraments, their preaching and the example of virtue they set.

“Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He send forth laborers into His harvest.” (Mt. 9:38 and Lk. 10:2)

“He that receiveth you, receiveth Me: and he that receiveth me, receiveth Him that sent Me” (Mt. 10:40 and Jn. 13:20).

O Lord, grant us priests, holy priests, many holy priests!

Traditional Doctrine on Holy Orders (1)

“Bishops and priests being, as they are, God’s interpreters and ambassadors, empowered in His name to teach mankind the divine law and the rules of conduct, and holding, as they do, His place on earth, it is evident that no nobler function than theirs can be imagined…they exercise in our midst the power and prerogatives of the immortal God.” ~Catechism of the Council of Trent

The greatness of a priest in indescribable.  All the more horrible is it when they do not live up to their extraordinary duty of saving souls. We must pray for them every day.

https://fsspx.news/en/news-events/news/catholic-doctrine-sacrament-holy-orders-1-45045

The sacrament of Holy Orders is a sacrament instituted by Our Lord Jesus Christ to create bishops and priests in the Church to exercise the sacred functions of the cult for the salvation of souls.

Holy Orders imprints the character of a Minister of God in the soul that receives it. It confers upon him the power and grace to accomplish the sacred functions.

Our Lord Jesus Christ instituted this sacrament when He gave the Apostles and their successors in the priesthood the power to offer the Sacrifice of the Mass and the power to forgive or retain sins. The priestly order was therefore established during the Last Supper and on the day of the Resurrection.

And taking bread, He gave thanks, and brake; and gave to them, saying: This is my body, which is given for you. Do this for a commemoration of me. In like manner the chalice also, after He had supped, saying: This is the chalice, the new testament in my blood, which shall be shed for you. (Lk. 22:19-20)

Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained. (Jn. 20:23)

All power is given to me in heaven and on earth. Going therefore, teach ye all nations; baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world. (Mt. 28:18-20)

Sacred Hierarchy

The sacrament of Holy Orders has different, subordinate degrees, hence the sacred hierarchy. The highest of them is the Episcopate, that contains the fullness of the priesthood; then the Presbyterate or simple priesthood; lastly, the Diaconate, the Subdiaconate and what is known as the Minor Orders: Porter, Lector, Acolyte and Exorcist.

First native Irishman ordained since 2007

May many more Irishman follow suit.  More St. Patricks must be raised in the Emerald Isle, so overcome by the current cataclysmic crisis in the Church.  We pray for that grace & rejoice when even one soul is heroically able to keep the unblemished faith in a Church & world gone so wrong.

May the Immaculate Heart, whose Feast it is today, shield all good priests within the folds of her motherly heart.

On June 22, 2018, in Dillwyn, VA, Bishop Bernard Tissier de Mallerais ordained Fr. Thomas O’Hart, a native of Ireland. This was the first Irish ordination for the SSPX since Fr. David Sherry’s in 2007.

On Sunday, July 29, Fr. O’Hart celebrated a Solemn High First Mass in his county in Athlone, at the Corpus Christi Church.

One week later, the new priest celebrated another first Mass in the Church of St. John the Evangelist in Dun Laoghaire.

The Church attaches many graces to these Masses, and the faithful can receive a plenary indulgence under the usual conditions.

O Lord, grant us priests, many holy priests!

2018 Ordinations in Econe

Congratulations to the three new Priests ordained at the hand of Bishop Fellay, in Econe, Switzerland. More Fathers in the vineyard of the Church, to lead souls to heaven & save them from the pits of hell. Pictures of the beautiful ceremony can be found below.

“In explaining [the Sacraments], pastors should keep in view principally two things, which they should zealously strive to accomplish. The first is that the faithful understand the high honor, respect and veneration due to these divine and celestial gifts. The second is that, since the Sacraments have been established by the God of infinite mercy for the common salvation of all, the people should make pious and religious use of them, and be so inflamed with the desire of Christian perfection as to deem it a very great loss to be for any time deprived of the salutary use, particularly of Penance and the Holy Eucharist. These objects pastors will find little difficulty in accomplishing, if they call frequently to the attention of the faithful what we have already said on the divine character and fruit of the Sacraments: first, that they were instituted by our Lord and Savior from whom can proceed nothing but what is most perfect; further that when administered, the most powerful influence of the Holy Ghost is present, pervading the inmost sanctuary of the soul; next that they possess an admirable and unfailing virtue to cure our spiritual maladies and communicate to us the inexhaustible riches of the Passion of our Lord.”   ~Catechism of the Council of Trent