On September 24, 2020, the Saint Pius X Seminary created by Archbishop Lefebvre at Écône, Switzerland, celebrated its 50th anniversary.
Yes, there was a seminary which was active and running even prior to the formal foundation of his congregation. It may be interesting to note that the formation of good and virtuous priests was foremost in the mind of our founder. His original idea was that these good priests would go back to their respective dioceses and be the leaven to help souls and priests around them.
But, soon enough, the Archbishop realized that it would be best to preserve them by giving them a community life and, by the same token, protecting them from the progressive clergy. That is when he decided to pursue the foundation, not only of a seminary, but specifically a congregation which he named the Society of Saint Pius X. It was on November 1, 1970 that he received the approval from the local bishop of Fribourg, Switzerland, where the original house was located. The Society of Saint Pius X was born to the Church.
On the occasion of the golden jubilee commemorating the founding of the Écône seminary, the clergy went in procession to the seminary’s cemetery vault nearby, where the founder of the Society of Saint Pius X had been laid to rest for nearly 30 years. From there, the coffin was solemnly transported to the crypt of the seminary church which the Archbishop never saw but had wished that it be dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Also Inside This Issue:
- Letter from the District Superior
- Memento Mori
- Photos & News from the District
