50 years of the Priestly Society of Saint Pius X

November 01, 2020
Source: fsspx.news

On November 1, 1970, 50 years ago, Bishop François Charrière, Bishop of Fribourg, signed the decree of erection of the Society of St. Pius X.

On this first day of November 1970, the Society gathered only a few seminarians around Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, assisted by three professors. At the time, it had only two houses: the first, Route de la Vignettaz, in Fribourg, and the house of Ecône, which had just been placed at the disposal of the founder of the Society.

In 50 years, the grain thrown into the ground has grown and multiplied. Today, the Society of Saint Pius X has 673 priests, 139 brothers and 80 oblates.

It forms 287 members: seminarians, novices and postulants, including Brothers and Oblates.

The Society carries out this training in 6 seminars located in Switzerland, Germany, France, the United States, Argentina and Australia. The formation of brothers and oblates is assured in four novitiates.

There are 162 houses of residence for priests dedicated to the apostolate, the priories.

They serve 810 chapels or churches.

The houses of the Society are distributed in 14 districts (a district has at least three priories with resident priests): Africa, Germany, South America, Asia, Australia/New Zealand, Austria, Belgium/Netherlands, Canada, USA, France, Great Britain, Italy, Mexico and Switzerland.

There are still priories in 4 autonomous houses (less than three priories): Central America and the Caribbean, Brazil, Spain-Portugal, Eastern Europe (located in Poland).

The Society works in education through 120 schools - primary, secondary and university.

Finally, the Society is present, on a regular or occasional basis, in 73 countries.

On this fiftieth anniversary, the members of the Society of Saint Pius X give thanks to God for the years spent at the service of the Church in these very special circumstances of the crisis that has shaken it since the Second Vatican Council.

They also give thanks for having received from their founder, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, the most precious treasures of the Church, which they wish to pass on to his successor, as much as it depends on them, "Tradidi quod et accepi", supported by the charity of God: "Credidimus caritati", and under the aegis of the Virgin Mary, Mother of the Priest par excellence and of all priests.

Site of the Society

Site on Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre