Switzerland: A thousand faithful for the centennial of Archbishop Lefebvre’s birth

On Saturday, December 3, the district of Switzerland of the SSPX commemorated the centennial of Archbishop Lefebvre’s birth in Biberist, in the canton of Soleure, in the presence of the Superior General, Bishop Bernard Fellay. A thousand faithful from all the Swiss cantons gathered in the cultural arena of Biberist, which was "bursting at the seam".

The pontifical Mass was preceded by the crowning of the pilgrim Virgin which will travel around the 10 priories of Switzerland during the coming months. Bishop Fellay, in his homely, stressed that this crowning of the Virgin of Fatima was a liturgical act which ought to have practical consequences: "We acknowledge the Mother of God as our Queen" and "devotion to the Blessed Virgin and consecration to Our Lady must bear fruits in our daily life!"

Speaking alternately in French and German, he referred to the words of the Blessed Virgin in Fatima: "To those who embrace this devotion [to my Immaculate Heart], I promise salvation, those souls will be cherished by God, like flowers I would have placed to decorate His throne". "There are around us souls for whom the Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ was shed. And who knows how many of those souls are entrusted to us!" After the Pontifical Mass, all the priests of Switzerland, gathered around Bishop Bernard Fellay, his first Assistant Fr. Franz Schmidberger, and the district Superior Fr. Henry Wuilloud, together with all the faithful present renewed the consecration of the district to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

In the afternoon, the faithful had the choice between the conference given in French by Bishop Bernard Fellay on the wisdom of Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre and the present state of the relations of the SSPX with Rome, or the conference in German by Bishop Bernard Tissier de Mallerais on the life of Archbishop Lefebvre.