Skip to main content

Tributes for a Catholic bishop - sspx.org

I decided that this was worth logging onto the site to post.

I first noticed the tribute on rorate and of course one from the SSPX.

Catholics owe much to Archbishop Lefebvre.

For myself I try to pay attention to the manner in which he made his decisions and then acted upon them with conviction.  There is much to emulate.

P^3

PS. I now return to my lenten resolution and 'pre-programmed' posts.



Courtesy of SSPX.org

Tributes for a Catholic bishop

March 24, 2014 
Archbishop Lefebvre went to his eternal reward on March 25, 1991, the Feast of the Annunciation, after having valiantly promoted and defended the Catholic Faith throughout the world.
We offer some tributes previously published on sspx.org in commemoration of the death of Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (March 25, 1991), a bishop for the Catholic Church.

Dying on the day when all begin

Twenty years ago, on Monday of Holy Week, March 25, 1991, the Feast of the Annunciation, the founder of the Society of St. Pius X was recalled to God. On Thursday, March 28, 1991, the Gazette of Martigny (Switzerland) published this article, authored by Mr. Rene Berthod, now a father of a priest of the Society, in tribute to Archbishop Lefebvre.
There are 365 days to die. None, however, is similar to the other and for the Christian, every day is a particular feast day: it is celebrated for an event in the life of the Church or for one of her children sanctified here below by grace.
Even if nothing is left to chance, nevertheless, we need coincidences to be obvious for us to see them.
Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, founder of the Priestly Society of St. Pius X, died on the morning of March 25. This year’s first day of Holy Week is also one of the great feasts of the liturgical year, the Annunciation, the day when, by the fiat of Mary the Incarnation comes about. On this very day, the divine work of the redemption begins on earth.
It pleases me to know that the Archbishop at Econe, a sign of contradiction if ever there was in the Church of this time—attacked, rejected, condemned and excommunicated—who by the strength of his rhetoric and the rigor of his conduct rendered these attacks as vain—as ridiculous the condemnations—has met his judge on March 25. [...]
Historically, it will be necessary one day to explain how it was possible for the noblest, the bravest, the most faithful, the most Catholic of the prelates of the Latin Church to die under excommunication.
But one day we will also explain that Archbishop Lefebvre was excommunicated from a Church of Assisi which was no longer the immaculate Bride of the Divine Word.

Thank you, Your Excellency!

An editorial of Fr. Benoit de Jorna, then District Superior of France, published inFideliter (September-October 1995) on the occasion of 25th anniversary of the Society of St. Pius X.
In these days when we celebrate the 25 years of the Priestly Society of St. Pius X, my thought turns to the great figure of Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. These 25 years of life, after God, are certainly owned to him. On your behalf, I would like to express our gratitude.
Thank you, Your Excellency, for having been the core of resistance to the destructive innovations during the Second Vatican Council.
Thank you, Your Excellency, for having early supported by your authority Catholics who fought against progressivism, especially those of the Cite Catholique,1 a breeding ground for the future traditional resistance.
Thank you, Your Excellency, for resigning your office as Superior General of the Holy Ghost Father, so as not to condone in front of the Church the abandoning of the essence of religious life.
Thank you, Your Excellency, for having, during the crisis of vocations, welcomed young people willing to give themselves to God, and putting aside your tranquil respite to guide and support them.
Thank you, Your Excellency, for having, in 1969, left your peaceful retirement and founded at age 65, a priestly society in the midst of the doctrinal, moral and liturgical debacle.
Thank you, Your Excellency, for having clearly seen, at the publication of the New Mass, the immense devastation that this Mass would cause and having refused to condone it in any way.
Thank you, Your Excellency, for having founded Econe, the seminary of the traditional priesthood, of the traditional Mass, of the traditional doctrine, the seminary of the hope for a renewal of the Church.
Thank you, Your Excellency, for having traveled the world for years, preaching, giving confirmation, opening seminaries, priories and schools and supporting the priestly, religious and Christian life.
Thank you, Your Excellency, for your statement of November 21, 1974, which will remain a monument in the Church history.
Thank you, Your Excellency, for having borne, for the Reign of Jesus, to be contradicted, defamed, attacked, betrayed, and finally condemned during the years 1974, 1975 and 1976.
Thank you, Your Excellency, for attempting everything possible to bring Conciliar Rome to the Catholic Truth, and further thanks to you for your clear-sightedness that has rescued us from its clutches before it was too late.
Thank you, Your Excellency, for having not wanted, at the end of your journey, to leave as orphans the priests and faithful and for having the courage to give us Catholic Bishops, despite the dangers.
Thank you, Your Excellency, for these 25 years and thank you for the years to come, which will exist because of your vision, of your courage and especially of your immense love of Jesus Christ.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

"Father, Should I Attend That Mass?" Advice on Attending Non-SSPX Latin Masses

 + JMJ I see that the 'resistors' are in a tizzy because Fr. Robinson used them as an example instead of the sedevacantists. What is interesting is that you can apply the exact same reasons against going to a sede mass as that of the 'resistors'. Namely: On the other extreme are those situations where an SSPX priest knows that a certain non-SSPX traditionalist venue is a grave danger to the faith . Frankly, most, if not all, of the Resistance Masses would fall into this category. In many cases, the behavior of these priests has been and continues to be scandalous, by their (A) spirit, their (B) preaching, and their indiscriminate conferral of the (C) priesthood and (D) episcopacy. To attend a Mass with such ongoing scandals poses a serious danger to the souls of the faithful. Yep, looking at A,B,C and D the shoe fits. On this basis the "resistors" = "sedevacantists". P^3 Courtesy of SSPX.org   A companion article to a recent "Questions with ...

Correcting Caricatures of the SSPX

 + JMJ Introduction First, a little background on the FSSP St. John Vianney Chapel in Mission Hill Kansas.  After the 1988 consecrations and the foundation of the FSSP there was a consistent trend of Dioceses allowing the SSPX to run chapels and churches near SSPX locations. As with any 'organizational change' there were those who didn't agree with the change and no longer sought the sacraments from the SSPX. I heard from friends that in that era there was a lot of anger and tension (on both sides) between the St. Mary's SSPX and Mission Hill FSSP.  Second, there have been caricatures of the SSPX position (some are evident below) in which personal opinions of SSPX priests and laity are taken as the official position or conflated with those of sedevacantists or 'resistance'. Recent Perspectives of the SSPX Position In the shadow of the consecrations a fever pitch accusations and opinions how surfaced - many of which include caricatures of the SSPX positions, of w...

SSPX: Why Is the SSPX So Criticized?

 + JMJ As long as you are ok with what happens in other Catholic Churches, Traditional Catholics will be left 'alone'.  This is a paraphrase of words spoken by an Archbishop to Traditional Catholics (with a sprinkling of SSPX) who had requested the Traditional Latin Mass under Summorum Pontificum. This reflects that attitude of the Church towards anyone who takes issue with some of the ambiguities of Vatican II and the post-conciliar magisterium.  If you reject the papacy but are ok with V2, the New Mass, and what Rome has stated since 1965 - then you are welcome. Question some of the more abiguous statements and ask for Rome to realise that a circle is not a square - then you are in for a world of hurt. This is where the SSPX exists and has existed from almost its very first moments. Pointing out contradictions with previous magisterium is not acceptable - under any condition. Why? Because it will cause the whole V2 house of cards to fall. I guess only when the contradic...

Stories: Early Days of Tradition Part 8 - Convention Centre Chapel

 + JMJ I came to Tradition a few years after they had bought a chapel. My wife told me of the earlier years when Fr. Normandin would come to town and Mass would be held in a room at the convention centre.  He'd start by blessing the room and then proceed with Mass. This went on for a while before the one of the faithful found a small hall that would suit just fine. They pooled their money and bought the building.  Then came the work as the retiree's refinished the floor, setup the sactuary. Oh, did I mention that I heard that the hall had been used by a motorcycle gang? The floor needed a lot of work.  I remember seeing pictures of the founders working to make the hall into a fitting place for the Sacrifice of the Mass. That little chapel would be a refuge like many others serviced by Fr. Normandin.  From Thunderbay, Ontrario to Nanaimo, British Columbia - the SSPX chapels are all the results of Fr. Normandin's missionary work in those desperate times. Without h...

How many more must die for the throne? or How to combat FUD!

 + JMJ How many more must die for the throne? (Movie Quote: Prince Caspian) The Spread of Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt I've seen a lot of FUD spreading across the intergnat on various stats etc.   So let's put this in context ... especially the perspective of those people in positions of authority who need to make decisions to protect the lives of their citizens. Yep, this is going to be that type of post.  Like it or not the leaders of our governments have their authority from God.  So, as Catholics should know, you need to have a very good reason to deliberately disobey the orders of their superiors. This is basic St. Thomas Aquinas ... so don't blame me for discussing things from a Catholic perspective. The leaders of our countries have taken action to protect the vulnerable of our countries.   As much as the young and not-so-young may whine and complain - I have to ask how many more of our elderly have to die? What the armchair virologists and ec...