Dear Friends and Benefactors,
Although a very full summer has delayed this letter, please be assured that you have not been forgotten. It’s important that you be informed of what is happening at the seminary, and now that the academic year has begun, I will be sending you regular updates.
Soon, the seminary will be celebrating its 50th anniversary, but I will revisit this once the celebrations are over. Today I wish to focus on an even more significant anniversary that the entire Society of St. Pius X is about to celebrate. This anniversary is more important because it affects all of us, while the seminary's anniversary primarily impacts our community.
We are speaking, of course, of the 50th anniversary of Archbishop Lefebvre’s Declaration of November 21, 1974. The historical context behind the Declaration is both interesting and enlightening. A few days before the actual Declaration, Rome sent two visitors to assess the new seminary in Écône. The visitors were Bishop Descamps, a biblical scholar, and Msgr. Onclin, a canonist, and after spending three days there and speaking with various professors and seminarians, they shocked and scandalized the entire community. They openly discussed the possibility of married clergy in the near future and criticized the seminarians who placed such importance on objective truth, claiming instead that truth is entirely subjective. The two visitors clearly and explicitly stated their agenda: the seminary and the Society had to abandon the Tridentine Mass in order to be recognized by the Conciliar Church.
Naturally, the scandalous example and opinions of the apostolic visitors created some turbulence within our young society, which had only existed for four years. This pivotal moment in the history of the Society and the Declaration which followed it are critical to understanding the mission and the spirit of the Society – then, now, and for the remainder of its existence. The Archbishop’s Declaration is the fuel that the Society draws upon to keep the flame of Tradition alive. For anyone to say that they understand the SSPX, they must understand this Declaration.
We are told that this Declaration was written in a single sitting and without any corrections. Truly, the hand of God is evident in this work. After 50 years, we can still appreciate this Declaration and use it to guide our path, not only for ourselves but also for generations to come. We must recognize the special grace that God has given our founder to guide the Society he has formed, and through it, to restore all things in Christ. I want to emphasize that this declaration is not just for the Society; it is for anyone seeking protection from the crisis in the Church.
While I would love to comment on the entirety of this precious document to demonstrate how this Declaration was not only valid 50 years ago, but also today and for all time, I will keep my remarks brief.
The Archbishop begins the Declaration: “We adhere with our whole heart, and with our whole soul to Catholic Rome, the Guardian of the Catholic Faith and of those traditions necessary for the maintenance of that Faith, to eternal Rome, Mistress of Wisdom and Truth.”
Why is the perennial Magisterium so important? Because it is through the Magisterium that the truth of the faith is handed down to us. If Faith is necessary for salvation, then it is equally essential to have the Magisterium to provide us with the teachings of that Faith. The Protestants have denied this, and the modernists are perverting it, but the truth always remains. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? (Rom 10:8). This is what the Archbishop understood. Let it be our understanding as well. The Archbishop also recognized that the problem of modernism is precisely this: the attempt to change what has been handed down to us in the name of a ‘living magisterium’. We denounce and reject this.
In the Oath Against Modernism, we solemnly swear, “I sincerely hold that the doctrine of Faith was handed down to us from the Apostles through the orthodox Fathers in exactly the same meaning and always in the same purport. Therefore, I entirely reject the heretical misrepresentation that dogmas evolve and change from one meaning to another different from the one which the Church held previously. I also condemn every error according to which, in place of the divine deposit which has been given to the spouse of Christ to be carefully guarded by Her, there is put a philosophical figment or product of a human conscience that has gradually been developed by human effort and will continue to develop indefinitely.” (Pope St. Pius X)
Archbishop Lefebvre, as a man who had taken this oath numerous times in his life and meant it with every fiber of his being, could not help but write such a declaration.
May the Good Lord, who guided our beloved founder in drafting the Declaration of 1974 as a roadmap to help us avoid modernist errors and navigate safely to eternal life, grant us the grace to remain on this path without straying at any point. This is my prayerful wish for us all as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of this golden document.
In the Hearts of Jesus and Mary,
Fr. Michael Goldade
News
Congratulations to the Sisters of the Society of St. Pius X who celebrated their Golden Jubilee on Sunday, September 22 of this year. The seminarians and faithful were shown a presentation on the history and work of the Sisters, allowing them to learn about this generous congregation of souls within our spiritual family.
New Seminarians and Brothers. About the time you receive this letter, the seminary will be receiving 28 new students for the Humanities program. Additionally, the seminary annually receives professed Brothers in their fourth year of formation for the period of a year; this October we will receive three Brothers. This means that every last room in the seminary will be occupied. I request your prayers for the perseverance of all.
New beds (nearly). We are thankful to the Mark Adams School of Woodworking in Franklin, IN which organized 30 volunteers for a week to build beds for 120 seminary rooms. The parts were shipped to the seminary and were in the process of being finished when Br. Mark, our local master carpenter, broke his clavicle. The seminarians will have to patiently wait for a possible gift at Christmas.
Apostolate. During the month of September 46 seminarians traveled to Kansas City to assist at the Consecration of St. Vincent’s Church. At the same time, 22 other seminarians attended and assisted in various ways at the Auriesville Pilgrimage in New York.