September 2021 Print

April 10th, 1983 — St. Michael en Brenne, France

By Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre

Today, on this Quasimodo Sunday, Providence has reunited almost all the religious of the Society of Saint Pius X. The occasion of this important reunion, which will certainly be recorded in the annals of the Society’s history, gives me the opportunity to be more specific about what distinguishes the sisters of Saint Pius X. And since, in everything, the end must be considered, we will therefore firstly ask what the aim of the sisters of the Society Saint Pius X is.

The general aim is, without a doubt, that of all religious congregations: to save one’s soul, render glory to God, and prepare oneself to participate in God’s glory for eternity—and for this, to choose undoubtedly the surest, and the most sublime and beautiful way, the one to which Our Lord Jesus Christ calls the souls whom He chooses. This is the principal aim of every soul who consecrates itself to God, who gives itself completely to God.

And what is the aim of the Sisters’ Society? It is to collaborate with the priests of the Society of Saint Pius X in their apostolic work. This the sisters can do in three ways:

In a material way, by taking upon themselves duties which relieve and facilitate the priests’ tasks in the apostolate.

In a pastoral way, by helping priests in their sacerdotal ministry: whether it be teaching catechism, assisting in the work of retreats, or also, for example, visiting the sick, taking care of primary schools, and working with girls. The Sisters can thus pastorally help the Fathers in their ministry.

They can likewise help them spiritually by their prayers and sacrifices. And I think that this is one of the reasons why the sisters have an additional hour of adoration in front of the Blessed Sacrament every day. There they entrust to Our Lord all the intentions of the priory, of the works in which they are employed, to which they devote themselves, so that God may bless these works and sanctify those who are devoted to them: firstly, the priests, the religious themselves, and then all the people who devote themselves to the apostolic and missionary work of the Society’s priories, schools, and works.

This, then, is the end for which the Congregation was founded.

And what are the bonds between the Society of the priests and that of the sisters? Well, these bonds are firstly bonds of origin. Indeed, in the statutes that I had the occasion to draw up as founder of the Priestly Society, Providence permitted that an allusion to the religious was made. And thanks be to God, this was helpful when my opponents had the opportunity to criticize me for the foundations of the sisters and the brothers. I said, “Excuse me, but in the statutes which have been approved by Rome, approved by Cardinal Wright and the Congregation of the Clergy, allusions were made to the foundation of the sisters and the brothers.” Consequently, I would say that the sisters’ Society has already been implicitly recognized by Rome, simultaneously with the priestly Society. Without a doubt, the approbation has not yet officially been given for the Society independently of the priestly one, but we can hope that with time, God will give this official approbation to the Congregation of the religious. There is consequently a profound bond of origin, willed by Providence, between the priestly Society and the sisters’ Society.

There is also a particular bond, I would say, of doctrine and spirituality. And this, in my opinion, is very important. If the priestly Society has at the heart of its spirituality the priesthood and the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass—and this also providentially, because of the circumstances in which we find ourselves, since it is precisely the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass which has been the object of degradation, alterations, and changes which have disfigured it… It thus seemed to me that it was God’s Will for priests to be conscious of the importance of their priesthood, conscious that to offer the Sacrifice is the reason for the priesthood. The priests of the Society therefore devote themselves in a profound way to the study of the grandeur and sublimity of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and to find therein the whole mystery, Mysterium Fidei, the Mystery of our Faith, the central Mystery of our Faith from which everything flows.

I think, therefore, that the sisters’ spirituality is likewise to rediscover what the heart of the Church is, what its treasure is, the treasure which Our Lord Jesus Christ gave to His Apostles on Holy Thursday. In instituting the priesthood, He was giving them His body, blood, soul, and divinity, all the graces which flow from His Sacrifice. We must find this treasure again. We must love it. We must seek all our graces in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and in the Eucharistic presence of Our Lord Jesus Christ. I think that this is very important. It is a profound bond which unites the priests and the Sisters’ Society.

Thus, bond of origin, bond of spirituality, and bond of apostolate. This being said, the sisters’ Society is an independent society. The day when relations become normal between the SSPX as well as the sisters’ Society and Rome, it is obvious that your Society will be canonically independent.

However, I insist on the fact that the moral bonds (about which I have just spoken to you) are important, and I would even say essential, to the point that, if these bonds were broken, I do not think the sisters’ Society could subsist any longer. If the religious deny their origin, if they deny their spirituality and doctrine, if they deny their apostolate, what will remain of them? What will remain of their Society? Consequently, if your Society is juridically independent, morally, before God, in the grace of God, in the grace of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the sisters’ Society must remain profoundly united to the priestly Society, especially in the present circumstances when the Church’s doctrine is being attacked on every side, and in a certain sense, its spirituality disintegrated.

And we can raise the question: “Will not these ties between the priestly Society and the sisters cause difficulties?” Oh, my dear Sisters, the Church has experienced these obstacles throughout its whole history. There are always trials, misunderstandings, misconceptions; these are part of poor human nature. And of course, we saw this, for example, in the missions, where all the religious of the dioceses (God knows how many religious congregations were working in collaboration with the missionaries) such as the sisters of Cluny, the sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Castre, who were helping us a lot in the missions... There were undoubtedly difficulties sometimes, but precisely we were forced to clearly define their respective work and connection. So doing, we made sure that the different religious congregations, missionary and religious, be both sufficiently independent and collaborate in the common goal in the spirit of the Church.

So even if these difficulties exist, they must not be a reason for breaking away! This would be ridiculous! If such were the case, we could then say that if there are difficulties in a marriage, it must be broken up. It is not because a couple must make sacrifices that they must immediately think of a separation. It is not because there are difficulties in societies, and even in communities, that we must break them up, that we must break up what God Himself has established.

Therefore, let us practice this common work in charity, by both clearly specifying and distinguishing tasks; then charity can be practiced, and its fruit will be magnificent. We have seen splendid fruits of this collaboration of priests and religious in the missions, extraordinary apostolic fruit, alas, practically ruined today by the lack of vocations, by the lack of supernatural spirit, by the lack of the spirit of faith.

You may be asking yourselves: “Is our Society a contemplative or an active one?” I will answer that canonically, your Society is not a contemplative society. A contemplative society must have a strict cloister, like that of the Dominicans of the Great Order, the Benedictines, the Poor Clares, or the Carmelites. No one can enter inside the community. And they also generally have the obligation to recite the whole Divine Office. They get up early to sing Matins, Lauds. This is what characterizes the contemplative congregations. So, how does the Church consider your congregation? I would say that, having an active apostolate, you are an active congregation.

Those among you who are already working in the different priories, well know how the priests are overwhelmed by their activities, requests from everywhere, work, the necessity of going out to administer a sacrament here, to teach catechism elsewhere, to say a Mass far away. The priests need your prayer. And I thank God that you have this hour of prayer in your constitutions. I am sure that this is what upholds you in this spirit of faith, piety, recollection, and silence which you have, which you manifest, and which is very important. This is very important for your own life, for your active life. Do not let yourselves be dissipated, carried away by noise and a febrile activity, but be united to God. This is what makes the grandeur of your religious life: union with Our Lord Jesus Christ, life with Him.

Congratulations to you all! Continue as you have done until now. Grow in the love of Our Lord, in the love of souls, in the love of sacrifice, in the love of the Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ. And draw this love from the heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Compassion, Our Lady of Sorrows. Ask her to pour all her sentiments for her Divine Son into your hearts so that you may live them.