Hi Blogger Insiders,
The Society of Saint Pius X was founded in 1970 by French Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Archbishop Lefebvre didn't like the changes that were being imposed by Vatican II. And he didn't like the 1969 New Order Mass. A year later he founded the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) with Catholic Priests who would say the Latin Tridentine Mass only. Their official Latin name is Fraternitas Sacerdotalis Sancti Pii X (Priestly Fraternity of St. Pius X). Members of the Society are known in some circles as "Lefebvrists".
The modernist infiltration of the Vatican was in full swing in the 1960's. As a result, the relations between Rome and the Society were always strained. Fr. Stephen Somerville was a Canadian priest who started saying Masses for the Society and was suspended by the Archbishop of Toronto (Cardinal Ambrozic). I attended one of Fr. Somerville's Masses. He was the priest who said Mass (with Mel Gibson as the altar boy) during the filming of the movie, "The Passion of the Christ". The Latin Mass is abhorred by many high-ranking clerics in the Church.
In 1988, Archbishop Lefebvre wanted to ordain four bishops in order to ensure the survival of the Society (and of the traditional Latin Mass of the Catholic Church). To this end he ordained four bishops for the Society. Unfortunately Archbishop Lefebvre did this without a mandate from Pope John Paul II. Within 48 hours, Pope John Paul II excommunicated Lefebvre and the four newly ordained bishops. The excommunications of the four bishops were recently lifted in January 2009 by Pope Benedict XVI.
To this day the Society of St. Pius X is not in "full communion" with the Catholic Church. The Society lives on the fringes of the Church. Hopefully someday soon the Society will enjoy full canonical status within the Catholic Church as Pope Benedict XVI works to restore all things in Christ.
God Bless you,
In Christ the King,
Michael the Lionheart
The Society of Saint Pius X was founded in 1970 by French Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Archbishop Lefebvre didn't like the changes that were being imposed by Vatican II. And he didn't like the 1969 New Order Mass. A year later he founded the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) with Catholic Priests who would say the Latin Tridentine Mass only. Their official Latin name is Fraternitas Sacerdotalis Sancti Pii X (Priestly Fraternity of St. Pius X). Members of the Society are known in some circles as "Lefebvrists".
The modernist infiltration of the Vatican was in full swing in the 1960's. As a result, the relations between Rome and the Society were always strained. Fr. Stephen Somerville was a Canadian priest who started saying Masses for the Society and was suspended by the Archbishop of Toronto (Cardinal Ambrozic). I attended one of Fr. Somerville's Masses. He was the priest who said Mass (with Mel Gibson as the altar boy) during the filming of the movie, "The Passion of the Christ". The Latin Mass is abhorred by many high-ranking clerics in the Church.
In 1988, Archbishop Lefebvre wanted to ordain four bishops in order to ensure the survival of the Society (and of the traditional Latin Mass of the Catholic Church). To this end he ordained four bishops for the Society. Unfortunately Archbishop Lefebvre did this without a mandate from Pope John Paul II. Within 48 hours, Pope John Paul II excommunicated Lefebvre and the four newly ordained bishops. The excommunications of the four bishops were recently lifted in January 2009 by Pope Benedict XVI.
To this day the Society of St. Pius X is not in "full communion" with the Catholic Church. The Society lives on the fringes of the Church. Hopefully someday soon the Society will enjoy full canonical status within the Catholic Church as Pope Benedict XVI works to restore all things in Christ.
God Bless you,
In Christ the King,
Michael the Lionheart
