Dear Friends and Benefactors,

I wish to thank all of you for your continued material and spiritual support for the work of the SSPX especially here in the United States. This support enables us to continue the work of Our Lord Jesus Christ sanctifying souls through the means He Himself has given (e.g., the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and the Sacraments).

On the material side, faced with the wonderful problem of crowded churches and schools, we continue to expand and build. In Sanford, FL and Albuquerque, NM the faithful anxiously await the opening of their new churches, the beauty of which has already attracted many and even encouraged some to attend the heavenly celebration of Mass held nearby and soon to be held inside.

In Olivet, IL, much progress has been made in getting the old school, purchased just over a year ago, ready for next September when it will become the new home for the presently overcrowded boys’ boarding high school in Richmond, MI.

And here in Kansas City we have begun construction on a new District Headquarters, which should be completed by next fall. The present Regina Coeli House will become the priory for St. Vincent’s and also a sort of "halfway" house for priests who have been "bruised and battered" since Vatican II. Priests will be able to spend time here learning to say the Tridentine Mass which will heal their wounds as it has for so many others over the past 2000 years.

I also wish to thank you for your prayers and sacrifices offered for vocations. God has, once again, rewarded these with new recruits seeking to do His will.

In Winona, our Seminary has seen yet another large group of young men, twenty to be exact, wishing to try their vocation. This leaves the seminary Rector, Fr. Leroux, the happy problem of overcrowding and the not so pleasant problem of raising funds to solve it.

This year has also brought us a relatively large number of men who will be trying their vocation at our Brothers’ Novitiate in El Paso, TX. Four men, the largest number we have seen at one time, have entered the year of postulancy where they hope, if it be God’s will, to enter the religious life as Brothers of the SSPX.

Some may ask, why would anyone want to become a Brother? What good can a Brother do for the world? And why would a Priestly Society have Brothers? These are frequently asked questions and a few words about the Brothers’ life can help to answer them and dispel some false notions about this special calling.

In our world, where there is not much belief in God, prayer is seen as a waste of time. So anyone dedicating himself to a life of prayer is considered useless. After all he is not making money or inventing new and improved products to make us look or feel better or helping in the continued search for greater pleasures for us to enjoy life in this earthly paradise. Thus to the worldling, why anyone would even think of dedicating himself to the humble religious life of a Brother is incomprehensible.

What is surprising however is to find a similar lack of understanding among Catholics. Many view this calling to the religious life as a failed vocation to the priesthood or a position for someone who cannot make it in the world. Would anyone call St. Francis of Assisi such?

The vocation to the religious life of a Brother is a special calling in itself with its own special dignity, which comes by reason of the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity and obedience. The Brothers by "consecrating themselves to God in the religious life, have as their primary goal and purpose, the glory of God, their own sanctification, and the salvation of souls." (Special rules for the Brothers, 3.) In taking these vows the Brother joins himself to the redemptive life of Christ and wages war against the general current of vice found in the world (e.g., materialism, sensualism and the spirit of rebellion.)

In the economy of salvation many graces are granted to men only through prayer and it is for lack of prayer that the world lacks these incomparable goods. Without good Brothers, who are men of prayer, the world will be without many of these supernatural goods.

The Brother must also be a mature man capable of personal discipline, able to work competently and get along with others in community life.

But how do such Brothers help out a priestly society? Archbishop Lefebvre modeled the Priestly Society of Saint Pius X after the Societies of the Foreign Missions, in which the priests relied on the Brothers’ assistance in the various trade capabilities they had for their difficult mission work. Due to the Revolution within the Church, this missionary work has spread throughout the world making the assistance of the Brothers to our Priests just as indispensable. Thus their specific aim as members of the Society of Saint Pius X is to

...aid the priests in all their duties, not by seeking to take their place in the priestly functions themselves, but by facilitating their apostolic task in manifold ways. This can be by relieving them of material jobs, such as: finances, practical works in the rectory or seminary, like gardening, cooking, upkeep of the building, librarianship, secretarial work, etc. Or it can be by participating more directly in the apostolate, such as: responsibility for the church, choir, catechism, organist, or helping out with a primary school. On the missions this could also be the construction of buildings, or by a trade school. (Special rules for the Brothers, 6.)

Thus the life of a Brother has an important role to play within the SSPX and for the world. May God grant us many religious vocations!