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The Feast of St.
Michael, September 29th, is a special day for the brothers of the
Society of St. Pius X as the Archangel is their particular patron.
Today at St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary (where the SSPX’s USA Brothers’
Novitiate is located) some of the brothers made their religious vows
during a Solemn Mass.
It was a very special day in particular for Br. Gabriel-Marie, as he pronounced his perpetual vows after nine years of
religious life. Three others brothers renewed their vows for one and
three years.
According to the Statutes written by Archbishop Lefebvre
for the SSPX’s brothers, the brothers make their vows for one year,
then twice for a three-year period, before being allowed to make their
perpetual vows. The first religious profession takes place after a
year of novitiate.
By this profession, the brother consecrates himself totally
to God, binding himself by the religious vows of poverty, obedience
and perfect chastity. During the solemn engagement ceremony, the
celebrant reminds the religious: “Consider the dignity and the
sublimity of the religious state…, recall the demands and the rewards
of the perfect life.” Developing this sentiment during the
ceremony’s sermon, Fr. Kenneth Dean emphasized: “The free
will is not given up by the vows, but on the contrary is perfected.”
During the Offertory of the Solemn Mass and in front of the
opened tabernacle, the brothers publicly gave thanks to the Most
Adorable Trinity, then asked for the forgiveness of their sins and for
an increase of charity towards God, followed by a fervent prayer to
Our Lady, St. Joseph and St. Pius X. The brothers then solemnly made
their vows “before God and the Church.”
The celebrant entreated Br. Gabriel specifically with these
encouraging words before he made his perpetual vows:
To the total and
perfect gift of yourself, you are adding today a sacrifice of
perpetual praise to the divine majesty. United to the redeem
sacrifice ceaselessly renewed on the altars, present it to God for
the salvation of your soul and the salvation of many other souls.
Adding to the brothers’ ranks, on the eve of the feast of
St. Michael, one postulant received the habit (black cassock and plain
sash) and became a novice through the act of oblation he made.
Presenting him a crucifix, the celebrant said:
Receive this
Cross, a sign of the Passion of Jesus Christ so that it may be for
you the foundation of faith, defense against adversity, and the
everlasting standard of victory.
In the Society of St. Pius X, the brothers are “in the
service of the Priesthood of Jesus Christ, cooperators of the priests
and of their apostolate”. “Let them be the guardian angels of
our communities”, wrote Archbishop Lefebvre in the brothers’
Statutes. After their profession, the brothers are sent to the
different houses, priories, schools or retreat centers of the SSPX
where they live their consecration to God through the many tasks they
perform.
Every year before these ceremonies, the brothers come
together from throughout the United States to follow a 6-day retreat.
This year it was directed at the seminary by the novice master, Fr.
Dean. Following the religious example of St. Therese of the Child
Jesus, he explained how “true love is found only and solely in
perfect self-forgetfulness”.
In the United States, the SSPX Brothers presently number
twelve, and as of late, the majority of postulants have come from
Notre Dame de La Salette Boys’ Academy.
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