SSPX
THIRD
GENERAL CHAPTER
ON JULY 2006
Dear
Friends and Benefactors of the Society in Ireland,
Every
twelve years, the Superiors and the senior members of the Society of
St. Pius X gather in General Chapter to elect the Superior General
and his two Assistants. The mandate of Bishop Bernard Fellay coming
to an end, forty of us are expected on July 3rd at the
seminary of Ecône, Switzerland, to proceed to the election.
How does
the Chapter take place? I will give you some details, essentially
taken from the article written by Michel Beaumont for the latest
issue of the magazine Fideliter, of the SSPX in France, and
from the official Rules of the General Chapter.
The
General Chapter,
to which belongs the exercise of the supreme authority in the
Society in extraordinary circumstances, is composed by priests designated by their office or
by their seniority. In virtue of their office are summoned to the
Chapter the standing Superior General and two Assistants, the
bishops who are members of the Society, the previous Generals, the
General Secretary and Bursar, and the 25 Major Superiors (Districts,
Seminaries, and Autonomous Houses). The senior priests who have no
charge of superiors, in the proportion of one third of the members
by office, are the remaining part of the Chapter; in 2006 they are
the priests who entered the Society between 1971 and 1974. This time
we will be 30 capitulants by office and 10 by seniority.
The oldest
of the Chapter members is 66 years old, the youngest only 32! The
senior priest was ordained in 1972, the youngest in 2001. The
nationalities of the capitulants represent 11 countries: France,
Germany, Austria, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom,
Australia, South Africa, Argentina, Canada, and the United States of
America.
In preparation for the
Chapter, all the priests members of the Society are asked to present
in writing their suggestions of points to be discussed by the
capitulants. Meanwhile, the General House prepares both the matters
to treat and the detailed administrative reports of the completed
twelve-year mandate. Prayers are said every day in our houses until
the conclusion of the Chapter.
The Chapter is preceded
by a retreat of five days, in complete silence. Two days of
conviviality and informal meetings allow the capitulants to prepare
for the solemn inauguration of the Chapter, which includes the
reading of the Rules of the Chapter, the verification of the
credentials of the members, the calling of each one of the
capitulants, and the double oath of secrecy and of voting for whom
one considers before God that must be elected.
The officers of the
Chapter are selected to act as secretaries, scrutineers, and
notaries, and the exiting Superior General presents the reports of
his mandate. Then the new Superior is elected by secret ballot, at
least 2/3 of the votes. He must be a member priest, of at least 30
years of age, having made his permanent engagement in the Society.
Nothing prevents a
reelection or even the election of a bishop for this charge; it is
false that our Constitutions forbid it, and it is equally false that
Archbishop Lefebvre did not want a bishop as Superior General –he
saw it convenient in 1988 not to consecrate bishop the Superior
General, to avoid complications in our relations with the Holy See
at that sensitive time.
Once the new Superior
and his two Assistants have been
canonically elected, an announcement is made to all the houses of the
Society and friendly religious communities.
Then the Chapter
continues under the presidency of the new Superior General.
Commissions are established to audit the accounts, to discuss the
different issues at hand, to prepare reports and make proposals to
the Chapter, which pronounces the pertinent resolutions. These
meetings take a number of days until the conclusion of the Chapter.
As you can infer from
this information, July will be a very important month in the life of
the Society and in the future of our apostolate. We ask for your
fervent prayers, certain that whoever is elected will be received as
a gift from God, to guide and protect our priestly family in these
extraordinary times.
*
We still have places for
the retreats in Orlagh for men
(June 12-16), preached by Father Anglés, and for women (June 19-13),
preached by Father Bufé. If you are interested, contact quickly
Father Biérer at St. John's.
The absence of Father Anglés during the General Chapter
of July may oblige us to make some changes of Sunday Mass schedules,
which will be notified with time on the monthly bulletin. This is
the only reason for the change of dates in a number of our regular
summer activities, like the camps of the Eucharistic Crusade and the
retreats.
*
And continue to pray
in the month of Our Lady for your priests, who bless
you with grateful hearts,
in Jesus, Mary, and Joseph
Father Ramón
Anglés
