Posted on 07/02/2026 5:27:32 PM PDT by ebb tide
Newly consecrated – and now newly excommunicated, according to Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith – Bishop Pascal Schreiber of the Society of St. Pius X delivered his first episcopal sermon on Thursday.
At a Pontifical High Mass taking place on the “prairie” of the Écône seminary, Schreiber’s message centerd on the Blessed Virgin Mary, the priesthood, and the Society of St. Pius X’s work in the world.
Speaking on the Feast of the Visitation, the day after the Society’s episcopal consecrations, Bishop Schreiber reflected on the Gospel account of Our Lady’s visit to St. Elizabeth, presenting it as a model of a hidden yet powerful work of grace.
The sermon was divided into French, German and English parts. In the German section, Schreiber described the Blessed Virgin as the Mediatrix of all graces, saying that just as grace flowed through her to St. John the Baptist and St. Elizabeth, so too the grace of the episcopate had been bestowed through her maternal mediation.
The newly consecrated bishop also acknowledged the controversy surrounding the consecrations, noting that while many had welcomed the ceremonies with joy, others had branded the Society schismatic.
Nevertheless, he insisted that the Society’s mission remained unchanged: to form holy priests, preserve the traditional Mass and doctrine, and work for the renewal of the Church.
Drawing on an image often associated with composer Gustav Mahler, Bishop Schreiber concluded by urging Catholics not merely to preserve tradition as “ashes” but to pass it on as “fire.”
On the same day, the Vatican issued a decree declaring that Schreiber along with the other five SSPX bishops and all the clergy were schismatic and excommunicated. The decree also stated that any laity who “formally adhere” to the Society are similarly schismatic and excommunicated. The validity of the judgment is at best questionable, given that those who preach heresy – like both Leo XIV and Cardinal Fernandez – are incapable of excommunicating others, according to Church teaching.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
Reverend Father Superior General, Your Excellency, dear confrères in the priesthood, dear seminarians et brothers, my reverent sisters, my very dear faithful.
First of all, I wish to express to you, dear confrères and dear faithful – also in the name of the three other newly consecrated bishops – our lively gratitude for your sacrifices and your prayers over the course of recent weeks. I am certain that God will repay you abundantly here below, for all these prayers which you have addressed to him, and will hear your intentions.
We are presently experiencing an admirable moment of great unity within the Society. The task now will be to bring home with us what we all feel in these special days: to our priories, to our families, to our work, and wherever Providence places us.
The Society will continue to work to renew the priesthood. She will likewise do everything in its power to ensure that Tradition fully recovers its rights. Even if the situation within the Catholic Church is still far from this; even if the number of those who remain faithful to traditional doctrine sometimes seems small, this must not discourage us. The history of the Church and of humanity teaches us that it is often minorities who have committed themselves with determination to a cause and have ended by winning the majority over to the good cause. This is why the mission of the Society will not change in the years ahead. The task is to transmit the Catholic faith in its entirety. For this reason, we must be animated by a sincere love for the Church, by the desire to live the priesthood of Jesus Christ faithfully, and to contribute to the safeguarding of Tradition for the good of the Church.
The Catholic faith possesses a marvelous harmony: everything is in its place and in its order. Our Lord Jesus Christ is always at the center. He is King and High Priest. His kingship and his priesthood and his presence subsist until the end of time. This is why we can always rely on this promise: “Behold, I am with you until the end of time.” Strengthened by this certainty, we live the life of grace and find the strength to transmit the truth without alteration.
On this feast day, the Blessed Virgin chants her the magnificent Magnificat. We unite ourselves with this song of joy, and let us sing the praises of God with the heavenly Mother. If we look more closely at the Magnificat, we recognize in the Blessed Virgin two virtues which complement one another wonderfully: on the one hand, magnanimity, and on the other, humility. These are precisely the two virtues of which we have particular need today.
Humility is all the more important because we must remain conscious that we are only instruments of God. Without the good God, we can do nothing. We must expect everything from him. Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre once said:
The members of the Society place at the foundation of their missionary and apostolic activities the conviction that they are merely unprofitable servants, that Our Lord could very well do without them, but that he wills to make use of them, and that this is an honor they do not deserve. They will always remain in this profound consciousness of their own nothingness and of the all of God, placing their trust solely in his grace. The apostolate is essentially a supernatural work of grace.
The task, then, is to remain humble, to remain in one’s place, and to know that we are weak and poor – even sinners. At the same time, this awareness must not prevent us from accomplishing great things for the good God, from committing ourselves to the Church, from transmitting the truth, and from fighting for the safeguarding of Tradition.
On the other hand, magnanimity shows us that everything is possible with God, for God is almighty and directs all things according to his wise plan. What does magnanimous man do? He dares to undertake great works; he dares to undertake honorable things. If he is at the same time humble, he is especially fitted to accomplish his works, because he places all his trust in God. It would be wrong to place one’s trust in oneself and in one’s own strength. Jesus says: “Without me, you can do nothing.” The magnanimous man therefore does not base his great undertakings on human means, but on the help of almighty God.
Let us therefore continue on our way with confidence, humility, and magnanimity, placing Christ ever more at the center of our lives and persevering in the life of grace. So that in the end, he may be glorified by our fidelity, and may His Church be renewed. Amen.
First of all, I would like to express to you, dear confrères and dear faithful, also in the name of the three other newly consecrated bishops, a heartfelt “God reward you.” Thank you for your sacrifices and your prayers over the past weeks. We are convinced that none of these prayers was in vain. The good God will richly repay you for all of this, even here on earth, and will hear your intentions.
Today’s feast of the Visitation leads us to one of the most beautiful encounters in the Gospel. Outwardly it appears to be a simple visit: the Blessed Virgin Mary comes to her cousin Elizabeth. Yet in secret, something tremendous takes place. In the womb of St Elizabeth, John the Baptist is cleansed from original sin. At the same time, St Elizabeth receives the Holy Ghost. She recognizes that the Redeemer is already present in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
This scene reveals to us a profound truth. Mary is the Mediatrix of Grace — in this case for Elizabeth and John the Baptist. But she is still much more: she is the Mediatrix of All Graces. As with every grace, so too yesterday the grace of the episcopal office overflowed upon the candidates through the mediation of the Mother of God.
The joy which we have been privileged to experience in these days is extraordinary. Rarely in her history has the Society experienced such enthusiasm and such unity. At last she once again has a sufficient number of bishops. On the one hand, this fills us all with great gratitude. On the other hand, one fact pains us greatly. A year ago we went on pilgrimage to Rome in our thousands, to pray at the tombs of the holy Apostles. And now we are called schismatics by some.
But this does not prevent us from doing everything we can, out of love for the Church and out of love for souls. Precisely in this difficult situation, we wish to hold fast to the Church of Jesus Christ and to work with all our strength for her renewal.
Church history teaches us that many saints suffered not only for the Church, but also through the Church. This may at first sound presumptuous, yet it is a fact and at the same time a great mystery. It should therefore not surprise us that yesterday’s episcopal consecration was not received with joy by all Catholics in the world.
In this time of confusion, two extreme positions must be avoided. Let us avoid, on the one hand, the bitter zeal which our patron, the holy Pope Pius X, condemned in his inaugural encyclical. We fall into this danger of bitter zeal when we combat errors only with harsh reproaches and sharply censure faults. On the other hand, there is the danger of being ready to make false concessions. Those who hold this position wish to please men more than God. They are not heirs of the martyrs.
Virtue lies in the middle, in a balanced equilibrium. It is precisely this balance between two extremes that St Paul urged upon his disciple Timothy: “Convince, entreat, rebuke” — but he adds: “with all patience.”
After the events of recent days, the question inevitably arises: What happens now? We do not know what the future will look like. It lies in the hand of God. But our task we know very well.
The principal task consists in the formation of zealous and doctrinally sound priests and in the sanctification of priests. The central point remains the orientation towards the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, for which the priest is primarily ordained.
Dear faithful, you too have been placed by Providence in a certain position. There it is your task to fulfil your daily duty faithfully, with the greatest possible love for God and for your fellow men. It is precisely through fidelity in small things that God prepares us for the great tasks.
First of all, dear confrères and dear faithful, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude, also on behalf of the three other newly consecrated bishops, for your sacrifices and prayers over the past weeks and months. I’m certain that God will richly reward you for all prayers offered, even here on earth, and will grant your intentions.
When a priest is consecrated a bishop, he does not receive his office for himself, but for the salvation of souls. For example, one of the bishop’s most noble duties is to lay his hands on the deacon, and ordain him as a priest. Through the grace of the sacrament of Holy Orders, the newly ordained priest receives the power of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and to pronounce the words of consecration. Without the bishop’s laying on of hands, the newly ordained priest could not effect the miracle of transubstantiation.
What is tradition? Tradition is not the preservation of ashes, but the passing on of fire. Ashes are something dead, dark, cold, dirty, and grey. Fire, however, brings light and warmth. It is no coincidence that on the day of Pentecost the Holy Ghost descended upon the Apostles in tongues of fire, to bestow his gifts and fruits upon them.
For us in the Society, this means that we do not preserve the Catholic tradition out of nostalgia. We preserve it because we wish to pass on the Catholic faith, the sacraments, and traditional doctrine in their authentic form to the next generation.
The fire is to burn within us, a seal for the spread of the faith, the missionary spirit which has always characterized the Society, and must continue to be so. This is precisely how Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre saw the Society. That is why he originally called the members of the Society “Apostles of Jesus and Mary.”
An Apostle is not one who keeps the faith for himself, but one who joyfully passes it on. Just as the Apostles went out from the upper room at Pentecost and proclaimed the Gospel throughout the world, so too are we called to be witnesses of Jesus Christ in our respective state of life.
Let us therefore ask the Holy Ghost today to rekindle the fire of his love in our hearts. May he preserve us from the coldness of indifference, and from the ashes of a merely outward Christianity. May he grant us apostolic zeal, so that we may remain courageous witnesses to Our Lord Jesus Christ, true devotees of the most Blessed Virgin, and faithful sons of the Catholic Church.
That is why we must never be content merely to preserve. Certainly, we must preserve the true Holy Mass, the sacraments in their traditional form, Catholic doctrine, the Ten Commandments, and the sound spirituality of the Church. But at the same time we must pass all this on. (A treasure that remains buried is of no use to anyone; a light placed under a bushel illuminates no one; a fire that is not fed and goes out.) Then tradition becomes nor preservation of ashes, but truly the passing on of fire. To the glory of God, an the salvation of souls Amen. dead.
For the salvation of souls. Amen.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
Base texts from French and German translated with Claude AI and checked against the originals. Andreas Wailzer helped with the translation from German.
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And There it Is...
no one can separate you from the grace of God, not even the pope.
Mediatrix of All Graces?
Do I even want to know what that’s supposed to be?
Just more false roman catholic teaching.
Rather telling that no mention of St Peter is made.
Of what church is he a bishop?
Simmer down. It’s just veneration.
Mediatrix is Mary to the Catholic Church.
Media tricks are what ABCNBCCBSCNNNYTimes perform on a daily basis.
What is the grace of God?
https://www.gotquestions.org/grace-of-God.html
“The apostle Paul began many of his letters with the phrase, “Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 1:7; Ephesians 1:1; 1 Corinthians 1:3). God is the instigator of grace, and it is from Him that all other grace flows.”
Is prayer to saints / Mary biblical?
https://www.gotquestions.org/prayer-saints-Mary.html
“No saint can take Jesus’ place: “There is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5). There is no one else who can mediate with God for us. Since Jesus is the only mediator, Mary and the saints cannot be mediators.”
Is Mary the co-redemptrix / mediatrix?
https://www.gotquestions.org/Mary-redemptrix-mediatrix.html
“The idea that Mary is a co-redemptrix or mediatrix contradicts 1 Timothy 2:5, which says, “For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus.” Jesus is the Mediator. There is no mediator between man and Jesus. Jesus Himself dwells in believers; thus, none is required (Colossians 1:27).”
Christ is King. Prayers for the SSPX.
Well as an outsider, all I can say is that it would be a lot easier to police your organization if you weren’t hobbled at every turn by such magnificent sounding gobbledygook.
Sorry, captain, but this is hyperpapalism; and no faithful Catholic will sign off on Bergoglio's heretical Abu Dhabi Declaration, Amoris Laetitia, nor Fiducia Supplicans. Nor must a Catholic agree that capital punishment is always a sin or that behind closed doors, the three Persons of the Holy Trinity argue amongst themselves.
“special way” and “authentic” are incredibly ambiguous.
For me the “special way” has to be “in accord with all traditional dogma”, which has an even greater requirement of assent.
“authentic” could only include teachings that are consistent with the traditional teaching on a matter of faith and morals.
When the pope starts talking about climatology, I need give him no more credence than Joe the Bartender.
I wouldn't sign off on anything the Roman Pontiff said that wasn't the "authentic magisterium".
https://www.papalencyclicals.net/bon08/b8unam.htm
*****
You and every roman catholic have no choice but to be subject to your duly and legally elected pope....you have no choice in the matter.
Also the Bergoglio's letter to the Argentinian bishops expressly approving giving Holy Communion to those in a state of mortal sin is "authentic magisterium:
So if was authentic, you would sign off on it.
Good to know. So you approve all the above.
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