Catholic Tradition in Africa, #10 - Society of St. Pius X

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$(N\2601 March 2012 English) - Society of St. Pius X$

discovered the Mission and became faithful parishioners, simply because what they had discovered was totally Catholic! Even our people, scandalised by the attitude of the clergy, were more convinced of the legitimacy of the consecrations. Thus, against his own expectations, the Archbishop of Libreville actually increased the number of our faithful! Then in that same year, our Fathers took a beautiful delegation of pilgrims to Ecône for a double event: the consecrations and the ordination of their deacon who became Father Karl Stehlin. No longer could the diocese tell us lies, our faithful were there in Ecône! Truly, we must continue to fight, and God will give us victory! 2 - Father PATERNE CTA: Father, you are now the oldest at the Juvénat du Sacré Cœur school complex. We cannot discuss the Mission without speaking of the school; can you tell us something about its foundation and its current development? Father Paterne: It was, in effect, the same missionary spirit that built the Mission which brought about our school in Libreville. In Africa, young people account for 50% of the population of the continent. We would not be true Missionaries if we simply boasted about the 6,000 baptisms recorded in the Mission, without doing anything to give a truly Christian education to all those whom we have baptised. Father Groche did not stop with the Mission; he also founded the Juvénat du Sacré Cœur, just a few years after building the Mission. He wanted to give all children a complete education, imbued with a profound spirit of faith, as “The formation of well-balanced personalities depends upon the well-rounded education of the whole man, body and soul, through the constant exercise of both natural and supernatural virtue,” as stipulated in the charter of the schools in the Society of Saint Pius X. Then Father Groche was even more foresighted as he had this extraordinary sense of the needs for the future. But he was very humble, because far from wanting flashy and quick results and successes, he realised that these children are the ones who will build the Gabon of tomorrow. So he realised he must give them today the tools with which to build a Catholic civilisation, very much a long term work. The Fathers will pass on the work to their successors, for several generations, in order for it to bear fruit. In Africa, more than in Europe, we are fighting the disintegration of the family. There again, the school is the remedy, because it will produce the truly Christian families for the reconquest, who themselves will be the consecrated hearts from which will be born religious and priestly vocations. Again, it is simply following the spirit of our Society, which tells us the school “is likewise called to give vocations and Christian homes, the foundations of society, to the Church and to civil society.” That was the zeal of Father Groche, but there were also the insistent requests of the faithful. There were many who could recall the good education they had received previously in the various Catholic institutions of Gabon, and they wanted their children to have the opportunity to go to a truly Catholic school, which was quickly becoming increasingly rare. At the start of 1995, the Superior of the Mission entrusted to Father Patrick Duverger the task of leading the small school (consisting of two teachers and nine students) that was being run in the catechism classrooms of the Mission. The second year, the number in school rose to 21 students. And in the face of an ever increasing demand, we realised we were too cramped. We had to think of somewhere to move to. You can see how Holy Providence watches over His work of the Society: He allowed us to acquire a property, the former residence of the U.S. Ambassador to Gabon, right in the city! It was a godsend because that location provided very easy access to students coming from all parts of Libreville. Now, sixteen years after its founding, the Juvénat du Sacré Cœur provides classes from lower primary all the way up to the 3rd year of Secondary School. This year we have 185 students. We present candidates for the various State examinations: the CEP (End of Primary Certificate) and the BEPC (Lower Secondary Certificate) with, to say the least, very satisfactory results. CTA: What is the purpose of the school, its role and place in the work of the St. Pius X Mission in Gabon? Father Paterne: I think the purpose of our school is to place our missionary work on a profoundly durable and solid basis. While the Mission fights to Catholicise the souls who need to be sanctified today in these sometimes very difficult situations, mainly because very few benefit from a truly Christian family; our schools fight to give the children the education that will make them the foundation of good families of tomorrow. Of course, this is an even more arduous task precisely because these children need to acquire what they cannot receive from their families! So, all this is a long drawn-out process, even now at the Mission we must not stop preaching about the importance of Catholic schools. However, I must mention that the Juvénat du Sacré Cœur has a significant number of students who are not from families who attend the Mission Church. Some of the families come seeing the seriousness of the work of the Fathers, others for the excellent scholastic level found at the school. God is using all this and the enrolment of such students often give their parents the opportunity to convert after years of having abandoned religious practice, thereby increasing the number of faithful at the Mission. You see how the Good Lord balances things! And as most of these people come from the middle class, thanks to the school the Mission succeeds in contacting an elite part of the Gabonese population! Over time it will convince more and more of our own faithful to set an example for their children by making the necessary sacrifices so as to be able to enrol them in our school. But we still have much work to do and need lots of prayers! CTA: Can you relate a fact or an event that demonstrates the role and importance of the school in the life of the Saint Pius X Mission? Father Paterne: It takes many years for a school to bear fruit. When we have completed the second secondary cycle and given our students a complete education from the primary level to the baccalaureate (Final Leaving Certificate), then our school will completely fulfil its role as a nursery of vocations and Christian homes, called to play a leading role in society. But we can already see the beginnings of these fruits through the fact that each year about thirty teenagers receive adult baptism at the St. Pius X Mission. � 2012 - No 10 11 tholic TR DITION frica in A C RIS TUS OMNIA IN OMN CH IBU S - - A S F U T I R C C I A R E T FR S DI AT MI ER CI NI E TA II D TIS I P SA NCT CERD OTALIS SA
The Priestly Society of Saint Pius X in Africa For information: District House - Our Lady Queen of Africa House P.O. Box 14881 Bredell 1623 South Africa Tel: +27 11 396 1807 / +27 11 0835 357 Fax: +27 866 970 120 fsspx.africa.sec@gmail.com How to help us: In Euros, by cheque payable to: «Mission de la Fraternité Saint Pie X» sent to: FSSPX District d'Afrique, 11 rue Cluseret F - 92280 Suresnes Cedex, France or by bank transfer: IBAN: FR76 3000 3008 1400 0372 6218 101 BIC / SWIFT: SOGEFRPP (and please send the transfer details to: fsspx.africa.sec@gmail.com) In Swiss Francs (CHF), by transfer CCP/PC 60-29015-3 Priesterbruderschaft St. Pius X., 6313 Menzingen (IBAN: CH12 0900 0000 6002 9015 3; BIC: POFICHBEXXX) Zahlungszweck / Motif versement / Message: Distrikt Afrika / District d’Afrique / District of Africa In American Dollars (USD), by cheque, payable to: «Society of Saint Pius X» sent to: SSPX African Missions, New Regina Coeli House, 11485 North Farley Road, USA - Platte City MO 64079, USA (Tax receipt sent on request for US residents) In British Pounds (GBP), by cheque payable to: «Society of Saint Pius X» sent to: SSPX African Missions, St George's House 125 Arthur Road, GB - Wimbledon Park SW19 7DR Great Britain In Australian Dollars (AUD), by cheque payable to: «Society of Saint Pius X» sent to: SSPX African Missions P.O. Box 25 AUS - Penshurst NSW 2222, Australia For all other currencies: Please contact: SSPX District of Africa, P.O. Box 14881, ZA - Bredell 1623, South Africa If you wish your donation to be used for a particular house or work, please specify in an accompanying note. If not, we will use your gift for the Missionary work most in need at the time. May God bless you for your generosity! Ghana Nigeria Cameroon Gabon Namibia SANCTA MARIA REGINA AFRICÆ ORA PRO NOBIS ET CONVERTE AFRICAM Zambia South Africa Burundi� Zimbabwe Country hosting Priory(ies) Visited from South Africa Visited from Gabon Visited from Kenya Visited from Zimbabwe Uganda Tanzania Kenya Madagascar Liste of priories: Réunion� Mauritius� SOUTH AFRICA Johannesburg Our Lady of Sorrows Priory -11 Amelia St. Roodepoort 1724 -P.O. Box 878 - Roodepoort 1725 Tel: +27 11 763 1050 - Fax: +27 86 672 8789 olsorrows@mweb.co.za Durban Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Priory -12 Gum Tree Ave., off Berea Rd. Bulwer - Durban 4001 -P.O. Box 52009 - Berea Road - Durban 4007 Tel & Fax: +27 31 201 6642 GABON Libreville Mission Saint Pie X -Quartier La Peyrie - B. P. 3870 - Libreville Tel: +241 76 60 18 - Fax: +241 74 62 15 mspxgabon@yahoo.fr Juvénat du Sacré-Cœur -Quartier Rio - B. P. 2149 - Libreville Tel. +241 72 18 66 - Fax. +241 72 18 65 juvenatsacrecoeur@yahoo.fr KENYA Nairobi Holy Cross Church & Priory -9 & 11 Amboseli Rd. - Lavington -P.O. Box 852 - 00502 Karen Tel: +254 20 38 62 214 holy.cross.priory@gmail.com ZIMBABWE Harare St. Joseph’s Priory -9 Jean Lane - Strathaven, Harare Tel & Fax: +263 4 339 440 sspxzim@yoafrica.com
Page 1 and 2: In this issue: Editorial p 2 Gabon
Page 3 and 4: virtues! Our gratitude extends also
Page 5 and 6: Building of the School them before
Page 7 and 8: 2012 - No 10 8 tholic TR DITION fri
Page 9: 2012 - No 10 10 tholic TR DITION fr

Catholic Tradition in Africa, #10 - Society of St. Pius X

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