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

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

2012 - No 10 2 tholic TR DITION frica in A C OTALIS SA CERD SA I P NCT TIS TA E II D NI CI ER MI AT DI S FR T E R A I C C T I R U F S A - S - IBU CH OMN RIS OMNIA IN TUS Editorial by Father Loïc Duverger District Superior Baptism during the Easter Vigil 1987. We can see the three founders: Fathers Groche, Stelhin et L. Duverger Dear Friends and Benefactors, In January 2011 we celebrated 25 years of the Saint Pius X Mission in Gabon. In 1986 the Society of Saint Pius X opened two houses: one in Gabon and one in Zimbabwe. The House in Johannesburg (South Africa) was opened a year earlier in 1985. The overwhelming sentiment we must feel in celebrating these 25 years of the Saint Pius X Mission in Gabon is gratitude. Gratitude is a virtue annexed to the virtue of Justice by which we recognise the good we have received, the need to give thanks and to return to the giver more than we have received. Who can count the amount of good that God has given to this foundation set up at the request of Archbishop Lefebvre? How many souls have found or refound the grace of Faith through Baptism or a good Confession? How many have been fortified by the Sacrament of Confirmation administered each year by one of our Bishops? What is the number of people who have been able to assist at Holy Mass, celebrated daily at the Mission? And who draw from the Holy Sacrifice of the Cross, by their Communion, the strength to remain faithful to their promises as Catholics? How many received the grace of final perseverance during their last moments through the visit of a priest who came to give them Extreme Unction? God in His mercy grants His graces and salvation GABON: Official Languages: French Capital: Libreville Biggest cities: Libreville, Port-Gentil, Franceville, Oyem, Moanda Area - Total: 267 667 km² - Forest: 80% Population - Totale : 1 534 300 hab. - Density: 5,7 hab./km² Religions - Catholics: 54,24% Tradition: ~0,5% - Protestants: 9,83% - Muslims : 6,50% - Traditional Religions: 13,84% - Other Religions : 15,59% Ethnic groups - Fang : 36% - Mpongwè : 15% - Mbédé 14% - Punu : 12% - Bandjabi - Bakota - Batéké - Obamba - Pygmies - More than forty Ethnies in total Independence from France - Date: 17 August 1960 Currency: CFA Frank Father Médard Bie Bibang, first vocation of the mission through the priest. The priest preaches and teaches so as to open the soul to God's grace. By the priest the purifying waters of baptism flow over the forehead of the catechumen. By his consecrated hands, the Saviour of the world descends onto the altar and is given to the soul in Holy Communion. Again, it it by his hands that the soul is freed from sin and is returned to grace through a good Confession. And in the last moments it is the priest who prepares the dying to obtain the grace of final perseverance, to die in the state of grace and to receive their Heavenly reward. It is for this reason that we publish the list of all the priests who have dedicated some time to the Mission over the last 25 years. Each person will find here, he who baptised, confessed, gave Holy Communion, to themselves, to a family member or to a friend. And everybody will be able to give thanks to God for the graces and the many blessings received. This gratitude towards the priests must also be extended to the brothers and sisters who have also given without counting, but with discretion and generosity in helping these many souls. So many hours spent before the Tabernacle praying to God so that He would bless the Mission and all that come there. How many hours of catechism have they given teaching the children to know, love and serve God? What great devotion they have shown in keeping the Church clean and beautiful so that the glory of God could be seen by all! What care of souls they have imparted, helping the faithful to progress in the
virtues! Our gratitude extends also to all those who, since the beginning, helped the opening, the development and the expansion of the Mission. To list them all would be impossible, the list would be too long and we could not include those anonymous helpers whose work was invisible. It was their prayers, their sacrifices, and their donations that contributed immeasurably before God to the development of this magnificent work. To all our gratitude is shown. Let us all ask God the grace to not forget the blessings received that many others did not have the opportunity to receive. “What could I return for all these blessings?” To be perfect in gratitude, a Catholic must return to the giver even more than he has received. But can we? Yes, we can! We can multiply what we received in the same way that the good and faithful servant multiplied the talents he had received. We must not bury what we receive, nor keep it TCA: Father, could you tell us why Archbishop Lefebvre wanted to found the SSPX's first mission in Gabon? Why not in Senegal? Why not in Madagascar? The Archbishop knew these countries well, and others, too, in Africa, that were under his jurisdiction when he was Pope Pius XII's Apostolic Delegate. Fr. Groche: Before deciding to establish the Society in Gabon, Archbishop Lefebvre took a long trip around Africa and visited Senegal, the Ivory Coast, Cameroon and Gabon. That was in January 1985. I remember it well because he asked me to accompany him, along with Mr. Marcel Pedroni and his wife. We met with several different important people, such as Cardinal Thiandoum in Senegal. It became clear that of all the countries we visited, the most welcoming one was Gabon. I have to say that the Lefebvre name was well known in Gabon. The young Fr. Marcel had spent 13 years there. The for personal gain. We must multiply the good and pass it on. That has already been started by the beautiful priestly and religious vocations which have sprouted at the Mission. But it must also continue by the example of a holy life of each member of the Saint Pius X Mission, by multiplying the number of true Christian families where the Commandments of God are respected and where a catholic education is provided to all the children so that they become strong in the practice of their Catholic Faith. These vocations, these exemplary Christians, these Christian families will attract other souls to the True Mass, to the true Catholic teachings, to the true love of Our Lord Jesus Christ and will be the expansion and the sign of the Saint Pius X Mission for the future. May God bless the next 25 years of the Saint Pius X Mission, by the hands of his most Holy Mother, Mary! � Interview with Fr Patrick Groche, founder of the St Pius X Mission by Father Martin de Clausonne Archbishop's older brother, Fr. René, also a Holy Ghost Father, had spent almost 40 years of his missionary life there. He was a great builder, a great athlete and soccer coach, and they named the capital's first stadium after him: “the Reverend Father Lefebvre Stadium.” In Libreville, Bishop François N'Dong was the first Gabonese bishop and one of Fr. Marcel's former students. He received the episcopate from Archbishop Lefebvre's hands! Bishop N'Dong had written to Archbishop Lefebvre to invite him and to ask him to send priests, for there were hardly any priests left in Gabon. The aging Holy Ghost Fathers were returning to France. Thanks to Bishop N'Dong's influence, Archbishop Lefebvre was graced with an audience with President Omar Bongo Odimba, in Libreville. The President indicated that he had no problem with a future establishment in Gabon. As a mark of gratitude to Archbishop Lefebvre for having been the professor of the first three Gabonese bishops, during his time as superior of 2012 - No 10 3 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
Page 1: In this issue: Editorial p 2 Gabon
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Catholic Tradition in Africa, #10 - Society of St. Pius X

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