Novitiate of the Oblates of the Society of St. Pius X

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Novitiate of the Oblates of the Society of St. Pius X May 2007 No.

Ecône for some months will remind us unceasingly of the great promise of Our Lady revealed to Sr.

minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary, with the intention of making reparation to Me, that I promise to assist them at the hour of death with all the graces necessary for

1 Novitiate of the Oblates of the Society of St. Pius X May 2007 No. 4 - Canon Lucien Gabioud and the history of Ecône - The oldest community of Oblates Dear Friends and Benefactors, The statue of the Immaculate Heart of Mary which graces the church of the Seminary of Ecône for some months will remind us unceasingly of the great promise of Our Lady revealed to Sr. Lucia at Pontevedra: tell all those who, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months shall confess, receive Holy Communion, recite five decades of the Rosary, and keep Me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary, with the intention of making reparation to Me, that I promise to assist them at the hour of death with all the graces necessary for the salvation of their souls. In this month of May month of Mary recalling the beginnings of the history of Ecône, we notice a very special protection of the Most Holy Virgin in this blessed place which became the cradle of the Society of St. Pius X. May 1968 On the feast of the Queenship of Mary is signed the buying agreement of Ecône between the five rescuer friends and the Canons of Great Saint Bernard. Ecône will keep its purpose of being a religious house. May 1970 Mgr. Lefebvre takes the decision to establish at Ecône a year of spiritual preparation for his seminarians and receives the approval of the Bishop of Sion. May 1971 The Superior General of the Institute of Parish Cooperators of Christ the King authorizes Father Barrielle, great preacher of the St. Ignatius

2 Retreat, to become the spiritual director of Ecône and he will train priests who will preach spiritual exercises throughout the world. May 1973 Consecration of the Seminary to the United Hearts of Jesus and Mary. And what about the Oblate Sisters? It was in May 1974 that they officially came into being when Sr. Marie Bernard made her engagement the first religious who knocked at the door of Ecône. The sisters of Ecône, the oldest of the communities of the Oblates, will reveal you in this newsletter their history. Moreover, another date, also in the month of May, attracted our attention: the first Mass of Canon Lucien Gabioud in May 1932 in the Chapel of Our Lady of the Fields at Ecône, 75 years ago. Well united with you in prayers, Your Oblate Sisters of Salvan Canon Lucien Gabioud ( ), Canon Regular of Great Saint Bernard Lucien Gabioud, born in 1906 at Reppaz, in Orsières (Valais/Switzerland), made his secondary studies at the College of Saint-Maurice. Sensing the vocation to the priesthood, he entered, in 1925, to the Hospice of the Great Saint Bernard as a novice. On December 7, 1926, vigil of the Immaculate Conception, feast which he loved most, he was buried with several other novices in an avalanche of snow without losing consciousness. He said later on what this accident signified to him: This life, which is dependent on a very small thing, ah! Let us make of it something. His superiors, seeing him gifted with brilliant intelligence, sent him to the University of Fribourg, then to Rome. Ordained priest on May 8, 1932, it is at the altar of Our Lady of the Fields in Ecône that he celebrated his first Mass. From then on, his ministry took a particular direction. His beneficial influence, first of all, fell on to his future confreres. In fact, he was professor of Philosophy and Holy Scripture in the Hospice with some interruptions until 1950, then Master of Novices from 1936 to 1943, year when the Provost designated him as a Prior.

Let us remark that Canon Gabioud was the professor of Philosophy of Canon Maurice Tornay, martyred in Tibet. In 1950, meaning after eighteen years in Great St.

3 Let us remark that Canon Gabioud was the professor of Philosophy of Canon Maurice Tornay, martyred in Tibet. In 1950, meaning after eighteen years in Great St. Bernard Pass, he was assigned to Aosta (Italy) to be spiritual director of the Great Seminary and also professor in the School of Agriculture. An active man, this excellent cleric preached once more numerous retreats in the parishes of the Valley of Aosta and replaced some sick or absent confreres. In 1955, illness seized him. After an ineffective Hospice of the Great treatment undergone at Turin, he went to Martigny Saint Bernard (Switzerland) where his confreres of the House of St. Bernard received him kindly. Hospitalisation became all the more necessary considering the attention that his state required. And it is because of this that he was a resident of the regional hospital of Martigny for fifteen years. The good Lord took him at his word, because in December 7, 1938, he had pronounced the act of offering himself as victim of holocaust to the merciful Love of God according to the text of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus with this resolution: This act that I make without reserve, I would like to do again until my death, at every beat of my heart. In addition to this act of offering of St. Thérèse, it is equally the consecration to the Most Holy Virgin according to St. Louis Grignion de Montfort that he counselled to the novices. The following lines on the gift of oneself to Mary reveal us the Marian soul of Canon Gabioud: This gift has a purpose to make us arrive at complete union with Jesus through Mary. Having given all to her, she has the capacity to sanctify us quickly. Of all the paths to arrive at Jesus, it is the shortest. Because according to St. Augustine, Mary is the form of God or the mold of God, and whoever gives himself to her becomes like unto Jesus. She is destined to form the perfect. In me is all grace of the way and of the truth, in me is all hope of life and of virtue. We advance more in procuring the glory of God, and the good of the Church and one s own perfection through union with Mary than by using all other devotions we could employ. The motto: To Jesus through Mary could summarize the spiritual life of Canon Gabioud. During the years passed on the Great St. Bernard Pass, he underwent true conversion thanks to the book Manete in dilectione mea (Abide in my Love) on the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus which was the cause of his ascent in the ways of sanctity. His nephew, also a Canon Regular of Great St. Bernard, attests of him these lines: With what

4 insistence he spoke on the Love of God, of the Sacred Heart, of the Holy Ghost and the Virgin Mary. Always before leaving, he invited us to pray with him three Ave Maria and gave us his blessing As Father-Master and Prior, he inculcated in his novices and professed the way of submission and of sacrifice. By his concrete examples, he showed us the special protection of God to those who live by obedience In hardships and illnesses, he taught us never to complain unnecessarily. His lessons of patience, he had to practise himself later on and it would be for sixteen years in the hospital of Turin and Martigny. As Father-Master, he has trained numerous priests. In his recollections and retreats, with zeal and conviction, he spoke of the greatness of the priest and of his vocation to sanctity But during his forced stay in hospital how much he suffered from the lukewarmness, the slackening and the desertion of certain members of the clergy! Only God can say. From his room in the hospital of Martigny, Canon Gabioud continued until death to direct and orient towards God a crowd of souls who spoke with him confidently. And it was often necessary that his doctor reasoned with him to prevent him from overworking himself. What was his grief on those first months of 1968 when he heard of the selling of the estate of Ecône by his own congregation and of the danger that it could fall in the hands of a dubious society. Several of his confreres were aware of the declaration which he made concerning the property of Ecône. Indeed, on the occasion of his first Mass at Ecône, Canon Gabioud mentioned the vision which he had of a big church constructed in that place where thousands of pilgrims came to pray to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. To see Ecône again, was the great desire that he expressed to a family close to him. Together, they visited the place and the chapel of Our Lady of the Chapel of Fields where he celebrated his first Our Lady of Mass. On the way home, Canon Gabioud wished to meet his spiritual the Fields son, Alphonse Pedroni. What imat Ecône pression did the sadness of Canon Gabioud leave on this young and solid Valaisan? This visit, did it not contribute to the decision to buy Ecône? In the offer of buying on April 18, 1968 the five laymen friends, Alphonse and Marcel Pedroni, Gratien Rausis, Guy Genoud and Roger Lovey with an admirable spirit of faith - explained to the Canons Regular of Great Saint Bernard their reasons and their intention: Our decision is therefore

commanded uniquely by a double concern: on one hand, to avoid the establishment of a night spot and, on the other hand, as much as it depends on us, to make Ecône, somehow, remain a spiritual place

5 commanded uniquely by a double concern: on one hand, to avoid the establishment of a night spot and, on the other hand, as much as it depends on us, to make Ecône, somehow, remain a spiritual place In April 19, 1968, the Prior of Great St. Bernard announced to them that the estate of Ecône was theirs! The signing of the contract took place on the 31st of May, on the feast of the Queenship of Mary who was chosen as the Patron. Alphonse Pedroni himself brought to the hospital of Martigny this news of the buying of Ecône. Only God knows how much Canon Gabioud prayed for that intention. In this spring of 1968, Ecône prepared a new spring, because the Divine Providence and Our Lady of the Fields foresaw the arrival of Mgr. Marcel Lefebvre. Canon Gabioud, an ardent and mystic soul, a man of prayer and of intense interior life, was not to see in this world the establishment of the Seminary of St. Pius X, because in February 26, 1970, he rendered his soul to God; his nephew, Canon Marquis accompanied him in his last hour. But the declaration of Canon Gabioud concerning the estate of Ecône, how was it accomplished? The three buildings of St. Pius X, St. Thomas Aquinas and Curé of Ars were built successively at Ecône in 1971 to 1973 to replace the old stables. As for the church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, it is in October 1998 that H.E. Mgr. Fellay blessed it before a multitude of priests and Traditional faithful. And it is in September 2006 that the statue of the Immaculate Heart of Mary found its place in the church. A Canon Regular of Great St. Bernard confirmed in March 2007 during an interview with one of the sisters of the Novitiate that today we could see at Ecône the buildings that Canon Gabioud spoke of. (Sources: Archives of the Canons Regular of Great Ecône: Seminary of Saint Pius X with the St. Bernard; Le bienchurch of the Immaculate Heart of Mary heureux Maurice Tornay by C. Marquis and J. Darbellay; Ecône, le séminaire de l'espoir by L.-M. Jugie; Marcel Lefebvre a biography by Mgr. Tissier de Mallerais; Archives of the Seminary of Saint Pius X, Ecône; Gazette de Martigny by René Berthod; personal testimonies: Canons Regular of Great St. Bernard, priests of the Society of St. Pius X, several Traditional faithful.)

Echo of the Novitiate : August to December 2006 Thursday 17 August: How precious is the help of our benefactors; we feel it today thanks to the twelve young men who, with the shovel in their hands,

The roof structure was posed and a heavy rain will put the waterproofing to test the next day everything is fine.

6 Echo of the Novitiate : August to December 2006 Thursday 17 August: How precious is the help of our benefactors; we feel it today thanks to the twelve young men who, with the shovel in their hands, do the preparative work for Our Lady s square. Wednesday 23 August: We have a new roof almost finished. The roof structure was posed and a heavy rain will put the waterproofing to test the next day everything is fine. Friday 15 September feast of Our Lady of Seven Sorrows: Two sisters leave early morning Preparation of the new for Menzingen where Sr. Maria Immaculata will square of Our Lady make her perpetual engagement as an Oblate Sister of the Society of St. Pius X. At Salvan, the community accompanies our three Oblates, who will also renew their oblation in front of the Blessed Sacrament. Wednesday 4 October: The square for the statue of the Immaculate Heart of Mary is taking form. A team of sisters assures the rapid and free transport of cobblestones from the delivery van up to the place where the workers pose them artistically in front of the grotto. Thursday 12 October: The Blessed Sacrament is exposed the whole day because it is our day of adoration assigned by the Motherhouse. A providential afternoon encounter with a very kind lady who offers us generously church s vestments, proves the word of Our Lord: Seek first the kingdom of God and his justice, and all these things shall be given you besides Saturday 14 to Saturday 21 October: The Pilgrim statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary is venerated and invoked for one week in Salvan. Several events mark this week of graces: Recitation of a full Rosary and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament every day; Tuesday Mass celebrated by the district superior Father Wuilloud; on Wednesday morning, the reception of a benefactress into the Third Order of the Pilgrim statue of Our Lady SSPX, with her consecration to Our Blessed

Lady; Thursday, an encounter with a protestant desiring to be converted to Catholicism; and finally, on Saturday morning, a Solemn Mass of the Immaculate Heart of Mary celebrated by our chaplain who

7 Lady; Thursday, an encounter with a protestant desiring to be converted to Catholicism; and finally, on Saturday morning, a Solemn Mass of the Immaculate Heart of Mary celebrated by our chaplain who is assisted by Fathers Maret and Quilton from Vouvry, and by two seminarians and a brother from Ecône; and in the end the renewal of the consecration of the Novitiate to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Wednesday 1st November: Participation in Solemn Vespers at the Seminary of St. Pius X. It is always a great joy to get together in Ecône on this feast of All Saints the anniversary of the foundation of the Society. Monday 13 November: The English brochure on the Oblate Vocation has arrived from the United States. Several members in Winona Seminary kindly helped in its circulation in our English speaking priories and retreat houses. But we are especially indebted to one of its professors who worked very patiently for its realisation. Lord, grant us many religious vocations! Thursday 14 December: The last external works in Our Lady of the Rosary House are finished before the first fall of snow. God be praised for the success. Sunday 31 December: On this last day of the year, it is a great joy for our community to welcome Mgr. Fellay Maison Notre-Dame du Rosaire Building of Our Lady of the Rosary for a visit of the Novitiate. Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament exposed and the singing of the Te Deum close the year 2006 full of graces and blessings. Our Projects... Thanks to your generosity, the building of Our Lady of the Rosary received this beautiful and durable roof, which you can see above. The sisters are sheltered and in our poverty, we pray to the Queen of the Rosary to recompense you a hundredfold for your financial help, which is so much appreciated by our community. The subsequent projects, we also confide them to Our Lady and to good Saint Joseph: we are planning, as a first step, the elevation of the interior wall as well as a screed coat to the whole surface of the eaves, which will permit the reconstruction of five rooms.

On the right, in front of the statue of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, one notices four sisters in prayer. Then one asks oneself the question: in this priestly seminary are there also sisters?

8 The Oblate Sisters at the St. Pius X Seminary in Ecône Upon entering the beautiful Romanesque church of the St. Pius X Seminary in Ecône, the eyes of the visitor are immediately caught by a big crucifix hanging on the top of the tabernacle where JesusHost is present day and night. On the right, in front of the statue of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, one notices four sisters in prayer. Then one asks oneself the question: in this priestly seminary are there also sisters? The history of the community of Oblate Sisters in the seminary of Ecône started in Sister Marie Bernard, first French Nursing sister, obliged in conscience to leave her religious family which became unfaithful, came to knock at the door of Ecône. It was not long before others did the same. In the year 1973, they received the name of Oblates of the Society of St. Pius X. Soon persons, whose ages and health hindered them to join the Sisters of the Society of Saint Pius X, presented themselves. Mgr. Lefebvre drafted their statutes, which considered the diverse origins of the Oblates. He gave them the Most Holy Virgin Mary as a model, Mother of the Eternal Priest. All their life oriented towards the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, which continues the Holy Passion of Our Lord, the Oblates gather together four times a day with the whole community of Ecône for the common prayers. In Ecône, they live a life which follows so closely the different stages of the young clergy towards the priesthood. Mgr. Lefebvre, in his sermon on the feast of Our Lady of Compassion in 1981, explained to them the role of the Oblates in the Society: ( ) And so you, dear Sisters, auxiliaries of the Priests, auxiliaries, not only with your hands but also with your souls and with your spirit, that is, of the priesthood, of the Sacrifice of Our Lord Jesus Christ, of His Cross, of the extension of His Reign, of the extension of His Love thus you are united in a manner, very particular, to the Most Blessed Virgin Mary And in this way you will be associated more profoundly with the

priesthood of the priests, asking that these priests, these seminarians whom you serve, become true priests, that they become truly other Christs; that they unite themselves in a manner more

Offer then you sufferings, offer your sacrifices for this intention, in order to spread the reign of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

At present, sewing, mending, repair and maintenance of the vestments sometimes to make new ones and sacristy linens demand their daily attention.

9 priesthood of the priests, asking that these priests, these seminarians whom you serve, become true priests, that they become truly other Christs; that they unite themselves in a manner more profound, and more and more perfect with the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ You will ask this to the Most Holy Virgin Mary. Offer then you sufferings, offer your sacrifices for this intention, in order to spread the reign of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Having, as the secondary goal, the devotion to the works of the Society according to their talents, the Oblates of Ecône have exercised these past 35 years of apostolate in different domains. At present, sewing, mending, repair and maintenance of the vestments sometimes to make new ones and sacristy linens demand their daily attention. Surrounded by Swiss mountains outside, they are also surrounded by mountains of laundry that rise underneath the building of St. Thomas Aquinas each week, with its intense period during Holy Week, the priests ordination, and the priests annual retreat. Fortunately, generous women help the Oblates in this hidden apostolate. Before the arrival of Porter Brothers, the porter and secretarial office were discharged by one or the other sister; one of them was named to Ecône as secretary of Monseigneur Lefebvre, and she gave this beautiful testimony: I had the honour to serve a saint! Since the building of the new church, the Oblates moved from the Saint Bernard building to the cloistered building at the right side of the crypt where they have at their disposal 14 rooms and a beautiful cloister. Let us not forget the Oblates Sisters who found their last resting place besides the tomb of the founder. In their full dedication to the work of the Society, are they not a call to a new generation of generous souls: Come follow us, serve Jesus in His priests! Vêture

10 Did you know that Louis Martin, father of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus, wanted to join the Canons regular of Great St. Bernard? It was probably in early autumn of 1845 that Louis Martin resolved to carry out his project of entering upon a more perfect state of life. He believed that he would find his ideal fully realized at the hermitage of the Great St. Bernard. Was not this the mingling of the life of the cloister, with prayer which is at the same time poetry, and with heroic charity, just the realization of Louis Martin s dreams? Our hero took up the pilgrim s staff and reached the Swiss frontier, partly on foot and partly by carriage. The Prior kindly received this young man, whose expression conveyed something at once fervent and frank. He questioned him concerning the motives which had led him to take this step, inquired about his family and antecedents. Edified by his replies on these heads, he asked him concerning his studies and soon learned that the visitor had not had a classical education. Had Louis Martin hoped to make up this deficiency in the monastery? In any case, he was extremely disappointed when the religious answered that a knowledge of Latin was indispensable for his admission to the community, and suggested that he should return home to complete his studies... Divine Providence, who prepares from afar the cradle of Thérèse, led Zélie Guérin to Louis Martin, by subjecting both of them to similar experience in their first yearning towards a completely detached life. ( History of a family by Rev. Fr. Piat) Mass schedule Weekdays: Sunday: Vespers and Benediction 7:15 am 10:00 am 5:00 pm St. Thérèse Novitiate CH 1922 SALVAN Tél. : [41] 27 / Fax : [41] 27 / If you wish to help the Novitiate of the Oblates Bank Check payable to : St. Thérèse Novitiate CH-1922 Salvan (Switzerland) Bank: Swiss Post, PostFinance, Nordring B, CH-3030 Bern IBAN CH SWIFT Code/BIC: POFICHBEXXX Fraternité St Pie X, Noviciat Ste Thérèse Salvan, CH-6313 Menzingen

Novitiate of the Oblates of the Society of St. Pius X

Novitiate of the Oblates of the Society of St. Pius X October 2007 - No. 5 - A Missionary in Tibet - The Community of Oblates in the Philippines Dear Friends and Benefactors, Thirty kilometres from the