The Society of Saint Pius X is a canonically irregular traditionalist Catholic fraternity of priests founded in 1970 by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Lefebvre was a leading traditionalist at the Second Vatican Council with the Coetus Internationalis Patrum and Superior General of the Holy Ghost Fathers until 1968. The society was initially established as a pious union of the Catholic Church with the permission of François Charrière, the Bishop of Lausanne, Geneva and Fribourg in Switzerland.
Lefebvre, the society's founder, celebrating Tridentine Mass
The society's first seminary, the International Seminary of Saint Pius X, in Écône, Switzerland. As of 2021[update], the society has 6 seminaries – apart from Switzerland in Germany, France, Argentina, Australia, and United States.
Veldhoven, Archbishop Lefebvre giving Communion assisted by Father Franz Schmidberger
Saint-Nicolas-du-Chardonnet, Paris, occupied by the SSPX since 1977
Traditionalist Catholicism
Traditionalist Catholicism is a movement that emphasizes beliefs, practices, customs, traditions, liturgical forms, devotions and presentations of teaching associated with the Catholic Church before the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965). Traditionalist Catholics particularly emphasize the Tridentine Mass, the Roman Rite liturgy largely replaced in general use by the post-Second Vatican Council Mass of Paul VI.
Elevation of the chalice after the consecration
Altar in the Church of Our Lady Seat of Wisdom, Dublin
Tridentine Mass in a chapel of the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, Boston, Palm Sunday 2009
Altar of Santa Cecilia in Trastevere, erected in 1700 and still used today. It faces both east and versus populum (towards the people).
![The society's first seminary, the International Seminary of Saint Pius X, in Écône, Switzerland. As of 2021[update], the society has 6 seminaries – ap](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5b/Econe_Seminary.jpg/640px-Econe_Seminary.jpg)
