I bumped all the threads about the SSPX "will they won't they" consecrate a bishop. I knew they would get searched for and/or bumped eventually. But perhaps I did it too soon.

I thought that in-between prayers for +Tissier, some might want to get up to speed on the issue of new bishops for the SSPX, since many are (perhaps involuntarily) thinking about it now. It's only natural.

The elephant in the room is the fact that the SSPX only has 2 bishops now. I'm sure the thought has crossed all of our minds. +Tissier is the first of the 4 bishops to enter into eternity, but +Williamson was kicked out of the SSPX years ago. Of course, +Tissier has been retired or semi-retired for a while, but even so -- wasn't he conferring Confirmations and Ordinations relatively recently? I'll admit I don't know. I don't follow everything the SSPX does lately. So whether they had 3 active bishops, 2 active bishops, or something in between -- as of today, they have exactly 2.

At any rate, we should focus on praying for Bp. Tissier's soul, perhaps until the day after his funeral and burial.

Then we can dive into the topics we all want to discuss concerning the future of the SSPX.

What say you?

I was wondering why you were bumping those threads.

Bp. Fellay is only 66, and looks like he is in excellent shape for his age. He may well have another 20 years to go.

Yes, but the SSPX is a huge worldwide organization. The last bishop to take care of the SSPX "solo" was +ABL from its founding until 1988 (when he obviously got 4 helpers).

And how do I put this -- the SSPX was much smaller back then.

That's a lot of travel for a single 66 year old bishop. You don't have to be dead or "nursing home resident" to be unable to travel constantly. Being 66 isn't the same as being 30, as any 66 year old will tell you.

Also, being the ONLY bishop in the SSPX would be very risky. Yes, +Fellay appears spry and healthy right now -- but most people on death's door looked and acted drastically different even 2 years before they were on death's door.

We had a parishioner here die of sudden cancer at 69. He was unvaxxed. I can't say he died an untimely death or "died young" or anything like that, but he was "pleasantly old", and carried himself like a middle aged man. I think he was still working for a living when cancer struck him down. He was very active, gardening, etc. and was willing to travel 3+ hours (one way) for Mass at the drop of a hat. Very healthy and young at heart. We saw him at Mass just single-digit months before his death. The last couple months of his life were spent in a hospital being ravaged by a very aggressive cancer.

So, in conclusion, this man looked completely normal and healthy RIGHT UP TO THE LAST TIME HE ATTENDED MASS (he drove himself of course -- 1 1/2 hours one way). 6 months later he was dead. The drop-off slope for health/life is often VERY steep.

So yes, +Fellay could easily have 20 more years. But then again, he could also have just 2 more years. What is the Life Expectancy for a man born in the 1950's?

Of course the SSPX still has +de Galarreta so I don't know what brought up +Fellay individually...

* To clarify, the man in question usually drove just 1.5 hours one-way to our chapel. But for the slightest of reasons, he would drive 3 1/2 hours one-way to Stella Maris Chapel outside Houston to attend Mass. He was a real trooper.

And weren't confirmations like every 4-5 years, tops ... and then you typicallyi had to travel to a larger chapel if yours wasn't it.

Of course, now they could just ask the local NO ordinary to do the Confirmations.   What's the difference?

Most parents would not agree to this!  I certainly wouldn’t!  If one goes to a traditional chapel, is it not reasonable to want only traditional Sacraments?  Of course, there are SSPX goers who aren’t really traditional, yet.  They switch back and forth between novus ordo and SSPX.  They probably wouldn’t get upset about using the novus ordo.  
As Francis goes farther and farther into apostasy, these people will really need to choose. The SSPX will to choose.  At present, I think a new bishop will come from within their ranks, but will possibly be “approved” by Rome.  Time will tell.
As Matthew says, let students wait and in the meantime, pray for Bp. Tissier’s soul.

Though I don't attend, the sspx church near me has been getting one of the remaining bishops in every year to do Confirmations; and I know almost for certain they have never had the local no bishop in.

Well, I was talking about when Archbishop Lefebvre was alone ... where I think you had to wait a few years in between, and then likely had to travel to a lager chapel if yours was one of the smaller ones.

That second part was more tongue-in-cheek about the NO confirmations, since the SSPX Florida chapel did hold them in an NO church.

I found Fr. Pagliarani's sermon at Bishop Tissier's funeral very presumptuous and very telling, especially when he stated the following:

3. The future of the Fraternity
Of course, we are all wondering now: What is going to happen? We have lost a bishop. How is the Society experiencing this moment? And above all, how is it going to experience the future? The near future, with all that this implies? The Fraternity lives this moment in calm, in prayer, in gratitude to Providence for having given us such a bishop. And the Fraternity does not rush. It simply follows the signs of Providence.

This same Providence that has always shown us its help in the most critical, the most difficult moments. This Providence to which this young man of 24 gave himself in 1969, and which has guided him until today. This Providence that led the Fraternity in the midst of the worst storm in the history of the Church.  This Providence is not going to abandon us today. This Providence is not going to abandon us tomorrow. It has already shown us more than enough its help, its assistance. And so our mourning today is mixed with a renewed confidence.

So what does that change? Only one thing changes now, only one thing: it is the certainty and the gratitude for having one less bishop on earth, but for having in eternity someone who watches over the Fraternity. We have a new protector, who in eternity continues to watch over us, continues by his prayer to assist us, and continues, by the memories he left, of course, by his example, to show us in which direction we must go. This is what changes for us.


The bold and underline is mine.  Fr. Pagliarani really doesn't know, after all this time, not to mention 11 years of Pope Francis, "which direction" the FSSPX must go?  Good grief!

Do we have the whole thing in English?