This is another instalment in the series of memoirs by Fr. Edward Black, FSSPX. It covers a long journey made by Archbishop Lefebvre to several continents, on which he was accompanied by Fr. Black.
Their trip was from 4th November, 1985 to 14th January 1986. Click here to read about the second part of the journey.
Fr. Black’s Foreword
Please note that my account of this journey is based on a diary which I kept at the time. This should explain why – forty years later – I am able to give such a detailed account of the events which then took place. Of course, I can no longer recall the precise details of the many conversations which I was privileged to have with the Archbishop during the long hours which we spent together travelling around the world.
The brief synopses which I give of these are also taken from this diary and to ensure accuracy, I have closely followed the vocabulary of the notes which I then wrote.
Apostolic journey
In September of 1985, Archbishop Lefevbre was making one of his regular visits to Britain in order to officiate at Confirmation and give a public conference in London. One day, while we were taking a stroll together in the garden of Saint Michael’s House at Highclere, he rather casually remarked that he would like me to accompany him on a forthcoming visit to Canada and the United States, which he was due to undertake only a few weeks later in November.
I was rather surprised by this suggestion, and perhaps my response was only moderately enthusiastic, as I wondered if this might herald my transfer to another country, since at that time I was very happy and devoted to my apostolate in my dear homeland. However, although I had travelled extensively in Europe, I had never made an inter-continental journey, so it was obvious to me that this journey would certainly be of very great interest. The Archbishop said that he would himself organise all of the travel arrangements for us and that my aeroplane tickets would soon be sent to me.
A short while afterwards, to my very great astonishment, he telephoned me and explained that, after we visited to North America we would then proceed to the West Indies, Columbia, Argentina, Australia and New Zealand! I should therefore plan to be absent for two months, rather than the two weeks which I had anticipated… In fact, I later discovered that this was the longest journey that he himself had ever undertaken. I was, of course, conscious that it was clearly an enormous privilege that he invited me to accompany him, and I will be eternally grateful for this extraordinary honour and unforgettable experience…
Canada
I left London on Monday, 4th November 1985 and was met at the airport at Montreal by an old friend, Father Jacques Emily, the Society’s Superior in Canada at that time. We then drove to our house at Shawinigan, which is situated between Montreal and Quebec. The house is quite large and is used for preaching Retreats.
This was, at that time, the Mother House of the Society in Canada where Father Emily was living with two other priests, five oblate nuns and a Brother. There was then only one other house of the Society in Canada, situated in Winnipeg, where two other priests were living. Recently, Father Emily had acquired two churches, one in Montreal and the other in Sherbrooke.
As there were still three days before the Archbishop was due to arrive in Canada, I was able to visit various places with Father Emily in Quebec and Montreal, including the sanctuaries of St. Anne de Beaupre and St. Joseph of Montreal.
His Grace arrived in Canada on Friday, 8th November and the following day he ordained Father Dominique de Vrient, to the priesthood at the Society’s new church in Montreal, which Father Emily had dedicated to Saint Joseph. This church is situated north of the centre of Montreal and can hold about 300 people.
It was, of course, full to overflowing for the ordination ceremony. His Grace Some other priests were present, including Father Williamson, the Director of our Seminary at Ridgefield, Connecticut, USA. He had come with a group of seminarians who served and sang the Mass.
The following day Father de Vrient celebrated his first Solemn Mass at which the Archbishop preached. That afternoon he and I left Canada and flew to New York. It had been interesting for me, as Superior of the Society in Britain, to see how similar to home that the ministry of the Society was organised in Canada at that time in spite of the great difference of the vastness of that country.
United States
We were met at the airport at New York and driven to the Society’s Seminary at Ridgefield. This was a large and pleasant old house, built about the beginning of the last century. Almost the entire surrounding area was woodland, and the house overlooked a lake in a very attractive location. There were then thirty-two students in the Seminary.
Two quiet days were spent by me at Ridgefield but the Archbishop spent most of the time visiting lawyers in regard to property disputes which were plaguing the Society in America at that time, as a consequence of the recent defection of a group of its priests. In the evening of one of those days (12th November) dinner developed into an impromptu birthday party – in anticipation of the Archbishop’s
forthcoming 80th birthday. A celebratory cake was provided by the seminarians and His Grace gave a short discourse about the three great wars in his life… (i.e. 1914–18, 1939-45 and 1962-65!!) He insisted on the necessity of keeping the true Faith and assuring continuance of good priests being ordained.
Next day, we went to Philadelphia for the blessing and opening of a new Carmelite convent. This Convent was a large country house situated some 25 miles from Philadelphia in a very quiet and secluded position. High Mass was first celebrated in a neighbouring Hall which many people attended.
The six nuns who were to form the new community, as well as Mother Marie Christiane, the Mother General and one of the Archbishop’s sisters, were present. The latter, at that time, resided at their Mother House in Belgium, but she had come to America for this ceremony. Afterwards, the new Convent and enclosure were blessed as the Archbishop, the priests and Faithful walked in procession around the property. After the Blessing, in a delightfully informal moment, the
Archbishop gave his sister a fraternal kiss before presenting her with the keys of the enclosure. Thereupon she officially closed and locked the doors.
West Indies
That evening we returned to the Seminary at Ridgefield and next day, 14th November, we flew from New York to the West Indies. During the flight to Barbados the Archbishop was reminiscing about his days in Africa, and the surprising (to me!) rivalry between the two great missionary Congregations, the White Fathers and the Holy Ghost Fathers, as well as the difficulties which he had with the professional diplomats in the Vatican consequent to his appointment as Apostolic Delegate for French-speaking Africa.
He then he moved on to the burning question of that time – the possible consecration of a bishop in our Society. He explained that he did not think that it was necessary for his successor as Superior General to be a bishop; to which I observed that this might create problems if a simple priest, as Superior General, were to have a bishop as his subject….He also revealed that he and Bishop Castro Meyer had written to the Pope stating that, if things did not improve, they would be obliged to take steps to ensure the continuation of a true Catholic priesthood…
We had a stopover in Barbados from 3:15pm until 7 pm. As there was not enough time to leave the airport to visit Bridgetown, we simply sat and continued our conversation until we took off for Martinique, arriving at Fort de France, the capital of the island, at 8:20pm. The Archbishop’s arrival was a major news event in Martinique, an island in the West Indies which remains a French possession. (considered to be a part of France!), so we were immediately taken to the VIP lounge of the airport where there was a bevy of journalists waiting for us. One of them was particularly aggressive in his questioning of the Archbishop. It had been a long and tiring journey for the almost 80-year-old and it was one of the very few occasions where I witnessed him become impatient and lose his composure…
Father Ortiz, the priest who, at that time, travelled on a regular basis from Columbia to serve the Traditional Catholics in the West Indies, was there to meet us and the Archbishop was taken to the house of the De Mellon family where he was to stay for the duration of our visit. Father and I stayed at a different house, the home of Mr and Mrs Ancher whom I had previously met when they were members of our congregation in Dijon, France.
Next day we went to a large house situated approximately 7 miles out of the town. It was a very attractive and large colonial house where I celebrated Mass attended by a congregation of about 25 persons, during which time Father Ortiz performed a Baptism. We then went to bless the house of one of the Faithful.
Since the visit was big news in Martinique, the local bishop had taken the trouble to warn the Faithful not to attend Archbishop Lefevre’s Mass and quite a stir had been made of the entire affair. The Archbishop was invited to be the guest for a phone in on the local radio after the 1pm News, so Father Ortiz and I went to the radio station where we met the Archbishop and his host, Mr de Mellon. The programme went quite well, but most of the questions were of a political nature as the Archbishop had previously had the temerity to say that he thought that Mr Le Pen was the lesser evil in the current French political situation during an interview with a an Italian newspaper some weeks previously. Many of the questions were therefore about racism, socialism etc…
That evening His Grace gave a conference in a public Hall which was well attended by approximately 250 people. He recounted his experiences during the Second Vatican Council and the events leading up to it, as well as explaining the history of our Society and its resistance to the Conciliar reforms. Afterwards, he celebrated Mass and a large number of people stayed behind to assist at this.
When Mass was over and people were leaving, it was discovered that some of their cars had their tyres burst! Fortunately, the Archbishop’s car was missed in this act of vandalism, so we were able to return to our accommodation without incident.
The following day, Saturday 16th November, the Archbishop celebrated Mass and confirmed 45 children. This took place in a private house which did not have a room large enough to accommodate the number the number of people who attended; therefore, things were somewhat chaotic. Many people wished to go to Confession, and I heard these in the garden. The Mass was celebrated in the lounge room which was unable to accommodate the congregation (approximately 150 to 200) who spilled out onto the verandas of the house. In due course, the Archbishop emerged with the children in procession and they had their photograph taken.
In the afternoon of the same day, we flew to the neighbouring island of Guadeloupe, (which is also French), arriving at Point a Pietre Airport at 3pm. A group of Faithful were waiting there for us – but no journalists this time…. However, the local bishop there had also condemned Archbishop Lefebvre publicly and warned people against assisting at his Mass. We were taken to the house where we were to stay, the home of the Camminade family. It was not very far from the airport and when we arrived at the house we found that a great gathering of people had assembled there with much talking and comings and goings…. Several children were brought to make their Confession in preparation for Confirmation which they were to receive the following day. Eventually, I celebrated Mass, but the socialising continued afterwards until quite late into the evening. This must all have been exceedingly exhausting for the Archbishop but he remained a model of calm and patience.
Next day, Sunday 17th November, we drove to a property in the country called Neron. This large property was quite pleasant, and an altar had been set up outside, underneath a canopy of palm leaves, in the midst of a large grassy area surrounded by trees, with sugarcane fields beyond. Behind the altar there was a large, monumental structure with a statue of Our Lady on top of a high pedestal.
Although this property was privately owned, it seemed to have been something of a place of pilgrimage. A charming old chapel was situated a short distance from this monument. Approximately 500 people attended the Mass before which Confirmation was administered to 15 persons. Once this had ended, I celebrated Mass in the little old chapel and afterwards there was a celebratory lunch held outside.
It was only then that we discovered that a man who had been acting as gatekeeper during the event had not been replaced by another in order that he could be confirmed! Accordingly, the Archbishop then conducted another Confirmation ceremony in the little chapel. It later emerged that this man had formerly been a Communist activist; recently converted to the church.
Colombia – Archbishop Lefebvre’s sister
Next day, 18th November, we had to rise very early, at 3 am, to catch the plane for Bogotá which was due to depart at 4:20 am. As it happened, Madame Mitterrand, the wife of the President of France, was on the same plane. She was flying to Columbia from France on a ‘Mission of Mercy” in the wake of a terrible volcanic eruption which had taken place a few days earlier, on 13th November, and had swallowed up a town named Amero, with over 23,000 people dead and many trapped or injured. This was, in fact, the second-deadliest volcanic disaster of the 20th century. Of course, we could not exit the plane immediately on arrival as there was a formal diplomatic reception to meet Madame Mitterrand immediately that she descended the steps of the aircraft. As we could observe this from our window, the Archbishop was reminded of how he himself had been similarly received in the past, when he was the Apostolic Delegate to French Africa.
In addition to this catastrophe, only week before the eruption, Marxists insurgents had attacked and laid siege to the Palace of Justice in Bogotá, planning to hold a trial involving the Colombian President. He responded by sending the army into the building. The attackers were holding several hundred prisoners, including the 24 Supreme Court justices and 20 other judges. In the ensuing battle between the two forces, more than 75 prisoners died (including 11 judges). This event, which occurred only ten days before our arrival, coupled with the Armero tragedy, spurred the Colombian government to predict and prepare for a broad range of threats…
Accordingly, on arrival at Bogotá airport, we were met not only by Fr Navas and a few Faithful, but we were also provided with an escort of armed plain-clothes policemen. There were soldiers everywhere along the route into the city, and I was to notice in subsequent days the presence of soldiers at different places all over the town.
On arrival at the Society’s House in Bogotá we partook of a little breakfast and then, a little later, another of the Archbishop’s sisters, Marie-Therese, (Mrs Guy Toulemonde), and her son arrived. They talked together until lunch and afterwards he left with them to stay at their house in another part of Colombia, near a town called Pereira.
It was by now necessary for me to obtain a Visa for entry into Argentina, which was to be the next stop on our journey. I had been unable to obtain this in London before my departure due to the cessation of diplomatic relations between the British and Argentinian governments in the aftermath of the Falklands War which had taken place three years earlier. This process turned out to be complicated and protracted over three days as, amongst other things, I had to provide a medical certificate. However, after making an appointment at a hospital, the doctor simply provided the certificate without any examination at all! Nevertheless, there was the advantage that the travelling to and frow to the embassy provided the occasion of visiting the city of Bogotá which still retained a large number of very attractive Spanish colonial buildings.
A couple of days later, the Archbishop’s sister rang to invite me to join them at her house near Pereira, so next day I flew there and was met by her at the airport. She then drove me to her home which was situated a few miles out of the town. It was a very splendid residence; a large single storey building with verandas, giving fine views across the countryside to the hills beyond.
There, the Archbishop took me on a little tour of the property where I was able to see many exotic tropical plants of various kinds which I have never seen before. Mrs Toulemonde specialised in growing orchids, and she had a little plantation with suspended baskets containing all different varieties of these flowers. She sold these in favour of a charity, with which she was involved, to help poor children.
Next morning was spent at the house discussing various matters with the Archbishop. In the afternoon his sister took me on a tour of Pereira and its environs. There was great poverty evident in that part of Colombia with very poor housing conditions. Many families were living in just one room and the streets were teeming with children. In spite of this, I was struck by the fact that the people appeared to be perfectly clean and well-dressed themselves and did not seem to be very miserable. We visited the cathedral which recently had been updated and stripped of most of its original adornment. A reputedly miraculous picture of Our Lady in a large silver frame was the only object occupying the east wall above the table altar. Later in the day, we visited a simple church situated in another part of the town. Mrs Toulemonde, whose family owned a small factory, explained that this church had been built by them for the benefit of their workers. She related that when the local bishop came to bless the church, he gave a sermon in which he declared that the church had been built on wages stolen from the workers!
At that the time I knew nothing about this bishop – not even his name – but he clearly seemed to be quite a Left-leaning Modernist. Therefore, it was very surprising when, years afterwards, he became prominent in the Church as a cardinal who would have quite an impact on the affairs of our Society! He was, in fact, none other than Cardinal Darío Castrillón Hoyos, who, in 2000, became President of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, – the Vatican office that handled the Holy See’s relations with traditionalist organisations such as our Society, until it was disbanded by Pope Francis in 2019.
On Saturday 23rd November, I returned to Bogotá with the Archbishop and his sister. On arrival at the airport we were met by other members of the Toulemonde family, as well as a police escort which henceforth followed us everywhere. One armed plain-clothes policeman was always present in the car as well as as well as another two in a van following. After arrival at the Society’s house, the Archbishop baptised his sister’s granddaughter in the chapel. Many friends and members of the family were present and afterwards we went directly to a flat which the Toulemonde family had in Bogotá for a reception party. There I met the Archbishop’s sister’s husband for the first time as he had just returned from a long business trip.
On Sunday 24th of November, Father Navas had to celebrate Mass in very poor quarter of the city; in the playground of a school. The Archbishop, Father Ortiz and I accompanied him. For some reason, Father Ortiz suggested the Archbishop and I explore the local area with him.. It was very poor indeed – a veritable shantytown – with unsurfaced roads, potholes and puddles everywhere.
Eventually we arrived at a dwelling was occupied by some people that Father Ortiz knew, so they came out and greeted the Archbishop. By this time, we had become a point of interest and people were looking out of their windows and coming up to greet the distinguished prelate who looked somewhat incongruous in that part of town, dressed as he was for a liturgical ceremony due to take place later in the day, resplendent in a cassock with violet piping and cincture.
We returned to the school on foot, followed by a procession of local people who were all astonished and delighted to see such an impressive figure in their locality.
On returning home, the Archbishop celebrated Mass. The chapel was
overflowing. Lunch followed in a restaurant and in the afternoon there was a Confirmation ceremony. It started late, and I was by now becoming used to this somewhat disorganised, even rather chaotic, manner in which these ceremonies were being conducted in South America. Although the chapel was very small, 79 persons were confirmed! Afterwards, there was a great crush in the garden in order to have photographs taken.
Next day was rather quiet. The Archbishop’s nephew came to collect us and we went to his home for lunch. Mrs Toulemonde had just returned from hospital with her son Thomas who, although only 17 years old, had a generalised cancer and had undergone quite dramatic treatment. The following day, (26th November) we flew to Bucaramanga and lodged in a hotel situated in the main Square of the town. Around midday, the Archbishop gave a Conference in rather unusual circumstances. It was supposed to have been delivered while people were eating lunch!
Approximately sixty people were arranged at long tables on each side of the room while the Archbishop, Father Ortiz (who was to translate the Conference) and myself sat at the high table with two of the organisers. However, although the Archbishop delivered his Conference from his place at table, no one, in fact, began eating until it had ended. Later in the afternoon, he administered a Baptism and then Confirmation to a couple of people in the sitting room of a suite in the hotel. He then celebrated Mass in one of the public rooms. There were no altar boys, so I served the Mass at which about 80 people attended. The Archbishop gave a sermon about Saint Pius X and the Modernist crisis.
We returned to Bogotá the next day, 27th November. I spent most of that day at the house while the Archbishop went to have lunch with the French ambassador. Later on, in the evening, he gave a Conference at a place called the Gun Club. Afterwards, I returned to the house with the armed police in their vehicle. They, as usual, were following the Archbishop’s car.
On Thursday, 28 November, we left Bogotá. After a quiet morning the
Archbishop’s sister arrived for lunch which was attended by a few other guests; including our police bodyguard. A birthday cake was provided in anticipation of his 80th birthday the following day.
That evening we went to the airport accompanied by a small group who came to bid us farewell. There we parted from the two-armed bodyguards who had accompanied us each day. I have never had an armed bodyguard before or since; so, I have no idea what they typically look like. However, I would not have envisaged such as these, who, I felt, resembled suspicious characters themselves. I wondered if it was a deliberate disguise…
Argentina – Archbishop Lefebvre’s birthday
The plane departed for Argentina at approximately 10 pm. This plane stopped for refuelling for quite a long time at a place called Manaus in Amazonia; so we had to dash between planes for our connection at Rio de Janeiro; eventually arriving at Buenos Aires around 1pm.
During this long trip we discussed many things concerning the state of the Church, e.g. Pope Pius XII and Cardinal Bea, etc. The Archbishop remarked on the new political strategies being adopted by the Vatican, particularly on how it was now trying to obtain popularity from the lower echelons of Society, rather than exerting pressure on governments by means of Concordats etc, as well as the abandonment of the notion of the Catholic state.
I marvelled at the fact that Providence was allowing us only the bare minimum for survival – one Bishop – and yet he was able to visit all the traditional Catholic communities in the world; due to the ease of communication which would have been quite impossible even only a few decades previously. He then moved on to speak about his visits to South America in previous times, when he was the Superior of the Holy Ghost Fathers, and was pointing out to me on a map where they had their Missions; especially the ones which he had visited, and what they were like etc.
At Buenos Aires there was a large reception party, including various priests, waiting to welcome us at the airport. I was driven in in a separate car from the Archbishop with Fathers Galarreta and Morello. The seminary bell was rung as we approached and all of the seminarians gathered at the door to greet us as they sang Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini.. to welcome the Archbishop.
After we had been briefly shown to our rooms, lunch was served immediately. This day was, of course, the Archbishop’s 80th birthday, so it was very celebratory! The gathering was large as most of the leading priests in the Society at that time were present, since the first ordination ceremony at the new seminary was to take place in a few days’ later and at which Bishop Castro de Meyer was expected to attend. There was even a delegation of lay people from Switzerland and France.
An enormous cake had been made. Speeches were made by various persons and the seminarians sang a medley of South American songs. The Archbishop appeared to be quite moved by the proceedings. It was, however, quite exhausting for us after such a long journey, especially for the Archbishop, now in his 80th year.. We were therefore obliged to rest for a while in the late afternoon before celebrating our Masses in the evening.
The following day, 30th November, seven deacons and four sub deacons where ordained by the Archbishop in the seminary chapel. Shortly after the ceremony concluded, Bishop Castro Mayer arrived and was greeted at the entrance to the seminary by the Archbishop and seminarians. This was the first time, I believe, that he had ever visited one of the houses of our Society. I cannot remember if I had ever previously seen a photograph of him, but he was not quite what I
expected. He was rather small, thin and frail of aspect. Although he was only a year older than the Archbishop, he certainly looked more aged and lacked the power of his presence.
That afternoon I visited the famous shrine of our Lady of Luján. On the way I was amused to see permanent road signs declaring that the Malvinas (Falkland Islands) belong to Argentina! On Sunday, 1st December, the ordination of priests took place. A large marquee had been erected in which had been placed a wooden classical style altar with a Spanish style statue of our Lady of Sorrows enthroned above. Although it was the First Sunday of Advent, for some reason the vestments were white…
Pontifical High Mass was celebrated, during which eight priests were ordained, (three from the USA, one from Columbia and four from Mexico). During his sermon His Grace referred to the particular significance which the ceremony had due to the presence of Bishop Castro Mayer. He encouraged the new priests to remain faithful to their life of prayer and as set out by the statutes of the Society.
I estimated that there were around 1,000 people present in the congregation. I was somewhat surprised that Bishop Castro Mayo did not take any prominent place in the sanctuary. He was modestly dressed in a black cassock with violet piping over which he was wearing a rochet. He took no part in the ceremony except for the Laying on of Hands of the Ordinands which he did from behind rather than, (as is customary) in front of them !.
Afterwards a great celebration meal took place in Argentinian style with several calves having been roasted over an open fire in asado fashion.
The next day I joined a group of priests who were visiting Buenos Aires. The Archbishop and Bishop Castro Meyer remained behind at the seminary. After we returned it was announced after dinner that the latter would confer Minor Orders on the seminarians. This duly occurred the following morning on 3rd December, during the course of Low Mass, at which he was assisted by his secretary, Father Fernando Rifan. In later years this priest was to be consecrated bishop as the second successor to Bishop Castro Meyer as Superior of the Personal Apostolic Administration of Saint John Mary Vianney. This occurred after the priests of Campos had been reconciled with the Vatican and relations with our Society were thereafter effectively severed.
The various guests from overseas then began to take their departure. In the afternoon Bishop Castro Mayer left and returned to Brazil on 4th December. The following day passed uneventfully. On Friday 6th December, the Archbishop, myself and a few other priests were driven to Buenos Aires. As had been the case in Colombia, we had a plain-clothes police escort. In fact, the police had been permanently stationed at the entrance to the seminary every day that the Archbishop was in residence. The house in Buenos Aires had a fairly large chapel on the ground floor with an entrance from the street. I estimated that it could have accommodated around 100 people. Confirmation and Mass took place the next day. It was very similar to the ceremony which had taken place in Bogotá, in the now-customary disorganised fashion. We returned to the seminary that evening.
Read about the rest of the journey to New Zealand and Australia here.
by Fr. Edward Black, SSPX. Republished here with kind permission.
Fr. Black was Superior of the Society of Saint Pius X in the United Kingdom from 1978 until 2000. As there were only five priests in Britain at any one time during those years, Fr. Black remained the constant factor amongst them and so makes a valuable contribution to the Society’s history through his memoirs.
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