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

In this issue:
Editorial p 2
Gabon in numbers p 2
Interview with Fr Groche p 3
Photo Album p 6-7
Priests & Brothers in Gabon p 6-7
Interview with Fr Médard
and with Fr Paterne p 9
How to help us p 12
The Society in Africa p 12
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Director of Publication: Father Loïc Duverger;
Editor: Father Denis Bedel.
This bulletin is offered. The price mentioned is a rough
guide and we cordially invite you to help us publish it by
buying it. Once read, please do not throw it away; if you
do not keep it, pass it around.
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Photo: Palm Sunday, St Pius X Mission, Libreville
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Quarterly bulletin of the District of Africa of the Priestly Society of Saint Pius X

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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
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the Seminary of Libreville, President Bongo offered him a
visit to these former students. He graciously chartered a jet
for him so that Archbishop Lefebvre could go see Bishop
Felicien Makouaka, Bishop of Franceville in the south of the
country. Then a car - a huge Toyota off-road vehicle if you
please! - was given to him as a welcoming gift, which allowed
the Archbishop to go to N'Djole and Lambarene, where Fr.
Marcel had spent several years. What a joy it was for him to
see these places where he had spent the first years of his
priestly life! When we left, the Archbishop gave the vehicle
to Bishop N'Dong . . . the relationship was off to an excellent
start!
All this seemed to be Providence showing us that we should
settle in Gabon. But that is not all, that is just, shall we say, the
social and official side of things. There is also the spiritual
aspect, which was certainly the most important in our eyes.
Here is what happened. Some elders who had known Fr.
Marcel wished to organise a Mass in Donguila at the famous
old mission boarding school where Fr. Marcel had been the
superior. The organiser, Mr. Valentin Obame, along with Mr.
Michel N'Dong, both former students of “Donguila,” had
announced the visit to their old colleagues of the boarding
school. So all those who had known Fr. Marcel were there in
Donguila, easily over a hundred people!
They organised the Mass for January 17th, the day after the
feast of St. Marcel. And wonder of wonders, the
Archbishop was able to sing the Mass, even though Michel
N'Dong had just come to ask me 15 minutes before what
Mass we were going to sing! I asked the Archbishop, and he
told me, “we could sing the Mass of the Epiphany,” – since it
was only ten days after the feast day. So they opened their old
books, had a five-minute practice, and then sang the Mass of
the Epiphany, in Latin and in Gregorian chant, as it never
would have been sung in Europe! The faithful knew it by
heart! So you see, there was also this spiritual aspect, this
attachment to the old Mass that they strongly desired and
that showed us, yet again, that this was a sign from
Providence, telling us the Mission should be founded in
Gabon.
As for the other countries, in Senegal Archbishop Lefebvre
did not want to cause a problem for Cardinal Thiandoum
who could help us elsewhere. It was more a diplomatic
decision. In Cameroon, in Yaoundé, we had planned to meet
an old Holy Ghost Father, but, alas, we were not able to as he
had returned to France on sick leave. In the Ivory Coast the
Archbishop would have liked to meet with President
Houphouët de Boigny. We went to Yamoussoukro for this,
but there was a Ministerial Meeting, so the Archbishop was
not able to meet him. But those were good times; following
the Archbishop along the roads he had travelled for more
than 11 years when he was the Apostolic Delegate for all of
French-speaking Africa. In Yamoussoukro we met one of
the Archbishop's nephews, who was a cameraman in a big
training college. But as far as the goal of our trip went, we
saw that Providence was waiting for us elsewhere.
TCA: After this journey and these first signs from
Providence, how did the foundation in Libreville go?
Fr. Groche: After this wonderful trip, Archbishop Lefebvre
thought that we should start the foundation in Libreville a
year later. So I came back to Gabon in August of the same
year to take a more practical look at the details and means of
our move. Mr. Valentin Obame and I began to look at what
real estate agents had to offer; what sort of house we could
rent and in which district. I began to organise the
preparation of our foundation, since everything, or almost
everything, had to be shipped over from Europe. We
planned to arrive in Gabon on January 16th, 1986, exactly
one year after the Archbishop's trip, which would allow us to
place the foundation under the patronage of St. Marcel - I
don't think I need to explain why! So there you have it. I
arrived on January 14th, 1986, and Professor Sélégny and his
wife, the parents of Fr. Arnold Sélégny, who is currently a
professor at Ecône, met me at the Libreville airport and put
me up in their home.
Once I was there, my first job was to find a house, which was
not easy, because, relatively speaking, the prices were very
high. This was before the devaluation, so everything cost
twice as much as it does today. We were to start by renting a
place. After looking all over Libreville without finding
anything satisfactory, our agent mentioned another house.
But she was hesitant, because the owner was apparently a
tough man when it came to business, and it would be too
much for our budget. Being naturally curious, I asked to see
the house anyway.
As I toured the two-story house, I saw its great potential. But
I had been forewarned: the owner was tough when it came to
business. So I said to the agent: “We could always ask him.
Maybe he could lower the price a little. I could raise mine a
little and we might just end up getting along!” She was not at
all convinced, but she played the go-between anyway. So the
negotiations began. As it turned out, the owner, Mr. Lubin
N'Toutoume, was the Mayor of the City of Libreville – in
charge of all the mayors for the districts in Libreville. We
would also find out later that he was related to Mgr N'Dong!
Thanks to St. Joseph, he agreed to lower his price and I
agreed to raise mine. Three weeks later we moved in. And
that is where we've been for 25 years!
Mr. N'Toutoume was a very colourful and interesting
person. He even defended us against the Archbishop of
Libreville. When the late Mgr Anguillé found out we were
renting from Mr N'Toutoume, he tried to have us evicted.
But Mr. N'Toutoume answered him with his habitual
outspokenness, “You are ungrateful, it is thanks to
Archbishop Lefebvre that you are what you are today.” Yes,
he defended us well!
TCA: Father, the beginning of a foundation is the time
for setting out precise goals; could you tell us what the
goal of the mission in Gabon was, and how the mission
developed?
Fr. Groche: Since the first purpose of the Society is
seminaries, and since the Archbishop had received letters
from several young men interested in the Society, our first
objective, when we arrived in Gabon, was to see how we
could develop this seminary work in Africa. We wanted to
begin with that, but as soon as we arrived, more and more
Librevillese came to see us and to assist at our Masses on
Sundays and on weekdays. And the seminarians who seemed
interested did not necessarily all come from Gabon: they
also came from Togo and the neighbouring countries. Out
of prudence, we had to visit them to get a better idea of

Building of the School
them before letting them come. It took time to study these
vocations and almost all of them were not “ad hoc”! Our
first goal did not become secondary, but we had to start by
taking care of all those souls who were coming to us at the
same time – necessity imposed this priority. For it is there at
the mission that the true vocations would be revealed.
Here is how it happened. Soon after we arrived, a man
showed up, his name was Jean-François. Rev. Mr. Karl
Stehlin received him: “Is this the home of the priests of
Archbishop Lefebvre?” - “Yes, hello, Sir.” - “Father, I give
myself to you!” It was as straightforward as you can get!
“Why yes! But who are you, Sir?” - “I'm an old parishioner
from the mission. I love the Latin Mass.” This Fang from
Oyem had heard of Archbishop Lefebvre, and, next thing
you know, he was on our doorstep. On his way back home he
stopped at Mr. Daniel Bibang's house and told him, “the
Fathers of Archbishop Lefebvre are here with the old Mass
like we had before . . .” So, Mr. Daniel Bibang showed up that
same afternoon. He was our second parishioner! And since
then, he has given the Society its first Gabonese priest. Then
more men started to come, and good men at that, but there
were only men. One day I asked: “But there are only men
here? Aren't there any women?” “Oh yes, Father, just wait a
little and they will come.” That was when I understood that
in Gabon serious things are taken care of first by the men.
Then, afterwards, they send the women and children. Today
there are many more women than men. We are
overcrowded! All the better.
Little by little, we began to have Mass in the house that I had
rented from Mr. N'Toutoume. His old office became our
oratory. Then the number of faithful started growing, and
we had to move the altar to the living room which opened
onto a covered porch with full-length windows. This was
practical, because even from outside the faithful could
follow the Mass. Then we had to open the curtain separating
the refectory from the chapel so that the faithful could assist
at Mass from our dining room. But things were becoming
overcrowded. Then, just before Holy Week 1987, we had the
idea to set up tarpaulins over the courtyard. We borrowed
the tarpaulins from the French army base and hung them up
before the garages, where we had set up the altar. Later on we
installed a metal roof to cover that area and that became our
first permanent chapel, which we extended once again when
we had purchased the property.
Rev. Mr. Karl Stehlin, a German deacon, arrived three weeks
after me in the beginning of February, with an enormous
amount of baggage. So as to be able to fit more into his bags,
Pilgrimage to Lourdes
he had worn three pairs of trousers for the trip! I cannot
begin to tell you how much he suffered from the heat when
he arrived at the Libreville airport where the temperature
was over 30ºC (86F), with 98% humidity. He almost fainted
at the Sélégnys' where we had dinner on the evening of his
triumphant arrival.
Fr. Loïc Duverger, ordained on the 29th June 1986, by
Archbishop Lefebvre, arrived on August 15th of that
memorable year. The St. Pius X Mission thus began with two
priests and a deacon, and it was great! How fortunate it
would be if all priories could start off like that – they would
be so good and so strong! It was a real blessing to have two
priests and a deacon from the start, especially a gifted
deacon who knew how to sing Gregorian chant and who,
with his many qualities, could help the priests with
catechism, preaching, distributing communion, and
baptisms. He was very much appreciated, and even today,
the faithful of Libreville have not forgotten Fr. Karl.
TCA: Father, many priests have given some time to the
Mission in Libreville; why did you concentrate on the
Libreville Mission? Couldn't you have sent some
elsewhere and thus spread the Society's missionary
work?
Fr. Groche: We stayed at the Mission because, first of all,
the faithful were abundant, as were the children at
catechism. It is obvious that if we want to form the faithful
and the children well in their catechism, to prepare them well
to receive the sacraments – Baptism, Communion,
Confirmation – we have to give classes regularly, at least
twice a week. If we want to take care of the sick, we have to
bring them communion as often as possible. This means
that we cannot go everywhere; we cannot flit around from
place to place and neglect the apostolate that must be
profound if we wish God's grace to truly work for the
salvation of souls. What is more, travelling is expensive in
Africa, and the climate is so hard that we cannot let ourselves
disperse and risk ruining our health in a few short years. I
remember a retreat where Fr. Schmidberger said: “It's not
martyrs that we need; it's confessors, because they last
longer!” We understood what he meant. He was not against
martyrdom, but he wanted us to save our strength so that we
would last a long time. And I think he was speaking from
experience. We needed to be in Libreville often and for a
long time in order to accomplish a profound work.
Archbishop Lefebvre once said to me: “We need to make a
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– Fr Huber (2011-) – Fr Balou Yalou (2011-) – Br Bernard Marie de Flüe (2002-09) – Br Grégoire (2002-) Br Félix Marie (2005-) – Br Antoine (2005-) – Br Paul Marie (2005-11) – Br Augustin Marie (2009-10)
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Fr Groche ( 1985-2008) – Fr L Duverger (1986-89) – Fr Stehlin (1986-94) – Fr de Tanoüarn (1989-91) – Fr Carlile (1991-2000) – Fr Pa Duverger (1993-2011) Fr Zaby (1994) – Fr Moore (1995) – Fr de la Motte (1995-96) – Fr Simonot (1996) – Fr Trauner (1996-99 & 2001-11) – Fr Bellunato (1996-99) – Fr Bie Bibang
Archbishops Lefebvre and N’Dong, 1985
25 Years of Gabon - Photo Album
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The Sisters in Four Place
The house in 1986
Bishop Tissier de Mallerais
blesses Four Place’s Calvary
The 25 years celebration
Eucharistic Crusade camp
Choir Saint Cecilia
Corpus Christi Procession in Four Place
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The Eucharistic Crusade
End of year party at the Juvénat
The Sisters and the girls of the
Company of the Immaculate
Archbishop Lefebvre visiting the Mission, 1990
Archibishops Lefebvre and N'Dong
in an aeroplane to Franceville, 1985
Retreat in Mebba with Father Nicolas
Procession in the streets of Libreville
Bishop Fellay’s visit
Clausonne (2007-10) – Fr Demornex (2007-08) – Fr Brunet de Courssou (2008-11) – Fr Buchet (2008-11) – Fr Storez (2008-10) – Fr Esposito (2010) Fr Pinaud (2010-11) – Fr de Lassus (2010-) – Fr Bochkoltz (2010-11) – Fr Obih (2010-) – Fr Legrier (2011-) – Fr Peron (2011-) – Fr Rantoandro (2011-)
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(1998-2005) – Fr Y André (1999-2005) – Fr Panecatl (2000-03) – Fr Rioult (2001-08) – Fr Bély (2003-09) Fr J-B Frament (2005-07) – Fr Salvador (2005-06) – Fr Longuelet (2005-) – Fr Bergez (2006-07) – Fr de

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beautiful and solid mission, so that it can be a model for the
other countries.”
But, all the same, don't forget that from Gabon we have
occasionally visited Nigeria, Cameroon, Togo, Benin,
Ghana, Ivory Coast and even Senegal! Personally, I have
been to all the countries of Western Africa.
In Gabon the SSPX Mission at Four-Place is in a village
about 150 km from Libreville. There had never been a
Catholic church in this village. Priests had not been there for
over 30 years. The Archbishop of Libreville had never set
foot in the village. So the Catholics, feeling handicapped and
abandoned, came to see us one day to ask us: “come take
care of us,” – which we did. Fr. Damian Carlile took care of
this apostolate in the wilderness, beginning under the metal
roof of a poor little hut on the side of the road where he had
to stop preaching whenever a logging truck passed by. The
faithful flocked in ever greater numbers to this shack where
we said Mass.
Then one day, the Priest from the neighbouring village came,
and the Archbishop of Libreville as well, to discredit and
speak against us! The faithful were moved. They believed the
Archbishop. The local priest promised them the moon and
the stars and said that he would take care of them every
Sunday, etc. So the faithful told us: “Ok, the local priest is
going to come, so don't bother coming anymore.” That
lasted four or five Sundays . . . and then they were again
abandoned. After six months of waiting, a new delegation
of the faithful from Four Place, scandalised and unhappy,
came to see us, saying: “Father, forgive us. You must come
back. The Archbishop spoke to us against you. We've been
tricked. He and the local priest lied to us.” I, in turn, sent a
delegation from our mission to see if they were serious, and,
indeed, the village chief welcomed them very well. They
came back saying, “Father, it is true! And they will give you
some land, so you can go.” So I went back, and there was the
whole village waiting to greet me. They gave me land on
which there were only ruins, and on which we built the
church that is there today – St. Patrick's Church, because the
day we had the meeting was March 17th.
Now we have been there for over 12 years. The village has
about 700 habitants and covers about 7 km2. It is very
scattered. The villagers are banana planters, and since there
is very little land, they are obliged to spread out farther and
farther for their plantations. So much so, that the priest who
takes care of this chapel (on top of every Sunday) now goes
The Chapel fully packed
for Sunday High Mass
every three weeks and spends four days in the presbytery
“St. James's House” at Four-Place, which we built in the
village. From there, he also celebrates Mass and teaches
catechism up to about 30 km away in the forest area of
Rembwé.
I could also mention the vocations that Gabon has already
given to Tradition: four priests in the Society of St Pius X;
three brothers, four nuns (two Society sisters, one “Si si No
no” sister in Italy, and one at the “Le Rafflay” in France. That
makes 11 vocations! And it's not over. . . more young people
are getting ready to enter!
TCA: Father, after 23 years as a missionary in Gabon,
you have just made a quick visit to Libreville. What
message would you give to the Gabonese today?
Fr. Groche: First, to thank God, because the Gabonese
have been blessed these past 25 years that we have been
there. Eight priests are always at their service: four at the
mission and four at the school, as well as three brothers and
five sisters! And the school, the “Juvénat du Sacré Coeur”,
Sacred Heart School, for primary and lower secondary
school (which unfortunately goes only to ninth grade) has
for 18 years been directed by a real master, Fr. Patrick
Duverger, who, with the help of his colleagues, has truly
given everything he had to the task. It is a heavy cross to lead
a school, and especially in an equatorial climate like Gabon!
After 25 years, I think that the Gabonese can give thanks to
God for all He has done for them. What God has not yet
done in Cameroon, what He has not yet done in the Ivory
Coast, what He has not yet done in Senegal, He has done in
Libreville! It is as if it were a repetition of what happened
back in the day when the first Holy Ghost missionaries
arrived in these lands. Fr. Libermann sent the first
missionaries to this area and Fr. Bessieux arrived in
Libreville. Afterwards, from Libreville, the missionaries left
for Cameroon, Congo, and the other countries. They even
went through Libreville to go to Kenya in the east of Africa:
for Kenya was evangelised by the French Holy Ghost
Fathers while it was still an English colony. Libreville was, so
to speak, the crossroads of central and western Africa.
The same thing could happen again with future Traditional
Catholic works, as will soon be the case in Nigeria and
Cameroon, God willing. Indeed, this 25th anniversary
should be one of true and profound thanksgiving for the
Fr Patrick Groche’s
farewell Blessing

Gabonese, as well as for our priests, brothers and sisters of
the Society of St. Pius X, because I believe it is a work of
Divine Providence. As we said in the beginning, it is a work
that has made generous souls devote themselves to the cause
of the Mass, the cause of the catechism, the sacraments and
Gregorian chant. It is nothing other than the cause of the
Catholic Church that they had once known and that they
wished to see live on as before, as it always had, and that in
Gabon and everywhere in Africa, Our Lord Jesus Christ and
His Most Holy Mother must reign.
But some will still say: “But is there no school for girls? You
have done nothing for them!” It is true, and yet, I have asked
the Dominicans Teaching sisters of St. Pré and of Fanjeaux,
but it is not yet God's time. We must pray for this intention.
If we want to have good and holy Catholic mothers, I think it
is very important to have a girl's school. But the Catholic
education of their children is first and foremost the parents
responsibility.
TCA: Thank you, Father. As a final word, could you tell
us the first anecdote that comes to mind when you
think of Gabon?
Sunday Vespers at the
St Pius X Mission
1 – Father MEDARD
CTA: Father, you are the first Gabonese to have been
ordained a priest in the Society of Saint Pius X. Can you
tell us about your first steps at the Mission, the first
years of this mission you have known since its
foundation, your training in France and at Ecône?
Father Médard: Indeed, God deigned to call me to follow
him as a priest from my country of Gabon and to be under
the banner of the Society which plays a providential role in
the Church today – these are the reasons for me to offer
humble and continual thanksgiving. I must thank God first,
but I must also thank those who were the instruments God
used for my vocation. God wanted to make the grace I
received to come through the generous priesthood of
Father Patrick Groche and Rev. Mr. Karl Stehlin – I say Rev.
Mr. because Father Karl Stehlin was still a deacon at the time.
These two are part of my earliest memories of the
Missionary Fathers of the Society of St. Pius X, and if my
memory serves me, it was about March of 1986. I was
fourteen years old and I can still see myself accompanying
my father to the Mission for the first time, and meeting these
young priests in white cassocks. It is a source of pride for our
Fr. Groche: I remember an old lady who lived at “PK 52”,
who felt that she was dying and wished to receive the last
sacraments and see the priest before she died. So I went and I
saw this old lady who was lying in her kitchen, which was
separate from the house. Yes, I thought she was dying! I
heard her confession and gave her Extreme Unction, and I
had also brought the Holy Viaticum. All of a sudden she sat
up on her mat and said: “Wait, Father, I'll be right back.” She
went into the house and came back three minutes later with a
beautiful white dress, like she might wear for a First
Communion! And it turned out to be her last communion.
Eight days later, I came back to bury her. This is a testimony
of the people's Faith, which they had known and wanted to
possess forever.
One last fact: I once asked Bishop François N'Dong why he
had wanted Archbishop Lefebvre to be the one who
consecrated him bishop. Bishop N'Dong answered that “for
him, Archbishop Lefebvre had always been the model of a
priest!” May it be the same for us all, with the grace of Our
Lord God! �
Interview with Fathers Médard
Bie Bibang & Paterne Longuelet
by the redaction of Catholic Tradition in Africa
family. Papa Daniel-Marie Bibang was the second
parishioner to come to the Mission, working right from the
start for Catholic Tradition in Libreville. Several years later
Our Blessed Lord rewarded him by calling his son to become
the first Gabonese priest of the Society.
At the Mission, I was immediately impressed with the liturgy,
even though I did not understand a word of Latin! It was
Catholic; there was no doubt about that! It did not take me
and my friend Claude Effa very long to involve ourselves as
altar servers. And then there was the Gregorian chant – that I
cannot forget, there is nothing like it to raise a soul to God.
All this was used by God to draw me to Him, but a person
needs to know Him in depth. The Fathers possessed the
words of Truth. They also taught us Catholic doctrine –
those blessed hours of catechism!
I must say that all this was happening at the same time as the
founding of the Saint Pius X Mission, which was already
growing rapidly. Every day there were new parishioners, new
children in catechism, new activities, it was all really exciting.
At first we served Mass in the Priests living room which
served as a chapel, but soon it became too small to
accommodate the ever growing number of faithful! I
remember the first reinforcements from Europe: Father
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Loïc Duverger and Rev. Mr. John the Baptist, a seminarian.
The Fathers were really resourceful, and nothing could
overcome their zeal, not even their sweating under the
equatorial sun. What a really great job they did. They taught
us all that was Catholic. They put up large tents in order to
celebrate the great feasts for all the faithful and they had
already drawn up architectural plans to build a church ... Fr.
Groche stunned us all with his practical mind and with his
talents as a builder.
A year and a half later, I left the African continent for the
first time. Thanks to the Fathers, I had won a place in one of
the Society schools in France, l'Ètoile du Matin, led by Fr.
Jacques Laguérie. It was an extraordinary and beneficial
grace, a complete formation: intellectual, moral and
religious, which forged strong convictions in my soul.
Admittedly, I was far from my country and my family and I
became acquainted with a Siberian-like cold, unknown to
our latitudes. But I inherited a new family, that of Tradition
and the warm hospitality of Alsace. And then other
Gabonese joined me. I was particularly heartened by the
arrival of my younger brother Bruno. When I think back to
all those blessed years, all those families who were so
generous to us, who, for example, welcomed us during the
holidays, I can only renew my grateful prayers for them. You
must understand, I discovered a Christian civilisation – we
only have a hundred and fifty years of religious history in
Gabon! I'm not saying that everything was rosy, far from it,
and I also noticed how materialism had in so little time
uprooted the Christian ethos even in ancient Europe. But I
understand more and more that it also prepared me for
future combat.
It was almost a natural follow-on from this grounding in a
solid Catholic Faith that my vocation became obvious from
early on. My parents and the Mission Fathers encouraged me
to answer the call from God. So I knocked on the door of
the seminary at Flavigny and that became the starting point
of a new formation, assuredly one much more intimate with
God. Six years in the seminary, which at that time was
divided into three years in France and three in Switzerland, at
Ecône. So many more graces were gained in training for the
priesthood. There were also great sacrifices required, with
the constant ideal of becoming a good and holy priest! A
Catholic Priest, I became by the grace of God on June 29th,
1998 through the hands of Bishop Tissier de Mallerais. As a
Catholic Priest, I have practiced, by the grace of God, for
thirteen years, having given the first fruits of my priesthood
to Gabon during my first seven years, two at the school, five
at the Mission; I have done much in my beloved country. I
am now in Canada and have been here since 2005.
CTA: What are the benefits, the most notable work the
Father Paterne
in Donguila
foundation of the Mission has made in Gabon, for you
and your family in particular?
Father Médard: The Mission is a true work of the Church,
and as such, a supernatural and divine work. It has brought
to the Gabonese souls inestimable spiritual riches, because it
is directly concerned with the salvation of their souls. One
cannot ask a question about the blessings of the Mission
without first answering that the sacraments are worthily
administered to such a large number of souls. This is their
missionary work, and it will not be removed from them. And
then we must speak about the Mass, from which flow so
many graces to Gabon. Only in Heaven will we know how all
these efforts toward liturgical beauty may have affected
these souls.
We have to admit it, in Gabon we are in Africa, and it is an
extraordinary consolation to think that the Mission has
allowed whole families to reject paganism and to convert, or
to resume the practice of the Catholic Faith, and with such
conviction! I can attest personally to several abnormal
matrimonial situations which have been regularised, of
children and adults who have made up for their delay in
receiving the sacraments. In short, I have seen the profound
and magnificent work that grace produces in souls.
We must of course also talk about the founding of our
primary and secondary school. The solid formation of
youth in these schools is a huge benefit for Gabon, both for
the state and the Church. I am certain that you will find
among our graduates good citizens, good Catholics, and
probably even more vocations.
Let us not forget to mention the material benefits that make
the propagation of the Faith possible: I am speaking of the
construction of our church and of our chapels which edified
our people, – the fruits of Charity coming mainly from
Europe, Africa and elsewhere. Believe me, all this did not
happen without effort and sacrifice.
Concerning the benefits for me and my family – I can
summarise my priestly vocation in this way: it is the Mission
which fostered it, and it can do so again today in the hearts of
many children of good will.
CTA: Do you have a fact, an event, a word that has had a
particular effect on you that you would like to tell our
readers?
Father Médard: Yes. It is an event that proves that God is
always able to draw a greater good from evil. The year of the
consecration of the four bishops in 1988, Rome having
brandished threats of excommunication against the Society,
the Diocese of Libreville cleverly used this to snatch our
faithful from us and to deter other Catholics from
associating with us. Only the diocese did not count on the
free publicity it gave to the Mission, many curious people
Vocations from
Gabon in Ecône

discovered the Mission and became faithful parishioners,
simply because what they had discovered was totally
Catholic! Even our people, scandalised by the attitude of the
clergy, were more convinced of the legitimacy of the
consecrations. Thus, against his own expectations, the
Archbishop of Libreville actually increased the number of
our faithful! Then in that same year, our Fathers took a
beautiful delegation of pilgrims to Ecône for a double event:
the consecrations and the ordination of their deacon who
became Father Karl Stehlin. No longer could the diocese tell
us lies, our faithful were there in Ecône! Truly, we must
continue to fight, and God will give us victory!
2 - Father PATERNE
CTA: Father, you are now the oldest at the Juvénat du
Sacré Cœur school complex. We cannot discuss the
Mission without speaking of the school; can you tell us
something about its foundation and its current
development?
Father Paterne: It was, in effect, the same missionary spirit
that built the Mission which brought about our school in
Libreville. In Africa, young people account for 50% of the
population of the continent. We would not be true
Missionaries if we simply boasted about the 6,000 baptisms
recorded in the Mission, without doing anything to give a
truly Christian education to all those whom we have
baptised. Father Groche did not stop with the Mission; he
also founded the Juvénat du Sacré Cœur, just a few years
after building the Mission. He wanted to give all children a
complete education, imbued with a profound spirit of faith,
as “The formation of well-balanced personalities depends
upon the well-rounded education of the whole man, body
and soul, through the constant exercise of both natural and
supernatural virtue,” as stipulated in the charter of the
schools in the Society of Saint Pius X.
Then Father Groche was even more foresighted as he had
this extraordinary sense of the needs for the future. But he
was very humble, because far from wanting flashy and quick
results and successes, he realised that these children are the
ones who will build the Gabon of tomorrow. So he realised
he must give them today the tools with which to build a
Catholic civilisation, very much a long term work. The
Fathers will pass on the work to their successors, for several
generations, in order for it to bear fruit. In Africa, more than
in Europe, we are fighting the disintegration of the family.
There again, the school is the remedy, because it will produce
the truly Christian families for the reconquest, who
themselves will be the consecrated hearts from which will be
born religious and priestly vocations. Again, it is simply
following the spirit of our Society, which tells us the school
“is likewise called to give vocations and Christian homes, the
foundations of society, to the Church and to civil society.”
That was the zeal of Father Groche, but there were also the
insistent requests of the faithful. There were many who
could recall the good education they had received previously
in the various Catholic institutions of Gabon, and they
wanted their children to have the opportunity to go to a truly
Catholic school, which was quickly becoming increasingly
rare.
At the start of 1995, the Superior of the Mission entrusted
to Father Patrick Duverger the task of leading the small
school (consisting of two teachers and nine students) that
was being run in the catechism classrooms of the Mission.
The second year, the number in school rose to 21 students.
And in the face of an ever increasing demand, we realised we
were too cramped. We had to think of somewhere to move
to. You can see how Holy Providence watches over His work
of the Society: He allowed us to acquire a property, the
former residence of the U.S. Ambassador to Gabon, right in
the city! It was a godsend because that location provided
very easy access to students coming from all parts of
Libreville.
Now, sixteen years after its founding, the Juvénat du Sacré
Cœur provides classes from lower primary all the way up to
the 3rd year of Secondary School. This year we have 185
students. We present candidates for the various State
examinations: the CEP (End of Primary Certificate) and the
BEPC (Lower Secondary Certificate) with, to say the least,
very satisfactory results.
CTA: What is the purpose of the school, its role and
place in the work of the St. Pius X Mission in Gabon?
Father Paterne: I think the purpose of our school is to
place our missionary work on a profoundly durable and solid
basis. While the Mission fights to Catholicise the souls who
need to be sanctified today in these sometimes very difficult
situations, mainly because very few benefit from a truly
Christian family; our schools fight to give the children the
education that will make them the foundation of good
families of tomorrow. Of course, this is an even more
arduous task precisely because these children need to
acquire what they cannot receive from their families!
So, all this is a long drawn-out process, even now at the
Mission we must not stop preaching about the importance
of Catholic schools. However, I must mention that the
Juvénat du Sacré Cœur has a significant number of students
who are not from families who attend the Mission Church.
Some of the families come seeing the seriousness of the
work of the Fathers, others for the excellent scholastic level
found at the school. God is using all this and the enrolment
of such students often give their parents the opportunity to
convert after years of having abandoned religious practice,
thereby increasing the number of faithful at the Mission.
You see how the Good Lord balances things! And as most of
these people come from the middle class, thanks to the
school the Mission succeeds in contacting an elite part of the
Gabonese population! Over time it will convince more and
more of our own faithful to set an example for their children
by making the necessary sacrifices so as to be able to enrol
them in our school. But we still have much work to do and
need lots of prayers!
CTA: Can you relate a fact or an event that
demonstrates the role and importance of the school in
the life of the Saint Pius X Mission?
Father Paterne: It takes many years for a school to bear
fruit. When we have completed the second secondary cycle
and given our students a complete education from the
primary level to the baccalaureate (Final Leaving
Certificate), then our school will completely fulfil its role as a
nursery of vocations and Christian homes, called to play a
leading role in society. But we can already see the beginnings
of these fruits through the fact that each year about thirty
teenagers receive adult baptism at the St. Pius X Mission. �
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The Priestly Society of
Saint Pius X in Africa
For information:
District House -
Our Lady Queen of Africa
House
P.O. Box 14881
Bredell 1623
South Africa
Tel: +27 11 396 1807 / +27 11 0835 357
Fax: +27 866 970 120
fsspx.africa.sec@gmail.com
How to help us:
In Euros, by cheque payable to: «Mission de la Fraternité Saint Pie X»
sent to: FSSPX District d'Afrique,
11 rue Cluseret
F - 92280 Suresnes Cedex, France
or by bank transfer: IBAN: FR76 3000 3008 1400 0372 6218 101
BIC / SWIFT: SOGEFRPP
(and please send the transfer details to: fsspx.africa.sec@gmail.com)
In Swiss Francs (CHF), by transfer
CCP/PC 60-29015-3 Priesterbruderschaft St. Pius X., 6313 Menzingen
(IBAN: CH12 0900 0000 6002 9015 3; BIC: POFICHBEXXX)
Zahlungszweck / Motif versement / Message:
Distrikt Afrika / District d’Afrique / District of Africa
In American Dollars (USD), by cheque,
payable to: «Society of Saint Pius X»
sent to: SSPX African Missions,
New Regina Coeli House,
11485 North Farley Road,
USA - Platte City MO 64079, USA
(Tax receipt sent on request for US residents)
In British Pounds (GBP), by cheque
payable to: «Society of Saint Pius X»
sent to: SSPX African Missions,
St George's House
125 Arthur Road,
GB - Wimbledon Park SW19 7DR
Great Britain
In Australian Dollars (AUD), by cheque
payable to: «Society of Saint Pius X»
sent to: SSPX African Missions
P.O. Box 25
AUS - Penshurst NSW 2222, Australia
For all other currencies: Please contact: SSPX District of Africa,
P.O. Box 14881,
ZA - Bredell 1623,
South Africa
If you wish your donation to be used for a particular house or work, please
specify in an accompanying note. If not, we will use your gift for the
Missionary work most in need at the time.
May God bless you for your generosity!
Ghana
Nigeria
Cameroon
Gabon
Namibia
SANCTA MARIA
REGINA AFRICÆ
ORA PRO NOBIS ET
CONVERTE AFRICAM
Zambia
South Africa
Burundi�
Zimbabwe
Country hosting Priory(ies)
Visited from South Africa
Visited from Gabon
Visited from Kenya
Visited from Zimbabwe
Uganda
Tanzania
Kenya
Madagascar
Liste of priories:
Réunion�
Mauritius�
SOUTH AFRICA
Johannesburg
Our Lady of Sorrows Priory
-11 Amelia St. Roodepoort 1724
-P.O. Box 878 - Roodepoort 1725
Tel: +27 11 763 1050 - Fax: +27 86 672 8789
olsorrows@mweb.co.za
Durban
Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Priory
-12 Gum Tree Ave., off Berea Rd.
Bulwer - Durban 4001
-P.O. Box 52009 - Berea Road - Durban 4007
Tel & Fax: +27 31 201 6642
GABON
Libreville
Mission Saint Pie X
-Quartier La Peyrie - B. P. 3870 - Libreville
Tel: +241 76 60 18 - Fax: +241 74 62 15
mspxgabon@yahoo.fr
Juvénat du Sacré-Cœur
-Quartier Rio - B. P. 2149 - Libreville
Tel. +241 72 18 66 - Fax. +241 72 18 65
juvenatsacrecoeur@yahoo.fr
KENYA
Nairobi
Holy Cross Church & Priory
-9 & 11 Amboseli Rd. - Lavington
-P.O. Box 852 - 00502 Karen
Tel: +254 20 38 62 214
holy.cross.priory@gmail.com
ZIMBABWE
Harare
St. Joseph’s Priory
-9 Jean Lane - Strathaven, Harare
Tel & Fax: +263 4 339 440
sspxzim@yoafrica.com