Marcel François Marie Joseph Lefebvre was a French Catholic archbishop who influenced modern traditionalist Catholicism. In 1970, five years after the close of the Second Vatican Council, he founded the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX), a community to train seminarians in the traditional manner, in the village of Écône, Switzerland. In 1988, Pope John Paul II declared that Archbishop Lefebvre had "incurred the grave penalty of excommunication envisaged by ecclesiastical law" for consecrating four bishops against the pope's express prohibition but, according to Lefebvre, in reliance on an "agreement given by the Holy See ... for the consecration of one bishop."
A vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior. Linguistically, vicar is cognate with the English prefix "vice", similarly meaning "deputy". It also refers to a senior priest in the Church of England. The title appears in a number of Christian ecclesiastical contexts, but also as an administrative title, or title modifier, in the Roman Empire. In addition, in the Holy Roman Empire, a local representative of the emperor, such as an archduke, could be styled "vicar".
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.
Monsignor is a form of address or title for certain members of the clergy in the Catholic Church. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian monsignore, meaning "my lord". "Monsignor" can be abbreviated as Mons. or Msgr. In some countries, the title "monsignor" is used as a form of address for bishops. However, in English-speaking countries, the title is unrelated to the episcopacy, though many priests with the title later become bishops.
Canon is a Christian title usually used to refer to a member of certain bodies in subject to an ecclesiastical rule.
The hierarchy of the Catholic Church consists of its bishops, priests, and deacons. In the ecclesiological sense of the term, "hierarchy" strictly means the "holy ordering" of the church, the Body of Christ, so to respect the diversity of gifts and ministries necessary for genuine unity.
Javier Echevarría Rodríguez was a Spanish Catholic bishop who served as the head of Opus Dei from 1994 until his death. He held doctorates in both civil and canon law.
The Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest, Latin: Institutum Christi Regis Summi Sacerdotis, abbreviated as ICRSS and ICKSP, is a society of apostolic life of pontifical right in communion with the Holy See of the Catholic Church. The institute has the stated goal of honouring God and the sanctification of priests in the service of the Catholic Church and souls. An integral part of the institute's charism is the use of the traditional liturgy, namely the Tridentine Missal for Mass, the Breviary of John XXIII for the Divine Office, and the Rituale Romanum for other sacraments. The society has undertaken the restoration of a number of historic church buildings.
The Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei was a commission of the Catholic Church established by Pope John Paul II's motu proprioEcclesia Dei of 2 July 1988 for the care of those former followers of Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre who broke with him as a result of his consecration of four priests of his Society of St. Pius X as bishops on 30 June 1988, an act that the Holy See deemed illicit and a schismatic act. It was also tasked with trying to return to full communion with the Holy See those traditionalist Catholics who are in a state of separation, of whom the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) is foremost, and of helping to satisfy just aspirations of people unconnected with these groups who want to keep alive the pre-1970 Roman Rite liturgy.
The Personal Apostolic Administration of Saint John Mary Vianney was established on 18 January 2002 by Pope John Paul II for traditionalist Catholic clergy and laity within the Diocese of Campos in Brazil. It is the only personal apostolic administration in existence, and the only canonically regular Catholic Church jurisdiction devoted exclusively to celebrating the pre-1965 form of the Roman Rite in the area. Its current Apostolic Administrator is Bishop Fernando Arêas Rifan.
Vincent DePaul Breen was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as the third bishop of the Diocese of Metuchen in central New Jersey from 1997 until his resignation in 2002.
Dermot Pius Farrell KC*HS is an Irish Roman Catholic prelate who has served as Archbishop of Dublin since 2021.
Donald Walter Trautman was an American prelate of the Catholic Church who served as bishop of the Diocese of Erie in Western Pennsylvania from 1990 to 2011. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Buffalo in Upstate New York from 1985 to 1990.
Robert Dwayne Gruss is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He has served as the seventh bishop of the Diocese of Saginaw in Michigan since 2019. Gruss previously served as bishop of the Diocese of Rapid City in South Dakota from 2011 to 2019.
Wach is a Polish and German surname. Notable people with the surname include:
Andrzej Siemieniewski is the Polish Roman Catholic bishop of Legnica.
David Prescott Talley is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, serving as bishop of the Diocese of Memphis in Tennessee since 2019.
Angelo De Donatis is an Italian Catholic prelate. He has been Major Penitentiary since April 2024. He was Cardinal Vicar and Archpriest of the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran from 2017 to 2024.
Alfred Andrew Schlert is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who has been serving as the bishop of the Diocese of Allentown in Pennsylvania since 2017.
David Leon Toups is an American Catholic prelate who has served as Bishop of Beaumont since 2020. He was previously rector of St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach, Florida.
