The purpose of the Saint Pius X is "the priesthood and all that pertains to it and nothing but what concerns it" (Statutes). This includes all the work required for the formation of candidates to the priesthood, which takes place in our international seminars.
During six years of intense liturgical life; philosophical, theological and pastoral studies; community life and spiritual direction, the future priests advance toward the altar and prepare for an apostolic life in the service of the Church and for souls.
The first and most representative seminary of the Society is the International Seminary of Saint Pius X, which was founded in 1971 by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre in Econe, in the foothills of the Swiss Alps in the Canton of Valais. The large church, consecrated in 2012, is dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and the mortal remains of the founder rest in the seminary gardens.
English-speaking seminarians of the Society prepare for the priesthood at Saint Thomas Aquinas Seminary in Dillwyn, Virginia, in the United States.
Sacred Heart of Jesus Seminary is the house of studies for our German-speaking candidates. It is located in Zaitzkofen, Germany.
In Argentina, near Buenos Aires, the International Seminary of Our Lady Coredemptrix receives our Spanish-speaking seminarians.
Before going to the Seminary of Saint Pius X in Ecône, seminarians spend their first year of spirituality at the Seminary of Saint-Curé d'Ars in Flavigny, France.