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Societas Sacerdotalis Sancti Pii Quinti | |
| Abbreviation | SSPV |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1983 |
| Type | Traditionalist Catholicreligious congregation |
| Headquarters | Norwood, Ohio,United States |
Superior General | William Jenkins[1] |
Key people |
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| Website | sspv.org |
TheSociety of Saint Pius V (SSPV;Latin:Societas Sacerdotalis Sancti Pii Quinti) is atraditionalist Catholic society of priests, formed in 1983, and based inNorwood, Ohio,United States.[1] The society's original headquarters was inOyster Bay Cove,New York.[1] The society was formed by a group of priests who broke away from theSociety of Saint Pius X (SSPX) overliturgical issues.
The SSPV issedevacantist, believing that the papacy has been vacant since the death of Pope Pius XII.[2][3] The society was headed by one of its co-founders, BishopClarence Kelly, until his death on December 2, 2023. It is named afterPope Pius V, who promulgated theTridentine Mass.
Four expelled priests plus five who voluntarily left the SSPX refused to accept Lefebvre's insistence on the1962 Missal, as it was their opinion that it included departures from the liturgical traditions of the church (for example, inserting the name ofSaint Joseph after that of theBlessed Virgin Mary in theCanon of the Mass).[4] According to the now-BishopDonald Sanborn (one of the nine priests), Lefebvre was imposing these liturgical and disciplinary changes in view of a reconciliation with the Vatican.[5] A more basic reason was the belief amongst the nine that the men who had reigned as pope since the death ofPope Pius XII (d. 1958) had not been legitimate popes (Canon 1325, no. 2, 1917),[6] although Fr. Anthony Cekada later stated that "[t]he 'pope question' was not raised at the time, and was not at issue."[7] They held that these popes had officially taught and/or accepted heretical doctrines, and therefore had lost or never occupied the See of Rome.[8]
Cekada states that a split took place in the SSPV, which resulted from the SSPV's intrinsic distrust of a centralized authority as existed in the SSPX, which makes the latter vulnerable to being "subverted with one stroke of a pen" to theVatican. Rather than independent congregations being a weakness and something to be lamented, Cekada considers all such groups and priests taken together preferable to the SSPX, which has continued to hold negotiations with Rome and uses the 1962 Missal.[9]
On 19 October 1993,Clarence Kelly was consecrated a bishop inCarlsbad,California,United States, by BishopAlfredo Méndez-Gonzalez, the retired Bishop ofArecibo,Puerto Rico.
The SSPV currently has five permanentpriories, and its priests serve a network of chapels, churches, and temporary Mass locations in 14 US states (as of 2023[update]) and one Canadian province (Alberta).[10][11]
The Congregation of Saint Pius V (CSPV) is aSociety of Common Life for priests and coadjutor brothers, founded by Bishop Kelly in 1996. The CSPV was formed to provide a canonical structure for the incardination of priests and the affiliation of religious. The congregation operates Immaculate Heart Seminary in Round Top, New York, for its candidates, under the direction of Bishop James Carroll, CSPV. The seminary's graduates are ordained by Bishop Carroll or Bishop Santay. As of 2025, the CSPV has two bishops, fifteen priests, and four brothers.[12]
...with regard to the status of John Paul II, in my opinion, I do not think that he is the vicar of Christ. (Clarence Kelly)
