In this release, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre faces the most difficult decision of his life. Chapter 19 follows the growing crisis of the 1980s, the Assisi interreligious meeting, his deepening concern over the future of the priesthood, and his conviction that Tradition could not survive without bishops to ordain priests and confirm the faithful. After years of negotiations with Rome, hopeful openings, delays, and failed agreements, he concludes that the time has come to act. On June 30, 1988, together with Bishop de Castro Mayer, Archbishop Lefebvre consecrates four bishops at Ecône in what he calls “Operation Survival,” determined to pass on what he himself had received.

In this release, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre moves from preserving Tradition to rebuilding Catholic life around it. Chapter 18 follows the growth of priories, chapels, schools, seminaries, retreat houses, and religious communities across Europe and beyond. At the same time, he continues his dialogue with Rome, firmly rejecting both liberal compromise on one side and sedevacantism on the other. Through internal crises, growing opposition, and an expanding worldwide apostolate, his guiding conviction remains the same: preserve the Mass, form holy priests, strengthen Catholic families, and establish places where the Faith can survive and grow. What began at Ecône is now becoming an international work.

In this release, the conflict surrounding Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre and Ecône comes fully into the open. Chapter 17 follows his definitive rejection of the New Mass, his growing confrontation with bishops and Roman authorities, and his determination to preserve the traditional priesthood and sacraments. As pressure mounts, the Society of St. Pius X is suppressed, yet Ecône continues. Then comes his famous 1974 declaration of fidelity to “eternal Rome,” followed by the dramatic ordinations of 1976, his suspension a divinis, and finally his long-awaited meeting with Pope Paul VI. Through it all, Archbishop Lefebvre insists that his resistance is not against the Church, but in defense of what the Church has always taught and handed down.

In this release, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre begins the work that will define the rest of his life: the restoration of the Catholic priesthood. Chapter 16 begins with seminarians in distress, young men seeking solid doctrine, traditional formation, and a priestly life centered on the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. From those first uncertain steps in Fribourg, Providence leads him to Ecône, where a year of spirituality, Thomistic studies, liturgical life, and priestly discipline begin to take shape. We also see the official founding of the Society of St. Pius X, the first vocations, the beginnings of its sisters and brothers, and the spread of this work beyond Europe.

In this release, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre enters the postconciliar crisis with growing clarity and urgency. Chapter 15 shows him recognizing the deep confusion spreading through the Church after Vatican II: a crisis of authority, doctrine, catechism, religious life, and liturgy. No longer able to rely on official structures alone, he begins encouraging priests, bishops, writers, and lay movements who are trying to preserve the Faith. At the same time, the reform of the Mass accelerates, and Archbishop Lefebvre sees that the battle is no longer theoretical. The Church’s doctrine, worship, and priesthood are now directly at stake.