The main goal of the Society of Saint Pius X is to preserve the Catholic Faith in its fullness and purity, to teach its truths, and to diffuse its virtues, especially through the Roman Catholic priesthood. Authentic spiritual life, the sacraments, and the traditional liturgy are its primary means of bringing this life of grace to souls.
Although the traditional Latin Mass is the most visible and public expression of the work of the Society, we are committed to defending Catholic Tradition in its entirety: all of Catholic doctrine and morals as the Church has always defended them. What people need is the Catholic Faith, without compromise, with all the truth and beauty which accompanies it.
Archbishop Lefebvre, in the Statutes of the Society of Saint Pius X, wrote:
"The Society’s members will therefore have a true and continual devotion towards their Holy Mass, towards the liturgy which enshrines it, and towards everything which contributes to make the liturgy more expressive of the mystery accomplished in it…A profound theological knowledge of the sacrifice of the Mass will convince them always more firmly that the whole revelation, the mystery of faith, the completion of the mysteries of the Incarnation and Redemption, and the whole efficacy of the apostolate are accomplished in this sublime reality."
As a Catholic priestly fraternity, our role in the Church is to be a witness to what Catholic life was like before the disastrous changes in the Catholic Church in the 20th century. Without inventing anything on our own, we hope to contribute to the restoration of all things in Christ by sharing what we have received from the Church with the Church at large.
As Archbishop wrote:
[The Society’s activities] include all the works necessary for the formation of priests and whatever pertains thereto, whether the candidates be destined to be members of the Society or not.
The second purpose of the Society is to assist priests in their sanctification by providing them with opportunities for retreats and recollections. The Society’s houses could be headquarters for priestly associations, for Third Orders, for periodicals and magazines dedicated to the sanctification of priests.
The Society will willingly come to the assistance of aged, infirm, and even unfaithful priests...
The Society also welcomes associates, whether priests or laymen, who wish to collaborate in working for the Society’s purpose and to profit by its grace for their personal sanctification.