Was Bishop Tissier the Most Like Lefebvre? Testimonies from Asia

Memories of Bishop Tissier de Mallerais by people who met him on his visits to Asia. Mostly from the Philippines, but one from Vietnam.

From One Peter Five

By Caterina Lorenzo-Molo, PhD

Caterina Lorenzo-Molo, Manila

When I saw him for the first time a few months ago, and listened to his hours-long impromptu speech (where he summarized his book), I thought to myself, “He is so old and frail, this could be the first and last time I would ever see him.” Unfortunately there was quite a crowd so I was unable to kiss his ring and to tell him how much I enjoyed his books—and what a real masterpiece, Faith Imperiled by Reason is. Bishop Tissier wasvery mild-mannered. I am told that he resembled Archbishop Lefebvre the most. But he was such a good storyteller—quite animated, acting out characters in his stories, with gestures, etc. It was Tissier’s mild-mannered and very fatherly character, however, that must have made him most like the very soft-spoken Archbishop. I took a video of the talk, but unfortunately deleted it by accident. At the end of his talk, he said (paraphrased): “Soon, we will need to consecrate bishops.” And when they do, I will be there to watch and pray, and thank Almighty God, for giving Archbishop Lefebvre the grace and courage to do something so difficult. He  what a good successor of the Apostles should to preserve the Faith—and for giving us this very humble intellectual giant, whose faith was not imperiled by reason because he lived a life against the world through contemplation and prayer fueled by mortification and suffering—walking the talk beyond the comforts of what the pulpit and pen alone can comfortably achieve.

Ann Marie Daphne Adeva-Hermosura, Manila

It was in Écône (sometime in 2000) where for months, while staying with the SSPX Sisters there, Bishop Tissier de Mallerais became my confessor. I was able to witness first-hand what senior SSPX priests and religious were saying – that among the four bishops consecrated by Archbishop Lefebvre, Bishop Tissier was the most virtuous and the most similar to the Archbishop’s spirituality and demeanor. For that reason he was tasked to write his biography. If I may add, during his last visit to Manila just this year, he was his most jolly and radiant self. He even recounted energetically the entire history of the SSPX. It was the first time he did that in all his visits since the SSPX set foot in the Philippines which I have witnessed.

Ronaldo Frio, Manila

I was serving the 7:15 a.m.  Low Mass and we were already in the Roman Canon part of the Mass when I noticed that Mgr. Tissier de Mallerais was in the sacristy assembling his crozier in preparation for the 9 a.m. ceremonies. When it was time for us servers to come up the predella for the consecration, I saw the aged Bishop kneeling on bare floor, no kneeler or cushion, waiting for that most sacred moment of the Mass where Our Lord comes down on our altars. This is faith, pure and simple! In September of 2019 we had the great privilege of living with Bishop Tissier for three days in the St Bernard Novitiate. We were there to visit and to attend the first profession of a Brother friend and Bishop Tissier was the one to accept that first profession. He was more like a happy and warm grandfather. His demeanor was very relaxed and carefree. I can still remember that instead of a cellphone, he kept his flight details written in a small notebook.  Maybe he was just enjoying the tropical countryside, but once he was late for the Divine Office because he was happily chasing the goats outside the chapel – the community of course patiently waited for him. When I and my two friends went out for a day to visit the town, the brothers told us that the Bishop was looking for us during Sextam. Little did we know, he thought we were pre-seminarians because we were always present in all community prayers. During breakfast that day before we parted, to the envy of the brothers, the Bishop went to our table and served us eggs. Not scripted and no cameras – we were served breakfast by a Bishop.

A young altar server, Manila

It was a First Friday night, and a Coram Episcopo Mass. The Bishop refused an electric fan, which he pointed away. I was moved as he joined the Mass and prayed the  Divine Office in the heat. The following day, after the Mass, when he came to greet the faithful, he saw the signature of Bishop Athanasius Schneider on one of the faithful’s missals. He was delighted and said, “The Bishop went to Écône and told us to prepare for the canonization of Abp. Lefebvre.” He was very happy when I showed him a photo of Bishop Schneider when he visited us at Our Lady of Victories (the SSPX Church in Manila). During the Confirmation and Solemn High Mass, which I was blessed to be able to serve, I witnessed his great devotion to Our Lord. After the Mass we had a chance to join him for lunch, and he made a speech retelling the story of Abp. Lefebvre and the foundation of the SSPX.

A young altar server, Manila

It is said that among the four bishops, he is the most strict when it comes to the liturgy, but in interpersonal relations, he is the sweetest. He was cool when we asked for selfies.

John Arwin C. Palileo, Manila

As a member of the Archconfraternity of St. Stephen, I consider it a great blessing to have served in the Confirmation Rites and Pontifical Sung Mass presided over by His Lordship Bishop Tissier de Mallerais last August, 2024. During the Confirmation Rites, Bishop Tissier mentioned St Agapitus of Palestrina. He noted that St Agapitus was one of the thousands of martyrs guided by the Holy Ghost to face cruel death rather than deny their faith in the Most Holy Trinity. This testimony strengthened my resolve to endure sacrifices, pain, and even death for the sake of faith and love for God.

Alexander Jayson A Manaligod, Manila

In our circle of friends, we referred to him as the “Confirmation Bishop.” In 2019, he spoke about the role of the Cristeros in maintaining their faith despite the Atheistic revolutionary government. Fortitude would then play a role in defending the rights of God in this world that tries so hard to live without Him, to the point that those who truly believe are the ones who suffer yet would later on receive the crown of glory by Our Lord Himself: we join in the spirit of the martyrs that exclaim: “Viva Cristo Rey!” That particular sermon touched me so much that it gave meaning to the way I would live my own life in service, catalyzed by the Confirmation he bestowed on me.

Referring to the consecration of bishops in 1988 by Archbishop Lefebvre, Bishop Tissier declared, “We may suffer to be rejected, but it is necessary to preserve the Church.” When people in the hierarchy reject Christ the King’s reign on Earth, strip Him of the glory fitting for His worship, eradicate the necessity of a bishop’s teaching authority, neglect the formation of an authentic Catholic priesthood, and appeal to a false sense of God, I am reminded of the bishop’s clarion call: “We are at WAR!” With this, we turn our sorrow into a fearless rage against those who destroy the Church by boldly proclaiming the dearest Bishop’s motto: PAX CHRISTI REGIS.

Fermarc Heri B Escueta, Manila

One particular event I encountered with H.E Bishop Tissier that will never be effaced from my memory, is that after that momentous occasion of the Rite of Confirmation, at the reception and audience with the bishop, my fellow close friends and I asked for his advice regarding our vocation. His reply was interesting and unexpected: “Kneel down I will give a blessing! Sit nomen Domini benedictum…”

An altar server from Vietnam

When we first saw Monseigneur at the airport, we could not help but hold back our tears. Traditional Catholics are persecuted in Vietnam, which brings me to this story, which happened a year ago, when we prayed for some successor of the Apostles to visit our beloved country. With great generosity, Monseigneur Tissier responded to our plea. We had six months to prepare as best we could for this Mass with the good bishop, which was to be held at a faithful’s house. 24 hours before the Mass, fearing persecution, the faithful who volunteered their home cancelled. But God provided us with another house inside a carpentry workshop, 40 km away from our city. A lot of work had to be done within 24 hours – move the altar, the entire sacristy, and everything that came with it, to the new location. We also did a thorough clean-up of the place. Reservations in the hotel and restaurant in the prior location were cancelled, and we willingly forfeited 100% of the deposit. Hotel bookings in the new location were also more costly since they were not booked in advance as a consequence of the sudden change in location. Our hearts were deeply touched that Monseigneur accepted everything without hesitation, not worrying about last-minute changes and inconveniences. In the sweltering summer heat in a carpentry workshop, Monseigneur meticulously and solemnly consecrated our chalices and blessed many other liturgical items. It was the first time I’d ever witnessed the consecration of chalices, which was quite a lengthy ceremony, due to Monseigneur’s meticulousness in applying the holy oil repeatedly inside the chalices and rinsing them with lemon. He was sweating profusely, and his face was red, yet he did everything so perfectly. He was too old and fragile to stand upright, but he bowed and genuflected with great reverence. Monseigneur taught, advised, and encouraged us to overcome difficulties so that with the gift of fortitude bestowed upon us by the Holy Ghost, we might be able to courageously endure persecution and bear witness to the holy Catholic Faith. Blessed to have been able to serve at his Mass, I must say, he was the most devout and fervent celebrant I ever served Mass for. After Mass, I snuck into the sacristy, and saw how Monseigneur folded his alb with his own hands and put it into a purple cloth bag. I almost burst into tears, witnessing his meticulousness, folding in a way more beautiful than tailor shops! I also had the grace-filled privilege to eat, drink, and talk with Monseigneur for hours while visiting some places in the city. We attentively listened to many stories from the man closest to Monseigneur Marcel Lefebvre. We talked about the Catholic faith, the Church in Vietnam, and its religious history in our country. We also gave Monseigneur an antique French book on the lives of Vietnamese martyrs, and we were all amazed by his wisdom and intelligence as he was able to read the entire thick book, grasping the main ideas within an hour of sifting through it in the car. He expressed his admiration for missionaries and prayed for the mission in our country. Finally, we would like to express our gratitude to our friends and benefactors at home and abroad, especially during the most challenging times. We have many good friends, especially from the US, helping fund our apostolate, purchasing books and liturgical items, and having them shipped to us; as well as the Netherlands, where a faithful gifted us a precious chalice. Altar servers in neighboring countries have also helped guide us through ceremonies and rituals.