Fr Daniel Themann

Sources close to the Society of St Pius X have dismissed speculation that Fr Daniel Themann will be among those consecrated bishop this summer Sources close to the Society of St Pius X have dismissed speculation that Fr Daniel Themann will be among the priests consecrated bishop during the Society’s expected episcopal consecrations on July 1, AdVaticanum can reveal. The Australian district superior had been widely discussed in SSPX circles in recent months as a possible candidate for episcopal consecration, particularly following the circulation of a false communiqué on April 1 claiming that decisions had already been made regarding new bishops. But multiple sources have told AdVaticanum that Fr Themann has personally indicated he would instead be reassigned to the United States and was not under consideration for consecration. One source told AdVaticanum that Fr Themann had personally moved to dampen speculation shortly after the circulation of the false April 1 communiqué, reiterating that preparations were already under way for his reassignment to the United States. The source said Fr Themann had spoken openly about the move to those working closely with him and had “spoken to the Sisters under him explicitly about it”. The source added: “It was at the start of April he spoke to Father Themann, after the fake April 1 communiqué. Father reasserted that he was going to be reassigned to the United States and that preparations are already made for a real reassignment to the US.” Another SSPX source said Fr Themann again rejected the rumours several weeks later following Mass, insisting that his future role in America had effectively already been settled and would be ongoing rather than temporary. According to the source, Fr Themann was “adamant” that he would not be among those selected for consecration. The source said: “After May 3, after celebrating a Low Mass, Father was adamant that the position in the US is now confirmed as an ongoing position and he’s not going to be selected for consecration.” A further source within the SSPX general house in Switzerland told this publication that no announcement concerning Fr Themann was expected and that clergy had become increasingly reluctant to discuss the matter because of the level of speculation surrounding the consecrations. The source said: “Fr Daniel Themann is sick of being asked one way or another, so there will be nothing.” The source added: “No one wants to make any comment even off the record, not even an anti-comment, because everything has an implication for who it may or may not be.” The SSPX has not publicly confirmed any of the names of those to be consecrated this summer. The speculation is unsurprising given that Fr Themann has emerged in recent years as one of the Society’s more prominent English-speaking superiors. An American priest, he entered the SSPX after studying industrial management and completing work in business and manufacturing before beginning priestly formation at St Thomas Aquinas Seminary in Winona, Minnesota. He was ordained priest in 2009 by Bishop Bernard Tissier de Mallerais as part of one of the seminary’s largest ordination classes. After serving in the United States and teaching at the Winona seminary, Fr Themann was appointed rector of Holy Cross Seminary in Goulburn, Australia, in 2015 by the then superior general, Bishop Bernard Fellay. During his five years as rector, Fr Themann oversaw the formation of seminarians from across the Asia-Pacific region before succeeding Fr John Fullerton as district superior of Australia and New Zealand in 2020. In that role, Fr Themann has supervised the Society’s chapels, schools and apostolates across both countries while also serving as chairman of the board of St Thomas Aquinas College in Tynong, Victoria. The Society’s last episcopal consecrations took place in 1988, when Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre consecrated four bishops at Écône, Switzerland, without papal approval, leading Rome to declare that the bishops had incurred automatic excommunication. The excommunications were later remitted by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009. Photo credit: St Thomas Aquinas Seminary