Donald Sanborn

Donald J. Sanborn (born February 19, 1950) is an American independent bishop, known for his advocacy of sedevacantism. He currently serves as rector of the independent Most Holy Trinity Seminary in Brooksville, Florida. He was ordained a priest in June 1975 as a member of the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX). Canonical recognition of the SSPX had been controversially withdrawn by the local Roman Catholic bishop in May 1975, one month prior to Sanborn's ordination, and this move would later be upheld by the Vatican. In 1983, he broke ties with the SSPX, and established the independent Blessed Sacrament Chapel in Martinez, California in 1984. He was consecrated a bishop by the traditionalist bishop Robert McKenna in 2002.

Biography

Early years
Donald Sanborn was born into a Roman Catholic family in Flushing, Queens, New York. There he attended Catholic elementary and high schools. He became interested in the Catholic priesthood and entered the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception, but subsequently dropped out.

Society of St. Pius X
Becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the effects of the reforms following the Second Vatican Council, he entered the traditionalist SSPX seminary in Ecône, Switzerland. He was ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre in 1975. By 1976 Sanborn was a member of the Society of St. Pius X celebrating the traditional Mass for Catholics on Long Island, New York, together with Father Clarence Kelly.

St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary
1977 found Sanborn teaching at what was then called the SSPX's St. Joseph's House of Studies, in Armada, Michigan. Later in 1977 he was appointed Rector of the Seminary. He subsequently began earnestly searching for newer, larger premises in order to accommodate the growing number of seminarians. Sanborn launched a fundraising campaign and eventually succeeded in acquiring a former Jesuit retreat house; this would later be renamed St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary (still operating under the SSPX as of 2019).

The Nine
In 1983, he was one of nine American priests who broke ties with Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, accusing him of being insufficiently traditionalist. Other priests in the group of nine included Anthony Cekada and Daniel Dolan.

Most Holy Trinity Seminary
Sanborn founded the independent traditionalist Most Holy Trinity Seminary in Spring Lake, Florida in 1995, which in 2005 was relocated to Brooksville, Florida, and continues to serve as the Seminary's rector as of January 2019.  Most Holy Trinity Seminary is one of very few fully functioning  sedevacantist seminaries in the world, and Sanborn frequently travels to Europe and around the United States holding conferences promoting sedevacantism.[citation needed] 

Sanborn has served as pastor of the independent Queen of All Saints Chapel in Brooksville, Florida.

Episcopal consecration 
The Roman Catholic priest and independent traditionalist bishop Robert McKenna OP consecrated Sanborn as a bishop in 2002. On February 22, 2018, on the Feast of the See of St. Peter at Antioch, Sanborn consecrated Joseph Selway as a bishop, with Geert Stuyver from the Mater Boni Consilii Institute and Daniel Dolan assisting as co-consecrators.

References

Category:Traditionalist Catholicism
Category:Members of the Society of Saint Pius X
Category:Sedevacantists

Category:Roman Catholic bishops
Category:Traditionalist Catholic bishops
Category:People from New York (state)
Category:1950 births
Category:Living people
Category:People from Brooksville, Florida
Category:People from Macomb County, Michigan
Category:American Traditionalist Catholics