FSSP Vocations Scotland and Ireland

32 seminarians tonsured the same day

2011-12-15T12:00:00.001Z

On 22nd October 2011, 14 and 18 seminarians were tonsured in each of our two seminaries, making it 32 altogether: the largest number of ‘tonsurati’ in the history of our Fraternity. Among them were three from the United Kingdom: Revs Krzysztof (originally from Poland), Alex, and Mark. The latter reports on the ceremony in Bavaria.

In the Old Testament the tribe of Levi had no inheritance to call their own; they had no land to pass on to their sons. According to God's merciful plan they were accorded forty-eight cities to dwell in – scattered amongst the other tribes – but this was for their maintenance; they had no "heritable property" as we would know it today. And yet, having nothing, they had everything, for "the Lord God of Israel Himself" was their possession (Jos. 13:33).

So it is for the cleric. He is singled out, set apart – after a particular call from the Lord – to bring sacrifice to the Lord. Living in a spirit of poverty, he has – like the Levites – nothing material to give. Rather he brings the offerings of others, and above all he brings himself to be offered. Thus with a joyful heart I, and thirteen of my confrères, prayed the immortal words from Psalm XV– "The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and of my cup: it is thou that wilt restore my inheritance to me" – and received the clerical tonsure on October 22nd in Lindau, on the shores of Lake Constance in Bavaria, from His Excellency Vitus Huonder, Bishop of the neighbouring diocese of Chur (Zurich) in Switzerland.

In a moving ceremony, the Seminarian is "called forward" to receive the tonsure, where he answers "adsum", that he is present and ready; he is prepared. The Seminarian having donned the collar, soutane and cincture privately in the Sacristy – the collar representing Christ's yoke, and the cincture chastity – the Bishop proceeds to cut five locks from the Seminarian's hair in the form of a Cross, at the same time reciting the above verse from the Psalter in Latin. Then the Surplice – the cleric's particular garb for Liturgy (the Soutane being his everyday clothing, it must be remembered) – is "imposed" onto the Seminarian, with the prayer that the Lord will make him a "new man, created by God in justice and the sanctity of Truth" (c.f. Eph. 4:24).

Whilst the Code of Canon Law now recognises the clerical state only with the conferring of the Diaconate, the ceremony of Tonsure and Clothing as Clerics makes us such liturgically and „existentially‟. One may not yet canonically be a cleric, but for us, and for the eighteen further Seminarians who received the Tonsure on the same day in America, a very visible change has taken place. To the world we look like clerics, or – not knowing any better – we are mistaken for Priests, and we are confronted with a new identity each time our reflection is seen in a pane of glass or a mirror. Is it really me there? Yes, and – trusting in God's call – I will continue to "put on" My Lord each day, and suffer for His sake. (Though, most encounters are positive, because – even in today's "Godless" society – people recognise a commitment as such.)

And so began my second year as a Seminarian for the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter. After a first, "probationary" year, the very visual ceremony and change from civil clothes into always dressing like a cleric, is one that strikingly confirms that one is continuing in formation. With six years still "to go", there is plenty time to become used to the soutane, and also to be formed by it. After all, our formation here is not only academic, as Pope John Paul II noted in the Apostolic Exhortation "Pastores Dabo Vobis", but must also encompass human, pastoral and spiritual formation. And even a piece of clothing contributes to that (though, having been blessed by the Bishop, our Soutanes are also sacramentals!).

The Seminary formation here follows the model prescribed by the Council of Trent while conforming to the Ratio Studiorum of the Holy See. The first year, probationary in nature, is a year of spiritual formation, during which the candidate becomes disciplined in a community life of prayer and penance. The next two years comprise a thorough grounding in thomistic philosophy, during which the Seminarian also continues studies in Latin, scripture, and Gregorian chant, already begun in first year. This is then followed by four years of theological studies, during the last of which one is on placement as a deacon.

Already in the first year there were many challenges to be met: dealing in a foreign language "all day, every day" has its initial frustrations but immense benefits. After years of disuse my childhood German had become very rusty, and I prepared for entering the Seminary by going "back to school", to night classes. That said, the first few weeks were daunting as the artificial environment of my Hometown University could only prepare me so far, and I found many gaps: the language of philosophy being somewhat different from that of the holidaymaker or business traveller.

The daily régime of the Seminary is also demanding, but very rewarding: the day centres around the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and the Hours of the Divine Office (the Breviary). By 6:25am Seminarians are in the Church praying Lauds in choir, this is then followed by silent mental prayer and then the community Mass. Likewise, Seminarians gather in the chapel for Sext (midday prayer) and Vespers, or Rosary in common, or Adoration and Benediction, and again in the Church for Compline (night prayer). The rest of the day is made up of classes and tasks and chores. Despite there being two mandatory recreation periods, one after lunch and one after the evening meal, the day seems full-packed and in second year it does not show any signs of slowing down!

That said, the daily rhythm bears for me a great deal similarity to that one finds in, for example, a Benedictine monastery. By that I mean that there seems a healthy mix between all the aspects of life necessary for formation: not one seems to rule at the expense of the rest. There is work and study, time for silence and then time to talk, private prayer and contemplation, public liturgy and outreach; all has its right place. This follows the succinct maxim of the Middle Ages: "in medio stat virtus", virtue lies in the centre. Hence, whilst the life can be hard at times, there is a real sense of reward and valuable work, especially when one looks to the goal: the Catholic Priesthood. I cannot presume to second-guess the Lord's divine plan for me, but should it be that He wishes me to be His Priest, then here is the place to realise that end. And so I am reminded of the prayer of the cleric each day he dons his Surplice: "Clothe me, O Lord, in the new man, who is created by God in justice and the sanctity of truth".

(originally published in Downry, no. 12 (Autumn 2011), magazine of the FSSP in England)

Vocation discernment weekend / Altar servers' weekend

2011-10-31T14:31:00.000Z

Vocation discernment weekend, at St John Fisher House in Reading on 16-18 December 2011:

For Catholic men between 18 and 35 years of age (under 18 please contact us).

Starts on Friday 16th December 2011 at 6pm – ends on Sunday 18th December 2011 mid-afternoon. Led by Fr Armand de Malleray, FSSP.

Location: St John Fisher House is the residence of the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter in England & Wales.

Address: 17, Eastern Avenue, Reading, RG1 5RU, England.

Access: 27mn from London Paddington by direct trains up to every 10mn, and from London Waterloo. Direct trains from Oxford, Bournemouth, Bristol, Newcastle, York, Birmingham, Gatwick Airport, Southampton Airport, etc. Direct 'RailAir' buses from Heathrow to Reading train station every 20mn. Motorway: M4.

Limited overnight accommodation: please book now.

Programme: Spiritual conferences, socials, Holy Mass each of the three days (Extraordinary Form of the Roman rite) including polyphonic Sunday Mass, silent prayer, private talk with Fr de Malleray, FSSP. Fr de Malleray will explain what a vocation is in general and to the priesthood in particular. Read here the Holy Father's recent Letter to seminarians. Extract: "The proper celebration of the Eucharist involves knowing, understanding and loving the Church's liturgy in its concrete form. In the liturgy we pray with the faithful of every age – the past, the present and the future are joined in one great chorus of prayer. As I can state from personal experience, it is inspiring to learn how it all developed, what a great experience of faith is reflected in the structure of the Mass, and how it has been shaped by the prayer of many generations."

Cost: no set price for students or unemployed – any donation welcome; others: £50 suggested.

New: our special Vocations flyer and videos on www.fssp.org.uk/england/pages/vocations.

~~*~~

Altar servers' weekend (residential): at St John Fisher House in Reading on 18-20 November 2011:

For single Catholic men between 18 and 35 years of age (under 18 please contact us).

Starts on Friday 18th November 2011 at 6pm – ends on Sunday 20th November 2011 mid-afternoon. Led by Fr Armand de Malleray, FSSP.

In a convivial atmosphere, come and learn (or improve) how to set the vestments and sacred items before Mass and to serve Low Mass and Benediction. EF Mass on the Friday evening, Saturday morning and Sunday morning. Fr de Malleray will give explanations on the liturgy.

Limited overnight accommodation: please book now. Non residential participants welcome.

Cost: no set price for students or unemployed – any donation welcome; others: £50 suggested.

New Release: bilingual Diurnale Romanum

2011-08-03T11:56:00.001+01:00

A new release for all friends of the traditional Roman liturgy: Fr Ramm of the our Thalwil Apostolate announces a new edition of the 1962 Diurnale Romanum. This edition, newly typeset is bilingual: german-latin, in a clear two-column format.

The new edition is available for pre-order, and will be shipped in mid-August. Available with or without zippered cover, prices start at 80,- CHF / 60,- € (approx. $103 / £63).

For more information, including order form, please seewww.introibo.net/diurnale.

First Mass of Fr Marek Grabowski

2011-08-03T09:05:00.001+01:00

by Dr Joseph Shaw

Fr Marek Grabowski FSSP made news with his ordination in Poland, this being the first traditional ordination since 1970. He is well known to the English Traditional Catholic community, as he has often visited Reading and was a member of staff at the St Catherine's Trust Summer School in 2007. It was wonderful to see him back here again as a priest. He celebrated Mass with the assistance of Fr Armand de Malleray FSSP as deacon, and Fr Simon Leeworthy FSSP as subdeacon.)

I have never seen St William of York so full. There were people crowded at the back, the extension had about 30 people in it, and of course there was the choir in the choir loft. In all about 120 people. (No, Paul Inwood, not the 'same 30 people' in Portsmouth diocese people going to more Masses than before, but four times that number at St William of York alone.

Afterwards Fr Grabowski gave 'first blessings'.

More photos here.

(reposted from LMS Chairman blog)

Cardinal Ricard at Wigratzbad

2011-07-18T20:14:00.003+01:00

by Shawn Tribe

The following photos of the recent FSSP ordinations at Wigratzbad were sent in to us by a reader in France. Jean-Pierre Cardinal Ricard, the archbishop of Bordeaux and a member of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Pontifical Council for Culture, the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, was the celebrant.

(reposted from The New Liturgical Movement)

New Usus Antiquior Mass in St Andrews

2011-06-01T19:26:00.000+01:00

by Shawn Tribe

On Sunday 8th May 2011 students at the University of St Andrews - Scotland's first University and the third oldest in the English speaking world - were privileged to be able to attend the third celebration of Holy Mass in the extraordinary form in St Andrews since the motu proprio. A Missa Cantata was sung by Fr John Emerson FSSP in St James' Parish Church with the generous permission of the chaplain and pastor, Fr Andrew Kingham, and the ongoing support of the local archbishop, Keith Patrick Cardinal O'Brien. Fr Emerson travels to St Andrews on the second Sunday of each month to say Mass at 5pm, with the students making every effort to provide the proper ceremonies and music to the highest possible standards. On this occasion Fr Emerson was assisted by a team of four student servers and was accompanied by a quartet of student voices singing parts of Victoria's Missa O Quam Gloriosum and motets by Viadana and Palestrina. The introit was sung to a setting by Pitoni. There were over forty people in attendance, the vast majority of whom were students.

The church, which celebrated its centenary last year, was funded in great part by John, third Marquess of Bute, whose taste for marble is clearly present in its beautiful design.

(reposted from The New Liturgical Movement; photo: Matthew Hudson)

5th Vocation discernment weekend (UK)

2011-04-25T19:05:00.002+01:00

5th Vocation discernment weekend, at St John Fisher House in Reading on 22-23-24 July 2011:

For Catholic men between 18 and 35 years of age (under 18 please contact us).

Starts on Friday 22nd July 2011 at 6pm – ends on Sunday 24th July 2011 mid-afternoon. Led by Fr Armand de Malleray, FSSP.

Location: St John Fisher House is the residence of the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter in England & Wales. Bishop Crispian Hollis of Portsmouth has allowed for its canonical establishment in Reading on 1st August 2010.

Address: 17, Eastern Avenue, Reading, RG1 5RU, England.

Access: 27mn from London Paddington by direct trains up to every 10mn, and from London Waterloo. Direct trains from Oxford, Bournemouth, Bristol, Newcastle, York, Birmingham, Gatwick Airport, Southampton Airport, etc. Direct 'RailAir buses from Heathrow to Reading train station every 20mn. Motorway: M4.

Limited overnight accommodation: please book now.

Programme: Spiritual conferences, socials, Holy Mass each of the three days (Extraordinary Form of the Roman rite), silent prayer, private talk with Fr de Malleray, FSSP. Fr de Malleray will explain what a vocation is in general and to the priesthood in particular. Extract from the Holy Father's recent Letter to seminarians. Extract: "The proper celebration of the Eucharist involves knowing, understanding and loving the Church's liturgy in its concrete form. In the liturgy we pray with the faithful of every age – the past, the present and the future are joined in one great chorus of prayer. As I can state from personal experience, it is inspiring to learn how it all developed, what a great experience of faith is reflected in the structure of the Mass, and how it has been shaped by the prayer of many generations."

Cost: no set price for students or unemployed – any donation welcome; others: £50 suggested.

New: our special Vocations flyer and videos on www.fssp.org.uk/england/pages/vocations.

New DVD - "Men Apart"

2010-12-27T12:36:00.002Z

Des hommes à part
Uploaded by deshommesapart. - More video blogs and vloggers.

Who are they, these men dressed in black, wearing a cassock in the world as a sign of their belonging to God? Where do they come from, with their youth breathing eternity? What do they say to the world of tomorrow, which makes everyone feel cared for?

"I'm thirty-five years old. I have been a priest of the Fraternity of St. Peter for ten years now, having given myself to God to better serve mankind. An ordinary life? No. Each day brings new joys and incredible experiences. Bringing God to the world today is a real adventure, physical as well as spiritual. I am as happy now as when I first made my choice."

"You did not choose me, no, I chose you; and I commissioned you to go out and to bear fruit, fruit that will last; so that the Father will give you anything you ask of him in my name. My command to you is to love one another." (Gospel according to St. John, 15:16-17)

~~*~~

In the summer of 2008, two directors, Yvon Bertorello and Eddy Vicken - Marcel Jullian Prize 2010 winners for their documentary "Watchers in the Night" - and a team of cameramen and sound engineers observed the various ministries of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter around the world.

Their goal? To make a movie for television, presenting the life of priests and seminarians today. Who are these men, mostly young, who give themselves totally to Christ and whose life poses many questions and sometimes criticism? To answer this question, this documentary, titled "Men Apart" looks for the first time at the heart of their community, revealing a few secrets of their lives.

More than a year of filming was required. We travel the world, discover the Seminary at Wigratzbad, and follow the lives of student-priests. See the anniversary of the Fraternity in Rome in their personal parish, attend a priestly ordination, see daily parish life of priests in France, and even in the distant missions of Colombia.

Several more months were needed in studio for editing, cutting the footage, recording in Prague with an original score written by Thierry Malet, subtitles in five languages, - english, french, german, italian, spanish - and a commentary with the famous voice of Michael Lonsdale.

~~*~~

English-language enquiries to:
fssp_dvd@catholic.org

Price: £20 / €23 , including postage and packaging in Europe.

What Must Be Done?

2010-09-13T21:26:00.001+01:00

Glory be to our Lord Christ!

A poll conducted by the BBC recently discovered that 49% of Catholics interviewed believed that the Holy Father should drop his (in fact, the Latin Church's) insistence on clerical celibacy in light of the sexual abuse scandals. Now, we must ask whether such a measure would be beneficial to the Church's mission, which is to perpetuate the Incarnation and bring the Redemption wrought by Christ's Precious Blood to all nations. Will a relaxing of discipline allow the Church to fully witness to the salvific work of God and make it effective in the lives of mankind? The simple answer is no.

What must be done is a return to the Church, the Mystical Body of Christ and an embrace of her teachings and her disciplines in their fullness. The Catholic Church (thankfully) is not founded as a democracy, otherwise she would have consumed and mutilated herself by impatiently attempting to conform to the prevailing trends in society. However, in a short period of time, these 'absolute values' of the world will be classed as outmoded and contrary to the judgment of right-minded and rational people. If we as a modern, technical and 'humane' society have progressed such a great deal in the past 50 or so years, could we even contemplate the marvellous nature of our country in another hundred years time? Will not our current 'truths' be decried as preposterous and Medieval? Let us not latch on to the latest novelty for the mere sake of it being 'new'. It must be noted however that not all developments must be rejected out of hand without due consideration, we must be careful not to throw out the wheat with the chaff.

Many have commented that if the Church does not alterate her doctrines and practices, there will not be a Church to worship in shortly. We are being warned that great multitudes will depart from her bosom as the Sacrament of Salvation is not fulfilling their needs. What should we do? Let them go. Our Blessed Lord said that 'No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God' (Lk 9:62) and 'anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me' (Mt 10:38). Such are hard (dare we say, harsh?) demands that require the conversion and consecration of the whole person to Christ Who descended to save all men and all of man. Let not an itch of your being remain cut off from Christ. Let your words be the words of Christ, your thoughts be of Christ, and your actions be of Christ. A recommitment to our Divine Lord especially to the Holy Sacrifice and to His Most Holy Mother Mary will allow us to be conformed to His likeness, resulting in an unconditional renunouncement of ourselves to our Lord. Do we not say at Compline, 'Into Your hands Lord, I commend my spirit'? Why do we idly recite those precious words of the Crucified and then retire to our beds without a single change of heart, of true repentence and desire for sanctity? The soul who verily acknowledges his debt to the God Who created, sustains and has redeemed him counts nothing as too much. 'Oh but it is too hard' we lament and blubber. Yes it is, for you. We must listen attentively to the words of our Lord to the Divine Apostle, Paul, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' (2 Cor 12:9) He, as the fashioner of human nature, knows exactly what we are capable and by His grace and illumination He allows man to live a divine life. A life free of disordered passions and worries of the ephemeral sort.

This will shrink the Church, they cry. Certainly. Yet, we must remember that few souls will enter and savour the Beatific Vision for all eternity anyway. Our Way is in the steps of our Master Who has went before us and He promised His chosen ones nothing less than sorrow, persecution and repudiation in return for eternal felicity. Is the servant greater than the Master? (Jn 13:16). Let us not be blinded by secular oppression and accept a Gospel other than the one 'entrusted once for all to the saints'(Ju 1:3). The Church cannot witness to the Redemption of the Incarnate Logos by attenuating her commitment to her Bridegroom and the salvation of souls. So if it has to be that men walk away sad from her like the rich man (Lk 18:23), or those gathered around our Lord as He spoke of the necessity of eating His flesh and drinking His blood who departed at this 'hard teaching' (Jn 6:60), so be it. However, I would greatly prefer that we educate our children in the Faith and hand it on to them whilst leading a holy and cheerful life, in willing obedience to Christ and His Church. By our example to our friends, family and extended society, let us become channels of grace for this darkened time and with the Apostle may we say honestly, 'I feel as if I'm going through labor pains for you again, and they will continue until Christ is fully developed in your lives.' (Gal 4:19).

Mass at Martyrs' Shrine before Hyde Park Vigil

2010-09-10T21:36:00.002+01:00

by Fr Tim Finigan

Fr Armand de Malleray FSSP will offer Mass in the usus antiquior at Tyburn Convent on Saturday 18 September at 2pm, before the Papal Vigil in Hyde Park. The Mass will be offered for the conversion of England and will be celebrated in the Crypt which houses the Martyrs' Shrine and many relics of the English Martyrs, as well as artefacts associated with Catholic life in penal times. The picture above shows the altar in the Crypt chapel with the altar surrounded by a replica of the triple gallows at Tyburn from which many of our martyrs were hanged.

Tyburn Convent is just along Bayswater Road from Marble Arch. (Postcode W2 2LJ) Google map.

The FSSP have a registered group (now full) but will also have a second, unofficial group which will stay in the immediate surroundings of the official area to pray. For further information, contact Lauren Mills

The Vigil proper starts at 6.15pm and the Holy Father is expected to arrive about 7pm. The vigil ends at about 9pm.

(reposted from The Hermeneutic of Continuity)

Novena for Benedict XVI’s visit to Britain starts

2010-09-07T19:33:00.003+01:00

by Anna Arco

Parish novenas for the Pope’s upcoming visit to Britain begin today.

The Magnificat booklet of liturgies and events recommends a brief time of silent prayer followed by the prayer of preparation after Mass for the success of the visit, nine days before the visit. There is a more extended version which suggests using readings taken from the lectionary and divine office sections for the Chair of Peter and the feast of St Peter and St Paul or to simply use readings from chapters 14 to 17 of the Gospel of St John.

As another alternative, the book recommends that faithful prepare for the papal visit with evening prayer from the Divine Office or Exposition and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament outside of Mass.

The prayer of Preparation follows here:

God of truth and love, your Son, Jesus Christ, stands as the light to all who seek you with a sincere heart.

As we strive with your grace to be faithful in word and deed, may we reflect the kindly light of Christ and offer a witness of hope and peace to all.

We pray for Pope Benedict and look forward with joy to his forthcoming visit to our countries. May he be a witness to the unity and hope which is your will for all people.
We make our prayer through Christ our Lord.

Amen.
Our Lady, Mother of the Church pray for us.
St Andrew pray for us.
St George pray for us.
St David pray for us.

To access the full Magnificat booklet online, go to the papal visit website to download it.

A novena is a customarily Catholic devotion which stretches over nine days and can range from a small prayer every day to a full rosary.

(reproduced from The Catholic Herald Online)

New video: To God Who Giveth Joy To My Youth

2010-08-27T17:05:00.000+01:00

The Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter is pleased to announce the completion of a 28 minute film entitled "To God Who Giveth Joy To My Youth".

The title, taken from the opening words of Mass in the Extraordinary Form, captures the essence of the Fraternity's total formation process and life at Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary.

Intended for generous, young men discerning a priestly vocation, this production provides an visual description of daily life within the walls of Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary. Thus, this film will prove to be an informative and instrumental tool in their vocational process.

In the Church, the members of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter's have the unique charism of sanctifying themselves through the celebration of Mass in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite. Throughout the seminary's intensive seven year program, each of the various aspects and stages of formation has this purpose in mind, the worthy celebration of the Mass.

Explore how this seminary, drawing from the Church's rich tradition of priestly formation, seeks to form zealous priests in various areas including Thomistic philosophy and theology, spiritual direction, Gregorian Chant, manual labor and recreation. Discover how one seminary receives a man and prepares him for his transformation into an Alter Christus, "Another Christ".

Beginning of term

2010-08-18T19:11:00.000+01:00

by Fr de Malleray

Beginning of term for our 6 seminarians from Great Britain resuming or starting their academic formation at our international seminaries in America and in Europe, between late August and early October 2010. Please pray for Rev Mr McCarthy as he starts his seventh and last year, for Mr Ian V. and Mr James M., respectively in their third and second years. Please also pray for our three First Year seminarians: Mark comes from Scotland and lives there; Kris comes from Poland but lives in England since 2007 and has discovered his vocation here; Alex comes from England and works in Ireland. In your charity please also pray for three other candidates from England, whose applications could not be accepted: that they may continue in all confidence to seek to do God’s will. Like in the two previous years, we have accepted 40 new seminarians in our seminaries in 2010. Please pray for more vocations from these Isles.

Canonical erection of FSSP house in Reading granted

2010-08-02T18:20:00.002+01:00

by Fr de Malleray FSSP

It is with great joy that I share with you an important news: the house of the Fraternity of St Peter in England, based in Reading, Portsmouth Diocese, is canonically erected as of today. It has been four years since the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter has started offering Mass here every Sunday. It is almost two years since we have moved our permanent residence to Reading. It is one and a half year since we have started leading communal life here with Fr Leworthy FSSP. It is one year since we have had our offer accepted for the purchase of our house on Eastern Avenue.

Canonical erections of our houses worldwide are made by the Superior General of our Fraternity, Very Rev Fr John Berg. But by law, canonical erections necessary require prior consent in writing of the diocesan bishop. We are very grateful to Bishop Crispian Hollis who has granted permission for the canonical erection of St John Fisher House in his diocese (Reading). [The quotes below from the Code of Canon Law of the Church will detail for you the meaning of this step.] A precious consequence of this is the permission to have the Blessed Sacrament reserved in our oratory, where we pray the Divine Office daily. Also, there is no limit of time as to the duration of the canonical erection, by itself a permanent status.

Many faithful across the country have contributed to this good result through their material and spiritual support. Today’s Solemn High Mass will be offered at all their intentions. Deo gratias.

Can. 609 §1 A house of a religious institute is established, with the prior written consent of the diocesan Bishop, by the authority competent according to the constitutions. Can. 610 §1 In establishing religious houses, the welfare of the Church and of the institute are to be kept in mind, and care must be taken to safeguard everything that is necessary for the members to lead their religious life in accordance with the purposes and spirit proper to the institute. §2 No house is to be established unless it is prudently foreseen that the needs of the members can be suitably provided for.

Can. 611 The consent of the diocesan Bishop for the establishment of a religious house carries with it the right: 1° to lead a life according to the character and purposes proper to the institute; 2° to engage in the works which are proper to the institute, in accordance with the law, and subject to any conditions attached to the consent; 3° for clerical religious institutes to have a church, subject to the provisions of can. 1215 §3, and to conduct the sacred ministries, with due observance of the law.

Very Rev Fr John Berg FSSP will solemnly inaugurate St John Fisher House on Sunday 3rd October 2010. After the 11am Solemn High Mass (External Solemnity of Our Lady of the Rosary) at St William of York Church, the faithful are welcome to come to the house for visit and refreshments.

Clergy (diocesan, religious, seminarians) are cordially invited for a special 'Opening' day at St John Fisher House on Monday 11th October 2010 from 11am to 4pm, on the Feast of the Motherhood of the Blessed Virgin Mary (please kindly let us know if you intend to attend, and if you would require accommodation the night before).

First Mass of New FSSP Priests

2010-07-21T09:19:00.000+01:00

by Gregor Kollmorgen

On Sunday (July 18th) I was blessed to attend here in Berlin the First Mass (in German Primiz; you can read about that term and customs surrounding it in the posts about our Holy Father's First Mass which I wrote a while ago here and here) of two of the new priests who were ordained for the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter on 3 July in Wigratzbad by His Eminence Antonio Cardinal Cañizares Llovera (cf. here). The Mass was celebrated as a Solemn High Mass by Fr Jérôme Bücker FSSP, the other newly ordained, Fr Gerald Gesch, acting as deacon, and Fr Sven Conrad FSSP as subdeacon. Both new priests hail from the parish of St. Matthias in Berlin, where Blessed Count Clement Augustus Cardinal Galen was parish priest from 1919 to 1929. This parish has always been known for a dignified celebration of the liturgy, and has an Ordinary Form Latin Sung Mass every second Sunday. The parish priest had traveled to Wigratzbad for the ordination, acted as presbyter assistens for today's High Mass, and also gave the sermon (in which he mentioned that what most struck him at the ordination at Wigratzbad was the exalted prince of the Church kissing the newly ordaineds' hands, a custom he did not recall from his own ordination, even though that was still according to the usus antiquior books). The Mass replaced the regular 11 am Sunday High Mass, and a good number of faithful filling the church belonged to the parish without having prior familiarity with the usus antiquior, as was evidenced when they sung the entire Pater noster, as is the norm in the Ordinary Form. It was a wonderful occasion, and a very good sign of unity, as well as for the Extraordinary Form taking its rightful place at the centre of the Church, fruitfully co-existing with the Ordinary Form. Another son of the parish celebrated his First Mass in the Ordinary Form there last year, another will be ordained transitional deacon next year, and yet another is a seminarian with the Servi Jesu et Mariæ. Congratulations again to the newly ordained, and to the parish!

Since I did not want to take pictures during Mass, here are some from the German site www.summorum-pontificum.de:

Great photos of traditional ordinations by the FSSP

2010-07-08T19:58:00.002+01:00

by Fr John Zuhlsdorf

The Polish blog Nowy Ruch Liturgiczny has some serious liturgical eye-candy to accompany their note about the recent FSSP ordinations. With a biretta tip to NLM.

Click for larger version.

(reposted from What Does the Prayer Really Say?)

Ordinations videos from Wigratzbad

2010-07-04T20:06:00.004+01:00

by Martin Bürger

Yesterday, five deacons were ordained at Wigratzbad, Germany, for the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter, including two from Germany. The Ordination, performed by Cardinal Cañizares Llovera, Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship, was broadcast live on K-TV and excerpts have already been uploaded to gloria.tv.

The German translation of Cardinal Cañizares Llovera's homily was presented by Fr Franz Karl Banauch, Rector of the seminary in Wigratzbad:

The main part of the Ordination ceremony:

We are still waiting on the official pictures of the Ordination. I will announce when these are available.

(tr. from EXSVLTET.net)

The Essence of the Priesthood - Modern Requirements

2010-06-14T21:23:00.006+01:00

by Stuart Milligan

It is with a touch of irritation that I write this piece, and a sense of bemusement. At the end of this week, I had read from Father Zuhlsdorf that the great Saint John Vianney will not, as promised, be proclaimed as patron of all priests. It has been 'explained' that the Cure D'Ars is not sufficiently representative of the form of life conducted by the 21st century priesthood. Did the man who became a Victim for our Lord, through offering the clean oblation, who spent many hours in a cramped confessional, who converted his town and its environs and put Satan to flight, not approach the sanctity necessary to inspire us all? Or did the Frenchman not engage in the adequate quantity of social justice and equality schemes?

Such absurdity begs the pertinent question what is the essence of the priesthood? A sense of novelty pervades our culture, where an item or an aspect must appeal to whims and sentiments. Yet, what we lack is not a treasure, but a sufficient reverence and consideration for the many great gifts we have been given. In our fickleness we have cast aside pearls and taken up in eagerness what truly belongs to the swine.

Let us therefore turn to the teaching of the Church, who is 'the pillar and foundation of truth' (1 Tim. 3:15), which will preserve us from modernist innovations and from being tossed about 'by every wind of doctrine' (Eph. 4:14). The great Council of Trent condemned the heretical position of the 'reformers' that, 'there is not in the New Testament a visible and external priesthood; or that there is not any power of consecrating and offering the true body and blood of the Lord, and of forgiving and retaining sins; but only an office and bare ministry of preaching the Gospel'. It must be noted that the offering of the Sacrifice of the Mass is given first place, and not the evangelizing of peoples, although this certainly flows out from the efficacy of the Oblation upon the Altar.

Day by day, the priest ascends to the place of sacrifice accompanied by the Immaculate Mary and surrounded by the angels. At the foot of the Altar, he confesses his sinfulness, humbling himself before the congregation and pleading for mercy from the Eternal Father. No man is worthy of such a dignity that surpasses the angels, and no man can take such a calling upon himself (Heb. 5:4). Saint John Chrysostom writes accordingly, 'The work of the priesthood is done on earth, but it is ranked among heavenly ordinances. And this is only right, for no man, no angel, no archangel, no other created power, but the Paraclete Himself ordained this succession' (On the Priesthood). What a truly awesome sight it would have been to be present when holy Elijah called down fire from heaven to consume an animal, yet the priest of our Lord Christ, calls down the Source of all life, the Holy Spirit to bless this offering (Veni Sanctificator omnipotens aeterne deus: et benedic hoc sacrificium tuo sancto nomini praeparatum), so that it may be borne by the hands of the angels to the sight of His Divine Majesty. For many epochs, men could not even offer a sacrifice worthy of a single life, but now, according to the condescension of the Word, a sacrifice is offered that is worthy of God.

The priest, a man taken from many to confect the Eucharist, for the praise and glory of His name and the good of all holy mother Church, must recognise His unworthiness to stand in the Person of Christ. As he is called to offer the perpetual yes of the Son to the Heavenly Father, the priest must be conformed more closely than all to the Lord. From the very moment of His incarnation in the terrestrial paradise that is the womb of the Mother of God, grace flowed by His divine Person to His Sacred Humanity, consecrating Himself to the High Priesthood whereby He offers Himself. Priest and victim. Accordingly the ordained must himself, although sinful and erring, live the life of a continual oblation before God. He must in his own person become the offering at the altar. Christ was and remains (Heb 7:25) the eternal high priest of our religion, showing His precious wounds before His Father, from which out poured blood which cries out for forgiveness more than Abel's (Heb 12:24). We have been released from the snare (Ps 124:7), even though we were 'children of wrath by nature' (Eph 2:3) worthy of the fiercest punishment. However, through the ineffable mercy of our Good Lord, a sacrifice of propitiation has been offered sufficient for the salvation of all.

The ministerial and sacramental priesthood of the New and Everlasting Covenant is called to perpetuate the Pure Offering predicted in Micah 1:11 to acknowledge the greatness of God's Most Holy Name. Above the head of the priest after each consecration, the Sacred Victim is held aloft for our adoration, and 'our eyes are on the Lord our God till He show us His mercy' (Ps 122:2). His whole life must be dedicated to this offering, his heart lifted up (Sursum corda) to his treasure in Heaven. He is however not alone, the Holy Spirit Who proceeds from the Father and the Son, constantly remains with him, as He did with our Lord Jesus, bestowing grace upon him. The priest must turn to the help of Christians, the Mother of God, whose mantle protects the priests of her Son in a most special manner. For her to reject His priests, would be to reject her Son. He is required to humbly plead for all men, most especially those under the care of Mother Church, for whom the Sacrifice in the first place is offered for. Yet, his prayers are not restricted to those under his care, but must extend to all men, of whatever nation, culture or language, most importantly for the salvation of their souls. No social justice programme can more effectively live the sojourn of the Saviour on earth who set aside the glory due to His Person and humbled Himself (Philipians 2:6-7), who came to die. Social justice which has its place can only ever free man from economic burden but abandons him still to sin and slavery to corruption. It has been said that if they had been four more men of the holiness of Saint John Vianney on this earth, Satan would have been completely powerless, simply because of the efficacy of the prayers poured out from such a tender, loving heart.

Such truths that I have outlined, however uncultured they may be stated, with poor rhetorical skill, should astound all of us. It is most likely that the profound nature of the priesthood is an aspect (in fact, it is the actual reality) of Holy Orders that few Catholics even recognise, beyond a mere notion of a social worker in robes. It is a deplorable fact, yet, we have lost the realisation of the gift and the glory that is the priesthood.

We have now come to the conclusion of the year of the priesthood that our beloved Holy Father in his wisdom had called, but prayers are more than ever needed for our pastors. At the end of their lives, they will be called to account for the souls entrusted to them, and such a burden is terrifying responsibility. Let us therefore venerate our priests as Christ Himself.

Much more could be written concerning the Sacred Priesthood, including the Sacrament of Penance, his prayer, celibacy, Marian devotion, yet I will leave such components to those qualified to do so.

May the grace of our Lord Christ be with you all. Glory be to thee, our God, glory be to thee and praise to His spotless Mother.

Video from the First Mass of Fr. Harkins in Edinburgh's Cathedral

2010-06-09T18:50:00.001+01:00

by Shawn Tribe

Some video footage has now been released from the first Mass of Fr. Simon Harkins, offered in Edinburgh's St. Mary's Cathedral in the presence of Cardinal O'Brien.

There is also a video of the entrance procession. (Many thanks to A Wandering Oblate)

(reposted from The New Liturgical Movement)

Polyphonic Mass of thanksgiving for the ‘Year for Priests’

2010-06-08T19:57:00.001+01:00

On Saturday 12th June 2010, 3pm, at St James’s Church, Spanish Place, 22 George Street, London W1U 3QY - kindly welcomed by Parish Priest Fr Christopher Colven - newly ordained British priest Fr Simon Harkins, FSSP will offer his first Solemn High Mass in England (in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman rite).

On this occasion, the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter (FSSP) is pleased to invite you to pray in thanksgiving for the graces granted by God during the last 12 months of the ‘Year for Priests’ in response to the many prayers offered for the sanctification of priests and for priestly vocations worldwide and in Great Britain in particular.

Clergy: choir dress. Music: Tomás Luis de Victoria’s ‘Missa Simile est regnum coelorum’ and his ‘Gaude Virgo Maria’ motet.

After Mass, Fr Harkins will give individual First blessings.

Refreshments will follow.

Nearest underground: Baker Street, Bond Street.
Nearest car park: Welbeck Street Mscp, 74-77 Welbeck Street, London W1G 0BB - Distance: 0.22 km, 0.13 mi - Opening hours Monday-Sunday: 24 Hours – Daily tariffs: 1 Hour £ 5.00; 1 To 2 Hours £ 10.00; 2 To 3 Hours £ 15.00; 3 To 4 Hours £ 20.00; 4 To 5 Hours £ 25.00; 5 To 6 Hours £ 30.00.

Please come and give thanks for a new British priest (formed according to the usus antiquior).

First Mass of Fr Simon Harkins

2010-06-05T18:00:00.001+01:00

reposted from Transalpine Redemptorists at Home

Today in Edinburgh Cathedral, Father Simon Harkins, F.S.S.P. celebrated his first Mass in his home country and home town. The Mass was celebrated in the presence of His Eminence Keith Cardinal O'Brien, who also preached at the Mass. It is the first time a Cardinal has assisted at a first Mass in the extraordinary form in his own cathedral. Below are lots of photos - too many to caption - but they are fairly self explanatory:

Father Harkins before Mass.

Very Rev. Fr Josef Bisig, F.S.S.P was assistant priest.

Rev. Fr. Anthony Mary, F.SS.R. meets the Cardinal.

(source)

First Solemn High Mass of Fr Simon Harkins FSSP

2010-05-29T17:32:00.001+01:00

St Mary's Metropolitan Cathedral, Edinburgh
Archdiocese of St. Andrew and Edinburgh
Saturday 5th June 2010
1 p.m.

Fr. Simon Harkins FSSP was ordained to the Sacred Priesthood on 22nd May by Bishop Bruskewitz and by God's grace will offer the Sacrifice of the Mass in Edinburgh where the local Archbishop, His Eminence Keith Patrick Cardinal O'Brien will be in attendance; Cardinal O'Brien will also preach the sermon.

Latin Mass training course, Galway

2010-05-22T09:18:00.001+01:00

A course training Priests to celebrate Latin Mass (EF) will take place in the former Presentation Convent, Lettermore, Co Galway. The course has been organised by the Latin Mass Society of Ireland in association with St Jarlath’s College, Tuam at the request of Archbishop Michael Neary of Tuam.

The course director will be Fr Simon Leworthy FSSP. The course is aimed at Clergy of the Archdiocese of Tuam wishing to learn the Extraordinary Form of the Mass, but is open to any Priest of good standing in Ireland.

The course will take place on Monday 14th – Tuesday 15th June. Further details from John Heneghan or Latin Mass Society.

(reposted from Semper Fidelis)

Society of St Tarcisius - Sodality of Traditional Altar Servers

2010-05-18T18:43:00.002+01:00

On Saturday 15th May 2010, at Blackfriars, Oxford, a newly founded Sodality of Servers of the traditional Latin Mass (“extraordinary form”) was inaugurated. This took place in the context of a training day for experienced altar servers, arranged by the Latin Mass Society of England and Wales, who were seeking to improve their understanding of the ceremonies of sung solemn mass. Thirty servers were present at the event, with the training being delivered by Fr Armand de Mallerey FSSP, Br Lawrence Lew OP, Mr David Forster, and Mr Richard Hawker.

The new Sodality has been founded at the request of numerous servers of the traditional Mass, who desired a society that would encourage them in their work on the altar, provide training for both new servers and the more experienced, promote a high standard of reverent and exact service, and form a network through which servers can stay in touch and share resources.

The Sodality is sponsored by the Latin Mass Society of England and Wales, though membership is open to those from other countries who may wish. It has taken as its patron St Tarcisius, a Roman acolyte who was martyred during one of the fierce persecutions of the third century, while defending the Holy Eucharist from profanation. The Sodality has taken “Fidelis usque ad mortem” – Faithful even unto death – as its motto, and seeks to inculcate in servers an intense devotion and reverence to Our Lord in the Eucharist, as well as a precise attention to the ceremonies of Mass.

A website for the Society has been inaugurated – www.saint-tarcisius.org.uk – where further details will be found. Anybody wishing to join the Sodality should contact the Secretary, Mr David Forster, at secretary at saint-tarcisius.org.uk.

Photographs of the training event on Saturday can be seen at http://www.lmschairman.org/2010/05/server-master-class-report.html

Note: efforts are also being made to co-ordinate interests in membership from Scotland. If you live in Scotland and are interested in membership, please leave a comment, or email Mark Miles at markadm at catholic.org

(Photo: Joseph Shaw)

FSSP Priestly Ordinations 2010

2010-05-14T20:17:00.001+01:00

On the 22nd of May in the year of Our Lord 2010 at 10:00 am at the Cathedral of the Risen Christ in Lincoln Nebraska. His Excellency Fabian Bruskewitz, Bishop of Lincoln, will confer Priestly Ordinations for the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter. The following Deacons will be ordained to the Sacred Priesthood.

Rev. Mr. Peter Bauknecht, FSSP

Rev. Mr. Simon Harkins, FSSP

Rev. Mr. Garrick Huang, FSSP

Rev. Mr. Rhone Lillard, FSSP

Rev. Mr. John Rickert, FSSP

Rev. Mr. John Shannon, FSSP

Please pray for the Deacons as they ascend to the Altar of Our Lord.

May Reflection on Our Lady

2010-05-05T09:00:00.000+01:00

by Fr. Eric Flood, FSSP, North American District Superior

St. James tells us that “every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father.” Primarily this passage refers to the Incarnation, yet, secondarily it refers to the Blessed Virgin Mary for she is a perfect gift whom we have received from God. Her sinless life gives each of us the ideal to strive for, and as our heavenly mother, she is the model and standard for all mothers.

We are not surprised that those who live too much in the world attack the Blessed Virgin Mary, for her image of motherhood threatens the current standard that measures success by a paycheck at the end of the week. Consequently, as our society puts everything in dollar amounts, women are pressured to limit the number of children they bear, but this only blurs the understanding of motherhood and deteriorates the respect owed to the femininity in the heart of a woman. To put this another way, by bearing children, a wife not only gains the title of “mother,” but also brings to fruition her inmost femininity. Our Lady also shows that the dignity of women is founded upon their unique gift of bearing children, for her greatest title is that of Mother of God.

The world still has a glimmer of the importance of bringing children into the world by celebrating Mothers’ Day. Normally, the world focuses on remembering our mother this day with a card and gift, but the corollary to the celebration of this day is that it thanks her for her willingness to conceive children. As a result, it is a day in which we not only thank God for all the matriarchs of our family but also for the passing on to us of our Catholic Faith. We know that Our Lord has instituted marriage primarily for the begetting of children, so how blessed are the mothers who have fulfilled God’s plan of perpetuating the human race within the context of holy matrimony. It is a day we celebrate a wife becoming a mother, and we extol her glory in the unique privilege bestowed upon her by Almighty God. With this in mind, Pope John Paul II reminds us that “The mentality which honors women more for their work outside the home than for their work within the family must be overcome” (Familiaris Consortio, #23).

We turn to the Blessed Virgin Mary in this month dedicated to her for the example of the perfect mother. These past decades, some have tried to redefine the role of women in the world, so we always have to go back to the perfect woman whom God has placed in the world to make sure we have not strayed from the truth. We find that as women are seeking to be liberated in this age, Our Lady is still the standard for all truly liberated women. She is the only woman who has been free of the shackles of sin, free of oppression, and free of being dominated. For it is the world and the devil which oppresses, dominates, and puts us into chains, and it is Our Lady who crushes these foes beneath her heel. We note how the world has turned liberation around from being free of sin to having license to sin. In her freedom, the Blessed Virgin Mary finds complete joy and fulfillment by being a mother. Like Our Lady who crushes the head of the devil, among the various duties of a mother is to keep her children safe from the evils of the world. For God expects mothers to watch over and protect her children, to nurture and educate her children, and to give her life as a sacrifice for her children.

It is the duty of a mother to watch over and to protect her household. For a mother must consider it of prime importance to watch over the home and to never allow disrespect or disobedience to go unpunished. Her eagle eye must pay close attention to her children from their youth and especially in their teenage years. If she declines to reprimand them as children and to let them have their way as adolescents, then her children will lose respect for her, for motherhood, and for the dignity of women in general. On the other hand, if children perceive that they are disciplined because they are loved, the daughter will grow up with her mother as a role model, and the son will respect his future wife since he has learned the great value of women through his mother.

Whereas, no one likes to be unpopular with children, discipline will be required at times, and the greatest challenge will be to discipline consistently. There is assistance for mothers to discipline correctly and it stems from her second duty; that is, to nourish and educate her children. If every day a young man visited the home of a young lady, the woman would understand that she has gained the affections of the young man. And if every day, a mother shows loving affection towards a child, the child will understand that he is the object of his mother’s affections, and that she truly cares for him, even when he has to be disciplined. The child will realize that to violate his mother’s love will be to violate his very self. If, at times, he is disrespectful, he will soon acknowledge his fault, beg God for forgiveness, and understand that his mother has already forgiven him.

This will only occur if the mother has also fulfilled her essential duty of teaching her children about God and the world. For this reason more and more mothers have difficulties handing their children over to the public educational system which neglects Catholic morality and the understanding of God’s continual interaction in the history of mankind. A Catholic mother, on the other hand, will ensure that her children receive an education centered on the truths of our Faith, then on all other subjects. By doing so, the child is taught that God comes first to all other things, even over money, entertainment, and sports. The example of the mother is also of grave importance to the education of the child. People aren’t too surprised when an undisciplined mother has children who lack virtue, and St. John Vianney says, virtue quickly passes from the heart of a mother into her children.

But the demands of motherhood are great and seemingly endless. To counteract this life of hardship, the world tells mothers to take plenty of rest and to do fun things apart from the children. But this often produces uneasiness in the hearts of mothers whose enjoyment is to be around their families. So instead of dwelling upon the demands of motherhood and becoming dismayed, it is better to be inspired by its rewards. The reward of fulfilling her motherly duties in a loving manner will not reap immediate results, but the reward of a Catholic mother begins when they grow up and live virtuous lives. At this time they will be like trophies to the world, showing off the accomplishments of a good mother. The greatest joy will be her knowing that they will continue to pray for her when she dies, and that they will one day join her in Heaven.

So mothers have Our Lady in Heaven for their guidance and assistance. She will assist you in raising your children, but motherhood requires that you speak to Our Lady from your heart, as you would your own mother. The Blessed Virgin Mary, in turn, will also enlighten you to become more like her, and how wonderful it is when children learn about their heavenly mother through the life of their earthly mother.

This article originally appeared in the May 2008 edition of the North American District Fraternity Newsletter. To receive their free newsletter by mail, please visit their subscription page.

A Reflection on the Priest and the Mass

2010-05-01T15:59:00.001+01:00

On the thirtieth day of March in the year of our Lord 2010, the FSSP's North American District posted an article on their homepage. This article was composed by the Rev. Fr. Eric Flood, FSSP who is the District Superiorin North America for the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter. This article was entitled "The Priest and the Mass." This article is very relevant in this Year for Priests. This article also sheds some light on the priesthood from a member of the FSSP. This means that those who are discerning the priesthood (especially of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter) have a wonderful article to read in their discernment. I would highly recommend that this article be read. It is provided here:

The Priest and the Mass: http://fssp.com/press/2010/03/902/
From the FSSP North American District: http://fssp.com/

Here is an excerpt from this article:

"And having been vested with purity, innocence, chastity, hard labor, and charity throughout his daily life, the priest is now ready to ascend to the Altar according to the requirements of God and His Church. In his May 24 interview, His Eminence Darío Cardinal Castrillón Hoyos said that in the priesthood there should be nothing other than a humble fidelity in the liturgy to what Christ, the high Priest, does at the Altar. Oftentimes during my travels, people will approach me after Mass and say how beautiful and reverent the Latin Mass is, to which I respond, anything God has designed has to be so." -The Rev. Fr. Eric Flood, FSSP

Now, waste no more of your time reading my reply to the question, "Why read this?" Go to the article and be inspired--you can already see how insightful the article may be for you.

The Priest and Chastity

2010-04-22T16:00:00.002+01:00

by Fr Alban Cras FSSP

« A chaste body! A pure soul! Who can imagine anything more beautiful! »
(St Jean-Marie Vianney)

Who would think for an instant that Jean-Marie Vianney could have become the Holy Curé of Ars, patron of all priests and a shining example of priestly sanctity… if he had been married? His life could have been a holy one indeed, but how different it would have been!

How could he have dedicated up to sixteen hours a day in hearing confessions?

How could he have spent such long hours in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament?

How could he have given himself to such an austere life of penance?

How could he have been so consumed by the generous gift of himself for the ministry among his parishioners?

Simply put, how could he have saved so many souls and how could Christ the High Priest have shone forth? The fecundity of the apostolate is linked to the generosity and sacrifice of the priest, in body and soul. This very point was demonstrated by Our Lord in His Passion.

The rather anticlerical Michelet stated in the time of St Jean-Marie Vianney : « A Church of married priests would never have given rise to the likes of St Bernard, St Thomas or St Vincent de Paul. Such men need solitary contemplation… or to have the world as their family »… And yet, in our day, so many Catholics forget these evident truths, and believe that the Latin Church should renounce its law on clerical celibacy.

The causes of the modern protest

In today’s Western society, which has become highly eroticised, clerical celibacy has become a shocking mystery for our contemporaries. Many think that it is the cause of unbalance and even scandal. The terrible crime of paedophilia, even though it is only imputable to a minority of despicable priests, causes uneasiness where there was once certitude and even Christians who are solid in their faith find themselves troubled.One tends to forget the fruits of twenty centuries of tradition, dumbfounded by increasing pressure from the media. This pressure can creep into the conscience of good priests leaving a feeling of unease and even doubt.

Moreover, one needs admit that in certain quarters of the Church, the meaning and motivations of priestly celibacy have been neglected or lost. Following the Council, the priestly identity became obscured and it was stated increasingly that the priest was a man like any other man – an assertion which is both true and false. At the same time, there was insufficient reflection concerning the implications of the modern exaltation of marriage and family, which was often viewed as a denigration of consecrated life (which is held to be superior to the married state; as was taught at the Council of Trent in its twenty-fourth session).

Finally, the priests’ shortage adds weight to the argument against clerical celibacy: Why maintain this requirement when the need for priests is felt so badly in many quarters of the Church? Could one not envisage ordaining married men, as is the case in the Eastern Church?

In reality, this complaint against priestly celibacy comes essentially from the spirit of the world, a world which is in revolt against God. It is the Devil, who is prince of the world, and who detests the priesthood, virginity and motherhood; in other words, all the love that stood at the foot of the Cross, in the eminent persons of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of all priests, and Saint John, figure of the priest.

A Tradition dating back to the Apostles

Contrary to what is often heard, the law on clerical celibacy does not date back to the 12th Century. Even if, strictly speaking, there was no law on celibacy in the very beginning due to the number of bishops and priests who were married, nevertheless one finds an unbroken tradition going back to Apostolic times in which clerics bound by the Sacrament of Marriage were also bound to observe perfect chastity from the day of their ordination. This tradition is found in both East and West up until the end of the 7th Century.

Thus the Synod of Elvira, in about the year 300, prescribed in Canon 33: “We have decreed a general prohibition for married bishops, priests, deacons, or also for all clerics who have been appointed to ministry: they must not come together with their wives and they must not beget children. Whosoever shall do the same, shall be expelled from the ranks of the clergy”.

Also, in about the year 390 the Council of Carthage stated in similar terms: «It is fitting that the holy bishops and priests of God as well as the Levites, i.e. those who are in the service of the divine sacraments, observe perfect continence, so that they may obtain in all simplicity what they are asking from God; what the Apostles taught and what antiquity itself observed, let us also endeavour to keep ».

It is only in the year 1139 that the marriage of priests was declared invalid, but one can see that it had been gravely illicit for a much longer period of time. The current discipline of the Eastern Churches is based on a tolerance, and therefore is less ancient than the Western tradition.

This fidelity of the Latin Church, which maintains such a high ideal, cannot fail to move the most sincere of souls. According to Cardinal Newman, it was one of the causes of his conversion: “Then, again, her zealous maintenance of the doctrine and the rule of celibacy, which I recognised as Apostolic, and her faithful agreement with Antiquity in so many points besides, which were dear to me, was an argument as well as a plea in favour of the great Church of Rome.”

Why Celibacy?

The concern for maintaining ancient usages is obviously not the sole motivation for a law in favour of celibacy. The main reasons for a law on celibacy are clearly outlined in the Code of Canon Law: “Clerics are obliged to observe perfect and perpetual continence for the sake of the Kingdom of heaven, and are therefore bound to celibacy. Celibacy is a special gift of God by which sacred ministers can more easily remain close to Christ with an undivided heart, and can dedicate themselves more freely to the service of God and their neighbour.” (c.277). Thus, one can see that three main motives stand out, which were outlined by Paul VI in his 1967 encyclical Sacerdotalis Caelibatus:

- A Christological Motive: Christ himself was not married. Celibacy is therefore a fitting imitation of Christ, which is the ideal of the priest. If Christ was not married, it proves that celibacy is not a deformation of one’s self. Christ instituted the Sacrament of Matrimony, but did not intend to make it a necessity. Paul VI thus explains: “Christ remained throughout His whole life in the state of celibacy, which signified His total dedication to the service of God and men. This deep concern between celibacy and the priesthood of Christ is reflected in those whose fortune it is to share in the dignity and mission of the Mediator and eternal Priest; this sharing will be more perfect the freer the sacred minister is from the bonds of flesh and blood” (n°21). Therefore, the priestly life is an offering, a total self-giving to Christ, and an abnegation that demands a generosity in such a manner that one is no longer one’s self but rather a continuation of Christ.

- An Ecclesiological Motive: The unique bride of Christ, and also the priest, is the Church. Paul VI did not hesitate to affirm: “The consecrated celibacy of the sacred ministers actually manifests the virginal love of Christ for the Church, and the virginal and supernatural fecundity of this marriage, by which the children of God are born, ‘not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh’” (n°26). Similar to Christ and in Christ, the priest espouses the Church in a mystical way and loves Her with a love that is exclusive. The priest is not at the service of a family, “a small domestic church”, but rather an entire community. This demands a rather large availability that is difficult to reconcile with family life. Here, one could consider any number of practical elements: How to support a family as a priest and how to live in obedience to one’s superiors when one has to consider the needs of spouse and children? If the Church has decided to ordain only celibate men, it is because it has high expectations of marriage and family, and it would be unfair if these were a part-time occupation for the clergy. Celibacy frees the priest from material or emotional attachment: it is the sign of a total availability to the apostolate. The priest is available for all, night and day. Thus St. Paul responds unequivocally: “But I would have you without carefulness. He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord: But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife” (1 Cor 7, 32-33).

- An Eschatological Motive: Consecrated celibacy demonstrates that there can be another type of fertility apart from fertility in the flesh. To become a “eunuch for the Kingdom of Heaven’s sake” (Mt 19, 12) bears witness to the fact that we are only pilgrims on this earth. Alas, the only way to survive is not the sole begetting of children. There is Eternal Life, for which we must prepare ourselves. The Curé of Ars rightfully taught “The aim in this life is to prepare for the next life”. The priest bears witness to the Kingdom of Heaven: his priesthood is a foretaste of life in Heaven, where one is no longer bound in matrimony. The priest could rightly be considered a little bit of heaven on earth and his celibacy is truly prophetic.

To remain faithful

It is true that, on a strictly natural level, chastity is difficult to keep. It does not go against our nature but surpasses the limits of this nature. Thus, one sees that God’s grace, a supernatural aid, is needed. Celibacy becomes yet another proof for the existence of God (which would also explain the virulent attacks against celibacy on the part of the enemies of the Church).

Fidelity in chastity is therefore received based upon the spiritual life of the priest. If this were not present then the time that one spends in prayer, which is the cause and effect of love, would stand to be replaced by all sorts of harmful compensatory acts such as the pursuit of money or sex, driven by ambition or by one’s ego.

The priest must consider himself to be meek: in fact, humility is the surest means to remain vigilant and to maintain the asceticism necessary to remaining chaste. The priest is greatly aided by the support of his confreres in the community life and that of the faithful in his ministry. If the priest is happy, then he will remain faithful and chaste.

Of course, the great difficulty is one of duration: one often makes a decision to lead a celibate life while in the prime of youth. Sometimes, this is a source of discouragement and that is why we also need Catholic families to pray that priests may remain faithful, as well as to pray for the return of those who have fallen away. The priest must also entrust his virginity to a woman, not a spouse, but a Mother – the Blessed Virgin Mary, who is the virgo castissima, virgo perpetua, virgo fidelis.

Lastly, those responsible for priestly formation should dismiss without hesitation those candidates who are unstable or immature, and carefully instruct seminarians by helping them to develop a mystical understanding of priestly chastity. They must learn to love purity, following in the footsteps of the Curé of Ars, of whom it was said, “Chastity shone forth from his gaze”. He truly loved purity and knew how to encourage others through the use of many vivid and colourful examples related to nature.

Towards a mystical understanding of Priestly Celibacy

Priestly celibacy must be a resolute choice, motivated and determined by a true sense of sacrifice. Chastity becomes ridiculous or even impossible if it is solely structured by negative precepts. It is however possible, beautiful and enriching, when it is based upon a positive precept: the Love of God, which is total and life-giving and the only love that is capable of fulfilling the great need for love that fills the heart of man. Therefore, celibacy must not be lived negatively, as if something were missing; but rather positively, as a sacrifice for a love that allows for a spiritual union: “Perfect chastity is a type of spiritual marriage by which the soul is united to Christ” (Pie XII).

Chastity is a moral obligation that requires ascetical effort. Such is inconceivable without the learned practice of temperance, and without absolute self-control. Even those alone do not suffice, for without penance and mortification one would find it difficult to control one’s passions. The Curé of Ars understood this well: “I have never felt any temptations of the flesh; and if I had, I would have indeed used the discipline”.

Yet such cannot be brought about without a certain spiritual motivation: it is love that must engender the sacrifice of one’s self, in both body and soul. Freely and generously, the priest immolates himself for the Lord, and through celibacy he identifies with Christ and unites himself to His Church. The chastity of Jesus is neither accidental nor accessory but is an integral part of the “states of being” of Jesus, described by Bérulle and the French school of spirituality. The priest owes adherence to these states of body and soul and to the sentiments of the Heart of Jesus, for he is not called to be “one with Christ”, such as in the spirituality of a bride of Christ, but rather he is called to be “another Christ”, such as demanded by the spirituality of the priesthood. How could one not see in the sacrifice of one’s body a Eucharistic dimension?

In going to seminary when one is about twenty years old, the future priest is normally not fully conscious of the sacrifice that is expected of him. He will come to realize it, little-by-little, sometimes after ordination to the priesthood. He will then realize that his will alone does not suffice since celibacy is a gift from God long before it is a gift made to God. It is a grace that God gives to those priests who are faithful. Nevertheless, the will of the priest must not be weak or passing for priestly celibacy only finds its full value in a total and absolute giving of one’s self. As Guynemer once remarked: “We haven’t given anything, until we have given everything!” In giving one’s body to God, one can give his soul to everyone. The priest can therefore view his commitment as strong and indissoluble as the bonds of matrimony. One doesn’t divorce God.

In today’s world, this message shocks some people and angers others. Let us not be deceived: it is an element of the “sign of contradiction” that the priest becomes as a result of his ordination.

Those for whom God suffices

Far from renouncing love, the priest embraces it in its most sublime and supernatural form. In placing his celibacy under the maternal protection of Our Lady, as did the Curé of Ars, the priest will know the joys of a mysterious apostolic fertility and the a generous love which foreshadows eternal bliss.

One needs to understand that what is at stake in the debate on clerical celibacy is not a lack of priests, far from it. The real challenge is an underlying one and a challenge of real importance for the future of Christianity: in reality, the problem of priestly celibacy begs the question of the effectiveness of grace. Priestly celibacy is a grace, as St Jean-Marie Vianney so often repeated: “Purity comes from Heaven; we must ask this grace of God. If we ask for it, we shall receive”. To renounce the obligation of celibacy would bear witness before the world that grace was insufficient and that it could not allow individuals to live a supernatural life. The consequences would be disastrous: it would mean the surrender of the spirit to the needs of the flesh, the triumph of the “old man” over the new and the victory of paganism over Christianity.

Today, as in the past, chastity is a grave necessity. It is a grace to be received and kept, and a fertile source for the salvation of the world. It is necessary that men should continue to sacrifice their bodies as a sign of their passionate love for the Christ and His Church. They must continue to believe in the words of Our Lord: “My grace is sufficient for thee”. The world stands to be shocked by these priests like the Curé of Ars, these prophets of another world who are mad for Christ and for whom God suffices.

Fr Alban Cras
2nd councilor to the Superior General
and responsible for the Year of Discernment in Wigratzbad

Fr. Chad Ripperger, FSSP Spiritual Conferences from Years Past in Cedar Rapids, IA

2010-04-12T23:19:00.002+01:00

From 2004 A.D. until 2007 A.D., Una Voce of Cedar Rapids, Iowa had been inviting the Rev. Fr. Chad Ripperger, FSSP to give a series of talks during Lenten Spiritual Conferences in Cedar Rapids. These conferences included talks on topics such as The Beatitudes of Christ, The Passion of Christ, The True Devotion to Mary, Modern Psychology & the Catholic Faith, and Catholic Tradition & the Liturgy.

We are blessed to be able to access these talks through Una Voce Cedar Rapids's website.

To listen to the talks, click here: http://www.uvcr.catholicam.org/fr_rmp3.html

From there, you are free to download the file (for free) or simply listen to the file online.

I would highly recommend listening to these spiritual talks. They are very well done, and they bring about a greater understanding of the faith.

The Rev. Fr. Chad Ripperger, FSSP is a wonderful preacher and priest. The Church is very blessed to have him. These Lenten Spiritual Conferences testify to the grace of God in his preaching, for the FSSP has no parish in the entire state of Iowa. However, if one who might be reading this today is living in Iowa, Latin Masses are available at the following locations:

St. Wenceslaus- Cedar Rapids, IA.
St. Anthony Church- Davenport, IA.
St. Anthony Church (in the crypt)- Des Moines, IA.
St. Francis Xavier Basilica- Dubuque, IA.
St. Wenceslaus- Iowa City, IA.
Cathedral of the Epiphany- Sioux City Iowa.

*Addresses and times are available at: http://web2.airmail.net/carlsch/MaterDei/churches.htm#iowa

Pro Nobis Mortuus Est

2010-04-02T06:00:00.001+01:00

Tenebrae to be sung in Cork for the Sacred Triduum

2010-03-30T20:49:00.001+01:00

Sts Peter and Paul’s Church, Cork City

The Office of Tenebrae for Holy Thursday will be sung at 10 am on the morning of Holy Thursday, 1 April 2010. In addition to the chanting of the psalms of Matins and Lauds, Tomas Luis Victoria’s settings for the Responsories will also be sung. Bilingual booklets containing the texts for the office will be available.

The Office of Tenebrae for Good Friday will be sung, together with T.L. Victoria’s settings for the Responsories, at 10 am on Good friday morning, 2 April 2010.

The Office of Tenebrae for Holy Saturday will be sung, together with T.L. Victoria’s settings for the Responsories, at 10 am on Holy Saturday morning, 3 April 2010.

The Consecration of Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary Chapel

2010-03-19T18:00:00.000Z

Readers may be interested in the series by Gregor DiPippio of The New Liturgical Movement on the consecration of Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary Chapel. In his "Account of the Ceremonies", Mr DiPippio plans to lead us through the various ceremonies, from Vespers the previous day to the Consecration and Pontifical Mass itself:

Ordinations to the Diaconate in Denton

2010-03-13T17:57:00.000Z

On the sixth day of March in the year of our Lord 2010, six men were ordained to the diaconate in the Chapel of St. Peter and St. Paul at Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary in Denton, NE. Two of the newly ordained deacons were of the traditional Carmel of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (Wyoming). According to the New Liturgical Movement:

"The ordianing prelate was H.E. Most Reverend Arthur J. Serratelli, Bishop of Paterson, New Jersey, and significantly Chairman of the US Bishops' Conference Committee on Divine Worship and Commissioner of the International Committee on English in the Liturgy (ICEL)."

This is the first ordination to the diaconate held within the walls of this newly consecrated chapel.

To view the NLM's article on the event, click here: http://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2010/03/diaconate-ordinations-in-new-fssp.html

The Lure of a Traditional Vocation

2010-03-07T19:16:00.002Z

by Andrew Cano

Greetings everyone! My name is Andrew Cano and I have recently been approved to be a regular blogger on both the FSSP vocations blog and the Traditional Vocations blog. It is my hope to provide a weekly post on each site. For now, please allow me to write a simple reflection that I will post on both blogs as I have not had the time to properly research any topic but am eager to get to work.

I am a 30-year-old faithful Catholic who is a member of the Archdiocese of Miami Traditional Latin Mass Community in Miami, Florida, in the United States. In my previous life, I was a seminarian for four years for the Diocese of Charleston (South Carolina) and completed two years of pre-theology and two years of theology studies at the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio. While I enjoyed my time in seminary for the most part and hope to touch upon my formation frequently in future posts, the theme I want to reflect on in this introductory post is whether my vocation would have best been fulfilled had I chosen to pursue it in an environment in which the Mass is celebrated according to the Extraordinary Form and where traditional discipline and regulations are still followed.

I ask myself this question because I now almost exclusively attend Mass in the Extraordinary Form and really only attend the Novus Ordo when I must fulfill an obligation and no Tridentine Mass is available. I do not question the validity of the Novus Ordo as it has been officially promulgated through the authority of the Holy Father but I simply find myself in love with the old rite and do pray for it to one day be restored as the Ordinary Form of the Mass. Furthermore, I am very much drawn to the traditions of the Church, especially the strict guidelines enforced in traditional formation programs, such as that of the FSSP.

Unfortunately for me, my affinity for these traditions had not yet been achieved when I pursued the priesthood and, thus, I chose the more contemporary seminary formation. While I had the privilege of being in an orthodox diocese (at least among the leadership) and in a relatively orthodox seminary, over the years I realized that I simply was not satisfied. In particular, the lax environment that developed during my years in seminary was very hurtful to my vocation. While I do not want to go into details to avoid scandal and because a new administration at my seminary has now created a much more fruitful atmosphere, suffice it to say that a major issue that I observed in seminary was that our "modern" approach failed to challenge men to properly develop into holy priests. While the men I was in formation with certainly did not live sinful lives, the fact of the matter was that it seemed that our superiors were not concerned with challenging us to change our lives. Rather, it seemed acceptable to enter and complete formation having achieved little more than completing the academic requirements necessary to obtain the necessary degrees. Unfortunately, even our once stringent academic standards became lax as men complained about not having enough time to pray because of their studies although they found a lot of time to spend off-campus in a variety of activities that were not inherently sinful but, in my opinion, grossly inappropriate for one preparing to become a priest.

Therefore, it is refreshing to know that there are still groups within the Church who have extremely high expectations for their priests and have developed strict formation programs aimed at forming holy priests in accordance with the traditions of the Church. Such programs, rather than suppressing one's individuality, serve to remind seminarians that they are preparing for a new life. Once a man prostrates himself before God and his bishop at ordination, that prostrating must symbolize his death to the world and rebirth as a priest. In order to reach this goal, he must have completed (survived?) a period of intense scrutiny that only a traditional formation program can offer. It is with great regret that I say I did not have the privilege of being part of such a program and, partly as a result, it is why I write this as a layman rather than a priest.

Thus, it is with great hope that, as one who once nurtured a vocation, I can assist others in finding theirs through my writings. Furthermore, I hope that my posts help convince young men everywhere that they must seek out a community which truly challenges them to leave the world behind and form them into holy priests well-prepared to fight the great evil that pervades our society today. For such young men reading this, be assured of my prayers on such a journey.

God blesss!!!

Consecration of FSSP Seminary Chapel

2010-03-04T18:35:00.004Z

On March 3, 2010, the new seminary chapel of the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter, the Chapel of Saints Peter and Paul, was consecrated. Below are some photos of the consecration. More will follow over the next few days.

(The Seminary will be posting pictures of the consecration ceremony online in the coming days.)

Further links:

NLM: FSSP Chapel Consecration
NLM: Preview of the new FSSP Seminary Chapel
NLM: Consecration - Preliminary Photos
FSSP North American District: Seminary Chapel Photo Gallery
Lincoln Journal Star: Chapel consecrated in Denton Wednesday
Transalpine Redemptorists at home: New Church of Sts. Peter and Paul
Rorate Cæli: Cardinal Levada's Sermon
Athanasius contra mundum: Cardinal Levada's Sermon - commentary
Katholisches Magazin: Weihe der Seminarkirche in den USA (German language
EXVLTET.net: Kirchweihe bei FSSP (German language)

Note: videos of the ceremony are also currently available on gloria.tv:

Aspersion of the Exterior of the Church
Aspersion of the Interior of the Church
Anointing of the Walls
Purification of the Altar
Consecration of the Altar
Deposition of the Relics, or as one video:
Consecration (3 hours 13 minutes)
Pontifical Mass (1hr 30mins)

(photos: Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer)

REMINDER: Consecration of Sts. Peter and Paul Chapel (OLGS) to be Live on EWTN

2010-03-03T13:59:00.001Z

"The Pontifical Consecration and Mass will be televised live on the Eternal World Television Network (EWTN) at 11:00AM (EST). Watch the Pontifical Consecration and Mass Live Online! www.ewtn.com/audiovideo

Founded by Mother Angelica, the EWTN Global Catholic Network, now in its 28th year, is available in more than 150 million television households in more than 140 countries and erritories. EWTN is the largest religious media network in the world. For more information, go to www.ewtn.com."

"The Pontifical Consecration and Mass is open to all of the public. Any and all the faithful are cordially invited and are most welcome to attend this joyful event and enjoy refreshments afterwards.

Due to the number of guests and limited space, rooms and television screens will be provided for those outside of the chapel who wish to participate."

An article on the consecration (from the FSSP) is provided here: http://www.fssp.org/en/olgschapel.htm

The press release is provided here: http://www.fssp.org/objet/2010-01-22%20Press%20Release%20OLGS%20Chapel.pdf

Also, you might consider viewing a short clip in honor of the upcoming consecration. This video/sideshow will be found here: http://www.fssp.org/en/index.htm

For all of you who will be unable to be in Denton at the consecration, be sure to be watching EWTN either on your TV or at:

www.ewtn.com/audiovideo or directly at: EWTN LIVE TV (ENGLISH)

As always, be sure to pray for the seminarians and priests--especially on March 3rd as the new chapel is consecrated by His Excellency Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz in the presence of His Eminence William Cardinal Levada.

Reminder: EWTN Live Interview of Fr. Goodwin, FSSP and Deacon Rhone Lillard, FSSP

2010-02-27T23:46:00.009Z

As a simple reminder, the Rev. Fr. Calvin Goodwin, FSSP and Deacon Rhone Lillard, FSSP were recently interviewed by Fr. Mitch Pacwa on EWTN Live (through Mother Angelica's global Catholic television network--EWTN).

Deacon Rhone Lillard, FSSP gave us some of his conversion story (going from a non-practicing "almost-evangelical" to a Catholic). He also spoke about the consecration of the new Chapel of Sts. Peter and Paul for Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary (the U.S. Seminary for the FSSP).

Fr. Calvin Goodwin, FSSP gave us a small bit of a background on the Tridentine Mass. He discussed the development of the Tridentine Mass and the current development of the Novus Ordo Mass. At this time, he also spoke of how some choose to compare the Tridentine Mass to the Novus Ordo Mass. Along with this, he suggested the theory that H.H. Pope Benedict XVI is surely hoping that the Tridentine Mass will better influence the Novus Ordo.

Great insight on these two forms of the Roman Rite Mass was presented in this interview. The words shared with the audience by these two priests and Deacon Lillard, FSSP should be shared with many because of the wonderful insight they have.

You may be able to view this interview until the next episode of EWTN Live is aired. This interview may be accessed at:

http://ewtn.com/audiovideo/index.asp

Where you will be able to choose either to listen to the interview via Windows Media Player in audio or in video.

If you do not have Windows Media Player, a link to place it on your Windows Computer or Mac is provided.

At least until Thursday (most likely), the audio should also be more directly available here:
http://ewtn.edgeboss.net/download/ewtn/multicast/audio/mp3/el.mp3
The above link may be obtained at: http://ewtn.com/podcast/index.asp

Otherwise, you may view the shorter clip of the audio via the Youtube video provided above (toward the beginning of this post).

Also, be sure to read this previous post and other posts like it to find information about the dedication of the new chapel: http://fsspvocations.blogspot.com/2010/02/dedication-of-seminary-chapel.html

Dedication of Seminary Chapel

2010-02-27T14:17:00.003Z

Wednesday 3 March: 4pm-9pm UK time: watch live the Solemn Dedication of the FSSP seminary Chapel in the U.S.A. by Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz, with Cardinal Levada and dozens of clergy in choir.

Please pray for the spiritual success of the Dedication of the Chapel of Sts Peter and Paul at our US seminary, on Wednesday 3rd March. Fr de Malleray, FSSP will be there, bringing the prayers of many British faithful for more holy priests.

You may read the booklet of consecration here: www.fsspolgs.org/chapel_consecration.pdf.
See pictures of various stages of construction here: www.fsspolgs.org/chapel.html.
Watch ceremony live from 4PM (UK time) on EWTN (Sky Channel 589): www.ewtn.com/tv/NAAdv0310.asp.

Minor Orders and Subdiaconate Ordination in Wigratzbad

2010-02-21T19:54:00.002Z

by Martin Bürger

A few weeks ago, the Bishop of Chur, Vitus Huonder, was at Wigratzbad, Germany, to confer Minor Orders and the Subdiaconate on four individuals. Here are some pictures from the ceremony:

Prayers at the Foot of the Altar:

The Candidates for Minor Orders:

Final photo in front of the Sühnekirche:

A large series of pictures is provided by the FSSP on their website.

(tr. from EXSVLTET.net)

Lenten Retreat

2010-02-17T20:29:00.001Z

Lenten week-end of recollection: 5-7 March 2010

on ‘The Four Last Things: Death, Judgment, Hell and Heaven’.

*Address: All Saints Conference Centre, Shenley Lane, London Colney, Herts, AL2 1AF.

*Website: www.allsaintspc.org.uk.

*Starts on Friday 5th March 2010 at 5pm (later arrival possible) – ends on Sunday 7th March 2010 at 4pm.

*Holy Mass in the EF on Friday afternoon, Saturday and Sunday.

*Confession / spiritual direction on request.

* Retreat Master: Fr Armand de Malleray, FSSP

*Price: £126 everything included (for: £116 as Centre’s fees + £10 as FSSP fees).

*Please bring your traditional hand missal + your own towel and soap.

*Booking: please send to us a £15 deposit cheque made payable to FSSP ENGLAND. Please kindly book now. www.fssp.org.uk

EWTN Live: Fr. Pacwa to Interview Fr. Goodwin and Deacon Lillard

2010-02-12T00:51:00.003Z

Special EWTN Live Interview with the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter

On Wednesday night, February 24th, EWTN favorite, Fr. Mitch Pacwa, will be interviewing two members of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter, Father Calvin Goodwin and Deacon Rhone Lillard.

The topic of the interview will be the Pontifical Consecration of the Fraternity’s newly built chapel at Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary which EWTN is televising live on Wednesday, March 3rd at 11:00am (EST). His Excellency, Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz of Lincoln, Nebraska , will celebrate the Pontifical Consecration and Mass according to the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite.

The ancient ceremony will be in the presence of William Cardinal Levada, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Joining Cardinal Levada, will be several bishops from around the United States.

Watch EWTN Live online on Wednesday, February 24th at 8:00PM (EST)!
www.ewtn.com/audiovideo

http://fssp.com/press/2010/02/feb-24-fssp-interview-on-ewtn-live/

Be sure to watch EWTN Live on the 24th day of February in the year of our Lord, 2010 A.D.

February 24
SPECIAL 90 MINUTES SHOW
Sr. Margherita Marchione on Pope Pius XII
Fr. Calvin Goodwin, FSSP & Deacon Rhone Lillard, FSSP on the consecration of the Seminary Chapel at Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary in Denton, NE.

http://www.ewtn.com/tv/prime_wednesday.asp

Candlemas in Wigratzbad

2010-02-07T16:40:00.002Z

by Martin Bürger

'Tis the time of year for beautiful pictures of the Feast of Candlemas (Mariä Lichtmeß) in Wigratzbad. Traditionally the Candles are blessed in the Gnadenkapelle (Chapel of Grace), after which a Procession takes place through the snow to the Sühnekirche (the Church of Atonement, the former Passionist Church of the Pilgrimage place of Wigratzbad). There a High Mass is then celebrated.

More than 40 beautiful images can be found on the website of the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter.

(tr. from EXSVLTET.net)

Camp St. Peter

2010-01-29T03:51:00.003Z

"The Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter is hosting a two-week, outdoor summer camp for boys aged 12 to 15 years old, at Custer State Park, located an hour south of Rapid City, South Dakota. The camp will be staffed by one priest and six seminarians of the Fraternity of St. Peter."

This newly released information comes directly from the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter itself. As the article says, the camp will be for boys aged 12 to 15 who will basically be on a retreat with one priest and six seminarians of the Fraternity. I draw this to your attention today that you might consider recommending this camp to your children, grandchildren, friends, etc. The camp will provide great spiritual growth for the boys who will attend. The environment would also provide a wonderful atmosphere where a boy may discern a vocation in the Fraternity. What good Catholic boy would not discern a vocation to the priesthood? Now, don't let this "scare" Catholic boys from going to the camp--it is not that if you go, you will be "pushed to the priesthood", but the youth will be able to discern--to pray, to listen, and to prepare to answer whatever the call may be. I do not even know that this is the intentions of the camp (though it is likely the main cause)--it is not stated, but don't let anyone shy away from this for that reason. And, for those of us who will not be able to attend, let us pray for the boys when they go to this retreat, and let us also pray for the priest and seminarians who aid them on this spiritual journey.

"The cost for this years camp is $350, payable by check, which should be sent along with the application form. This check will only be deposited if your applicant is accepted. (Please send a separate check for each applicant.) A more detailed information packet will be mailed to you upon acceptance."

For more information see: http://fssp.com/press/2010/01/camp-st-peter-june-18-july-2-2010/
See the registration form: http://www.fsspolgs.org/Camp_Application.pdf
You may also e-mail: fsspcamp@gmail.com for more information.

Patriarch of Venice to Assist at Mass in the Extraordinary Form

2010-01-25T17:37:00.001Z

by Gregor Kollmorgen

His Eminence Angelo Cardinal Scola, the Patriarch of Venice, who was recently featured on the NLM, will assist pontificaliter at a Holy Mass according to the Extraordinary Form which Fr Konrad zu Löwenstein FSSP will celebrate on Saturday 6 March 2010, at 5.30 p.m. The Mass will be sung in the FSSP church in Venice, San Simeon Piccolo, which has been mentioned repeatedly on the NLM (cf here or here). Apparently this will be the first time that an Italian residential cardinal participates in an usus antiquior Mass.

(reproduced from The New Liturgical Movement)

FSSP Vocation Days in Nebraska

2010-01-23T12:33:00.005Z

The Confraternity of St Peter is in the early stages of planning a vocation camp for May 2010. The details will develop over the next few months, but for now we would like to hear from any family interested in participating.

The idea is that families who come for ordinations on May 22 at Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary might stay for a couple of extra days. Their children can then participate in activities either at Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary (for boys) or the Carmel of Jesus, Mary and Joseph in Valparaiso (for girls). It would end on Monday evening with a talk for all given by one of the Priests.

Details have yet to be finalised, but we are looking at some places where fathers and sons and mothers and daughters might "camp" to keep expenses down. Of course you can stay at local hotels if you prefer.

If you would like to put your children on the list or receive more information as it becomes available, email Tish Gallagher at tish5 at surewest.net, or call +1-916-223-3112. This will be a really wonderful opportunity for young people to spend some time with Priests and religious and learn about life in the Seminary or Convent, and also have a lot of fun at the same time.

(reproduced from Cum Petro, the periodical of the Confraternity of St Peter, Winter 2010)

Pontifical Consecration of New Chapel of the Northern American FSSP Seminary with Cardinal Levada

2010-01-22T21:08:00.001Z

by Gregor Kollmorgen

The new chapel of the Northern American Seminary of Our Lady of Guadalupe of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter in Denton, Nebraska, will be consecrated on 3 March 2010. The ceremony will be performed by His Excellency Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz, the local ordinary, in the presence of His Eminence William Cardinal Levada, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and, since last year's motu proprio Ecclesiae unitatem, President of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei. This will be, as far as we are aware, the first public function in the usus antiquior which Cardinal Levada carries out in his new capacity. This is from a press release which the NLM was sent today by the FSSP:

DENTON, Nebraska – January 22, 2010 – The Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter is pleased to announce the Pontifical Consecration of its newly built chapel at Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary on Wednesday, March 3rd at 10:00am (CST). Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz will celebrate the Pontifical Consecration and Mass according to the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite.

The five hour ceremony will be held in the presence of a very special guest from the Vatican, William Cardinal Levada, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter is delighted to have the presence of one of the highest ranking officials in the Catholic Church. Cardinal Levada's presence is connected with his position as President of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei established by Pope John Paul II and recently expanded by Pope Benedict XVI to facilitate the full incorporation into the life of the Church of communities and individuals attached to the Extraordinary Form.

Thanks to Thomas Gordon Smith, its architect, the seminary chapel reflects a contemporary rebirth in the rich tradition of classical Catholic architecture. Upon entering through its mahogany doors, the visitor will be immersed in the chapel's beauty and grandeur which include an elevated main altar, emphasized by a 31-foot marble canopy or “baldachino”, the chapel's seven side altars and liturgical choir stalls which seat 92 seminarians and priests. These are some of the integral qualities of this chapel which, on March 3rd, will be full of the people for which it was made.

The Pontifical Consecration and Mass is open to all of the public. Any and all the faithful are cordially invited and are most welcome to attend this joyful event and enjoy refreshments afterwards.

Due to the number of guests and limited space, rooms and television screens will be provided for those outside of the chapel who wish to participate.

The Pontifical Consecration and Mass will be televised live on the Eternal World Television Network (EWTN) at 11:00AM (EST). Watch the Pontifical Consecration and Mass Live Online!

www.ewtn.com/audiovideo

(reproduced from The New Liturgical Movement)

Pontifical Mass in Copenhangen

2010-01-16T06:00:00.001Z

by Gregor Kollmorgen

First images of the Pontifical Mass sung by the Bishop of Copenhagen, His Excellency Czeslaw Kozon (who had previosuly celebrated missa cantata in the usus antiquior), in his cathedral on 10 January 2010 have become available via Katolsk Tradition.

The Bishop was assisted by Fr. Josef Bisig and Fr. Martin Knudsen, both of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter.

(reproduced from The New Liturgical Movement)

Cardinal Levada to Bless New Chapel of the Northern American FSSP Seminary

2010-01-15T11:45:00.000Z

by Gregor Kollmorgen

The new chapel of the Northern American Seminary of Our Lady of Guadalupe of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter in Denton, Nebraska, will be dedicated on 3 March 2010.

The ceremony will be performed by His Eminence Cardinal William Levada, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and, since last year's motu proprio Ecclesiae unitatem, President of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei. This will be, as far as we are aware, the first public function in the usus antiquior which Cardinal Levada carries out in his new capacity.

Lenten week-end of Recollection

2010-01-14T12:02:00.003Z

Lenten week-end of recollection: 5-7 March 2010
on ‘The Four Last Things: Death, Judgment, Hell and Heaven’.
Retreat Master: Fr Armand de Malleray FSSP

All Saints Conference Centre, Shenley Lane, London Colney, Herts, AL2 1AF.
Website: www.allsaintspc.org.uk
Starts on Friday 5th March 2010 at 5pm (later arrival possible)
– ends on Sunday 7th March 2010 at 4pm.

Price: £126 everything included (for: £116 as Centre’s fees + £10 as FSSP fees). Please bring your traditional hand missal + your own towel and soap.

Booking: please send a £15 deposit cheque made payable to FSSP ENGLAND, to ‘FSSP Lenten Retreat', 179 Elgar Road, Reading, RG2 0DH, Berks. Please kindly book now.

In Memoriam - Fr. Franck Quoex

2010-01-03T09:30:00.003Z

a tribute to Fr Franck M. Quoëx (1967-2007),
by Gregory DiPippio

Today is the third anniversary of the death of Fr. Franck Quoëx, a priest of the Diocese of Vaduz in Lichtenstein, and one of the foremost liturgists of our times. I had the great honor to serve alongside Fr. Quoëx at the traditional Masses in Rome for many years, and some of the most beautiful rites I have ever seen were put together and guided by his phenomenal expertise. He had and deserved a reputation throughout Europe as a highly talented Master of Ceremonies; many have remarked that if the Pope should ever decide to do the ancient Papal Mass again, Fr. Quoëx would have been one of the few people who could have arranged it properly. I am always put in mind of him most especially during Holy Week; he had a great love of these most solemn rites of the Church, and the rehearsals he led were filled with interesting asides on the origin and symbolic meaning of the ceremonies. In the year 2000, he was the first master of ceremonies for a Rorate Mass celebrated by His Eminence Alphonse-Maria Cardinal Stickler, at the church of San Pietro in Montorio. Like most of the servers, I had never been involved in Pontifical Mass before, and we were all extremely nervous; Fr. Quoëx steered us through a magnificent ceremony with grace and calm. In 2005, I was master of ceremonies for a Requiem Mass celebrated on behalf of Pope John Paul II at the F.S.S.P.’s former Roman chapel, San Gregorio de’ Muratori; my two very small mistakes were immediately spotted and corrected by Fr. Quoëx. He always behaved with the most perfect courtesy to myself and the other servers, and his criticisms, if I can even call them such, were easy to bear, because they were not born from a lack of charity, or a desire to lord over others. They came, rather, from a profound liturgical piety, and love of the Church’s tradition, even in its smallest details, which permeated his whole life as a priest. His own Masses, whether sung or read, were a lesson to all who saw them in devotion to the sacred liturgy, and he rejoiced to see the growing interest in the Tridentine rite among priests and seminarians in Rome. The Fraternity of Saint Peter’s European seminary, at Wigratzbad in Bavaria, was blessed to have him for some years as a professor. His knowledge of the sacred rites was both practical and theoretical; among his scholarly achievements, his thesis on the virtue of religion in the writings of St. Thomas earned the praise of Cardinal Ratzinger, and he edited and published out of the Sorbonne critical editions of the liturgical codices of the use of Vercelli, in northern Italy.

In May of 2006, Abbé Quoëx was diagnosed with cancer, which took his life less than nine months later. In the final days of his illness, when he had become too weak to celebrate Mass, he would have friends sit at his bedside and read the Mass to him. He passed away at the age of thirty-nine, on January 2, the feast of the Holy Name of Jesus, and is buried in the cemetery of Lausanne, Switzerland, where he had been serving the faithful of the traditional Mass community. The joy of his eternal rest has most surely been increased beyond measure by the promulgation of the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum, and the flourishing of the traditional Mass to which he dedicated his all-too-brief life in this world.

From his essay The Mass, Our Treasure:

The legacy of the Lord, the Mass is the Sun of our lives and our treasure. We love it due to the fact that it is substantially and principally of the Lord's [own] institution. But we love it also as the Church, to which Jesus entrusted its celebration, has transmitted it to us down through the centuries by means of the various liturgical traditions. Because the prayers and rites developed through the centuries in order to explain and manifest before the eyes of the entire Church the unfathomable riches of the essential rite bequeathed by the Lord. ... We cannot in any way forswear a heritage slowly built by the faith of our fathers, their burning devotion, and the theological reflection around the sacrament of the Passion of the Lord. In contact with the Mass of Saint Pius V -- in which we also contemplate the purest masterpiece of Western Civilization, hierarchical as well as sacral -- our souls lift up and our hearts expand, while our minds taste the most authentic Eucharistic doctrine. This is why we wish to understand and love, at all times more, the Traditional Mass, our treasure, and we will not cease to defend and advance it.
Le Baptistere, March 2003; translation courtesy of Rorate Caeli.
Photo courtesy of Orbis Catholicus.

~~*~~

Here is the tribute from his best friend translated into English, courtesy of The New Liturgical Movement.

The Priesthood, a life of poverty in imitation of Christ

2010-01-03T08:20:00.002Z

by Fr Eric Flood FSSP

The priesthood, in imitation of Christ, is rooted in what are called the “evangelical counsels” of poverty, chastity, and obedience. In contrast to greed, gain, and possessions, the practice of these evangelical counsels removes the obstacles to being an alter Christus as the Priest dedicates his life out of love for God by showing love of neighbor above the things of the world.

When a Priest detaches himself from material possessions by living a simple life, he heeds the words of Our Lord “Freely you have received, freely give” (Mt. 10:8). By undertaking the joys and hardships of the priesthood, he does not seek a reward in terms of money or possessions, but rather in the enrichment of the souls of those to whom he ministers. Presenting souls at the end of their lives to their Father in Heaven produces the fruit of years of priestly toil – the glory of God.

The Priesthood of Saint John Vianney exemplified this dedication. The selfless Cure was concerned only about the soul of each person he encountered, whether in the confessional or on the streets of Ars, regardless of their wealth or poverty. His Priesthood was but the continuation of his upbringing as a poor shepherd who did not hesitate to care for his sheep.

His love for a simple life was already appreciated at ordination. During his first pastoral assignment, he and his pastor would encourage each other by their ascetical practices. Although a diocesan priest, the Cure of Ars was a member of the Third Order of St. Francis and followed the footsteps of the holy Franciscan founder, as a model and epitome of priestly poverty.

The poverty of his Priesthood was founded upon his need for nothing but God, knowing that the Blessed Trinity would provide for all his needs according to providence. The money which came into his hands was viewed as belonging to Christ and His Church. As a result, the hands of the poor would not remain empty if he had but a farthing to bestow upon them.

Even at his death, owning nothing, he bequeathed his body to the ground from whence it came, and his soul to God Who created it. His own soul - whose salvation he treasured and cared for most – he understood as the possession of God.

The poverty of the Cure of Ars is explained by his own words: “Give everything away, hold nothing back” as he lived as a poor priest in a poor parish. Had he lived but a century later, the holy Cure would not be found in a luxury car, at fine restaurants, frequenting the golf course, or seeking a plethora of vacations. His rectory would be absent of shelves of the brandies of the world, televisions, and stereos. In fulfilling his duties, he would not consider honors, titles, the media, or the praise of his parishioners. To him, the answer was found by asking: “Would Christ have or seek such things?”

While leading others to God, there was no abuse of authority by St. John Vianney as a genuine love accompanied his pastoral work. His motivation was not self-centered, but entirely focused upon his flock. He did not speak of himself or feel threatened by human respect, but made Christ the center of all he did. Retirement from a life of prayer and priestly work, for the patron of parish Priests, would not be considered in his final years in life. Rather, he replaced his desire to do penance in a monastery during his final years with the relentless pastoral efforts until the body gave up the ghost.

Today, there can be the tendency to think that the Priest has given up so much – a wife, a family, a high-paying career – that he deserves to be compensated with the goods of the world, titles, or praise. But such things only usurp what duly belongs to Christ.

The priest, then, by his life of simplicity, draws people away from the world because his life does not revolve around the mundane. Rather, in the words of Our Lord: “I have meat to eat which you know not” (Jn. 4:32). That is, his own holiness and the leading souls to God is the sustenance of the priest. He lives – and would even die – for souls. Materialism is replaced by the salvation of souls, and poverty is embraced so that distractions are not wanting. The material poverty of St. John Vianney was replaced by the richness of countless souls whom he ministered to, whom he radiated an as example of Christ. For there was no greater possession or honor than the possession of God for all eternity.

Sitting in the cold confessional for hours, he was warmed by penitents returning to love of God. Taking but a little nourishment, he was fed by the King of Heaven; sleeping but little, he drove out fatigue by charity for souls. Indeed, he was a rich priest.

Fr Eric Flood
North-American District Superior

New PCED Members

2010-01-02T15:25:00.004Z

Messa in Latino has announced that the newest members of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei will be Fr. Vincenzo Nuara OP and Fr. Almiro de Andrade FSSP.

Fr. Almiro de Andrade is the first member of any of the "Ecclesia Dei Communities" to be officially appointed to the Commission. He also serves as MC at SS. Trinita dei Pellegrini, and is already considered as the de facto "secretary to the Secretary" of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, Msgr. Guido Pozzo.

Fr. Vincenzo Nuara, on the other hand, is the founder of the "Amicizia Sacerdotale Summorum Pontificum" and of "Giovane e Tradizione". Fr. Nuara, who had been removed from his position as vicar for religious in the Diocese of Acireale for his role in assisting the organizers of the celebration of the Traditional Mass in that diocese (in Sicily, which currently has only two locations with a regular TLM) -- a Mass that was saved only upon the intervention of the PCED -- has been very much at the forefront of promoting Summorum Pontificum, being one of the leaders in organizing study days and conferences on the Traditional Roman Rite, in Rome most notably the October 2009 conference that concluded with Archbishop Burke's Pontifical Mass in St. Peter's Basilica.

(story: Rorate Cæli)

reminder: Blog Help Wanted

2010-01-01T06:00:00.001Z

Reminder:

One of the authors of this blog intends to retire from blogging by Easter. If you have time to help out with this blog, and see it continue, please leave a comment, or email markadm at catholic dot org.

Without such help, this blog cannot continue.

All comments are moderated, hence private comments can be left which will remain unpublished.

Traditional Mass in Copenhagen

2009-12-30T11:41:00.002Z

On January 10, 2010, the Bishop of Copenhagen, Czeslaw Kozon, assisted by the clergy of his diocese and by members of the FSSP (including Fr. Josef Bisig), will offer a Solemn Pontifical Mass from the throne. He will offer the Mass in his own cathedral, St. Ansgar's, in Copenhagen. This will be the first Solemn Pontifical Mass according to the 1962 Missal in the Scandinavian region since the liturgical reforms.

Bishop Kozon had also celebrated Mass according to the 1962 Missal on August 2, 2009, when he offered the regular (twice-monthly) Missa Cantata in the Jesu Hjerte (Sacred Heart) church in Copenhagen.

(text: Rorate Cæli; image: St Ansgar Cathedral Church, Copenhagen)

First ordination for FSSP in new Church Year

2009-12-28T10:12:00.002Z

by Martin Bürger

As I reported in November, December 19th saw Bishop Salvatore Cordileone, since May of this year Bishop of Oakland, ordain Deacon José Zepeda FSSP to the Sacred Priesthood. Zepeda is therefore the first new Priest of the FSSP in this liturgical Year.

The Bishop at the Sermon:

Litany of the Saints:

The blog "Veritatem facientes in caritate" has made available five series of pictures, including videos: Parts 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.

(translated from EXSVLTET)

Majestic Irish Cathedral Destroyed by Fire

2009-12-27T08:25:00.002Z

The north-central Irish Diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise has suffered the tragic loss of its 150-year old cathedral yesterday morning in what may have been an act of arson. Just a few hours after the bishop celebrated Midnight Mass, the fire broke out. By the time it was extinguished the beautiful interior was completely gutted.

A video showing the destroyed cathedral can be seen here. The Bishop of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise, Dr Colm O'Reilly, has said he will restore St Mel's Cathedral in Longford , though it will cost over €2 million. Bishop O'Reilly said he celebrated midnight mass to a packed Cathedral. He said that it was an extraordinary contrast the next morning. Construction on St Mel's started in 1840 and it opened in September, 1856.

More on this story here.

Though details of any fundraising efforts have yet to emerge, the Diocese can be contacted as follows:-

The Diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnois
Diocesan Office,
Ballinalee Road.
Longford.
Co. Longford.
Phone: +353 (0)43-3346432
Fax: +353 (0)43-3346833
Email: ardaghdi at iol.ie

(image: RTÉ)

Daily Lauds with the laity in Sacramento

2009-12-18T19:20:00.005Z

by Tish Gallagher, Sacramento

The Latin Mass community of Sacramento, California began more than twenty years ago. In 1997 the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP) was invited into our diocese to serve what was then known as the Ecclesia Dei Community. In 2002 a property was purchased and given by our diocese for our use; this included a church and small school. At the time, Fr. John Berg, FSSP (now the superior general of that congregation) was the priest in charge of our Latin Mass community. In the approximately five years that Fr. Berg was with us, he tried to give our parish, St. Stephen, the First Martyr (not formally a parish yet) a character and tradition which he hoped we would maintain. Among these traditions were things such as Sunday Vespers, the Rorate Mass in Advent, and Tenebrae. Happily, the priests who have come after him have kept these traditions, and even added to them.

Even at this time in the early morning the priest would sing Lauds together in the sanctuary of our church. I would silently pray from a breviary with the Pius XII Psalter, which of course was not the same. Occasionally we would also have Compline, especially after big feasts and after evening adult education classes. We would print out the Latin so that everyone could sing; it was a very prayerful and joyful time!

Now, we are blessed to have many resources for the words of the Divine Office so consequently people are beginning to download the Office from the internet and bring it with them to St. Stephens. What began as community prayer among the priests is becoming more of prayer also for the laity. We very gingerly attempt to pronounce the words of the psalms along with the priests each morning at Lauds and as each day passes we learn more, and more people seem to come.

We also have an opportunity on Monday and Thursday each week for the office of Sext. After our priests teach their Latin classes they come into the church to sing this hour together. In addition to this we regularly have Thursday evening Compline which is very well attended after evening Mass.

The Divine Office is very much a part of our Catholic culture at St. Stephens. Most of our children have some opportunity for learning some of the Psalms either in choir or even at our summer camps where Compline is sung each evening.

St. Stephen is a little bit of heaven on earth. It is a place where the Church is living and growing. It is a place where in the midst of all the trials of this world you can find peace.

(reproduced from Rorate Cæli)

FSSP Given Charge of Quebec Church

2009-12-17T20:35:00.003Z

by Shawn Tribe

Those of you with an interest in Catholic Quebec will no doubt be interested to hear of the following development which came to the NLM recently. Namely, this week an agreement was signed which gives the FSSP charge of the parish of Saint-Zephirin de Stadacona which is located within the archdiocese of Quebec. Abbé Guillaume Loddé will be the curé.

I am sure the question will be asked as to the status of this church. Due to Quebec's "loi des fabriques" the parish will technically not be a "personal parish" -- which provincial act would, from my limited understanding of it, otherwise have the effect of putting the church property and goods under the control of a lay committee rather than either the FSSP or the Ordinary for that matter. This said, the FSSP curé will have a jurisdiction which is equivalent to a pastor and in that regard, it will function very similar to a personal parish.

The first public Mass will be held on January 1st.

See more photos of the church here. Also see: www.fssp-quebec.com

* * *
As an aside, film aficionados may recognize this as the same parish church which was the setting for Alfred Hitchcock's 1953 film, I Confess. (More on that film)

Scene from Hitchcock's, I Confess, showing the parish of Saint-Zephirin in the background
(reproduced from The New Liturgical Movement)

Seminary life

2009-12-17T19:59:00.003Z

Easter Sunday 2009

More photos from the last year of Seminary life are available on the FSSP website here.

News from the Seminary

2009-12-12T21:01:00.003Z

The snow has arrived. Nebraska was in the path of the large winter storm that hit the country at the beginning of December. Our area saw a total of around 12 inches of snow. The storm included strong winds that created lots of drifts and dropped the temperatures down into the teens and single digits. Click here to see some pictures of the seminary chapel surrounded by the remains of the precipitation.

The chapel construction is coming along quite nicely. The crews are now focusing on the inside as it is too cold to work outside. We still appear to be on track for the consecration this Spring! Click here to listen to an MP3 clip which features some of the seminarians testing out the new chapel acoustics.

Priests Training Conference (Ushaw)

2009-12-07T15:30:00.003Z

LMS Residential Training Conference for Priests Wishing to Learn the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite (Traditional Latin Mass) at Ushaw College, Durham.

The Latin Mass Society of England and Wales (LMS) is organising a residential training conference for priests wishing to learn the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite (Traditional Latin Mass) at Ushaw College, Durham, one of England’s most prestigious seminaries.

The conference will run from Monday 12 April to Friday 16 April 2010 (i.e. Low Week) and will feature Traditional liturgies in Ushaw’s magnificent neo-Gothic St Cuthbert’s Chapel together with a Gregorian Chant schola and polyphonic choir.

Expert tuition in the celebration of Mass in the Usus Antiquior will be provided on a small group basis. There will be tuition in Low Mass, Missa Cantata and Missa Solemnis and there will be streams for beginners and more advanced students. There will be a keynote lecture and 1962 Missals and altar cards will be available.

There will be opening and closing High Masses, daily Mass and Devotions, and Rosary. There will also be a closing Conference dinner with guest speaker.

The subsidised fee to participants is only £115.00 which includes all accommodation, meals and training materials. There are limited places and priests are asked to register as soon as possible.

Further details and registration forms can be obtained from the LMS office (Tel: 020 7404 7284, e mail: info at latin-mass-society.org) or from the conference organiser, Mr Paul Waddington (Tel: 01757 638027, e mail: paul at gooleboathouse.co.uk).

Paul Waddington said, “This is the second time the LMS has organised such a training conference at Ushaw College and we are delighted to be going back. I hope the laity will tell their priests about this wonderful opportunity to learn the Usus Antiquior in the setting of one of England’s finest Catholic seminaries.”

Latin Mass Society, 11-13 Macklin Street, London WC2B 5NH
Tel: 020 7404 7284
E mail: info at latin-mass-society.org
Website: latin-mass-society.org

(photo: Fr Ray Blake)

The office of governing

2009-12-02T17:05:00.004Z

by Very Rev. Fr. John Berg,
Superior General

St. John Mary Vianney the Pastor of Ars

The canonized saints are almost always known simply by their first name: St. Timothy, St. Matthew, and St. Agnes. For some saints a title is added to distinguish them from others bearing the same name: St. John the Evangelist and St. Stephen Protomartyr. It is perhaps significant that St. John Mary Vianney is more commonly known by his title than his name: the Curé d’Ars. A bit like his own patron, St. John the Baptist, he is named by his role almost as though he were completely defined by it. He is the Curé, the Pastor of the faithful of Ars, the shepherd of his flock.

Yet when one thinks of the Curé d’Ars it is most often as a preacher and confessor rather than in his direct duties as a pastor; his other pastoral activities; the directing of his parish. Each priest as a alter Christus participates in the offices of Christ as priest, prophet and king. All three of these offices are necessary for the priest, as an instrument of Christ, to lead the faithful entrusted to him to heaven.

The last of the three offices is called by a number of different names. It is referred to as the mumus regendi or office of governing, which underlines that a part of the Sacrament of Holy Orders is to establish the hierarchy and governance of the Church, the Pope at its head and the bishops and priests in union with him. In more recent documents of the Church this role of the priest is spoken of as that of “shepherding the flock” or as the “priest’s fundamental relationship to Jesus Christ, head and shepherd”.[1][2] In so far as the priest shares in the mission of Christ, he necessarily shares in His authority: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age”.

The very idea of authority is not an easy one to accept or to exercise in our day and age. This can be seen in society at large, within the family and even within the Church. In the life of the Curé d’Ars we see that this aspect of the priesthood was even the most difficult for him. More than once he shrank before the prospect of the duties which shepherding his flock entailed and the responsibility for the souls in his care.

The fact that St. John Mary Vianney more than once tried to flee his parish of Ars for a contemplative life is perhaps the most surprising aspect in his life, but perhaps it also underlines this aspect of governing whose gravity is sometimes overlooked or underestimated. After all, this reaction can be seen in the quo vadis of St. Peter or the tears of St. Pius X in accepting his election to the papacy. The Cure d’Ars loved his duties as a priest, but frankly admitted that he found his pastoral duties a cross to be carried: “I do not regret being a priest and being able to offer Holy Mass, but I do not want to be a Pastor, this I regret having to do.”[3]

On the occasion of the 100^th anniversary of the Saint’s death, Mgr. Ancel, Auxiliary Bishop of Lyons, referred to this anxiousness on the part of the Curé for his duties as a pastor as a real mystery in his life which needs to be carefully considered:

“In considering the pastoral spirituality of the Curé d’Ars we encounter a particularly delicate point. We cannot completely comprehend it; we can only say that the fear which filled his soul when he thought about his pastoral responsibilities was, for him, an occasion of very profound spiritual purification, and this ought to be an opportunity for spiritual reflection for us [as priests] as well.”[4]

Profound Understanding of Pastoral Duties

For St. John Mary Vianney his understanding of his pastoral duties was not simply something gathered from books of moral theology or on the priesthood. Certainly at his time he received a strong doctrinal formation regarding the duties of the priest towards his flock. He well understood that the duties of the priest were not simply to sanctify through the sacraments or to teach from the pulpit to the congregation as a body. He also needed to direct individual souls and at times state things which would provoke in them the same response that our Lord heard at times: “This saying is hard, and who can hear it?”[5] For him the former two duties were indeed a joy, but the third would always be a cross. “I only rest two times each day”, the Saint would say, “when I am at the altar and in the pulpit.”[6]

The profound understanding which he had of his pastoral duties was no doubt the fruit of his prayer and meditation. Certain expressions on the priesthood are characteristic of St. John Mary Vianney and show the great lights granted to him to comprehend the sacred priesthood. “If the priest were to really penetrate the greatness of his vocation, he would nearly die”[7]; “he holds the place of God, he is clothed with the powers of God.”[8]

Just as he viewed his priesthood as carrying out the sacramental acts of Christ and having the duty to teach only the teachings of Christ, he saw that his authority was the authority of Christ and not his own. This real and accurate understanding of the dignity of priesthood did not lead the Curé d’Ars to expect expression of it in titles, dress or acts of reverence towards him. It did not tempt him to see himself as having an authority which was to be lorded over others. Since it was Christ’s authority, it was the authority of one who came “not to be served but to serve.”[9]

But since it was the authority of Christ this carried a great and heavy duty to correct souls when necessary, to “be instant in season and out of season: reprove, entreat rebuke in all patience and doctrine.”[10] In our times some of the direction of the Holy Curé regarding dancing and other activities as occasions of sin might strike us as severe. But in his insistence it becomes clear how seriously he took his responsibility for each individual soul, and given the gravity of his duty there could be no place for human respect. When he first arrived in Ars hardly a soul could bear to listen to his direction, but the Saint saw that in being seen as a fool he had another opportunity to imitate his Lord and Master.

The real key to his understanding of his pastoral duties, however, was to see all things first in reference to God. Sin was first and foremost an offense against God and therefore the greatest evil. Each individual soul had been created to be with God and only His grace could overcome the obstacles of the devil for the souls entrusted to him to arrive at this eternal life with God. God had chosen him as a priest to be an instrument, to be His chosen shepherd to direct each of these souls in his parish. When seen in these simple terms there could be no care for the opinions of others or natural comforts. There could be no place for human respect.[11] The authority which he exercised was not his own, he exercised it as an instrument of Christ in whose priesthood he participated.

Self Immolation

The first consequence for the Curé d’Ars of his profound understanding of his pastoral duties was to offer himself like Christ for his parishioners. He saw from the start that his own natural capacities were insufficient to lead the flock entrusted to his care. He felt himself “incapable due to his ignorance and his little virtue to fulfill his duties as pastor.”[12] If his direction were to be followed he saw that its force would not be found in his eloquence but rather in the grace of God which he begged through the penance he carried out. This is attested to in his words to a fellow pastor: “You have prayed, you have lamented, you have wept; but have you fasted, have you kept vigils, have you slept on the floor, have you disciplined yourself? Until you have done this, I do not believe that you have done everything.”[13]

It is clear that St. John Mary Vianney was divinely inspired to carry out mortifications which exceeded human prudence. We can see through the torments of the devil that God allowed his servant to take on trails not given to most priests to suffer for his faithful. The degree of these mortifications does not, however, call into question the power of imitating Christ through mortification for the good of the souls that each priest serves. With such prayer and immolation as a foundation for his pastoral duties the priest will be greatly safeguarded from ever considering the fruits as being his own and will keep a profound understanding that his authority is one of service rather than one which is for his own benefit.

A Living Example

These acts of prayer and mortification which went on unseen by his faithful were evident in their influence on the everyday life of St. John Mary Vianney. His faithful were led first by his example. Seeing the hours which he passed in prayer the faithful thought their Pastor seemed to live in the church itself rather than his rectory. They saw his hours passed in the confessional and could not imagine anything could be more important to him that the soul before him returning to God. Finally, they also saw that each soul was important to him. He did not seek this or that type of the faithful but simply what God gave to him in his parish. He favored no one, but like the Good Shepherd sought always those who were lost.

His example is strongly attested to in a passing comment about his preaching while he was still the parochial vicar of Écully: “at that time he did not preach well yet in my opinion. Even so, when it was his turn to preach one would hurry to the church.”[14] His very presence spoke volumes to the point that the example of the man speaking was even more convincing than the content.

How much souls benefit from living examples. The instruction of the priest can easily seem empty when it is not accompanied by a life which demonstrates conviction. In his letter opening this year of priests the Holy Father reminds us of this need for the interior conversion of priests and to have their lives as examples of holiness. The priestly scandals have done enormous damage, but he reminds us conversely what great good can be done by the strong example of the Church’s pastors: “In today’s world, as in the troubled times of the Curé of Ars, the lives and activity of priests need to be distinguished by a determined witness to the Gospel. As Pope Paul VI rightly noted, “modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, and if he does listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses.”[15]

Care for His Parishioners

When we think of the pastoral care of the Curé d’Ars we think especially of his preaching from the pulpit. Here he never hesitated to speak the truth in its fullness and to expel error even if it at times made his auditors a bit uncomfortable. He saw this naturally as a right of the faithful to have the full truth preached: “Error must be combated, even for Christians. They have just as much right to the truth as others.”[16] He used the following analogy: “The sun does not hide itself because it is afraid to inconvenience the birds of the night.”[17]

He even used the church as a permanent place of instruction. Over the side chapel in the church dedicated to his patron saint, John the Baptist, he had painted a phrase to remind all who entered of the dangers of both dancing and human respect: “His head was the price of a dance.”
The confessional was the place where he dedicated the greatest part of his time. For the Curé d’Ars it was not a place simply to ‘dispense’ grace or absolve sins, but it was also a privileged place to direct souls. Here he instructed, encouraged and, when needed, rebuked like a true pastor. Here many attest to his mixture of severity and goodness as he saw fit for each soul. The true mark of the Saint was never to make a remark out of fatigue or to justify himself in any way. All was said in light of leading the soul closer to God. He was known to be demanding, but in no way mean towards his parishioners: “I have never been angry with one of my parishioners; I do not even think that I have even reproached them.”[18] And parishioners echoed this testimony: “It happened more than once that he had to speak strongly, and I would even say almost severely. But he always avoided with care anything which would wound his parishioners. There was never anything personal in his instructions.”[19]

In his letter to open the Year for Priests Pope Benedict XVI also stressed the sacrament of confession as being a particular area for each priest to reevaluate his work. He admonishes priests to never be resigned to confessionals being empty. He encourages each one to consider it a privileged place for the direction of souls.

Finally, although these aspects of preaching and confession are the ones more often cited in the life of the Curé d’Ars, his pastoral work in the parish far exceeded these. He founded a school for girls; he built a school for boys and created ‘La Providence’. He also spent a great amount of time visiting his parishioners and had a particular care for the sick: “When he first came to Ars he frequently visited his parishioners, he spoke with them about their daily affairs. These good people were so pleased to have their Pastor take part in their work and interests. For the sick he gave them counsel, even in detail, for remedies.”[20]

It is easy to get a false picture of St. John Mary Vianney as only showing interest in the supernatural, as if he lacked human contact. These stories which are less often related show that he used all gifts both natural and supernatural to attract souls for Christ. He cared for the souls before him in every aspect. He did not approach them as a sort of mere ‘project for sanctification’ as if this had some sort of recipe. Like Christ, he loved them and cared for them in every aspect of their lives.

Prayer for Priests

In the life of St. John Mary Vianney we can see that great need for a profound understanding of the responsibility of the priest in shepherding his flock. The seriousness with which the Curé took his duties of authority might lead us to think that he did so mainly out of fear, but here we need only remember his words about the priesthood: “If one fully understood the priesthood on earth, one would die not of fear but of love.”[21]

Given how difficult this pastoral duty was even for the Curé d’Ars we ought to be encouraged to pray for our pastors, the Holy Father first, bishops and all priests. In this time when false notions of freedom have caused authority to be so often misunderstood or questioned, these prayers are clearly even more important. During his homily for the ordination of bishops this last September Pope Benedict XVI asked in particular for three virtues in bishops and priests: goodness, prudence and fidelity.[22] The goodness and prudence with which St. John Mary Vianney directed souls is clear from the many stories of his life, but perhaps the most striking was his fidelity. Through his many years as Pastor he was constant and tireless in shepherding his flock.

The words prayed by members of the Confraternity of St. Peter each day well summarize this need for fidelity in all priests which was found in the Curé d’Ars. May it serve as a reminder to us of the true source of this fidelity.

O Lord Jesus, born to give testimony to the Truth, Thou who lovest unto the end those whom Thou hast chosen, kindly hear our prayers for our pastors. Thou who knowest all things, knowest that they love Thee and can do all things in Thee who strengthen them. Sanctify them in Truth. Pour into them, we beseech Thee, the Spirit whom Thou didst give to Thy apostles, who would make them, in all things, like unto Thee.

Very Rev. Fr John Berg
Superior General

[1] Pastores Dabo Vobis nn. 15 and 16.

[2] Mt. 28:18-20.

[3] Nodet, Bernard, Le Sacerdoce, c’est l’amour du cœur de Jésus in Le curé d’Ars. Sa pensée – Son cœur, 1966, p. 105.

[4] Mgr. Ancel, Conference for the 100^th Anniversary of the Death of St. John Mary Vianney, September 24, 1959.

[5] Jn. 6:61.

[6] Nodet, p. 109.

[7] Nodet, p. 100.

[8] Nodet, p. 100.

[9] Mt. 20:28.

[10] 2Tim. 4:2.

[11] Cf. Trochu, Francis, L’Ame du Curé d’Ars, Sévérité et Bonté, pp. 61-79

[12] Nodet, p. 105.

[13] Mgr. Ancel

[14] Nodet, p. 130.

[15] Benedict XVI, Letter Proclaiming a Year for Priests on the 150^th Anniversary of the Dies Natalis of the Curé of Ars, June 16, 2009

[16] Nodet, p. 127.

[17] Nodet, p. 128.

[18] Nodet, p. 213.

[19] Nodet, p. 133.

[20] Mgr. Ancel

[21] Nodet, p. 100.

[22] Benedict XVI, The Church Is Not Our Church, but God's Church, Homily at Episcopal Ordinations September 12, 2009.

Historic homecoming for the Knights of Malta

2009-12-01T17:27:00.002Z

by Gerald Warner

West Lothian witnessed an historic event as the Knights of Malta returned after 450 years to Torphichen Preceptory, their mediaeval headquarters in Scotland lost at the Reformation, to celebrate the Latin Mass.

The occasion was presided over by Fra' Fredrik Crichton-Stuart, Grand Prior of England of the Order of Malta, accompanied by knights and dames of the order (above).

The traditional Mass was arranged by Una Voce Scotland, the Scottish branch of the International Latin Mass Federation. Una Voce has been conducting Masses in the extraordinary form in different historic venues in Scotland and at the end of October they celebrated an Old Rite Mass at Cambuskenneth Abbey [Stirling].

The celebrant was Mgr Hugh Boyle; Fr John Emerson, of the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter, was seated in the sanctuary beside the Grand Prior. The splendid vestment worn by Mgr Boyle, which attracted much attention, were 19th-century French cloth of gold.

Fred Stone of Una Voce explained that when they were taken to the Burrell Collection for expert assessment the museum was anxious to acquire them, but they are still very much in service and far from becoming museum.

Torphichen Preceptory near Bathgate in West Lothian was granted to the Knights Hospitaller by King David I in the 1140s, but there had been a church there from very ancient times, allegedly established by St Ninian around 400AD and said to have been visited by King Arthur a century later.

Torphichen was the Scottish Commandery of the Knights of Hospitaller of St John (known from 1530 as the Knights of Malta, after they took possession of that island.) Before and after the Battle of Falkirk in 1298, it was visited respectively by William Wallace and Edward I Longshanks, the Hammer of the Scots.

After the Reformation the building was partly demolished; only the foundations of the knight's cloister remain. The nave of the cross-shaped church became the parish kirk, but that too was demolished in 1756 and replaced by the present parish church.

Of the original commandery building all that remains is the central tower and transepts of the mediaeval church. These portions only surive because they were for a time used as a courthouse. The tower was at one point ruinous, but was re-roofed in 1947.

The building, now in the care of Historic Scotland, is still impressive. The vaulted ceiling is fine example of mediaeval craftmanship and, as the Una Schola schola discovered, provides excellent acoustic for Gregorian plainsong. They sang the Mass and then Te Deum, concluding with the Salve Regina.

In his homily Mgr Boyle invoked the historic nature of the occasion and the ancient link that Torphichen represented with the Order of Malta and Scottish Catholicism. At the end of Mass, Fra' Freddy Crichton-Stuart led the knights in reciting the prayer of the Order of Malta.

(photo © Martin Gardner;
reproduced from The Scottish Catholic Observer, 27.11.09)

Missa Cantata in St Anthony of Padua, Headington

2009-11-22T15:47:00.002Z

by Joseph Shaw

Fr Simon Leworthy FSSP sang Mass for the LMS for the feast of the Presentation of Our Lady, in the church of St Anthony of Padua. We were the guests of Fr Aldo Tapparo, the parish priest, who sat in the nave. Fr Leworthy is wearing one of Fr Tapparo's beautiful chasubles.

The Mass was accompanied by the Schola Abelis (including me), who sang not only the chant propers but the Missa de Beata Virgine by Josquin des Pres. A video clip can be seen on the Schola's blog.

The church is one of the most modern in Oxford (of which Headington is a suburb). It used to be dominated by pine but more recently it has been redecorated in the pastel colours you can see in the photos. Although the church was clearly not designed with the traditional liturgy in mind, it does not impede it either - there is plenty of space in front of the altar, for example, and it is possible for people to kneel in a row on a step for communion. The church also boasts a pipe organ.

More photos here.

(reposted, with permission, from LMS Chairman's blog)

Priestly Ordination to be Conferred

2009-11-20T21:18:00.003Z

from FSSP North American District / Una Voce Carmel:

Priestly Ordination of Rev. Mr. Jose Zepeda, F.S.S.P. by Bishop Salvatore Cordileone

December 19, 2009, at 11:00 A.M.

St. Jarlath Church
2620 Pleasant St.
Oakland, CA
website: www.stjarlath.org

For more info please contact Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary at (+1) 402-797-4400.

On November 7th in the Year of Our Lord 2009, The Most Reverend James D. Conley, Auxilary Bishop of Denver, ordained 14 seminarians of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter to the Minor Orders and one to the Diaconate. The ordination Mass took place at St. Francis of Assisi Roman Catholic Church in Lincoln Nebraska. Please keep the newly ordained in your prayers as they continue their ascent to the Altar of our Lord.

Singing Out in Praise at Abbey Mass in Stirling

2009-11-14T21:00:00.002Z

A Sung Mass in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite was celebrated last week in the bell tower of the mediaeval Cambuskenneth Abbey in Stirling.

The Mass was celebrated by Fr John Emerson FSSP from Edinburgh, and was only the second Mass to be celebrated in the Abbey since the Reformation, the first having been celebrated by Fr Emerson last year.

The Schola of Una Voce Scotland sang the Plainchant Mass of Our Lady, and Mass ended with the Salve Regina. Mgr Hugh Boyle from Our Holy Redeemer's, Clydebank, presided over the Choir.

Fr Emerson celebrated a Mass in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman rite on the first Sunday of the month in the Church of the Holy Spirit in Stirling at 5.00pm.

(photo: Martin Gardner; article reproduced from The Scottish Catholic Observer, November 13th 2009)

FSSP Solemn Mass in Guadalajara

2009-11-14T07:47:00.004Z

by Carlos Antonio Palad

The FSSP maintains an apostolate in Guadalajara, the Capellania de San Pedro Apostol, which is one of the two places in Mexico where weekly regular and public Traditional Latin Masses that fulfil the Sunday obligation are available under diocesan auspices (according to the list of Una Voce Mexico.) The other place is a parish in the Archdiocese of Monterrey that has an "anticipated" Sunday TLM every Saturday at five in the afternoon.

Most TLM's in Mexico continue to be offered by the SSPX.

The following video recently posted on Youtube has excerpts of the Solemn Mass offered on October 12, 2009 by Fr. John Berg FSSP.

(reproduced from Rorate Cæli blog)

Solemn Requiem Mass in Latin

2009-11-12T21:12:00.000Z

St. Colman’s Society for Catholic Liturgy
Solemn Requiem Mass in Latin

The annual Solemn Requiem Mass for deceased members of St Colman’s Society for Catholic Liturgy and for all the faithful departed will be celebrated at 11 am on Saturday, 28 November 2009 in St. Patrick’s Pro-Cathedral Church, Fermoy, Co. Cork.

The Mass will be celebrated in Latin according to the Roman Missal published by Blessed Pope John XXIII in 1962.

The Gregorian propers of the Requiem and Gabriel Fauré’s Pie Jesu and In paradisum will be sung by members of the Lassus Scholars, Dublin under the direction of Miss Ite O’Donovan.

All are welcome to attend.

Altar Consecration in the Usus Antiquior in Cologne

2009-11-08T21:39:00.001Z

by Gregor Kollmorgen

On Saturday, 7 Novemebr 2009, H.E. Msgr. Klaus Dick, Auxiliary Bishop emeritus of Cologne, consecrated the restored altar in the church of the Fraternity of St. Peter in Cologne, Maria Hilf (Our Lady of Perpetual Help). This was the first such occasion in Germany since the liturgical reforms 40 years ago. Subsequently, Bishop Dick celebrated Pontifical Mass at the throne the chant for which was provided by the Schola Cantorum Coloniensis.

You can download the texts for the altar consecration in Latin and German from the website of Maria Hilf here.

Here are somem photographs of the occasion taken by our friend Martin Bürger of exsultet.net and by Stanislaus of Politisch Unpolitisches (click to enlarge):

The unconsecrated altar before the ceremony:

Litany of the Saints:

Deposition of the relics:

First Offering of incense upon the newly consecrated altar:

Preparation of the newly consecrated altar for Holy Mass:

Pontifical Mass:

The sermon focussing on the Holy Sacrifice which from now on is going to be offered upon this altar, and on the patrocinia of the altar, Our Lady of Perpetual Help and St. Vincent de Paul.

(reproduced from The New Liturgical Movement)

Blog Help Wanted

2009-11-04T06:00:00.001Z

One of the authors of this blog intends to retire from blogging by Spring 2010. If you have time to help out with this blog, and see it continue, please leave a comment, or email markadm at catholic dot org.

All comments are moderated, hence private comments can be left which will remain unpublished.

A Requiem, and a Newsletter

2009-11-01T20:42:00.002Z

Fr Deneke, from the FSSP's German Seminary, recently celebrated an Extraordinary Form Requiem in Poznań, Poland.

This particular Requiem is for the repose of the soul of W.A. Mozart, with the music-setting composed by the same:-

Meanwhile, Dowry is the quarterly publication of the FSSP in England. The Autumn edition is just out and has articles on various matters of interest. You can download a pdf or read the periodical online.

All Souls' Masses in Edinburgh

2009-10-30T16:32:00.002Z

ALL SOULS' DAY

Monday, 2nd November 2009
12.15pm and 6.15pm

Latin Requiem Masses
according to the Extraordinary Form

Rev. Fr. John Emerson
Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter
Celebrant

12.15pm, Gregorian sung Mass:
FSSP Oratory, 6 Belford Park, Edinburgh

6.15pm, Gregorian sung Mass:
St Andrew's RC Church, 77 Belford Road, Edinburgh
(with Gregorian Chant sung by Schola Sanctae Margaritae, Regina Scotorum)

For more information on the FSSP in the UK, see www.fssp.org.uk

To find out more about the Schola, which sings monthly Latin Vespers in Edinburgh, visit edinburghschola.blogspot.com

Tonsure 2009 (Wigratzbad)

2009-10-29T21:04:00.004Z

Just as in Lincoln, Nebraska, October 24th, saw 16 men of the FSSP's European Seminary tonsured at Lindau, by Mgr. Wolfgang Haas (Abp. of Vaduz).

Photographs can be found on the Fraternity's website here. Meanwhile, a brief video is available on the dailymotion website here.

Requiem Mass in Belfast

2009-10-28T21:05:00.002Z

from The New Liturgical Movemement

Here in Belfast we are celebrating a Requiem Mass (1962 Missal) with absolutions over the catafalque on 7 November. The Choir will sing a great deal of Victoria's 6 part Requiem and Lobo's motet, Versa Est In Luctum. The Schola are joined by a number of singers from various choirs across the city, and so it is another progression in re-establishing traditional music and the traditional liturgy at grass-roots parish level (the 'venue' is at the heart of the Falls Road, the scene of much violence during the troubles and the scene of real social problems). The more ancient form of the Roman Rite is also increasing in attendance and popularity here, with 400 people attending the solemn high Mass celebrated on 15 August. We hope that the benefits of such a revival in interest will be felt across our diocese (and the North of Ireland) and extend to our sung Requiem also.

The details are as follows:

SUNG REQUIEM MASS (1962 Missal)
Saint Paul’s Church, Falls Road. Saturday 7 November at 1.00pm
Music by the Schola Gregoriana of Belfast: Requiem for six voices (Victoria), Versa Est in Luctum (Lobo), Gregorian Chant and Organ.
Everyone Welcome.

Tonsure & Subdiaconate 2009 (Denton)

2009-10-27T19:17:00.003Z

On October 24th, His Excellency, Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz, Bishop of Lincoln conferred Tonsure on 14 men and the Subdiaconate to one other from Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary in Lincoln. This was truly a joyous day for the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter as they also had 16 other men tonsured on the same day from their seminary in Wigratzbad Germany.

At the Una Voce Carmel website, you can find pictures taken from the Tonsure and Subdiaconate in Lincoln, as well as a picture of all 30 men that were tonsured. Please keep these men in your prayers as they continue their way to the Altar of Lord.

To view all the pictures, please click HERE.

Statistics about the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter

2009-10-17T20:19:00.000+01:00

The Priestly Fraternity of St Peter has recently updated their statistics: as of October 2009, the FSSP now has has 359 members, including 129 seminarians.

For more information, please see here.

Te Deum

2009-10-16T17:18:00.001+01:00

The Te Deum chanted by the American Schola of the FSSP on the occasion of Fr. Roberto Cano FSSP 1st Mass at St. Francis:

Check out www.uvcarmel.org for more on the Traditional Latin Mass.

Minor Orders to be Conferred at Denton

2009-10-03T06:00:00.002+01:00

Tonsures and Subdeacon in Denton will be conferred on Saturday October 24th (Feast of St Raphael, Archangel) by His Excellency Mgr. Fabian Bruskewitz, Bishop of Lincoln, Nebraska.

Of your charity, please pray for the ordinands:

Zachary Akers
Eduardo Araujo
Joshua Curtis
Daniel Egan
David Franco
Daniel Heenan
Tom Heffernan
John Kodet
Trevor Lontine
Michael Malain
Stephen Menard
Timothy O'Brien
Thomas Schutzman
Ian Verrier

Please pray for the future subdeacon, Mr. Rhone Lillard.

For more information on this event, please contact Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary:

seminary [at] fsspolgs.org
(402)797-7700

The Office of Teaching, The Curé of Ars, preacher of Truth

2009-10-02T19:38:00.001+01:00

When in February 1818, the Archbishop of Lyons named Father John-Mary Vianney parish priest of Ars (France), he warned of the difficult situation that our Saint would find there: "You will find little love of God in that parish; stir it up yourself." « The plague that infested this village, as explained by one of his biographers, was its many dances, cabarets, working on Sundays, the negligence of spiritual duties and above all, much ignorance.[1] »

Instructing souls, the sacred duty of a priest

Saint John-Mary Vianney was very conscious of his duty to instruct the souls of his parish. For him, there was no doubt that the ministry of preaching was to be considered first among his priestly duties.[2] As Cardinal Claudio Hummes, prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy recently stated, instructing souls was at the heart of his pastoral charity: “The people of Ars were awestruck to see the dedication that their new parish priest had for the ministry of the Word by teaching his parishioners at length. He taught the children their catechism, and even when he was able to share the task with his newly-appointed curate, he continued to give his daily ‘eleven o’clock’ lesson at the school he had founded, ‘La Providence’, where the parents could also attend. We are reminded not only of his sermons, but also of his visits to families, all the meetings that he had with various people, the spiritual advice that he would give in confession : every occasion was a real opportunity to speak about his favourite subject: the Love of God.… The Curé of Ars was so conscious of the urgent necessity of preaching that he volunteered to participate in parish missions in the neighbouring villages”.[3]

The teaching of souls was all that more urgent in the time of the Curé of Ars as a result of the French Revolution which had profoundly dechristianised society. The worship of the goddess Reason had soon replaced the worship of the one true God. From this point of view, we are confronted with the same challenges as the Curé of Ars. This very point was explained by Pope Benedict XVI in his general audience given at Castel Gandolfo on the 5th of August of this year: “If in his time the "dictatorship of rationalism" existed, in the current epoch a sort of "dictatorship of relativism" is evident in many contexts. Both seem inadequate responses to the human being's justifiable request to use his reason as a distinctive and constitutive element of his own identity. . . Today however, as in that time, man, "a beggar for meaning and fulfilment", is constantly in quest of exhaustive answers to the basic questions that he never ceases to ask himself.” According to Benedict XVI, it is in response to this quest for Truth that it is incumbent upon the priest to be ‘an educator of Faith’. Saint John Vianney tirelessly dedicated himself to this very task.

“Because, as is recorded, he was always ready to care for the needs of souls,” remarks Pope John XXIII in his encyclical Sacerdotii nostri primordia, “St. John M. Vianney, good shepherd that he was, was also outstanding in offering his sheep an abundant supply of the food of Christian truth. Throughout his life, he preached and taught Catechism. The Council of Trent pronounced this to be a parish priest's first and greatest duty and everyone knows what immense and constant labor John Vianney expended in order to be equal to carrying out this task. For he began his course of studies when he was already along in years, and he had great difficulty with it; and his first sermons to the people kept him up for whole nights on end. How much the ministers of the word of God can find here to imitate! . . . Would that all pastors of souls would exert as much effort as the Curé of Ars did to overcome difficulties and obstacles in learning, to strengthen memory through practice, and especially to draw knowledge from the Cross of Our Lord, which is the greatest of all books. This is why his Bishop made this reply to some of his critics: "I do not know whether he is learned; but a heavenly light shines in him."[4]

Pius XII, was perfectly right in not hesitating to offer this country Curé as a model for the preachers of the Holy City: "The holy Curé of Ars had none of the natural gifts of a speaker that stand out in men like P. Segneri or B. Bossuet. But the clear, lofty, living thoughts of his mind were reflected in the sound of his voice and shone forth from his glance, and they came out in the form of ideas and images that were so apt and so well fitted to the thoughts and feelings of his listeners and so full of wit and charm that even St. Francis de Sales would have been struck with admiration. This is the kind of speaker who wins the souls of the faithful. A man who is filled with Christ will not find it hard to discover ways and means of bringing others to Christ."[5] These words give a wonderful picture of the Curé of Ars as a catechism teacher and as a preacher. And when, towards the end of his life on earth, his voice was too weak to carry to his listeners, the sparkle and gleam of his eyes, his tears, his sighs of divine love, the bitter sorrow he evidenced when the mere concept of sin came to his mind, were enough to convert to a better way of life the faithful who surrounded his pulpit. How could anyone help being moved deeply with a life so completely dedicated to Christ shining so clearly there before him?[6]

In his conference at the ‘Priestly Days’ event, which marked the centenary of the Saint’s death, Bishop Alfred Ancel (auxiliary bishop in Lyons) pointed out four main characteristics of Saint John-Mary Vianney’s preaching[7] :

His attitude when preaching was wholly ministerial;
He always told the whole truth;
As demanding as he was, he was not harsh;
Lastly, his preaching was the echo of his spiritual life.

Minister of the Word of God

As for the first of these points, Bishop Ancel insists on the constant concern of the Curé of Ars: Fidelity in passing on the word of God. The Curé of Ars had a very lofty idea of preaching. Conscious of the fact that he bore witness of God and that he spoke in His name, as a minister of Jesus Christ the High Priest; our Saint spoke with a force that seemed to come from God Himself : Fr. Bernard Nodet[8] points out that “he who hardly had the strength to speak, seemed to have a thunderous strength when it came to speaking of the things of God.”[9] In the first years of his priesthood, our Saint prepared his sermons through stubborn work; he found an aid in various collections of sermons and sought inspiration from copied sermons, which he adapted to the needs of his parishioners. As the number of pilgrims increased, the Curé saw that the time at his disposal to prepare his sermons was significantly reduced; soon he was forced to speak “without any preparation apart from his sustaining and persevering attention to God”[10]. The saintly Curé entrusted himself to the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, speaking freely and with great ease. He demanded that his parishioners should also display a holy and pious interest: “Our Lord, who is Truth Himself, does not consider his Word less than His Body. I do not know if it is worse to be distracted during Mass or during the sermon: frankly, I do not see any difference. During Mass, we allow the merits of the Passion and death of Our Lord to slip away; whereas during the sermon, we let slip away His Word, which He Himself is.”[11]

Preacher of the whole Truth

The preaching of the Curé of Ars was sharp like the sword of the word of God in the sense that it was out of the question for our Saint to diminish in some way, out of human respect or mere subjectivism, the great truths revealed in Scripture or the sane doctrine taught by the Church. Bishop Ancel explains that “the Curé of Ars never hesitated to tell the whole Truth and to dispel errors even if, in doing so, he somewhat upset his listeners.”[12] Saint John-Mary Vianney was rather fond of saying that “the sun does not refuse to hide itself, for fear of upsetting the birds of the night!”[13]

Demanding without being harsh

If the Curé of Ars never hesitated to preach loud and strong those truths that some find upsetting: such as salvation, the Last Things, mortal sin, the necessity to do penance and the conversion of souls; he never showed himself to be overly harsh or nasty to his parishioners. He avoided hurting people. “I have never got angry with my parishioners, said the Saint, I don’t even think that I have ever criticised them.”[14] This goodness of the Curé and this care for souls on the part of one who was ‘meek and humble of heart’ like our Lord, made his preaching even more efficacious. The secret to the extraordinary impact of his humble preaching consists in the ardent charity that inspired his words. Saint John-Mary Vianney would often end his sermon with these words: “To be loved by God, to be united to God; to live in the presence of God, to live for God: O what a beautiful life and beautiful death!”[15]

Witness to Truth by his life

The Curé of Ars certainly did not resemble those who do not ‘practice what they preach’. That which he preached found its root in his inner spiritual life and was the echo of the daily reality of his own Christian living. Saint Jean-Marie Vianney offers us a coherent example precisely because he lived that which he preached; and because the Love of God was the overabundant source of his words, which burned with desire to convert souls. When he was still a young curate in the parish of Ecully, they would flock to the church to listen to him when it was his turn to preach. In that time, Saint John-Mary Vianney was far from being an experienced preacher but the people were not mistaken: “Through him, it was God whom we heard.”[16]

It was one-hundred and fifty years ago that our Saint commended his soul to God, and yet the resounding echo of his sermons and teaching have been handed down to us, continuing to lead many souls to conversion, particularly the souls of priests. In this Jubilee Year, let us pray to God that He may give us holy priests, faithful in their teaching of souls and who through their ardent words; show themselves capable of enkindling the burning flame of God’s love in the hearts of the faithful.

Fr Vincent Ribeton FSSP
French District Superior

(reproduced from fssp.org)

Pope desires FSSP to be given full pastoral care of faithful

2009-09-30T21:08:00.001+01:00

by Gregor Kollmorgen

Fr. John Berg, the Superior General of the FSSP, recently celebrated a Solemn Mass for the annual meeting of the German Pro Missa Tridentina association in Wiesbaden this 19 September. At this conference, Fr. Berg mentioned some interesting details of his audience with His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI in July (cf. FSSP Superior General and Benedict XVI). According to Fr. Engelbert Recktenwald FSSP,

Pope Benedict XVI wishes that the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter be entrusted, beyond the celebration of Holy Mass in the Extraordinary Form, at as many places as possible, with the cura animarum, i.e. the full pastoral care. This was reported by Fr. John Berg, Superior General of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, at the Annual Meeting of Pro Tridentine Missa, which was held today in Wiesbaden. Fr. Berg had on 6 July, a private audience with the Pope, during which he was able to speak for fifteen minutes with him at his desk in the papal library. The Holy Father was very interested in whether the Fraternity was able to exercise its apostolate without obstacles, as intended. He inquired whether its priests, where they operate, could really work pastorally for the souls.

(reproduced from The New Liturgical Movement)

Ars Pilgrimage

2009-09-29T21:12:00.001+01:00

by Philippe Guy

Wigratzbad Seminary and the French District of the FSSP organized on the 12th and 13th of September, a pilgrimage to Ars to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Death of St Jean-Marie Vianney.

It was a good opportunity, during this Year of the Priest, to pray to the holy patron of all priests for their sanctification and the increase of priestly vocations.

On Saturday, Mgr Nicolas Brouwet, auxiliary bishop of Nanterre in the suburb of Paris, the youngest French bishop, celebrated the Low Mass of a bishop in the usus antiquior at the main altar which is dominated by the incorrupt body of the Curé d'Ars. In the afternoon he gave an outstanding conference to the French speaking seminarians.

Then he presided over Vespers and Compline in the lower basilica, before a night of adoration.

On the day after, Sunday, a 15 kilometer pilgrimage started from the church of Trevoux and followed a beautiful way along the river Saône.

A Solemn Mass in Ars, at 16:00, concluded the pilgrimage.

A congregation of 1000 people attended this ceremony. The Reverend Father John Berg, Superior General of the FSSP was the celebrant, and was assisted by a Scottish deacon and an American subdeacon.

(reproduced from The New Liturgical Movement)

Elysburg Carmelites Enclosed

2009-09-25T21:30:00.004+01:00

The Discalced Carmelites, were enclosed in their Elysburg convent on August 25th, 2009. This event joyfully took place on the 447th anniversary of St. Theresa of Jesus founding of her first reformed Carmelite convent. The Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter has been very involved with the sisters since their founding in the Diocese of Lincoln, Nebraska.

Fr. Joseph Howard, FSSP celebrated a Solemn High Mass with many faithful present, including Bishop Kevin Rhoades of the Diocese of Harrisburg. The nuns relocated due to an increase of vocations. Fr. Howard will be the chaplain for the sisters and will provide daily Mass for the convent.

A detailed article along with photos, originally published in the Catholic Witness, may be read on the Diocese of Harrisburg website.

Prayer intentions can be sent to the Carmel of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph at 430 Monastery Rd., Elysburg, Pa., 17824 or given via phone at 570-672-2122.

FSSP in Nigeria

2009-09-22T18:56:00.002+01:00

"Nestled among the lush green vegetation, the crops of yam, cassava, plantain, papapya and pineapple, and beneath the extreme heat of the year round tropical sun, the summer downpours and the choking dust of the dry season—sits the Nne Enyemaka Shrine in the centre of Igboland in Southern Nigeria.

Not just another one of many small chapels in the mainly Catholic heartland of Nigeria’s greenbelt, this is an oasis of Catholic Tradition in a land tragically succumbing to the desertification of liturgical inculturation in Africa. The Shrine is the only personal parish for the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM) on the continent, a generous parting gift to the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter (FSSP) from the then departing ordinary of the Orlu Diocese, His Lordship Gregory Ochiaga...."

(read more about the FSSP's Parish in Nigeria in a special at The Remnant newspaper)

News from Denton

2009-09-05T08:39:00.000+01:00

Our priests, professors, and seminarians have safely returned to begin the Fall semester. Deo Gratias!

The seminary is again packed with a total of 74 seminarians in the house (the actual seminarian count is 78 but our deacons are currently assigned to apostolates outside the seminary). In addition to the FSSP seminarians, we are again happy to include members of the Carmelite Monks of Wyoming and the Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer in the count.

We have again been blessed by God with new vocations - we have 20 new men this year! Thank you for your prayers for our community. As you can see, your prayers are being heard.

Also, the chapel construction is still progressing nicely and the work continues on the outside and inside. As our temporary chapel is bursting at the seams, we are looking forward with great anticipation to its completion in early 2010. Be sure to view the latest construction pictures here.

Thank you to all our benefactors who have been very generous in helping to make this possible. May God reward you abundantly for your support. If you would like to continue to contribute, you can do so here. Even though you can see lots of progress coming along on the chapel, much more still needs to be done and it is through your vital support that the construction progress can continue at its current pace.

Finally, be sure to check that your parish priests have signed up to receive the free training DVD, for the Extraordinary Form, which has been made possible through the support of Una Voce!

Clergy Retreat for the Year for Priests

2009-08-10T17:50:00.007+01:00

by Fr Armand de Malleray FSSP

Clergy pilgrimage to Ars and Lyons, 8-12 February 2010, led by Fr de Malleray FSSP - for the Year for Priests

On August 8th, 2009, Feast (EF calendar) of St John Marie Vianney, Patron of Priests:

Reverend and dear Fathers,

On this feast of our common Patron, please accept my heartfelt wishes of peace and joy in your priestly life.

To meet among priests and ask for the intercession of the holy Curé, I have the pleasure of inviting you to a pilgrimage to Ars next year (in exactly six months) from February 8 to 12, 2010 (i.e. the week before Ash Wednesday – 17 February 2010).

(image: the shrine of the Curé of Ars)

Dates:

Depart Monday morning 8 February 2010 from the UK, arriving in the afternoon in Lyon and reach Francheville (FSSP house on the outskirt of Lyons).
Return Friday morning 12 February 2010 from Lyons.
Our pilgrimage will be under the special protection of Our Blessed Lady, the Mother of God and the Mother of priests as the anniversary of Her Apparitions in Lourdes will occur while we are still in Lyons. (Feb. 11th).

Location:

We will be based in the beautiful St Padre Pio House run by the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter in Francheville (Lyons), less than an hour drive from Ars. Single room accommodation. Garden.

Scheduled:

A full day in Ars, the climax of our stay. Possibility of offering Holy Mass in Ars. Visit of the Curé’s presbytery. Veneration of his relics.
One day in Lyons, original Episcopal See of St Iraeneus: visit of the Basilica of Fourvières; prayer at the place of death of St Francis de Sales; visit of the Roman amphitheatre where the protomartyrs of Gaul SS. Polycarp, Blandina, Pothinus and others suffered in 117 a.D. On a lighter note, meal in a ‘bouchon’ (traditional Lyonnais restaurant; see here).
We will also have conferences on priestly spirituality, including the theology of the Mass, the EF Roman liturgy and prayer life.

Price (estimate):

About £150 for return train ticket London St Pancras-Lyons-London St Pancras (reduction possible if we travel as a group).
Alternatively: Easyjet direct return flight Stansted-Lyons-Gatwick: minimum price £51 (for group ticket of 15 passengers).
Accommodation will be very affordable in the FSSP house - rough estimate: £30/day with breakfast + 1 main meal at least, i.e. £120 for 4 full days (4 nights).
To be added: transport in Lyons and to Ars. Meals outside of the house (at least twice).

Liturgy:

Possibility of offering private Mass daily in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman rite (please bring only your alb, biretta, cingulum and linens). Compline (or one other Hour per day) in the EF of the Roman rite (please bring EF Breviary if you possess one).

Booking:

please send a £120 cheque made payable to ‘FSSP ENGLAND’, posted to : Fr de Malleray, FSSP, 179 Elgar Rd, RG2 0DH, Reading, Berkshire, UK. Please include your complete contact details in the booking.

Number of places available as of today: 13.

I am looking forward to meeting you again soon and I wish you a blessed Year for Priests. With my prayer,

Fr Armand de Malleray FSSP

Link:

pictures of Francheville and FSSP in Lyons

(image below: Priests in the Padre Pio House Chapel)

The Curé d’Ars, the Model for the Work for the Sanctification of Souls in the Confessional and at the Altar

2009-08-08T08:28:00.004+01:00

Along with the praise and glory which he renders towards God, the primary work of the priest, and that towards which all of his duties impel him, is his duty toward the sanctification of souls, referred to in theological terms as the munus sanctificandi.

The priest, as another Christ, is fundamentally obliged to work towards the sanctification of the souls which have been confided to him.

It is the same profound desire and duty for the salvation of souls which particularly attracted St. John-Mary Vianney towards the priesthood: "When I was young, I thought, 'If I were a priest, I would win many souls for the Lord.'" And when he was in the midst of a moment of discouragement and had decided to abandon his studies for the priesthood, it was enough for his ‘tutor and protector,' Fr. Balley simply to remind him, "Very well, goodbye to your dreams, John-Mary! Goodbye to the priesthood, goodbye to souls," for him to put the temptation to quit his studies behind him.
How, concretely, does the priest fulfill his duty towards the sanctification of souls? Clearly he principally does so through the administration of the Sacraments, because this is the means by which he will impart and augment divine grace in souls; it is also through the administration of these sacraments that he will strive to work out his own sanctification with the most dignity, the most holiness, and the most faith possible.

The Holy Curé of Ars, whom Benedict XVI invites each priest to take on as a model in his pastoral duty, exhorted his faithful above all else towards the frequent reception of the Sacraments. "All those, he would say, who approach the Sacraments are not saints, but the saints are always among those who receive them often."

And among these Sacraments of course Confession and the Holy Eucharist hold a particular place. He would say: "The more we use the Sacraments of Penance and the Eucharist, the more the yoke of the Lord is sweet and light. Purified by these Sacraments like a salutary bath, our soul lifts itself towards God."

The Sacrament of Confession

All who are a even bit familiar with the life of Saint John-Mary Vianney know what an important place his apostolate in the confessional had in his life. In his letter introducing the Priestly Year, Benedict XVI wrote: "From St. John-Mary Vianney we can learn to put our unfailing trust in the Sacrament of Penance, to set it once more at the center of our pastoral concerns, and to take up the 'dialogue of salvation' which it entails."
The holy Curé would hear confessions for up to 18 hours a day and would enter the confessional at one in the morning except when, due to the number of pilgrims, he would be obliged to begin before midnight. After having heard so very many confessions during his life, he said one day: "If I had not been a priest, I would have never known what sin truly is."

It is because he knew the ugliness of sin, because he knew what an offense it is to God and how much damage it does to souls that he said that he was always free to offer the mercy of God to the souls who came to see him, no matter how many that might be. "Why are we insensible to the benefits of Confession? It is because we fail to look at all for the benefits of the mercy of the good Lord, who has placed no limits in this sacrament." The love St. John-Mary Vianney had for the confessional came from, as we have said, his thirst for the conversion of sinners. Mademoiselle des Garets tells us that each evening during his prayers he was so moved to tears that he could hardly recite the phrase "O Lord, who wills that no sinner might be lost..." Fr. Toccanier testified at his beatification that the Curé d'Ars told him, "I am the happiest when I am praying for sinners."
This is why priests in their ministry should work to acquire a keen sense of sin and its consequences. The Saint would say, "If we had faith and could see a soul in a state of mortal sin we would die of fear. The soul in a state of grace is like a white dove. In a state of mortal sin it is no more than a rotting cadaver, carrion."

Along with St. John Vianney's physical penance of remaining for such long hours in the confessional – he passed out a number of times, he suffered from the cold in winter and from the heat in the summer – it was even more so a moral penance for his soul: "No, there is nothing sadder in this world than the life of the priest! How does he carry out his days? By seeing the good Lord offended. The priest sees nothing but this. He is constantly like St. Peter in the praetorium. He always has before his eyes Our Lord being insulted, despised, covered in opprobrium. . . Oh, if I had known this was the life of a priest, instead of going to the seminary, I would have hurried to enter a Trappist monastery."

But, nevertheless, the confessional was the place where throughout the life of the Holy Curé thousands of souls were reconciled to God. Many left the confessional with tears in their eyes and their souls completely transformed. "Oh my friend," the Curé d'Ars would say, "It is only at the last judgment that we will know how many souls found their salvation here."
By his long hours in the confessional St. John Mary Vianney has given a lesson to all priests throughout the world. It was in this hidden place that he passed the greater part of his days. Pope Benedict XVI on June 21 of this year stated, "Priests should never find it acceptable that their confessionals are empty, nor should they think it enough to simply apprehend that the faithful no longer have a taste for this extraordinary source of serenity and peace." Here once again the Curé d'Ars is an example for each priest: when there were fewer faithful coming to Ars, he would even pray novenas for the crowds of penitents to return. This ought to show us as priests how much we need to pray that souls will approach the confessional where the pardon of God awaits them.

"I know," he would say, "that we are weak, and we can fall into sin. Nevertheless, it is our fault because God does not refuse us His grace. But to remain in sin after having committed it, while one has all of the means to escape from it, to remain in enmity with God, this is something I could never understand."

As the Holy Father reminds us in his letter for the opening of the Priestly Year, St. John-Mary Vianney adapted himself to each soul which presented itself to him. He never took long with a penitent, but for each soul he showed a great compassion. Once a sinner who was kneeling before him asked the Saint why he was crying and he responded, "Well my friend, I am crying because you are not crying enough." One priest who was a witness at his beatification stated that a number of those converted had told him later that "seeing that man cry over their sins was what had made the greatest impression upon them."

To all souls, finally, the Curé d'Ars preached without ceasing about the mercy of God. "The sacrament of Confession, where God seems to forget His justice in order to manifest His mercy," is how he would explain it. "His greatest pleasure is to pardon us. . . Let us therefore give this joy to this good Father; let us return to Him and we will be happy."

He often stressed the consoling and encouraging fact that once a sin is confessed it will never reappear again: "You saw my candle; this night, this morning it burned out. Where is it? It longer exists; it has gone of out of existence. The same is true of our sins which have been absolved; they no longer exist, they have been annihilated."

Finally, in order to inspire confidence in the sinner and to encourage him to confess freely, the Saint, along with the tears that he often wept, would not hesitate to say to him, "I am much more culpable than you, do not hesitate to accuse yourself."

In fact he loved to say the following phrase which should be a rule for each priest: "One must have compassion for the sinner, not contempt."

Holy Mass

In his duty towards the sanctification of souls the priest of course finds the celebration of Holy Mass at the center. This celebration Benedict XVI invites all priests to carry out each day. Here once again St. John Marie Vianney is a priestly example. After his sickness in 1843, he could hardly stand up and he had to be carried rather than walk to the church. Due to his weakness he could not go until the morning without eating. In order to keep the fast he would offer the Holy Sacrifice at three in the morning. "When I ask during the Mass to know the will of God, I see a light which seems to indicate it to me."

The Saint would say, "I don't want to be the pastor of a parish, but I am glad to be a priest so that I can celebrate Mass."

Even if the hours passed in the confessional could serve as an excellent preparation for the celebration of Holy Mass as his confessor had assured him, St. John-Mary Vianney would always remain kneeling on the steps of the sanctuary for 20 to 30 minutes before each Mass. His hands would be joined in prayer and his eyes cast upon the tabernacle. He would say, when speaking simply about attending Mass, "One ought always to devote at least a quarter of an hour to prepare oneself to attend Mass well."

His long preparation, his thanksgiving which he would carry out in just as edifying a manner, and his manner of celebrating the Mass would profoundly touch souls as they saw in it a profound faith in the Mysteries of the altar. "We will not understand the greatness of being able to offer the Mass until we are in heaven."

During his thanksgiving, if one of his parishioners needed to speak to him after Mass, the Curé would go out with him and after having briefly answered the needs of the soul before him, he would excuse himself from the conversation in saying, "My friend please excuse me, I must return to the church, there is someone who is waiting for me."

It also occurred that many priests would ask the Curé d'Ars to help them better understand and better live out the mystery of the Mass. He would tell them that "the foremost cause of laxity in priests is a lack of attention during the Mass! Alas, my God! How culpable is a priest when he treats it as something ordinary."

His profound faith before such a great mystery helps us understand why he always looked for what was the most beautiful and precious to be used for the celebration of Mass. This is likewise an excellent lesson for our own times. He was fond of saying that nothing was too beautiful for the Lord. His biographers tell us that for the Holy Curé the vestments for Mass could never be too magnificent. He wanted a chalice that was of solid gold, because the most beautiful one he had did not seem to be sufficiently worthy to him to hold the Precious Blood of Our Lord.

"All good works united do not equal the Sacrifice of the Mass because they are the works of men, and the Holy Mass is the work of God. The martyr is nothing in comparison; it is the sacrifice that man makes of his life to God; the Mass is the sacrifice which God makes for men of His body and His blood."

In celebrating Mass he was not known to be too slow. Nevertheless, exceptionally, he would slow down at the elevation where he could pass up to five minutes, his eyes fixed upon the Host, as if in ecstasy. It was as if St. John-Mary Vianney saw Our Lord at the altar; that he saw Him with his own eyes; that he recognized Him in at Holy Communion coming to those who had the good fortune to assist at the Mass.

He was known to follow rigorously the rubrics of the missal and Mgr. Convert tells us that when flies would bother him at the altar he would not even move his hand to chase them away.

"This idea of the Holy Sacrifice which he had was also the cause for the respect which he professed for the holy liturgy; he would observe the smallest detail of it with perfect exactitude." The same author states what is also an important point of meditation for our times: "He would never give Holy Communion without using the paten, which he carried with the ciborium, that he might catch a Host which might accidentally fall, and in order to collect any particles which might detach from the Host. One day he cried tears while speaking of the particles which fell to the ground, saying, "We march over the good Lord! Oh, how sad it is! It is painful even to think about it."

His manner of celebrating, his piety at the altar was in itself a means of preaching. Fr. Monnin exclaimed that, "The mere sight of the Curé d'Ars celebrating Mass converted more than one sinner."

In the encyclical which Bl. John XXIII wrote for the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the death of St. John-Mary Vianney we find these words which can serve as an excellent conclusion: "Speaking as a Father, We urge Our beloved priests to set aside a time to examine themselves on how they celebrate the divine mysteries, what their dispositions of soul and external attitude are as they ascend the altar and what fruit they are trying to gain from it. They should be spurred to do this by the centenary celebrations that are being held in honor of this outstanding and wonderful priest, who drew such great strength and such great desire to dedicate himself 'from the consolation and happiness of offering the divine victim.' May his prayers, which We feel sure they will have, bring a fullness of light and strength down upon Our beloved priests."

(source: Priestly Fraternity of St Peter)

news from Finland

2009-08-07T16:57:00.002+01:00

Fr. Benjamin Durham FSSP visited Finland again in July 2009. A few video clips from this visit:

Locations: Saint Henry's Cathedral, Helsinki, and the chapel of the Missionaries of Charity, Helsinki.

More information about the Fraternity's activities in Finland can be found here.

Audience with the Holy Father

2009-07-24T06:00:00.003+01:00

The Holy Father received founding members of the FSSP in Private Audience on 6th July, 2009. As Cardinal Ratzinger, the Holy Father had been heavily involved in the negotiations with Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre and the Priestly Society of Saint Pius X in the years leading up to the illicit Episcopal Consecrations in that year.

It was following upon the decision of Archbishop Lefebvre to ordain four Bishops without Papal Mandate that a number of Priests and Seminarians of the Society came together to found the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter on 18th July of that year at the Abbey of Hauterive, Switzerland. The group of ex-SSPX Priests and Saminarians were established as a Society of Apostolic Life of Pontifical Right.

As a Society of Pontifical Right, the FSSP was placed under the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, which now forms part of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Official Photos of Ordination in Wigratzbad

2009-07-06T19:30:00.003+01:00

by Martin Bürger

The official photographs from this year's Priestly Ordinations at the end of June are now online. They have been complemented by some photographs of the Pontifical Vespers from the evening before.

These photographs and many more can be found on the FSSP's website.

(tr. from exsultet.net)

Priestly Ordinations in Wigratzbad

2009-06-29T10:22:00.000+01:00

by Gregor Kollmorgen

On Saturday morning, H.E. Most Rev. Athanasius Schneider, auxiliary bishop of Karganda, Kazakhstan, and author of the book "Dominus est", ordained new priests in the shrine church of Wigratzbad, Germany, where the Fraternity has its European seminary. Here are some images from the ceremony (Henri de Villiers of the Schola Sainte Cécile):

Those who understand German may watch the bishop delivering the excellent sermon on the centrality of the offering of the most holy sacrifice of the Mass in the life of the priest here.

(reproduced, with permission, from The New Liturgical Movement)