FSSP Participates in 7th Annual Summorum Pontificum Pilgrimage

Bishop Kozon led the procession to St. Peter’s Basilica

From October 26th through the 28th, 2018, the Fraternity of St. Peter participated in the 7th annual Populus Summorum Pontificum, a pilgrimage which takes place every year in Rome in which hundreds of priests, religious and lay people gather to witness in a public way to the Catholic Faith and to the beauty and timelessness of the Latin Mass. The pilgrimage spans three days and is led by a bishop, archbishop or cardinal, this year by Bishop Czeslaw Kozon, Bishop of Copenhagen. Our parish in Rome, Santissima Trinità dei Pellegrini, and its priests lend a great deal of assistance to the pilgrimage and the parish hosted a number of the activities on the 2018 itinerary.

Fr. Ike listens to the Gospel during Mass at FSSP Rome

Fr. Charles Ike, FSSP, was particularly involved in this year’s events, speaking on Friday at the Populus Summorum Pontificum Forum that took place at the Augustinianum on Friday. The theme of this year’s pilgrimage was “Summorum Pontificum in Africa”, and Fr. Ike, who hails from and was ordained in Nigeria, addressed the subject from a first-hand perspective. On Friday evening, Fr. Ike celebrated the opening Mass of the pilgrimage at Santissima Trinità, assisted by FSSP Director of Development Fr. Zachary Akers and the parish’s assistant pastor Fr. Dimitri Artifoni.

The procession culminated in a Pontifical Mass at the Chair

On Saturday, after the Rosary and adoration in the morning at the Basilica of San Lorenzo in Damaso in central Rome, Bishop Kozon led the pilgrims in procession through the streets of the city, across the Tiber and into the Basilica of St. Peter. Among them was Fr. Akers, who spoke of the extraordinary event.

“It was such a moving experience to process down the streets of Rome while singing hymns, and ultimately into St. Peter’s Basilica while singing the Creed, in unison with thousands of others, in the ancient language of the Church,” he said.

At the Basilica His Excellency celebrated a Solemn Pontifical Mass at the altar of the Chair, with a great crowd of pilgrims in attendance and dozens of priests and religious – including His Eminence Raymond Cardinal Burke – assisting in choir as the Mass of the ages was celebrated in one of the central churches of Christendom. The homily was given by His Eminence Angelo Cardinal Comastri, archpriest of the Basilica.

Bishop Kozon celebrates a Pontifical Mass at FSSP Rome

Archbishop François Bacqué, Apostolic Nuncio, led Pontifical Vespers at Santissima Trinità later that evening, and on Sunday, Bishop Kozon celebrated a Solemn Pontifical Mass at the parish. The three-day event was a great success and the parish looks forward to participating again next year, when the pilgrimage will take place from Friday, October 25th through Sunday, October 27th and will be led by His Excellency Bishop Dominique Rey, Bishop of Fréjus-Toulon, France. You can learn more about the pilgrimage at its website here.