The General Chapter of the FSSP, occurring once every six years, is an international meeting at which elected representatives make crucial decisions about the future growth of the Fraternity. Among the primary tasks of the Chapter are the elections and appointments of various leadership positions, including Superior General, District Superiors, Bursars and Seminary Rectors. The 2018 Chapter is to be held July 3rd – July 18th, 2018, at Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary in Denton, Nebraska.

The following is taken from the letter of Superior General Fr. John Berg to the members of the Confraternity concerning the items to be discussed at the Chapter:

Between the opening recollection and the closing Mass, the Chapter will carry out the most important work for the life and government of our Fraternity. During these days the essential decisions will be made which will guide us during the next 6 years. The Capitulants will vote for the members who will govern our Fraternity until the following Chapter. Particular laws, which determine how our founding charism is lived out by its members in the day to day, will also be discussed and later promulgated. Finally, the delegates of the Chapter will outline a course to be followed for the Fraternity’s development – both spiritual and material – over the next six years.

We will relay the results of the elections for Superior General and District Superior right here at the Missive, so bookmark the blog and subscribe to our email list (see sign-up box at the bottom of this post) for all the latest.

We ask you to join us in praying for the graces and guidance of the Holy Spirit during the Chapter. Two prayers in particular will be offered for this intention by the members of our Fraternity, and we invite you to pray them as well.

Firstly, from June 18th to the conclusion of the Chapter on July 18th, the Veni Sancte Spiritus is offered each day for the intentions of the Chapter.

Secondly, a novena is being offered in preparation for the Chapter. From June 25th to July 3rd, the Veni Creator with its versicle, response and oration will be offered each day. 

May God reward you for your prayers and your support of the Fraternity!

Eucharistic Conferences ‘Ego Eimi – It is I’ (John 6:51)
On Transubstantiation, Concomitance, Fragments and Presence

A series of four conferences on the Most Holy Eucharist by Fr. Armand de Malleray, FSSP, Rector of St. Mary’s Shrine Church in Warrington, England

This series was offered at St. Mary’s Shrine Church in Warrington on June 11th – 14th, 2018, and was advertised by the Liverpool Archdiocese in June 2018, in preparation for Adoremus, the National Eucharistic Congress in Liverpool (September 7th – 9th, 2018). The texts of the conferences were approved for publication on June 5th, 2018 by Fr. John Berg, Superior General of the FSSP. Each 40-min conference can be watched on demand on LiveMass’ Vimeo and Youtube channels.

Monday, June 11th – Transubstantiation: How the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ Occur under the Externals of Bread and Wine
Tuesday, June 12th – Concomitance: How Christ’s Blood Also is in the Host, and His Body Also in the Chalice
Wednesday, June 13th – Fragments: Why Each of Them is Christ, and How to Treasure Them
Thursday, June 14th – Presence: How God’s Presence is Supreme in the Holy Eucharist

Fr. Armand de Malleray, FSSP, preached on the Holy Eucharist at the International Eucharistic Congresses in Quebec (2008) and Dublin (2012) and wrote several articles on the same topic in Dowry, the quarterly magazine of the FSSP in the UK & Ireland. He preaches retreats every year to the laity and to clergy as part of his ministry in the UK and as General Chaplain to the Juventutem International Federation and to the Confraternity of St. Peter.

On Saturday, June 9th, 2018, the Rev. Mr. Seth Phipps was ordained to the holy priesthood by the Most Reverend Malcolm McMahon, Archbishop of Liverpool, at St. Mary’s Shrine, the FSSP’s apostolate in Warrington, England. The ordination was the 11th to take place for the North American District this year, Fr. Phipps’ classmates from Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary having been ordained two weeks prior in Omaha by the Most Reverend Alexander Sample, Archbishop of Portland. This is the second year that our Warrington apostolate has hosted ordinations: on June 17th, 2017, Archbishop McMahon ordained Fr. Alex Stewart and Fr. Krzysztof Sanetra at St. Mary’s. Fr. Phipps celebrated his first Mass the following day, Sunday, June 10th, 2018, at the same location.

You can view the full video and a photo gallery of the ordination and Pontifical Mass below. Please keep Fr. Phipps and the other new priests of the Fraternity in your prayers, as well as the five seminarians from our European seminary who will be ordained on the 23rd of this month.

On March 3rd, 2018, Mater Misericordiæ Mission, our apostolate in Phoenix, Arizona, turned out in force for the 9th annual Nun Run, the biggest fundraising event of the year for the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration of Our Lady of Solitude Monastery in Tonopah. The sisters are of the same order as Mother Angelica’s sisters in Alabama, and their desert monastery has been a place of solitude and retreat for our FSSP priests as well as other priests and laity of the area. And the runners from Mater Misericordiæ, led by pastor Fr. Michael Passo and assistant pastor Fr. Michael Malain, not only came and participated in the Run – their performance was outstanding. To find out more, we caught up with Fr. Passo, who told us more about the parish’s excellent results and what they did to prepare for the Run.

Fr. Passo and Fr. Malain are both accomplished runners, and, as Fr. Passo explains, make a great team in Arizona where the warm weather makes running possible year-round. Fr. Passo was a state qualifier in track & field in high school, and Fr. Malain ran track and cross-country in high school as well as cross-country at the University of Houston. Fr. Malain was the fastest priest at the Nun Run, and finished 3rd overall in the 10K, Fr. Passo finishing 6th overall at the same distance.

Other winners among the FSSP Phoenix contingent included Maria Brezniak and her daughter Natalia, who both finished 1st in their age groups for the 5K, and Brittany Allen, who finished 1st in her group for the 10K. Matt Heffernan, brother of FSSP Seattle pastor Fr. Joseph Heffernan, finished 1st in his group in the 10K, and 7th overall. In total, 36 FSSP Phoenix parishioners participated, and they received an award for that too, taking home the prize for the parish with the most participants.

Fr. Passo recounted how the parish joined together to prepare for the race in the time leading up to the big day on March 3rd. After the parish’s three Sunday Masses, the priests would hold “fun runs” with the parishioners. 10-15 people would come out each Sunday for the runs, and then they would head over to a local IHOP for a late lunch. The event thus became not only an enjoyable challenge for the parish and an act of charity for a monastery of sisters dear to them, but also a way to strengthen the bonds of the parish and build up their sense of community with one another.

Our congratulations go out to FSSP Phoenix for their superb performance, and to the sisters for a successful Nun Run!

Fr. Martin Rangel-Garcia was born in a small town called Guadalupe Distrito Bravo, Chihuahua, situated along the US-Mexican border. He was born into a small, loving and very devout Catholic family. Childhood memories are all related to family and the Church: the beautiful processions accompanied by musical bands, in which his family would participate, either for Holy Week or for the town’s patronal feast of “Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe”; visits to neighbor’s houses to pray the rosary for the traditional Posadas during Christmas; his mother’s Bible study class; or simply attending Sunday Mass with his family. The Faith was part of the family’s everyday life which was very favorable for his vocation.

When his family migrated to Arizona, many of their beloved traditions stayed in Mexico. Life in the United States was very different, and even the Faith was practiced differently – it was less “lively.” As the years went by, the practice of the Faith in him diminished. Yet, God continued to call on young Martin’s heart. His faith found a renewed vigor when the family moved back to Texas, close to their hometown in Mexico. Having old friends close, with whom Martin would attend youth group meetings at his home parish, gave the young priest-in-the-making a boost to his faith. In 2004 he joined a missionary youth group for eight years, which further strengthened him in his vocation.

Eventually the time came for Martin to make a life changing decision. Enter the seminary? Which seminary? The secular priesthood was not appealing, because he did not want to live alone in a parish. Therefore, it had to be a religious congregation which lived life in community. A solid Catholic formation was another thing that Father looked for, along with the daily use of the habit.

All these traits he found within the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter. Guided by Fr. Kenneth Fryar, FSSP, Martin entered Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary in 2011. Persevering in his vocational call, by God’s grace, Father was ordained to the sacred priesthood on May 26th, 2018, at Saint Cecilia Cathedral in Omaha, Nebraska, by the Most Reverend Alexander Sample, Archbishop of Portland, Oregon.

Our thanks to Mr. Michael Curtis for the photographs used in this article.

Today, June 9th, His Excellency the Most Reverend Malcolm McMahon, Archbishop of Liverpool, will ordain Mr. Seth Phipps to the sacred priesthood at 11 a.m. local time (6 a.m. Eastern) at St. Mary’s Shrine, our apostolate in Warrington, England. Mr. Phipps will celebrate his first Mass the following day, Sunday, June 10th, at 11 a.m. at St. Mary’s. He will also offer Mass the Sunday afterwards, June 17th, at St. William of York in Reading, again at 11 a.m., with first blessings to be given after both Masses. Please pray for Mr. Phipps on this holy day of his ordination and for his ten classmates from Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary who were ordained two weeks ago in Omaha!

The ordination will be webcast live at LiveMass at 11 a.m. British time, 6 a.m. Eastern, 5 a.m. Central, 3 a.m. Pacific. Fr. Krzysztof Sanetra and Fr. Alex Stewart were ordained at St. Mary’s last year, and you can watch the video of their ordinations below.

Our thanks to Mr. John Aron for the photographs used in this article.

Today is the feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, a first-class feast which falls on the third Friday after Pentecost. Devotion to the Sacred Heart is of very early origin in the Church, but the public devotion became more widespread due to the revelations made to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque of the Order of the Visitation in the 17th century. Our Lord appeared to her with His Heart surrounded by flames of love, and told her of the great love of His Heart for humanity and the grave sorrow brought to It by the indifference and ingratitude of men. He asked for the institution of the liturgical feast in honor of His Heart and for the devotion of receiving Communion on the First Friday of every month.

Today let us renew our own devotion to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, pierced by a lance and burning with love for humanity. Among the devotions we can consider taking up, if we have not done so already, are the First Friday devotion, consecration and acts of reparation to the Most Sacred Heart, and the enthronement of the Divine Heart in our homes.

A happy patronal feast day to Sacred Heart Parish, our apostolate in Fort Wayne, Indiana!

Tóllite jugum meum super vos et díscite a me, quia mitis sum et húmilis Corde, et inveniétis réquiem animábus vestris.

Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, because I am meek and humble of Heart: and you shall find rest to your souls.

– Matthew 11:29, from the Alleluia for today

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, make our hearts like unto Thine!

On Thursday, May 31st and Sunday, June 3rd (external feast), FSSP parishes across the District celebrated the feast of Corpus Christi, the ceremonies of which include a majestic outdoor procession with the Blessed Sacrament enthroned in the monstrance. This procession often involves halting for Benediction at several prepared altars, or “stations”, placed at intervals on the procession route. Sometimes the path is strewn with petals, and sometimes it is decorated with astounding artwork created with flowers or, as in the case of FSSP Dayton (see below), colorfully dyed wood chips. We took a virtual tour of the ceremonies, and we share with you below the beautiful things we found. Click on a picture in the gallery to see where it is from.

On Saturday, May 26th, 2018, His Excellency the Most Reverend Alexander Sample, Archbishop of Portland, conferred the holy priesthood upon ten deacons from Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary.

The ceremony took place at 10 o’clock in the morning at St. Cecilia Cathedral in Omaha, the beautiful early summer day providing a fitting backdrop for the joy of the event. The deacons processed into the cathedral, their priestly vestments draped over their left arm, followed by the Archbishop and the other sacred ministers, who were vested in the red of the Holy Spirit for the Saturday of Pentecost. The faithful came in large numbers, filling the cathedral to witness the beautiful and solemn ceremony of ordination and to attend the Pontifical Mass that accompanied it.

An ordination is truly an extraordinary event to behold, the various stages involved in the imparting of the Sacrament offering a beautiful illustration of the transformation that is taking place. One particularly striking element is the total prostration of the ordinandi before the altar while the Litany of the Saints is sung by the whole congregation, a posture of both total reverence and prayer, which also symbolizes the complete offering that they are making of themselves to God. Another notable feature is the consecration of the hands of the ordinandi with holy oil. The oil is applied to their hands to represent the unique holiness of those hands, which will henceforth transform bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ. The new priest’s hands are afterwards bound with the manutergium, a white piece of cloth that soaks up the excess oil. This, in accordance with an ancient tradition, is later given to the priest’s mother. Upon her death the mother is buried with this cloth, the tradition holding that, at her judgment, when Our Lord asks her what she has done for Him in her life on earth, she will present it to Him and say, “I have given you a priest.”

The 2018 ordinandi for the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter:

Fr. Martin Adams, Hayden Lake, Idaho
Fr. Stephen Braun, Sugar Land, Texas
Fr. Michael Cunningham, Spartanburg, South Carolina
Fr. Christopher Fitzpatrick, Enumclaw, Washington
Fr. Graham Latimer, Edmond, Oklahoma
Fr. Aaron Liebert, Westby, Wisconsin
Fr. Daniel Mould, Timaru, New Zealand
Fr. Martin Rangel-Garcia, Tornillo, Texas
Fr. Andrew Rapoport, Paso Robles, California
Fr. Richard Wallace, Phoenix, Arizona

The Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter gives thanks to God as we rejoice in the ordination of these ten new priests and in the great things God has in store for them. Please join us in praying for them as they begin their new work, and in praying for Deacon Seth Phipps who will be ordained on June 9th in Warrington, England.

If you were not able to attend in person or watch the live webcast, video of the ordinations will be available soon. Over the next several weeks we will also be publishing the vocation stories of all eleven priests, so stay tuned!

A happy and most glorious feast of Corpus Christi, a day on which we honor and celebrate Our Lord’s immense gift to us, the Most Blessed Sacrament of His Body and Blood. This feast is celebrated on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday, and is often celebrated a second time on the following Sunday as the External Feast of Corpus Christi.

A notable part of the beautiful ceremonies of this day is the procession with the Blessed Sacrament enthroned in the monstrance. The procession features the magnificent hymn Pange lingua, which was written by the Angelic Doctor St. Thomas Aquinas and includes the familiar Tantum ergo that we sing at Benediction.

The Gospel for today is a passage taken from the Bread of Life discourse found in St. John, where Our Lord speaks in clear and distinct terms about the nature of the Blessed Sacrament. He identifies it as truly His own Body and Blood, of which we must partake if we are to have life within us.

In illo témpore: Dixit Jesus turbis Judæórum: Caro mea vere est cibus, et sanguis meus vere est potus. Qui mandúcat meam carnem, et bibit meum sánguinem, in me manet, et ego in illo.

At that time Jesus said to the multitudes of the Jews: My Flesh is meat indeed, and My Blood is drink indeed. He that eateth My Flesh, and drinketh My Blood, abideth in Me, and I in him.

– John 6:55-56