On July 19, 2017, missionary boots hit the ground in Mexico. The boots belonged to those participating in the FSSP’s St. Francis Xavier mission trip, which runs through August 1 in Tonalá, near the FSSP’s apostolate in Guadalajara. To learn more about the trip and for firsthand reports on the work the missionaries are doing, we turned to Fr. Daniel Heenan, director of the Mexican apostolate.

The mission in Tonalá, Fr. Heenan explains, serves as the conclusion to the St. Junipero Serra Spanish program for seminarians. In addition to the seminarians, those participating in the mission work include parishioners from the Fraternity’s parish in Guadalajara, several Americans and people from other parts of Mexico. The group has been invited to serve at a parish in a poor neighborhood, an area afflicted not only by poverty but also the presence of gangs.

They divide up into 10 groups, about 45 people in total, and divide the town into sections, with each group assigned to a particular section. They then go door to door visiting the residents, inviting them to catechetical activities in the afternoon for children and adults and Mass in the evening. In their conversations sometimes the missionaries have the opportunity to encourage people back to Confession after a long time away from this Sacrament. And the fruit of their efforts is apparent: about 200 people were present at Mass on Wednesday night. Most are not familiar with the traditional Mass, and though there are some who remember the FSSP group from other visits, they do not receive the traditional Mass regularly and as Fr. Heenan says, “we’ve seen a great response.”

“Additionally, for the seminarians, it’s a great conclusion to their eight weeks of Spanish classes,” Fr. Heenan continues. “So, guys who arrived not knowing anything of Spanish, or very little, are now giving classes to groups of children and talking to people in their houses. They’ve all made tremendous progress. To me it’s a really great testimony of the effectiveness of the program and we hope to keep growing it.”

As you are reading this post, young people from across the North American District are giving their time and talents serving the poor of Piura, Peru, with priests of the FSSP. The trip is one of the Fraternity’s St. Francis Xavier mission trips, which occur every year and give youth, families and individuals of all ages the opportunity to assist their brethren who live in poverty, to enrich their own spiritual lives through daily Mass and prayer, and to fully live out Christ’s command to love and serve.

The Peru trip is focused specifically on young people ages 16-21, for whom this trip is an opportunity, at such a formative stage in their young lives, to encounter Christ in His poor. Our volunteers arrived on July 21 and will return on August 2, and we have been privileged to receive updates and pictures documenting their experiences so far.

Learn more about the St. Francis Xavier mission trips, donate to support the trips and apply to volunteer at the St. Francis Xavier website here.

Learn more about the Fraternity’s missionary efforts at the Mission Tradition website here.

The final list of new priest assignments for 2017-18 has been announced. The list below is alphabetical by apostolate name and includes all apostolates, regardless of whether a change has occured.

Allentown, Pennsylvania – Fr. Gregory Pendergraft, Fr. Joseph Favole-Mihm
Atlanta, Georgia – Fr. Carlos Casavantes, Fr. Joseph DeGuzman
Baltimore, Maryland – Fr. Joel Kiefer
Brookville, Indiana – Fr. Howard Remski, Fr. Brian Austin
Chesapeake, Virginia – Fr. Neal Nichols, Fr. Anthony Forte
Calgary, Alberta, Canada – Fr. John Shannon, Fr. Krzysztof Sanetra
Cœur d’Alene, Idaho – Fr. Dennis Gordon, Fr. Daniel Nolan, Fr. Michael Flick
Colorado Springs, Colorado – Fr. James Gordon, Fr. Joseph Portzer
Dallas, Texas – Fr. Thomas Longua, Fr. Brian McDonnell, Fr. Timothy O’Brien, Fr. James Buckley
Dayton, Ohio – Fr. George Gabet
Denver (Littleton), Colorado – Fr. James Jackson, Fr. Caleb Kick
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada – Fr. Philip Creuer
El Paso, Texas – Fr. Kevin O’Neill, Fr. Edward Brodsky
Fort Myers & Naples, Florida – Fr. Jonathan Romanoski, Fr. Joshua Passo
Fort Wayne, Indiana – Fr. Mark Wojdelski
Fort Worth, Texas– Fr. Karl Pikus, Fr. Peter Byrne
Fresno, California – Fr. Jose Zepeda
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania – Fr. Gregory Eichman, Fr. David Franco
Houston, Texas – Fr. Charles Van Vliet, Fr. Joshua Houck
Kansas City, Kansas – Fr. John Fongemie, Fr. Justin Nolan, Fr. Jonathan Heinricy
Lexington, Kentucky – Fr. John Fischer
Lincoln, Nebraska – Fr. Matthew McCarthy
Little Rock, Arkansas – Fr. Jared McCambridge
Los Angeles, California – Fr. James Fryar, Fr. Federico Masutti
Maple Hill, Kansas – Fr. Eric Flood, Fr. John Kodet, Fr. Robert Fromageot
Minneapolis, Minnesota – Fr. Peter Bauknecht, Alex Fr. Stewart
Montréal, QC, Canada – Fr. Garrick Huang, Fr. Robert Dow
Nashua, New Hampshire – Fr. John Brancich, Fr. James Smith
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma – Fr. Christopher Pelster, Fr. Simon Zurita
Omaha, Nebraska – Fr. John Rickert, Fr. Massimo Botta
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada – Fr. Erik Deprey, Fr. Jacques Breton
Pequannock, New Jersey – Fr. Matthew McNeely, Fr. Karl Marsolle, Fr. Robert Boyd
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Carmel) – Fr. William Allen
Phoenix, Arizona – Fr. Michael Passo, Fr. Michael Malain
Post Falls, Idaho (Carmel) – Fr. Joseph Terra
Québec, QC, Canada – Fr. Laurent Demets
Quincy, Illinois – Fr. Arnaud Devillers
Rapid City, South Dakota – Fr. Christopher Hathaway
Richmond, Virginia – Fr. Robert Novokowsky, Fr. Terrence Gordon
Rockdale, Illinois – Fr. Michael Magiera, Fr. Joseph Hearty
Sacramento, California – Fr. John Lyons, Fr. Joshua Curtis, Fr. Dominic Savoie
San Diego, California – Fr. Carl Gismondi, Fr. Christopher Mahowald, Fr. Anthony Dorsa
Sarasota, Florida – Fr. Stéphane Dupre, Fr. Gregory Bartholomew
Scranton, Pennsylvania – Fr. Simon Harkins
Seattle, Washington – Fr. Joseph Heffernan, Fr. Adrian Debow
South Bend, Indiana – Msgr. John Fritz
Tacoma, Washington – Fr. Michael Stinson, Fr. Caleb Insco
Thorold, Ontario, Canada – Fr. Kenneth Webb
Tulsa, Oklahoma – Fr. William Define, Fr. Earl Eggleston
Tyler, Texas – Fr. Joseph Valentine
Vancouver, BC, Canada – Fr. Daniel Geddes, Fr. Alexandre Marchand, Fr. Joseph Orlowski
Vienna, Ohio – Fr. Denis Bouchard, Fr. Philip Wolfe

In the summer of 2016, Fr. Matthew Vierno, at that time a deacon at Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary in Denton, Nebraska, participated in the newly-established St. Junipero Serra Institute at the FSSP apostolate in Guadalajara, Mexico. Now, after his recent ordination in May, Fr. Vierno is headed to Mexico once again, this time as parochial vicar. We checked in with Fr. Vierno, who spoke about the road to his priestly vocation, his time at the St. Junipero Serra Institute and his thoughts as he looks forward to his new assignment.

by Fr. Matthew Vierno, F.S.S.P.

My name is Father Matthew Vierno, a recently ordained priest in the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter. I was recently appointed the parochial vicar of our Fraternity’s parish in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Ten years ago I would not have guessed that I would be a priest at all, nor did I ever imagine that I would ever live in a Spanish speaking country. I did realize my vocation as a teenager, and committed myself to pursue it without hesitation. Nevertheless, until three years ago I had no knowledge of the Spanish language. My background is not Hispanic, and the languages I studied in school were limited to Latin and French. In my fifth year of seminary, however, I determined to learn Spanish on my own, convinced that it is the most important second language for any priest working in the United States.

After studying as much as possible, I was granted permission to do apostolic work in Guadalajara during the summer of 2015. My Spanish advanced quickly that summer, and I returned in the winter to continue.  For the Holy Week of 2016 I was sent to Mexico City and finally began preaching in Spanish.

Although I was able to comfortably speak Spanish after my few trips to Mexico, there was still much to be desired in my mastery of grammar. The proper use of the subjunctive, the conditional tenses, and many other fine points were still lacking. Although my self-study and immersion were extremely helpful and put me at a decent conversational level, I needed skilled mentors if I wanted to improve. For this reason I applied for admission to the Fray Junipero Serra Spanish Institute which was just opened in the summer of 2016. This Institute gives seminarians and priests not only the opportunity to immerse themselves in the language and culture, but also the help of professional tutors. There are 3 levels of classes depending on the proficiency of the student. The Institute also provides the students with lectures on Hispanic culture, with many opportunities to put it all into practice with activities ranging from trips to a coffee shop to door-to-door missionary work.

I am very grateful to all those who work tirelessly to make this Spanish Institute a success every year, and am especially thankful for the hard work the teachers have done and continue to do for me. I look forward to my priestly mission across the border, and am ready to put my Spanish into use.

To learn more about the Mexico apostolate or to make a donation to their work, visit their website at www.fsspmexico.com and follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

On Friday, May 26, seven men from Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary were ordained to the holy priesthood by His Excellency Archbishop Terrence Pendergrast of Ottawa at North American Martyrs Church in Lincoln, Nebraska. Please keep these priests in your prayers as they commence their mission as God’s consecrated ministers!

Rev. Adrian Debow
Rev. Anthony Dorsa
Rev. Joseph Favole-Mihm
Rev. Jonathan Heinricy
Rev. Caleb Kick
Rev. James Smith
Rev. Matthew Vierno

Two priests from the North American District, Fr. Alex Stewart and Fr. Krzysztof Sanetra, were ordained by His Excellency Archbishop Malcolm McMahon of Liverpool at St. Mary’s Shrine Church in Warrington, England on Saturday, June 17, 2017, in the first traditional ordination ceremony to take place in the UK in decades. For the full story, we checked in with Fr. Simon Harkins, Bursar of the North American District, who participated in the ordinations and gave us the 411 on what took place and why the Fraternity decided to hold the ordinations in England.

We thank Mr. John Aron, who took the photographs featured in this article and graciously granted us permission to use them. For more photos and videos of the ordinations, please visit St. Mary’s Flickr album here.

by Fr. Simon Harkins, F.S.S.P.

From time to time the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter encourages ordinations in locations of specific interest in the furtherance of our mission. This year two men who completed their studies at our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary and who will serve their first years of priesthood in the North American District were ordained at the Shrine of St. Mary, Warrington, England.

The Shrine of St. Mary’s is the first fully functioning parish run by the Fraternity in the U.K. In order to draw attention to our work and to promote the Traditional Latin Mass in England and Scotland, it was determined that Fr. Alex Stewart (England) and Fr. Krzysztof Sanetra (Poland) should be ordained by His Grace the Most Reverend Malcolm McMahon, Archbishop of Liverpool, at a ceremony held on the 17th of June, 2017.

The event was a complete success! In a packed church and in the most perfect weather, the parishioners of St. Mary’s Warrington made the most of the occasion by providing spectacular sacred music and the very epitome of the quintessential English garden party. Masterminded by Fr. Armand de Malleray, F.S.S.P., Parish Priest of St. Mary’s, and in the presence of His Lordship Rt. Rev. Mark Davies, Bishop of Shrewsbury and members of the North American and French Districts, including the Very. Rev. Fr. Bisig, Rector of Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary, Frs. Stewart and Sanetra joined their seven classmates already ordained this year for the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter’s North American District.

This occasion marks the sixth ordination from the British Isles since 2009 and continues the trend of traditional vocations springing from the seeds first planted by Fr. de Malleray and subsequently nourished by Fr. Matthew Goddard in our apostolate in Reading, Berkshire. Every U.K. member of the Fraternity was on hand to welcome Frs. Stewart and Sanetra to the order of Melchizedek.

The shrine of St. Mary’s, Warrington, is well placed between the cities of Liverpool and Manchester to become the centerpiece of Fraternity activity in the North West of England, revitalizing traditional Catholicism in the industrial north. With the ordination of Fr. Stewart and the future ordination of Deacon Seth Phipps in 2018, it is clear that traditional vocations continue to grow among the recusant remains of Catholic England.

The Priestly Fraternity has three houses in Great Britain which are currently served by five priests. Details are given below:

St. Cuthbert House
6 Belford Park
Edinburgh
Lothian, EH4 3DP

Most Pure Heart of Mary
Smith Street
Warrington
Cheshire, WA1 2NS

St. John Fisher House
17 Eastern Avenue
Reading
Berkshire, RG1 5RU

This July, St. Stephen of Hungary in Allentown, Pennsylvania, a flourishing parish under the care of pastor Fr. Gregory Pendergraft, FSSP, will celebrate one year of being an FSSP apostolate.

St. Stephen’s road to its current status was not an easy one, however.

The Latin Mass community at St. Stephen’s goes back to 1995, when a monthly Mass, offered by the late Msgr. Charles Moss, was begun at St. Roch Church in West Bangor, PA. The Mass became weekly in 1998, and the community would remain at St. Roch until shortly after the death of Msgr. Moss in 2006. The community then moved to St. Stephen of Hungary in Allentown.

For the complete story on St. Stephen’s road to apostolateship, we talked to a parishioner of St. Stephen’s, one who has been a member of the Latin Mass community of Allentown since 2004. He told us more about the events following the move to Allentown.

“It was a very challenging time,” he explains. The Mass was at 8am, whereas it had been at 9:20 at St. Roch’s, and the early time presented a travel problem for the distant members of the TLM community. The Mass was eventually changed to 10 and then 10:15 am.

The next 10 years proved to be a struggle for the parish, and the size of the community stayed stable but did not grow significantly. At times, the TLM could not be held at the parish, if the pastor was away and could not get a replacement. When the pastor was forced to to take an extended hiatus due to health issues, a group petition was initiated asking for the FSSP to come in. The chancery said that the request would be considered in the fall. The parish spoke with the FSSP a couple of months later, who in their turn informed them of their interest in sending them a priest. Soon after, at a meeting at the chancery, representatives of the parish found out that St. Stephen’s was going to be closed soon due to financial challenges. The parish put the case forward for the FSSP taking over, and the chancery was open to that option.

Two weeks later it was announced that the pastor of St. Stephen’s would be going on sabbatical and ending his term as pastor, and the TLM was offered by a rotation of priests while the parish waited to hear the final outcome. On Pentecost Sunday 2016, via a letter from Bishop Barres read before Mass, the parish was informed that the FSSP would be taking over in July. When the letter was read, “you could tell that nearly everyone was both completely stunned and delighted,” says our parishioner.

As they say, the rest is history. Mass attendance doubled, and this month, the parish welcomes their new assistant pastor, Fr. Joseph Favole-Mihm.

“When I was in college, a friend was giving me a ride to St. Roch’s and I naively asked him if there was a plan to bring in the FSSP if something happened to Msgr. Moss,” the parishioner says. “Little did I know what would be involved in making that actually happen.”

He offers some concluding thoughts. “When I discovered the Latin Mass in high school, I fell in love with the beauty of it and realized I couldn’t simply go back to attending the Novus Ordo at my childhood parish. While this was a blessing, it left me uprooted in a certain sense. With the arrival of the FSSP at St. Stephen’s to provide for parish life with the Latin Mass and the spiritual life it entails, I’m finally settled after 17 years of feeling like a nomad with my family.”

On the patronal Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter, we were pleased to welcome the Most Reverend Joseph Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, in order to give his apostolic blessing to our new headquarters in South Abington.

Assisted by Father Saguto, His Excellency began with giving thanks for the Fraternity in our pastoral mission and for our support of the Church and the Diocese, wishing us all the best in our new home. Joining him for his pastoral visit were Msgr.  Thomas Muldowney, Vicar General; Fr. Jeffrey Walsh, Vicar for Clergy; and Fr. Shane Kirby, Judicial Vicar for the diocese.

We extend our thanks for His Excellency’s visit accompanied by the principal officials of the diocese, and thank him for his continued support.

By Fr Armand de Malleray, FSSP, General Chaplain, Rome, 22^nd February 2017

Dear Friends,

Our first decade

Greetings in the glorious Apostle Peter, our Patron. Ten years ago, on 22^nd February 2007, the Confraternity of Saint Peter was founded by the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter. On this our tenth anniversary, I am writing to you to look back – and forward. The Confraternity was founded to foster priestly vocations and support priestly ministry through prayer and sacrifices. I thank you for your generous response. Your prayers are being heard. See the figures: in contrast with the accelerating trend of seminary and church closures, no fewer than 114 new priests were ordained for our Fraternity since the founding of the Confraternity. That means nearly one new priest ordained every month. What graces!

Mutual prayer

By the grace of God, together we extend the Mystical Body of Christ, the Church. You pray for our vocations and our ministry, and we pray for you. Our 425 priests and seminarians include you in their daily prayers, and every month the Confraternity Chaplains offer Holy Mass at your intentions. There is more. Did you know that your prayer also assists the other 5,230 members of the Confraternity? Please remember one another when reciting daily the Confraternity Prayer and your decade of the Rosary. Including Confraternity members in your intercession does not lessen the impact of your prayer for our seminarians and priests. Unlike material goods indeed, spiritual ones increase the more they are shared.

Even while you sleep

An international Catholic charity recently wrote: “Every 20 seconds a Mass is being celebrated somewhere in the world for a benefactor of ours.” The value of one single Holy Mass is infinite, being the unbloody re-enactment of the unique Sacrifice of the Lord Jesus on the Cross. But Christ’s merits must be applied to souls across space and time. As this occurs chiefly at the altar, multiplying the number of Masses is salutary. You will rejoice then, no doubt, on considering that every hour and a half, even while you sleep, somewhere in the world the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is offered specifically for the Confraternity of Saint Peter. That is, for our priestly vocations and ministry, but also for all of you, dear members of the Confraternity.

In addition, every minute, day and night, seven decades of the Holy Rosary are prayed to the same intentions. Lastly, the Prayer of the Confraternity is being prayed without interruption worldwide. No sooner has a member in Australia uttered the conclusion: “Keep them in Thy love, who art one with the Father and the Holy Ghost, to whom be glory and honour forever. Amen”, that another member perhaps in Canada speaks the first sentence: “O Lord Jesus, born to give testimony to the Truth”!

Our happy duty

Why is this so important, one may wonder? Because the Lord Jesus commands it: “Ask the master of the harvest to send out labourers for his harvest” (Mt 9, 38). Why should this growing stream of prayer for vocations rejoice us? Because Holy Mother Church insists on this command of Christ: “The duty of fostering vocations pertains to the whole Christian community. […] Urgent prayer, Christian penance and a constantly more intensive training of the faithful […] will show forth the need, the nature and the importance of the priestly vocation” (Vatican II, Optatam Totius II, 2).

As clearly stated, praying for priestly vocations is not optional. This might be a revelation for many a good Catholic. Praying for priestly vocations is not a matter of spiritual taste or preference. Rather, praying for priestly vocations manifests our shared responsibility in obtaining from God the many “other Christs” – the priests – needed chiefly for offering the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and for reconciling penitents; but also for evangelising, for instructing converts and for performing the countless works of education, culture and charity granted by God to the world through His priests.

Powerful tools

To this end, Holy Mother Church gave us the Votive Mass To Ask for Priestly Vocations. It is little known and often missing even in good traditional hand missals. For this reason, we provide for you the prayers of this Mass in English after this letter, including the beautiful calling of young Samuel in the Temple (1 Reg. 3:1-10) and the mysterious revelation of Christ to Nathaniel under the fig-tree (Jn 1: 35-51). These texts can also be used for private meditation.

Alone or in common, you could also pray this once well-known triple invocation: “O Lord, grant us priests! O Lord, grant us holy priests! O Lord, grant us many holy priests!”

People you know will surely be interested. One would wish them to join you and become members of the Confraternity. To facilitate this, we add to this letter a list of Frequently Asked Questions. As you will see, the conditions for joining the Confraternity are broader than one may think. This is meant to encourage prospective members. For instance, Question 5) enquires: “Can I join if I want to pray for vocations not exclusively to the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter?” Answer: “Yes, you may join. As a member of the Confraternity, you intend your prayer to benefit principally our seminarians and priests, but you may include others at your discretion.”

Accompany

A priestly vocation begins before seminary and continues after. God’s calling must be discerned; then answered; and finally fulfilled.

First, your prayer and sacrifices will help boys and young men hear the voice of the Good Shepherd. God generously calls young men by the thousands every year. But the world, the flesh and the devil intercept the divine invitation. Men who hear the call often doubt their capacities. Many who grew up amidst the allurements of modern life have insufficient experience of the power of grace. Unless deep-seated problems rule out a priestly calling, young men must be reassured that Christ Who calls them to serve at His altar and to feed His sheep will not fail them.

Second, not all those who apply to our seminaries will necessarily be ordained. Discernment continues after admission, especially during the early years. For objective reasons, the seminarian and his formators may recognise that God calls him elsewhere: to marriage or religious life for instance. Others who are truly called may experience times of discouragement or doubt. Please pray for our seminarians to be docile and persevering; and for our seminary staff to be fatherly and courageous interpreters of the will of God when a decision must be made.

Third, the First Mass is only the beginning. Your priests are sent into a world increasingly hostile to transcendence and to Catholicism in particular. Avoiding catastrophes is necessary, but insufficient. Rather, each priest must be sanctified as stated in the Constitutions of our Fraternity (#7). Neither lukewarmness nor rashness, but divine charity, must inspire their every thoughts, words and deeds: “Zeal for your house will consume me” (John 2:17).

Victory

Did you notice? The tenth anniversary of the Confraternity of Saint Peter falls the same year as that of Pope Benedict’s Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum in support of the Traditional Latin Mass. It also coincides with the first centenary of Our Lady’s Apparitions in Fatima, for which God’s angel prepared the three children through this striking Eucharistic invocation: “Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore You profoundly, and I offer You the Most Precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifferences by which He is offended. And by the infinite merits of His most Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg the conversion of poor sinners.”

Dear Friends, your prayers for our priestly vocations and ministry implement the angel’s call for the conversion of souls. How? Through the Eucharistic Sacrifice offered by more and more priests, in particular according to the Traditional Roman Liturgy, praised for its dogmatic precision and its aesthetic eloquence. As such, your commitment to the Confraternity of St Peter is most pleasing to God and Our Lady, and powerfully benefits the whole Church and the world. Deo gratias, et Mariae!

The Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter offers a 28 minute film entitled “To God Who Giveth Joy To My Youth.” The title, taken from the opening words of the Traditional Latin Mass, also known as 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”.