The Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter mourns the death of Rev. Kenneth Walker, FSSP, who was murdered on June 11, 2014 at the Rectory of Mater Misericordiae Parish in Phoenix, Arizona, where he served as assistant priest. He was dearly loved by the faithful he served and his confreres in the Fraternity.

Fr. Joseph Terra was also critically injured in the assault; he was hospitalized in critical but stable condition. As of Saturday, June 14th, he is now in stable condition. Father Terra has expressed his heartfelt thanks for everyone’s prayers, and we ask you to continue to keep his recovery in your prayers.

Fr. Walker was ordained a priest in 2012, and was 28 years old. Prayer intentions, letters and gifts of condolence, and memorials for Fr. Walker’s family may be sent via the Community of St. John-Marie Vianney:

Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Walker
c/o St. John Vianney Chapel
14611B Waterman Crossing Road
Maple Hill, KS 66507

We ask for your prayers for the repose of the soul of Fr. Walker and that God might grant great consolation to his family and his parishioners in this terrible tragedy.

Oremus:

O God, Who didst give to thy servant, Kenneth, by his sacerdotal office, a share in the priesthood of the Apostles, grant, we implore, that he may also be one of their company forever in Heaven. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Requiem Aeternam dona ei, Domine.

Et lux perpetua luceat ei.

Requiescat in pace.

On June 11, 2014, Fr. Carl Gismondi, FSSP, pastor of St. Anne’s Catholic Church, our apostolate in San Diego, appeared on Catholic Answers Live to discuss the Traditional Latin Mass and answer questions from callers.

Catholic Answers Live broadcasts from 6pm – 7pm ET.

Catholic Answers Live with Fr. Carl Gismondi

Here are additional details:

• Mass Times at St. Anne’s
• St. Anne’s Parish Website
• Listen Online

Gregorian chant, far from being archaic, unapproachable, and difficult, sees new life in the youth of the Church, because that which is unchanged, and universal in its beauty, is always new.

For the Catholic who wishes to embrace their patrimony, and grow to a deeper union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, learning Gregorian chant becomes a way to offer beauty and truth to Him Who is both Truth and Beauty.

At St. Anne’s parish in San Diego, the director of music came to realize that not only could children learn chant, but they loved it, absorbed it quickly, and have grown deeper in their affection for Christ through the chant of the Mass.

Produced by parishioners of St. Anne’s, please enjoy this overview of the annual Gregorian Chant Camp. As details of the 2014 camp become available, they will be added here. Many thanks to Kristen Vonberg and Daniel DeSilva for their work highlighting the camp.

On Saturday, May 31, 2014, seven deacons of the Fraternity of St. Peter were ordained priests by the Most Reverend Athanasius Schneider, at Saint Cecilia Cathedral in Omaha, Nebraska.

Our gratitude and thanks to His Excellency for ordaining these men to the Holy Priesthood, our congratulations to our new priests and their families, and thanks to all our benefactors and friends who have supported these men and the seminary during the course of their studies with prayers and other assistance.

As each new priest has asked, and we always recommend, please in your kindness continue to pray for them and all of the priests of the Fraternity.

The newly ordained priests are:

• Father Joshua Curtis
• Father Robert Dow
• Father Michael Flick
• Father Joseph Heffernan
• Father Paul Leung
• Father Daniel Nolan
• Father Joshua Passo

Please look for additional coverage of ordinations in an upcoming edition of the monthly newsletter.  Sign up Today

Enjoy images of this glorious day for the North American District of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter!

Father Josef Bisig, FSSP, Rector of Our Lady of Guadalupe seminary, has instituted the practice of ausflug, which is German for an outing or excursion. These outings allow the seminarians and staff to venture to an apostolate and spend informal time in recreation.

Past outings have included the Denver apostolate and the Rockies, and last fall’s excursion to Minneapolis for All Saints and All Souls, followed by a pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Lacrosse, Wisconsin.

The latest ausflug for Father Bisig and the seminarians and priestly staff of the seminary was traveling to our new parish church in Kansas City of St. Rose Philippine Duchesne.  Enjoy images of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass offered by Fr.  Robert Ferguson, FSSP, and the grand luncheon which followed in the parish hall.

The Fraternity congratulates all the members of Our Lady of Fatima Chapel, our apostolate in Pequannock, NJ, on the glorious occasion of the reception of First Holy Communion by seventeen children of the parish.  Holy Mass was offered by Fr. James Fryar, FSSP, Administrator of Our Lady of Fatima, and chaplain of the Confraternity in North America. Enjoy pictures of the beautiful Mass, the grace-filled First Communicants, and the lovely day.

In the busy life of a parish, the month of May brings a flurry of activity. For Holy Family in Dayton, Ohio, this May brought First Holy Communion, the honoring of Our Lady with the May Crowning, and a visit from Human Life International’s traveling icon of Our Lady of Częstochowa, known also as the Black Madonna of Częstochowa. Enjoy images from the events of May at Holy Family.

The Fraternity congratulates the families of Saint Stephen the First Martyr Catholic Church, our apostolate in Sacramento, CA, for the reception of First Holy Communion for twenty-seven children of the parish.

The Solemn High Mass was offered by Fr. Kevin O’Neill, FSSP, assistant pastor of St. Stephen. Fr. O’Neill was assisted by Fr. John Lyons, FSSP, as deacon, and Fr. Hugues Beaugrand as subdeacon. The Mass concluded with Father O’Neill investing each child with the Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

A multitude of Catholic faithful from all over California and the western U.S. gathered together to honor Our Lady on the first Saturday of May in California’s capital. The 6th Annual Great Marian Procession West Coast began at East Lawn Memorial Park in Sacramento, and, after proceeding past the capitol, the three mile procession ended at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament.

Once there, a Solemn High Mass Traditional Latin Mass was offered with His Excellency, Auxiliary Bishop Myron J. Cotta, in choir. Bishop Cotta also preached the sermon of the Mass on devotion to Our Lady in this day and age.

The Mass was offered by Fr. John Lyons, FSSP, the pastor of Saint Stephen the First Martyr, our parish in Sacramento. He was assisted by two other priests from the apostolate: Fr. Kevin O’Neill, FSSP, as deacon, and Fr. Lee Perry as subdeacon. The schola of St. Stephen provided the chant and polyphony for the Mass.

The next Annual Marian Procession West Coast will take place on May 2, 2015. Many thanks to Jay Balza and the Traditional Latin Mass Society of San Francisco for the account of events and the lovely photographs of the day.

 Marian Procession West Coast

The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass

Our Lady of Mount Carmel, our parish in Littleton, Colorado, commemorated the solemnity of Holy Week in their newly constructed church, led by Fr. James Jackson, FSSP, pastor, and Fr. Joseph Hearty, FSSP, assistant pastor.

Enjoy the gallery of images of the week.