The Priestly Fraternity’s parish in Tulsa, Oklahoma, commemorated the solemnity of the Sacred Triduum, led by Fr. Joseph Define, FSSP, pastor of Most Precious Blood parish. Enjoy the galleries of images from the week, and notice the gradual transformation of the permanent sanctuary, as the parish continues to convert this previously Protestant church into a fitting habitation for the Lord of Hosts.

Holy Thursday

Good Friday

Easter Vigil

Easter Day

Enjoying one of the first lovely days of this spring, the Most Reverend James Timlin, Bishop Emeritus of Scranton, visited Saint Michael’s parish in order to confirm six souls.

Bishop Timlin began with a firm exhortation to those receiving the Sacrament of the need to always remain close to Christ and His Church as they grow into adulthood. He then cautioned the confirmandi against the dangers of this world: secularism and the tendency to irreligion, the attacks upon the Faith, and the temptations that come with life in the modern world, exhorting them to prayer and the Sacraments, and above all a firm love and trust in the Lord for guidance and grace. The bishop also gave an explanation of the fitting use of oil as chrism, as a symbol of life, energy, and strength.

Assisted by Fr. Jose Zepeda, FSSP, pastor of Saint Michael’s, the bishop then began the prayers and blessings of Confirmation. As each child and sponsor approached, he sealed them with Sacred Chrism, blessed them, and gave the slap of admonition. This gentle warning tells each confirmandi that they are now strengthened in the Faith, in their Baptismal graces, and will be expected to endure affronts at the hands of the world.

After the concluding prayers and final blessing, Bishop Timlin then joined the parish in the hall for refreshments and congratulations of the newly Confirmed. Enjoy pictures of this lovely day.

The third annual Populus Summorum Pontificum pilgrimage will take place in Rome from October 23-26, 2014.

This year the highlights include a Mass with both Populus Summorum Pontificum and Juventutem, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Juventutem movement, and a Pontifical High Mass at St Peter’s, celebrated by Cardinal Raymond Burke.

The Juventutem anniversary Mass will take place at 6:30pm on Friday, October 24, at Santa Trinità dei Pellegrini, the parish of the Fraternity of Saint Peter in Rome. Preceding the Mass, there will be a series of special events for Juventutem, led by Fr. Armand de Malleray, FSSP, chaplain of both Juventutem and the Confraternity of Saint Peter.

The Pontifical High Mass at Saint Peter’s with Cardinal Burke will be on Saturday, October 25, at 12:00pm, and the closing Mass of the pilgrimage, celebrating the Solemnity of Christ the King, will take place at the Monastery of San Benedetto in Norcia.

More details of the pilgrimage are available here.

22nd Roman Forum Summer Symposium for 2014

Second International Congress of Catholic Christendom

Gardone, Riviera
June 30-July 11, 2014

1914-2014:
Have We Learned Anything From This ‘Hundred Years’ War’?

Summer, 2014, marks a tragic centennial: that of the beginning of the First World War. Far from being the “War to End All Wars”, and the “War to Make the World Safe for Democracy”, this terrible conflict proved to be the precursor to another worldwide conflagration, the torments of the Cold War in Europe and Asia, and the evils afflicting the contemporary Middle East, Africa, and Latin America. Not only did it serve as the vehicle through which every possible form of ideology stemming from modern naturalism was finally given the opportunity to wreak its havoc throughout the globe; it also seems to have led to the worldwide triumph of the hedonistic, “freedom-loving” culture of the so-called “Moderate Enlightenment”, as well as the oligarchies that define what “liberty” is allowed to mean by John Locke & Company.

Historians have done yeoman service indicating all the many particular causes responsible for igniting the “Guns of August”. Nevertheless, the Roman Catholic Church, whose teaching authority and greatest thinkers had warned about the coming disaster for many decades before 1914, understood best of all what the underlying intellectual and spiritual reasons for the senseless slaughter ultimately were. These fundamental grounds of the cataclysm were nothing other than that understanding of life as a jungle “warfare of all against all”, arising out of the heterodox vision of fallen mankind as a “totally depraved” species. By the twentieth century, this twisted vision had translated into all manner of political, economic, and even biological ideologies based upon the need for “struggle”, open and masked, as the key to Progress. In short, the Church understood that war came because modern man was “spoiling for a fight” in a myriad of different ways.

The Church had a clear idea of what was wrong in 1914. Does she still have such a lucid judgment in 2014, or has she herself been influenced by the evils against which she once so brilliantly fought? Have her children proven to be capable of passing on her wisdom to the world at large? Is the secular world in any way more receptive to her message as this “Hundred Years’ War” moves into its second century? It is to these basic questions that the faculty of the Twenty-Second Annual Gardone Summer Symposium and the Second International Catholic Christendom Congress will turn its attention. The cost is 2,100 Euros ($2,900 at the present exchange; some partial scholarships available). Participation is limited. There are only fifty places available.

Full Details of the Symposium

The Fraternity’s apostolate in Dallas commemorated the solemnity of the Sacred Triduum, led by Fr. Thomas Longua, FSSP, pastor of Mater Dei parish. Father Longua and the priests of Mater Dei were assisted this year by Deacon Timothy O’Brien, FSSP. Enjoy the galleries images of the week, and the beautiful new vestment sets put to their first service of the altar of God.

Holy Thursday

Good Friday

The Easter Vigil

The priests of the Fraternity’s apostolate in Pequannock, New Jersey, commemorated the solemnity of the Sacred Triduum, led by Fr. James Fryar, FSSP, Administrator of Our Lady of Fatima Chapel. He was assisted by Fr. Robert Boyd, FSSP, and Fr. Joseph DeGuzman, FSSP. Enjoy the gallery of images for the week.

Our apostolate in Scranton, Saint Michael the Archangel, commemorated the solemnity of Holy Week led by Fr. Jose Zepeda, FSSP, pastor of St. Michael’s.

Father was joined in the Triduum by Father Gregory Pendergraft, FSSP, and seminarian Daniel Mould, and the three put into use the new solemn white vestment set crafted by the parish Vestment Guild.

Enjoy the gallery of images of the week.

Palm Sunday

Holy Thursday

Good Friday

Easter Vigil

Easter Day

The Fraternity’s apostolate in Little Rock commemorated both the pageantry and solemnity of Holy Week, led by Fr. Michael Mageira, FSSP, chaplain of the community at St. Patrick’s, and assisted by Deacons Joshua Curtis, FSSP, and Michael Malain, FSSP. Enjoy the galleries images of the week.

Palm Sunday (Procession)

Palm Sunday (Mass)

Good Friday

Easter Vigil

(Many thanks for images courtesy of Tom Pyron — tommygunphotos.com)

The Most Reverend Joseph N. Perry, Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago, recently traveled to Holy Family, our parish in Dayton, OH, in order to administer the sacrament of Confirmation to the youth of the parish.

His Excellency gave an excellent sermon detailing the seven Gifts of the Holy Ghost and their importance in the Christian life, and administered the sacrament to twenty-nine confirmandi. He was assisted by Fr. Mark Wojdelski, FSSP, pastor of Holy Family, and Msgr. John Fritz, FSSP, Assistant Pastor.

Many thanks to Bishop Perry for his time, and the gift of Confirmation. Enjoy images of the day, and congratulations to our confirmandi.

Recently, North American Martyrs Parish was pleased to host the Most Reverend Eusebio Elizondo, M.Sp.S., Auxiliary Bishop of Seattle, who Confirmed eighteen of the parish youth. He was assisted by Fr. Gerard Saguto, FSSP, and Fr. Charles Vreeland, FSSP.

The Bishop, in preaching at the Low Mass preceding the Confirmation, emphasized to the eighteen that what we believe determines how we live.  He exhorted them to a greater spirit of sacrifice for the Faith and to always keep Heaven as their goal in life.

In your kindness, please keep the priests and faithful of North American Martyrs parish in your prayers as they continue their search for a permanent home in the Archdiocese. Enjoy pictures of the Confirmations.