A happy and most blessed Father’s Day to all our fathers! This Father’s Day is also Trinity Sunday, a feast that illustrates the integral role of fatherhood in the divine plan. In the Trinity, fatherhood has existed from all eternity: the relationship among the three Persons of the Blessed Trinity is defined in terms of fatherhood, sonship and the love that this relationship entails. Our Lord constantly speaks of Himself in reference to His Father throughout the Gospels and of the unity and love between them. He also reminds us frequently that His Father is our Father too and that He came to prepare a place for us in His Father’s house. “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God” (John 20:17).

But in His generosity God also desired to give us an earthly model of fatherhood and to illustrate in human terms the sanctity of this role and of family life, and so He chose for His Son an adopted father, St. Joseph, to be the model and guide of all fathers. And those of us who honor our earthly and spiritual fathers today find our own model in Jesus, Who, though being God Himself, submitted Himself to Our Lady and St. Joseph in love and obedience, and Who partook for thirty years in the hidden life of Nazareth.

As a Fraternity of spiritual fathers, we ask your special prayers today for our priests, that they may always carry out their duties with devotion and love. St. Joseph, patron of fathers, pray for us!

This Ember week of Pentecost marks the 5th anniversary of the death of Fr. Kenneth Walker, FSSP. He died on June 11th, 2014, which in that year was, like today, an Ember Wednesday. Just 28 years old and 2 years a priest, Fr. Walker was shot and killed during a tragic incident at the rectory of Mater Misericordiae Mission, our apostolate in Phoenix where he served as assistant pastor. The pastor, Fr. Joseph Terra, was badly beaten, but despite his injuries selflessly administered Last Rites to Fr. Walker.

In his letter following the tragedy, then-Superior General Fr. John Berg wrote eloquently of the life and virtues of the young priest:

He has been described by the parishioners he served in the same manner that he would be by his confreres; he was earnest; he was persevering; he was ready first to serve; nothing ever seemed to inconvenience him. Our Lord’s description of Nathaniel perhaps fits him best: he was a man without guile. He will perhaps be remembered as an example to us as confreres more for what he did not say; one would be hard pressed to find anyone who ever heard him complain or speak badly about anyone. As a former professor of Fr. Walker in the seminary, and as superior, I also knew him as one who took correction well; never pridefully objected; and sincerely sought to improve in all areas of formation both as a seminarian and later as a priest.

In such tragic circumstances I realize that it can be easy to fall into hyperbole, but there was an innocence to Fr. Walker which is rarely found in this valley of tears.

The following Sunday, like this year, was Father’s Day. The two events considered together certainly form an apt reflection as we celebrate both natural and spiritual fatherhood this Sunday, the love that is the source and summit of both, and the great and heroic cost that both sometimes entail. Please continue to pray for the soul of Fr. Walker and for his family, friends, parishioners and brother priests who still grieve his loss, as we all hold to the lively hope that such a humble and holy soul may find his place among the angels. +

Réquiem ætérnam dona ei, Dómine: et lux perpétua lúceat ei. Requiéscat in pace. Amen.

On Friday, May 24th, 2019, the Fraternity rejoiced in the ordination of four new priests. Fr. John Killackey, Fr. R.J. Oballo, Fr. Daniel Powers and Fr. Jesus Valenzuela were ordained to the sacred priesthood by His Excellency the Most Reverend Fabian Bruskewitz, Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese of Lincoln, Nebraska, at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Lincoln. Many priests from throughout the District were in attendance, and the church was filled with faithful souls who had come to join in this solemn and joyful occasion. Superior General Fr. Andrzej Komorowski, North American Superior Fr. Michael Stinson, Fr. Benoit Guichard from Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary and Fr. Adrian Debow, who serves at our General House in Switzerland, assisted at the altar.

Please pray for the new priests as they embark upon their duties as ministers of God’s sacred mysteries. Your spiritual support was essential to them as they studied, prepared and discerned throughout their years of seminary, and your prayers will continue to speed them on as they celebrate first Masses at various parishes, give their blessings to countless faithful and begin their first assignments.

Stay tuned for an upcoming Missive post on the ordination of Fr. Luc Poirier, which took place one week later at Notre Dame Cathedral Basilica in Ottawa! +

A happy and most glorious feast of the Ascension of Our Lord! Today is a Holy Day of Obligation in some places, so be sure to check the regulations in your diocese. Even if there is no obligation, we encourage you to attend Mass if you can on this glorious feast day, which commemorates the day when Our Lord’s earthly mission came to an end and, giving His final commission to His Apostles, He returned to Heaven to take His place at the right hand of the Father.

Since Easter, the Paschal Candle, the symbol of the Risen Christ, has stood lit in the sanctuary during Mass and some other liturgical offices to symbolize His presence among us for forty days after His Resurrection. After the Gospel of today’s High Mass it is extinguished, since He has ascended into Heaven and is no longer visibly present on earth. It is removed after Mass to a place near the baptismal font.

Today’s Introit, taken from the Acts of the Apostles, recounts the words which the angels addressed to the Apostles who had just witnessed the Ascension. They admonish them to take up without delay the mission given to them by Christ:

Viri Galilǽi, quid admirámini aspiciéntes in cœlum? allelúia: quemádmodum vidístis eum ascendéntem in cœlum, ita véniet, allelúia, allelúia, allelúia.

Ye men of Galilee, why wonder you, looking up to heaven? alleluia: He shall so come as you have seen Him going up into heaven, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

We wish you a blessed and reflective Memorial Day. While today is an opportunity to take a break from work and spend time with our friends and family, perhaps attend a barbecue or play some baseball with buddies, the real purpose of this day is to remember all those who have died in service to our country and who cannot be present with us today.

The picture to the right shows the “Missing Man” table, which stands as a memorial to fallen, missing or imprisoned servicemembers and is often seen at military ceremonies or events. The table seen here includes a place for four of the five branches of the military (Air Force, Army, Marines and Navy). As Catholics, we appreciate the great value of material things in illustrating spiritual realities, and we certainly see many familiar symbols here, albeit with their own particular meanings: the upturned glasses signify the toasts that the fallen cannot raise with us; the lemon, the bitterness of their fate; the red rose, the blood they shed; the lit candle the hope that lives on in the hearts of their loved ones.

Though death is always accompanied by sorrow, we also hold to the hope of eternal life and resurrection, and to that end we pray continually for the souls of our deceased veterans and of all the faithful departed. Many parishes today will offer Masses for the souls of the fallen, including our parish in Chesapeake, which offers an annual Requiem Mass on this day. We encourage you to attend Mass today for our deceased servicemembers if you can or to offer particular prayers for the repose of their souls, and to pray for the safe return of all our deployed military personnel. +

Réquiem ætérnam dona eis, Dómine: et lux perpétua lúceat eis. Requiéscant in pace. Amen.

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord: and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.

Today, May 24th, four deacons of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter will be ordained to the sacred priesthood by His Excellency the Most Reverend Fabian Bruskewitz at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Lincoln, Nebraska. All are welcome to attend, but if you can’t make it there in person, you can tune in to the live broadcast on LiveMass, our online apostolate, at 10 a.m. Central Time, 11 a.m. Eastern, 8 a.m. Pacific. You can watch on the LiveMass site or download our app, iMass.

Please pray for today’s ordinandi and for the Rev. Mr. Luc Poirier, who will be ordained in Ottawa on Friday, May 31st.

If you are planning to attend the Fraternity’s ordinations at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Lincoln this Friday, May 24th, we have important information for you. The parking is very limited near the church, but the University is allowing us to use their parking garage on 17th Street between Q and R Streets. It is directly east of the block where the church is located (see the church on the left and the garage on the right in the satellite image). The garage is unattended and you can pay only with a credit card on the way out.

The ordinations are at 10 a.m. and the address is 320 N. 16th St., Lincoln, NE 68508. Remember, if you can’t make it to the ordinations in person, you can always follow the live broadcast at LiveMass, either online or on the iMass app. +

With St. Joseph the Worker’s feast day recently occurring on May 1st, we invite you to take a look back at a wonderful tradition celebrated on the March feast of this great saint.

Every year around March 19th, many parishes celebrate the tradition of St. Joseph’s Table. Perhaps your own parish or one near you hosts this event in honor of the foster-father of Our Lord, which usually entails preparing a beautiful table of special dishes and treats arranged before a statue or image of St. Joseph. The Table has its origins in Sicily in the Middle Ages, when, according to legend, a great famine struck the land and the people prayed to St. Joseph for relief, promising a special celebration in his honor in return. When the rains came, the people prepared tables of food in thanksgiving, and la tavola di San Giuseppe became an annual celebration. Held at the time of St. Joseph’s Day, the centerpiece of the festival is a table of beautiful pastries and breads to be shared with one’s family and friends, strangers and the poor. The offerings are not only tasty but are also rich with meaning, such as the breads which might be shaped like St. Joseph’s staff or a crown of thorns. The table traditionally lacks any meat dishes in commemoration of the season of Lent during which St. Joseph’s Day falls. Often included in the festivities is the “Tupa Tupa” tradition (see photo above from FSSP Chesapeake), in which children re-enact Joseph and Mary’s search for food and shelter in Bethlehem and are welcomed to the Table as the guests of honor.

The tradition of honoring St. Joseph in a special way on his feast day is, of course, not only an Italian tradition; different countries have their own traditions in honor of this great saint, including our very own United States! While the US has also adopted the traditions of its immigrant nations, something unique to our side of the pond is the combined celebration of St. Joseph’s feast and the return of the swallows to the mission church of San Juan Capistrano, California. The celebration was started by one of the pastors of the mission, which is a favorite nesting spot of the swallows and holds the festival every year on St. Joseph’s Day (from what we can gather, the Table is included as part of the celebrations). Incidentally, St. John of Capistrano’s feast day falls nearby, on March 28th!

Perhaps St. Joseph’s Table is a tradition you’d like to start in your own homes and parishes. Here is some inspiration from those in the FSSP community who celebrate this beautiful tradition. +

Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary

Denton, Nebraska

FSSP Dallas

Mater Dei Parish

FSSP Chesapeake

Take a great tradition and multiply it by 3! FSSP Chesapeake celebrates the Table by way of a “Triduum of Feasts” that includes St. Joseph, St. Patrick and their patron, St. Benedict.

FSSP Houston

Regina Caeli Parish

Spots are still available for FSSP Los Angeles’ annual Sacred Music Symposium this summer! The conference runs from June 24th – 28th and features seminars and clinics on a variety of choral topics, instruction from leading composers and conductors, and the opportunity to sing at the first Mass of a newly-ordained FSSP priest. The cost is just $275, and that includes meals! For more information and to sign up, visit www.ccwatershed.org/symposium.

A happy and most blessed Mother’s Day to all mothers! Let us take time today to thank God for the natural, adopted and spiritual mothers in our lives, for their love towards us and for the sacrifices they have made for us. For so many of us, our mothers were the first to teach us the Faith and to instill the love of God in us, and so today we give thanks for both the physical and spiritual care they gave us. This day on which we honor our earthly mothers providentially falls in the month of May dedicated to Our Lady, who is the Mother of Christ and of us, the members of His Mystical Body.

One of the most enduring Marian traditions during this time is that of the May crowning, where children of the parish carry flowers to Our Lady and adorn her statue with a crown or a wreath of flowers to honor her as “Queen of the Angels, Queen of the May”, as a beloved old hymn goes. Some of our parishes celebrated the Crowning last Sunday, some today, and certainly this beautiful tradition is a most fitting way to honor our Blessed Mother around the time of Mother’s Day.

And so, let us pray for our mothers today, let us honor them and entrust them to the care of Our Lady, the Queen and model of all mothers. Let us also entrust ourselves to the care of this dear Mother, and approach her daily with the same trust and love as the children who crown her with blossoms in May. +

Ego quasi vitis fructificávi suavitátem odóris: et flores mei, fructus honóris et honestátis. Ego mater pulchræ dilectiónis, et timóris, et agnitiónis, et sanctæ spei.

As the vine I have brought forth a pleasant odor, and my flowers are the fruit of honor and riches. I am the mother of fair love, and of fear, and of knowledge, and of holy hope.
Ecclesiasticus 24:17-18