We at the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter were saddened to hear of the passing of Bishop Robert Morlino of the Diocese of Madison, Wisconsin this past Saturday, November 24th. A native of Scranton, Pennsylvania, near where our headquarters are located, Bishop Morlino was ordained in 1974 and served as the Bishop of Helena, Montana before his appointment to the Diocese of Madison in 2003. A brilliant and educated man, Bishop Morlino earned his doctorate in Moral Theology from the Gregorian University in Rome, with a specialization in fundamental moral theology and bioethics. He received countless awards for his work in defending the dignity of the human person from a wide array of entities, from Human Life International to the Department of the Army.

He was a stalwart shepherd in a time of turbulence in the Church, and a great friend of the Latin Mass who conferred minor orders at our seminary a number of times. Several Requiem Masses have been offered by priests of the Fraternity for the repose of his soul, and many more will be offered. We invite you to join us in prayer for the late Bishop. He will be greatly missed.

Bishop Morlino’s funeral Mass will be celebrated this coming Tuesday, December 4th, and will be broadcast by EWTN at 11am Central Time.

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

From October 26th through the 28th, 2018, the Fraternity of St. Peter participated in the 7th annual Populus Summorum Pontificum, a pilgrimage which takes place every year in Rome in which hundreds of priests, religious and lay people gather to witness in a public way to the Catholic Faith and to the beauty and timelessness of the Latin Mass. The pilgrimage spans three days and is led by a bishop, archbishop or cardinal, this year by Bishop Czeslaw Kozon, Bishop of Copenhagen. Our parish in Rome, Santissima Trinità dei Pellegrini, and its priests lend a great deal of assistance to the pilgrimage and the parish hosted a number of the activities on the 2018 itinerary.

Fr. Charles Ike, FSSP, was particularly involved in this year’s events, speaking on Friday at the Populus Summorum Pontificum Forum that took place at the Augustinianum on Friday. The theme of this year’s pilgrimage was “Summorum Pontificum in Africa”, and Fr. Ike, who hails from and was ordained in Nigeria, addressed the subject from a first-hand perspective. On Friday evening, Fr. Ike celebrated the opening Mass of the pilgrimage at Santissima Trinità, assisted by FSSP Director of Development Fr. Zachary Akers and the parish’s assistant pastor Fr. Dimitri Artifoni.

On Saturday, after the Rosary and adoration in the morning at the Basilica of San Lorenzo in Damaso in central Rome, Bishop Kozon led the pilgrims in procession through the streets of the city, across the Tiber and into the Basilica of St. Peter. Among them was Fr. Akers, who spoke of the extraordinary event.

“It was such a moving experience to process down the streets of Rome while singing hymns, and ultimately into St. Peter’s Basilica while singing the Creed, in unison with thousands of others, in the ancient language of the Church,” he said.

At the Basilica His Excellency celebrated a Solemn Pontifical Mass at the altar of the Chair, with a great crowd of pilgrims in attendance and dozens of priests and religious – including His Eminence Raymond Cardinal Burke – assisting in choir as the Mass of the ages was celebrated in one of the central churches of Christendom. The homily was given by His Eminence Angelo Cardinal Comastri, archpriest of the Basilica.

Archbishop François Bacqué, Apostolic Nuncio, led Pontifical Vespers at Santissima Trinità later that evening, and on Sunday, Bishop Kozon celebrated a Solemn Pontifical Mass at the parish. The three-day event was a great success and the parish looks forward to participating again next year, when the pilgrimage will take place from Friday, October 25th through Sunday, October 27th and will be led by His Excellency Bishop Dominique Rey, Bishop of Fréjus-Toulon, France. You can learn more about the pilgrimage at its website here.

Day 1

Solemn High Mass at Santissima Trinità dei Pellegrini

Day 2

Procession

Solemn Pontifical Mass at the Altar of the Chair

Pontifical Vespers at Santissima Trinità

Day 3

Solemn Pontifical Mass at Santissima Trinità

In the United States, today we celebrate Thanksgiving Day. Although a civic holiday and not a liturgical one, we still recall the prayerful roots of the day, which traces its origins back to days of thanksgiving observed by America’s first settlers. The first nationwide Thanksgiving proclamation was issued by George Washington in 1789, and the holiday was instituted for good by Abraham Lincoln in 1863.

Today is a fitting day to remember all the blessings of God and to render Him thanks as we gather with family and friends. Consider stopping by your local parish for morning Mass before heading to your Thanksgiving destinations; the very word “Eucharist” means “thanksgiving” and is the greatest offering of thanks that we can give to God for all His countless graces. Let us remember also those who are in need and do not have a family or a hot meal to come home to this day (we recommend donating to your parish’s food pantry or St. Vincent de Paul Society), and all those stationed or deployed far from home.

At the Fraternity, we give particular thanks to God for the incredible flourishing of the FSSP in North America, which has proven to be fertile ground indeed for our ministry with over 100 priests serving thousands of parishioners in 54 apostolates.

Laudábo nomen tuum assídue, et collaudábo illud in confessióne, et exaudíta est orátio mea. Et liberásti me de perditióne, et eripuísti me de témpore iníquo. Proptérea confitébor et laudem dicam tibi Dómine Deus noster.

I will praise Thy name continually, and will praise it with thanksgiving, and my prayer was heard. And Thou hast saved me from destruction, and hast delivered me from the evil time. Therefore I will give thanks and praise to Thee, O Lord our God.

– Ecclesiasticus 51:15-17, from the Epistle for today, the feast of St. Cecilia, Virgin and Martyr

by Mrs. Adele Patek, FSSP Seattle

On September 30th, 2018, North American Martyrs Parish in Seattle, Washington, led by pastor Fr. Joseph Heffernan and assistant pastor Fr. Adrian Debow, celebrated their 10th anniversary with a Solemn High Mass at St. Alphonsus, the church where the parish holds most of its Masses. Archbishop J. Peter Sartain, of the Archdiocese of Seattle, attended and assisted at the Mass from the throne.

North American Martyrs also welcomed several visiting clergy for this momentous occasion: Fr. Michael Stinson, the new North American District Superior; Father Gerard Saguto, the first administrator of North American Martyrs, visiting from FSSP Minnesota; Fr. Christopher Fitzpatrick, newly ordained for the FSSP in 2018 and a former parishioner; and from Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary in Nebraska, Deacon Ralph Oballo, to be ordained in the spring, and seminarian Mr. Matthew Palmer. Also present was Fr. Richard Klepac, SOLT, the pastor of St. Alphonsus.

Archbishop Sartain had previously given permission for the parish to celebrate the external feast of St. Isaac Jogues, St. Jean de Brébeuf and Companions, which occurred earlier in that week. The parish was therefore able to celebrate with the Mass of their patrons.

Fr. Heffernan was the celebrant, with Fr. Saguto as deacon and Deacon Oballo as subdeacon. Mr. Palmer assisted as Master of Ceremonies for the Mass and Fr. Debow as Master of Ceremonies for the Archbishop. Both MCs and the myriad servers all helped the Mass to proceed smoothly and beautifully.

The altar was decked with glowing candles and many colorful flowers. The shining gold vestments were newly made by parish volunteers and worn for the first time that day. Clouds of incense wafted through the church as the choir sang the Gregorian chant and Victoria’s Missa O Magnum Mysterium. The church was crowded, with approximately 550 people in attendance.

Archbishop Sartain gave a powerful homily about St. Isaac Jogues and the other North American martyrs. He reminded everyone of these martyrs’ steadfastness in the face of severe trials and tortures as they labored to bring the Faith to North America.

After Mass, Archbishop Sartain joined everyone at a reception in the parish hall, which had been decorated the previous day by parish volunteers. There His Excellency was presented with a painting of his coat of arms, which was painted by Susan Jasper, a parishioner of North American Martyrs.

The 10th anniversary celebration was beautiful and inspiring and we hope for many more years in this vibrant parish. +

Fr. Adrian Debow formerly served as assistant pastor at North American Martyrs; he is currently assigned to the General House in Europe.

Further reading on the 10th anniversary celebration and the history of North American Martyrs Parish: http://nwcatholic.org/news/local/north-american-martyrs-celebrates-10-years-as-a-latin-mass-parish.html

Our thanks to Mr. Michael Curtis for his photographs of the event.

St. Mary, our new parish in Providence, Rhode Island, was recently featured in the Rhode Island Catholic! St. Mary is led by former FSSP Superior General Fr. John Berg and currently draws more than 250 to its two Sunday Masses. From the article:

He [Evan Cornell, a parishioner] and his wife agreed that there is “something different” about being in a parish led by the FSSP. Cornell said it was the way the fraternity parishes “pull parishioners in holiness towards Christ.”

Read the whole article below!

www.thericatholic.com/stories/traditional-latin-mass-a-draw-at-st-marys-on-broadway,10242

In a story featuring the contributions of current and former FSSP leaders, the National Catholic Register recently discussed the work of the FSSP and our extraordinary growth in North America in the 10+ years since Summorum Pontificum. Among the topics addressed by former Superior General Fr. John Berg, former North American District Superior Fr. Gerard Saguto and current District Superior Fr. Michael Stinson are the place of Summorum Pontificum in our ministry, the remarkable flourishing of our parishes, the constancy of the Latin Mass and the attraction of this liturgy for the young.

Read the full story here!

The USCCB will meet for the 2018 Fall General Assembly next week in our nation’s premier See, that of Baltimore, Maryland. Among the issues they will be discussing is the current abuse crisis in the Church. The National Shrine of St. Alphonsus Liguori, our apostolate in Baltimore, located just two blocks from where the Bishops will meet, is aware of the importance of this Assembly and will be supporting the Bishops in prayer with a special Mass and adoration schedule during the time of the meeting. Our North American Superior, Fr. Michael Stinson, will join the parish this weekend as they prepare to begin the three days of prayer.

From November 12th through the 15th, three Masses per day will be offered at the Shrine, the evening ones being High Masses and those on Tuesday and Wednesday Solemn High. All Masses will be offered for the intentions of the Bishops. You can also enroll your own intentions to be included with those of the Bishops by visiting St. Alphonsus’ site here.

The Shrine will also hold continual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and daily Confessions during these three days. You are invited to join in person if you can, or in spirit if you are far away. Wherever we are during this critical meeting, let us pray and offer sacrifices for our leaders as they address the grave crisis afflicting the Church.

You can download, print and share the flyer below with information on the activities at St. Alphonsus.

Our thanks to Amy Proctor for the photos used in this article.

With one last post, we bid a final farewell to Italy and wrap up our coverage of the Confraternity of St. Peter’s 30th Anniversary pilgrimage. On our last day, we drove to the city of Naples on the other side of the Bay, where we visited the Cathedral of Naples, dedicated to St. Januarius, or as the Neapolitans say, San Gennaro, the patron of the city. His blood, like that of St. Panteleon who was martyred about the same time and during the same persecution, miraculously liquefies every year on his feast day, as well as two other occasions during the year. The pilgrims venerated the bones of the saint that reside in a crypt underneath the high altar, and his blood and the bones of his skull that are kept in a side chapel. We had the great privilege of celebrating a sung Mass at an altar to the right of the main altar, near the tomb of St. Aspreno, the first bishop of Naples. As the ancient Mass was offered within the medieval cathedral and the chant drifted through its vast confines, inquisitive visitors joined us, drawn perhaps by the sound of the singing and by the sight of this beautiful liturgy that many of them may have been observing for the first time.

Afterwards we made our way to the church of Gesù Nuovo, where the pilgrims visited the tomb of St. Giuseppe Moscati, the “holy physician of Naples”. St. Giuseppe was a doctor who worked in Naples in the early 1900s and was renowned for his piety, his devotion to his patients and his remarkable skill.

Our final stop was the shrine of St. Philomena at Mugnano del Cardinale, a small town east of Naples. We were graciously welcomed by the rector of the shrine, and a Scottish volunteer told us a great deal about its history and how St. Philomena had come there. St. Philomena’s story is unique in that she was not known until 1802, when her grave was discovered in one of the Roman catacombs. Her remains were moved to Mugnano del Cardinale a few years later, and miracles began to take place, including the healing of the Venerable Pauline Jaricot.

That evening we returned to Rome and gathered for a final farewell dinner at our hotel in Fiumicino, where the Tiber flows into the Mediterranean Sea. Though the week had gone by far too quickly, we flew home the next morning with grateful hearts, new friends and a trove of memories of a grace-filled pilgrimage.

Thank you for taking the journey with us and supporting us with your prayers, and be assured we were praying for your intentions as well. Here’s a last round of pictures from our trip – including the beautiful images from our Solemn Mass of thanksgiving at Santissima Trinità in Rome on October 18th.

30th Anniversary Mass with Superior General

Cathedral of Naples

Gesù Nuovo – Tomb of St. Giuseppe Moscati

Shrine of St. Philomena

Today is the solemn commemoration of all the faithful departed. Following directly on the feast of All Saints, All Souls’ Day remembers the Church Suffering, those souls destined to join the Church Triumphant but who must still be purified of their past sins before they can enter Heaven. The Holy Souls rely upon us, the Church Militant upon earth, to offer prayers and sacrifices, particularly the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, to speed their journey to Heaven, and they will certainly pray for us when they arrive.

On this day and the days following, the Church offers us special opportunities to gain plenary indulgences for the Holy Souls. You can obtain one such indulgence, applicable only to the Souls in Purgatory, if you visit a church or an oratory today and recite one Our Father and one Apostles’ Creed. You can also gain one per day from November 1st – 8th, again only applicable to the Souls in Purgatory, by visiting a cemetery and praying, even just mentally, for the Holy Souls. The usual conditions for plenary indulgences apply in both cases.

Today, countless Requiem Masses will be offered for the Holy Souls. In 2017, the Fraternity released Requiem, a chant setting of the Requiem Mass sung by the priests of the Fraternity and recorded at Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary. You can hear a sample of the album below, and you can buy a copy at our new bookstore website here.

Réquiem ætérnam dona eis, Dómine: et lux perpétua lúceat eis: cum Sanctis tuis in ætérnum: quia pius es.

Eternal rest give to them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them: with Thy Saints for evermore, for Thou art gracious.

– from the Communion for today

A happy and most glorious feast day of all the Saints! On this day, a feast of such importance that the Church designates it a Holy Day of Obligation, we commemorate all the members of the Church Triumphant, both known and unknown, and whose number we, as the Church Militant, aspire to join in Heaven one day. The saints are our forerunners and exemplars in the spiritual life, men and women from every era, race, region of the world, background and state of life, different in so many ways but alike in their whole-hearted response to God’s call. And they are not only our models but our friends and advocates, who are always ready to assist us and whose intercession we should call upon in all our necessities.

We wish our Minneapolis parish, the Church of All Saints, a happy patronal feast day!

After this, I saw a great multitude which no man could number, of all nations and tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and in sight of the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; and they cried with a loud voice, saying: Salvation to our God Who sitteth upon the throne, and to the Lamb.

– Revelation 7:9-10, from the Epistle for today