Path to the Priesthood: Fr. Seth Phipps

Fr. Seth Phipps grew up in Bath in the United Kingdom, located in the rolling countryside of southwest England.

As a child he had three passions: soccer, music and Latin. Since Manchester United failed to notice his ‎soccer talent, he hoped first to become an orchestral musician, but eventually settled on studying Classics at Oxford University. Ten years later, he had completed a doctorate in obscure Greek poetry, but that didn’t seem like enough study, so he went for seven more years at seminary…

Entry into seminary wasn’t a straightforward affair, because Fr. Phipps did not convert to the Catholic Faith until his fourth year at university, and even then, he was not familiar with the ancient Roman Mass. When the priesthood was suggested to him a couple of times, he laughed it off, but witnessing his mother receive the Last Rites made it clear that being a priest would be the best way to help people. About this time, he discovered the Traditional Latin Mass, and after meeting a holy Fraternity priest, knew this was the way he must go. By the grace of God, he entered seminary in September 2011, and was ordained a priest on June 9th, 2018 at St. Mary’s Shrine in Warrington, England, by His Grace the Most Reverend Malcolm McMahon, Archbishop of Liverpool.

In your kindness, please keep Fr. Phipps in your prayers as he embarks on his priestly ministry.

Fr. Phipps is currently serving as assistant pastor of St. John Fisher Parish, our apostolate in Reading, England. You can watch the video of his ordination in Warrington below.

March for Life Today in Washington, D.C.

On this day, our prayers are with those participating in the 46th annual national March for Life in Washington, D.C. Every year, hundreds of thousands of pro-life marchers rally in our nation’s capital to give a voice to the most innocent and vulnerable among us, the unborn, and protest the terrible evil of abortion. If you are not able to attend in person, we encourage you to attend one of the many local marches taking place around the country in the coming days, and to join your intentions to those of the D.C. marchers by offering prayers and sacrifices for an end to abortion and the restoration of a culture of life in this country and throughout the world.

Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Unborn, pray for us!

Church Unity Octave Begins Tomorrow

Tomorrow, the former feast of the Chair of St. Peter at Rome (this feast was combined with the feast of St. Peter’s Chair at Antioch and the combined feast is now kept on February 22nd), marks the beginning of the Church Unity Octave, a week set aside in the Church to pray for the conversion of all who are not in communion with the Holy See. The Octave ends on the feast of the Conversion of St. Paul on the 25th, and each day is dedicated to a different, specific intention.

The Octave was founded in 1908 by Fr. Paul Wattson, an Anglican priest who explained the devotion as a week of prayer for the unity of all under the authority of the Holy See. Fr. Wattson was received into the Church the following year, and was ordained a Catholic priest in 1910. The Octave was approved by Pope St. Pius X and promoted by Pope Benedict XV, who encouraged its celebration throughout the universal Church. You can use the prayers below to join in the Octave and follow each day’s intentions.

Antiphon. That they all may be one, as Thou, Father, in Me and I in Thee; that they also may be one in Us; that the world may believe that Thou hast sent me.

℣. I say unto thee, thou art Peter;
℟. And upon this rock I will build my Church.

January 18: The union of all Christians in the one true Faith and in the Church

January 19: The return of separated Eastern Christians to communion with the Holy See

January 20: The reconciliation of Anglicans with the Holy See

January 21: The reconciliation of European Protestants with the Holy See

January 22: That American Christians become one in union with the Chair of Peter

January 23: The restoration of lapsed Catholics to the sacramental life of the Church

January 24: That the Jewish people come into their inheritance in Jesus Christ

January 25: The missionary extension of Christ’s kingdom throughout the world

Let us pray.

O Lord Jesus Christ, who saidst unto Thine Apostles: Peace I leave you, My peace I give to you; regard not our sins, but the faith of Thy Church, and grant unto her that peace and unity which are agreeable to Thy Will; Who livest and reignest ever, one God, world without end. Amen.

Prayer to Our Lady, Help of Christians

Mary, Immaculate Virgin, Mother of God and our Mother, thou seest how the Catholic Faith is assailed by the devil and the world – that Faith in which we purpose, by the help of God, to live and die. Do thou, O Help of Christians, renew thy victories of old, for the salvation of thy children. To thee we entrust our firm purpose of never joining assemblies of heretics. Do thou, all holy, offer to thy Divine Son our resolutions, and obtain from Him the graces necessary for us to keep them unto the end. Bring consolation to the visible head of the Church, support the Catholic Episcopate, protect the clergy and the people who proclaim thee Queen. Hasten, by the power of thy prayers, the day when all nations shall be gathered around the Supreme Pastor. Amen.

All the Ends of the Earth Have Seen Thy Salvation

Vidérunt omnes fines terræ salutáre Dei nostri.

All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

the Communion of the Third Mass of Christmas (Psalm 97:3)

As we continue to rejoice in the birth of Our Lord and His glorious Epiphany, we bring you the Masses and devotions of Christmas, as they were celebrated throughout the District and far beyond.

 

Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary

Denton, Nebraska

Christmas Matins

 

Priesterseminar Sankt Petrus

Wigratzbad, Germany

Christmas Matins

 

Christmas Mass

 

FSSP Baltimore

National Shrine of St. Alphonsus Liguori

Midnight Mass
Photos by Amy Proctor

 

FSSP Philadelphia

St. Mary Church

Christmas Mass

 

FSSP Providence

St. Mary Parish

Midnight Mass and Christmas Week

 

FSSP Chesapeake

St. Benedict Parish

Midnight Mass
Photos by Shalone Cason

 

FSSP Rockdale

St. Joseph Parish

These pictures show the remarkable progress made with the renovations currently underway at St. Joseph Parish. The rejuvenated sanctuary is now done except for an altar rail that will be added soon, and all painting is brand new.

 

FSSP Quincy

St. Rose of Lima Church

Midnight Mass

 

Mass at Dawn

 

FSSP Minneapolis

All Saints Church

Christmas Matins
Photos by Tracy Dunne

 

FSSP Dallas

Mater Dei Parish

Midnight Mass

 

FSSP Houston

Regina Caeli Parish

Midnight Mass

 

FSSP Tacoma

St. Joseph Parish

Midnight Mass

 

FSSP Seattle

North American Martyrs Parish

Midnight Mass
Photos by Michael Curtis

 

FSSP Calgary

St. Anthony Church

Christmas Masses

 

FSSP Lyon

Collégiale Saint-Just, Lyon, France

Messe de Minuit (Midnight Mass)

 

FSSP Amsterdam

Sint-Agneskerk, Amsterdam, the Netherlands

4th Sunday of Advent

Two days before Christmas, our parish in the Dutch capital was blessed with a visit from His Excellency Bishop Jan Hendriks, Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Haarlem-Amsterdam.

Happy Feast of the Epiphany of Our Lord!

A happy and most glorious feast of the Epiphany of Our Lord! Today we celebrate the arrival of the three wise men, who traveled from the East to pay homage to the King of Kings. They followed His star to the place where He lay, and opening their treasures, offered Him gifts of gold, symbolizing his Kingship, frankincense, His Divinity, and myrrh, the death that He would die for our sins. The coming of the Magi reminds us of the conversion of the Gentiles and the universality of the reign of Christ, Who came first to the people of Israel and then to all nations and peoples.

The Scriptures tell us that, though the wise men were told by Herod to inform him where the Christ Child was, they were warned in a dream not to return to him and went back to their own country by another way. Not only did they physically return by another way, but spiritually also: they came as pagans, but returned as Christians.

Tunc vidébis, et áfflues, mirábitur et dilatábitur cor tuum, quando convérsa fúerit ad te multitúdo maris, fortitúdo géntium vénient tibi. Inundátio camelórum opériet te, dromedárii Mádian et Epha: omnes de Saba vénient, aurum et thus deferéntes, et laudem Dómino annuntiántes.

Then shalt thou see and abound, and thy heart shall wonder and be enlarged, when the multitude of the sea shall be converted to thee, the strength of the Gentiles shall come to thee. The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Madian and Epha: all they from Saba shall come, bringing gold and frankincense and showing forth praise to the Lord.

– Isaiah 60:5-6, from the Lesson for today

Happy Feast of the Octave-Day of the Nativity!

Happy feast of the Octave-Day of the Nativity! On this day we commemorate the circumcision of Our Lord, when He was given the Holy Name of Jesus eight days after His birth. The feast of the Holy Name occurs tomorrow; though normally celebrated on the Sunday after the Octave-Day, it is transferred to the 2nd of January when that Sunday falls on January 1st, 6th or 7th. This year it falls on the 6th and we will celebrate the Epiphany that day.

Don’t forget that, like Christmas, today is a Holy Day of Obligation. We wish you a joyful feast day and a most blessed new year of 2019!

Puer natus est nobis, et fílius datus est nobis: cujus impérium super húmerum ejus: et vocábitur nomen ejus magni consílii ángelus.

A Child is born to us, and a Son is given to us, Whose government is upon His shoulders: and His name shall be called the Angel of great counsel.

– from the Introit for today (Isaiah 9:6)

The cover photo shows 2018 Christmas Matins at Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary.

Merry Christmas!

A most blessed and merry Christmas to you and your families! We at the Fraternity pray for God’s blessings upon you throughout this joyous season of Our Lord’s birth. May God’s peace be in our hearts as we contemplate the holy mystery of the Incarnation in company with Our Blessed Mother, St. Joseph, the shepherds and the angels, and may we offer abundant thanks to Him for the greatest gift ever given, that of His only Son, the Savior of the World.

Tecum princípium in die virtútis tuæ: in splendóribus Sanctórum, ex útero ante lucíferum génui te.

Yours is princely power in the day of Your birth; in holy splendor, before the daystar, I have begotten You.

– Gradual from the Midnight Mass of Christmas

Roráte Cœli, Désuper

On Saturday, December 15th, apostolates across the District celebrated the beautiful Rorate Mass, a traditional Advent devotion in honor of Our Lady. It takes its name from the first words of the Introit and is offered by candlelight in the darkness of the early morning. As the dawn breaks, the church gradually fills with light, the candles and the progressively brighter sunlight symbolizing the Light Who will soon fill the dark world with His radiance.

Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary

Denton, Nebraska

 

FSSP Baltimore

National Shrine of St. Alphonsus Liguori
Photos by Amy Proctor

 

FSSP Dallas

Mater Dei Parish

 

FSSP Houston

Regina Caeli Parish

 

FSSP Minneapolis

All Saints Church
Photos by Lucas Brown

 

FSSP Tacoma

St. Joseph Parish

 

FSSP Dayton

Holy Family Parish

 

FSSP Maple Hill

St. John Vianney Chapel

 

FSSP Calgary

St. Anthony Church

 

FSSP South Bend

St. Stanislaus Parish

 

FSSP Conshohocken

St. Mary Church
This is actually the Mass of the Immaculate Conception on December 8th. St. Mary’s chose to celebrate this Mass in the style of a Rorate Mass.
Photos by Allison Girone

Path to the Priesthood: Fr. Aaron Liebert

Father Aaron Liebert grew up in a Catholic family of five in rural Wisconsin. For years his family drove an hour each way to attend the Traditional Latin Mass at 5:00 p.m. on Sundays.

At the age of eight he first began to serve at the altar.

“I still remember my excitement at serving my first Mass on Christmas Day,” he recalls.

Father Liebert credits his vocation to the example of his parents, teachers and parish priests. He has always had a passion for hunting, ice hockey and gardening. During his time as a seminarian, Father served in Fraternity apostolates on both the East and West coasts as well as throughout the Midwest, Canada and France.

Ultimately, Father insists he would not be a priest today if not for the good example and prayers of so many wonderful Catholics.

“I would not have persevered in my vocation if not for the support of so many good men and women. Thank you, and may God bless and keep all of you.”

Fr. Liebert is currently serving his first assignment as the assistant pastor of St. Stanislaus, our apostolate in Nashua, NH.

Advent Ember Days This Week

This week contains the Advent Ember Days, which always fall on the Wednesday, Friday and Saturday of the third week of Advent. The Ember Days take place four times a year, the other occasions being the weeks after Ash Wednesday and Pentecost and the third week of September. The purpose of the Days is to thank God for the gifts of Creation, to ask His help in using them with wisdom and moderation, and to assist those in need, and they are observed by fasting and prayer in addition to the particular liturgies the Church assigns them.

While not obligatory, the Ember Days are a holy practice, of great benefit to the Church and to us, and they constitute a solid preparation for the coming of Our Lord. We therefore encourage you to participate in whatever way you are able.

In diébus illis: Clamábunt ad Dóminum a fácie tribulántis, et mittet eis salvatórem, et propugnatórem, qui líberet eos.

In those days they shall cry to the Lord because of the oppressor, and He shall send them a Savior and a defender to deliver them.

– Isaiah 19:20, from the first Lesson of Ember Saturday in Advent

This past Saturday, many parishes celebrated the candlelit Rorate Mass, a beautiful Advent tradition in honor of Our Lady which takes place early in the morning. The Rorate Mass and that of Ember Wednesday have much in common, including the Introit, which speaks of the Light Who is soon to come into the world.

Roráte, cœli, désuper, et nubes pluant justum: aperiátur terra, et gérminet Salvatórem.

Drop down dew, ye heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain the Just: let the earth be opened and bud forth a Savior.