Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
The Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (In Latin: Fraternitas Sacerdotalis Sancti Petri—FSSP) is a group of traditional Catholic priests and seminarians in full union with Rome.
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Canonical status
According to canon law, the FSSP is a "Clerical Society of Apostolic Life of Pontifical Right." It is not a religious order, and its members take no religious vows. They do make the same promises of chastity and obedience which all diocesan priests are required to observe. The Fraternity's Pontifical right status means that it has been established by the Pope and is subordinate only to him, through the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, and not to the local bishops. In this sense its organization and administrative reporting status are similar to those of a religious Order.
Charism
The FSSP consists of priests and seminarians who intend to pursue the goal of Christian perfection according to a specific charism. The FSSP's specific charism is to offer the Mass and other sacraments according to the Roman Rite, as it existed before the Second Vatican Council. Thus, the Fraternity uses the Roman Missal, the Roman Breviary, the Roman Pontifical, and the Roman Ritual, according to the editions of 1962, the last before the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council were promulgated.
Mission
Following from its Charism, the Fraternity's mission is twofold: to sanctify each priest through the exercise of his priestly function; and to deploy these priests to parishes. As such, they are to celebrate the sacraments, catechize, organize youth groups (e.g. Boy Scouts / Girl Guides or similar), preach retreats, organize pilgrimages, and generally provide a full sacramental and cultural life for lay Catholics who are likewise drawn to the rituals of the 1962 missal.
Founding and organization
The FSSP was formed on July 18, 1988 at the Abbey of Hauterive (Switzerland) by twelve priests and a score of seminarians (led by Fr. Josef Bisig) who had formerly belonged to Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre's Society of St. Pius X and who were unwilling to follow that order into what many believe today to be schism. Fr. Josef Bisig became the Fraternity's first superior general.
The FSSP's current superior general is the Very Rev. Arnaud Devillers. The Vicar General and Assistant is the Very Rev. Patrick du Faÿ.
The Fraternity is divided into three districts and three regions:
- German-speaking District, Superior: Pater Axel Maußen
- French (France) District, Superior: Abbé Xavier Garban
- North American District, Superior: Father Georges Gabet
- Belgium-Netherland Region, Superior: Abbé Hervé Hygonnet
- Great-Britain Region, Superior: Father John Emerson
- Southern Cross Region, Superior: Father Laurence Gresser
The Fraternity has two seminaries:
- The International Seminary of St. Peter in Wigratzbad-Opfenbach, in the Bavaria region of Germany (Diocese of Augsburg), was established in 1988. It serves French and German-speaking seminarians.
- Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary, in Denton, Nebraska, USA (Diocese of Lincoln), was established in 1994 and serves English-speaking seminarians.
They also operate a boarding school, St. Gregory's Academy in Elmhurst, Pennsylvania.
As of January 2005, the FSSP included 194 priests and 115 seminarians in 50 dioceses spread amongst Australia, Austria, Benin, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Nigeria, Poland, Switzerland, and the USA.
External links
Main website with pages in English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Polish, and (of course!) Latin
Regional websites
- Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (Canada)
- Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (France)
- Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (Germany)
- Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (Great Britain)
- Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (Poland)
- Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (Rome)
- Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (Southern Cross Region)
- Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (Switzerland)
- Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, (USA)
- St. Gregory's Academy (USA)
