Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter facts for kids
The Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (often called the F.S.S.P.) is a group of Catholic priests and students training to be priests (called seminarians). They want to celebrate the Mass and other important church ceremonies (sacraments) in the traditional way, as they were done before the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s.
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How the F.S.S.P. Works
According to the rules of the Catholic Church, the F.S.S.P. is a "Clerical Society of Apostolic Life of Pontifical Right." This means its members follow special rules, similar to other priests. They also take an oath as part of the group.
The F.S.S.P. was started by the Pope himself. This means that local bishops cannot tell the F.S.S.P. what to do in general. Instead, the Pope oversees them through a special office. However, a local bishop is still in charge of what the F.S.S.P. does in his own area.
What the F.S.S.P. Does
The priests and seminarians of the F.S.S.P. want to practice their faith in a specific way. They celebrate the Mass and other sacraments using the older form of the Roman Rite. This is how these ceremonies were done before changes were made after the Second Vatican Council. Because of this, the F.S.S.P. uses prayer books and other worship guides from the year 1964.
The F.S.S.P. has two main goals:
- To help their priests become very holy people.
- To send these priests to different churches and communities.
They celebrate sacraments, teach people about the Catholic faith, and organize special religious retreats and pilgrimages. They also provide a complete spiritual and cultural life for Catholics who prefer the traditional way of worship. The F.S.S.P. has even built its own schools (seminaries) to train their priests.
How the F.S.S.P. Started
The F.S.S.P. began with members who used to belong to another traditional Catholic group called the Society of St. Pius X (S.S.P.X.). In 1988, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, who led the S.S.P.X., wanted to make four priests into bishops. Pope John Paul II did not allow this. However, Archbishop Lefebvre went ahead anyway.
The Pope and other church leaders said this act was a schism. This meant the S.S.P.X. was no longer fully part of the Catholic Church. Because of this, twelve priests and several seminarians, led by Father Josef Bisig, disagreed with Archbishop Lefebvre's decision. They decided to start their own group, the F.S.S.P., on July 18, 1988. Father Josef Bisig became the first leader of the Fraternity.
F.S.S.P. Organization
In 2011, the F.S.S.P. had 392 members. This included 228 priests, 10 deacons, and 154 seminarians. They were spread across 117 different church areas (dioceses) around the world. Members of the F.S.S.P. come from 35 different countries. There is also a group of regular church members, called the Confraternity of Saint Peter, with 3,487 people.
Leaders of the F.S.S.P.
The main leader of the F.S.S.P. is called the superior general. The current superior general is the Very Reverend Andrzej Komorowski. He gets help from the Vicar General and Assistant, the Very Reverend Patrick du Faÿ.
- Josef Bisig (1988–2000)
- Arnaud Devillers (2000–2006)
- John Berg (2006–2018)
- Andrzej Komorowski (2018–present)
F.S.S.P. Around the World
Since the F.S.S.P. has members all over the world, they are divided into different areas. These areas are called districts and regions:
- German-speaking District, led by Rev. Axel Maußen
- French District, led by Rev. Vincent Ribeton
- North American District, led by Rev. Eric Flood
- Belgium-Netherlands Region, led by Rev. Hervé Hygonnet
- Southern Cross Region, led by Rev. Christopher Blust
F.S.S.P. Schools
The Fraternity runs two main schools for training priests (seminaries):
- The International Seminary of St. Peter is in Wigratzbad-Opfenbach, Germany. It started in 1988 and teaches students who speak French and German.
- Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary is in Denton, Nebraska, USA. It started in 1994 and teaches students who speak English.
The F.S.S.P. also runs a boarding school called St. Gregory's Academy in Elmhurst, Pennsylvania, USA. They also have Ezekiel House in Sydney, Australia, for new seminarians.
Images for kids
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Members of the fraternity celebrating Solemn Mass
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Palm Sunday procession at an FSSP apostolate in Perpignan, France
See also
In Spanish: Fraternidad Sacerdotal de San Pedro para niños
