Fr. Bisig - disagreed with ABL on method of preserving Tradition by keeping distance from Rome and through the consecration of bishops.
Fr. Pfluger - disagrees with ABL on the method of preserving Tradition by keeping distance from Rome, facilitating the dismissal of the one bishop defending ABL's position, and seeking to be regularized with Rome.
The then Cardinal Ratzinger - provided the means for FSSP to locate a new seminary in Germany.
Our Lady of Victory, pray for us!
In the end My Immaculate Heart will Triumph!
Patrick Coon
Georgetown, Tx
Sources:
http://www.fssp.org/en/presentation.htm
What are we? The Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter
Origin of the Fraternity
The Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter is a Clerical Society of Apostolic Life of Pontifical right, that is, a community of Roman Catholic priests who do not take religious vows, but who work together for a common mission in the world. The mission of the Fraternity is two-fold: first, the formation and sanctification of priests in the cadre of the traditional liturgy of the Roman rite, and secondly, the pastoral deployment of the priests in the service of the Church.
The Fraternity was founded on July 18, 1988 at the Abbey of Hauterive (Switzerland) by a dozen priests and a score of seminarians. Shortly after the Fraternity’s foundation and following upon a request by Cardinal Ratzinger, Bishop Joseph Stimpfle of Augsburg, Germany granted the Fraternity a home in Wigratzbad, a Marian shrine in Bavaria that now lodges the Fraternity’s European seminary. In the same month of October there arrived a handful of priests and some thirty seminarians ready to start "from scratch". There are currently almost 200 priests and 110 seminarians in the Fraternity.
Priestly Formation in the Fraternity
The Fraternity of St. Peter currently operates two international houses of formation: the original formation house in Wigratzbad, Germany (diocese of Augsburg), and the other in Denton, Nebraska, U.S.A. (diocese of Lincoln). The Fraternity has organized its seminary training in accordance with the Church’s norms on priestly formation, including a year of more intense spiritual preparation before entering the cycles of philosophy and theology. By fostering a balanced life of prayer, study, community life, and personal discipline, care is taken to foster human maturity and to acquire the spirit of the Gospel, in close union with Christ. The spiritual life in the houses is centered on the sacrifice of the Mass. Special attention is paid to the faithful observance of the "liturgical and spiritual traditions" according to the dispositions of the Motu proprio Ecclesia Dei adflicta of July 2, 1988, which is at the origin of the Fraternity’s foundation (Constitutions, Art. 8).
Pastoral Mission of Fraternity Priests
Once the formation progamme has been completed, the Fraternity’s priests serve the faithful – under the direction of their bishop and within the terms of the Fraternity’s own constitutions – in its various apostolates in France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, the USA, Australia, Canada, Great Britain and Nigeria. In the world, the priests of the Fraternity live in small communities and work to spread the Gospel by means of preaching, catechesis, youth education (scout troops, schools), and organizing pilgrimages and retreats, etc. With the full approval of the Holy See and the permission of local bishops, the priests provide a full sacramental life for the faithful, administered according to the liturgical books of 1962.
http://veneremurcernui.wordpress.com/2013/07/19/congratulations-to-the-fssp/
Congratulations to the FSSP! July 19, 2013
Posted by tantamergo
Today is the 25th anniversary of the formal founding of the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter- Fraternetie Sacerdotalis Sancte Petri! Yay!
On June 30, 1988, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, the leader of the Society of St. Pius X, and his associate, Bishop Antonio de Castro Meyer, consecrated four bishops in defiance of the wishes of Pope John Paul II.
While Archbishop Lefebvre’s desire to preserve the traditional Latin Mass amidst the onslaught of liturgical abuses was shared by Father Josef Bisig, an SSPX priest at the time, there was sharp disagreement on the method of preservation. Father Bisig did not think acting against a papal command was the right way to bring this about.
Two days after the illicit consecrations, Father Bisig, a native of Switzerland, along with 11 other priests and about 20 seminarians, announced their departure from the SSPX. They wanted to continue their adherence to the traditional Latin liturgy, but not outside the realm of obedience to the Holy Father.
In their Declaration of Intention by the Founders, dated July 2, 1988, the former members of the SSPX stated their “profound regret over the illicit consecration of bishops” and also made clear their goal: to live as a religious society in the Catholic Church and to place themselves at its service, under the authority of the pope.
This goal was made possible on July 18, 1988, when the former SSPX members founded the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP) with the strong support of the then-president of the pontifical commission Ecclesia Dei, Cardinal Paul Mayer.
Exactly three months later, on Oct. 18, 1988, the same commission, with the explicit approval of Blessed Pope John Paul II, established the FSSP as a society of apostolic life. The group’s name was chosen to express filial devotion to the successor of Peter, the rock on whom the Church is built.
Father Bisig was the FSSP’s first superior general, a position he held until 2000. [Until he was forced out by the Vatican. FSSP has not had an entirely smooth 25 year history. It's sort of a long story. There was also an expectation that the FSSP would be headed by a bishop promoted from their ranks; that also, has not occurred.] During his tenure, he continually made clear the importance of remaining true to liturgical traditions, while at the same time being obedient to ecclesiastical authority. [I think it safe to say that Fr. Bissig has suffered for that obedience. God bless him.]
“The Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter serves the faithful by retaining Latin liturgical traditions, the Church’s source of continuity. This is done, not out of nostalgia or a reactionary disposition, but out of humility,” Father Bisig told the Register. “At the same time, we are called to live joyfully under the paternal authority of the successor of St. Peter. This is done out of humility as well.”
http://www.ncregister.com/site/article/priestly-fraternity-of-st.-peter-turns-25
Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter Turns 25
Group Celebrates Fidelity to Liturgical Traditions and the Pope
by Trent Beattie, Register Correspondent
Wednesday, Oct 02, 2013 3:39 PM
On June 30, 1988, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, the leader of the Society of St. Pius X, and his associate, Bishop Antonio de Castro Meyer, consecrated four bishops in defiance of the wishes of Pope John Paul II.
While Archbishop Lefebvre’s desire to preserve the traditional Latin Mass amidst the onslaught of liturgical abuses was shared by Father Josef Bisig, an SSPX priest at the time, there was sharp disagreement on the method of preservation. Father Bisig did not think acting against a papal command was the right way to bring this about.
Two days after the illicit consecrations, Father Bisig, a native of Switzerland, along with 11 other priests and about 20 seminarians, announced their departure from the SSPX. They wanted to continue their adherence to celebrating the Mass in Latin, but not outside the realm of obedience to the Holy Father.
In their "Declaration of Intention by the Founders," dated July 2, 1988, the former members of the SSPX stated their "profound regret over the illicit consecration of bishops" and also made clear their goal: to live as a religious society in the Catholic Church and to place themselves at its service, under the authority of the Pope.
This goal was made possible on July 18, 1988, when the former SSPX members founded the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP), with the strong support of the then-president of the pontifical commission Ecclesia Dei, Cardinal Paul Mayer.
Exactly three months later, on Oct. 18, 1988, the same commission, with the explicit approval of Blessed Pope John Paul II, established the FSSP as a society of apostolic life. The group’s name was chosen to express filial devotion to the successor of Peter, the rock on whom the Church is built.
Father Bisig was the FSSP’s first superior general, a position he held until 2000. During his tenure, he continually made clear the importance of remaining true to liturgical traditions, while at the same time being obedient to ecclesiastical authority.
"The Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter serves the faithful by retaining Latin liturgical traditions, the Church’s source of continuity. This is done, not out of nostalgia or a reactionary disposition, but out of humility," Father Bisig told the Register. "At the same time, we are called to live joyfully under the paternal authority of the successor of St. Peter. This is done out of humility as well."
Remaining Faithful
The FSSP’s current superior general, Father John Berg, a Minnesota native, is thankful to God for how the fraternity has developed over the past quarter century. Despite some growing pains, Father Berg believes the fraternity has remained faithful to its founding principles while finding the best concrete ways to serve the Church.
"We’ve gone from a handful of priests and seminarians to 240 priests and 140 seminarians worldwide," Father Berg noted. "The numbers are good, so you have to be thankful for them. More important than numbers, though, is the retention of our original identity while serving the lay faithful on a day-to-day basis."
The chief pastoral work of the FSSP is offering the sacraments in the traditional form in parishes across Europe and North America. From Vancouver, B.C., to Sarasota, Fla., the fraternity has more than 50 locations where Masses are offered. In order to do this, priests are trained at Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary in Denton, Neb., the heart of FSSP’s North American territory.
In addition to offering the traditional Latin Mass themselves, FSSP priests also train their diocesan counterparts to do the same. While the celebration of the Mass in Latin is the hallmark of the fraternity, its priests also conduct retreats, lead pilgrimages and travel on mission trips to Asia, Africa and South America.
Father Berg believes the biggest challenge facing the FSSP today is the formation of excellent priests. "I suppose each generation thinks that this is an even greater challenge than it was for the one before it, but we need to form men who want to live a life of self-sacrifice," he said. "This is done in imitation of Christ, in whose priesthood they share."
Family Fraternity
The FSSP founders set out to form priests who would hold the sacrifice of the Mass at the center of their lives, which would make each priest’s life an extension of the life of Christ.
It could be said, then, that Arizona native Sean Gordon has a very "extended family." He enjoys the unique perspective that comes from having three brothers who are FSSP priests. Father James Gordon and Father Terrence Gordon are older than Sean, 40, while Father Dennis Gordon is younger.
"Having three brothers in the priesthood can be attributed mainly to the influence of our father," Sean Gordon said. "After attending Mass every Sunday, he would teach us a lesson from the Baltimore Catechism. Then he would quiz us to make sure we were retaining the lessons. The simplicity of the lessons was very helpful for us. There was no room for confusion about what the Church taught."
The Gordon children also benefited from their father’s prayer life. They saw him kneeling down to pray, not only at night, but at different times throughout the day. That sent a very clear message about the importance of prayer: It’s not something to reserve for special occasions, but a lifeline that enables us to receive God’s grace and do his will.
Sound doctrine and a strong prayer life were accompanied by praise for the traditional Latin liturgy in the Gordon home. Sean Gordon explained, "Even though we didn’t have access to the traditional Latin Mass growing up, our father would always speak highly of it. He thought its beauty and sacredness were very appealing and salutary, and we were eventually able to witness what he was talking about firsthand."
All three of Gordon’s brothers became FSSP priests after serving in the military, and he considered a priestly or religious vocation too. Although a call to married life instead became apparent, he would encourage any Catholic young man discerning a possible priestly vocation to do so with the FSSP.
"I found the fraternity to have the most straightforward program for priestly formation of any of the groups I considered. Their goals were very clear and thoroughly Catholic, reminding me of the Catholic principles taught to me in my own upbringing. I would absolutely recommend that any young man discerning a possible call to priesthood look into the FSSP."
‘Act of Hope’
Father Bisig says the FSSP will remain on the same path of fidelity and unity to Rome that its members chose to follow a quarter century ago.
"The fraternity was founded on an act of hope in a time of confusion and disunity," he said. "Now, 25 years later, with continued confidence, we place our needs in the hands of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who, with St. Peter, has guided and protected us this far."
Trent Beattie writes from Seattle.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Lady_of_Guadalupe_Seminary
Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary is the second seminary of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, a Society of Apostolic Life in the Catholic Church.
The seminary was canonically established in 1988 by Pope John Paul II in accordance with his letter Ecclesia Dei adflicta and opened in 2000. Located in Denton, Nebraska, near Lincoln, it was founded primarily to serve English-speaking seminarians for the Fraternity from North America and to provide traditionalist Catholic education. Nonetheless, the customal of the seminary includes a provision for students who are not members of the Fraternity but are studying for the priesthood in other ecclesiastical organizations, and since 2008 the seminary has served as the location of philosophical and theological education for clerical members of the Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer.
Seminarians are future Catholic priests who receive training in the ancient Tridentine liturgy as it existed in 1962, prior to and during the Second Vatican Council; Gregorian chant is also an integral part of the education. The seminary offers at least one formal vocational retreat annually for those interested in considering priesthood. Admission is limited to males, in accordance with the Catholic understanding of the priesthood.
The first phase of the seminary complex was designed by Thomas Gordon Smith Architects in a Romanesque style and completed in 2000. Seminarians live in the dormitory wing.
The current rector is Fr. Josef Bisig, F.S.S.P.