B
Bbigam
Guest
It’s important to note that the FSSP has always very strongly emphasized, in word and action, completely fidelity to the Church and complete obedience to the Holy Father. In fact, that’s how they got their start - they left the SSPX and petitioned the Holy Father to stay united to Holy Mother Church when the SSPX went their own way with the illicit episcopal consecrations.
It just so happens the Fr. Berg, the Superior General of the FSSP, was in Lexington this weekend. After Sunday Mass, he spoke for a few minutes about the FSSP and also took questions. He said that the Fraternity is completely at the service of the Church and even specifically said that they are not out to convert the Church but to serve it - nobody but Christ converts the Church that Christ founded! (This is different from converting people, of course.)
He explained that their main apostolate is meant to be parochial work - actual parishes or approved parish-like communities with a full range of ministries, not just the Mass. The traditional Liturgy and Sacraments are to serve that end by absolutely ensuring the reverent treatment of the Blessed Sacrament and so on, to encourage people to deepen their faith. He also noted that as a Clerical Society of Apostolic Life, ideally Fraternity priests are meant to live in community. He said that they like to offer to assist the bishops in other ways, too, such as hospital chaplaincies.
I also found it interesting that he said that the traditional Mass isn’t for the strong, it’s for the weak - in the sense that for example when he was discerning the priesthood and considering the diocesan priesthood, he realized he wasn’t strong enough to be a diocesan priest and needed the traditional Mass. He commented on the importance of very clear signs of what’s important, like keeping the index finger and thumb together after the consecration, and shared a story about a small child “playing Mass” who knew to keep his fingers together and really got it, just from seeing the example of priests at Mass.
Caveat: He said all this much better than I did and I hope I did not misquote him.
It just so happens the Fr. Berg, the Superior General of the FSSP, was in Lexington this weekend. After Sunday Mass, he spoke for a few minutes about the FSSP and also took questions. He said that the Fraternity is completely at the service of the Church and even specifically said that they are not out to convert the Church but to serve it - nobody but Christ converts the Church that Christ founded! (This is different from converting people, of course.)
He explained that their main apostolate is meant to be parochial work - actual parishes or approved parish-like communities with a full range of ministries, not just the Mass. The traditional Liturgy and Sacraments are to serve that end by absolutely ensuring the reverent treatment of the Blessed Sacrament and so on, to encourage people to deepen their faith. He also noted that as a Clerical Society of Apostolic Life, ideally Fraternity priests are meant to live in community. He said that they like to offer to assist the bishops in other ways, too, such as hospital chaplaincies.
I also found it interesting that he said that the traditional Mass isn’t for the strong, it’s for the weak - in the sense that for example when he was discerning the priesthood and considering the diocesan priesthood, he realized he wasn’t strong enough to be a diocesan priest and needed the traditional Mass. He commented on the importance of very clear signs of what’s important, like keeping the index finger and thumb together after the consecration, and shared a story about a small child “playing Mass” who knew to keep his fingers together and really got it, just from seeing the example of priests at Mass.
Caveat: He said all this much better than I did and I hope I did not misquote him.