Passionists, Holy Cross, Benedictines, & FSSP

[BritishCatholic]

Hi all,

I have a friend who has long be discerning the priesthood. He always knew that he wanted to become a priest, but it was always what order(it was always the religious priesthood for him; never diocesan) that troubled him. Here are the four religious orders that he’s discerning:

I. Passionists(Congregation of the Passion)
II. Holy Cross Fathers(Congregation of the Holy Cross)
III. Benedictines
IV. FSSP(Fraternitas Sacerdotalis Sancti Petri)(English: Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter)

If any of you had experiences with any of these orders and would like to talk about it, that’d be wonderful.

Thanks,

Michael

 

[Ghoti]

FSSP is not a religious order. According to Canon law, the FSSP is a “Clerical Society of Apostolic Life of Pontifical Right.” It is not an Institute of Consecrated Life, and members take no religious vows, making the same promises of chastity and obedience as diocesan priests and, in addition, swear an oath as members of the Society. The Fraternity’s Pontifical right status means that it has been established by the Pope and is answerable only to him in terms of their operation (through the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei), rather than to local bishops. A local bishop still governs the fraternity’s work within his respective diocese. In this sense its organization and administrative reporting status are similar to those of religious orders of pontifical right such as the Jesuits and Dominicans. (wikipedia)

 

[Formosus]

On the benedictines, one should not seek a vocation with them unless their vocation is to the monastic life first and foremost. Even if they are called to be a monastic priest, being a benedictine is first and foremost about being a monk, being a priest is something that is secondary in a sense.

 

[BritishCatholic]

On the benedictines, one should not seek a vocation with them unless their vocation is to the monastic life first and foremost. Even if they are called to be a monastic priest, being a benedictine is first and foremost about being a monk, being a priest is something that is secondary in a sense.

very true. thanks.

 

[BritishCatholic]

FSSP is not a religious order. According to Canon law, the FSSP is a “Clerical Society of Apostolic Life of Pontifical Right.” It is not an Institute of Consecrated Life, and members take no religious vows, making the same promises of chastity and obedience as diocesan priests and, in addition, swear an oath as members of the Society. The Fraternity’s Pontifical right status means that it has been established by the Pope and is answerable only to him in terms of their operation (through the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei), rather than to local bishops. A local bishop still governs the fraternity’s work within his respective diocese. In this sense its organization and administrative reporting status are similar to those of religious orders of pontifical right such as the Jesuits and Dominicans. (wikipedia)

thanks for the clarrification.

 

[jimcav]

I am am member of the Confraternity of the Passion, which is part of the Passionist order.

This order and it’s founder, St. Paul Of The Cross, are dedicated and have a deep personal devotion to the Passion, Each Passionist priest and brother are called to a life of prayer, penance, solitude and zeal. They also do missionary work and are well known for the many retreats they offer. So as you can see, there work goes in alot of different directions. Your friend would never be bored there!

While one would think that this order would be one that is rather stoic and serious, I have actually found the priests here full of joy, humor and extremely upbeat. They have found a way to bring the very serious chapter of our faith, the Passion, and shown us how to use it to live our daily lives and improve ourselves through it.

I don’t have expierience with the other orders you mentioned, but to me, the Passionists are definetly an order your friend should consider…

PS - I see your from upstate NY. They have 2 beautiful retreat houses and monasteries here in NYC. If your ever down this way, you should visit, and maybe have your friend do a discernment retreat there…

 

[GemmaRose]

Speaking as a member of the Passionist family (the Passionist secular institute: Lay Missionaries of the Passion), I can definitely say:

PASSIONIST IS THE WAY TO GO !!

Tell your friend to go to www.thepassionist.org.

From this Passionist website:

Every Passionist takes a special vow, a solemn promise, to spend his energies in promoting remembrance of the sufferings of Jesus. This vow defines the purpose of the Passionist community. We pledge to keep deep in our hearts the memory of the cross and to do what is in our power to remind others of it.

In the Lay Missionaries, in addition to the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, we also take the 4th Passionist vow.

 

[SerraSemper]

My suggestion is that you tell your friend that he should consider visiting each of the communities in question and get to know their charisms. Also, what makes him limit his search to these four in particular? There are many good canons regular groups in the US who are priest/religious.

 

[BritishCatholic]

Thank you for all your replies. It seems the consensus thus far is for the Passionist order. In fact, I’m glad that’s so because that’s the order he is most inclined to(i think). Anyway, I just wanted to get some opinions from the fine folks at Catholic Answers Forum.

 

[NotThatGuy]

Thank you for all your replies. It seems the consensus thus far is for the Passionist order. In fact, I’m glad that’s so because that’s the order he is most inclined to(i think). Anyway, I just wanted to get some opinions from the fine folks at Catholic Answers Forum.

I found this thread extremely helpful as I’m also torn between the Passionists and the Benedictines. I’ve also considered the Fraternity of St. Peter.

My concern with the Passionists are that I wonder if they are completely orthodox. Without getting into it, I’ve gotten a sense from some that they are less than orthodox, though not necessarily out of mal intent at all.

If anyone can shed any light on this or perhaps tell me why they themselves got involved with the Passionists, please do.

Many thanks,
NTG

 

[Joannm]

My experience with the priests of the Holy Cross come mostly from time spent at Notre Dame, where their seminary is located. They are very involved in education so if you friend is interested in teaching or working with college students he may find this congregation to his liking.

In choosing any order or congregation, one needs to look into the particular charism that is particular to each. For example if you want to spend all your time in a parish then you don’t become a Maryknoll priest but a diocesan priest.

 

[NotThatGuy]

Speaking as a member of the Passionist family (the Passionist secular institute: Lay Missionaries of the Passion), I can definitely say:

PASSIONIST IS THE WAY TO GO !!

Tell your friend to go to www.thepassionist.org.

From this Passionist website:

In the Lay Missionaries, in addition to the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, we also take the 4th Passionist vow.

Dear Gemma,

What specifically about the Passionists make them “the way to go”? Can you elaborate?

Have you found the Passionists to be faithful to the Magisterium and the Pope?

Thank you,
NTG

 

[jimcav]

Dear Gemma,

What specifically about the Passionists make them “the way to go”? Can you elaborate?

Have you found the Passionists to be faithful to the Magisterium and the Pope?

Thank you,
NTG

If I may, the Passionists are an order that is completely faithful to the Holy Father and the Magisterium.

As a matter of fact, it was a Pope, who’s name escapes me at the moment, that had such a fervant belief and personal love for the Passionist’s founder, St. Paul Of The Cross, that he made absolutely certain that the Passionist order be fully recognised before he died. The local Franciscans actually saw this new upstart order as a sort of competition to there hold on the Roman area of Italy, and therefore were against the Passionists becoming a full order. But the Pope was adamant, and the order was founded in 1741. They began in Italy, but can now be found on all the continents, where they do retreat and missionary work and preach on the Passion, which they feel is the most important aspect of Jesus’s life and how developing a deep understanding of it can help us in life. The order also boasts many Saints and mystics.

So as you can see, this is not a new age sort of order, but one with deep roots in traditional Catholicism and true to the Magisterium. I have found the priests of this order to be quite profound and full of good humor, joy and helpful. There retreats and nights of prayer are always informative, deeply motivating and refreshing. They seem to be reasonably traditional, but maybe not as much as some orders. The Confraternity Of The Passion which I belong to, is full of devout Catholics who pray deeply, yearn to understand the Passion and try to live the charism of the order. Most of us are invested in the Black Scapular of the order to, and some take the vows of the order. I’ve never seen anything that would make me think this order is outside the bounds of the Church.

I hope that helps some and God Bless!