Why no FSSP/ICKSP in New England?

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Ok, so I am from Massachusetts and I have noticed that these orders of priests seem to avoid this area like the plague. I would be so extremely happy, and I think many would be, if they came to somewhere in New England. Anyone know of any plans for them coming? Or reasons why they avoid NE?
 
Here in Central Mass we have Fr. Phillipson who does the EF Mass at Immaculate Conception Fitchburg every Sunday and I believe he is FSSP. Come and join us Sunday at 8 AM he is a wonderful priest!

latinmassfitchburg.blogspot.com/
 
I grew up in Massachusetts. The assaults on religious people by the secular activists, especially while William Weld was governor (remember Pink Floyd?) were particularly vicious. This was not limited to the Catholic church, but included attacks on some traditional Pentecostals and other Bible-based protestant congregations as well. The homosexual activists among the women’s groups have often involved some of the liberation-theology types around the late Mary Daly, (former religious Sister who was a college professor and very controversial lesbian )

Massachusetts has been ground zero for just about every struggle in and around the Catholic Church in America.

I think you are looking at a lot of scar tissue and I would guess that the FSSP priests and their colleagues might think that the wounds still have not healed. Just my guess. After all, they’d have to consider their ability to minister to Catholics across the nation and if they get the wrong people in Massachusetts riled against them, it is more likely to have adverse effects on everyone else than if they get the wrong people riled in some less intense area.

Just my :twocents: I’d be happy to discuss it in more detail privately because a public discussion can become too much of a magnet for extremists on both sides of that tragic history.
 
Has anyone or group petitioned the Bishop for an invitation to the FSSP? If not, then there is your answer.
 
littlequestion said:
I grew up in Massachusetts. The assaults on religious people by the secular activists, especially while William Weld was governor (remember Pink Floyd?) were particularly vicious. This was not limited to the Catholic church, but included attacks on some traditional Pentecostals and other Bible-based protestant congregations as well. The homosexual activists among the women’s groups have often involved some of the liberation-theology types around the late Mary Daly, (former religious Sister who was a college professor and very controversial lesbian )

Massachusetts has been ground zero for just about every struggle in and around the Catholic Church in America.

I think you are looking at a lot of scar tissue and I would guess that the FSSP priests and their colleagues might think that the wounds still have not healed. Just my guess. After all, they’d have to consider their ability to minister to Catholics across the nation and if they get the wrong people in Massachusetts riled against them, it is more likely to have adverse effects on everyone else than if they get the wrong people riled in some less intense area.

Just my :twocents: I’d be happy to discuss it in more detail privately because a public discussion can become too much of a magnet for extremists on both sides of that tragic history.
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Hmm…this is sad. I’m only 20 and so I probably missed a lot of the activism, though I’m well aware that MA is very liberal what with them being the first state to allow gay marriage etc…so it’s not suprising that conservative orders avoid it 😦 .
 
jonpd said:
Here in Central Mass we have Fr. Phillipson who does the EF Mass at Immaculate Conception Fitchburg every Sunday and I believe he is FSSP. Come and join us Sunday at 8 AM he is a wonderful priest!

latinmassfitchburg.blogspot.com/
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Oh that looks great!! Are you sure he’s FSSP? Either way it looks wonderful, a bit far away to be a regular attendee but for a special treat it sounds great. Thanks, I didn’t know about that one!
 
Those you mentioned have to be invited by the Bishops of the diocese to come, as they are not part of the regular diocese. When they are invited, they do not always have a priest to send.
 
jeanannemarie said:
Those you mentioned have to be invited by the Bishops of the diocese to come, as they are not part of the regular diocese. When they are invited, they do not always have a priest to send.
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This is true. I know for a fact the Institute of Christ the King only goes where they are invited, and they are stretched thin now as it is.
 
jrs88 said:
Oh that looks great!! Are you sure he’s FSSP? Either way it looks wonderful, a bit far away to be a regular attendee but for a special treat it sounds great. Thanks, I didn’t know about that one!
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I confirmed that Fr. Phillipson is indeed a member of FSSP.
 
jrs88 said:
Oh that looks great!! Are you sure he’s FSSP? Either way it looks wonderful, a bit far away to be a regular attendee but for a special treat it sounds great. Thanks, I didn’t know about that one!
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If it is closer for you, you could go to Still River (Harvard) where there is the TLM at St. Benedict Center and at St. Ann’s convent. I know Fr. Phillipson does one of the Sunday masses there, St. Ann’s I think.
 
I am happy for you, too. The TLM is a powerful spiritual presence and I believe we will see all Catholics better off for having it there.
 
jrs88 said:
Ok, so I am from Massachusetts and I have noticed that these orders of priests seem to avoid this area like the plague. I would be so extremely happy, and I think many would be, if they came to somewhere in New England. Anyone know of any plans for them coming? Or reasons why they avoid NE?
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You make an invalid assumption, namely, that the FSSP and ICRSS “avoid” New England. As has been pointed out here, they must come with with bishop’s permission. This may be an invitation by the bishop, or sometimes the order’s superior petitions the bishop of their own initiative.

In my former diocese, the FSSP North American superior came twice, once in 1996 and again in 2002; both times the same bishop declined the FSSP’s offer to establish an FSSP apostolate. These events usually take place without much public knowledge, so one cannot assume that the traditional priestly societies are avoiding any particular area.
 
jrs88 said:
Ok, so I am from Massachusetts and I have noticed that these orders of priests seem to avoid this area like the plague. I would be so extremely happy, and I think many would be, if they came to somewhere in New England. Anyone know of any plans for them coming? Or reasons why they avoid NE?
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That depends on the bishop(s). They may have already requested to become active in the dioceses and the bishops, for some reason, turn them down. Or, it may be that a bishop requests their presence and the orders turn them down. New England is not a happy place to be if you are a traditional Catholic.
 
jrs88 said:
Hmm…this is sad. I’m only 20 and so I probably missed a lot of the activism, though I’m well aware that MA is very liberal what with them being the first state to allow gay marriage etc…so it’s not suprising that conservative orders avoid it 😦 .
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Actually, there are many “convservative” religious orders in MA, especially Boston and its surrounding areas.

Observant Franciscan Friars,
Capuchin Franciscan Friars
Franciscan Friars of the Ancient Observance
Little Brothers of St. Francis
Little Brothers of Jesus
Poor Clare Nuns

MA has the second largest Franciscan population in the USA. All of the above branches of the Franciscan family are MA. The reason that you don’t see these communities is that most of them do not have men and women in parishes. It was in the mind of the founder that there be few men ordained to the priesthood and that they not serve in parishes, except in the missions. They were to be itinerant. The number of Friars who are ordained are few and those serving in parishes are not being replaced by a younger generation of friars, because of the Franciscan reform. The younger friars, ordained and non-clerical are assigned to houses where the Franciscan tradition is being lived.

But these orders do a lot of field work on the streets, with the homeless, soup kitchens, drug addicts, pro-life, contemplation, youth ministry, the homebound, immigrants and other vulnerable members of society.

The point is that the Traditional Orders are not avoiding MA. They are present. But few of them serve in parishes and most never serve the middle class. If you go into the poorer sectors of the area, you will see them waling the streets in their habits, sitting on corners talking to a homeless person or gathered in a small house that they call a friary. They are in the area and are doing great work for the local Church.

The FSSP belong to the Traditionalist movement, but they are not an order. They are not religious. They make no vows. They are secular priests who live in a community called a fraternal society. Each one can come and go as he pleases. But their number in the USA is small, so they can’t go out to many dioceses. They are wonderful society, but they are concentrated in the Midwest. They are growing. Give them time. As they grow they will be able to go into more dioceses.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF 🙂
 
JReducation said:
The FSSP belong to the Traditionalist movement, but they are not an order. They are not religious. They make no vows. They are secular priests who live in a community called a fraternal society. Each one can come and go as he pleases. But their number in the USA is small, so they can’t go out to many dioceses. They are wonderful society, but they are concentrated in the Midwest. They are growing. Give them time. As they grow they will be able to go into more dioceses.
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“Concentrated in the Midwest”? The following is a list of American dioceses listed with FSSP apostolates in 2010. Only the boldfaced dioceses are in the Midwest.

Phoenix, AZ
Little Rock, AR
Sacramento, CA
Fresno, CA
San Diego, CA
Colorado Springs, CO
Denver, CO
Venice, FL
Orlando, FL
Atlanta, GA
Boise, ID
Joliet, IL
Springfield, IL
Fort Wayne-South Bend, IN
Indianapolis, IN
Kansas City, KS
Lexington, KY
Lincoln, NE
Omaha, NE
Paterson, NJ
Cincinnati, OH
Youngstown, OH
Tulsa, OK
Oklahoma City, OK
Harrisburg, PA
Scranton, PA
Rapid City, SD
Corpus Christi, TX
Dallas, TX
Fort Worth, TX
Tyler, TX
Richmond, VA
Seattle, WA
 
The title of this thread suprises me. I notice that the proper initials, FSSP, are used for the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, but not the proper initials, ICRSS, for the Institute of Christ the King, Sovereign Priest.

Like most orders and societies of apostolic life, the societies use Latin initials. The FSSP initials seem to be consistently used by English speakers when posting (I have never seem anyone write “PFSP”), but not the ICRSS initials, as I frequently see “ICKSP” in postings Why are the English initials erroneously used for one and not the other?
 
Chatter163 said:
The title of this thread suprises me. I notice that the proper initials, FSSP, are used for the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, but not the proper initials, ICRSS, for the Institute of Christ the King, Sovereign Priest.

Like most orders and societies of apostolic life, the societies use Latin initials. The FSSP initials seem to be consistently used by English speakers when posting (I have never seem anyone write “PFSP”), but not the ICRSS initials, as I frequently see “ICKSP” in postings Why are the English initials erroneously used for one and not the other?
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Good question. I’ve often wondered the same thing. Perhaps it’s because of American xenophobia since the ICRSS is basically a French-speaking group?
 
Chatter163 said:
“Concentrated in the Midwest”? The following is a list of American dioceses listed with FSSP apostolates in 2010. Only the boldfaced dioceses are in the Midwest.

Phoenix, AZ
Little Rock, AR
Sacramento, CA
Fresno, CA
San Diego, CA
Colorado Springs, CO
Denver, CO
Venice, FL
Orlando, FL
Atlanta, GA
Boise, ID
Joliet, IL
Springfield, IL
Fort Wayne-South Bend, IN
Indianapolis, IN
Kansas City, KS
Lexington, KY
Lincoln, NE
Omaha, NE
Paterson, NJ
Cincinnati, OH
Youngstown, OH
Tulsa, OK
Oklahoma City, OK
Harrisburg, PA
Scranton, PA
Rapid City, SD
Corpus Christi, TX
Dallas, TX
Fort Worth, TX
Tyler, TX
Richmond, VA
Seattle, WA
Click to expand...
There is a clarification that has to be made here. These are the places where they have men. But their largest concentration is at their motherhouse. The numbers in other dioceses are small.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF 🙂
 
Chatter163 said:
The title of this thread suprises me. I notice that the proper initials, FSSP, are used for the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, but not the proper initials, ICRSS, for the Institute of Christ the King, Sovereign Priest.

Like most orders and societies of apostolic life, the societies use Latin initials. The FSSP initials seem to be consistently used by English speakers when posting (I have never seem anyone write “PFSP”), but not the ICRSS initials, as I frequently see “ICKSP” in postings Why are the English initials erroneously used for one and not the other?
Click to expand...
FSSP are the Latin initials. Fraternitas Sacerdotalis Sanctus Petrus. Sometimes we, in the USA, refer to them as the Priesty Society of St. Peter. Their actual name is the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter. My Latin spelling may be a little rusty. But I heard an FSSP priest recently say the name correctly in Latin. I can read it well, but I never have reason to write it.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF 🙂
 
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