Life in the Traditional Seminary of the Fraternity of St. Peter at Wigratzbad.
Konrad Loewenstein.
The Society of St. Peter was founded in 1988 with papal approbation for the formation and sanctification of priests in 'the framework of the traditional liturgy of the Roman rite'. Its priests live in community and minister to parishes and schools and conduct retreats amongst other apostolic works. It has houses in America, Canada, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, and Italy. It has one seminary in Germany where courses are pursued in German or French, and one in America.
The seminary in Germany is situated near the borders of Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein among undulating green fields and woods, with snowpeaked mountains in the distance. There are seminarians from France, Germany, Poland, Estonia, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, and America, who are all united in their devotion to the traditions of the Church and to Catholic orthodoxy. The atmosphere is welcoming, well balanced, good humoured and kind. Most seminarians are in their twenties but the ages range from eighteen to early fifties.
A typical day at the seminary begins at 6.00 a.m. Lauds is at 6.25 followed by Meditation, Community Mass and Thanksgiving. Breakfast, in silence, is between 8.00 and 8.30 in the French or German-speaking refectories. Lessons follow until Sext at 12.15 p.m. During most of Lunch, and also during Dinner, there is a table reading, after which there is an opportunity to talk to one's neighbours. After lunch there is a period for recreation and exercise or rest and then further classes or studies follow until Vespers at 5.30 p.m. During the afternoon, Tea is taken at 4.00 and the first year attends a Low Mass at 5.15. After Dinner there is a further recreation period which is followed, on most days, by a spiritual conference (or, on Saturdays, the practise of Gregorian chant). Finally there is Compline and then silence until the next day. Lights are extinguished at 10 p.m.
On certain days Vespers are solemn, or replaced by Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament or the Rosary in Latin (which seminarians are encouraged to recite every day). The Blessed Sacrament is exposed every afternoon and the Forty Hours Devotion is held twice a year. Each seminarian is free to choose his Confessor from the resident or visiting priests - no lack of experience, wisdom, or sanctity here! - and confession, with an opportunity to discuss personal spiritual matters, takes place once a week. There is a week's retreat at the beginning of the year and a day of retreat every month. There are ten weeks of holidays, with four weeks apostolate in the summer in a fraternity house, a summer camp for children, or elsewhere. From the beginning of the second year the cassock is worn and retained thereafter, even during holidays (except in countries such as England and the U.S.A. where the clerical suit is worn) as a sign to the secular world.
To any young man who wants to give himself to God unreservedly and without compromise, but who finds himself ill at ease with secularised, man-centred liturgies; diluted, anaesthetised teachings; with the image of the priest as a humanitarian activist with no time for prayer, meditation, or for deepening his faith, here is Catholicism in its integrity, orthodox in its philosophy, theology, and liturgy, in a seminary administered considerately, prudently, and in a spirit of Charity.
Anyone with a vocational interest should write to the Priesterseminar St. Petrus, Kirchstrasse 20, Opfenbach-Wigratzbad, D88145, Germany; or to The Vocations Director, Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary, Griffin Road, P.O. Box 196, Elmhurst PA, 18416, U.S.A. If you should wish to be put in touch with an English-speaking member of the Fraternity in England please write to myself (with envelope marked Re:FSSP), c/o 75 Windermere Road, Ealing, London W5 4TJ.
Konrad Loewenstein. LMS member and seminarian of the Fraternity of St. Peter.
Following the ordinations in July, I am happy to report that new apostolates have been opened in the U.S.A., Austria, France, and Belgium. In the town of Warsaw, Wisconsin, U.S.A., we have been given the charge of a fourth parish, devoted to the traditional Mass apostolate, with its own church and presbytery. In Austria a house has been canonically erected and Monsignor Wach visited in early September. In Lille, northern France, the school which has been served by the Institute for a year has been put under our charge, with the appointment of one of our priests, Fr. Vattan as Director. Fr. Olazabal, who celebrated a series of first Masses in London in July, is to open our apostolate in Belgium. News from the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest.
William Hudson.
The seminary's academic year began on 14th September with a retreat preached by the Rt. Rev. Dom Courau, Abbot of Trior. The week that followed was given over to the traditional grape harvest! Thirteen new seminarians have arrived and your prayers are asked for their perseverance. This brings our students up to over sixty.
The new chapel is currently in use and despite the red tape of Italian officialdom, we are to be permitted to continue with the interior decoration. A great deal remains to be done, notably the completion of the choir stalls and high altar. Please do not forget this project. During the summer an additional property near to the villa was purchased to provide extra room accommodation for our increased numbers.
I would like to assure all those who have replied to our subscription offer that their English newsletters are in preparation. Naturally, you will receive a full year's issues, starting from the first. The videos in English are ready and will arrive shortly. I am afraid that our stock of CDs has run out but a second volume is due to be recorded soon. I thank you for your patience and understanding on this matter.
On behalf of Mgr. Wach, I would like to thank you for your support over the past year. He plans to visit Great Britain in January 1999. Many projects remain to be realised, and of course, looking ahead, new rooms will be required for 1999! It is indeed remarkable what progress has been made since his visit to England in January 1998. The structure of the new chapel has been completed; during the summer the cellars of the villa were transformed into new accommodation, and a new library is envisaged. All this is indeed an act of faith for we rely solely on the aid of the faithful. We are confident, however, of your continued support. If you are able to contribute to any of these projects please do so, and if not, then do not forget us in your prayers.
Rev. William Hudson. LMS member at the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest.
Dear Members, £££ An Appeal £££
Many things may have changed over the past thirty years but one thing certainly hasn't - the necessity of giving hard cash in support of our faith. Collections at Sunday Masses, collections for the missions, and collections for the priests training funds are part of the fabric of Catholic life which we all accept. I would like, however, in this appeal, just to concentrate on the priests training fund. We all know that our seminaries could not remain open without the annual diocesan collections and, even though times are difficult for those of us who love the traditional ways, most people still see the need to support the training fund appeal. Most of the priests who celebrate the old Mass for Society members have been trained through the seminary system in this country and many of the younger priests who are showing an interest in the traditional liturgy have emerged recently. But while this is all well and good, there is another type of seminarian that we all need to be aware of - the one that goes abroad to be trained for our benefit at traditional seminaries in Germany, Italy and the U.S.A.
We all remember quite vividly the stories of the Reformation when our young men could no longer be trained in this country to say the traditional Latin Mass and had to travel abroad to seminaries such as Douai in northern France so they could be ordained there. They then returned to this country at great risk to themselves to serve the Catholic population and keep the old Mass alive. Sadly, many perished in the cause. Happily, though, in modern times, there is no risk to life and limb but a number of young men, including Latin Mass Society members, are having to leave this country in order to seek the training they need to become ordained to celebrate the traditional liturgy. Articles from two of our members are contained on this and the previous page. These articles give some insight into the rigorous training they undergo and the financial constraints that many labour under.
To volunteer for the priesthood is, in itself, a momentous decision for any young man to take, even when he has the support of his family, his parish, and his bishop, and is not burdened with financial concerns; but to volunteer without any or most of this support is a truly courageous step to take. And these young men are doing this for US. Their wish is to serve God first and foremost, but it is also to serve us and provide us with the Mass we love that they leave home and family and country to go where they can for the training they need.
May I just explain a few of the difficulties these young men face - in addition to having to learn either German or French (for the Wigratzbad or Gricigliano seminaries). They will, in the fullness of time and with God's will, be ordained priests at canonically approved seminaries which have been approved by the Holy Father and will be able to serve the Catholic population in all aspects of their priestly ministry and yet they are restricted in their home country to celebrating Mass only on their occasional visits home. Because they are not being trained in seminaries in England they receive no help whatsoever, either financial or spiritual, from the hierarchies of England and Wales and this is causing them real problems and hardships with their vocations. In the UK our seminarians have their entire expenses, including student grants, met by the bishops through funds provided by us, the laity.
All the traditional seminaries such as the Fraternity of St. Peter, The Institute of Christ the King, and the new Society of St. John, have no funds of their own and seminarians are asked to find their own fees (about £300 per month) and also their own personal expenses (clothes, books, travel, etc) which amount to about £1,000 per year. In some situations their families are able to help but many cannot meet the expenditure over the long period of training a seminarian needs. It is this worry and uncertainty and the thought of imposing a severe financial burden on their families that stops some young men from volunteering for the traditional seminaries or switching from UK seminaries.
A few years ago, The Latin Mass Society started a seminarian fund and some donations were received and we have been able to support some of our members through their training. Unfortunately this fund is almost exhausted at a time when we are receiving more and more requests for assistance. At present we have British students training in Germany, Italy, and the U.S.A. It is a tragedy that our hierarchies in England and Wales, while bemoaning the lack of vocations at home, continue to turn their backs on these fine young students and priests. In the fullness of time, sooner rather than later we hope, our bishops will surely relent and come to appreciate the immense spiritual benefits these traditional priests can bring to our parishes. It will take only one bishop with courage to open the gates. The hierarchies in the U.S.A., for example, after being very reluctant initially, are now falling over themselves to bring these traditional priests into their dioceses because they have seen the benefits in rejuvenated parishes.
Now comes the crunch. It is imperative for the future of the Church (and The Latin Mass Society) that we support these young seminarians and thus obtain the priests we need to celebrate the traditional liturgy. They, like young men of 400 years ago, are having to leave their country and go abroad to be trained for our benefit. More and more are coming forward and your committee has decided to make another appeal to build up a seminarians fund so that we have a ready source of help available as it is needed. We have allocated £2,000 to set the fund rolling and we will endeavour to do so annually while funds are available. With no priests we have no Mass so we ask those who are able, to give as generously as they can to this venture. Let us give our young men all the help they need so that they can concentrate on their studies without the worry of financial burdens. Please send your donation by cheque, marked 'Seminary Fund', to the office. If you are able to, would you also consider arranging a standing order through your bank to remit funds to us on an annual or regular basis so we may continue funding these young men. Any sum, no matter how small, will be gratefully received. If you are unable to contribute please remember them in your prayers.
Leo Darroch.
[Taken from the Latin Mass Society's November 1998 Newsletter.]