34 Years 320 Priests

145 Seminarians

Serving over 130 dioceses on 5 continents

In 1988, Pope St. John Paul II established the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (Fraternitas Sacerdotalis Sancti Petri) as a Clerical Society of Apostolic Life of Pontifical Right, and approved its constitutions. The Fraternity was founded in response to the Holy Father’s call to ecclesial unity and the new evangelization, hence the name denotes a filial love and loyalty to the Supreme Pontiff. The primary patron of the Fraternity from its inception was Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, then Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, who later became Pope Benedict XVI.

The particular charism and mission of the F.S.S.P. is to offer the Sacred Liturgy, including the Holy Mass and the Divine Office, as well as the Sacraments, in all of their traditional solemnity, according to the Latin liturgical books of 1962.

The Fraternity’s name denotes our thanksgiving, filial love, and loyalty to the supreme Pontiff, who encourages our growth, as well as the brotherly unity in Christ that our priests strive to characterize in their lives and work.

Using the ancient liturgy as our well-spring, we form our priests in the traditions of the Church to serve at the altar and in the parish so that the fullness of Christ might enter the emptiness of the world.

In Canada, the F.S.S.P. runs eight diocesan apostolates (one in Saskatchewan, two in Québec; two in Ontario; two in Alberta and one in British Columbia).

The F.S.S.P. operates two international seminaries - St. Peter's Seminary for German and French-speaking candidates (in Wigratzbad, Germany) and Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary, for English-speaking candidates (in Denton, Nebraska). The North American seminary is named for Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Americas. By God's grace, enrollment has grown steadily each year since the FSSP first opened a seminary in the United States in 1993. O.L.G.S. now houses over 75 men studying for the priesthood, including a number of men from Canada.

Why the Latin Mass?

The Traditional Latin Mass, also known as the Usus Antiquior or the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, is the liturgy of the Catholic Church which was in widespread use before the New Order of Mass was introduced in 1969. This Liturgy includes the Mass, the Sacraments, various rites of blessing and more.

On July 7th 2007, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI issued an apostolic letter entitled Summorum Pontificum. In this letter, he declared that older form of the Roman rite was never abrogated, and that it “must be given due honor for its venerable and ancient usage.” (SP Art. 1)

This older form has been in use for many centuries. During this time, it was at the heart of the Church and Western culture, nourishing countless generations. Its Liturgical Calendar has influenced even secular societies with its many holy days and feast days, and its ceremonies and prayers nourished the spiritual lives of countless saints. This is the Mass that was carried by the missionaries to the Americas, Africa, and Asia.

Our Fraternity holds the Traditional Latin Mass at the heart of our charism because we believe that it distinctly expresses the sacrificial nature of the priesthood and provides an unchanging and beautiful mode of prayer sanctified by time and usage.  It serves to lift many hearts and souls to God for His Greater Glory and the Salvation of Souls.

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Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter Canada

Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter North America

Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter International

Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary