The Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP, from its Latin name Fraternitas Sacerdotalis Sancti Petri) is one of the best-known communities devoted to the Traditional Latin Mass. Many of the faithful first encounter the traditional liturgy through an FSSP parish. Here is a brief introduction.
A society in full communion with the Church
The Fraternity is a Clerical Society of Apostolic Life of Pontifical Right — a community of priests recognized and approved by the Holy See, in full communion with the Catholic Church. It was founded in 1988, with the encouragement of the Holy See, to serve the faithful attached to the traditional liturgy and to form priests for that sacred work.
Its purpose
The Fraternity has two inseparable aims: the formation and sanctification of priests in the traditional liturgy and discipline of the Church, and the pastoral care of the faithful through the Traditional Latin Mass and sacraments. Its priests offer exclusively the older form of the Roman Rite, according to the 1962 Missal.
Its work
From its seminaries — including Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary in Nebraska — the Fraternity has grown to serve more than fifty apostolates across the United States and Canada, in dozens of dioceses, always at the invitation and under the authority of the local bishop. Wherever it serves, it seeks to make the riches of the traditional liturgy available to the faithful within the ordinary life of the Church.
Learning more
You can learn more about the Fraternity, its history, and its mission at fssp.org, and find its parishes and apostolates through its locations directory. Like the other communities in full communion devoted to the traditional Mass, the Fraternity is a gift to the Church and a help to all who love the ancient liturgy.