I met one of our seminarians today for the first time. His name is Jacob. He earned his Bachelor of Music (B.M.) from the Eastman School of Music, which is the music school of the University of Rochester (NY). He started playing piano at age seven and organ at 15. Jacob entered the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP) after music school and is in his fifth year of a seven-year program leading to ordination. The seminary is in Denton, Nebraska.
He said that whenever an FSSP parish has less than three priests, seminarians are sent out to assist at High Mass. He was sent to Tulsa, Oklahoma, for Easter and is qualified to serve as a straw sub deacon. For more about sub deacons, visit here:
https://liturgyguy.com/2015/08/16/the-subdeacon-and-liturgical-symbolism/
That gave him some time to visit us and his family.
It is a pleasure to meet guys who choose a life of discipline. I told him that my own vocation story is a never-ending lesson. I have written about the vocation, and some might think that the words were a summation and conclusion. Not so. Our Lord uses a baton to make some music out of our lives every day.
Also, I met our third organist, Veronica. She plays beautifully and confidently. I saw James at Mass. I met him a little more than a week ago. He will be visiting the Denton seminary in the coming months. I am guessing that all three are under 30.
The FSSP follows traditional forms of Catholicism during the training of a priest or an altar boy. They include progression, like steps on a ladder, similar to ranks in law enforcement or the military, or badges in scouting. St. Stephen the First Martyr has 100 altar boys.
Much of the Church has forgotten these traditions. I know because I attended the modern Mass from 1970 to 2020. I am confident that a return to tradition will renew the Church and our country.
He said that whenever an FSSP parish has less than three priests, seminarians are sent out to assist at High Mass. He was sent to Tulsa, Oklahoma, for Easter and is qualified to serve as a straw sub deacon. For more about sub deacons, visit here:
https://liturgyguy.com/2015/08/16/the-subdeacon-and-liturgical-symbolism/
That gave him some time to visit us and his family.
It is a pleasure to meet guys who choose a life of discipline. I told him that my own vocation story is a never-ending lesson. I have written about the vocation, and some might think that the words were a summation and conclusion. Not so. Our Lord uses a baton to make some music out of our lives every day.
Also, I met our third organist, Veronica. She plays beautifully and confidently. I saw James at Mass. I met him a little more than a week ago. He will be visiting the Denton seminary in the coming months. I am guessing that all three are under 30.
The FSSP follows traditional forms of Catholicism during the training of a priest or an altar boy. They include progression, like steps on a ladder, similar to ranks in law enforcement or the military, or badges in scouting. St. Stephen the First Martyr has 100 altar boys.
Much of the Church has forgotten these traditions. I know because I attended the modern Mass from 1970 to 2020. I am confident that a return to tradition will renew the Church and our country.
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