We have received the following information from Fr Daniel Heenan of the Fraternity of St Peter, concerning their plans to open a new house of formation in Guadalajara, Mexico.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your prayers and support, and to let you know about our project to establish here in Guadalajara a new center for Apostolic Activities which we plan to develop into a House of Formation for the FSSP in Latin America. We invite you to click the links and watch these promotional videos where Fr. John Berg FSSP, Superior General, and Fr. Jonathan Romanoski FSSP, the pastor in Guadalajara, explain this important project.
I am constantly amazed at the strong Catholic faith and devotion here in Guadalajara and almost everywhere I travel across Latin America. At the same time I can see forces at work here to erode and disregard the traditions of the faith in the same ways it has been is occurring in North America and Europe. Nevertheless, I am encouraged by what I experience here every day and have great hope for the future.
In the more than six years that the Fraternity of St. Peter has been working in Guadalajara, we have seen our apostolate steadily grow. Thanks be to God, the work we have been doing has borne fruit not only in Guadalajara, but throughout Mexico and Latin America. Last year the FSSP opened its second Mexican apostolate in one of the largest cities in the world, Mexico City. We also regularly receive requests to celebrate Masses in various cities throughout Mexico and Latin American and a steady flow of vocational inquiries.
Just the other day, there were several new faces at Mass who, leaving the High Mass obviously overjoyed by what they had experienced, commented that they were so glad to have finally found a church where the faith is preached clearly and unambiguously. Others, after experiencing the Traditional Mass for the first time, have commented enthusiastically how wonderful it is to see our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament treated with such reverence and devotion.
It is also quite evident, even after being here just a short time, that although there is certainly a richness to how the faith is expressed here with so many devotions and beautiful traditions, there is an underlying lack of catechesis and strong understanding of the faith. There are many souls here eager to serve Christ, but they need formation.
By the grace of God we hope to be able to help with this is some small way.
We have the opportunity to purchase a new house which we want to turn into a Formation Center or Center for Apostolic Activities. The church we are in charge of in downtown Guadalajara, Our Lady of the Pillar, although historic and beautiful, lacks adequate space for classes, meetings, and social activities. Additionally, it is located in a part of town which, sadly, is not family-friendly, especially after dark. This new house provides us with ample room to increase the pastoral activity of our parish.
With fifteen bedrooms, offices, classrooms, a chapel, and a library, it will also give us the opportunity to offer retreats both for lay people and for those discerning a priestly vocation. We are eager to start a program of Catholic formation for lay people, and we plan to initiate a program for priests and seminarians to come during the summer to study Spanish and learn the Traditional Mass, all in the ambiance of traditional Latin American Catholic culture. Thus, this project promises to have an impact not only on the Church in Latin America, but in the United States as well.
The most important possibility that this new house will afford is the chance, in a few years’ time, to begin a first year house of formation for the Fraternity of Saint Peter in Mexico. We currently do not have a formation program in Spanish, so candidates from Latin America and Spain have to learn English, French, or German before being able to enter our seminary. With the growing interest we have seen from Latin America, we want to make sure that these possible vocations are not lost.
The investment we need for this project is relatively little considering the fruit we are confident it will bear, and we have already made great progress towards our goal among our own faithful.
We are now beginning the second phase of our mission and want you to be a part of it. We are making it possible for you, the devoted faithful in North America and Europe, to help us acquire and grow this new house of formation and Apostolic center in the heart of Guadalajara. We have secured a loan to purchase this property on the condition that we find a sufficient number of people to commit to a monthly donation. Please consider making this project a reality through your pledge.
Please visit our website to read more and view the videos our faithful have made to explain this project. Here you can also sign up to make a monthly pledge. A small monthly contribution can go a long way here. Click here to visit our Facebook page: Visit our YouTube channel to see more promotional videos: Donations are tax deductible and can be made either through PayPal or directly through the FSSP North American District website: (Select Mexico House of Formation from the drop down list) If you have further questions or would like more information, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Please help us spread the word by forwarding this information. May God reward your generosity.
I am constantly amazed at the strong Catholic faith and devotion here in Guadalajara and almost everywhere I travel across Latin America. At the same time I can see forces at work here to erode and disregard the traditions of the faith in the same ways it has been is occurring in North America and Europe. Nevertheless, I am encouraged by what I experience here every day and have great hope for the future.
In the more than six years that the Fraternity of St. Peter has been working in Guadalajara, we have seen our apostolate steadily grow. Thanks be to God, the work we have been doing has borne fruit not only in Guadalajara, but throughout Mexico and Latin America. Last year the FSSP opened its second Mexican apostolate in one of the largest cities in the world, Mexico City. We also regularly receive requests to celebrate Masses in various cities throughout Mexico and Latin American and a steady flow of vocational inquiries.
Just the other day, there were several new faces at Mass who, leaving the High Mass obviously overjoyed by what they had experienced, commented that they were so glad to have finally found a church where the faith is preached clearly and unambiguously. Others, after experiencing the Traditional Mass for the first time, have commented enthusiastically how wonderful it is to see our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament treated with such reverence and devotion.
It is also quite evident, even after being here just a short time, that although there is certainly a richness to how the faith is expressed here with so many devotions and beautiful traditions, there is an underlying lack of catechesis and strong understanding of the faith. There are many souls here eager to serve Christ, but they need formation.
By the grace of God we hope to be able to help with this is some small way.
We have the opportunity to purchase a new house which we want to turn into a Formation Center or Center for Apostolic Activities. The church we are in charge of in downtown Guadalajara, Our Lady of the Pillar, although historic and beautiful, lacks adequate space for classes, meetings, and social activities. Additionally, it is located in a part of town which, sadly, is not family-friendly, especially after dark. This new house provides us with ample room to increase the pastoral activity of our parish.
With fifteen bedrooms, offices, classrooms, a chapel, and a library, it will also give us the opportunity to offer retreats both for lay people and for those discerning a priestly vocation. We are eager to start a program of Catholic formation for lay people, and we plan to initiate a program for priests and seminarians to come during the summer to study Spanish and learn the Traditional Mass, all in the ambiance of traditional Latin American Catholic culture. Thus, this project promises to have an impact not only on the Church in Latin America, but in the United States as well.
The most important possibility that this new house will afford is the chance, in a few years’ time, to begin a first year house of formation for the Fraternity of Saint Peter in Mexico. We currently do not have a formation program in Spanish, so candidates from Latin America and Spain have to learn English, French, or German before being able to enter our seminary. With the growing interest we have seen from Latin America, we want to make sure that these possible vocations are not lost.
The investment we need for this project is relatively little considering the fruit we are confident it will bear, and we have already made great progress towards our goal among our own faithful.
We are now beginning the second phase of our mission and want you to be a part of it. We are making it possible for you, the devoted faithful in North America and Europe, to help us acquire and grow this new house of formation and Apostolic center in the heart of Guadalajara. We have secured a loan to purchase this property on the condition that we find a sufficient number of people to commit to a monthly donation. Please consider making this project a reality through your pledge.
Please visit our website to read more and view the videos our faithful have made to explain this project. Here you can also sign up to make a monthly pledge. A small monthly contribution can go a long way here. Click here to visit our Facebook page: Visit our YouTube channel to see more promotional videos: Donations are tax deductible and can be made either through PayPal or directly through the FSSP North American District website: (Select Mexico House of Formation from the drop down list) If you have further questions or would like more information, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Please help us spread the word by forwarding this information. May God reward your generosity.
In Corde Jesu,
Rev. Daniel Heenan FSSP
Parochial Vicar, San Pedro en Cadenas, Guadalajara, Jalisco
