The Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter is a Society of Apostolic Life of Pontifical right, that is, a community of priests who do not take religious vows, but who work together for a common mission in the Catholic Church, under the authority of the Holy See. The mission of the Fraternity is two-fold: first, the formation and sanctification of priests, and secondly, the care of souls and pastoral activities in the service of the Church. The Fraternity of St. Peter accomplishes this mission using the liturgic
The Fraternity was founded on July 18, 1988 at the Abbey of Hauterive (Switzerland) by a dozen priests and a score of seminarians. Shortly after the Fraternity’s foundation and following upon a request by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Bishop Josef Stimpfle of Augsburg, Germany granted the Fraternity a home in Wigratzbad, a Marian shrine in Bavaria. It is here that the European seminary of the Fraternity is currently found, and which is the mother-house of the community. The General House, on the other hand,
The Fraternity of St. Peter currently operates two international houses of formation: the original formation house in Wigratzbad , Germany , and the other in Denton , Nebraska, U.S.A. The Fraternity has organized its seminary training in accordance with the Church’s norms on priestly formation, including a year of more intense spiritual preparation before entering the cycles of philosophy (2 years) and theology (4 years). By fostering a balanced life of prayer, study, community life, and personal discipli
New Liturgical Movement