Joy of a New Priest

Letter from the District Superior, Rev. Robert Brucciani, July 2016

Ordinations

On the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, 3 June 2016, seven new priests and nine new deacons were ordained at the St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary, Winona, Minnesota, U.S.A. Among the new priests was Rev. Paul-Isaac Franks of Nottingham, whose ordination gives great joy to the entire District of Great Britain & Scandinavia.

Our joy is for the heroic example of a young man giving his life for the love of God, which means for the love of the Church.

Our joy is for the thousands of souls who will have a share in the Divine Life through the ministry of this new priest. How many more Masses will be offered? How many more sacraments will be administered? How many dying souls will have the gates of heaven opened to them by this new priest.

Our joy is for another Christ, another Priest, another King and another Judge in the fight against the Prince of Darkness who casts his ugly shadow across the face of the Church.

Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre founded the Society of St. Pius X to form priests, because he saw clearly that the victory over Satan and the restoration of the Church could only come about through the restoration of the priesthood. The ordination of these seven young men, and the twelve others ordained later in the same month at the German seminary in Zaitzkofen and the Swiss seminary at Ecône, brings that restoration closer.

First Posting

But if we wish to rejoice with Christ, we must suffer with Him first. Regrettably, Fr. Franks will begin his apostolate not in his home country, where he could have worked wonders for the sung liturgy and for the general sanctity and jocosity of priests and faithful, but at St. Mary’s, Kansas, U.S.A.

Consolations for this loss are not wanting however, for the District will welcome home Rev. Matthew Clifton from Calgary, Canada, and will also welcome the newly ordained Rev. Reid Hennick of the U.S.A. Fr. Clifton will be based at St. George’s House, where his presence will enable us to move away from the unfruitful hit-and-run style of apostolate across the twelve Mass Centres served by this priory. It will also enable me to help the other priories on a regular basis. Fr. Reid will be based at St. Michael’s School under the paternal care of Rev. Patrick Summers, where, together with the other members of this holy community, he will take his first steps as a priest of the Most High God.

In Jesu et Maria,

Rev. Robert Brucciani

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