Twenty-seven seminarians from the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter (FSSP) took a new step in their path toward the priesthood on March 7, by receiving the minor orders during a ceremony held in the parish church of Gestratz, in Bavaria (Germany).
According to the Saint-Pierre Seminary of Wigratzbad, the candidates received the orders of porter, lector, exorcist, and acolyte, traditional ministries that are part of the training itinerary prior to priestly ordination.
The ceremony was presided over by Monsignor Wolfgang Haas, emeritus archbishop of Vaduz (Liechtenstein), who conferred the orders on the seminarians in this locality near the international seminary of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter.
Another step in priestly formation
The minor orders have historically been part of the preparation process for the priesthood in the Latin Church. Although they ceased to be conferred in a generalized manner after the liturgical reforms following the Second Vatican Council, they continue to be part of the formation in institutes that celebrate the traditional liturgy.
Wigratzbad, one of the great seminaries of the tradition
The Wigratzbad seminary, located in Bavaria, is one of the main training centers of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter in Europe. There, priests are prepared for apostolates in various countries where the Holy Mass is celebrated according to the 1962 Missal.
The Fraternity, founded in 1988 and in full communion with the Holy See, has seminaries in Europe and the United States and has become one of the traditional communities with the largest number of vocations in the Church.