Priestly Fraternity Saint Michael The Archangel
"Living the Gospel in Order to Promote the Extension of God's Kingdom"
Church News
Who We Are?
In the year 2004, in the parish of Saint Michael, the Reverend Father Robert Roman Perez created a Fraternity with the status of A Private Association of the Faithful. Some years later, in 2012, by virtue of an Episcopal Decree, N° 008-12, the Bishop of the Prelature of Huamachuco, in the north of Peru, gave the Fraternity the status of A Public Association of the Faithful, open to candidates, both clerical and lay, who wish to live in community in order to promote their sanctity.
The Constitutions of the Fraternity emphasize that there is complete equality amongst the brothers in relation to their standing in the community, and the only difference between them stems from their different functions ––some of the brothers will have received the Sacrament of Holy Orders––. Both the brothers who are presbyters and those who are laymen, by virtue of their baptism, work jointly in order to spread the saving message of our Lord Jesus Christ. All the brethren promise to keep the evangelical counsels of chastity, poverty, and obedience.*
*It is very important to note that the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Michael the Archangel of the Prelature of Huamachuco - Peru is completely distinct from the suppressed Public Association of the Faithful, “The Order and Mandate of Saint Michael”, suspended by decree by the Bishop of Tui-Vigo in Spain, Mgr. Luis Quintero Fiuza, on the 22 of December of 2014.
Priests, Brothers and Friends of the Fraternity
The Priestly Fraternity of Saint Michael the Archangel promotes the sanctification of its members by means of a strict observance of the teachings and norms of the Decree Presbyterorum Ordinis of the Second Vatican Council. This document emphasizes that “each and every priest is joined to his brother priests by a bond of charity, prayer, and every kind of cooperation. In this manner, they manifest that unity with which Christ willed his own to be perfectly one, so that the world might know that the Son has been sent by the Father”.(Presbyterorum Ordinis, N° 8)
THE SPIRITUALITY OF THE FRATERNITY OF SAINT MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL
When Pope Francis decreed the “Jubilee Year of Mercy” he was emphasizing for the Universal Church what is in fact the core of the spirituality of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Michael the Archangel. Divine Mercy can be expressed in a variety of ways according to the particular charisms of those who seek to practice it. In the case of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Michael the Archangel there is a special place for mercy to be shown to immigrants. From its start, the Fraternity has been particularly concerned for Spanish-speaking immigrants to the U.S.A.
All immigrants are people who, for one reason or another, have been uprooted from their home background and obliged to settle in a place that is totally different. There is a different language, different social customs, and even hostility. The Priestly Fraternity of Saint Michael the Archangel seeks to help these people to adapt, settle, and become accepted by the community in which they now find themselves.
With the radical changing patterns of religious practice some dioceses find themselves burdened with a number of churches which, for all practical purposes, have become redundant, whilst in other places there is a lack of churches: and frequently a lack of money to create more than a stark and unattractive building in which to celebrate the Divine Liturgy. The Priestly Fraternity of Saint Michael the Archangel seeks to help bishops to overcome this distortion. It collects all kinds of church furnishings ––tabernacles, altars, statues, benches, stained-glass windows, etc. –– and donates these to help in the creation of dignified church buildings where they are needed.
In an increasingly secular world where Christian values are either ignored or even opposed in schools and colleges, the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Michael the Archangel seeks to contribute to the task of Catholic Education which, in fact, is sought by many parents for their children ––even when they are not Catholics–– precisely because they recognize the values taught by the Church.
LIVE A COMMITTED LIFE
Each Order, Congregation, or Apostolic Institution, has been created to respond to a real need in the Church and the World at a given time. Every one of these has a distinctive charism which owes its origins to the vision of the Founder and then has developed over the years. Furthermore, each member has in his or her way contributed to the community and its apostolic work.
The Priestly Fraternity of Saint Michael the Archangel is relatively new in the Church and its Founder has been particularly concerned for the care of immigrants ––especially Spanish-speaking immigrants in the U.S.A. ––, for the reordering of the in-balance of redundant churches in some parts of the world and a lack of dignified places of worship in other parts. The Founder has also taken to heart the abandonment of Christian values by many educational authorities and wishes to contribute to Catholic Education which fosters these values.
To live in fraternity is also of vital importance in a world increasingly dominated by selfish individualism. Far from being conducive of happiness and a sense of well-being individualism reveals itself to be one of the main causes of contemporary depression and unhappiness. So, why not try out the time-honored call to real happiness in the giving of your talents and life to the service of others within a community such as ours, the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Michael the Archangel. As Saint Peter said to the lame man begging at the entrance to the Temple in Jerusalem: ”Silver and gold I have not, but I’ll give you what I have, fullness in the name of Jesus Christ”. That is what we offer you, a life fulfilled in the service of others. So, why not come and find out whether what we have to offer is precisely what you need?
