FSSP TORONTO LETTER

From: info@fssp.com

To:
Subject: FSSP in Toronto
Date: Wed, 24 Feb 2010 08:17:40 -0500

Dear Dr. K------ M-------,

Greetings in Our Lord. Feel free to disseminate this e-mail as you deem best.

d

As questions have been sent to the Fraternity of St. Peter about our leaving the Archdiocese of Toronto at this time, we wish the faithful to know that this decision was made after discussing the matter with Archbishop Collins and Fr. Venette. The decision was clearly made by the District Superior of the FSSP due to the need for priests elsewhere, where they are being given "personal parishes" and being allowed to function fully their charism. There was a common agreement among all parties and the FSSP was not put under pressure from the Archbishop to definitively leave the Archdiocese. Let us remember that His Grace, Archbishop Collins invited the FSSP to Toronto and has indicated his desire to see them return.

In short, the Archbishop remains committed to providing the Extraordinary Form in his Archdiocese in various locations. In the end, the situation in Toronto for a Mass location and for a residence for a priest of the FSSP was not what the Fraternity and the Archbishop had hoped it would be by this time. This is due to many reasons, but the primary concern for the FSSP revolves around the well-being of its priests by providing them a life in common according to our Constitutions. This is part of the community life and personal holiness to the priestly vocation in the Fraternity, the FSSP priest's charism would suffer if this issue was not resolved sooner rather than later.

r

The Fraternity of St. Peter has agreed with the Archbishop to look at the situation again when a more fitting arrangement can be found. It would follow that any return by the FSSP or the inviation of the ICK would need to include a canonical arrangement for a parish similar to those in Ottawa, Vancouver or more recently the sale for nominal sum of a church in Quebec City to the FSSP by Marc Cardinal Oulette. Since Summorum Pontificum, the FSSP sees its role as either serving stable parochial communities or training other priests to provide Masses in accord with the needs of the Archdiocese.

We realize this is a disappointment for many of the faithful in Toronto, (!!!) yet the best course for both the FSSP and the faithful wishing a FSSP priest in the Toronto area will be our keeping in contact with the Archbishop as he is certainly not opposed to our assistance.

In Christ,

Fr. Eric Flood,
FSSP
North American District Superior