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| Welcome |
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In 1889, mother and daughter — Stephanie and Jeanne Bigard — answered a desperate plea for help from the Missions. The French missionary bishop of Nagazaki, Japan, wrote to the two women asking for help to keep his seminary open because he had run out of the funds necessary to help educate these young men to serve their people as priests. The bishop just did not have the funds to train these young Japanese men whom, he judged, would make excellent priests.
The Bigards came to his assistance and started a small group for this purpose in their native Caen, France. From these humble beginnings emerged the Society of St. Peter Apostle. Within five years of sending their first donation to Japan, the Bigards, and those whom they enlisted to help, were sending funds to seminaries in India, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Korea and China.
The goal of the Society of St. Peter then and now has been to invite individuals to support the education of candidates for the Catholic priesthood in the Developing World and to support the formation of men and women candidates for the Religious life in the Missions.
In its first year, the Society of St. Peter Apostle sent help for some 2,700 seminarians in the Missions. Today, some 30,000 major seminarians, mostly in Africa and Asia, receive an annual subsidy of $700 per student. |
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To contribute to the work of the church in the missions by using
your credit card, please click here. |
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| Holy Father Issues Message for World Day of Prayer for Vocations |
This year, we celebrate the World Day for Vocations
on the Fourth Sunday of Easter, April 25, 2010 --also called Good Shepherd Sunday. The Day's theme, chosen by Pope Benedict XVI is:
Witness Awakens Vocations.
Srs. Marcy & Piedad of
Ecuador
Speaking of Sisters and Brothers, the Holy Father says,
"The very life of men and women religious proclaims the love of Christ whenever they follow him in complete fidelity to the Gospel and joyfully make their own its criteria for judgement and conduct."
Visit the Vatican web site to read the full text of the Holy Father's Message.
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