What is the Society of St. Peter Apostle?
The Society of St. Peter Apostle is one of four Pontifical Mission Societies. Its principal aim is to encourage prayer and financial help for vocations to the priesthood and Religious life in the missions.
Who started the Society of St. Peter Apostle?
In 1889, the French missionary bishop of Nagazaki, Japan, wrote to Stephanie Bigard and her daughter Jeanne of Caen, France, asking for financial help so that he could keep his seminary open. The Bigards gathered a small group of friends and acquaintances and collected the necessary funds for the bishop. Within five years of sending its first donation to Japan, the group was also helping seminaries in India, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Korea and China.
Once ordained, where do these priests serve?
Very often, priests ordained in the Missions will serve in the very dioceses where they were born and raised. Others are asked by the ordinary (bishop) of their dioceses to serve in other areas of their native countries or in other dioceses throughout the world — even in the United States. The truth is, a Church shows it is truly maturing in the Faith when it, in turn, becomes “missionary”, sending its own members into the Lord’s Vinyard as missionaries to others.
May I sponsor an individual seminarian or novice through the Society of St. Peter Apostle?
Contributions to the Society of St. Peter Apostle are allocated to seminaries and seminarians in mission dioceses throughout the world according to need, with certain help offered to each seminary by the number of students there. This system of allocating funds helps ensure that aid is distributed fairly and that those who are most desperately in need receive enough support.
