Press release

Vatican Cardinal to Visit Nebraska

DENTON, Nebraska – May 21, 2008 –

On Friday, May 30th, 2008, the Feast of the Sacred Heart, the following four men will be ordained priests for the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter by Darío Cardinal Castrillón Hoyos, the President of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei.

Rev. Mr. Jared McCambridge, FSSP, from Arlington Heights, Illinois
Rev. Mr. Dennis Gordon, FSSP, from Nogales, Arizona
Rev. Mr. Justin Nolan, FSSP, from Guthrie, Oklahoma
Rev. Mr. Jonathan Romanoski, FSSP, from New Cumberland , Pennsylvania

To be televised live on EWTN at 11:00AM (EST), the ordinations will take place at the Cathedral of the Risen Christ, in the Diocese of Lincoln, Nebraska.

About the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter
Established in 1988 by Pope John Paul II, the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter is a Society of Apostolic Life of Pontifical Right. The Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter strives to serve the Catholic Church by means of its own particular and specific role or objective, i.e. the sanctification of priests through the faithful celebration of the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite. Through the spiritual riches of the Church’s ancient Roman liturgy, the priests of the Fraternity seek to sanctify those entrusted to their care. The Priestly Fraternity instructs and trains its priests to preserve, promote, and protect the Catholic Church's authentic liturgical and spiritual traditions. The Fraternity has nearly 200 priests and over 100 seminarians studying in its two international seminaries in Bavaria, Germany and Denton, Nebraska.

About Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary

Located in rural Denton, Nebraska, is the English-speaking seminary for the Priestly Fraternity. Men come from all over the world to study for the priesthood in the seminary’s seven year program. Some represented countries have included Argentina, Australia, Canada, England, French West Indies, New Zealand, Russia, Scotland, and Trinidad/Tobago.

Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary has also become the center of the world’s largest provider of training resources and materials for priests who wish to learn the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite. Since June of 2007, priests from over 60 dioceses in the United States have been personally trained.

The seminary building itself has a total of 100 seminary rooms and 13 priest suites. The final phase of construction began last Fall with the ground breaking ceremony for the seminary’s jewel and crown, the chapel. Actual work, beginning with the excavation and footings, recently began in March of this year. Presently, the contractor is working on the footings and basement walls with the construction. God willing, the seminary’s long awaited chapel will be completed in the Fall of 2009.

About EWTN

Founded by Mother Angelica, EWTN Global Catholic Network, in its 27th year, is available in more than 146 million television households in 144 countries and territories. EWTN is the largest religious media network in the world.

Biography for Darío Cardinal Castrillón Hoyos

His Eminence Darío Cardinal Castrillón Hoyos is originally from Medellín, Colombia. Following his theological studies at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, he was ordained to priesthood for the Archdiocese of Medellin, in 1952. While in Rome, he also earned a doctorate in Canon Law. He also specialized in religious sociology, political economy and ethics in economy.

His Eminence soon took on many duties including serving as a parish priest in two country parishes, functioning as a delegate for Catholic Action, teaching as a professor of Canon Law the Free Civil University and assisting as the General Secretary of the Colombian Bishops’ Conference.

In 1971, he was ordained to the episcopacy and become the diocesan bishop of Villa de Re in 1976.

From 1983 to 1971, he was the General Secretary of the Latin American Episcopal Council His Eminence would later serve as the President of this Conference of Latin American Bishops from 1987-1991.

In 1992, he was named the Archbishop of Bucaramanga. Also, in 1992, he was called by the Holy Father to be the Pro-Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy on 15 June 1996. The Congregation of the Clergy, instituted in 1564, oversees the spiritual, intellectual and pastoral ongoing formation of the Catholic clergy. The Congregation also supervises the catechetical formation for the Church.

As a Delegate of the Colombian Bishops’ Conference, he participated in the Latin American Bishops’ General Conferences held in Puebla and Medellín.

On 15 November 1996, he had the privilege of presenting the book "Gift and Mystery" of John Paul II. Also, as Pro-Prefect of the Congregation, he personally organized the Anniversary Celebration of Pope John Paul II’s golden jubilee of his priesthood.

On 18 September 1997, he presented the General Directory for Catechesis and on 17 October 1997, at the conclusion of the International Catechetic Congress, he presented the conclusion of the Congress to the Pope John Pau II.

During the Special Assembly for America of the Synod of Bishops held from 16 November to 12 December 1998, His Eminence served as President Delegate and member of the post-synodal Council.

In 1988, Pope John Paul II, created and proclaimed him a cardinal. Today, he is a Cardinal Priest of the Most Holy Name of Mary on the Forum Traiano.

Also in 1988, His Eminence became the Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy.

Currently, His Eminence Darío Cardinal Castrillón Hoyos is the President of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei. . The Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei is the ecclesiastical authority erected by the late Pope John Paul II to oversee matters regarding the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite for the entire world. This Pontifical Commission works to guarantee full ecclesial communion for “all those Catholic faithful who feel attached to some previous liturgical and disciplinary forms of the Latin tradition,” and to offer “the necessary measures to guarantee respect for their rightful aspirations.” In 2007, Pope Benedict XVI recently reaffirmed in his Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum that this Commission exercises “the authority of the Holy See, supervising the observance and application of these dispositions.”

A Biography for Father John Marcus Berg, FSSP

Fr. John Marcus Berg was elected the third Superior General of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter in July of 2006 succeeding Fr. Arnaud Devillers and Fr. Joseph Bisig.
Fr. Berg was born and raised in a Catholic family in Minnesota. He entered the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter immediately after graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts from Thomas Aquinas College, in Southern California. In 1993 he began with the first class of Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary in Scranton Pennsylvania. He was tonsured in Wigratzbad by Bishop Zieglebauer and did his theological studies at the Seminary of St. Peter.
Fr. Berg finished his studies at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome where he received a Licentiate Degree in Dogmatic Theology. He was ordained a priest by Bishop James C. Timlin of Scranton, Pennsylvania on September 6 1997. He then returned to Rome where he worked at the FSSP chapel there, San Gregorio dei Muratori. He has taught Dogmatic Theology on the seminary staff at Our Lady of Guadalupe. He served as Pastor of St. Stephen the First Martyr Parish in Sacramento, California.
During the General Chapter in the summer of 2006, Fr. Berg was elected as the Superior General of the entire Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter. He currently lives at the Priestly Fraternity’s General House in Fribourg, Switzerland. Placed in charge of the Catholic Church’s largest religious community attached to the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, Fr. Berg oversees and coordinates the Priestly Fraternity’s apostolates worldwide. In light of this, Fr. Berg often meets with diocesan bishops throughout the world.

A Quick Glossary of Terms

The Mass – With supernatural faith, Catholics believe that the Mass is the re-presentation, in an unbloody manner, of the sacrifice of Calvary in which Jesus offered his life to atone for the sins of all humanity. Christ’s one-time death won from His Father an infinite amount of spiritual merit. At every Mass, that infinite spiritual merit is applied to humanity in space and time. At every Mass, the substance of bread and wine become the body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ. The separate Consecration of the bread into the body and the wine into the blood signifies the death of Christ.

At each and every Mass, Jesus Christ is the Priest and the Victim. Christ is the Priest because since He is “always living to make intercession for us”, He offers to God the Father the Sacrifice of Calvary. The Victim is also Christ insofar as Christ is offering Himself in an unbloody manner to the Father as a propitiation for the sins of men.

Catholics believe that the Eucharist is the source and summit of the spiritual life. Christ is present in various ways in the Church but only in the Eucharist is He present Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity under the appearances of bread and wine. Catholics’ belief for this is largely based on Divine Revelation in, for example, the Gospel of John, chapter 6

Merit-Reward proper to a work accomplished.

Sacrament-An outward (visible) sign, instituted by Christ, to give Grace to men

Grace-a participation by the soul in the Divine, Trinitarian life.

Motu Proprio – A type of Papal document of prescriptive nature

Supreme Pontiff – The word Supreme Pontiff is taken from the Latin word “pontifex” which means bridge-builder. Catholics see that Supreme Pontiff or Pope as the Vicar of Christ on earth. The Supreme Pontiff or Pope enjoys full, supreme and universal power within the Church. The biblical basis for the Papacy is found, for example, in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 16.

Cardinal- The English word cardinal is derived from the Latin word “cardo” which means hinge. In the Catholic Church, cardinals serve as close assistants to the Pope. In the past, they have been his envoys for particular missions. As signs of their office, cardinals wear red robes, a red biretta (box-like hat), and are given their own coat of arms. They are freely selected by the Pope. Should he die, the College of Cardinals convenes in Rome to elect a new Pope.

Liturgy-Public worship offered to God on behalf of the Church by one in Holy Orders who is deputed by Authority to do so.

Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite – Sometimes referred to as the “More Ancient Use,”the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite refers to the traditional Latin liturgy as codified by Pope Pius V in 1570 and, most recently, reaffirmed by Pope John XXIII in 1962. After Vatican II Council, which ended in 1965, different liturgical books were introduced and become normative, most often in vernacular languages. In the Papal document “Summorum Pontificum”, released last July, Pope Benedict XVI laid out a structured plan by which the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite is again to be used more widely in the Church.

Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei One of many dicasteries or departments in Rome that assist the Pope with the governance of the Catholic Church around the world. Ecclesia Dei is the competent authority for matters relating to the Extraordinary Form of the liturgy. It was instituted by Pope John Paull II in 1988. Currently, Darío Cardinal Castrillon Hoyós is the President of this Commission.

Sacrament of Holy Orders – Catholics believe that during the Last Supper, Jesus, after transforming bread and wine into his Body and Blood, gave his twelve apostles the power of Holy Orders with the words “Do this in memory of me.” Christ also gave His twelve apostles the power to ordain other priests. The four men who will be ordained priests on Friday, 30 May, will continue the ancient line of the Catholic priesthood that derives directly from those twelve apostles. Catholics believe that a man does not so much choose to become a priest as that Christ first chooses this vocation for him. This man, in freedom, can accept this calling or not. As Christ said “You have not chosen me. I have chosen you to go and bear fruit that will last.”

Priest – In every religion, a priest is one who offers sacrifice. The unique aspect of the Catholic priesthood is that he becomes an “Alter Christus” or another Christ. This is because the Catholic priest is called to be an instrument as he acts “In Persona Christi” or “in the Person of Christ.” The main duties of the Catholic priest are to offer up the Holy Mass and to absolve sins in the Sacrament of Penance, commonly known as Confession.

Latin-Official language of the Church. Latin, as a “dead” language is useful, since its meanings don’t change over time. Thus, Latin is excellent for theology and the transmission through succeeding ages of the unchanging (and unchangeable) doctrines in which the continuity of precise meanings is necessary among different cutures and times. Also, one finds the sound of Latin to be sublime and lofty, devoted as it is uniquely to worship of the God.

Ad Orientem – These two Latin words mean “to the east” or “towards the east”. East is the theological direction for the manifestation of God. According to the most ancient belief, Christ will come again from the East on the Last Day. In the Extraordinary Form, the priest, while speaking with God, often faces East. Just as a father faces forward when driving the family car, and a shepherd thus leads his flock, so also does the priest stand directing the faithful to God. This orientation has recently been re-emphasized by Pope Benedict XVI in his frequent exhortation that in the Liturgy, the whole community be “Conversi ad Dominum”, that is, “turned toward the Lord” in prayer. The priest offers up to God the prayers of his people which accompany the sacrifice at the altar and distributes to them, especially in Holy Communion, the graces that come to them from God.

Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter- Established in 1988 by Pope John Paul II, the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter is an international society of Pontifical Right comprising about 200 priests and over 100 seminarians To the community the Church has entrusted the work of preserving, propagating, and protecting the Catholic Church's ancient Latin liturgical traditions. The seminarians are preparing for the priesthood in the Fraternity’s two seminaries in Bavaria, Germany and Denton, Nebraska.

Diocese of Lincoln-For the sake of organization, the universal Catholic around the world is split up into smaller portions. A diocese is a portion of this universal church bounded within a geographical territory established by the Holy See in Rome. Normally, a bishop is at the head of a diocese. Currently, His Excellency, Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz is the diocesan bishop of Lincoln, Nebraska.

Helpful Information

Welcome again! Thank you for your interest and participation in this special Catholic event in Nebraska!

In order to facilitate the flow of the Priestly Ordination Mass and the Press Conference, please note the following details.

The Eternal World Television Network (EWTN) will be able to provide a clean feed to any television stations that would like footage of the Mass.

During the Priestly Ordination Mass, the use of cameras is allowed only in the back of the church, and the outside of the church. No flashes are allowed.

On 30 May, at 2:00PM, a press conference with the media will be held with His Eminence Darío Castrillón Hoyos, President of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei and Fr. John Berg, FSSP, the Superior General of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter. His Eminence will be available for a period of 30 minutes from 2:00-2:30PM. Fr. John Berg, FSSP, the Superior General of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter will also be available to take any additional questions after the Cardinal departs.
Time and Location of the Ordination Mass with His Eminence Darío Cardinal Castrillón Hoyos
10:00AM (CST)
Cathedral of the Risen Christ
3500 Sheridan Blvd
Lincoln, NE 68506

Time and Location of the Press Conference with His Eminence Darío Cardinal Castrillón Hoyos and Father John Berg, FSSP.
2:00PM (CST)
Blessed John XXIII Diocesan Center (two blocks from the Cathdral)
Dawson Hall
3700 Sheridan BlvdLincoln, NE 68506
The proper way to address the Cardinal is “Your Eminence.”
The proper way to address Father John Berg, FSSP is “Father”.
To ask a question during the Press Conference, please raise your hand, identify yourself when recognized and ask your question briefly.

Please stand for the Cardinal when he enters and leaves the room.

Appropriate dress for the Priestly Ordination Mass and the Press Conference is semi-formal. Shoulders and knees should be covered. Please, no jeans!

You may find the following websites helpful in learning more about the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter.

http://fssp.org/

Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary
http://www.fsspolgs.org

Extraordinary Form Workshops
http://fssptraining.org/

Thank you for your cooperation during this solemn occasion!

If you have any questions, please contact

Father Joseph Lee, FSSP
Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary
7880 West Denton Road
Denton, NE 68339
402-570-2707