See the updated image gallery from the Fanjeaux Dominicans 40th anniversary pilgrimage in Rome.
Many Americans are familiar with the Dominican teaching sisters who run girls schools in Post Falls, Idaho and Massena, New York. Both of these communities are part of the Fanjeaux Dominicans, officially known as the Congregation of the Dominicans of the Holy Name of Jesus of Fanjeaux, who were guided in the beginning by the great Dominican and Thomist scholar, Fr. Roger-Thomas Calmel, O.P.
These traditional Dominican sisters are celebrating the 40th anniversary of their foundation this year, and in special commemoration, they are making this week a pilgrimage in Rome.
Below is their communique about this important occasion which includes information about an incident that unfortunately took place during the pilgrimage. We also offer below a brief news and photo gallery.
Communique from the Fanjeaux Dominicans
The Congregation of the Fanjeaux Dominicans of the Holy Name of Jesus organized from February 9-14 a pilgrimage of thanksgiving in Rome on the occasion of 40 years since its foundation in Fanjeaux (France).
The congregation exists for the education of young girls by providing them with quality Christian teaching. The congregation is made up of 200 religious working today in 8 secondary schools and 6 primary schools in France, Germany and the United States. In this pilgrimage, the sisters accompanied their students who numbered 950, as well as a 100 teachers and parents.
It is through its commitment to the Tridentine Mass and Tradition of the Church that the congregation has experienced such a thorough development in the last 4 decades. So she wants to give thanks to the Eternal City, to Divine Providence for all His benefits.
The congregation thanked the Roman authorities for allowing entry into the basilicas, but regrets that, despite repeated requests to the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, a church in Rome could not be made available for pilgrims’ celebration of the Mass. The sisters and children all pray that the Church will find with its 2,000-year old Tradition, its missionary outreach throughout the world.
The first day of pilgrimage in Rome
It was a beauty day in sunny Italy for the nearly 1,500 pilgrims, mostly young girls from the Dominicans’ schools in France, Germany and the United States.
The Mass was held in a rented room because no church has been made available to the pilgrimage despite repeated requests to the Ecclesia Dei Commission. The Commission proposed certain priests and bishops (of regular canonical situation), but the Dominican community superiors insisted that the chaplains for its schools are the priests of the Society of St. Pius X. In the end it was Fr. Niklaus Pfluger (First Assistant of the SSPX’s Superior Genera), who celebrated the Mass on Tuesday, February 10th.
This afternoon a visit was made to the Lateran Basilica where Fr. Pierpaolo Petrucci (District Superior of Italy) gave some introductory words followed by the singing of the Creed, praying for the pope and receiving a blessing. The basilica’s entire nave was filled with sisters and students.
