Society of St. Peter the Apostle
In the late 19th century, a French missionary living in Japan, Msgr. Jules-Alphonse Cousin, wrote to Jeanne Bigard and her mother, Stephanie. He shared with them the news that 50 young men were preparing for the priesthood under his care, and he spoke of the obstacles and difficulties he faced in supporting them and in accommodating the growing number of young men seeking admission to the seminary. Jeanne and Stephanie began raising funds to support these seminarians.
In 1889, Jeanne and Stephanie Bigard founded the Pontifical Society of St. Peter the Apostle in Caen, France, with the aim of supporting missionary vocations—both priestly and religious. In its first year of existence, the Society assisted approximately 2,700 seminarians. Within five years of sending their first donation to Japan, the Bigard women and their collaborators were already sending funds to seminaries in China, India, Korea, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam.
The Pontifical Society of St. Peter the Apostle promotes awareness of the need to develop local clergy and religious life in newly established mission churches. It works to encourage and coordinate missionary collaboration across all local churches, fostering prayer, sacrifice, and financial support to sustain the formation of future priests, religious brothers, and sisters in mission territories, as well as the training of their formators. The Society gathers and distributes financial aid to support seminaries and novitiates, in collaboration with local Christian communities and under the guidance of their bishops.
Today, more than 30,000 seminarians in some 400 seminaries—primarily in Africa and Asia—receive an annual subsidy of $700 per student to cover room, board, and educational expenses. Additionally, nearly 10,000 religious novices receive financial assistance from the Society.
How Can You Help?
Across 1,124 mission territories, thousands of young men and women are discerning their call to the priesthood or religious life. They are part of the future of the Church. But they need our help!
The Pontifical Society of St. Peter the Apostle trains young men and women within their own countries and cultures to serve their people as religious sisters and brothers, catechists, or priests. Many people in these communities feel a call to religious life or the priesthood to serve the Church, yet they lack the material resources to complete their studies.
Consider answering this call to Christ’s mission by offering spiritual and material support to those studying in seminaries, novitiates, and formation houses in mission lands. When you donate to the Society of St. Peter the Apostle, you directly support seminarians, religious sisters, and lay catechists in the missions. You may donate online or write a check payable to the Archdiocese of Washington, noting “St. Peter the Apostle” in the memo line, and mail it to:
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington
P.O. Box 223394
Chantilly, VA 20153
Mass Offered by a Missionary Priest
Mass intentions and donations support many priests serving in a mission diocese. A missionary priest will celebrate Mass for your personal intention, or for a friend or family member—living or deceased. A donation of $10 is requested for each requested Mass.
Request a Mass through the Pontifical Mission Societies U.S.A.
A Story from the Society of St. Peter the Apostle: Santa María la Mayor Missionary Seminary in Quito, Ecuador
Santa María la Mayor Missionary Seminary trains the future priests of the Apostolic Vicariates of Puyo, Aguarico, Sucumbíos, Esmeralda, Méndez and Napo, from the territories of the Ecuadorian Amazon, thus building a Church with a synodal Amazonian face. It was inaugurated and blessed on November 29, 1996 and is located in the city of Quito.
In the mission territories and in the founding work of the local Church, it is not always easy to dedicate time and personnel to vocation ministry, since generally all the energies of the missionaries are channeled towards areas of evangelization that are usually presented as more urgent. Discovering, accompanying, and welcoming the vocations of young people has become one of the pastoral priorities in our Apostolic Vicariates; as well as sensitizing local communities about the need for priests and workers consecrated to evangelization.
It is necessary to train seminarians in an environment where their communities and culture are represented and they are in close relationship with the missionary Church to which they belong. The missionary dimension that defines the seminarians of Santa María la Mayor Missionary Seminary is promoted in their ecclesiastical studies. The future priests of the Vicariates of Puyo, Aguarico, and Sucumbíos will serve the local indigenous and peasant communities and Church.
Seminarians study philosophy and theology courses at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Ecuador (PUCE). Seminarians enter the mission environment by experiencing life in the parishes in urban, rural, and indigenous areas of the Vicariates and help with workshops, talks, retreats, and sporting events. Experienced priests provide the seminarians with spiritual accompaniment and share in fraternal living.
The Santa María la Mayor Missionary Seminary celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2021. With the continued support of the Society of St. Peter the Apostle, the seminary will continue to form priests according to the heart of Jesus in a total spirit of fraternity and synodality.
This story was adapted from the International Secretariats of the Pontifical Mission Societies.
For more information, contact Maeve Gilheney-Gallagher, Global Solidarity Coordinator.