A Historical Note on the SSP

The Society of Saint Polycarp is what it is today because its founding members had the boldness and courage to take the steps which led to the birth of this Lutheran brotherhood.  These were priests who could have wrung their hands at the state of the modern Church, and done nothing.  Instead, they proactively stepped up, and acted.  They had no way of knowing that what they were creating would become a blessing not only to themselves, but also to me, and others like me.  But that's the way it is with God's work in the Church, whether in the ongoing and faithful administering of the sacraments in the parish or in new movements which spring up in support of these holy things.  The fruit, the blessings, are far more than what is immediately seen and felt.  And so in thanks to God, and gratitude to those founding members, I wish to acknowledge that early activity of the founding brethren of the SSP.

This is occasioned, in fact, by recent correspondence which I was blessed to have with one of those men, who actually helped me realize that we got something wrong on this blog.  Namely, at some point, or points, reference was made to our annual retreats in terms which failed to recognize and acknowledge that the first retreat of the SSP took place already in 2002, at Saint Augustine's House, a Lutheran Benedictine monastery in Oxford, Michigan. 

It was at that retreat that the Rule was officially approved.  That Rule, I hasten to add, was composed initially by Fr. David Saar, and after a few modifications, it became our official Rule.  The founder, and first Dean of our Society, was Dr. Patrick Fodor.

For the sake of historical information, and clarity, and out of gratitude to the handful of men who set in motion the continuing life of the SSP, some of whom are still honored members, I wanted to share these things.