Roman report

A grace and an honour

Diane Montagna talks to Abbé Brice Meissonnier, parish priest of Santissima Trinità dei Pellegrini

Don Brice, you were given the mission to be parish priest of the FSSP parish of Santissima Trinità dei Pellegrini in May 2020. Can you tell us a little about your background?

I was born in Avignon, France (the other City of the Popes!) in 1969. After studying with the Jesuit Fathers in my hometown, I entered the FSSP seminary in Wigratzbad, Germany, in 1989, at the very beginning of the FSSP. I was ordained priest on 29 June 1996. I spent the first 11 years of my ministry in France, mainly in Versailles. Then I spent a year in Italy, in Venice at the church of San Simon Piccolo.

In September 2020, I was appointed parish priest of the personal parish of Trinità dei Pellegrini in Rome.

On 4 February 4 2022, two members of the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter were received in private audience by Pope Francis for nearly an hour. Afterward, the FSSP said that “in the course of the audience, the Pope made it clear that institutes such as the Fraternity of St Peter are not affected by the general provisions of the Motu Proprio Traditionis Custodes.” Pope Francis then issued a decree concerning the FSSP, dated 11 February 2022, the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. What is the significance of this decree? What was your reaction when you learned of it? And what does it mean for the FSSP’s Rome parish?

Obviously, this meeting with the Holy Father, and the decree that followed, were a great joy for us, and I would dare to say also a great relief and not short of a small miracle. Indeed, the Pope signed this decree on the very day the whole FSSP was consecrated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary!

Certainly, we were convinced we had the right to carry on with the traditional liturgy, but this confirmation, from the mouth and hand of the Pope himself, brought great peace to all the members and faithful of the FSSP, together with a confirmation that the Church could not renege on the promise she had made in 1988 to our valiant and courageous founders. It also seems clear, even if not mentioned in the Holy Father's decree, that it concerns all the institutes that were founded and approved by Rome for the celebration of the Traditional Mass. As we understand it, the Pope made this clear to our two confreres in the private audience he granted them. The Holy Father was very clear that Traditionis Custodes was not written for us! So, there is no real change for our Roman parish, and this should also be the case for all FSSP apostolates worldwide.

Can you tell us a little about the history of Santissima Trinità dei Pellegrini, particularly the parish’s connection to St Philip Neri?

It is both a grace and an honour to have been entrusted with the church of Trinità dei Pellegrini e dei Convalescenti as our personal parish church. For, in addition to being remarkably located in the historical centre of Rome, our church has a fabulous history and heritage closely linked to the “second apostle of Rome,” St Philip Neri. Indeed, the very neighbourhood in which we are located was the privileged place of his apostolate throughout his life, and in particular at the beginning of his life in Rome.

Before he became a cleric, under the impulse and spiritual direction of his confessor, Persiano Rosa (who is buried in the choir of our church), St Philip had the idea, together with some devout friends, of founding a pious association to help each other grow in devotion and charity, and to take care of the many pilgrims who would visit Rome on the occasion of the great jubilee of 1550. Thus was born the Archconfraternity of the Most Holy Trinity of the Pilgrims and Convalescents. After meeting in several small churches in the neighbourhood, the Archconfraternity settled in a small medieval chapel dedicated to St Benedict, which later became our church of Santissima Trinità. With his confreres, St Philip worked with great fervour to welcome, feed, care for and lodge the many pilgrims, most of them poor, who had come to Rome on foot (in conditions that one can imagine for the time), in order to benefit from the graces of the Great Jubilee. The success was such that many wanted to join this brotherhood, including members of the great Roman families and even cardinals. It was then decided to build a larger and more beautiful church, dedicated to the Most Holy Trinity, on the location of the existing chapel, together with a large hostel to house the pilgrims in the best possible conditions. Outside of pilgrimages, convalescents would be received, since at the time there were not many facilities for them. St Philip is therefore the founder of the Archconfraternity and its church, and its greatest glory.

The archconfraternity founded by St Philip Neri has found a new impetus and a new start recent years. What are the aims of the archconfraternity? And what role do you believe it can play today in the parish and the wider community?

As you will have understood, the objectives of our Archconfraternity are spiritual, charitable and fraternal. Spiritual because the first purpose that St Philip, our founder, gave to his confreres was praying together pious exercises such as the rosary, Stations of the Cross, or parts of the Divine Office, and especially adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. He was the great propagator of the Forty Hours Devotion, which was carried our monthly in our church. A few years ago, we resumed this solemn adoration of the Forty Hours on the eve of Lent, and it has become increasingly successful each year. Our archconfraternity also has, as its founder wished, an important charitable activity, with a monthly collection and distribution of food to families or people in need. It also collects other donations, which are then redistributed, in particular to people living on the streets. The Archconfraternity will serve them a lunch at the end of May in the large gallery (lent to us for the occasion) which runs alongside our church and which was previously used to welcome pilgrims.

We are also considering how to give back to the Archconfraternity one of its first missions, the reception and care of pilgrims. Even though we no longer have the large buildings that were used to welcome pilgrims, we would like to facilitate the pilgrimage of the many who come to the Eternal City every year and who are attached to the Traditional Mass. We would like such a facility, or similar means, to be operational at the latest for the great jubilee of 2025.

Shortly after you arrived at the parish, one began to notice little signs of renovation, and they have only increased. What is your philosophy for restoring a parish church, and what are your long-term plans for Santissima Trinità?

As I said at the beginning of this interview, it is a great honour but also a great responsibility to be in charge of a church like ours, with its fabulous history and heritage! The least we can do in this day and age, when we can hardly match the artists and workers of past centuries, is to restore and maintain this heritage that our fathers have passed on to us, because today we have, if nothing else, the technical means to do so, enabling us in turn pass it on to future generations. Otherwise what will be left after us?

For us, keeping this heritage begins with the celebration of the Traditional Mass. Indeed, our church was built for our liturgy, and our liturgy is perfectly adapted to its architecture, its furnishings and its layout. There is no need for adaptation or transformation. On the contrary! Since our arrival, the first restoration was therefore to put everything back in its place, to use the places and objects according to their original function, to clean and maintain this sacred place as required by the laws of the Church. Then we had to move up a gear, because time has taken its toll and Trinità has not benefited from any major work for at least eighty years. So we started slowly, within our means. In particular, I wanted to have the bell ringing system electrified, and have an additional bell made. Bells that ring give rhythm to the religious life of a parish, and are the voice of God in a neighbourhood, a protection for its inhabitants and the external sign of a religious life.

Now we have greater ambitions, since we want to launch the complete restoration of our church. Starting, of course, with the magnificent façade by De Sanctis, which today is rather shabby and does not reflect the image and vitality of our parish. It is certainly the last church façade in Rome that has not yet been restored. Then, we need to completely redo the electricity and lighting of our church, which are quite obsolete and even dangerous. After that we need to restore the great organ, which has been completely silent for at least fifty years. This is very damaging for the performance of our liturgy. At present we only have a small electronic organ. Then there is the sacristy, the side chapels (with their paintings and frescoes which have become completely illegible over time) and where about ten Masses are celebrated every day, etc...

So, as you can see, there is a lot to do, but we have the will, and with the help of providence and benefactors we will succeed! Our church is a showcase for the Traditional Mass and for the Fraternity of Saint Peter, and this is also the reason why we want it to be open all day and every day of the year, to be clean and tidy, and to be beautiful so that it is easier to meet the Good Lord. For, as the Holy Curé of Ars used to say, nothing should be too beautiful for Him! In the image of what the Church should be, every church must be beautiful, orderly, and welcoming!

I would like to encourage your readers to come and visit us here in Rome during a stay or a pilgrimage. The parish of Santissima Trinità dei Pellegrini is also the parish of all those throughout the world who are attached to the Traditional Mass, the treasure of the Church and the masterpiece of the West. They will be able to attend, in an exceptional setting, the celebration of a well-celebrated liturgy in the spirit of the great Roman Tradition.

You can also follow our activities on Instagram (trinitadeipellegrini), Facebook (Parrocchia SS. Trinità dei Pellegrini) or on our website (Parrocchia SS. Trinità dei Pellegrini).

Abbé Brice Meissonnier: ‘Keeping this heritage begins with the celebration of the Traditional Mass’