SERVANTS OF THE PARACLETE

(Official Catholic Directory #1230, S.P.); a pontifical congregation of men ministering to priests and religious brothers; founded, Jemez Springs, N. Mex., 1947 by Rev. Gerald Michael Cushing Fitzgerald. The congregation was granted papal approbation on the feast of the Pentecost, June 1, 1952, with Rev. Fitzgerald named the first Servant General. Its original therapeutic program, "Via Coeli," in Jemez Springs, gained a reputation for its ministry to priests troubled by addictions and other problems, being one of the first to offer specialized treatment for the clergy. Dioceses and religious orders from across the country sent priests to the center located at Jemez Springs for treatment of addictions and problems of various kinds, including pedophilia. A number of priests were rehabilitated and returned to the active ministry in their home dioceses; some stayed to work in New Mexico; and some relapsed. It was this last group that created serious problems for the congregation, the archdiocese and the archbishops of Santa Fe. Subsequently, the Servants of the Paraclete closed the therapeutic program at Jemez Springs, concentrating instead on retreats and spiritual renewal. The congregation continues to offer holistic therapeutic programs for priests and religious in Jemez Springs, New Mexico; St. Louis and Dittmer in Missouri; and Stroud, England. A retreat ministry is also offered at Fitzgerald Center in Jemez Springs. The U.K. foundation of the congregation (Our Lady of Victory) was established, 1959, in Brownshill, Stroud, Gloucestershire. The generalate is in Jemez Springs, N. Mex.

[eds.]