Society of St. Peter the Apostle
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The Society of St. Peter the Apostle (SPA) is one of the four Pontifical Mission Societies.[1] It is the Catholic Church's official fundraising body for the training of clergy and religious in mission countries.
Stephanie Bigard and her daughter Jeanne, of Caen, France, belonged to a society that sent personal equipment for missionaries. This led to a correspondence with the missionaries, most of whom were affiliated with the Paris Foreign Missions Society. They assisted Father Aimé Villion, and contributed to the construction of the church of St. Francis Xavier in Kyoto.[2]
Jules-Alphonse Cousin, then bishop of Nagasaki, asked for financial assistance to keep his seminary open.[3] In 1889 they established a society to raise funds for the training of local clergy, and named it after Saint Peter. The Bigards traveled throughout France promoting the work of the society. In 1922, the Society obtained papal patronage from Pope Pius XI. Its focus is primarily mostly in Africa and Asia.