Current Projects of the Confraternity

The Confraternity of Ss. Peter & Paul is planning to expand its operations.  The generosity of our members in providing regular donations will give us the opportunity of devoting more time to various projects we have been contemplating over the past years since our inception in 2001.

Here are a few of the ideas we're working on:

1.  Establishing the Confraternity as a not-for-profit organization.
This will enable our members to make tax-deductible donations to the Confraternity, and will also provide us with a solid legal standing.  Incorporation papers should be filed within the next few weeks.

2.  Improvements to our Membership Tracking and Accounting
Because of the increase in regular donations, it will become far more important to keep track of our finances, and especially as they relate to the individual members.  Accordingly, we need to establish the Confraternity as a tax-exempt organization, set up an accounting system, open a bank account, and look into the possibility of accepting credit card payments directly from our website.

3.   An E-Mail Distribution List.
This will allow us to keep in touch with our members in a far more regular and effective way.  E-mails would include Confraternity news alerts, urgent prayer requests and monthly prayer intentions, reminders of dues payment and receipt of payment, etc.  We are currently looking into software that will allow us to fulfill these objectives in the most efficient manner possible.  Suggestions from computer-savvy members would be welcome!

4.  Introduction of an online bookstore.
Items offered will be a variety of liturgical and other books for the use of our members and other visitors.  Contributing members will receive a discount on all items.  We hope to offer such books as a the Roman Martyrology in English, the Liturgical Year by Dom Gueranger, the Liber Usualis, the Roman Missal, the Douai-Rheims Bible, a Commentary on the Psalms by St. Robert Bellarmine, Butler's Lives of the Saints, the Yearly Liturgical Ordo, an annual liturgical calendar, and so on.  Eventually, our aim is to offer individual Hours of the Divine Office in printed format, and possibly even the 4-volume Roman Breviary.

5.  Compline Booklet
We're currently working on a small booklet that would contain the text of Compline for the entire year, in Latin and English.  We hope to have this ready sometime in 2007, and will be offering it for sale at our website bookstore.

6.  Instructions for Reciting the Divine Office
In response to many requests from members who are new to saying the Breviary, we are going to be working on a booklet that contains the rubrics and general instructions for the liturgy in a format that would be easy to understand for the beginner.  This would not only contain detailed instructions on how to recite the Divine Office itself, but would also relate it to our own website, so that members can more easily find their way around.

7.  Changes to the Website
We need to complete the extensive work adding accentuation marks to the Latin.  We are also in the process of switching over the English translation to the Psalter to a new one that we hope will be easier to follow and which will more closely follow the Latin.  Eventually, we will be re-translating the Scriptural references on the website, particularly the First Nocturn lessons at Matins.  Other cosmetic changes to the website will include improvements to the navigation system.