Pontifical High Mass marking twenty years of the FSSP in Amsterdam
21 September 2026. On Sunday 20 September, we celebrated twenty years of the apostolate of the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter in Amsterdam. His Excellency Bishop Jan Hendriks, Bishop of Haarlem-Amsterdam, administered the Sacrament of Confirmation to a large group of confirmands before Mass and subsequently celebrated the solemn Pontifical High Mass in the traditional Roman rite. For Bishop Hendriks, this was the first time that he himself had celebrated Holy Mass according to this rite.
It was a particularly festive celebration, with the rich ceremonies of the pontifical liturgy and splendid musical accompaniment. In his homily, the Bishop reflected on the Sacrament of Confirmation and on the twenty years of the presence of the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter at St Agnes Church. He expressed his gratitude for the apostolate of the Fraternity and in particular for the many years of priestly service of our parish priest, Fr Martin Kromann Knudsen FSSP.
Papal distinction
At the end of the High Mass, Bishop Hendriks presented three parishioners with the papal distinction Bene Merenti in recognition of their outstanding service in establishing and sustaining the apostolate of the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter at St Agnes Church over the past twenty years.
Celebration on the church square
After Mass, the celebration continued on the sunlit church square. The large attendance made the square almost too small, but this did nothing to diminish the festive spirit. Parishioners, confirmands, family members and guests remained together there for quite some time.
Twentieth anniversary of priestly ordination
Twenty years of the apostolate of the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter at St Agnes Church coincides with the twentieth anniversary of the priestly ordination of Fr Martin Kromann Knudsen. That the apostolate has flourished during these twenty years is above all due to his work. His priestly jubilee had already been celebrated in June, when he was presented with a jubilee gift to mark the occasion. On Sunday, the members of the Confraternity of St Peter added a small surprise of their own.
The Confraternity is associated with the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter and brings together lay faithful in an association somewhat comparable to a third order. Through their prayers, they support the work of the Fraternity and pray in particular for priests and priestly vocations. The members meet monthly for fellowship and prayer.
The nodding angel
As a light-hearted gift, Fr Knudsen received a nodding angel, also known as an offering angel. Such angels served as offering boxes for the poor or for the missions. When a coin is inserted, the angel nods in thanks. In the Netherlands they were especially familiar beside the Christmas crib, where children could offer a coin.
The nodding angel is another delightful object from the rich tradition of Catholic popular culture. St Paul writes: our conversation is with heaven. Throughout the centuries Catholics have given form to this in countless ways: in the greatest works of theology, liturgy, art and architecture, but equally in popular customs and devotional objects. In a Catholic society, the Faith penetrates into every corner of human existence. The nodding angel, once so familiar in the Netherlands beside the Christmas crib, is in its own modest way a fine example of this: here too this conversation with heaven was given tangible form. The angel was an immediate financial success, as many wanted to see the mechanism at work by inserting a coin.
The Pontifical High Mass can be watched above. Bishop Hendriks published an extensive account of this festive day on his website Arsacal, including his homily and a series of photographs.