diff --git a/spring-binding/src/main/java/org/springframework/binding/message/MessageBuilder.java b/spring-binding/src/main/java/org/springframework/binding/message/MessageBuilder.java
index 7567641e..b5cb7558 100644
--- a/spring-binding/src/main/java/org/springframework/binding/message/MessageBuilder.java
+++ b/spring-binding/src/main/java/org/springframework/binding/message/MessageBuilder.java
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@ import org.springframework.core.style.ToStringCreator;
  * </code>
  * </p>
  * @author Keith Donald
+ * @author Jeremy Grelle
  */
 public class MessageBuilder {
 
@@ -78,6 +79,15 @@ public class MessageBuilder {
 		return this;
 	}
 
+	/**
+	 * Records that the message being built is a fatal message.
+	 * @return this, for fluent API usage
+	 */
+	public MessageBuilder fatal() {
+		severity = Severity.FATAL;
+		return this;
+	}
+
 	/**
 	 * Records that the message being built is against the provided source.
 	 * @param source the source generating the message
diff --git a/spring-binding/src/main/java/org/springframework/binding/message/Severity.java b/spring-binding/src/main/java/org/springframework/binding/message/Severity.java
index 66016828..801e284f 100644
--- a/spring-binding/src/main/java/org/springframework/binding/message/Severity.java
+++ b/spring-binding/src/main/java/org/springframework/binding/message/Severity.java
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ import org.springframework.core.enums.StaticLabeledEnum;
  * Enum exposing supported message severities.
  * 
  * @author Keith Donald
+ * @author Jeremy Grelle
  * @see Message
  */
 public class Severity extends StaticLabeledEnum {
@@ -37,10 +38,15 @@ public class Severity extends StaticLabeledEnum {
 	public static final Severity WARNING = new Severity(1, "Warning");
 
 	/**
-	 * THe "Error" severity. Used to indicate a significant problem like a business rule violation.
+	 * The "Error" severity. Used to indicate a significant problem like a business rule violation.
 	 */
 	public static final Severity ERROR = new Severity(2, "Error");
 
+	/**
+	 * The "Fatal" severity. Used to indicate a fatal problem like a system error.
+	 */
+	public static final Severity FATAL = new Severity(3, "Fatal");
+
 	private Severity(int code, String label) {
 		super(code, label);
 	}
diff --git a/spring-binding/src/test/java/org/springframework/binding/message/MessageBuilderTests.java b/spring-binding/src/test/java/org/springframework/binding/message/MessageBuilderTests.java
index 0718a902..88b132e3 100644
--- a/spring-binding/src/test/java/org/springframework/binding/message/MessageBuilderTests.java
+++ b/spring-binding/src/test/java/org/springframework/binding/message/MessageBuilderTests.java
@@ -26,6 +26,14 @@ public class MessageBuilderTests extends TestCase {
 		assertNull(message.getSource());
 	}
 
+	public void testBuildFatal() {
+		MessageResolver resolver = builder.fatal().defaultText("foo").build();
+		Message message = resolver.resolveMessage(messageSource, locale);
+		assertEquals("foo", message.getText());
+		assertEquals(Severity.FATAL, message.getSeverity());
+		assertNull(message.getSource());
+	}
+
 	public void testBuildError() {
 		MessageResolver resolver = builder.error().defaultText("foo").build();
 		Message message = resolver.resolveMessage(messageSource, locale);
diff --git a/spring-faces/src/main/java/org/springframework/faces/webflow/FlowFacesContext.java b/spring-faces/src/main/java/org/springframework/faces/webflow/FlowFacesContext.java
index 254b0c22..633094dd 100644
--- a/spring-faces/src/main/java/org/springframework/faces/webflow/FlowFacesContext.java
+++ b/spring-faces/src/main/java/org/springframework/faces/webflow/FlowFacesContext.java
@@ -120,9 +120,12 @@ public class FlowFacesContext extends FacesContext {
 		} else if (message.getSeverity() == FacesMessage.SEVERITY_WARN) {
 			summaryResolver = new MessageBuilder().source(summarySource).defaultText(summaryText.toString()).warning()
 					.build();
-		} else {
+		} else if (message.getSeverity() == FacesMessage.SEVERITY_ERROR) {
 			summaryResolver = new MessageBuilder().source(summarySource).defaultText(summaryText.toString()).error()
 					.build();
+		} else {
+			summaryResolver = new MessageBuilder().source(summarySource).defaultText(summaryText.toString()).fatal()
+					.build();
 		}
 		context.getMessageContext().addMessage(summaryResolver);
 
@@ -138,9 +141,12 @@ public class FlowFacesContext extends FacesContext {
 		} else if (message.getSeverity() == FacesMessage.SEVERITY_WARN) {
 			detailResolver = new MessageBuilder().source(detailSource).defaultText(detailText.toString()).warning()
 					.build();
-		} else {
+		} else if (message.getSeverity() == FacesMessage.SEVERITY_ERROR) {
 			detailResolver = new MessageBuilder().source(detailSource).defaultText(detailText.toString()).error()
 					.build();
+		} else {
+			detailResolver = new MessageBuilder().source(detailSource).defaultText(detailText.toString()).fatal()
+					.build();
 		}
 		context.getMessageContext().addMessage(detailResolver);
 
@@ -168,7 +174,7 @@ public class FlowFacesContext extends FacesContext {
 			if (message.getSeverity().getOrdinal() > max.getOrdinal()) {
 				max = message.getSeverity();
 			}
-			if (max.getOrdinal() == FacesMessage.SEVERITY_ERROR.getOrdinal())
+			if (max.getOrdinal() == FacesMessage.SEVERITY_FATAL.getOrdinal())
 				break;
 		}
 		return max;
@@ -281,8 +287,10 @@ public class FlowFacesContext extends FacesContext {
 			return new FacesMessage(FacesMessage.SEVERITY_INFO, summaryMessage.getText(), detailMessage.getText());
 		} else if (summaryMessage.getSeverity() == Severity.WARNING) {
 			return new FacesMessage(FacesMessage.SEVERITY_WARN, summaryMessage.getText(), detailMessage.getText());
-		} else {
+		} else if (summaryMessage.getSeverity() == Severity.ERROR) {
 			return new FacesMessage(FacesMessage.SEVERITY_ERROR, summaryMessage.getText(), detailMessage.getText());
+		} else {
+			return new FacesMessage(FacesMessage.SEVERITY_FATAL, summaryMessage.getText(), detailMessage.getText());
 		}
 	}
 
diff --git a/spring-faces/src/test/java/org/springframework/faces/webflow/FlowFacesContextTests.java b/spring-faces/src/test/java/org/springframework/faces/webflow/FlowFacesContextTests.java
index 720d7cb0..4d9d0828 100644
--- a/spring-faces/src/test/java/org/springframework/faces/webflow/FlowFacesContextTests.java
+++ b/spring-faces/src/test/java/org/springframework/faces/webflow/FlowFacesContextTests.java
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ public class FlowFacesContextTests extends TestCase {
 			assertNotNull(i.next());
 			iterationCount++;
 		}
-		assertEquals("There should be 4 messages to iterate", 4, iterationCount);
+		assertEquals("There should be 5 messages to iterate", 5, iterationCount);
 	}
 
 	public final void testGetMessagesByClientId_ForComponent() {
@@ -158,7 +158,7 @@ public class FlowFacesContextTests extends TestCase {
 		EasyMock.expect(requestContext.getMessageContext()).andStubReturn(messageContext);
 		EasyMock.replay(new Object[] { requestContext });
 
-		assertEquals(FacesMessage.SEVERITY_ERROR, facesContext.getMaximumSeverity());
+		assertEquals(FacesMessage.SEVERITY_FATAL, facesContext.getMaximumSeverity());
 	}
 
 	private void setupMessageContext() {
@@ -177,6 +177,8 @@ public class FlowFacesContextTests extends TestCase {
 				.build());
 		prepopulatedMessageContext.addMessage(new MessageBuilder().source("null_detail").defaultText("baz").error()
 				.build());
+		prepopulatedMessageContext.addMessage(new MessageBuilder().defaultText("Subzero Wins - Fatality").fatal()
+				.build());
 	}
 
 	private class TestGetMessagesContext implements MessageContext {