Weekly News Recap: Taking of the Cassock, SSPX in Nigeria, Story of Chilean Jesuit

21 Men Take Part in Cassock & Tonsure Ceremony

This year on February 2nd, the Feast of the Purification of Our Lady, nine seminarians received the cassock and twelve the clerical tonsure from the hands of His Excellency Bishop Bernard Fellay. It is the practice of the Society of Saint Pius X to give the cassock and tonsure on this Marian feast as it is the same day the Church also commemorates the presentation of the Infant Jesus in the Temple. These ceremonies, receiving the cassock and tonsure, express the giving of one’s life to the service of God, and are thus aptly reflected in the actions of both Our Lord and His Holy Mother celebrated on this day.

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Interview: The Work of the SSPX in Nigeria

This week’s News also features an extensive interview with Fr. Peter Chrissement on the work of the SSPX in Nigeria. In it, Father Chrissement provides an overview of what the Society is accomplishing in Nigeria, the background and makeup of the faithful who attend SSPX services, and the challenges that lie ahead. The Society has been doing work in Nigeria since 1992 and opened a priory in 2012 which serves Lagos, Nigeria’s largest city with a population of 20 million souls.

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The Story of a Saintly Chilean Jesuit

Finally, we call your attention to the story of Alberto Hurtado, the Chilean Jesuit at whose tomb Pope Francis prayed on January 16th, 2018, the second day of his Apostolic Journey to the country. Ordained a priest in Belgium in 1933 after fleeing persecution in Spain, Hurtado returned to Chile three years later, where he began to teach and write. He died of pancreatic cancer in 1952. His last words amidst his suffering were, “I am content, Lord, I am content.”

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