(N\2601 March 2012 English) - Society of St. Pius X

Saint Michael’s Priory
Society St Pius X
15 Umukwa Street
Independence Layout
ENUGU – NIGERIA
Tel. +234 7060969809
sspxnigeria@gmail.com
Letter to the
Friends of Nigeria
Dear Friends and Benefactors,
W hat would have happened
to the young Christian communities
of the first centuries if the Second
Vatican Council had happened
around 70 or 80 years after the
Apostles’ preaching?
The question seems astonishing.
However, this is the sad history of
the Roman Catholic Church in Nigeria.
The Catholic evangelization of
Nigeria started in 1884 in the Niger
Delta with the African Missions of Lyon, and in 1889 in Biafra with the Holy Ghost Fathers.
These first missionaries spread out over the whole country during the first half of the 20 th century,
taking precedence over animism in the south and over Islam in the north, and competing
with the Methodists who had started their propaganda in 1874 in Lagos.
We then saw in Nigeria the joy of a new born Christianity enthusiastic in
discovering the basics of the Faith, the knowledge of Our Lord and Our
Lady, the devotion to the Holy Mass, and the devotion to the Papacy. A
wonderful Christian civilization started to dawn and to gain
ground on the fetishes and witchcraft, which the new Christian
could hardly forsake.
But the Second Vatican Council takes place between1962-
65, with its religious freedom, ecumenism, collegiality, “novus
ordo” Mass and inculturation. Henceforth, the hierarchy of the
Catholic Church teaches that all religions are equal, that we
have the same God as the Muslims, the same cult as the Protestants and that a certain wisdom
is to be found in pagan superstitions. Worse still, one must dialogue with these false religions
and adapt Catholic belief with the cult of the animists. And to compound the scandal for the African
people who are traditionally so respectful of any authority,
collegiality deprives the Pope and the bishops of their authority!
This Council and its reforms have been disastrous for
the Kingdom of God, so much so that, as a poison exudes drop
by drop, these reforms have slowly but surely been imposed in
Nigeria. For instance, Communion in the hand was only introduced
in 2008.
Responding to the appeal of numerous faithful and even
priests of Nigeria, the Society of St Pius X, in its great African
adventure, has been visiting Nigeria since 1992 and will, at
N°1 — MARCH 2012

last, start a new Priory in Enugu, in the east of the
country.
The official opening of St Michael’s Priory will take
place on Sunday 26 th August, in the presence of
Fr. NÉLY, 2 nd General Assistant of the Society. As
of now, three priests are preparing themselves for
this new apostolate: Fr. Gregory OBIH, who is already
there, Fr. Arnold TRAUNER and Fr. Nicolas
BÉLY (future prior), who have travelled several
times to Nigeria from South Africa. Some retreats
have been preached, Holy Mass is
celebrated, not only in Enugu, but also in
Owerri, Aba, Asaba, Otukpo, Lagos, and
even Accra in Ghana, and Cotonou in Benin.
You are all welcome to follow us in this new
African adventure! This Letter to Friends
and Benefactors will regularly update you
about how the new mission and apostolate
is going on.
Thank you of your prayers for this immense
work! May God bless you and bless Nigeria!
FIRST MASS IN ENUGU
Father Loïc DUVERGER
District Superior of Africa
A missionary always feels something special when he celebrates his first Mass in his new
mission. He arrives in a new country, not necessarily beautiful. Alas, here as everywhere else,
original sin has brought its terrible consequences. And this is the main reason for why he
comes: in order to bring the benefits of Redemption to souls; to these souls often abandoned in
an ignorance of Faith, with an absence of grace, to these souls to whom God could say, as He
said to St. Augustine: “You would not seek me if you had not already found me”, to these souls
who “sit in the darkness
and under the
shade of
death” (Luke 2): our
mission is to bring
them the light of
Faith and the warmness
of Charity.
But even before
teaching anything or
starting any work,
the priest celebrates
the Holy Mass, in order
to welcome to

this new mission the One who is Light and Source
of Life: Our Lord Jesus-Christ, whom the priest
himself needs so much.
Many confreres have already done some apostolate
in Nigeria. Recognition must be given to Fathers
STEHLIN, GROCHE, CARLILE, FRAMENT,
MARTIN de CLAUSONNE, VERNOY, as well as to
my companion during this journey, the courageous
Fr. Arnold TRAUNER, who accomplishes his 6 th trip
to this country. And lastly, but especially, to our
Nigerian confrere, Fr. Gregory OBIH, who was ordained
in the new rite in 1999 and then joined the
Society in 2005. With great fervour, he is developing
the work of the Society in his country. And I
can assure you that he is very happy that we are
now able to come to assist him!
Though I follow in the footsteps of these illustrious
predecessors, my first Mass at Enugu priory was
quite moving. Fr. Gregory converted the living room
into a small chapel. Fr. Arnold hired a local carpenter
to make a very worthy little altar. It is incidentally a true challenge for an architect to put the
altar in this circular room. We chose the corner that seemed the most central! Let everyone understand
as best as he can, a missionary finds himself sometimes in these kinds of inexplicable
intuitions... Everything was wonderfully prepared, even the flowerbed at the feet of the Blessed
Virgin. And yet the inevitable shortcomings at the beginning of a new mission are there: for instance
the altar cards were missing. Anyway I assumed that I would manage anyway. I am
supposed to know the prayers by heart. However, during the offertory, the faithful sang the
canticle with such zeal that I got muddled up with my Latin while saying the Lavabo prayer. I
had to wait for the end of the hymn to sort things out.
On this first Monday evening, the faithful were around ten. Nevertheless, it was already a
good number for a very new mission. They were all happy to welcome their new prior, and to
say the rosary with him
after Mass. They answered
all the prayers of
the priest in Latin, slowly,
articulating every syllable
to prevent any mispronunciation.
After Mass, they
showed their gratitude,
they brought a few kilos of
yam and some litres of
drinking water. Does not
the Gospel say that God
will reward even a glass
of cold water?
Father Nicolas BÉLY

May I be of assistance?
Y
es, dear Sir, dear Madam,
you can help the Society
of St. Pius X to establish this
new mission in Nigeria. We shall
be very grateful. Here are some
ideas that will help you to
choose freely to donate what
you can and what you want,
without failure in your duty of
state. The daily rosary will be
said at St. Michael’s Priory for
all the intentions of our bene-
factors.
We have added a price esti-
mation, so that you can choose
how you wish to help. It is bet-
ter to avoid sending parcels,
because postage and custom
costs are expensive, and some-
times the parcels never arrive.
Please contact us beforehand.
You can be of assistance for the kitchen
Plates, glasses, cuttlery 500 $
Pans & dishes 650 $
Pantry 500 $
Fridge & freezer 1000 $
Oven 650 $
Gas cooker 650 $
Table and chairs 900 $
Table cloth & napkins 130 $
Electric stabilizer to prevent power variations 200 $
Water purifier 65 $ each (x2)
You can be of assistance for the periodic expenses
(automatic transfer : please write to sspxnigeria@gmail.com)
You can be of assistance for the sacristy
5 Vestments (white, red, green, violet, black) 1 st class 1000 $ each (x5)
5 Vestments (white, red, green, violet, black) 2 nd class 800 $ each (x5)
5 Vestments (white, red, green, violet, black) 3 rd class 600 $ each (x5)
Copes 5 colours 800 $ each (x5)
20 altar boy cassocks and surplices 100 $ each (x20)
Altar clothes (three by three)) 160 $
Altar linens (corporal, purificatory, pall, finger towel) 80 $
Chalice & Paten 1300 - 2000 $
2 ciboriums 300 $ each (x2)
Pair of cruets 80 $
Communion plate 80 $
Monstrance 2000 $
Bell 300 $
Altar Missal with book stand 350 $
Holy Water font and aspersorium 350 $
Thurible with boat 800 $
Humeral veil 300 $
You can be of assistance for the chapel
Wooden main Altar 2000 $
Wooden side Altar 1500 $
Altar Cross 500 $
6 Candelsticks 150 $ each (x6)
Tabernacle 2000 $
Tabernacle veils (white, red, green, violet) 200 $
Benches 1300 $
Stations of the Cross 260 $
Electric fans 40 $ chacun (x4)
Bed 100 $
Matress 130 $
Sheet 50 $
Electric fan 40 $
Mosquito net 20 $
Desk 350 $
To make a donation for the priory of Nigeria, please make your cheques out to:
In £ GBP (English Pounds): “Society St Pius X” - please write on the back: “for Nigeria”
St George’s House - 125 Arthur Road, Wimbledon Park - GB London SW19 7DR
In $ USD (US Dollars): “Society St Pius X” - please write on the back: “for Nigeria”
New Regina Coeli House - 11 485 North Farley Rd. - USA Platte City, MO 64079
In USA: Tax receipts available on request
In $ AUD (Australian Dollars): “Society St Pius X” - please write on the back: “for Nigeria”
PO Box 25 - Penshurt 2222 NSW Australia
You can
prepare a
priest’s cell
Water supply by tanker 55 $ per week
Fuel for electric generator 120 $ per month
House rent 550 $ per month
Whatever Whatever you you you can can do, do, thank thank you you very very much!
much!