Priestly Ordinations in South Africa
On Saturday, December 5, 2020 Bishop Alfonso de Galarreta ordained three priests in Bredell, South Africa, residence of the District Superior of Africa.
The ways of Providence use means that are often astonishing in the eyes of men. In this case, the ordinations of priests trained at the Holy Cross Seminary in Goulburn, Australia, should have taken place in that country as they do every year.
But the rules set by the Australian government, because of the health crisis, would have made difficult the visit by the bishop in charge of ordinations. Therefore, the superiors decided to move them to the African continent, from where one of the new priests comes.
And so it is that, for the second time in the history of the Society of Saint Pius X, South Africa has hosted priestly ordinations. The first time was in 1989, for the ordination of priests of South African origin.
Of the three newly ordained priests, two of them are from the Philippines, and the third is of Kenyan origin.
As of December 8, the Fraternity of Saint Pius X now has 680 priests. Deo gratias!