The Society of Saint Pius X (or SSPX), is a traditional branch of the Church seen in Rome as a threat to the Holy See because it represents a parallel, “ultra-Catholic” (as the media terms it) faith.

Translation: strict pre-Vatican Two, Latin stuff. It is now in the news because it has decided to consecrate bishops on July 1 without Vatican approval. Those bishops are now excommunicated, meaning there is a more formal schism.

While many can argue about the issue of obedience (for sure), and balance, the fact is that many young rediscovering Catholicism are gravitating precisely to the traditional, old-school side of it, and the SSPX, as radical as it might seem to modernists, is not an insignificant sect.

It now has six bishops, 751 priests, 264 seminarians training in five seminaries, 145 religious brothers, 88 oblates and 250 religious sisters representing 50 nationalities, according to SSPX statistics.

The event, in Switzerland, was attended by a large crowd.

Its newsmaking consecration of bishops Tuesday made headlines not only due to the defiance of the Vatican (in the face of the Pope’s excommunication warning), but also because there was a lightning strike recorded on the SSPX consecration video: It happened, according to social media, right when the presiding bishop receives Communion. Asked the post: “Is that a sign?”

(Bishop: “Corpus Domini nostri Jesu Christi [lightning strikes here] custodiat animam meam in vitam aeternam. Amen.” (May the body of our Lord Jesus Christ [lightning strikes here] guard my soul to eternal life. Amen.) The post was from a man named Eric Bermingham. Lightning strike at 3:45:07/6:21:50. You discern.

According to the post on Facebook, “A heavy rainstorm interrupted the SSPX episcopal consecration ceremony in Écône, Switzerland. The ordinations, carried out without papal approval, have been described by the Vatican as a schismatic act.”