Br. Gerard Francis (Dean Peter Nichols), SSPX

Born: 3 April 1957

Professed as a Religious Brother in the Society of St. Pius X: 29 Sept. 2000

Died: 24 April 2017

Dublin, Ireland-Br. Gerard Francis, SSPX (in the world, Dean Peter Nichols), passed to his eternal reward at Blackrock Hospice in Dublin, Ireland, on Monday, April 24, 2017.  Brother was diagnosed just months ago with a malignant brain tumor which gradually paralyzed him and claimed his life.  He was 60 years old.

Brother was born Dean Peter Nichols, 3 April 1957, one of identical twins, to Earl William Nichols and Florence Margaret (Dominy) Nichols, who predeceased him.  He is survived by his twin, Rev. Fr. David Nichols, SSPX, of Los Gatos, CA; Wayne Nichols of St. Marys, KS; Steven Nichols of Melbourne, FL; Jeffrey Nichols (Jeffrey McCain) of Jackson, NY; Thomas (Tina) Nichols of Wilton, NY; Jane (Gary) Nichols-Wood of Cambridge, NY; James Nichols of Jackson, NY; and Joan (Tom) Finnegan of Vandalia, MO; and many nieces, nephews and cousins.

Br. Gerard was raised in New Jersey and upstate New York, and graduated from South Glens Falls Senior High, in South Glens Falls, NY, in 1976.  Raised a Roman Catholic, Brother began to attend the Traditional Latin Mass in Glenmont, NY, in 1977, and by 1985 had decided to enter the seminary of the Society of St. Pius X, at that time located in Ridgefield, CT.  In 1986, he took the habit of a Religious Brother and the name Gerard Francis in honor of St. Gerard Majella and St. Francis of Assisi.  Brother assisted the priests of the SSPX at St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary in Ridgefield, CT, and continued to do so when the seminary moved to Winona, MN, in 1988.  Brother made his Perpetual Profession on 29 September 2000 at the Brothers' Novitiate, at that time located in El Paso, TX.  He was assigned again to the seminary, where he continued his work as cook, gardener and launderer for many years.  In 2008, he was assigned to the SSPX District of Ireland with his twin, Rev. Fr. David Nichols.  Brother continued in Ireland when Fr. Nichols returned to the US in 2013.

Br. Gerard was known for his piety, simplicity and perpetual smile, based as they were on a rock-solid faith in Our Lord and His Church, and in Our Lady to whom he was especially devoted.  He was always heard to repeat "Deo gratias!" ("Thanks be to God!") no matter what event, good or bad, overtook him.  It was this same steady, unwavering faith and devotion which allowed him to accept God's will in all things, even the cancer which overtook him so far from the land of his birth.

Friends may call Friday May 5, 2017 from 4 p.m. to 6:30p. m., at the McClellan-Gariepy Funeral Home, 19 East Broadway, Salem, NY. Those who wish may join the family for the Rosary at 6:30 pm.

A traditional Roman Catholic Requiem Mass will be celebrated at 10:00 am, Saturday, May 6, 2017 at North American Martyrs Roman Catholic Chapel, 100 Boulevard, Hudson Falls, NY (518-632-5679).

Burial will follow at the Nichols-McCain Family Cemetery in Jackson, NY.

Donations in memory of Brother may be made to the Novitiate of the Holy Angels, 21077 Quarry Hill Road, Winona, MN 55987.