Preparing for WYD
On Divine Mercy weekend at Our Lady of Guadalupe in Houston, SCJs hosted a time of reflection and preparation for young people who will be going to World Youth Day this summer. Br. Andy Gancarczyk, the primary organizer of the WYD group from OLG, put a video together from the weekend. Among those making appearances in it are Frater Justin Krenke, Frater Juancho Castañeda, Fr. Mark Mastin, Fr. Ziggy Morawiec and Fr. Ed Kilianski. Click here to view it.
A few photos from the video are also in an album on the US Province Facebook page. Click here to access it.
Remembering those who came before us
Fr. Stephen Huffstetter wrote a post for the province blog about a visit that he and Fr. Carlos Enrique Caamano Martin, vicar general, recently made to the SCJs’ mausoleum at Campo Verano, Rome’s main cemetery.
“Carlos Enrique led the way to our mausoleum, which held a small altar in a glass enclosed room in front of a mosaic of the Good Shepherd,” write Fr. Steve. “Two of our Superior Generals, Fr. Lellig and Fr. Govaart, are buried here, along with 17 others who have died at the Generalate.
“We opened the glass doors in the front and climbed down a steep ladder, looking at the stone slabs marking the places of our beloved dead as we descended about 30 feet. While I was looking at the names and dates on the stones, Carlos Enrique snatched a broom from the corner and handed it to me. It then dawned on me that it was our responsibility to clean and tidy up, which I did with a joy and prayerful spirit. As St. Benedict was fond of saying, “Ora et Labora.”
“When I was making my good-bye rounds in the US last July, I realized there would be some members of the province that I might be seeing for the last time, and that has proved to be the case. One of the adjustments to life in Rome is missing the chance to be with community when we celebrate a funeral liturgy and celebrate and remember the life of those who have shared so much with us along the way. I pray for all who have gone before us and built the foundations for what we are now able to do.”
Click here to read the full blog post.
Update
Fr. Zbigniew Morawiec’s email address: zibimorawiec@gmail.com
On YouTube
Videos from the March 30 panel discussion on migration, sponsored by the North American Committee on Immigration, are now available on You Tube. Mark Peters, US Province JPR director, notes that the introduction failed to record but the rest of the presentation is available in two parts. Click on the following links to access them:
The panelists on the video are (L-R): Louise Cainkar, associate professor of sociology at Marquette University, Rachel Ida Buff, associate professor of history at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, and Ed Fallone, associate professor at Marquette University Law School.
Click here to read a summary of the presentation that was posted on the province website.
20 Questions with Fr. Frank
Favorite color? What makes you happy? What are you good at? What is your greatest fear… “Twenty Questions” is a regular feature in which SCJs and those with whom they minister and collaborate share a bit about themselves in an informal Q&A, each answering 20 questions.
This week we turn the spotlight on Fr. Frank Wittouck. “I was born in Chicago, IL, on March 23, 1938,” he writes. “I was raised on the south side. I am an only child and wanted to have brothers and sisters. This is probably one of the big reasons why I went to the minor seminary at Donaldson in 1952. I immediately got 120 brothers and was not homesick.”
Fr. Frank has been a teacher, spiritual director and administrator in the province’s seminaries, a military chaplain (serving in Korea, Germany, Kuwait and in the United States), a prison chaplain, as well as a parish pastor –– and those are just the highlights of his CV. A lifelong student, he has certificates and degrees from Sacred Heart Monastery, Kilroe Seminary, the Catholic University of America, the University of Detroit, the Austin-Presbyterian Seminary, the University of San Francisco and Loyola University New Orleans. Fr. Frank is now actively retired in Houston.
A self-described James Bond “fanatic,” Fr. Frank says that his favorite movies also include “South Pacific” and “Man of la Mancha.”
Click here to read Fr. Frank’s full profile.
Our work so far…
Last week the general administration met in Foligno, Italy, for a few days of reflection and formation. At the end of their gathering they made a video in which several members of the General Council reflected on their time together.
Click here to view the English version of it (or on the link above). Be sure to watch it all the way to the end where you will find a few of the clips (bloopers and outtakes) that didn’t make the final cut.
Click here to read a write-up about the days in Foligno which is posted on the general website.
Nine SHSST seminarians prepare for diaconate
Nine seminarians from Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology made their deacon promises on March 30. These seminarians will be ordained to the transitional diaconate in their sponsoring dioceses. They include Leo Blasi, Diocese of Salina; Daniel Dorau, Davenport; Francisco Javier Franquiz Arroyo, Carlos Enrique Gomez Chirinos, Peter Nguyen, and Rubén Villalón Rivera, all of the Diocese of Memphis; John Martin, Fort Worth; Mark Ouma, Lexington; and Saulo Daniel Ramos Hernández, Little Rock.
Additionally, seminarian Michael Neeland, SDS, made his deacon promises with the Society of the Divine Savior on March 18, and Michael Martin of Louisville made his promises on March 13 and was ordained a deacon in Louisville on March 19.
The Joy of Love
Last Friday the Vatican published Pope Francis’ Apostolic Exhortation on the family, drawing together almost three years of consultations with Catholics around the world. Its title: “Amoris Laetitia” or “The Joy of Love.”
Click here to read an extensive summary of it on the Vatican News website.
Click here to access a PDF of the full document in English.
Excuse our typo!
Last week we wished Fr. Wojciech Adamczyk a happy 40th birthday (accompanied with a photo from Fr. Duy Nguyen). Unfortunately, we mistyped his name. The correct spelling is just above. Apologies, and again, happy birthday!
Provincial’s Time
Fr. Ed Kilianski leaves for South Dakota on Wednesday, April 13 where he has board meetings and then a visitation. He will be there until April 20. May 2 is the meeting of the North American administrations (Hales Corners) and on May 3-4 Fr. Ed has Provincial Council meetings.
