40th annual Powwow!
On September 17, St. Joseph’s Indian School held its 40th annual “Wacipi “ or powwow. Nine drum groups and 163 youth dancers competed. Hundreds of people from around the country gathered on the school campus to celebrate Native American culture and heritage. There were also bus tours of the area, including visits to SCJ ministries.
Click here or on the image above to view a video about this year’s event. Fr. Anthony Kluckman is chaplain at St. Joseph’s.
Ottawa SCJs welcome refugee family
On Friday, September 23, SCJs in Ottawa welcomed Andre Boulad, a 22-year-old Syrian refugee. He is staying at the community house on Daly Street until an apartment is ready for him and his family in mid-October. His mother and sister are expected to join him soon; other family members, including an uncle, are already in the area.
“With the urgent need for Syrian refugees to find a new homeland in view of the unending civil war, each of the Canadian Region’s communities made a commitment to sponsor a Syrian family,” said Fr. John van den Hengel, regional superior of Canada. “With the close of the federal government sponsorship program on February 29 the application by the Ottawa community got in just under the wire for a second wave of privately-sponsored refugee families on March 31.”
Although the community was expecting the family sometime in fall, they didn’t have a specific date until last Monday when they learned that Andre would be in Ottawa by the end of the week. Then it was a quick scramble to get things organized for the family. The SCJs are working with volunteers, including members of Resurrection parish, in assisting the family.
Please remember
+Fr. Mario Sangiorgio, a member of the North Italian Province, died on September 12. He was born in 1923, professed in 1940 and ordained in 1949.
+Fr. Giuseppe Civerra, a member of the South Italian Province, died on September 21. He was born in 1926, professed in 1945 and ordained in 1953.
Novice master named
During a conference call last Thursday, September 22, Fr. Ed Kilianski and the Provincial Council voted to name Fr. Byron Haaland as novice master for the US Province. The five-year appointment begins on October 1, 2016.
“I ask that you keep Fr. Byron in your prayers as he prepares for this ministry in our province,” said Fr. Ed. “Our plan is to appoint an assistant novice master to work with him. Please pray also for our formation directors and our candidates who are contemplating entrance into the novitiate.”
SHSST Culture Fair
The annual Cultural Fair will take place in the main dining room at Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology on Friday from 3:00 – 7:00 pm. The fair is an opportunity for international students to share the food, beverages and traditions of their home countries.
SCJs, co-workers and friends of the SHSST and SCJ communities are invited to stop by and visit.
Is there a patron saint of copy machines?
In a post on the province blog last week Fr. Tom Cassidy wrote that “In the Catholic Church there seems to be a prayer and a blessing for everything…
“Yesterday our new copy machine was delivered. The house has been without one since before I first came to Christu Dehon Nivas in 2013. The brothers [students] who get 300 rupees a month [about $4.50) pocket money to take care of personal needs, recreation, etc., have been paying one rupee a page for anything they need copied for school. At the first community meeting before the opening of the school year the request was made for a house copy machine.
“To make a long story short I heard about the need and when I was given money from two residents at Sacred Heart at Monastery Lake for India I suggested to Fr. Michael Augustine (our rector) that it be used towards the copy machine. Their gift came to just under 50,000 rupees [about $750]. Fr. Michael Benedict (district treasurer) said that the district could cover the difference.
“Indian Catholics believe in having just about everything blessed, especially if it is new. Since it was our donors at SHML who were instrumental in getting the new copy machine Fr. Michael asked me to bless it. In the Church ritual book there is actually a ‘Blessing of Technical Installations or Equipment…’
“We are most grateful to the generosity of others for making life and education here at Christu Dehon Nivas not only better but in ways that will aid in our spiritual, educational and human interaction and communication.”
Click here to read this and other posts on the province blog.
SCJ works with student group
The Northwest Catholic Student Association is a student organization at Northwest Mississippi Community College that provides a social and spiritual environment for Northwest students who are Catholic or those interested in learning about the Catholic faith. Monthly meetings contain scripture readings, prayer, time for conversation and the planning of social activities. Fr. Greg Schill of the SCJs’ pastoral team in northern Mississippi, is one of the sponsors of the group. He is pictured above with other members.
October birthdays
Those celebrating birthdays in October include: Fr. John van den Hengel (77) on Oct. 1, Fr. Ed Zemlik (59) on Oct. 3, Fr. Tony Russo (78) and Fr. Bob Naglich (61) on Oct. 4, Br. Leonard Zaworski (74) on Oct. 8, Fr. Tom Cassidy (74) on Oct. 13, Fr. Mike Burke (79), Fr. Bill Pitcavage (74), Fr. Paul Grizzelle Reid (73) and Br. Dieudonné Tchouteu (54) on Oct. 14, Fr. Maurice Légaré (62) on Oct. 15, Fr. Christianus Hendrik (47) on Oct. 21, Fr. Bob Bossie (79) on Oct. 23, and Fr. Richard Johnston (84) on Oct. 27.
Bilingual feast-day celebration
Last Thursday Fr. Jim Walters, director of Hispanic Studies for Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology, gave the homily during the seminary’s bilingual liturgy to commemorate the feast of Blessed Juan Maria de la Cruz, the first SCJ to be named blessed.
“¿Qué significa hacerse mártir?” asked Fr. Jim. “¿Cuánto le cuesta a uno? What does it mean to become a martyr? The martyr is called, in the words of Bishop Richard Sklba, ‘to offer a counter-cultural critique, a cultural ‘revolution’ of values from within, not by violence from without’…
“Fr. Juan’s life and those many who were martyred with him challenge each of us as did the witness of Jesus and his disciples in today’s gospel to rethink our baptismal call in radically different terms. Martyrs are ordinary men and women like us who are so convinced and deeply moved by the message of the gospel that they are willing to put their lives on the line. They are the ones who challenge us to reexamine our values in light of the gospel. They are the ones willing to risk their reputations and public opinion to speak and live the truth. Los encontramos en todas partes; aquellos que nos desafían a reexaminar nuestros valores en relación al evangelio, aquellos que no tienen miedo arriesgar su reputación hablando y viviendo la verdad. Their lives challenge us to examine the fears within us that hold us captive and prevent us from witnessing to the truth of the gospel wherever we find ourselves. We may rationalize our fears, convincing ourselves that it might not be prudent, it might make things worse, never realizing the great price we pay for our fear. No nos damos cuenta que el miedo nos esclaviza y no nos permite vivir y proclamar la verdad.”
Click here to read the full homily.
Provincial’s time
Fr. Ed Kilianski is in the Milwaukee area most of the next two weeks. However, starting in October he will be spending much of his time in airports, going to Mississippi for Mission Education October 8-12 and from there, flying to South Dakota for board meetings October 12-13. A few days later he goes to Buffalo, NY, to visit family before heading to Toronto for the North American council meetings October 17-18.
But before he takes flight, he will be in Chicago on October 3 to install Fr. David Szatkowski as local superior of the Dehon Formation Community.
Closing shot
Members of the province Senior Life Commission met at the Provincial Offices September 20. The intergenerational commission, co-chaired by Fr. Richard MacDonald and Fr. Jim Schroeder, advises provincial administration on issues related to the well-being of our senior brothers and priests. A few photos from the meeting are below; those pictured include Br. Brian Tompkins, Fr. Vincent Suparman, Fr. Richard MacDonald, Br. Ray Kozuch, Fr. Jim Schroeder, Fr. Pat Lloyd, Fr. Byron Haaland and Dn. David Nagel.
