Work gets underway
After a snow delay earlier in the year, on January 25th Sacred Heart Southern Missions held a rescheduled groundbreaking for the Gregory Bezy Volunteer House in Holly Springs, Miss. Among those who took part in the ceremony was Bishop Joseph Kopacz of Jackson.
Each year SHSM hosts hundreds of volunteers from all over the country. Many are high school and college students who want to make a difference in the lives of the poor. Often, volunteers find that those whom they have helped have made a difference in their lives as well.
“In volunteering, they find that they too have been changed,” said Fr. Jack Kurps, SHSM executive director. “Their hearts have been changed by their experience. They learn what it means to be a Christian.”
The house will have space for 32 volunteers (four each in eight bedrooms) and is expected to be completed by fall. It is named after Fr. Gregory Bezy, who came to Mississippi in 1952 and served as director of SHSM for more than 30 years. He was instrumental in establishing churches in northern Mississippi, expanding schools and initiating social outreach programs.
Click here to learn more about the work of SHSM volunteers.
Getting out of the sacristies and going to the people!
Frater Juan Carlos Castañeda Rojas is in Brazil, where he is doing a ministerial year with a focus on youth ministry. Last week he took part in the Dehonian Youth Mission.
“This mission gave me an intercultural and inter-religious experience that taught me again to be more respectful and understanding of other cultures and religions,” wrote Frater Juancho. “And that is what Pope Francis is doing by inviting us to engage in inter-cultural and religious dialogue with other people and faiths…
“What an incredible experience it was to see the young Dehonians who had so much enthusiasm in their heart for this experience… Entering each house was like opening a book and each page brought something completely different and new. We met really humble people who opened not just the doors of their homes but their hearts to us as they shared with us their feelings.
“To my surprise and joy, in one of the many houses that I visited I had the opportunity to meet and get to know a Buddhist family. I was impressed by the way they spoke about Catholics and even more how they spoke about Fr. Leo John Dehon. I was amazed by their knowledge about our founder as well as their love for Pope Francis. Furthermore, to make this experience even greater, I was invited to light incense as an offering to their ancestors.
“’My ancestors are going to be very happy with your presence and offering,’ they said to us.”
Click here to read more from Frater Juancho on the province blog site.
On February 1 Frater Juancho will renew his temporary vows along with other SCJ students in Brazil.
The “Dehonian Esprit de Corps”
At the end of last year David Schimmel, as Director of Dehonian Associates, began writing to former SCJs and SCJ seminary alumni to invite them to join the “Dehonian Esprit de Corps,” an association that will facilitate spiritual and social fellowship among SCJs, former SCJs, and SCJ seminary alumni.
Click here to read the invitation letter.
David Schimmel is looking for contact information for several people including Jack Maher, Fred Moffett, Gene Traversa, John Cain, Tony D’Angelo and Tim McInerny. If you have an email or mailing address for these men, or other former SCJs, please click here to share it with David.
SCJ News mailing list
The SCJ News mailing list is being reviewed and updated. Click here to add a name to the list. The SCJ News is an eight-page newsletter published by the US Province approximately six times a year. It contains news and features about members of the Priests of the Sacred Heart and their ministries.
US Province represented in India
Fr. Dominic Peluse and Pam Milczarski of the Province Development Office leave for India tomorrow to represent the US Province at the dedication of several new homes and to visit the construction of a new church at St. Joseph Parish in Kerala. Benefactors from the US Province donated to these and many other efforts including a solar project, 160 compost toilets, and the replacement of windows and doors at the district theology house.
While there Fr. Dominic and Pam will be present for the ordination of Deacon Wensenslaus Cajetan Pinto.
“I am looking forward to returning to see how our support has helped the people of India,” said Fr. Dominic.
Help from SHML friends
As noted above, benefactors in the US Province have been generous in supporting the SCJ mission in India.
One of the recent beneficiaries of that support was the Christu Dehon Nivas formation community in Eluru, which received a new water softener through a donation made by two lay residents at Sacred Heart at Monastery Lake.
Water must be filtered before being used by the community. Without the softener, the filtration systems continually clogged so until the installation of the water softener, all drinking water had to be purchased.
The new softener was blessed by Fr. Tom Cassidy last week.
New website for India
Speaking of India, the district has a new website. Click here to visit it.
Please remember
Frank Putirskis, the husband of Helen Putirskis, died last week. Helen is a volunteer at SHSST and a long-time staff member (now retired) of the Province Development Office.
Mike Healy, a former custodian at St. Joseph’s Indian School, recently died of cancer.
Provincial’s time
Today Fr. Ed Kilianski has a visitation with the St. Francis community (Woods Road) and on Wednesday he will be with the Dehon House community for its visitation. On Tuesday Fr. Ed has a meeting with the executive community of the board of directors of Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology.
February 6 he and members of the council will spend the evening with the Dehon Formation Community. Provincial Council meetings are February 7-8. February 11-17 Fr. Ed will be in Pinellas Park, Fl., for a visitation.
Catholic Schools Week
This week is National Catholic Schools Week. In North America SCJs operate several schools including Holy Family School in Holly Springs, MS, Sacred Heart School in Southaven, MS, Our Lady of Guadalupe School in Houston TX, St. Joseph Indian School in Chamberlain, SD, St. Martin of Tours School in Franklin, WI, Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology, Hales Corners, WI, and Séminaire du Sacré-Coeur, Pointe-au-Chêne, Québec.
The following prayer for National Catholic Schools Week is from the January 27th issue of Dehonian Spirituality:
Divine Teacher,
welcome me into your school of love.
May I learn here
to make a return of love to you,
who have given me
such wondrous proofs of your love,
and to share this gift of love
with those who are in my care.
United to your total gift of self,
may my self-offering
contribute to the re-creation of humanity
in your image.
Amen.
