A new administration begins

The recently elected US Provincial Council held its first meeting September 18-19; new to the council are Fr. Vien Nguyen, SCJ, and Br. Andy Gancarczyk, SCJ. This is the second three-year term for Fr. Ed Kilianski, SCJ, as provincial superior (the new administration is pictured above at the 2018 Election Assembly).

One of the first orders of business was to appoint key members of the administration including Dn. David Nagel, SCJ, as provincial treasurer and mission procurator; Br. Frank Presto, SCJ, as provincial secretary, and Fr. Quang Nguyen, SCJ, as vice provincial superior.

“Enculturation” was a significant topic during the meeting; this will be the theme of the 2019 provincial visitations. Councilors emphasized that this includes not only the enculturation of international SCJs to the US Province, but also enculturation of generations, ministerial traditions, and styles of community. How can “newness” be welcomed and embraced while at the same time respecting the traditions (culture) of a particular ministry and/or community?

Enculturation will be addressed at the January 8-10, 2019, Provincial Conference, “Our Future Together in Community in Ministry, Part II.” This is a continuation of the 2018 gathering for SCJs under 70 in active ministry.

The council also decided that the province would add its signature to the US Catholic Climate Declaration, an effort to bring attention to the United States’ commitment to addressing climate change. The document has already been signed by over 700 Catholic institutions, including 43 archdioceses and dioceses. Click here for more information.

Remembering Fr. Tady

Fr. Byron Haaland, SCJ, was the homilist and Frs. Quang Nguyen, SCJ, and Ed Kilianski, SCJ, were the main celebrants of the Mass of Christian Burial for Fr. Leonard Tadyszak, SCJ, last Thursday.

Click here to view photos from the Mass. They were also posted on the US Province Facebook page.

Welcome home!

After having his jubilee visit to Indonesia cut short due to health concerns, Fr. Wayne Jenkins, SCJ, is back home at Sacred Heart at Monastery Lake. Welcome back Fr. Wayne!

Keep in prayer

Last week Fr. Yvon Sheehy, SCJ,  was admitted to Wheaton Franciscan Hospital in Franklin for treatment of an infection. It is hoped that he will be back home early this week.

Pet blessings

St. Martin of Tours parish in Franklin, WI, will offer its annual pet blessings on Saturday, September 29, at 10:00 a.m. Dehonians on the parish team include Br. Duane Lemke, Fr. Terry Langley and Fr. Joseph Quang Tran.

Impact of faith-based investors on corporations

The US Province is a member of Seventh Generation Interfaith Coalition for Responsible Investment, which is hosting an event October 16 to honor its 45 years of shareholder activism. Held at Marquette University in Milwaukee, it will begin with a panel of corporate executives and SRI (Socially Responsible Investment) leaders discussing the “Impact of faith-based investors on Corporations.” Panel members will include representatives from Philip Morris International, Walmart, Merck, Trinity Health (one of the nation’s largest Catholic healthcare systems), Dana Investment Advisors and the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility.

The panel discussion, open to the public, will be from 4:00 – 5:30 pm. A ticket-only reception follows from 6:00 – 7:30 pm.  Tickets for the reception are $75 and can be purchased on the SGI website.

HOWEVER, the Justice, Peace and Reconciliation Commission is offering complimentary tickets to the first six SCJs who request them (limited travel reimbursement is available for those coming from out of town). Contact Mark Peters, province director of JPR, to secure one of the six tickets. Click here to email him, or call: 414-427-4273.

Mark serves on the Coalition board of directors (the coalition includes 28 faith-based institutional investors).

Dehonians co-sponsor DACA benefit concert

“Keep Our Dream Alive,” is a benefit concert hosted by the School Sisters of St. Francis and sponsored by a coalition of Milwaukee-area religious congregations (including the Priests of the Sacred Heart) to raise money to help DACA recipients pay their $500 renewal fee. It will be held from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, October 21, at St. Joseph Chapel, 1501 S. Layton Blvd., Milwaukee, WI. Tickets are $20. The concert will feature the Latino Arts Mariachi Juvenil and Infantil.

For more information, email or call Sr. Dusty Farnan, OP, at dfarnan@sssf.org. 414-385-5261. Click here to view a flyer about the concert.

Bookmobile delivers more than books

St. Joseph’s Indian School has an impact beyond its campus in Chamberlain, SD. One of its many community outreach projects is the St. Joseph’s Bookmobile. Each summer, the bookmobile travels nearly 3,000 miles across reservations in North and South Dakota to distribute free reading materials to Native American children and their families.

This past summer over 6,500 books were given away, along with 24 cases of water (during a record-hot summer!), three cases of peanut butter and jelly cracker sandwiches, six cases of cookies and three cases of apples.

Besides sharing books and an informal meal, the bookmobile is also a way for St. Joseph’s staff to visit with former students and to share the school with prospective families. “Books bring people together and families are comfortable in the atmosphere. It’s a way we can meet on their terms,” said Jeff, one of St. Joseph’s counselors. “It’s important for me as a counselor to make these visits because it gives me a real understanding of the communities our students come from, what those look like, what’s going on in those places. It’s a great experience and just keeps getting better every year.”

Powwow

St. Joseph’s Indian School just released a few statistics from the 42nd Annual Powwow: 440 benefactors attended this year’s event; there were a total of 153 dancers, 96 of whom were St. Joseph’s students (20 students earned awards); 620 pieces of fry bread were sold, 600 meals were served after the powwow, and 62 benefactors took part in a bus tour hosted by the school on the Thursday before powwow.

Click here to read more on the school blog.

Vow renewals

Fr. Ed Kilianski will receive the vow renewals of two ESL students from Madagascar (Fraters Razafison Haja Gérard Éric and Rasoloarimanana Ferdinand) at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, September 28, at the novitiate.

Closing shot

Frater Phong “Paul” Hoang, SCJ (far right), shows the current novitiate class how to “crib-lift” boulders out of the way of the mower on the novitiate property. Fr. Byron Haaland, SCJ, novice master, notes the importance of both “ora” and “labora” during the novitiate. It looks like the novitiate dog, Jarle, was serving as associate novice master for the day.