11 ordained in India
Fr. Tom Cassidy, provincial superior, has been in India during the past week where he attended two ordination ceremonies. A total of 11 Indian SCJs were ordained. The ordaining bishop was Bishop Virginio Bressanelli of Neuquén Patagonia-Comahue, Argentina. The bishop was superior general of the Priests of the Sacred Heart when the congregation began its presence in India.
“In the year 2000 I had the grace to visit this place for the first time on the occasion of the groundbreaking ceremony of the formation house ‘Dehon Prema Nilayam,’” said the bishop. “Let me thank heartily the local Church of Guntur who, with much love and trust, received us and allowed us to establish here our formation house and our novitiate. Today Guntur opens the doors of the cathedral to consecrate to the service of God’s Kingdom this beautiful group of new Dehonian priests. For this I say ‘Thank You’ to this Church of Guntur and to her Bishop.”
To the young SCJs which he ordained, Bishop Bressanelli reminded them that “you will be ordained to be priests of the Church, in the Church, and for the Church, according to the heart of the Church. Remember always that you are children of the Church. You were born to her, she confirmed your call, and she today makes you sharers in the priesthood of Christ. Love the Church with all your heart. You are not meant to be priests on your own and for your own purposes, you will be ordained as parts of a body whose head is Christ and we are the members.”
Click here to read the homilies given by Bishop Bressanelli at the two ordination Masses.
Fr. McQueen Mascarenhas, one of the first Indian SCJs to be ordained, wrote about the recent ordinations. Click here to read his article.
Update and thanks
The death of Fr. Rick DiLeo not only left a hole in the SCJ community, but also in the pastoral team at Our Lady of Guadalupe parish in Houston. OLG is a large parish with six weekend masses, four of which are in Spanish. One is bilingual.
Although he was scheduled to begin studies in fall, Fr. Vien Nguyen will postpone those plans to temporarily join the OLG parish team. No stranger to Houston or Spanish-speaking ministry, Fr. Vien served at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in Houston prior to joining the formation team in Chicago.
“Personally, and in the name of the province, I want to thank Fr. Vien for his generosity and willingness to postpone his academic plans to help at Our Lady of Guadalupe,” said Fr. Bill Pitcavage. Fr. Bill is vice provincial superior.
Memorial cards
We still have a few memorial cards for Fr. Rick DiLeo. If you would like to receive one (or more), please contact Mary Gorski at marygorski@sbcglobal.net.
Back home in South Africa
After over 30 years in South Africa, Bishop Joseph Potocnak has a hard time not thinking of the country as home. After several months in the United States visiting with family and SCJs, as well as celebrating his 50th jubilee, Bishop Joe is back at his other home in South Africa. He is based at the provincialate in Aliwal North until September. He will then move to Port Elizabeth, where he has accepted a one-year parish assignment.
“Once I am settled, I’ll send an address,” he wrote. Until then, if you need to reach the bishop, contact him at the South African provincialate.
School year approaches
The first summer session of ESL ends this week at Sacred Heart School of Theology and new seminarians arrive this weekend for an orientation week. Classes begin on August 29, including the start of the second ESL summer session.
The seminary’s opening Mass is on August 31.
Luncheons
The Province Development Office has begun to set its luncheon calendar for the next year. It includes the following dates:
Hartford, CT October 11, 2011
Medford, MA October 13
Arecibo, PR Week of February 13, 2012
San Juan, PR Week of February 13
South Gate, CA Week of March 19
San Francisco, CA Week of March 19
Royal Oak, MI Week of April 23
Bayonne, NJ Week of May 21
Ridgewood (Queens), NY Week of May 21
“I hope to encourage a wide variety of my fellow SCJs to join me at our luncheons,” said Fr. Dominic Peluse, spiritual director of the office. “It’s a great way for our brothers and priests to get a sense of the people who support us in our ministry. And it’s also a ‘feel good’ moment to realize how much people respect and appreciate the work that the Priests of the Sacred Heart do, and who we are as sons of Fr. Dehon. That’s something that I want more of our men to experience.”
The luncheons are an opportunity to both thank benefactors and share information with them about the Priests of the Sacred Heart. If you would like to learn more about the luncheons, call or email the Planned Giving Department at 800-448-7674, plannedgiving@poshusa.org.
SCJs are also welcome to contact Fr. Dominic about joining him at a luncheon. “It’s a way to reinvigorate our vocation as SCJs,” he said.
Divine Heart Seminary 50th reunion
August 5-7, Divine Heart Seminary’s class of 1961 gathered at Sacred Heart School of Theology for its 50th reunion. Among the attendees was Fr. Bernie Rosinski, who was a DHS teacher in 1961.
Fr. Bernie wrote a reflection on the reunion. Click here to read it.
Upcoming meetings and events:
August 30-31: Provincial Council Meeting
September 7: Installation of SHM local superior, 5 pm., main chapel
September 28: ESL Cultural Fair
October 2: Pet Blessing (SHST)
October 4-5: Provincial Council Meeting
October 17-20: European Conference on Secularity (Frs. Tom Cassidy of the U.S. Province and Fr. Bill Marrevee of Canada will attend the conference in Clairefontaine, Belgium)
November 8-9: Combined Councils Meeting of the U.S. and Canada (Ottawa)
November 14-16: SCJ Retreat, Pinellas Park
December 14-15: Provincial Council Meeting
December 18: Advent Concert, 2 p.m.
