“We are called to be brothers and sisters to all, without prejudice and without fear”
The quote is from Fr. José Ornelas Carvalho, superior general of the Priests of the Sacred Heart, in his letter to the Dehonian Family on the occasion of the Feast of the Sacred Heart.
“We are a family that grows, inspired by love of the Heart of Christ,” wrote Fr. General. “On June 15, we celebrate together the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, invited to let our thirst be quenched by the contemplation of the pierced side of Christ on the cross (Gospel of the day), a symbol of total love and a life given to the Father and to humans…
“From the pierced Heart of Christ we learn to open ourselves to the poor, excluded from society because no one else pays attention to them, to those who have distanced themselves from God and the Church, because other appeals were more powerful that the testimony of love on the part of Christians and to those who are without hope and who cannot find a meaning in life. We are called to be brothers and sisters to all, without prejudice and without fear.”
Click here to read the full letter to the Dehonian Family. Click here to read the feast day letter written to members of the Priests of the Sacred Heart. And finally, click here to download a prayer service prepared for the day.
Feast day at Sacred Heart Monastery
As they have in years past, Sacred Heart Monastery will team up with the Province Development Office to welcome friends of the community to a Feast of the Sacred Heart celebration at Sacred Heart Monastery.
On Friday, June 15, the monastery will begin welcoming guests at 9 a.m. Mass is at 11 a.m. in the main chapel. Besides the feast-day Mass, guests will be treated to a light picnic lunch, video presentations about the congregation, tours of historical displays, and a silent auction. For more information, contact the development office at 414-425-3383.
From the Holy Land to Brazil
The last time Fr. Tim Gray posted on the province blog he wrote about his visit to the Holy Land. From one end of the world to the other, he is now writing from Brazil, where he is spending the last part of his sabbatical learning about SCJ ministries and communities in South America. From his post on June 11:
“A pleasant surprise for me has been the communication; it has been very good considering that I speak Spanish, not Portuguese,” he wrote. “About half the time I will sit in the middle of a conversation, like I am floating in a pond, hearing words and phrases go by, sometimes catching the drift of the conversation. Then suddenly, there will be a jerk, like a towrope pulling me, and I am up on top, water skiing! I am speaking Spanish, but I let words and accents from the Portuguese language tapes I have been studying creep in.
“The others speak slowly and clearly enough, using lots of Spanish words and phrases themselves.
“Tonight I had a long discussion with Fr. Celson, a priest I met ten years ago in Recife. It was a typical late-night discussion of religion and politics, and although a lot of what we shared was kind of sad and discouraging, it was exactly what I hoped for on this trip — to cross barriers of language and culture and to share what we have in common.”
Click here to read the full blog entry.
Please remember
Helen Zemlik, the 87-year-old mother of Fr. Ed Zemlik, died June 8. The visitation will be 4– 8p.m., Tuesday, June 12, Burns Funeral Home, 10101 Broadway, Crown Point, IN 46307, 219-769-0044. The funeral is scheduled for 11 a.m., Wednesday, June 13, Our Lady of Consolation Church, 8303 Taft St., Merrillville, IN 46410
Condolences can be sent to Fr. Ed at Sacred Heart Monastery in Hales Corners.
Also, please remember Charlotte Ann Sternemann, 77, the sister of Fr. Ed Griesemer, who died on June 9 after a 14-year fight with leukemia.
A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at 11 a.m. on Thursday, June 14, at St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church, 3155 S. 200 West, Kokomo, IN. A wake will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, June 13, at Shirley and Stout Funeral Home and Crematory, 1315 W. Lincoln Rd.; the rosary will be offered at 7:30 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church, Purdue Cancer Research or to the Howard Regional Foundation, Oncology Fund.
World Refugee Day
Fr. Peter McKenna of the Canadian Region reminds SCJs that World Refugee Day is June 20 and shares a prayer service prepared to honor the day and the people it remembers.
“We welcome you to use these prayers to help mark the lives and struggles of refugees around the world,” writes Fr. Peter. “Together may we find the courage to bring about all that is needed so that all of us can live, learn, love and laugh as co-citizens of our earth.”
Click here to download the service.
He’s back…
After teaching English in the Philippines, representing the province at the funeral for Fr. Tom Fix in Indonesia, and visiting a friend in Korea, Fr. Johnny Klingler is back in Hales Corners.
One of his first tasks upon returning was to invite SCJs to consider taking part in Maryknoll’s 14th Pilgrimage/Retreat to Central America which will take place January 14 -25, 2013.
“It is for bishops, priests, brothers and permanent deacons,” he writes. “Walk in the footsteps of modern day martyrs. Learn why these wonderful men and women suffered persecution were able to give their lives as witnesses of Jesus. Visit the tomb of Archbishop Romero and celebrate Mass at the altar where he was assassinated.”
Click here to learn more about the retreat/pilgrimage.
CMSM J/P Alert
The June issue of the CMSM Justice and Peace Alert is now available. The lead story concerns the upcoming Olympic games in London:
“Christian Brothers Investment Services (CBIS), a leader in socially responsible investing, and a coalition of U.S. and U.K. investors and NGOs have united to call on corporations to strengthen their focus against human trafficking and modern slavery in advance of the 2012 Summer Olympic Games taking place in London from July 27 to August 12,” reports the J/P Alert. “The initiative focuses on the London tourism industry and key sponsors of the Olympic Games that may be at a higher risk for on-premise child and labor trafficking and that have the potential to help raise public awareness of these crimes.”
Click here to read the full article, as well as the rest of the publication.
Connecting with St. Joe’s students
“My name is Scott and I am a family service counselor,” writes a staff member from St. Joseph’s Indian School in Chamberlain, S.D. on the school’s blog. “I work with 6th-12th grade boys and will begin my 19th year at St. Joseph’s Indian School (SJIS) this fall. During the school year, I help provide individual and group counseling services to the boys and also act as a go-between for the school and the children’s families.
“Right now, though, it’s summer and I’m adjusting to a little more life on the road. I’ll be traveling this month to visit families and students I work with here at SJIS. It’s a nice way to connect with all of them. I enjoy seeing the beautiful landscapes of South Dakota and getting to see the home turf of the kids. They always enjoy showing off their towns and telling stories connected to their home environment. It’s a great way to continue to build the relationships we work on during the year. Plus, it’s laid back because they aren’t stressed out by the rigors of homework and other scheduled activities, like we have during the school year.”
Click here to read the rest of Scott’s post, as well as other blog entries.
Province assembly reminder
The province assembly kicks off with the Jubilee Celebrations at 4:30 p.m. on Monday, July 9. Tuesday and Wednesday, July 10-11, will be full days with the assembly (with an on-site Comedy Sportz performance on Tuesday evening), and Thursday, July 12 will be a half day.
If you haven’t made room arrangements, contact Marlene at the front desk at Sacred Heart Monastery/School of Theology. Call: 414-425-8300 and hit “0.”
Provincial’s time
Fr. Tom Cassidy will be with the Pinellas Park community June 12-19. After, he will be back in Milwaukee until leaving for the General Conference and Major Superiors meeting in Germany. Fr. Cassidy will be in Europe July 14-25.
One more time
A reminder: the Provincialate is now on its summer schedule. This means that most people at the office will be working longer days Monday through Thursday and then taking off on Friday afternoons. Please keep this in mind if you need to reach someone at the Provincialate.
Upcoming meetings and events:
June 15: Feast of the Sacred Heart (11 a.m.)
June 28: Provincial Council Meeting (conference call re: formation)
July 3-4: Provincialate Offices closed for Independence Day.
July 9-12: Province Assembly, Hales Corners
July 16-21: General Conference, Neustadt, Germany
July 23-25: SCJ Major Superiors Meeting, Neustadt, Germany
August 28-29: Provincial Council Meeting
October 11-12: Provincial Council Meeting
October 12: Dedication of Sacred Heart at Monastery Lake
December 18-19: Provincial Council Meeting
2013:
January 29-30: Provincial Council Meeting
March 19-20: Provincial Council Meeting
April 8-9: Mission Education Conference, St. Joseph’s Indian School
April 30 – May 1: Provincial Council Meeting (budgets)
Week of June 3: Province Election Assembly.
