Provincial’s Time
Fr. Cassidy will be in South Dakota February 22-25. The following week he’ll primarily be in the office. March 8-9 he has CMSM meetings and then March 10-11 are meetings with the Provincial Council.
Keep in prayer
—Please remember Catalina Funes, the aunt of Fr. Rick DiLeo. She died February 18 after a long respiratory illness. She was 78, and was the sister of Fr. Rick’s mother.
—Fr. Michael van der Peet, who was taken to St. Luke’s Hospital in Milwaukee after he fell. Doctors have determined that he had a stroke. He has significant paralysis on his right side and difficulty with speech.
—Br. Larry Gauthier, who has been hospitalized in ICU at Elmbrook Memorial (Milwaukee area) with pneumonia. Besides a collapsed lung, Br. Larry is also battling an infection that has moved to his blood stream.
—Fr. Désiré Antonius Adrianus Maria Geraets, a member of the Flemish-Dutch Confederation, who died on February 17. He was born in 1912, professed in 1932 and ordained in 1939.
Doing well and coming back soon
As we reported earlier, Nancy Grzesiak, administrative assistant at Vocation Central, had surgery earlier in the year to treat a brain aneurism. She recently sent an e-mail to say that her doctor is very positive about her recovery and that when he sees her in March she may get the go-ahead to return to the office.
Nancy adds her thanks for the “continued prayers and well wishes I’ve received. Prayer and faith is powerful. I count my blessings each day and give thanks for God’s earthly angels.”
Successful fund raiser
Fr. Ed Kilianski writes with a follow-up on his fund-raiser in Houston: “I completed my first 5K at ‘Steps for Students’ in 55 minutes on Saturday, February 20, 2010. I want to thank everyone who helped support me in my effort to help the students of Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic School who are in need of financial aid in these difficult economic times. I was able to raise, to date, $820, which exceeded my goal of $500. Maybe next year I’ll run the race and shoot for $1,000!”
Deadly mudslides in Maderia
The island community of Maderia, Portugal, was hit by massive flooding and mudslides on Saturday. The Priests of the Sacred Heart have three communities on the island and it is also home to the family of Fr. José Ornelas Carvalho, superior general. So far, reports indicate that neither Fr. Ornelas’ family nor members of the SCJ community have been hurt but there is much damage. In a letter (in Italian) posted on the congregational website (www.dehon.it) Fr. Ornelas writes that the most critical situation in regards to the SCJs is the parish of Serra d’Água. It is in a narrow valley, which was hard hit by flooding. Rescuers are having a very difficult time reaching this area.
“With our brothers, we share the grief of the people of Madeira at this dramatic time,” wrote Fr. General.
“Thank you for your sensitivity and your communion in solidarity and prayer, and in the messages of sympathy.
A letter about the situation, written by the Portuguese provincial superior, in Portuguese, is also on the congregational site.
Happy Birthday!
Those celebrating birthdays in March include: Fr. Joe Dean (63) on March 3, Fr. Jim Brackin (64) on March 4, Fr. Terry Langley (60) on March 12, Novice Joseph Vu (24) on March 13, Fr. Pat Lloyd (68) on March 17, Fr. Richard MacDonald (71) on March 18, Fr. Charles Brown (56) on March 19, Fr. Frank Wittouck (72) on March 23, Bishop Evert Baay (89) on March 24, Br. Gabriel Kersting (88) on March 27, Fr. Frank Burshnick (73) and Fr. Jim Schroeder (66) on March 30.
Remembering those who built the province
As we have for the past several months we will continue to share a bit of information about deceased members of the province on or near the anniversary of their death. This week we remember two SCJs:
Fr. Jerome Schaad (February 26, 2001): Fr. Schaad was treasurer of the U.S. Province for almost 30 years. Originally from Columbus, Ohio, Fr. Schaad professed his first vows in 1957. Following his seminary studies he earned a master’s in physics from Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1966 at St. Mary’s parish in Hales Corners, Wis.
Before serving as treasurer, Fr. Schaad taught math and science, first at Divine Heart Seminary, and later at Kilroe.
As treasurer, Fr. Schaad served on several corporate boards of directors in the province, including the board of Gregory Productions, which was responsible for the production of “The Spitfire Grill.” Proceeds from the production later went to fund the building of Sacred Heart School in Mississippi. Fr. Schaad also served for many years on the General Finance Commission for the congregation.
1982, Fr. Schaad celebrated his 25th anniversary of religious life by riding his bike from Hales Corners to Hyder, Alaska. It was the longest of several bicycle journeys that he had taken. “It was a good time to get a lot of prayer in,” he said in a Milwaukee Sentinel interview done soon after the ride. “The contact with nature brings to mind your creator.”
Approximately two years before his death, Fr. Schaad was diagnosed with Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia, a rare form of blood cancer. Due to increasing health problems, Fr. Schaad left his duties as province treasurer just a month before his death at 62.
Fr. Francis Adams (February 28, 1993): Born in Aachen, Germany, Fr. Adams was one of several Germans who came to the United States in the 1920s and 1930s to help establish the work of the Priests of the Sacred Heart in the United States.
He began his studies in 1929 in Sittard, Holland. Before professing vows, he and nine other SCJ candidates were asked to complete their seminary training in the United States, where a new province had just been formed. They arrived in 1935.
Two years later, Fr. Francis made his first profession, and in 1943, he was ordained to the priesthood. During this time, he also became a U.S. citizen.
A teacher during much of his priesthood, Fr. Francis taught in the community’s seminaries, including Sacred Heart School of Theology, Divine Heart and Kilroe. He also taught at what is now Holy Family School in Holly Springs, Miss. A versatile educator, he taught college level courses in philosophy, Latin, Greek, Hebrew, theology and German; and high school physics, algebra, geometry and industrial arts.
He followed his teaching career with several parish assignments before being named chaplain at Mother of Good Council Home in Northwoods, Mo. (Archdiocese of St. Louis) in 1975. He ministered there until his death.
