Hello from South Africa!
This issue of the Fridge Notes is being put together in Aliwal North, South Africa, where the provincialate of the South African Province is based. The U.S. Province has long had a special relationship with the South African Province since it was one of the two “mother provinces” (the other being the German Province). Many Americans have served in South Africa, including Fr. John Strittmatter, who continues to be here, as well as Bishop Joe Potocnak. The bishop, now in retirement, is filling in for Fr. John in Middelburg while Fr. John takes a little R&R in Aliwal North.
Other SCJs with ties to the United States include many alumni of the ESL program at Sacred Heart School of Theology. Fr. Sandro Capoferri, a member of the formation team in Pietermaritzburg, is an alumnus, as well as the newly appointed bishop of De Aar, Bishop Adam Musialek.
Another member of the U.S. Province here in South Africa is retired bishop Evert Baaij. Living with the Nazareth House retirement community in Port Elizabeth, he was happy to report that after several months of illness he was being reinstated as chaplain to the retirement community. He sends his greetings to confreres back in the States and welcomes them to visit any time –– he would love to take you to his favorite restaurant for a steak!
It has been an incredible visit to many of the SCJ locations. I started my time here with the Comrades Marathon. It seems as though the whole country of South Africa is a part of the event, either on the course as a runner, volunteer or spectator, or at home, watching the race on television. Wearing a number that designated me as an international racer I was constantly welcomed to the country by Africans on the road. If you are interested in my write-up on the event that was done for a running club, click here.
A week after Comrades I felt the same welcoming spirit of South Africa when I spent a day with the people of St. Teresa Mission, about an hour’s drive from Aliwal North. We began our celebration with a Corpus Christi procession to the nearby township and four hours later, ended it with a commemoration of the “Year of the Priest.” Throughout the day, the people of St. Teresa welcomed me like a princess. It is an incredible community ministered to by the province’s newest priests, Frs. Ntsikelelo Bambatha and Joshua Mpiti, along with Fr. Anthony Austin, a semi-retired South African SCJ who grew up in the mission.
In the weeks ahead we will share stories about South Africa on the SCJ website. If you would like to see a few preliminary photos, please go to the province photo site by clicking here and view the first albums.
-Mary Gorski, communications director
Provincial’s time
Fr. Tom Cassidy will be with the SCJ community in Ottawa June 10-12 as the Canadian Region hosts the 100th anniversary of the SCJ presence in North America. To read more about the congregation’s beginnings in Canada, click here.
Of course, next week Fr. Tom takes part in the Provincial Election Assembly, which runs through the end of the week.
Happy feast day!
This Friday, June 11, is the Feast of the Sacred Heart. As is tradition, the general administration sent a letter to the congregation to commemorate the feast.
“We started with the theme of this year: the faith experience of Fr. Dehon as the foundation of our Congregation,” said Fr. José Ornelas Carvalho, superior general, in an interview about the letter. “To enter into this experience of Fr. Dehon, we went back to the biblical roots of the spiritual experience of the Sacred Heart. As Westerners, we tend to look at the heart as an affective organ. Not so in the Bible. For the Bible the heart represents the essential function of humans: the intellect, will, the capacity to make decisions. It is synonymous with my full interiority. You might say, to enter into my heart is to go into the depths of my soul. It is a journey of liberation in which I am enabled to relate authentically with the other. Only as such am I really myself. In a real sense, the heart is my relation and communion with God. It is where I am known, healed, comforted and given strength. A spirituality of the heart is, therefore, a journey of growth into the deepest source of my identity.”
The full interview –– in English, as well as many of the other languages of the congregation –– is available at the congregational website. To go directly to the English edition, click here.
The interview was done by the newly hired communications director for the Generalate, Arnaldo Donnini.
The letter itself is available by clicking here.
Feast Day Mass
At Sacred Heart Monastery Archbishop Jerome Listecki of Milwaukee will be the main celebrant of the feast day Mass. As it has for many years, the province development office hosts the Mass for benefactors. SCJs are welcome to concelebrate.
Keep in prayer
Fr. Steve Wiese has been admitted to Wheaton-Francisan Hospital in Franklin, Wis. Recently he fell and broke several ribs. He was initially admitted for observation and testing to determine if there were further medical concerns. Preliminary tests show that he is suffering from kidney dysfunction. Further testing will continue.
Fr. Chuck Wonch has been admitted to the hospital for complications of an enlarged thyroid. As of the weekend he was in intensive care and faces the possibility of surgery.
Fr. Stephen Huffstetter was released from the hospital following surgery to remove a tumor from his abdomen. The surgery went well and Fr. Steve’s recovery is expected to also go well.
In the news
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel published an article about the newly established Lux Center for Catholic-Jewish Studies at Sacred Heart School of Theology. Click here to read it online.
Insurance cards in the mail
Kevin Stanke from the Provincial Treasurer’s Office notes that the new auto insurance cards for SCJs are going in the mail today (June 7). Members of the province should receive them soon. If you have questions, contact Kevin at 414-427-4270 or email him.
Election Assembly
SCJs of the U.S. Province are reminded that the Election Assembly begins with Holy Hour at at 11 a.m. on Monday, June 14. The first working session will be at 1:30 p.m. that afternoon.
