Provincial’s Time
Fr. Cassidy will be with the Pinellas Park community March 17-22 and in Texas March 25-29. Then he will be in the office for a bit before heading to South Dakota April 6-9 for board meetings.
Come and visit!
As noted last week, the U.S. Province has a new home on the web. The websites of the province and the provincial vocation office have been merged into one new site at https://dehoniansusa.org (if you type the URLs to the previous sites you will be directed to the new site).
Note that you can move around the site either by clicking on the large tabs on the top (Home, News, Vocations, Inspiration, About Us and Contact) or by going to one of the subheads that appear under each tab. For example, you can go directly to the Fridge Notes, Photos, SCJ News, To The Letter or the Necrology from the appropriate subhead or you can simply click on the landing page for News. The landing page hosts a feature story (currently, the feature is on Founder’s Day) and access to a province calendar as well as previous articles and publications.
As with the previous province site, the Members’ section is a password-protected for the community; SCJs were sent new sign-in information last week.
If you have questions or comments about the site, please contact Mary Gorski at [email protected], 414-427-4266.
Provincial Election Assembly
A variety of documents regarding the June election assembly have been posted in the Members’ section of https://dehoniansusa.org including the bylaws, schedule and Fr. Tom Cassidy’s State of the Province. During the week, reports prepared by various entities for Fr. Cassidy’s report will be posted as well.
For assistance in accessing the Members’ section contact Mary Gorski.
Welcome!
The Canadian Region shares the following: “It is with great joy that the Montreal community welcomed Fr. Zénon Sendeke of the Congolese Province, on March 12. For many months, Fr. Zénon tried to obtain a visa to come to Canada for a sabbatical. After a first refusal he appealed and finally obtained that visa. He will stay in Montreal until February, 2011. His phone number is 514-388-5759 (ext. 212) or 514-388-7611 (community). His e-mail address is: [email protected].”
The region also noted that Br. Dieudonné Tchouteu received his permanent resident status in Canada. To get the official stamp he must still leave the country and re-enter; he will visit a niece in New York next weekend to finalize his status.
Budgets!
The Provincial Treasurer’s Office reminds SCJs and province offices that budgets are due in the office no later than April 1 (and that’s no April Fool’s joke!). Questions regarding the budgets should be directed to Dn. David Nagel ([email protected]) or John Kuxhause ([email protected]).
Remember in prayer
DAN PEERENBOOM, who had been in the province formation program years ago, has been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis.
SR. BARBARA BOWE, RSCJ, a former professor at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, who died of a brain tumor on March 14. Many SCJs knew her from her work at CTU.
Updates
FR. BRYAN BENOIT: 161 Vondera Road, Robertsville, MO 63072, 314-719-6993
FR. DOMINIC PELUSE has a new e-mail address: [email protected]
Health updates
FR. MICHAEL VAN DER PEET had a set-back this week. Bleeding on the brain was found; he has been moved to Neurological ICU at St. Luke’s.
FR. CHARLES BISGROVE is out of the hospital and back at Sacred Heart Monastery. He says that “the graft surgery seems to be taking and the doctors at this point are optimistic. A long healing process is ahead of me. I am grateful for the cards, e-mails, phone calls and visits I received. They were truly a source of strength. My situation was very serious and now is looking very positive.”
BR. LARRY GAUTHIER is now back at the Congregational Home following hospitalization for pneumonia.
FR. JOSEPH GOLE is also back at the Congregational Home. He is in the skilled nursing section for rehabilitation and assessment of his care needs following surgery to repair a fractured hip.
Welcome back!
Another health update to note: Nancy Grseziak, administrative assistant at Vocation Central, is back to work following surgery to remove a brain aneurysm.
A busy retreat director
A popular retreat director, Fr. Byron Haaland has been traveling around the country in recent weeks leading retreats for SCJs and SCJ ministries.
From February 22-25, Fr. Byron facilitated a retreat for the Mississippi community. Held at Queen of Peace Retreat Center in Memphis, “the retreat focused on the themes of incarnation, healing, and reconciliation,” said Fr. Tim Gray, a member of the community who participated in the retreat. “The only negative was that Fr. Byron seemed to bring Wisconsin temperatures with him which kept the members inside for the course of the retreat!”
As noted in a previous Fridge Notes, Fr. Byron was one of four SCJ presenters at St. Martin of Tours parish mission the week of March 8 (Franklin, Wis.). Fr. Byron spoke about “Sacred Heart Devotion with Emphasis on Reparation.”
This week, Fr. Dominic Peluse writes that “Fr. Byron will be coming back to the old sod (well, a few miles south of Baileys Harbor, where he had ministered for many years at St. Joseph’s Retreat Center) for a four-day Lenten parish mission at St. Joseph’s Church in Sturgeon Bay.” Fr. Dominic is pastor of the parish. The theme of the mission: “From Calvary to Pentecost.”
Later in the year Fr. Byron’s retreat schedule includes a stop in Bafut, Cameroon. In between retreats Fr. Byron is also serving on the staff of Sacred Heart School of Theology.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
St. Patrick’s Day is this week on March 17. In preparation, we have a bit of St. Patrick’s Day trivia.
Where was St. Patrick born? South Wales (Great Britain). Where was the first known St. Patrick’s Day parade held? Boston, Mass. What color was originally associated with St. Patrick? Blue (over the years it transitioned to green as the shamrock became associated with the saint and with Ireland).
And finally, which member of the U.S. Province was born on St. Patrick’s Day? Fr. Pat Lloyd, who turns 68 this year. Happy birthday to Fr. Pat and happy St Patrick’s Day to everyone.
