Br. Larry Gauthier dies
Br. Larry Gauthier, 83, died on Saturday, May 8. Professed in 1952, he had been with the SCJs for almost 60 years.
Originally from Montana, Br. Larry was a man who quietly worked in the background of the province. His first assignment was at Sacred Heart Monastery where worked the farm that was once associated with it. He then went to the SCJs’ Kilroe Seminary in Pennsylvania, where he did similar work.
He continued to take care of maintenance, carpentry and farm needs at Divine Heart Seminary and later at Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary.
Eventually the farms that helped to support the seminaries were phased out and Br. Larry moved to support roles at Sacred Heart School of Theology, St.. Lawrence parish in San Antonio and with the SCJ community in Raymondville, Texas.
In 2001 Br. Larry retired and joined the Villa Maria community. During the past year he lived at the Congregational Home in Brookfield, Wis., where he died.
The wake will be Friday, May 14 at 7 p.m. and the Mass of Christian Burial will be Saturday, May 15, at 10:30 a.m. Both will be at Sacred Heart Monastery/School of Theology in Hales Corners, Wis.
Provincial’s time
Fr. Tom has Provincial Council meetings May 10-12 with a focus on the budgets. He’ll be in the Milwaukee area until May 21, when he heads to Montréal for meetings with the Canadian Religious Conference. He attends the meetings in his role as president of CMSM.
Anointing of the sick
On Tuesday and Thursday (May 11 and 13) the Province Development Office will host Masses for the anointing of the sick. Mass will begin at 1 p.m. in the main chapel at Sacred Monastery/School of Theology. For more information call 414-425-3383 or 800-448-7674
Keep in prayer
Margaret (Peggy) Kernohan, the sister of Fr. Charles Bisgrove, has been diagnosed with breast cancer and is awaiting her plan of treatment. Mrs. Kernohan is 56.
Br. Gabe Kersting was hospitalized last week with cardiac concerns. A stent that had been placed several years ago was found to have significant blockage. Br. Ben Humpfer notes that Br. Gabe is now home and doing well. He is working with a home health care nurse, as well as a physical therapist.
Fr. Stephen Huffstetter is scheduled for surgery the weekend of May 23 at the Mayo Clinic. The surgery is to remove a tumor for which he has been receiving treatment since the beginning of the year. Fr. Steve has been maintaining a blog during his treatment. Click here to go to it.
Mark your calendar
Archbishop Jerome Listecki of Milwaukee will be the main celebrant at a Mass for the feast of the Sacred Heart at Sacred Heart Monastery/School of Theology on June 11. As it has for many years, the province development office hosts the Mass for benefactors. SCJs are welcome to concelebrate.
A light luncheon will be served in the monastery dining room following the Mass. The public is welcome to attend; however, seating is limited. Those who would like to attend are asked to call 414-425-3383 or 800-448-7674 by Tuesday, June 1, 2010.
Congratulations!
During this year’s graduation ceremony at Sacred Heart School of Theology Dr. Richard Lux, professor of Scripture Studies, was conferred with the status of “Professor Emeritus.” Dr. Lux retires this year after 37 years at SHST.
On May 11 Dr. Lux will be honored again during a fund-raising dinner for the Lux Center for Catholic-Jewish Studies at SHST. The purpose of the center is to establish a legacy that will continue Dr. Lux’s life’s work in strengthening Catholic-Jewish relations.
Bishop Richard Sklba of Milwaukee and Rabbi Ronald Shapiro of the Congregation Shalom (also in Milwaukee) have teamed up as advisory board co-chairs during the development of the center.
The primary activities of the center will include 1) an on-going accredited study program in Israel for SHST seminarians, 2) the endowment of an adjunct SHST faculty position for a Jewish scholar to teach Judaism, 3) major lectures on Catholic-Jewish relations, and 4) an expansion of the Judaica collection at SHST’s Dehon Library which will be open to the public, including visiting scholars.
To learn more about the center click here.
To read more about Dr. Lux, click here.
Hello from Jakarta!
Fr. Tom Fix recently posted an entry on the province blog. To read it, click here. Remember, all SCJs and co-workers are invited to submit blog entries. If you would like to do so, please contact Mary Gorski.
Learning the ropes of retirement
After being away from full-time ministry for two years, Fr. Tony Russo, SCJ, said that he is still adjusting to the idea of being retired.
“I don’t miss the responsibilities of being a pastor,” he said. “But I miss the ministry and being a part of the on-going life of a parish.”
Professed in 1957 and ordained in 1966, Fr. Tony, 71, taught in SCJ seminaries, served in province administration, and did parish ministry in Texas and Wisconsin. His last full-time assignment before retirement was as pastor of St Martin of Tours parish in Franklin, Wis. In 2008, he retired from full-time ministry.
“You don’t have to stop doing ministry; a priest never really retires from being a priest,” said Fr. Tony. “But having the option of saying ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to the amount of ministry is important at a certain point. Retirement doesn’t mean ‘do nothing.’”
To read the full story on the province website, click here.
Also on the website
There are a few features on the new website that you might find helpful, including a calendar for province events and a “search” feature. Both are located in the right column of the “News” page. The calendar is at the top of the News page and the search feature is below the archives.
If you have items that you would like added to the calendar, please contact Mary Gorski.
Congratulations!
Fr. Peter Sanders of the Canadian Region was honored last week by the Ottawa Catholic School Board for his years of service to Catholic education. The commendation was given to him during a Mass for Catholic Schools at the Ottawa Cathedral; Archbishop Terrence Prendergast presided.
Fr. Peter has been chaplain to the school board since 1987, along with previous service from 1970 – 74. From 1986 to 2009 he taught at St. Paul University in Ottawa. Now retired from St. Paul, Fr. Peter continues to work with the Ottawa Catholic School Board.
