Final profession
Br. Long Nguyen and Frater Greg Schill made their final profession of vows during a prayer service at Sacred Heart Monastery/School of Theology on Saturday, October 2.
“What attracted me to the Priests of the Sacred Heart was their welcoming spirit and presence,” said Frater Greg. “The SCJs’ emphasis on reaching out to the poor and marginalized has also given me the spirit and inspiration to become –– and profess final vows as –– an SCJ…
“The fact that final profession is a lifetime commitment requires much more thought, prayer and reflection than my first vows. The best part is that I slept well the night before perpetual profession. The same cannot be said for the night before my first vows!”
Br. Long said that “for me, the Priests of the Sacred Heart was one of many religious communities who vied for possible young vocations. ‘Just pick one already!’ I said to myself looking at the magazine ads. These words led me on a journey; one small step with the Priests of the Sacred Heart became seven years and counting. SCJ religious life held up to its promises of prayer, service and sacrifice in every sense. The journey, for me, has also been about looking for God in self-discovery and relationships.
“These final vows are encompassing; I will be living and practicing these vows of poverty, chastity and obedience my entire life. Yes! I was nervous before the celebration but these final vows have granted me happiness, fulfillment and grace. The nervousness soon dissipated. As I told a fellow SCJ who stood in the buffet line with me, ‘I feel fantastic!’”
Frater Greg, 34, entered formation as a candidate seven years ago and first professed vows in 2006. Originally from San Antonio, he served as a Marine for four years before beginning his college studies. He has a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Southern Illinois University and a master’s in Divinity from Catholic Theological Union. He has also completed CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education), did a pastoral year in Mississippi and during the past summer did an intensive Spanish language program in Argentina.
Currently Frater Greg is a volunteer at Chicago Lighthouse, where he was named Volunteer of the Year in 2009. He will be ordained to the diaconate November 20 at Sacred Heart School of Theology.
Br. Long, 31, made his first profession in 2007. Although his family is of Vietnamese descent, Br. Long, was born and raised in Thibodaux, La. Br. Long attended Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, where he earned a bachelor’s in sociology with a minor in mass communication. Before entering the novitiate, Br. Long graduated from Catholic Theological Union with a master’s in pastoral studies. He has ministered with Catholic Charities in Chicago and with the SCJ community in Raymondville. Now, he is a member of the community at Sacred Heart Monastery and splits his time between St. Martin of Tours parish in Franklin, Wis. and Sacred Heart School of Theology.
At St. Martin of Tours much of his time is filled with teaching. He teaches the Sunday component in the RCIA program, teaches in the LifeTeen program, gives presentations to CCD students, and prepares altar servers. His primary ministry at SHST is with the ESL (English as a Second Language) program.
Keep in prayer
Fr. Peter McKenna (Canadian Region) was hospitalized last week for complications related to recently-diagnosed diabetes.
Please remember
Dn. Ted Knife, a deacon who had served on the Cheyenne River Reservation in South Dakota, died Saturday, September 25.
Day of the Races
The Dehon Formation Community in Chicago invites all SCJs to join them in their annual “Day of the Races,” a celebration, say members of the community, “of the ethnic and cultural influences that make this hemisphere distinctive and unique.”
Day of the Races is October 15 at the formation house. Mass is at 4:30 p.m.; it will be followed by a social and dinner.
If you plan to attend please respond to [email protected] or call 773-363-1326.
SCJ thespian!
Fr. Charles Brown is playing “Becket” in T.S. Eliot’s “Murder in the Cathedral” with SummerStage of Delafield, a town about a 30 minute drive west of Milwaukee. The play is being performed in the theatrical style of a “readers theater.”
“Murder in the Cathedral” opened last weekend and will run again next weekend, October 8-10.
For ticket and schedule information go to the SummerStage website at: http://www.summerstageofdelafield.org/
Click here to the read the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s recent article about the play.
Happy Archive Month!
October is National Archives Month! Happy “feast month” to our province archivist, Fr. Wayne Jenkins.
My Dehonian Playlist
“Trying to understand the Reign of God is central to our Christian faith,” writes Br. Duane Lemke in a recent post on My Dehonian Playlist. “We pray for it to come every time we join in the Lord’s Prayer. It is crucial to the Dehonian life as well: one of our mottos is Your Kingdom Come: just in case we might be tempted to forget the importance of that petition. We try earnestly to take this call to heart in our parishes, our schools, wherever we minister. God’s Reign not only inspires us, but those we work with as well. Together, we seek to make cooperating with it our goal. Here. In specific places. With specific people.”
What was Br. Duane was reflecting on? The pop song “Dancing in the Street.”
My Dehonian Playlist is a music-inspired website developed by Br. Duane, provincial councilor and director of the province formation program in Chicago. About it, he writes that “I’m a Roman Catholic Brother. I’m a Dehonian. That is, a member of the Priests of the Sacred Heart. As a Catholic, and a Dehonian, I’ve found grace in my natural love for music. Many times the lyrics and music I love have become fodder for deeper faith, even if the song is not overtly religious. As a minister, I’ve also made use of in teaching and passing the faith on to other generations. At other times, a poignant lyric from a song heard daily on the radio has led to meaningful discussion, and I hope some measure of deepened faith, when the song was next heard on the radio, or their mp3 player.”
On the website Br. Duane shares ”songs I turn to when I want to re-energize my commitment as a religious brother, as a person of faith. These are songs that I find have inspired and challenged me to live well my particular slice of our great, wide faith.”
Generally, the website is updated each week. Click here to take a look.
Provincial’s time
October 6-8 Fr. Tom Cassidy will be in Montréal for the meeting of the North American Councils and on October 11 he will be in Mississippi for the diaconate ordination of Frater Duy Nguyen.
Event reminders
Diaconate Ordination: As noted above Frater Duy Nguyen will be ordained to the diaconate on Sunday, October 10 at 4 p.m. at Christ the King Church in Southaven, Mississippi.
If you will be attending you are asked to RSVP by phone or email to Frater Duy at 773-363-1326, ext 226, or by email at [email protected]
The Mississippi community will host a meal for SCJs coming for the ordination. SCJs should inform Carole Johnson (662-342-3324 or [email protected]) when they will be in Mississippi during the ordination weekend so that they can be included in the community meal.
