Happy Labor Day!
The Fridge Notes for the week of September 6 are being posted a few days early because of the Labor Day holiday. Please note that the Provincialate Offices are closed on Monday.
Welcome!
As noted last week, Kassandra Huerta has joined the Provinicialate staff as our new administrative assistant.
Originally from Laredo, Texas, she moved to Milwaukee when she was a child and considers it her hometown. Married, she and her husband William have three children ages 4, 5 and 5 months. And while she does most of the cooking at home, Kassandra is grateful that her husband wakes up first in the morning and always has her coffee ready for her.
The couple enjoys dancing –– especially hip hop –– and watching movies.
One of Kassandra’s favorite summer activities is spending the day at the park with her children. “They love the pool!” she said. The family also spends a lot of time with their extended family. “It seems like someone is always celebrating a birthday.” She has two sisters and one brother, along with six nieces and nephews.
Bilingual, Kassandra speaks both Spanish and English.
Kassandra’s email address is [email protected] and her direct line is 414-427-4261. Kassandra will also be the voice you hear when you call the general line at the Provincialate: 414-425-6910. Please contact her with updated address and phone information, as well as general office concerns.
Welcome Kassandra!
Provincial’s time
Fr. Tom Cassidy will be in Milwaukee for most of this week. Next week he meets with the Provincial Council, September 14-15. September 24-25 he’ll take part in the 50th reunion activities (including being the main celebrant at the anniversary mass) of his high school class at Pius XI High School in Milwaukee. One of his former classmates is also a former co-worker: Marge Lirrete. Marge served as Fr. Tom’s secretary when he was president-rector of Sacred Heart School of Theology. It was then, while chatting in the office, that the two of them realized that they had been in the same graduating class in 1960.
It really is a small world after all!
Marge retired from SHST several years ago and now works as an administrative assistant with the Villa Maria retirement community.
New book for fall
Among the texts that Catholic high school students in Canada will be putting in their book bags this fall is one edited by Fr. John van den Hengel. Before being elected to the General Council in Rome in 2009, Fr. John was professor emeritus at St. Paul University in Ottawa and had worked for almost 30 years in the production of religious education resources as theological consultant to the National Office of Religious Education of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops.
World Religions: A Canadian Catholic Perspective, makes its debut this fall in Grade 11 religious education classes. Commissioned by the Assembly of Bishops of Ontario, the high school text will be used not only in Ontario but also in other provinces where there are public-funded Catholic schools, such as Alberta and Saskatchewan.
Fr. John was busy with the final tasks of the World Religions project when he was elected to the General Council in 2009. “In my first year as councilor I spent a lot of time working to complete the project,” he said. At the same time, the General Council was developing its six-year plan for the congregation. His work with the text had a significant influence on him as he worked with fellow councilors and the superior general to develop their plan.
“With the World Religions project I was very much aware of the importance of interreligious dialogue both when we looked at our notion of internationality and as we planned our approach to the sector of missions,” said Fr. John. “It is no longer possible today to speak of mission without speaking about dialogue.”
To read the full story about the book, World Religions, and Fr. John’s involvement with the project, click here.
Please remember
Fr. Léon François d’Assise Mondry, a member of the Congolese Province, died on September 3. He was born in 1921, professed in 1941 and ordained in 1947.
Update
Fr. Frank Wittouck
7303 Skylight Lane
Houston, TX 77095-1305
Mobile: 956-966-0551
Br. Luc Coursol (Canadian Region)
New email: [email protected]
Fr. Mark Mastin
400 S. Main St.
Chamberlain, SD 57325
Br. Long Nguyen
Mobile: 414-943-6362
Final vows and an ordination
Br. Long Nguyen and Frater Greg Schill will profess their final vows during a 10 a.m. ceremony on October 2 at Sacred Heart Monastery/School of Theology. All SCJs are welcome to attend. A meal will follow. Please contact Br. Long at 414-943-6362 or by email at [email protected] if you plan to attend. The RSVP deadline is September 24.
Also, invitations will soon be in the mail for Frater Duy Nguyen’s ordination to the diaconate. It will take place at Christ the King Church in Southaven, Miss., on Sunday, October 10 at 4 p.m.
New on the web
Besides the feature on the newly published text World Religions, edited by Fr. John van den Hengel, a few other items have recently been posted on the province website, and Facebook page including:
ESL Cultural Fair: A few photos from last week’s ESL Cultural Fair at Sacred Heart School of Theology have been posted on the province Facebook site. You do not need to be a member of Facebook to view the photos. If you would like to see them, click here.
My Dehonian Playlist: Br. Duane Lemke, director of the formation program in Chicago, had been tossing around the idea of doing a blog for some time. Inspired by an aunt, he sat down this summer and centered on a theme: music.
“One of my earliest memories is of a journal my aunt (and godmother) kept of song lyrics,” wrote Br. Duane in his first blog entry. “Back in her day, there was no such thing as a quick Google of one’s favorite lyrics, and a right-click cut-and-paste. Nope. This was retro when retro was new: a journal kept on looseleaf paper in a three-ring binder covered with flowers. Each lyric was written by hand, representing time spent listening to the song over and over again, just to be sure she got it right. This wasn’t a painstaking task, but an act of devotion. She loved music.”
To read the full story on “My Dehonian Playlist,” click here (a link to Br. Duane’s blog is found at the end of the story):
Click here to go directly to Br. Duane’s blog.
