First SCJ house in Vietnam blessed

Fr. Tom Cassidy and Fr. Bernie Rosinski were in Vietnam last week for the blessing of the first SCJ community house in the country. The ceremony took place on Saturday. In August, the Vietnamese District itself will be inaugurated and its first administration will be installed.

The new presence is the result of an international effort including personnel and financial resources from the British-Irish Province, the U.S. Province, the Philippine Region and many others collaborating with the General Curia, as well as the Franco-European Province and its initial inroads in the country.

As a part of its contribution to the growing Dehonian presence in Vietnam, a member of the Franco-European Province, Fr. Michael Ngo, did a Vietnamese translation of Fr. André Perroux’s Leo Dehon: A passion for Christ, A passion for the world. The book was published in April in commemoration of the house blessing.

Fr. Michael said that he began the translation several years ago. “I did so in hopes that our Vietnamese candidates and others who might have interest in Fr. Dehon, could read about him in their own language,” he said. “I think that as his disciples, Vietnamese confreres want to know more about the way our founder thought and his spirituality.”

Update

Br. Ben Humpfer has a new email address effective immediately: brobenscj@gmail.com

No room at the [SHML] inn

Fr. Jim Brackin notes that all of the guest rooms at Sacred Heart at Monastery Lake are now filled for the Election Assembly; however, SCJs can contact him to be placed on a waiting list. Those who still need a room should call Marlene Zepecki at Sacred Heart Monastery/School of Theology (414-425-8300, ext. 0).

The U.S. Province Election Assembly will begin at noon on Monday.

Also, be sure to mark your calendars for the North American Conference, which concludes Fr. General’s visitation of Canada and the United States. It will begin with prayer on Tuesday, September 24 at 4:30 p.m., and conclude with lunch on Friday, September 27.

The jubilee celebrations for the U.S. Province will Monday, September 23.

Graduation time

Sacred Heart School of Theology holds its graduation ceremony on Friday, May 3. Fifteen seminarians will receive their Master of Divinity, three students will be awarded a Master of Arts, and two will receive certificates for specialized programs. Also during the ceremony Fr. Jan de Jong, Fr. Thomas Knoebel, Fr. André Papineau, and Fr. Robert Schiavone will be named Professors Emeriti.

In May, three SHST seminarians will graduate with their Bachelor of Arts from Cardinal Stritch University.

World Book Night

Sacred Heart Southern Missions took part in World Book Night (WBN) on April 23 by giving away copies of The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. The books were distributed through the SHSM social service offices and at Dehon Village.

World Book Night is an annual celebration dedicated to spreading the love of reading, person to person.  Each year on April 23 tens of thousands of people in the United States go out into their communities and give a total of half a million free World Book Night paperbacks. The focus is on reaching those who often don’t read for pleasure.

Click here to learn more about the project.

 

SCJ blessed by Pope Francis

One of the first members of the Priests of the Sacred Heart to meet Pope Francis is Fr. Vervein Mtoro Litekya of Congo.

On July 8, 2011, Fr. Vervein was badly injured in a plane crash at the Kinsangani airport. He was in a coma for days and part of his left foot was amputated. Fr. Vervein is now in Italy where he is being fitted for a prosthesis.

Fr. Claudio Siebenaler, former procurator to the Holy See, arranged for Fr. Vervein to be seated in a special section during the April 10 audience with the pope. The section included others who were sick or injured. During the ceremony Pope Francis visited with those in the section and offered them a special blessing.

CMSM J/P Alert

If you didn’t receive the latest J/P Alert from the Conference of Major Superiors of Men (CMSM) you can click here to view it.

Topics addressed in the April issue include immigration, gun violence, drones, restorative justice, the national budget and the wage gap.

Provincial’s time

Fr. Tom Cassidy returns this week from Vietnam. Tuesday and Wednesday are Provincial Council meetings.