News & Events | August 25, 2025
Publication note
There will be no Fridge Notes published next week, September 1. The Provincial Offices will be closed for Labor Day. The next issue will be on September 8.
Welcome!
On Friday, two religious sisters, accompanied by a member of their provincial council, arrived in the United States to begin a new partnership in ministry with the US Province. They are Sr. Leonora, FCh (Marince Sitohang – pictured at right) and Sr. Susana, FCh (Susana Susmiyarti) of the Sisters of St. Francis Charitas (FCh). The FCh Sisters have their roots in the Netherlands. In 1926, their first missionaries, along with an SCJ, arrived in Palembang, Indonesia, where — with the support of the Priests of the Sacred Heart — the community established itself and thrived. Today, the FCh Sisters minister in several dioceses across Indonesia, including Palembang and Lampung, where our SCJs also serve. They are engaged in healthcare, education, and social services, operating hospitals, schools, and homes for the poor, orphans, and the elderly.
After several months of preparation in the ECS program at Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology, Srs. Leonora and Susana will move to Mississippi to collaborate with province ministries there. They are tentatively scheduled to arrive in Mississippi in December.
“During my last visit to Indonesia, I toured one of their hospitals and saw firsthand their strong dedication to both spiritual and physical healing,” wrote Fr. Vien Nguyen, SCJ. “The FCh Sisters often remember with gratitude the support of the SCJs during their early years and have shown us hospitality and medical care — free of charge —in return.”
The sisters (including the provincial councilor who accompanied them to the US Province) are pictured above.
News from the Dehon Study Center
OPEN HOUSE – On Friday, August 22, the Dehon Study Center hosted an open house for SHSST seminarians as a part of the orientation week leading to the start of the new academic year. Visitors learned about the resources available to them in the Dehon Study Center, as well as general information about the Priests of the Sacred Heart and their ministries. Among those assisting Fr. Joseph Mukuna, SCJ (director of the DSC) in hosting the event: Corrie Christiaansen and Fr. Henry Nguyen, SCJ, of the Vocation Office, Monica Misey, director of Dehonian Associates, and Fr. Wayne Jenkins, SCJ, province archivist.
Four formation directors and 33 seminarians took part in the event. They are pictured above with staff.
DSC SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE – Fr. Joseph Mukuna notes that the members of the center’s Scientific Committee will soon be announced.
“The concept of the Scientific Committee arose from the need for a group of volunteers to serve as advisors to the Dehon Study Center (DSC),” said Fr. Joseph. “I believe that establishing this committee will enhance DSC’s outreach efforts. The committee will consist of individuals with diverse backgrounds, including philosophy, theology, spirituality, library management, sociology, editing, marketing and more. Their role will be to advise the DSC on effective strategies to promote discussions about Fr. Dehon and the SCJs beyond our current circles. They will also brainstorm ideas and topics for colloquia, book club meetings, and other events.”
If you are interested in joining the committee, contact Fr. Joseph.
THE DEHON BOOK CLUB RETURNS – The monthly Dehon Book Club meeting will resume on September 5 at 1:00 p.m., both online and in person. The in-person meeting will take place in the conference room at the Provincialate.
“This month, we will be reading the Manuel Social Chrétien (The Christian Social Manual),” said Fr. Joseph. “This work was first published in August 1894 as a collaborative effort with other Catholic social thinkers and underwent several editions between 1895 and 1910. The Manuel outlines the principles of Catholic social teaching and offers practical solutions to the pressing social issues of Fr. Dehon’s time, making Catholic teachings accessible to tens of thousands of readers.”
Click here to access a PDF of the book.
Zoom information: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/8342363189?omn=88906431704
Meeting ID: 834 236 3189
If you have questions about any of the items noted above, please contact Fr. Joseph at 414-427-7265 or jmukuna@dehoniansusa.org
Transitions
Fr. Frank Wittouck, SCJ, will be moving from Sacred Heart Monastery to the Sacred Heart Community at SHML in early September.
Fr. Tim Gray, SCJ, is joining the Sacred Heart Community at the end of August.
Vietnamese Migrants’ Experience in the Context of the Mission of the Church
The Priests of the Sacred Heart are one of the lead sponsors of an international online roundtable discussion about the Vietnamese Catholic diaspora. It will take place on September 4 at 7:00 p.m. (Chicago – central time).
Participants include Fr. vănThanh Nguyễn, SVD (Catholic Theological Union), Sr. Thu T. Do, LHC (Georgetown University), Fr. Stephen Begans, SVD (CTU – emeritus), Fr. Anh Quoc Tran, SJ (Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University) and Dr. Tuan Hoang (Seaver College and Pepperdine University).
No registration is needed. To participate, click here to enter the Zoom room at the time of the event. Click here to view the event flyer.
This year is the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon.
Please remember
+Fr. José Manuel Álvarez Iglesias, a member of the Spanish Province, died on August 23. He was born in 1945, professed in 1961 and ordained in 1971.
Keep in prayer
Please remember the mother of Fr. Mark Mastin, SCJ, in your prayers as she recovers from abdominal surgery. “The doctors are keeping an eye on things and are optimistic for her healing,” said Fr. Mark. “We hope she recovers fully in eight weeks, just in time to celebrate her 90th birthday.”
Also, please remember Fr. Steve Pujdak, SCJ, who is having hip replacement surgery today.
The social legacy of Fr. Dehon
Prior to the commemoration of the centenary of Fr. Leo John Dehon’s death, the congregation hosted an international seminar on the social legacy of the founder. It took place in Clairefontaine (pictured above), on the Belgian-Luxembourg border. Purchased by the founder himself in 1889, it is home to the longest-running active community in the congregation, serving as a school for many years. It is now primarily a conference center.
Much of the seminar featured presentations by SCJs on their understanding of Fr. Dehon as experienced in his writings. Topics included democracy as experienced in the West, the founder’s embrace of Pope Leo XIII’s call to “go to the people,” and the meaning and experience of the “Kingdom of God.”
Fr. John van den Hengel, SCJ, chairperson of the North American Dehonian Theological Commission, was among the presenters.
Click here to read more on the general website.
Have you read…
Fr. Peter McKenna, SCJ, shares the link to an interview with Bishop Evelio Menjivar-Ayala, that appears in US Catholic. His background includes coming to the United States as an undocumented migrant from El Salvador. In his closing comments the bishop shares his concern “that in recent years the American church has become more withdrawn, more inward-looking. That’s why Pope Francis told us that the church must be an outgoing church. That outgoing church of the 1970s and 1980s here in the United States is not this church we see today, which seems to be in hiding.
“And that’s why Pope Francis said, ‘I prefer a church which is bruised, hurting and dirtied from being out on the streets, rather than a church which is unhealthy from being confined.’ Leo XIV comes from that bruised, hurting church, but he sees the church as outgoing, a church unafraid of mission and of accompanying the poor, and preaching the gospel there, and suffering repression together with the people.
“I hope there’s a resurgence of that missionary church here in the United States and throughout the world.”
Click here to read the article on the US Catholic website.
September birthdays
Those celebrating birthdays in September include: Fr. Aegi Warsito on Sept. 1, Fr. Gustave Lulendo N’dotony on Sept. 4, Fr. Vando Marques Gomes on Sept. 13, Fr. John Czyzynski on Sept. 14, Fr. Andrzej Sudol and Fr. Greg Speck on Sept. 17, and Fr. Joseph Thien Dinh on Sept. 24. Happy birthday!
School year starts in prayer
Yesterday, August 24, students and staff at St. Joseph’s Indian School celebrated Mass outside in Wisdom Circle. “It was the first Mass of the school year where all grades were in attendance,” wrote Joe Tyrell, director of Mission Integration at the school. “It was a beautiful and spiritual morning.” Fr. Greg Schill, SCJ, president of St. Joseph’s, was the main celebrant. The photo below is from the Mass.
On Wednesday, August 27, Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology will hold its Opening Mass for the new school year. Fr. Stephen Huffstetter, SCJ, will be installed as president-rector during the liturgy.
Click here to subscribe to the weekly news (Fridge Notes) via email