No longer the “interim”
When Fr. Stephen Huffstetter was elected to the General Council in May, Fr. Ed Kilianski became the interim provincial superior.
On Tuesday, August 25, he was able to drop “interim” after he was elected as Fr. Steve’s successor on the first ballot of the Province Election Assembly.
During the next two days the province elected its new Provincial Council. It includes: Fr. Quang Nguyen, Fr. Duy Nguyen, Fr. Christianus Hendrik, Fr. Jack Kurps and Br. Frank Presto.
Fr. Ed began his three-year term immediately after his election. He and the new council had their first meeting Thursday afternoon. Besides thanking the out-going councilors for their service –– Fr. Byron Haaland and Br. Duane Lemke –– Fr. Ed and the council made the following appointments:
Dn. David Nagel as provincial treasurer and as mission procurator
Br. Frank Presto as provincial secretary
Kathleen Dahlgren as civil attorney
Fr. David Szatkowski as canon lawyer
Mary Gorski as recording secretary
The council will next meet for a retreat-planning session September 30 – October 1. Meetings are also scheduled for October 20-21 and December 15-16.
Click here to view photos of the Closing Mass and Fr. Ed Kilianski’s installation.
Click here to access all of the photo albums from the assembly.
Please remember
Msgr. William O’Connell of the Diocese of Rapid City died August 29. He was a well-respected and familiar face to many SCJs who ministered in South Dakota. The wake will be Wednesday evening at 7 pm and the funeral at noon on Thursday. Both will take place at the Rapid City Cathedral.
Fr. Wladyslaw Stasik, a member of the Polish Province, died August 28. He was born in 1938, professed in 1958 and ordained in 1967.
Fr. François Koedinger, a member of the Franco-European Province, died August 25. He was born in 1930, professed in 1958 and ordained in 1965.
Continue to keep in prayer
Fr. Bob Bossie shared the following update on his brother, Richard: “He is still in the hospital trying to recover from emergency surgery to restore blood circulation to his leg following complications from a heart catheterization. He still suffers from COPD and asthma and must undergo open heart for blockage in all his arteries. It looks to be a long and tenuous road ahead. Claudia, his wife, and I spend time with him each day. We are most appreciative for all the prayers coming our way and for the medical personnel. When all is said and done, that’s what it’s all about.”
Please continue to keep the family in your prayers.
New faces at SHSST
The new school year gets underway this week at Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology. Classes start today, and the Opening Eucharist is on Wednesday.
The seminary not only welcomes new students, but a number of new faculty and administrators.
Click here to learn about who is new at the seminary, including two SHSST alumni: Fr. Bob Cook, OFM Conv, who has been named vice president for human formation (he previously served as parochial vicar at the Basilica of St. Josaphat in Milwaukee, as director of Carrollton Hall, a Catholic cultural center in Maryland, and in parish ministry in Illinois) and Fr. Duane Wachowiak, SHSST’s new director of liturgy and liturgical formation (a priest of the Diocese of Gaylord, Mich., he most recently served as parochial administrator of a parish in the Diocese of Saginaw).
Update
Fr. Stephen Huffstetter has a new phone number in Rome: (039) 320-446-0949. He said that he will maintain his US phone number, but not check it as often for messages.
Please note that his email address is now stephen.huffstetter@dehon.it. The previous provincial@usprovince.org will soon be deactivated.
Fr. General addresses Pope Francis’ comments about Fr. Dehon
Fr. Heinrich Wilmer, superior general, wrote an open letter to Professor Philip A. Cunningham, president of International Council of Christians and Jews. The superior general wrote it in reference to reports in the media that followed the congregation’s audience with Pope Francis during the General Chapter. At that time the pope light-heartedly referred to the founder as the “almost-Blessed Dehon” and later said that he hoped “this beatification process ends well.”
The press reacted quickly to the remarks.
Click here to download a PDF of the letter.
Provincial’s Time
Fr. Ed Kilianski is in Hales Corners until Thursday. On Wednesday he will spend the day with the Sacred Heart Community at SHML and in the evening take part in the Opening Eucharist at SHSST.
He will then return to Houston, where he will pack and prepare for his departure from his duties as pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe parish. He plans to leave Houston on September 17 and arrive in Hales Corners the next day. Fr. Ed will be a member of the St. Joseph Community on the fourth floor of SHML.
Labor Day break
Next week’s Fridge Notes will be published on Tuesday, September 8, instead of Monday because of the Labor Day holiday.
Closing Shot
Delegates from last week’s Election Assembly gather for a group photo:
