“I want to live in a spirit of love and reparation
Yesterday, August 7, Frater Hung Pham, SCJ, renewed his vows at Our Lady of Guadalupe in Houston. He is currently doing his CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education) at the MD Anderson Cancer Center, also in Houston. “It is an excellent opportunity for me to learn how to provide spiritual care for patients, not only for Catholics but also for other believers and non-believers,” wrote Frater Hung. “My goals in clinical pastoral education are to learn how to care for patients by actively and empathetically listening to them. In addition, I want to apply what I learned from the CPE to pastoral practices.
Reflecting on his vow renewal, Frater Hung added that “I want to be a prophet of love, servant of reconciliation, and give attention to humankind’s appeals through Dehonian spirituality. I also want to live in the spirit of love and reparation. This way, I can dedicate myself more intimately to serving God and Dehonian.”
Frater Hung is pictured above in his hospital coat during his CPE work, and below with his family following his vow renewal.
Congratulations Frater Hung! On Friday, Fraters Paul Phong Hoang, Truc Tran and Thuan Nguyen will renew their vows in a ceremony at Sacred Heart Monastery.
The search continues
Fr. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ, has been missing since July 21. He is 75 and suffers from significant memory loss.
Police, in collaboration with a wide variety of investigative organizations, have done an in-depth search of not only Sacred Heart at Monastery Lake and its surrounding property, but the wider area as well. Trained dog teams, scuba divers, drones and sonar have been used.
A week ago, police concluded that Fr. Anthony most likely left the property soon after he exited the building. This means that authorities must cast a much wider net, seeking clues for where Fr. Anthony may have traveled. His image and news of his disappearance have been posted in gas stations and other well-travelled locations in the Midwest.
We may not have regular updates to share on the investigative process but do know that it continues. We do not give up hope.
We pray…
Loving God, you call all things into being
and bring order out of chaos.Help us who are searching for Fr. Anthony
to recognize your will in these difficult times.
Be with Fr. Anthony whom you called to service
and open the hearts of our brothers and sisters
to help us find him.
Grant us also willing hearts to be strong in hope,
that our prayers and thoughts
may guide Fr. Anthony home.
We bring Fr. Anthony to you, Lord,
entrusting him to the mercy of the Heart of Jesus.
Amen.
If you have any information that you think may be relevant in the search for Fr. Anthony please contact the Franklin Police Department at: 414-425-2522.
My vocation story…
A week from today, on August 15, Jacob Smith, Jonathan Vuong-Nguyen and Michael Wodarczyk will make their first profession of vows with the Priests of the Sacred Heart. In the video above, Jacob, a convert to Catholicism, talks about his vocation journey. Click here or on the image above to view it. A link to the livestream of the First Profession ceremony will be available on the Province YouTube channel later this week.
Dehonian Theological Commission focuses on aboriginal relationship to Mother Earth
For the first time in over two years, SCJs of the North American Dehonian Theological Commission were able to meet in-person. Fr. Charles Brown (US Province), Fr. Gustave Lulendo (Canada), Fr. Ziggy Morawiec (US) and Fr. John van den Hengel (Canada; chairperson) met August 3-4 at the Provincial Offices in Hales Corners, WI.
“Meeting by Zoom allowed us to continue our work during the pandemic, but as this meeting showed, personal interactions are vital,” said Fr. John. “And, it was simply good to be together in the same room again.”
As are the congregation’s other continental commissions, the North American group is preparing for the International Theological Seminar to be held in May, 2023, at the Dehonian’s ESIC University in Madrid, Spain. The topic of the gathering will be “The Economy and the Common Good in Light of Dehonian Witness.”
“The North American contribution will be on the aboriginal relationship to Mother Earth, a reflection on economic ownership of the land in view of the colonists’ history with First Nations/Native American people,” said Fr. John. The committee also talked about expanding its membership, noting that it would be good to have some younger voices in the discussions.
As chairperson, Fr. John will represent the North American Commission at an international meeting at the Generalate in Rome in December. Pictured below: Fr. Charlie, Fr. John and Fr. Ziggy.
Revised assembly schedule
In light of Fr. Anthony Kluckman’s disappearance, the Province Assembly has been revised from a three-day gathering to one, beginning with the First Profession Ceremony at 4:30 p.m. on Monday, August 15, and concluding with the Jubilee Celebration on Tuesday, August 16, also at 4:30 p.m. Sr. Dianne Bergant, CSA, will be the presenter on the topic of the mercy of God. In her talk, she will connect SCJ spirituality with the theme of loss and healing.
Preparing for a new school year
We are just a few days into August and staff at our Dehonian schools are already getting ready for a new academic year. Pictured above is Fr. Jack Kurps, SCJ, who celebrated Mass for the staffs of Sacred Heart School and Holy Family School at the start of their joint professional development day on Monday. The schools are among the many ministries of Sacred Heart Southern Missions.
Please remember
† Fr. Stanislaw Szymajda, a member of the Polish Province, who died on June 30. He was born in 1950, professed in 1970 and ordained on 1976.
† Fr. Agostinho Clemente Neto, a member of the Portuguese Province, died on July 12. He was born in 1952, professed in 1974 and ordained in 1982.
† Fr. Kazimierz Wawrzyczek, a member of the Polish Province, died on July 20. He was born in 1938, professed in 1954 and ordained in 1963.
† Fr. André Boelrijk, a member of the Dutch Region, died on July 28. He was born in 1925, professed in 1945 and ordained in 1951.
† Br. Petrus Sumardi, a member of the Indonesian Province, died on July 30. He was born in 1934, professed in 1967 and made perpetual profession in 1974.
St. Joseph’s summer nutrition outreach
During the school year, students on campus at St. Joseph’s Indian School receive (and often help to prepare in the family homes) all of their meals and snacks as a part of their day-to-day living at the school. In the summer, students head home to their families. However, many of these families struggle with food insecurity amid ever-rising grocery prices.
To help supplement family cupboards, volunteers from St. Joseph’s drove to nine South Dakota reservations this summer, delivering $30,000 worth of food boxes.
This is on top of the 1,958 meals given to children attending summer camp, 1,797 meals to children who are a part of programs that collaborate with St. Joseph’s Indian School, and 293 meals have been served to students who remain on campus through the summer academic break.
97 years ago…
This Friday, August 12, we commemorate the 97th anniversary of the death of the founder, Fr. Leo John Dehon. Born in 1843 into a French aristocratic family, Fr. Dehon went on to become a champion of the working class, founded schools, established a newspaper, and became immersed in a wide variety of social projects. He established the Priests of the Sacred Heart in 1878; a religious community now found in over 40 countries on five continents.
“I have been led by Divine Providence to plow many furrows but two in particular will leave an indelible mark,” wrote Fr. Dehon, reflecting on his life. What stood out to him? “Christian social action and the life of love and reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.”
We pray…
My Jesus,
I lovingly renew the pact of love
That I made with you.
Give me the grace to be faithful to it.
Amen.
Prayer of Renewal from This Day of God, the Community Prayer Book of the Priests of the Sacred Heart.
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