We pray…
Jesus,
to touch our hearts
you put aside your divine glory
and became a child.
To repair a broken world,
you embraced our poverty.
To bring us the friendship of God,
you offered yourself to your Father
and emptied yourself on our behalf.
Jesus,
as we remember the day of your birth,
we want to respond to the love you have shown us.
Come and live in our hearts today.
Help us build a world
where people make their own
the thoughts of God’s heart:
letting the oppressed go free
and breaking every yoke.
May your love reign in human hearts everywhere.
Amen.
Prayer from This Day of God, Community Prayer Book of the Priests of the Sacred Heart
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
This will be the last Fridge Notes before the holiday break. The Provincial Offices will be closed Dec. 23-25, Dec. 31 and Jan. 1; however, please note that several members of the staff will be taking additional vacation time during the next two weeks.
The first Fridge Notes of the new year will be published on Monday, January 6. Click here to share news and/or photos.
“Forgiveness in a world of conflict”
“Forgiveness in a world of conflict” was the theme of the 2024 Advent Hour of Recollection for employees and other collaborators of the Priests of the Sacred Heart (Dehonians). Held via Zoom on December 10, Dr. James Stroud, associate professor of Moral Theology at Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology, was the presenter.
“Where does forgiveness fit in preparing for the way of the Lord?” asked Dr. Stroud.”Forgiveness is a fountain that must be constantly flowing in our lives…
“How to forgive? Begin practicing forgiveness in smaller things and closer situations. Reflect on what it means to love your neighbor as yourself…
“Forgiveness is both a divine and human activity. It is the love of God poured into our hearts. Recognize the beauty of forgiveness.”
Click here or on the image above to view Dr. Stroud’s presentation. Click here to access a PDF of his PowerPoint presentation.
Continuing the dialogue
Throughout North America, local groups have been meeting, seeking ways to not only continue the discussions begun at the Dehonian Conference on the Dual Threats of Climate Change and Nuclear Weapons, but to also take steps toward implementing change.
Members of a discussion group of SCJs at Sacred Heart at Monastery Lake share some of the conclusions of their recent meeting:
“We cited things that the province has already been doing as a way of addressing ecological issues. In the 1980s, St. Joseph’s Indian School began using a geothermal well water to heat the campus; improvements continue to be made to the system. Sacred Heart at Monastery Lake has solar panels on the roof to heat water. When Sacred Heart Monastery was remodeled, heat pumps were installed to heat and cool the resident rooms. We have taken part in Wisconsin’s Focus on Energy program for things such as more efficient lighting and for insulation projects. Also, a significant section of land in front of the Provincial Conference Center and Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology is now dedicated to prairie restoration.”
In early October, representatives from the Provinical Offices, the Province Development Office, SHML and SHSST had their first follow-up meeting to the conference. Among the actions the group committed itself to: seeking ways to minimize the use of paper (using digital communication whenever possible, including QR codes for visitors to learn about the Sacred Heart Shrine and greater digitization of files), increased recycling and implementing motion-sensitive lights where appropriate. The group will next meet on January 30.
In Canada, participants at the North American conference were asked to share their reflections on the gathering, answering the questions “What in the conference motivated you the most?” and “What one thing is the conference summoning you to do?” Click here to access the responses.
If you would like to share what you, your ministry and/or local community is doing as a follow-up to the Mississippi conference, click here.
Pictured above: Fr. Floribert Bulo Dhelo, SCJ, Christian Lavergne, Frater Truc Tran, SCJ and Sr. Yollie Nobabos, TMM, during a break at the conference in Mississippi.
January birthdays
Among those celebrating birthdays in January: Frater Hung Pham on Jan. 12, Fr. Ushindi Kambale Sahani on Jan. 13, Fr. Guy Bertrand Wabo on Jan. 16, Fr. Ralph Intranuovo on Jan. 20, and Br. Andy Lewandowski and Fr. Fabio dos Santos on Jan. 26. Happy birthday!
Please remember
+John Hunt, the brother-in-law of Fr. Mark Mastin, SCJ, died on December 14. “He leaves behind my sister Karen and his children Angie, Nick, and Rachel,” wrote Fr. Mark. “I was able to get a priest to anoint him about an hour before his death.” Mr. Hunt suffered from cancer, exacerbated by a recently discovered brain tumor.
+Fr. Gerardus Pieterse, a member of the Dutch Region, died on December 7. He was born in 1936, professed in 1957 and ordained in 1964.
Open house is rescheduled
The Dehon Study Center’s Open House has been rescheduled for March 18, 2025; Fr. Vien Nguyen, SCJ, will dedicate the center’s new space at that time. The center recently moved across the street from Sacred Heart at Monastery Lake to the Provincial Conference Center. Fr. Joseph Mukuna, SCJ (pictured below leading the first meeting of the Dehon Book Club), is the DSC director.
Next Dehon Book Club meeting
As noted last week, one of the new initiatives of the Dehon Study Center is a book club. Meetings take place in-person or via Zoom from 1:00-2:00 p.m (central) on the First Friday of each month. The focus of the first few meetings is Marcel Denis’ book The Project of Fr. Dehon. Fr. Joseph explained the intent of the gathering is to create “a space for us to sit together, share knowledge of our founder and charism, preserve our identity, learn, and continue the transmission of wisdom.”
The next meeting will be on January 3, 2025. Contact Fr. Joseph for more information at: [email protected] or 414-427-4265. He will provide the reading materials.
2025 Calendars
Also, a reminder that the Dehon Study Center has 2025 calendars available. Titled “The Legacy of Venerable Father Leo John Dehon,” the calendar celebrates the founder, featuring quotes from him, and photos from province ministries.
To receive a copy (group orders for ministries are welcome), contact Fr. Joseph Mukuna, SCJ at [email protected].
¡Viva la Virgen de Guadalupe!
Thousands of people joined parishioners at Our Lady of Guadalupe last week for the celebration of the parish’s patronal feast day. Go to the parish Facebook page to view videos from the 30 hours of prayer and celebration. The feast was also celebrated in many of our Dehonian schools, including Sacred Heart in Southaven, MS. Fr. Paul Phong Hoang, SCJ, who was ordained at OLG in June, celebrated the feast-day Eucharist at the school. He is pictured above (left), talking with one of the SH students about feast day traditions. An image from the celebrations at OLG Houston is on the right.
General Theological Commission prepares for anniversaries
The General Dehonian Theological Commission had its annual meeting in Rome last week. Among the topics of discussion: the next theological seminar (location: Taubaté, Brazil), the commemoration of the centenary of the founder’s death, and the 150th anniversary of the founding of the congregation. The commission is pictured below. Among some of the familiar faces: Fr. Willyans Prado Rapozo, SCJ (second from left, he is formerly a member of the Canadian Region and now serves on the General Council) and Fr. John van den Hengel, SCJ (third from right, he is chairperson of the North American Theological Commission).
Click here to subscribe to the weekly news (Fridge Notes) via email
