Advent begins
God of kindness,
you so loved the world that you sent Jesus, your Son,
to become one of us.
In response to your love,
we offer you our lives:
our energies, our needs, our intentions.
Receive our offering;
enable us to unite it with your Word made flesh.
During these days full of grace,
inspire us with an active hope:
a hope that finds flesh in our daily lives,
a hope that heals and unites,
a hope that welcomes your Word in everyone we meet.
So, when creation reaches its destiny,
at the coming of Jesus,
may we go out to join our hearts with his
into one great prayer of thanksgiving and praise
to you, our loving God.
Amen.
“Prayer of Oblation for Advent” from This Day of God, Community Prayer Book of the Priests of the Sacred Heart
Advent Hours of Recollection
REMINDER – Coworkers, volunteers, members of the Dehonian family, and SCJs are invited to an Advent Hour of Recollection on Tuesday, December 10 at 10:00 a.m. (CST) It will be held via Zoom; link information below.
Dr. James Stroud (pictured above at the Dehonian Conference in Mississippi in October) will present “Forgiveness in a World of Conflict”. Dr. Stroud is Associate Professor of Moral Theology at Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology. In addition to his intellectual training (S.T.D., The Catholic University of America, S.T.L., The Catholic University of America, M.A., University of Dallas), Dr. Stroud lives his faith daily and has a beautiful way of sharing it with others.
Questions? Contact Monica Misey, director of Dehonian Associates, at [email protected] or 414-427-4267.
Zoom information:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81332521828?pwd=QHEmEfaf9Ae5FiZAVDHPZSxMdMTca3.1
Meeting ID: 813 3252 1828
Passcode: 573872
Please note that there is a separate Advent Hour of Reflection for SCJs on this Thursday, December 5 at 10:00 a.m. Login information was sent to SCJs in the US and Canada on November 15; it is also on the Members page of the US Province website. The SCJ presentation will be led by Fr. vanThanh Nguyen, SVD. The topic will be “Forming Competent Leaders for an Intercultural Mission: A Biblical Perspective”
Searching for God’s compassion and love
If you are in the Milwaukee area we invite you to attend an Advent presentation at St. Martin of Tours titled “Are You Searching for God’s Compassion and Love?” Led by Dr. Patrick Russell (pictured above), professor of Scripture Studies at Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology, the presentation begins at 6:00 p.m. on December 5.
Click here for more information.
St. Martin of Tours is at 7963 S 116th St, Franklin, WI, 53132 and is ministered to by the Priests of the Sacred Heart (Dehonians).
New general treasurer named
On November 27, the Superior General named Fr. Andrianiaina Jean Robert, SCJ (Fr. Andry) as General Treasurer. His term began on December 1 and concludes at the end of the current administration.
Originally from Madagascar, Fr. Andry has served as regional treasurer of Madagascar and was also responsible for the region’s secretariat.
“We offer heartfelt thanks to Fr. Luca Zottoli, SCJ, for the dedication, kindness, and commitment he demonstrated during his term as General Treasurer, for the benefit of the entire Congregation,” stated the general curia in its announcement of the appointment.
Welcome!
Fr. Manuel Alberto Carvalho Vicente, SCJ, originally from the Portuguese Province, is now a member of the Canadian Region (Ottawa community). Fr. Manuel is an alumnus of the English and Culture Studies program at Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology.
Who’s in your pews?
The 7th Annual Preaching Conference at Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology will take place January 7-9. Among this year’s presenters: Fr. Paul Phong Hoang, SCJ (pictured above), whose presentation is titled “Preaching the Word of God in Multiple Languages.” Originally from Vietnam, Fr. Paul was raised in Houston and now serves on the pastoral team in northern Mississippi. He will talk about his experience of serving multicultural communities in Mississippi (Hispanic and Caucasian), as well at St. Martin of Tours in Franklin, WI, where he preached in Vietnamese when he served as a transitional deacon there.
Other presenters include Dcn. Steve Kramer (director of Homiletics, director of Recruitment, and Associate Professor of Pastoral Studies at SHSST) on “Preaching a Message of Hope: Homiletic Ideas for Nursing Homes, Assisting Living Facilities and Hospital Chapel Settings. He will be joined by Jana Kramer, a Registered Nurse who works primarily in skilled rehabilitation, long term care, and hospice settings. She has held national certification as a Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse (CHPN) since 2017.
Fr. Mark Mastin, SCJ (SHSST formation director), will present “The Lakota and Dakota Indians Teach and Preach to Me.” Dcn. Jim Matthias (Director of Respect Life Ministry and Director of Prison and Jail Ministry for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee) will talk about “Bringing the Gospel Behind Bars.” And, Dcn. Anton Nickolai (VP of Institutional Advancement for SHSST) will present “From Ambo to Ambo: Preaching in Multi-Parish Assignments.”
Click here to learn more. Please note: registration is free for SCJs, SHSST students and those taking part in continuing education through the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.
Questions? Contact Dcn. Steve Kramer, Director of Homiletics, at [email protected], 414-858-4767.
Please remember
+Fr. Norbertus Cloin, a member of the NLV Region, died on November 27. He was born in 1938, professed in 1958 and ordained in 1965.
Keep in prayer
Fr. Richard MacDonald, SCJ, requests prayers for his niece, Delia, who is recovering from serious surgery. There was the possibility that part of her stomach and colon would be removed during the surgery, but her medical team determined that it was not necessary.
“The family is grateful for that, and appreciative for continued prayers,” wrote Fr. Mac.
Giving thanks
Students, members of the Sacred Heart Monastery community, along with our visiting religious sisters from the Philippines, gathered for a group photo before enjoying their Thanksgiving meal last week. Fr. Vien Nguyen, SCJ, was behind the camera.
The longing for religious life
The Dehonian Associates Office has released the fourth in a series of biographical sketches about Ven. Fr. Leo John Dehon as the congregation prepares to commemorate the centenary of his death in 2025. This month’s installment focuses on the founder’s desire for religious community. It begins:
“At 33, Father Dehon found life smiling on him: his ministries were a success, he was esteemed by his bishop and he was welcome throughout the city. But he felt something valuable slipping away. ‘My present busy life is too intense for me. The work is becoming too much for me to handle. I can no longer find time for solitude.’ He was not afraid of work but wanted to balance it with a regular practice of prayer. He thought that joining a religious congregation might help him keep that balance. He looked for a Congregation that was devoted to the Heart of Jesus. After some disappointing attempts, he wrote in his diary, ‘Finally, I began to wonder whether it might not be the plan of Providence that I should start something on my own.’ He spoke with his Bishop, who responded, ‘You want to form a Congregation of priests; I would like to have a high school in St. Quentin. You could begin your Congregation in the form of a high school.’” Click here to read the rest.
Click here to access monthly write-ups and social media posts about Fr. Dehon’s life. They are available in both Spanish and English. Questions about these or other items from the Dehonian Associates office? Please contact Monica Misey, 414-427-4267.
Santa visits OLG
Our closing photo this week is from Our Lady of Guadalupe in Houston, where Santa visited with parishioners yesterday. He is pictured here with the OLG pastor, Fr. Rafael Querobin, SCJ. No word yet on what is on Fr. Rafael’s Christmas wish list for the parish.
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