Merry Christmas!

The Provincial Offices will be closed December 24-25, December 31 and January 1 to celebrate Christmas and the New Year.

This is the last issue of Fridge Notes for the year; the next issue will be published on Monday, January 4. The last issue of Dehonian Spirituality for the year was published December 18. The next Dehonian Spirituality will be published on January 8.

Don’t know what Dehonian Spirituality is? Click here to view the archives. Want to be added to the mailing list of the weekly publication? Click here.

New superior named for St. Joseph’s

Last week the Provincial Council named Fr. Joseph Dinh as superior of the St. Joseph Community (SHML fourth floor), Fr. Yvon Sheehy was appointed as first councilor and Br. Ray Kozuch as second; Br. Frank Presto was named treasurer of the community.

Also during the council meeting, Fraters Joseph Vu and James Nguyen were approved to receive the ministry of lector.

Image by Matt Cardy/Getty Images, published in the Guardian.

Council statement on refugees

During its December 15-16 meeting, the Provincial Council approved a public statement regarding the growing refugee crisis. It was sent to national elected leadership and media.

“Let us re-commit ourselves to our cherished principles of compassion and courage,” wrote members of the council. “Otherwise terrorism will have succeeded not only in killing and displacing thousands, but also in causing us to abandon the ideals that have made us a great country. Welcoming these refugees will show the terrorists that they cannot win, and will do far more than bombs ever can do to win the hearts and minds of people in the Middle East and around the world.”

Click here to read the full letter on the province website.

DHS reunion

An all-class, all-faculty reunion of Divine Heart Seminary (Donaldson, IN) will be held on Saturday, May 21, at Bobak’s Signature Events and Conference Center at 6440 Double Eagle Dr, Woodridge, IL 60517.

The celebration will begin with Mass at 4:30 pm followed by a reception and dinner. The cost will be $70 per person (including open bar and the dinner).

Click here to email Keith George with questions. Organizers need to know how many people will be attending by Friday, March 18.

Organizers have a Facebook page with more information. Click here to see it. You do not need to be a member of Facebook to view the page.

Daniel Cardinal DiNardo with acolytes before the Year of Mercy liturgy at OLG.

Opening of the Year of Mercy at OLG

As noted previously, Daniel Cardinal DiNardo named Our Lady of Guadalupe as one of the pilgrimage sites in the Archdiocese of Galveston Houston for the Holy Year of Mercy. On Saturday, December 19, the cardinal celebrated a special liturgy at OLG with the Rite of the Opening of the Door of Mercy.

“Our Lady of Guadalupe has a great faith heritage in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, especially for our brothers and sisters of Hispanic origin,” wrote Cardinal DiNardo to Fr. Ed Kilianski, provincial superior and former OLG pastor. “I am grateful for the Priests of the Sacred Heart who continue to minister in this parish. It is my hope that in this Year of Mercy the pilgrims who walk through the Holy Door at Our Lady of Guadalupe will encounter the mercy of God and the hospitality of the community. Please be assured of my prayers for you and the Priests of the Sacred Heart in this Year of Mercy.”

Fr. Duy Nguyen is administrator of OLG. Associate pastor is Fr. Zbigniew Morawiec. Br. Andy Gancarczyk, a member of the pastoral team, took photos at the celebration, which are posted on the province Facebook page. Click here to view them.

Days of Celebration and Commemoration

The pocket-sized calendar with the birthdays and dates of death of SCJs in the United States and Canada is being mailed to SCJs in North America this week. Members of the US Province will receive their updated membership card with it.

Click here to download a PDF of the calendar.

Happy birthday!

Those celebrating birthdays in January include: Fr. Leonard Tadyszak (94) on Jan. 5, Fr. Tom Westhoven (75) and Fr. Rein van Leeuwen (87) on Jan. 9, Fr. Engelbert Fotsing (54) on Jan. 14, Fr. Ralph Intranuovo (79) on Jan. 20, Fr. Bernie Rosinski (82) on Jan. 22, and Br. Andy Lewandowski (82) on Jan. 26.

Treasurers appointed

ESL alum Fr. Tomasz Flak has been named assistant general treasurer. — ESL alum Fr. Tomasz Flak

Last week the Canadian Region announced that Fr. Maurice Légaré has been reappointed as regional treasurer. The Canadian Finance Committee includes Fr. Maurice, Fr. Jim Casper (chairperson) and Fr. Paul Tennyson. A lay person with financial expertise is being sought to join the committee.

Fr. Maurice has served as regional treasurer for 13 years. “We thank Fr. Maurice for his attention to the financial health of the region, and the members of the Finance Committee for accepting to accompany him,” said Fr. John van de Hengel, regional superior.

Also, Fr. Tomasz Flak has been named to a three-year term as assistant general treasurer, beginning January 1. An alumnus of Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology’s ESL program, Fr. Tomasz assisted in the general treasurer’s office during the previous general administration.

Also named…

Dn. David Nagel has been reappointed to the General Finance Commission for the Priests of the Sacred Heart. “I appreciate Dn. David’s availability to continue in this role with our general administration,” said Fr. Ed Kilianski.

Keep in prayer

Fr. Tom Lind has been diagnosed with congestive heart failure as well as kidney issues. After several weeks in the hospital he will be in a rehabilitation facility.

Provincial’s Time

Fr. Ed Kilianski is in the Milwaukee area for Christmas and New Year’s. January 6-13 he will be in Texas for a visitation and consultation for the local superior, and January 20-21 he is with the St. Francis Community (Woods Road) for its visitation.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!