A prayer for Christmas
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.
Holiday hours
The Provincialate Offices will be closed December 24-26 for Christmas, and December 31 – January 1 for New Year’s. Most members of the staff will be back in the office on January 2.
Emergency news items (such as prayer requests and death notices) can be sent at any time. Click here to do so.
This will be the last Fridge Notes of 2013; the next issue will be published on Monday, January 6.
Also, please note that anyone is welcome to receive the Fridge Notes via email. Our mailing list includes SCJs of the US Province and around the world, as well as co-workers, family members, parishioners and others with interest in the community. Click here to add a name to the mailing list.
SCJ News available
The December SCJ News is now available as a PDF download from the province website. Click here to access it, as well as previous issues from 2013.
The December issue features the recent 100th anniversary celebration of the SCJ presence in Cameroon (click here to read the article on the province website), an obituary of Fr. Joseph Gole, a feature about SCJs preparing for the new mission venture in Asia, a piece by Fr. Gauthier Buyidi, an SCJ from Congo now studying in Chicago, and a brief review of the November Major Superiors meeting.
The print version will be mailed by the end of the year.
Insurance concerns not a concern
Dn. David Nagel, province treasurer, shares the following “I have been asked if religious (SCJs) need to sign up for medical coverage that the government has made available on line. The Affordable Healthcare Act or “Obama Care” primarily affects employers and employees. Members of the Priests of the Sacred Heart are not considered to be employees. The Affordable Care Act does not apply to religious; SCJs do not need to go to the government website to sign up for the new health care plans.
The Province has a comprehensive medical plan for SCJs. If you have questions about this, please contact me [Dn. David].”
Happy birthday!
The 2014 Days of Celebration and Commemoration (the “Birthday Calendar”) was mailed last week. Click here to access a PDF of the calendar online. The calendar is also available from the Members’ section of the province website.
Please note two updates that we received after the calendar went to the printer:
Fr. Yulius Sunardi’s direct phone number is 414-565-4605
Frater Juan Carlos Castenda Rojas has a new email address: [email protected]
Also, in the calendar section please add the following:
Fr. Adrian Lee, a member of the Canadian Region, died on February 28, 2010
And finally, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the following SCJs in January: Fr. Leonard Tadyszak (92) on Jan. 5, Fr. Tom Westhoven (73) and Fr. Rein van Leeuwen (85) on Jan. 9, Fr. Don Barnd (92) on Jan. 19, Fr. Ralph Intranuovo (77) on Jan. 20, Fr. Bernie Rosinski (80) on Jan. 22, and Br. Andy Lewandowski (80) on Jan. 27.
Former student remembers his teacher
“Father Gole came into my life when I began my theological studies in preparation for ordination to the priesthood.” said Fr. John Czyzynski in his homily during the Funeral Mass for Fr. Joseph Gole, honorary SCJ. “Fr. Gole was not a professed member of the Priests of the Sacred Heart, but he was responsible in part for the formation of all the SCJs moving on toward priesthood in the years between 1950 and 1975. I don’t know the exact figures, but that is quite a crowd (and for those of you know us) a motley one at that.
“So my first acquaintance with Fr. Gole was as TEACHER. He found his place in the world and meaning for his life in teaching. That was what gave purpose to his existence. It is what he lived for. We learn to teach from those who taught us and then we learn to make adjustments. I saw that adjustment taking place in Fr. Gole’s life. He must have had some very strict teachers, because he was very strict and demanding in class. But we saw other sides of Fr. Gole as teacher. Fr. Gole demanded a lot of memorization which was more challenging for some people than for others. Fr. Gole told me a story about one of his students (Fr. Tom Fix, who I trust is enjoying a reunion with Father Gole in heaven.) Tom was asked to recite the names of all the books in the Bible. Tom hesitated for a moment and said: Father, I can’t recite them but I can sing them for you. Fr. Gole let him proceed and so Fr. Gole’s office echoed with the names of all 72 books in the Bible to the tune of the Yellow Rose of Texas.”
Click here to read Fr. John’s full homily.
SHST teacher named bishop
Fr. John F. Doerfler, Sacred Heart School of Theology adjunct professor, was named bishop of Marquette, MI, on December 17.
The bishop-elect was born in Appleton, Wis., in 1964 and was ordained in 1991. He holds a licentiate in canon law from the Catholic University of America, and a licentiate and doctorate in moral theology from the John Paul II Pontifical Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family, Washington, D.C. He has served in pastoral ministry and in administration as vice chancellor and now vicar of the Green Bay Diocese and as defender of the bond and judge of the tribunal. He is also a member of the college of consultors and the presbyteral council of Green Bay.
Provincial’s time
Fr. Stephen Huffstetter is in the Milwaukee area until January 10 when he heads to Pinellas Park, Florida, for the first of his visitations. Fr. Steve is in the process of preparing the rest of the visitation calendar for 2014.
