We pray…
Mary, Our Lady of Guadalupe,
a few short years after the gospel was preached on our shores
you came to us, bearing your Son, Jesus.
Others had come with greed in their hearts,
guns in their hands,
and disease in their bodies,
but you came with our Savior in your womb.
You came dressed in our colors,
speaking our language and using our symbols.
Your message was one of love and protection.
You gathered us into your arms
and assured us that you are our mother too.
As we place our trust in you,
you promise to protect us from the powerful of our world.
Dear Lady of Guadalupe,
we still need your love and protection.
We still need your Son, our God,
who is our brother and savior.
Just as your motherly image remains among us to this day,
so too may we learn from you
how to heal all in our land
as brothers and sisters in the family of God.
Amen.
Prayer from This Day of God, Community Prayer Book of the Priests of the Sacred Heart
30 hours of prayer and celebration
The feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe is more than just a feast day at the parish of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Houston. Starting with a Spanish-language Mass at 4:00 p.m. on Dec. 11 (the vigil), there are liturgies through the night (including an outdoor Midnight Mass at the OLG Shrine), the 5:00 a.m. singing of the Las Mañanitas, and more liturgies (primarily in Spanish) until the final Mass at 8:00 p.m. on the feast day itself, December 12.
In-between there is dancing in traditional Aztec costumes, offerings of candles and flowers, and food, lots of food. Food trucks often line the street leading up to the church.
Up to 25,000 people are expected to take part in the two days of celebration.
Fr. Vien Nguyen, SCJ, will bring SCJ Frs. Floribert Bulo Dhelo, Ari Saputra and Christian Hoper – three of our international SCJs preparing for ministry in the US Province – to experience and help with the celebrations. The SCJ pastoral team at Our Lady of Guadalupe includes Fr. Rafael Querobin (pastor), Fr. George (Jerzy) Mordalski, Fr. Fabio dos Santos (pictured above, lighting the candles for the OLG novena) and Frater Michael Wodarczyk.
“Mission in the Age of Migration and in the Love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus”
Fr. vănThanh Nguyễn, SVD, professor of New Testament Studies and holder of the Bishop Francis X. Ford, M.M., Chair of Catholic Missiology at Catholic Theological Union, led SCJs in an online Advent Hour of Recollection last Thursday, Dec. 5. His focus was a response to migration based in the love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
“By 2050, ethnic minorities in United States will become the majority,” he said. “Demographic shifts will bring challenges for mission and ministry. How should the academic curriculum prepare students for mission and ministry in this new environment?”
The Church too will continue to undergo a significant cultural shift, with the populations of Christians growing in Africa, Asia and Latin America. “People will seek a global perspective as opposed to a European-based view of the Church,” he said, later adding that as people migrate, they bring their culture, customs, beliefs and spirituality.
“God migrates with them,” he said.
The face of the priesthood and religious life is changing. Leadership of the Church needs to be formed with greater competency in intercultural knowledge. In the midst of a world struggling with anti-immigrant attitudes, or simply fear of the other, Fr. vănThanh emphasized that Dehonian spirituality is an ideal response to the moment.
“Your founder’s vision continues to contribute to the global Church,” he said. “To be ‘prophets of love and servants of reconciliation’ – that is exactly how we should respond to this moment…
“Mercy, compassion and love. Show that and live the gospel.”
Recently published reviews
Congratulations to Fr. Vien Nguyen, SCJ, who recently had two book reviews published:
Nguyen, Vien. Review of Redemptive Kingdom Diversity: A Biblical Theology of the People of God by Jarvis J. Williams. Review of Biblical Literature (August 2024). https://www.sblcentral.org/API/Reviews/1001237_73136.pdf
Nguyen, Vien. Review of Deconstructing Racism: A Path Toward Lasting Change by Barbara Crain Major and Joseph Barndt. Catholic Biblical Quarterly 86, no. 4 (October 2024): 823-825. https://muse-jhu-edu.shsst.idm.oclc.org/article/940018/pdf
About Redemptive Kingdom Diversity: A Biblical Theology of the People of God, Fr. Vien concludes that: “The book invites Christian readers to reflect and conform themselves to a new identity in Christ and pursue God’s vision for redemptive kingdom diversity. Williams stresses the significance of the people of God taking ownership of their Spirit-empowered agency and responsibility in overcoming challenging circumstances. Williams argues that neither white guilt nor a victim mentality offers a redemptive path forward as both lead to despair and hopelessness (164). Instead of feeling guilty, white Christians should lament racism and stand in solidarity with diverse people of color. Williams also underscores that ethnic minorities who have experienced racism should not resort to racism themselves (160). They should “reject and resist perpetuating a victim mentality” to stop a continuous cycle of racism and dehumanization (166). That is indeed our redemptive calling and purpose.”
Dehon calendar available
The Dehon Study Center created a monthly 2025 calendar titled “The Legacy of Venerable Father Leo John Dehon.” It celebrates the lasting impact of Fr. Dehon, featuring his words of wisdom and photos from several of the SCJ ministries in the United States. If you would like an individual copy or to place an order for a group, please email Fr. Joseph Mukuna, SCJ, Director of the Dehon Study Center, at [email protected]
Be sure to let him know the number desired and the mailing address.
Study Center hosts first book club meeting
The Dehon Study Center has begun a new First Friday tradition: the Dehon Book Club. Fr. Joseph Mukuna, SCJ, DSC director, hosted the first session on December 6. Approximately a dozen SCJs and collaborators met in a hybrid gathering in-person at the Provincialate and via Zoom.
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.” He reviewed the historical context of The Project of Dehon and provided information about the author, translation, and structure of the work. Participants added insightful background and details from their knowledge.
The Book Club meets from 1:00-2:00 p.m. (central) on the First Friday of the month. The next gathering will be on January 3, 2025. You can participate in-person or via Zoom.
Contact Fr. Joseph for more information at: [email protected] or 414-427-4265. He will provide the reading materials.
This is a “wonderful opportunity for us to learn and grow together,” said Fr. Joseph. It is one of many events he has planned for the Dehon Study Center.
Dickens and Dehon
“So what do we have at the end of A Christmas Carol?” asked Monica Misey of a group of residents gathered at Sacred Heart at Monastery Lake last week, “We have a story which was itself, a gift from Dickens to the people of his time, to open their hearts to the hopeful promise of Christmas. It’s also a ghost story to haunt us about the plight of the poor, something both Dickens and Fr. Dehon cared deeply about. Both men viewed humans’ rejection of God’s love as the greatest source of misery. Both understood the importance of gift, especially God’s gift of love for us, and then sharing that gift. Both worked for love and reconciliation – one as an author and one as a priest. And both left a legacy of opening hearts to love.”
Monica is province director of Dehonian Associates; she gave a presentation on the parallels of Charles Dickens and Fr. Leo John Dehon to residents at SHML on Dec. 4.
Please remember
+Fr. Paulo Antonio Müller, a member of the Brazil-Sao Paulo Province, died on December 4. He was born in 1956, professed his first vows in 1979 and was ordained a priest in 1985.
+Fr. Geradis Pieterse, a member of the Dutch Region, died on December 7. He was born in 1936, professed in 1957 and ordained in 1964,
Remembering our martyrs in Congo
The commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the martyrdom of Dehonians in DR Congo took place November 25-26.
On November 25, the confreres of the Congolese Province visited the Makiso cemetery, where SCJ missionaries, martyred by the Simba rebels in 1964, are buried. Twenty-eight SCJs were killed during the rebellion. Dehonians are pictured below at the gravesite, praying the rosary.
The following day, November 26, the day of the Dehonian memorial itself, Eucharist was celebrated at the Maison Sacré-Coeur in Kisangani, with the participation of religious from several communities, Dehonian lay people and SCJs.
Click here to subscribe to the weekly news (Fridge Notes) via email
