“Donors are partners in ministry”

It may seem like an overused phrase, but it is far from being trite. At St. Joseph’s Indian School in South Dakota (as in all SCJ ministries), benefactors are as much a part of the school’s ministry as are the teachers, house parents, administrators, maintenance staff, and even the SCJs themselves.

“Our benefactors are a part of St. Joseph’s ‘tiyospaye,’” said Fr. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ, school chaplain. “Tiyospaye”  is the Lakota word for ‘family.’ “We work together to better the lives of our children here at St. Joseph’s.”

It was in that spirit of partnership that the St. Joseph’s Donor Care Center was developed.

St. Joseph’s Indian School opened the center in Sioux Falls in March, 2013. “We came up with the idea for a donor care center as a way to focus on personal contact with our benefactors,” said Kody. “It is a way of engaging the donors in the conversation.”

No one likes the bore at the party who only talks about himself. “This is what I’m doing… this is what I plan to do.”

The Donor Call Center is a way of making it a two-way conversation. If benefactors are true partners in the ministry of St. Joseph’s Indian School, it is important to communicate WITH, not just AT them.

Click here to read more about the center on the province website.

Where is that stuff?

All the feature stories that have been published on the province website (such as the one above about the Donor Care Center), as well as back issues of the Fridge Notes, are available on the website.

How to find them? You have a few options. If you are looking for something recent, scroll down the homepage past the boxes that say “Vocations, Prayers, Donations.” On the left side of the page are links to the five most recent stories.

Or, click on the “News and Publications” tab at the top of any page (second from left) and you have options for “Weekly News” (this is what the Fridge Notes is called on the website), “Feature Stories,” “Photos,” and other possibilities. You can chose one of the options, such as “Weekly News,” or just click on “News and Publications.”

Regardless of which category you click on under “News and Publications,” you will have a webpage with options on the left side for other categories, a search engine, a province calendar, and access to the archives of everything posted on the site.

This archives is listed as “Categories.” Click on the “+” in front of any of the categories and a list of everything posted under it will be displayed.

Have problems finding what you are looking for? Click here to contact Mary Gorski.

Prayer request

Greg Goike, the brother-in-law of Kevin Stanke (province accountant) is in the final stages of cancer. Please keep Greg and his family in your prayers.

Also, keep Fr. Bob Bossie in your prayers. He suffered a heart attack last week, but thankfully, quick action resulted in an excellent prognosis. He had a stent placed in a blocked artery and is said to be recovering well.

Finally, Keith Burdick, a member of the staff at Vocation Central, could use a few prayers. Last week he suffered a burst appendix. He is home, recovering from surgery, but expected to be back in the office later this week.

Steps for Students

Frater Joseph Vu, SCJ, writes that he will be “participating in a fundraiser for Our Lady of Guadalupe School here in Houston. ‘Steps 4 Students’ is an archdiocesean program that highlights the importance of helping children receive a Catholic education. The funds donated through my page will help OLG school. With OLG having the lowest tuition in the diocese, it’s a great service to families as an inner city school. If anyone would like to donate funds, great!

“Regardless if a person donates or note, I ask that everyone pray for a safe race for all participants.”

Click here to go to Frater Joseph’s fundraising page.

Update

Fr. Frank Wittouck has a new address: 3306 La Branch, Apt 5, Houston TX 77004

 

Conference comes to an end

As noted last week, “Anthropologia Cordis,” an international Dehonian theology conference, took place in Taubaté, Brazil, February 2-7.

Each day Fr. David Szatkowski, SCJ, shared a reflection from the conference. Commenting after a presentation by Marcello Neri (an Italian theologian, Marcello may be familiar to SCJs in the US Province –– he taught for a semester at Sacred Heart School of Theology), Fr. David wrote that “I believe his suggestion of God’s presence in the world, and helping people to experience that love, is central to Dehonian ministry and mission today.

“By taking a fundamentally positive view of humanity and creation, we can understand the Sacred Heart as a human heart, a heart that wants to be united to our struggles for liberation.  This is a Heart that truly wants to be touched by and moved by the struggles of humanity… It is by this sharing of the love of Christ that each person in his/her context allowing others to do the same.”

Fr. David’s final reflection concluded that “the most common theme among all participants was the importance of the love of Christ being not an act of piety, but a concrete expression of care for the people among whom we minister.  For me, this was the most important commonality.  I believe the common theme that was suggested – but never named directly – is that the more we practice the love of Christ, making that love experienced, making that love tangible, that we as a congregation truly build up the Kingdom of God in hearts and societies.”

Click here to read reports from the conference linked on the U.S. website (including Fr. David’s reflections).

Click here to view a photo album from the week.

Click here to view reports and other materials from the conference that have been posted on the general website.

Settling in

Mark Peters, the new province director of Justice, Peace and Reconciliation said that “I’ve spent a lot of the past month reading – biographies of Fr. Dehon, the history of the province, Justice & Peace Commission files going back to the 70s, and writings on SCJ spirituality. I’ve gained some understanding of Leo Dehon’s times, spirituality and thinking about social justice, as well as efforts to interpret Dehonian charism for a post-Vatican II Church and a post-modern world.  There’s no question you have a treasure trove to be mined there!”

He is now in the process of contacting members of the province to get “individual perspectives on the role of social justice in Dehonian spirituality, how you see the larger social issues that impact your own ministry and the people you serve, and how I and the commission can be most effective in serving you and your people,” he wrote in a letter mailed to SCJs last week.

So don’t be surprised if you get a call from Mark in the next few weeks. He is asking for about 15 minutes of time when he calls. If you’d rather call him, his number is 414-427-4273.

Writing from India

Don’t forget to visit the province blog where Fr. Tom Cassidy continues to post reflections during his stay with the theology community in India. Recent posts included stories about wayward buffalo and the challenges of the many accents in which the English language is found — including Fr. Tom’s own Midwestern twang!

Click here to go to the blog site.

Provincial’s time

Fr. Stephen Huffstetter has a few meetings this week, including the stakeholders’ investment meeting on Tuesday, before leaving for vacation on Wednesday. He will be out of the office until February 21.

March 2-4 he will be in Montréal for the North American councils’ meeting.