Preaching the truth
Fr. Paul Phong Hoang, SCJ (pictured below), was one of the closing presenters at the 7th Annual Preaching Conference at Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology which took place January 7-8. Fr. Mark Mastin, SCJ, was the opening speaker; he is pictured above with Fra. Michael Wodarczyk, SCJ, asking a question of Fr. Paul.
This year’s conference theme: “Know Your Audience: Who’s in the Your Pews?”
Ordained last June, Fr. Paul was paired with another newly ordained priest – Fr. Craig Richter (ordained last May) of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee – to share their experiences of preaching in multilingual settings. Both Frs. Paul and Craig serve on pastoral teams that minister to a mix of English and Spanish-speaking Catholics. Fr. Paul is on the Dehonian pastoral team in northern Mississippi and Fr. Craig is an associate to a cluster of eight parishes in Racine, WI.
Serving in a multilingual environment is familiar territory to Fr. Paul, who was born in Vietnam. His family immigrated to the United States when he was a teen, and he learned English while going to high school in Texas. As a seminarian at SHSST, he had several cross-cultural experiences, including ministry in Ecuador.
“I am not an expert,” emphasized Fr. Paul, “but I hope that by sharing some of my experiences you might find something helpful to take back to your own ministries.”
Preaching at a bilingual Mass is something that requires practice. Initially, Fr. Paul said that he would try to move back and forth between the two languages in his homily, but that he sometimes lost people.
“By the time that I got back to the listener’s language he often forgot what I said before I switched,” he said.
Fr. Paul said that for him, doing a homily in English – about 7 minutes long – followed by a shorter one in Spanish – seems to work best in a multilingual Mass.
Frs. Paul and Craig both noted differences in their preaching styles in Spanish and English, but Fr. Paul emphasized that what is most important is “to preach the truth,” he said. “If the Church is not preaching the truth, it is like the salt that has lost its taste. Speak the truth, and always ask yourself, ‘What does this mean to me?’”
If the preacher can answer that question – in any language – he can share the truth of the gospel and the impact of that truth in daily living.
Please remember
Fr. José Stolf, a member of the Brazil-São Paulo Province, died on January 6. He was born in 1932, professed in 1952 and ordained in 1957.
Transitions
Frater Jacob Smith, SCJ, has decided to leave the province formation program. “As with all young men who study with us, we support him in his discernment and continue to pray for him as he seeks God’s will for himself,” wrote Fr. Vien Nguyen, SCJ. Please continue to keep Jacob in your prayers.
7th season of Hóčhoka podcast
On January 20, St. Joseph’s Indian School rolls out Season 7 of its Hóčhoka Podcast; the season runs with weekly releases through May 17. Hóčhoka is available on Podbean, Apple, iTunes and Spotify in audio and vlog formats.
The season begins with Dr. Chris Hoklotubbe, who joins four of the season’s podcasts. A Choctaw Christian theologian, he explores Christian perspectives through an Indigenous lens. Later in the season, his friend, colleague and frequent Hóčhoka guest Dr. Damian Costello joins for three episodes to talk about Black Elk, the Ghost Dance and more.
Other guests this season include Fr. Stephen Huffstetter, SCJ. The former vicar general ministered in South Dakota for over 20 years before being named provincial superior of the US Province. Also in the podcast line-up is best-selling Indigenous Canadian author Monique Gray Smith.
The Lakota word “Hóčhoka” refers to the center of a camp circle. The name speaks to the location of the recording studio in the heart of campus, the centrality of the mission of St. Joseph’s Indian School, and the role of the podcast to be at the center of the Native American educational conversation and gather others around that conversation.
Pictured above: podcast host Scott Woster and St. Joseph’s alum Hope McCloskey.
New Milwaukee archbishop installed
Tomorrow Fr. Vien Nguyen, SCJ, and Fr. Tom Cassidy, SCJ, will be among those taking part in the installation of Bishop Jeffrey Grob as the archbishop of Milwaukee. Cardinal Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States, and frequent visitor to Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology, will read the mandate from Pope Francis confirming his choice of Bishop Grob as archbishop.
The Mass at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Milwaukee begins at 1:30 p.m. The livestream starts at 1:00 p.m.
Also on the calendar…
The Provincial Council meets this week Wednesday and Thursday (January 15-16), and the Provincial Offices will be closed next Monday, January 20, for commemoration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Day.
Closing pic
Once again our exchange students from Brazil were treated to a snowstorm during their January visit to Sacred Heart School in Southaven, MS. And for the record, the students – with help from Sr. Margaret Sue Broker – had a ball making the giant snowball behind them!
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