“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”
― Martin Luther King Jr.; Letter from a Birmingham Jail, April 16, 1963
“Nothing has a foundation without justice. Nothing endures except through justice.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, “The Pope: Hopes and Forebodings,” 1894
The Provincial Offices are closed today, January 17, for the observation of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Day. They will reopen tomorrow, January 18.
Installation
As we noted last week, Fr. Vien Nguyen, SCJ, was elected as the next provincial superior of the US Province. The installation ceremony will take place on Wednesday, February 2 at 5:00 pm at Good Shepherd Chapel at Sacred Heart at Monastery Lake. Due to the rise in the pandemic, attendance will be limited primarily to SCJs. However, a video, photos and other information will be shared soon after.
Upcoming council meetings
The out-going and in-coming administrations will meet together on February 1 in Hales Corners. February 2-3, Fr. Vien Nguyen and the new Provincial Council will hold their first meetings together. Tentative dates and locations for future meetings: March 7-9 at the New Leader Workshop in Hyattsville, MD, April 5-9 in Chamberlain, SD (retreat and strategic planning), and May 10-11 in Hales Corners with a focus on the budget.
Welcome!
Fr. Francis Vu Tran, SCJ, district superior of Vietnam, is in Hales Corners for a visit. Besides enjoying a bit of R&R in his home province, Fr. Francis said he is primarily here to visit with the members of his district currently studying at Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology (SCJ Fraters Thuan Nguyen and Truc Tran) and put the finishing touches on his doctoral thesis. Fr. Francis recently received permission for the final revision of his thesis, which he is preparing to defend at the Gregorian Pontifical University in Rome. He previously earned a licentia in Biblical Theology at the Gregorian.
Please remember
+ Raines Wilson, the uncle of Fr. Greg Schill, SCJ, died on January 12 in San Antonio, TX.
+ Fr. Aldecir José Piai, a member of the South Brazilian Province, died on January 16. He was born in 1961, professed in 1995 and ordained in 2001.
General Finance Commission meets in Hales Corners
After nearly two years of meetings via Zoom, the General Finance Commission plans to have a partial in-person meeting at the Provincial Conference Center in Hales Corners, WI, January 19-21. Scheduled to be in-person are Fr. Luca Zottoli, SCJ (general treasurer), Aldo Ivaldi (assistant to the general treasuer) and Fr. Gerd Hemken (German Province). Meeting topics include a review of the balance sheet for the Congregation, and the financial picture of the Villa Aurelia Hotel (the hotel owned by the SCJs which is attached to the Generalate). The commission will also review requests from the entities for financial assistance (General Aid Fund). Garrett Stinson, financial advisor, will attend the meeting to give an update on the congregational investments that are managed in the United States.
Jewish Studies for Christians
This coming Wednesday, January 19, the Lux Center for Catholic-Jewish Students at SHSST will host a webinar titled “Why Catholics Need to Know about the Holocaust: Implications for Today’s World.” The online event will begin at 7:00 pm (CST) and go until approximately 8:15 pm. Dr. Tim Crain, Ph.D., will lead the session. He is a well-regarded historian and speaker and was a professor and director of the National Catholic Center for Holocaust Education at Seton Hill University.
On January 26, Dr. Malka Z. Simkovich, Ph.D, will speak on “Jews, Jesus and the Jerusalem Temple.” She is the Crown-Ryan Chair of Jewish Studies and the director of the Catholic-Jewish Studies program at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. The January 26 webinar will also be from 7:00 – 8:15 pm (CST).
Click here for more information.
Keep in prayer
Dr. Richard Lux, SHSST professor emeritus of Scripture Studies and the founding director of the Lux Center, was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer. Although the cancer is considered “locally advanced” it has not spread to his lymph nodes nor his bones. His medical team expects a positive response to treatment.
Also, Fr. Chuck Wonch, SCJ, had been hospitalized during the Election Assembly with pneumonia. He was scheduled to be released over the weekend and continue his recovery at home at Sacred Heart at Monastery Lake. Please continue to keep him in prayer.
Correction
Apologies to Frater Paul (Phong) Hoang, SCJ, who was misidentified in last week’s Fridge Notes at Paul “Nguyen.”
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