Martin Luther King Jr. Day, January 19, 2015

A day to remember all who have sought justice, and recommit to continuing their dreams

 

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice every where.”

-Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

 

“All people are deserving of respect and justice, and they have a basic right to enjoy, here on earth, the conditions which nourish their intellectual, moral, and spiritual life. They have a right to daily bread for their family. They have a right, equally and even more so, to humane treatment, to a sufficient degree of education and liberty, and to the opportunity to worship and serve God.”

-Fr. Leo John Dehon, The Christian Social Manual, 3-4

 

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Dehonian Family continues its work

In May, 2014, approximately 35 members of the Dehonian Family –– SCJ and lay from around the world –– came together to discuss ways in which the Dehonian charism can be lived and shared beyond professed members of the Priests of the Sacred Heart.

 Representing North America were Fr. Jack Kurps and David Schimmel (director of Dehonian Associates for the US Province). From that gathering developed a coordinating group. Given a three-year term, its purpose is basically to “get the ball rolling.”

The group had its first in-person meeting January 12-14 in Rome. Among the topics discussed: the continued development of the “Spiritual Path” (a formative guide for sharing the Dehonian charism with the laity), enhancing communication among the various groups within the Dehonian Family, development and organization of the Dehonian Family on the continental level (with a special emphasis on Africa), and an International Dehonian Family assembly in 2017.

Click here to read more about the gathering on the general website as well as access the committee’s final statement from the meeting.

Also, as noted above one of the committee’s goals is to enhance communication. A step toward this is the establishment of a Facebook page for the International Dehonian Family. The page is in the first days of development; click here to take a look. Be sure to “like” it and revisit it in the weeks ahead.

St. Joe’s receives Walmart grant

St. Joseph’s Indian School was one of seven recipients of the Walmart Foundation’s South Dakota State Giving Program. The SCJs’ school for Native American children received $42,500 to expand its healthy lifestyle and food preparation programs.

“We’re proud to partner with nonprofit organizations throughout South Dakota as we believe they are crucial building blocks for strong communities,” said Sharon Power, Walmart’s regional general manager in South Dakota. “Empowering residents and combating hunger are essential for a community’s health, and we eagerly await the impact St. Joseph’s program will have on the Lakota children and families in South Dakota.”

On the road

Fr. Tom Cassidy heads back to India this week, where he will be assisting in the district until early May. While there he will renew his posts on the province blog.

Also serving outside of the province is Fr. Wayne Jenkins, province archivist. He arrived at the Generalate in Rome last week and will spend the next few weeks assisting with research and filing.

Preparing for the General Chapter

Members of the SCJs’ European Theological Commission recently did videos in which they reflected on the 2015 General Chapter theme, “Merciful, in Community, with the Poor.”

Two of the five videos are now available for viewing. Click here to see Fr. Stefan Tertünte’s reflection on “Mercy in the Writings of Fr. Dehon,” and click here to view Br. Javier López’ presentation on “Forgiveness and Mercy; a Psychological Approach.”

Fr. Stefan’s presentation is in Italian with English subtitles. Br. Javier’s is in Spanish with English subtitles. Also, an English written text appears below each video link.

 

Inspired by Fr. Dehon

The recent Dehonian Spirituality update included a reflection from Fr. Peter McKenna of the Canadian Region. He writes that “What has always inspired me the most as I glimpse into the life of Fr. Dehon and has helped to shape my own Dehonian life and ministry was Fr. Dehon’s deep conviction of the all-loving presence of God.

“On a personal level, the love that Fr. Dehon experienced changed everything in his life! The hearts of the people with whom he ministered and who ministered to him took hold of the choices that Fr. Dehon made. He astutely and compassionately invited people to a common table, entered into a dialogue, and together with them, discerned the signs of the times. Not only did he denounce the reality of the moment but he also announced new Gospel alternatives for what people were experiencing. Fr. Dehon was a man who not only got his hands dirty but in the process his heart was stretched open. Continuous conversion seemed to be the mantle that he wore.”

Click here to read the rest of Fr. Peter’s text, as well as other reflections and prayers based in the Dehonian charism.

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SHSST news

A few notes from Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology. First, a reminder that email addresses attached to the school reflect the new name. The old “@shst.edu” address will expire at the end of January. The new address ending is “@shsst.edu.” The change is the addition of the “s” to reflect the addition of “seminary” to the institution’s name.

Also, SHSST recently announced that Fr. Robert L. Anello, M.S.A., Ph.D., director of Liturgy and Liturgical Formation, recently published “Priestly Celibacy and Identity: The Rocky Reception of Vatican II’s Presbyterorum Ordinis,” in the U.S. Catholic Historian, Vol. 32, No. 4, Fall 2014, pp. 27-53.

On the JPR website

Mark Peters, province director of Justice, Peace and Reconciliation, writes that “I’ve put some new content on the JPR website around Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.  There is a little-known response of Christian churches (including the USCCB) to Dr. King’s ‘Letter from Birmingham Jail,’ video of two of King’s speeches on the home page, the St. Louis Catholic Worker’s special issue on Ferguson, a video explaining racial bias in the criminal justice system on the Racial Justice page, and my own reflection with the chance to post comments on the JPR blog page.”  He adds that the next JPR newsletter will have a special focus on racial justice.

Provincial’s time

Fr. Stephen Huffstetter is in Florida this week for a visitation with the Sacred Heart Community in Pinellas Park. Next week, Jan. 27-28, he has meetings with the Provincial Council.