Celebrating Catholic Schools Week!
Schools throughout the province are celebrating Catholic Schools Week from January 26 – February 1.
At Our Lady of Guadalupe in Houston there are special activities each day, including a panel discussion about vocations (Fr. Henry Nguyen, SCJ, vocation director, and Fra. Michael Wodarczyk, SCJ, are among the panelists), service projects to directly assist people impacted by the fires in California, an open house for new families to learn about OLG, and a “religion bowl” game based on the television game “Jeopardy.”
At St. Joseph’s Indian School, the “Sacred Heart of Jesus” is the theme for the week. There will be a Lakota Mass, as well as rosary prayers for the canonization of Nicholas Black Elk, and a day of focus on the school’s namesake, St. Joseph. Service projects will include a food drive and a hygiene collection for those in need in the community. Thursday will be “Vocation Day;” Fr. Greg Schill, SCJ, Fra. Truc Tran, SCJ, Sr. Yollie Nobabos, TMM and Sr. Clary Joy Palasan, TMM, will share their vocation stories. There will also be a presentation on the Priests of the Sacred Heart.
These are examples from just two of our schools; many more activities will be taking place throughout the week. Click here to learn more about Catholic Schools Week on the National Catholic Education Association (NCEA) website.
Pictured above are visiting students from our Dehonian school in Brazil with students from Holy Family School in Holly Springs, MS. The Dehonian schools in Mississippi and Brazil have enjoyed an exchange program for several years.
A new administration, eh?
The new administration of the Canadian Region was installed in Ottawa on January 16 during a Eucharistic Adoration. Most members of the region were present, though a few were prevented by a blizzard. Fr. Gustave Lulendo N’dotony, SCJ, made his Profession of Faith and the Oath of Fidelity before Fr. John van den Hengel, SCJ with the community looking on. After the celebration, all gathered for a social and dinner. The new regional council is pictured above: Fr. Peter McKenna, SCJ, Fr. Martin Antony Kdamattu, SCJ, Fr. Gustave and Fr. Richard Woodbury, SCJ.
Welcome back!
A familiar face has taken up residence at Sacred Heart Monastery for the spring semester: Fr. Artur Sanecki, SCJ. A member of the Polish Province, he recently completed his second term on the General Council in Rome and is now in the midst of a sabbatical.
“I began my sabbatical year right after the last General Chapter, in July 2024,” he said. “I divided the first half of this time between Poland, Germany and France, and now I would like to spend the second half of my sabbatical here in the United States. Being in each country, I try to improve my language skills and get to know the SCJ provinces and local Church better. At the same time, I am gathering and preparing materials for possible future ministry. In the past, I was mainly involved in religious formation and teaching in the field of biblical studies in our Dehonian seminary and at the Pontifical University in Krakow. In Rome, I had the opportunity to work with our congregational theological commissions as well as the Centro Studi Dehoniani. During this sabbatical year, I hope to expand and organize the material related to both my biblical interests and Dehonian theology. Time will tell how much I will be able to use this in the future, but I am convinced that this time will not be wasted.
“This is not the first time that I am enjoying the hospitality of our US Province. Starting in the 1990s I had the opportunity to visit the US, participating in ESL programs and doing academic studies. My memory and photo album (not only the digital one!) still contain many good memories of those days.
“This long sabbatical visit is an opportunity to recall those beautiful periods of my life that helped to define my further ministry and to see again so many kind people whom I previously got to know here.”
Welcome Fr. Artur!
You are invited!
SCJs are invited to a book signing and lecture, by author Fr. Steven M. Avella for his newly released title, Three More Archbishops of Milwaukee, in celebration of Milwaukee’s elevation to an archdiocese 150 years ago.
It will take place Tuesday, February 11 at Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology.
SCHEDULE:
- 5:15pm Solemn Vespers (Sacred Heart Chapel)
- 6:00pm Reception (Main Lobby)
- 6:30-7:30pm Book Lecture with Signing to Follow (Main Lobby)
“Three More Archbishops of Milwaukee offers an in-depth look at three Catholic archbishops who guided Milwaukee’s archdiocese from 1930 to 1958: Samuel A. Stritch, Moses E. Kiley, and Albert G. Meyer,” states the book’s Amazon description. “Although each archbishop brought a distinct temperament and leadership style to his role, they shared a foundational education from Roman seminaries, which played a crucial part in shaping their vision and governance.” Read more about the book here.
If you plan to attend PLEASE RSVP at: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc2fHIzAv91O1LYCusVYcHap9K7rRnvIqM4SuGKboHKnYEqlg/viewform
Or contact Dcn. Anton Nickolai at: anickolai2@shsst.edu
Focusing on the Word of God
Yesterday was declared by Pope Francis as the “Sunday of the Word of God.“ Following up on that, the Dehon Study Center encourages SCJs in their communities and in ministries to place a special emphasis on the Word of God this week. To assist with this, Fr. Joseph Mukuna, SCJ, DSC director, shares the following quotes from Ven. Fr. Leo John Dehon regarding the importance of Scripture:
“The Holy Scripture, along with the divine Eucharist, is the food of our spiritual life. It is part of our super-substantial bread: ‘Man does not live by bread alone but by every word of God’ (Mt 4:4). The Priests of the Heart of Jesus, desirous of increasing their supernatural life, will eat Sacred Scripture daily. It will be their favorite study. With the help of prayer, it is in Sacred Scripture that they will best learn to know the Heart of Jesus, the object of their unique love” (Dehon, DSP, December 1919, 252).
“Like the Holy Eucharist, the Gospel is the mystery of the Heart of Jesus. He is there, beneath the letter, hidden with his love and his treasures of grace; his words are spirit and life. We must love and study all the Gospels, but there is one for which we must be passionate: that of Saint John. To succeed in preaching, therefore, the main thing is not to study Massillon, Bourdaloue, and Bossuet, let alone the completely secular authors Cicero and Quintilian. Above all, you have to study the Sacred Heart in the Gospel” (Dehon, The Crown of the Sacred Heart, III, 7).
“The apostle Saint John, in particular, is the apostle of love, the theologian of the Heart of Jesus. But the whole of the Holy Books speaks to us of the Savior. In the Old Testament, Jesus is announced, portrayed, and prepared. In the Gospel, it is Jesus living on earth, his words, and his mysteries. In the Epistles, Acts of the Apostles, and Revelation, Jesus continues in the Church and is triumphant in heaven. All our readings of Sacred Scripture and ascetic authors should help us get to know Jesus better and learn to love him better” (Dehon, DSP, December 1919, 253).
Happy birthday!
Those celebrating birthdays in February include Dcn. David Nagel on Feb. 6, Fr. Duy Nguyen on Feb. 17, Fr. Henry Nguyen and Fr. Quang Nguyen on Feb. 18, Fr. Greg Murray on Feb. 19, Fr. Hygin Nlandu Ngaka and Fr. Mark Mastin on Feb. 21, and Fr. Peter Sanders on Feb. 28. Happy birthday!
Please remember
+ Fr. Johannes Bapt. Strieker, a member of the German Province, died on January 18. He was born in 1935, professed in 1960 and ordained in 1966.
+ Fr. Stanislaw Stawowczyk, a member of the Polish Province, died on January 19. He was born in 1950, professed in 1975 and ordained in 1981.
Pope recognizes El Regno
Pope Francis sent a congratulatory letter to the Dehonians’ Il Regno magazine as the publication begins a year-long celebration of its 70th anniversary.
“The prestigious biweekly was founded in 1956 by the Congregation of the Priests of the Sacred Heart, known as Dehonians (from the name of the founder, Fr. Leone Giovanni Dehon) and has played a key role in the Italian ecclesial and cultural debate over the past seven decades,” stated the Vatican News website.
Click here to read the full article.
Dehon Book Club
The next gathering of the Dehon Study Center Book Club takes place on Friday, February 7.
Even if you missed the first sessions, all SCJs and collaborators are welcome to join the next meeting. The book study is being conducted on the First Friday of each month, from 1 – 2 pm (Central). Participants can attend in-person in the Provincialate Board Room or join via Zoom. The Zoom link is: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86795180426. Meeting ID: 867 9518 0426.
If you are interested in joining the next session, please contact Fr. Joseph Mukuna, SCJ at jmukuna@dehoniansusa.org as soon as possible so that he can send you the readings. The next meeting will focus on the French school of spirituality and its influence on the founding of the congregation.
Young men’s retreat
Last weekend our Dehonian parishes in northwest Mississippi hosted a young men’s retreat. Participants and chaperones came together for a variety of presentations, games, food, and of course, PRAYER, planting the seeds of supportive friendships for years to come.
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