Reflecting on Fratelli Tutti

Fratelli Tutti, On Fraternity and Social Friendship, is the third encyclical by Pope Francis. Its message calls humanity to a deeper understanding of community and shared responsibility for one another and the world.

In a video produced by our formation community, Fr. Ziggy Morawiec, SCJ, reflects on the encyclical, breaking the 45,000-word document into five key areas: 1) the situation of the human person in the contemporary world, 2) the social nature of human beings, 3) a new vision of politics, 4) war and the death penalty, and 5) religion in the life of society.

Fr. Ziggy notes the significance of Pope Francis beginning the document with a quote from a speech the pope gave in 2018: “Once more we are being reminded that ‘each new generation must take up the struggles and attainments of past generations, while setting its sights even higher.’”

He continued, echoing Pope Francis’ call to respect the personal dignity of the human person. “A dignity that is rooted in being created in the likeness of God himself,” said Fr. Ziggy. “If this is negated there is an opening for enslavement and the treating of human persons as objects.”

Fr. Ziggy concluded, noting that the message of Pope Francis is similar to that of Fr. Leo John Dehon, who invited his religious to leave the sacristies and, as is stated in the Rule of Life (No. 7) become “Prophets of love and servants of reconciliation of people and the world.”

Click here or on the image above to view the video.

Pastoral year, part II

Frater Henry Nguyen, SCJ, was originally scheduled to spend his entire pastoral year in South America, taking part in a Spanish-language immersion experience and get a taste of ministry in a culture outside of the US Province. However, as with much during the past year, the pandemic forced Frater Henry to make a few adjustments. He headed south from his studies at Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology last summer, but only as far as Mississippi, where he served with Sacred Heart Southern Missions.

Now, he is on to the next chapter in his pastoral year. Soon after Christmas Frater Henry arrived in Quito, Ecuador. He was met by Fr. Juan Carlos Castañeda Rojas, SCJ, who is currently serving with SCJs in the country. After spending a few days in Quito, Frater Henry was headed to Bahía de Caráquez to enter a Spanish language study program.

Provincial Visitations

After a break for the holidays, Fr. Ed Kilianski, SCJ, is continuing with the Provincial Visitations. This week, he is with the Sacred Heart Community at SHML. The rest of the schedule is as follows:

St. Michael Community in Mississippi from February 2-4; South Dakota from February 8-10; Sacred Heart Community, Pinellas Park, from February 22-25; Texas from March 1-4; and from March 15-17 Fr. Ed will meet with individuals who were not covered in the community visitations.

These and other events are listed in the North American Google calendar. The calendar is available from the Google icon found at the bottom of any page in the US Province website, as well as from the Members section of the site.

January birthdays

Those celebrating birthdays this month include: Fr. Tom Westhoven on Jan. 9, Frater Hung Pham on Jan. 12, Fr. Ralph Intranuovo on Jan. 20, Fr. Bernie Rosinski on Jan. 22, and Br. Andy Lewandowski and Fr. Louis Mariano Fernandes on Jan. 26. Happy birthday!

Renovation underway

Phase III of the renovation of Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology is underway. Demolition of the second floor began Monday, December 28. The asbestos abatement process has begun in the classrooms. This should take approximately 10 days, and then construction demolition will begin. Demolition and abatement operations are scheduled to move to the third floor this week, and continue through the end of January. During this process, there will be limited or no access to these areas. The actual construction process will begin once all abatement has been completed.

Please remember

Fr. Józef Cebula, a member of the Polish Province, died on December 27. He was born in 1950, professed in 1969 and ordained in 1975.

Harry “Skip” Shuler, the father of Mike Shuler, died last week in Butler, PA. He was 96. Mike is the director of the “Esprit de Coeur” alumni group. His father suffered a heart attack a month ago and had been dealing with complications from congestive heart failure.

Also, Pierre Francis Hams, an alumnus of Divine Heart Seminary in Donaldson, IN, died on December 6, in Fort Lewis, WA. He was 63. Click here to view his obituary.

SHSST alumni honored in Canada

Fr. Jim Holland, OMI, a graduate of Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology, was one of five people recently named to receive the Order of Canada in 2021. According to a document from the Governor General of Canada, the Order of Canada “recognizes a lifetime of outstanding achievement, dedication to the community and service to the nation. The Order recognizes people in all sectors of Canadian society.” Fr. Jim was honored for his dedication to indigenous people and his commitment to reconciliation and inclusion. Click here to read more.

A few more Christmas images

SCJ leads Christmas video

Br. Andy Gancarczyk, SCJ, leads a small group of singers from Our Lady of Guadalupe in Houston, in “O Holy Night.” Click here or on the image above to view it.

International Christmas choir

Enjoy this Christmas message put together by the Indonesian Province, featuring Dehonians from around the world singing and sharing their Christmas greetings. Click here or on the image above to access it.

And a few more Christmas photos

Pictured below are a few more photos from Christmas, including Fr. Christianus Hendrik, SCJ, a member of the Lower Brule Pastoral Team, sending his holiday greetings from in front of his Christmas tree. “This year, the decorations on my tree are a little different than usual,” he wrote. In place of the usual ornaments are memorials to the parishioners who have died since March of COVID-19 or complications from the virus.

Below Fr. Hendrik is a Christmas photo from the Mississippi SCJ community, including Br. Diego Diaz, Fr. Jack Kurps, Fr. David Szatkowski, Fr. Hendrik Ardianto, Frater Long Nguyen, Frater Henry Nguyen and Fr. Greg Schill. The Christmas celebration was also a bon voyage party for Frater Henry, who, as noted earlier, is now in Ecuador.

The last photo is from the Christmas celebration at the SCJ Community in Pinellas Park. Pictured are Fr. Pat Lloyd, Fr. Tom Lind and Bishop Joe Potocnak.

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