Continued ministry to Ukraine
A small group of Dehonians continue to serve the people of Ukraine: nine SCJs in parishes located in the regions of Zhytomyr and Kyiv. Last week the community posted an update on the general website.
“Our main problem now is the ongoing war,” they write. “Although direct hostilities are far from us, we still feel their effects. The first is the military mobilization of men, with its ensuing tragedies: death, severe injuries, and lengthy recoveries, which sometimes result in long-lasting psychological trauma affecting families and society. To address this, we run small spiritual counseling clinics in our parishes. For more complex cases, we refer individuals to specialists. We also notice in our parishes many children needing care, left orphaned without fathers because the war has taken them away forever.
“Another issue is the frequent power outages, sometimes lasting up to six hours a day.
“To carry out all this work, we need prayer and material support. We thank all the confreres of the congregation for the assistance we have received. First and foremost, we thank you for your financial support of our construction projects. Sincerely, thank you very much!”
SEEK!
Fr. Henry Nguyen, SCJ, province vocation director, along with Frater Thuan Nguyen, SCJ and Frater Jonathan Nguyen-Vuong, SCJ, started the year in Salt Lake City at the annual SEEK festival, which took place January 1-5. SEEK brings together young adults for several days of prayer, fellowship, inspiration and entertainment.
“SEEK is a collaboration led by FOCUS, a Catholic outreach organization that shares the hope and joy of the Gospel with the world,” write organizers. “FOCUS missionaries encounter people in friendship, invite them into a personal relationship with Christ and accompany them as they pursue lives of virtue and excellence.”
This year there were over 21,000 participants at the five-day gathering.
It’s all about faith
It has been almost a month since the last of the celebrations took place at Our Lady of Guadalupe Houston for the feast of OLG. During that time, Fr. Ari Saputra, an Indonesian SCJ preparing for ministry in the US Province, reflected on his first experience of the feast at our Dehonian parish.
He writes: “At the end of the evening, when the doors of the church were about to close, a young married couple knocked. In their arms was their baby, who had been born prematurely. They begged to be allowed in; the baby had just been released from the hospital and still had a breathing tube. Moved by deep faith, they wanted to come to the church to offer thanks and praise. I was greatly moved by their deep faith. In the celebration of the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe I found faith that transcends fear and worry.
“This was the first time that I celebrated the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Houston. And even though I do not know Spanish properly, I could feel the great the love of the people for their faith and the devotion to Our Lady. As a Dehonian, it reminded me of the need to grow closer to our mother, from whom we can learn how to live fiat, ‘Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.’ (Lk 1:38).
“Que viva la Virgen de Guadalupe!”
Click here to read Fr. Ari’s full reflection. He is pictured above (left) with Fr. Floribert Bulo Dhelo, SCJ and two of the traditional dancers who performed during the celebrations.
The Project of Fr. Dehon
The second gathering of the Dehon Study Center Book Club took place on Friday, January 3. SCJs and collaborators met in-person and online to discuss Part I of Marcel Denis’ book The Project of Fr. Dehon. Fr. Joseph Mukuna, SCJ, director of the Dehon Study Center, led the discussion, which highlighted five main take-aways: 1) the significance of the phrase “the work,” a Biblical term referring to the work of redemption and reparation by Jesus, 2) the gradual development of the idea of the congregation, 3) the dedication of the order to love and reparation, 4) the fact that the order included brothers and priests, and 5) the importance of community life. Fr. Andrzej Sudol, SCJ, then shared some of his research on Fr. Dehon’s discernment process. Fr. Jim Schroeder, SCJ, shared insights about the history of the congregation, further developed by comments by all of the other participants. The conversation was lively, insightful, and provided everyone with a better view of the beginnings of the order.
Even if you missed the first two sessions, all SCJs and collaborators are welcome to join the next meeting. The book study is held the First Friday of each month, from 1 – 2 p.m. (Central). Participants can attend in-person at the Provincialate 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 (February 7, 2025), please email Fr. Joseph at [email protected] as soon as possible so that he can send you the readings in advance. The next meeting will focus on the French school of spirituality and its influence on the founding of the congregation.
Our thanks to Monica Misey for the summary of last week’s meeting.
Keep in prayer
Tomorrow, January 7, Dn. David Nagel, SCJ, province treasurer, will have surgery to treat thyroid cancer. It will take place at Froedtert Hospital. The recovery time is about two weeks; during which time Dn. David will work from home. Please keep him in prayer.
Please remember
+ John van Herk, the brother-in-law of Fr. John van den Hengel, SCJ, died on January 3, in Mitchell, Ontario. He was married for 65 years to Fr. John’s sister, Dora. The funeral will be on Tuesday in Mitchell. Fr. John is a member of the Ottawa community.
+ Fr. Gonzalo Daniel Arnáiz Álvarez, a member of the Spanish Province, died on January 6. He was born in 1947, professed in 1965 and ordained in 1973.
+ Fr. Nicola Poerio, a member of the South Italian Province, died on December 27. He was born in 1942, professed in 1959 and ordained in 1968.
+ Fr. Józef Piekorz, a member of the Polish Province, died on December 12. He was born in 1934, professed in 1953 and ordained in 1961.
“Do something!”
“One cannot be of service without action,” writes Mike Tyrell, in this month’s As a Rule. “Fr. Dehon simply yet boldly challenges us to get out of our comfort zone and ‘do something.’ If you think about it, all Dehonian ministry is a ‘Ministry of Presence.’ We need to be with others and then take the actions of service…
“Love and compassion are always the most important ingredients that move us towards a Christ-centered world. True love as part of serving others changes hearts, both the heart of the served and the servant.
Click here to read the rest of Mike’s reflection in this month’s As a Rule. Mike Tyrell is president of St. Joseph’s Indian School, one of the province’s oldest ministries in the United States.
Fr. Jim Walters, SCJ, was the second writer for the January issue. His focus was on “solidarity” and how his vision of it has changed over the years. “Political, cultural, and generational shifts have deeply impacted my understanding of solidarity,” he wrote. “I find myself today asking more questions and learning how to listen at a deeper level to others. Many times, I find that I am no longer on common ground but am seeking to understand the suffering and pain that might set me at odds with the other.
“I find hope in the bridges that mutual trust is building and in coming to realize that solidarity does not mean that we will agree on everything but that we share a vision of the Kingdom of God that will continue to grow through our mutual efforts to accept and believe in the goodness of one another so that ‘through Jesus, God will be all in all.’”
Online presentation on synodality TOMORROW!
Fr. Peter McKenna, SCJ, shares information about an online session titled “A Spirituality of Synodality with Practical Applications to Our Lives.” It takes place from 2:30-4:30 p.m. Rome time (7:30-9:30 a.m. Central) and is hosted online by the International Union of Superiors General.
“In this session we will explore some of the key spiritual and theological elements of a spirituality of synodality which serve as foundations to our work as a church and in consecrated life,” states the UISG website. “Key elements will be deepened and applications to our lives will be shared. Opportunities to make connections to your life will be part of the process.”
Click here for registration information.
The people’s priest
The Dehonian Associates Office has released the fifth in a series of biographical sketches about Ven. Fr. Leo John Dehon as the congregation prepares to commemorate the centenary of his death this year. The January installment focuses on the founder’s desire for religious community. It begins:
“[M]any priests of Fr. Dehon’s time saw religious life as a withdrawal from the world, but Fr. Dehon saw his newly formed Congregation as an apostolic community supporting each other in the midst of the world. Together, he and his collaborators set out to address many of the social problems facing people in the town of Saint-Quentin. They went out to the streets and listened to the people, learning about their challenges.
Some members became chaplains to factory workers, some continued the ministries St. John’s high school, some preached retreats. Although the work they did was varied, it was all done in a spirit of love and oblation (as an offering to God). They brought open hearts and open minds to the people they encountered. Fr. Dehon organized many gatherings and conferences. He brought together business and civic leaders to creatively address social problems. He brought together faculty and seminarians to improve the formation of seminarians. There are many photos of Fr. Dehon in small and large groups of people, because he believed in bringing people together to listen, learn and work towards God’s kingdom. People were attracted by his kindness, wisdom and vision. People at many levels of society trusted him.”
Click here to read the rest of the text for January.
Click here to access all of the monthly write-ups and social media posts about Fr. Dehon’s life. They are available in both Spanish and English. Questions about these or other items from the Dehonian Associates office? Please contact Monica Misey, 414-427-4267.
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