Summer ministries
Students from the province formation program are in the midst of their summer ministries, serving at parishes, schools, social service agencies and with the ESL program at Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology. Luis Alonso Barrantes, who has been at Our Lady of Guadalupe in Houston, shares a bit of what he has been doing:
“I met some amazing families, employees of the parish and school. To name a few places I’ve worked in: Martha’s Kitchen (food kitchen for the poor), Loaves and Fishes (Magnificat House), the Help Center for Immigrants (Catholic Charities), Juan Diego’s House (a refugee center), and The Big Blue Bus – a mobile clinic for expectant mothers.
“I’ve assisted in various duties such as preparing and serving food, cleaning and stocking, greeting and meeting so many people of all walks of life; however, the most rewarding was having the opportunity to share the love of God through our SCJ mission statement. I am blessed and grateful to have had this opportunity of serving God’s people. This experience has been about giving back to the local communities, but most importantly, about restoring dignity in people’s lives in the simplest ways. It truly is for me an infinite reminder that we are called to love one another. These experiences only reinforce my vocation to continue strong in my faith and in my vocation journey.”
Photos of Alonso and other students in their summer ministries have been posted on the province Facebook page.
Always wanted to be a priest
Fr. Charles Yost, 85, died July 8 at Sacred Heart at Monastery Lake in Franklin, WI. He had gone into home hospice care just days earlier.
“Since early childhood I wanted to be a priest,” he wrote several years ago, reflecting on his vocation. “I was fascinated by stories of missionaries in Africa and wanted to do that kind of ministry.”
Fr. Yost professed his first vows in 1951 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1958. From 1962-63 he was able to fulfill his dream of missionary service, serving in Indonesia.
When he returned to the States, Fr. Yost became the librarian at Sacred Heart Seminary and School of the Theology (then, Sacred Heart Monastery). He remained in the position until 1980. He was also chaplain to the Ancilla Domini Convent in Milwaukee during this time.
From 1980-83 he served at the Province Development Office before entering parish ministry, first at St. Cecilia in San Antonio (1984) and then St. Joan of Arc in Victorville, CA, from 1984-1987.
For six years (1987-1993) he worked with the province’s retired priests and brothers at the Sacred Heart Residence in Pinellas Park, FL. Fr. Yost then moved to Mississippi where he did parish ministry at Holy Spirit in Hernando (1993-94) and served as spiritual director of the Sacred Heart League (now Sacred Heart Southern Missions) from 1998-2004.
Retired, Fr. Yost was a member of the Sacred Heart Community at SHML. In retirement, he continued to be active, overseeing the production of the American Ordo for many years in collaboration with the Province Development Office.
“Being an SCJ definitely influences how I minister,” wrote Fr. Yost. “From the SCJs who have been my directors and mentors I have a deep appreciation of the Mass and the Eucharist that I try to pass on to others. I believe that as a priest I must be physically present to the people with whom I minister. That is a mark of religious priests and of the SCJs who have influenced me.”
Services for Fr. Yost will be held on Thursday, July 13th at Sacred Heart Monastery/Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology. Reception of his remains and the wake service will begin at 9:00 a.m. The Mass of Christian Burial will begin at 10:30 a.m., with interment in the Sacred Heart Mausoleum. Lunch will follow at SHM/SHSST.
Click here to read more about Fr. Yost on the province website.
Please remember
Fr. Marek Piwowarczyk, a member of the Polish Province, died July 8. He was born in 1966, professed in 1989 and ordained in 2000.
Fr. Albert Vander Elst, a member of the Dutch-Flemish Confederation, died on July 4. He was born in 1925, professed in 1945 and ordained in 1952.
Gregorio Hoang Kim Bao, the grandfather of postulant Paul Phong Hoang, died on July 2. He was 86 years old.
Keep in prayer
Linda Burr, the 64-year-old sister of Fr. Jim Brackin, has been diagnosed with bone cancer which has metastasized to other vital organs. The cancer is extremely aggressive. Please keep her and her family in prayer.
Bishop Joseph Potocnak’s brother, Jim Potocnak, recently learned that he has pancreatic cancer. Please keep him and his family in your prayers.
Assembly videos
Videos from the US Province Assembly are now available online. They include Sr. Norma Pimentel’s presentation on the situation of migrants at the southern border of the United States. Executive director of Catholic Charities in the Rio Grande Valley, she spoke of her work with the Humanitarian Respite Center in McAllen, Texas. The center has assisted over 73,000 migrants, all with donations. The Priests of the Sacred Heart are among those who continue to financially assist Sr. Norma with her efforts. Click here or on the image below to view the video.
Barbara Graham, director of Legal Services for Immigrants for Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, identified the many challenges migrants face as they try to legally pursue residence in the United States. “We are asking people with limited educations to go through an impossible system,” she said. Click here or on the image below to view a video of her presentation.
And finally, we have the video “What Inspires You About the SCJs” put together by Frater Joseph Vu. In it, SCJs from around the country reflect on their call to the Dehonians, what brings them joy, and why they continue to live their vocation with the community. Click here to view it, or on the image below.
Dehonian Spirituality vacation schedule
Dehonian Spirituality, the weekly publication produced by the Dehonian Associates Office, will be on a three-week summer hiatus. The next issue will be published on August 4. Click here to view the most recent issue, published on July 7.
August retreat
Those who registered for the first North American Dehonian Retreat (“Open Hearts / Cœurs Ouverts”) taking place August 13-19 at Queen of the Apostles Retreat Centre in Mississauga, Ontario, should have received an update by email last week. In it were directions to the center, as well as the community house in Toronto. If you are registered for the retreat and did not receive the mailing, please click here or call Mary Gorski at 414-427-4266.
Website updates
Villa Aurelia, the hotel owned and operated by the SCJs (Dehonians) in Rome, has an updated website to match an updated facility. Click here to access it.
DehonDocs, the portal to a variety of materials written by and about Fr. Leo John Dehon, also received an update. Click here to access writings from the founder in several languages, and back issues of Dehoniana.
Address updates
Fr. Bernie Rosinski and Fr. Anthony Kluckman have a new address:
PO Box 776
1301 N. Main St.
Chamberlain, SD 57325-0776
Also, the Human Resources, Payroll and Accounting Departments at St. Joseph’s Indian School have a new address: PO Box 776, Chamberlain, SD 57325. The address for package deliveries remains the same: 1301 N Main St.
Record number in summer ESL
The 2017 summer session of the ESL (English as a Second Language) program kicked off last week at Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology. This is the largest summer session ever with students expected from Angola, Argentina, Brazil, Cameroon, Chile, Colombia, Congo, India, Indonesia, Madagascar, Mexico, Peru, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Poland, Rwanda, Togo, Venezuela and Vietnam.
Click here to view photos of the first session, an ice-breaker that took place in the SHSST lobby. Several of our candidates are assisting with the program, including Henry Nguyen, Angel Romero and Hubert Liassidji. Fr. Yvon Sheehy is residential coordinator; he is assisted by Br. Duane Lemke.
Be sure to check the province Facebook page for photos from the program. Henry and Hubert have already posted several from the first few days of activities.
Provincial’s time
Fr. Ed Kilianski will be in the office this week; he has council meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday. Also, he shares an email he received from Fr. Heru Ismadi. The former secretary general studied in the ESL program during the winter semester. Fr. Heru writes:
“I hope that you are in a good health. I really miss you all, our community in Milwaukee.
“Two weeks after my arrival in Indonesia from the US, I did my admission test at Parahyangan University in Bandung, Indonesia. I prepared myself to do that test. I also prepared my proposal for my dissertation.
“Today I got the result of that test and the university accepted me as a new student for the doctorate program in Economic Science. I will begin my study on August 14, 2017.
“Thank you and the US Province for your prayers and support!”
Closing shot
Fr. Charles Brown just returned from South Africa where he gave presentations in the Dehonian PanAfrican Final Vow Program in Pietermaritzburg. “The focus was on ‘St. Paul and Our Dehonian Life,’ he wrote. “We had a very full schedule but the fellows were wonderful to work with. Fine young men; I’m happy and blessed that they are so eager to join us.” Fr. Charles is pictured below with some of his students:
