Q&A with Fr. Steve
On May 26th a lot of things changed for Fr. Stephen Huffstetter. He began the day as provincial superior of the US Province and ended it as a member of the General Council in Rome.
It meant not only a new job, but a new country and a new language. Within days of the chapter’s end Fr. Steve was taking his first Italian lessons.
A few weeks later Fr. Steve returned to the United States for some vacation time with family, to pack, and to attend to the many details of moving to another country.
He also sat down for a little Q&A on his new role and ministry.
Asked about the challenges the new council faces he said that “Certainly there continues to be a need to find the best ways to guide newly developing entities with training and resources, helping them to create the structures needed so that they can thrive and grow. But at the same time we need to care for and continue to energize our aging provinces.”
Much is changing in the Church and the congregation. “But out of change can come many creative ideas,” he continued. “The sharing that has taken place between places like Brazil and Germany has been wonderful. It is a way to help the congregation thrive but also grow in diversity and new ways of thinking.”
Being a greater witness to the diversity of an international congregation is one of the joys that Fr. Steve anticipates in his new role.
“We are spread out in over 40 countries,” he said. “In the international meetings that I have already been a part of it has been wonderful to get know people from other cultures, to hear their stories and see things from a new perspective. I love the diversity of our congregation, I love experiencing cultures other than my own. This, I expect, will be one of the great joys for me of being on General Council.”
Click here to read the full interview on the province website.
Updates
Fr. John Czyzynski
Sacred Heart at Monastery Lake
7330 S. Lovers Lane Rd
Franklin, WI 53132
414-409-4866
Fr. John van den Hengel
192 Daly Avenue
Ottawa, ON K1N 6E9 CANADA
613-883-6861
Br. Ben Humpfer
414-530-1003
Fr. Gary Lantz
He notes that his fax number is the same as his phone: 605-234-1026
Br. Gabriel Kersting
Br. Gabe is at a rehabilitation facility, most likely transitioning to nursing care. His address:
Seminole Pavilion Rehabilitation & Nursing Services
10800 Temple Terrace, Room 208, Bed 2
Seminole, FL 33772; 727-398-0208
Please remember
Dominic Viên Văn Nguyễn, the father of Br. Long Nguyen, died July 17 of lung cancer. Arrangements are as follows:
Visitation will be Thursday, July 23 from 7-9 p.m. at Klein Funeral Home, 9719 Wortham Blvd., Houston, Texas 77065; 832-678-3900
On Friday, July 24, there will be a wake at the funeral home at 7 p.m. with viewing after.
The Funeral Mass will be Saturday, July 25 at 9 a.m. with a burial and reception to follow. It will be held at:
Giáo Xứ Đức Mẹ Lộ Đức
(Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church)
6550 Fairbanks N. Houston Road
Houston, Texas 77040
713-939-1906
Prayer request
Richard Bossie, the brother of Fr. Bob Bossie, was admitted to the hospital last week with severe COPD. Soon after, he had a heart attack. Please keep him in prayer.
Dehonian Spirituality hiatus
Rest assured, it is only the weekly publication Dehonian Spirituality published by the Dehonian Associates Office that is going on hiatus for a week, not the concept of Dehonian spirituality itself. There will be no issue published on July 24. The next issue will be July 31.
If you missed it, the theme of the July 17 issue of Dehonian Spirituality was “Reign of the Heart of Christ. An excerpt:
“Experiencing the power of God’s transforming love, Fr. Dehon took up a daunting task and expects the members of his spiritual family to continue modeling what the reign of God looks like: a heart that is willing to be broken open, a self-offering that nurtures life from its wounds, and an authority that is expressed by service. For the Priests of the Sacred Heart it cannot be otherwise. ‘Who would not love in return the One who loves him?’ And who would not choose, for themselves and all the needy world, an eternal dwelling place in the Heart of Christ?”
Click here to read the full issue.
Click here to view the archives of past issues.
And finally, click here to add a subscriber to the weekly mailing.
A shout-out to the SCJs
In the preface to his recent book, Pope Francis. Tradition in Transition, among those whom author Massimo Faggioli thanks are “Marcello Neri and the friends of Il Regno and the Dehoniani in Bologna” (cf., p. xi).
Our thanks to Fr. PJ McGuire for sharing the news item.
Proxy reminder
IF YOU NEED A PROXY VOTE for the August election assembly you must make your request, in writing (by letter, fax or email), to Fr. Ed Kilianski, by July 31. Fr. Ed’s email as interim provincial superior is provsup@usprovince.org and his address is: Our Lady of Guadalupe, 2405 Navigation Blvd., Houston, TX 77003. Rules regarding proxy votes can by found starting on page 6 of the bylaws.
As noted previously, in preparation for the Election Assembly, members are asked to review the Synthesis Statement from the 2014 Provincial Chapter and the Final Message from the 2015 General Chapter. The documents are available from the following links:
2014 US Provincial Chapter Synthesis
Final Message of the XXIII General Chapter
Speaking of the assembly…
Fr. Ed Kilianski, interim provincial, notes that he will be at the Provincial Offices July 27-29. On Monday, he will take part in a planning meeting for the election assembly.
Bethsaida Archeological team returns
The annual research expedition to Bethsaida from Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology has returned from several weeks in the Holy Land.
Click here to go to the project’s Facebook page to view photos and reflections from the trip.
SHSST driveway construction
If you are making a visit to Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology please note that demolition of the driveway in front of the building is expected to begin today (July 20). The road to the north (right) of the entrance will be blocked off, including the parking. The front drive circle will also be inaccessible. To access the staff parking and the garage area one will need to use the south drive around the back of the building, or the back road coming in from Rawson Ave.
Laudato Si’ resources
Mark Peters of the Province Justice, Peace and Reconciliation Office, prepared a list of study guides and other resources on Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’.
Click here to access the resource list (which also includes a link to the encyclical itself).
Sioux Falls celebrates 125th
The diocese of Sioux Falls has held several events to commemorate its 125th anniversary. Fr. Anthony Kluckman writes about the July 12 celebration:
“On Sunday, there was a special Mass in Marty, SD, to honor the Native American ministry in the Sioux Falls Diocese. At the Mass, Dn. Steven McLaughlin gave an address. St. Joseph’s Indian School provided transportation for parishioners from St. Joseph’s parish in Fort Thompson, SD, which is staffed by members of the Priests of the Sacred Heart. That is the parish Dn. Steven is assigned to, but he also works at the other six parishes on the Crow Creek and Lower Brule Indian Reservations.”
Click here to read Dn. Steven’s remarks. Click here to read Bishop Paul Swain’s homily. Our thanks to Fr. Gary Lantz who forwarded the texts.
Fire at former SCJ church
Fr. Richard MacDonald shares news that St. Frances Cabrini mission church in Hargill, Texas, had extensive fire damage from an arsonist. “In terms of material poverty, it is probably one of the poorest places that I know of, but many SCJs will testify what a great little community exists in Hargill,” said Fr. Mac.
Click here for more information from KMOV television.
