New ministry begins in Toronto
Three members of the Toronto community recently settled into a new ministry. Frs. Jim Casper, Aegi Warsito and Willyans Prado Rapozo will now serve St. Thomas More and Our Lady of the Rosary parishes in northeast Toronto.
St. Thomas More “is not just a big parish; it is HUGE with some 6,800 people on the parish list,” said Fr. Bill Marrevee, Canadian regional superior. Our Lady of the Rosary, about a 15-minute drive from St. Thomas More, has a large Portuguese-speaking community, besides its English-speaking parishioners. Fr. Will, a Brazilian SCJ, is fluent in the language.
“Needless to say, the parishes are quite a challenge, but Frs. Jim, Aegi and Will are very generous and quite committed to the project.” said Fr. Bill. “They have begun their ministry with enthusiasm and dedication.”
The parishes are about a 30-minute drive from the SCJ community house on High Park so the team of three will live at St. Thomas More. Although in a new residence, they will continue to be a part of the High Park community.
“This is another step in our effort to form an international community in Toronto,” added Fr. Bill. “As for the three now living at St. Thomas More, you cannot get more international: Fr. Jim is Canadian, Fr. Aegi is from Indonesia and Fr. Will is Brazilian. And, the parishes themselves are very international.”
Commemorating one of the congregation’s founders
“It was Fr. Prévot who was the true spiritual and interior founder of our work; me, I was only the apparent founder.”
The quote is from Fr. Leo Dehon speaking of one of the early members of the Priests of the Sacred Heart, Fr. André Prévot. This year, the congregation remembers Fr. Prévot in a special way as it commemorates the 100th anniversary of his death in Bruggelet, Belgium at the age of 73.
There are 15 published works of Fr. Prévot. But these were just a few of his writings. Tucked in storage at the Generalate were 28 wooden archival boxes filled with handwritten texts, typed manuscripts, letters (including correspondence with the founder) and various other writings.
For much of this year Fr. Wayne Jenkins, archivist for the U.S. Province, has been on loan to the general administration, sorting through the many boxes and cataloguing their contents.
“I have gained a great insight into a person who has had such a great influence on the lived spirituality of the congregation,” said Fr. Wayne about the time-intensive effort in Rome. “I now have a greater appreciation of the German confreres who, in the early part of the 20th century, trekked to the Dakotas to begin the work of the congregation in the United States. All these men were trained by Fr. Prévot. They understood his ‘Love and Sacrifice.’”
Click here to read more about Fr. Prévot on the generalate’s website. Fr. Wayne returns to the United States from Rome on July 26.
“A Spiritual Path for Lay Dehonians”
During the past year an international group of five SCJs has been working to develop a catechetical text for lay people interested in learning about Dehonian spirituality. “Lay Dehonian” means different things in different areas of the world, but such a text could set a good foundation for those seeking to live the Dehonian charism in their own lives.
Click here to read more about the project.
Which seminary was that?
Last week we mistakenly noted that Mike Shuler is an alumnus of Divine Heart Seminary. However, it was not DHS but Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary from which Mike graduated. Our apologies!
Mike writes that he is slowly recovering from his surgery to address concerns related to Spinal Stenosis (a narrowing of the spinal channel). He thanks SCJs, and other alumni (from DHS, IM and all other SCJ institutions!) for their prayers.
Busy summer
Br. Clay Diaz is spending much of his summer in Mississippi working at a children’s summer camp, and doing research on Holly Springs. “I am doing well and enjoying it; the people here are so welcoming,” he writes.
He will be in Mississippi until August 11. At 10 a.m. on Sunday, August 4, Br. Clay will renew his vows at St. Joseph’s Church in Holly Springs. SCJs are welcome to attend. For more information, contact Br. Clay at claydia@hotmail.com.
RSVP deadline quickly approaching
All SCJs in Canada and the United States are encouraged to attend the North American Conference, September 24-27 in Hales Corners, Wis. This is the concluding moment of the general visitation.
Lodging will be arranged by the planning committee; however, the committee needs to know who is coming so that they can reserve the appropriate number of rooms.
It is important that ALL SCJs in North America RSVP to the conference by July 31. A response form was included with the mailed invitation. SCJs can also go to the Members section of the US Province website (www.sacredheartusa.org) to fill out an online response form in either English or French.
Also on the calendar…
• Fr. Stephen Huffstetter and the new council will be installed during a 4:30 p.m. liturgy on Thursday, August 1, at Sacred Heart at Monastery Lake. A social and dinner will follow. To help plan for food needs, those who plan to attend are asked to contact Mary Gorski at the Provincialate Offices by July 24 – Wednesday of this week.
• On August 14 Justin Krenke will be received into the novitiate during a 5 p.m. Adoration service at Sacred Heart School of Theology. All SCJs are welcome to attend; no formal invitations will be sent.
• James Nguyen and Juan Carlos Castañeda Rojas will make their first profession of vows during a 10:30 a.m. Mass at Sacred Heart School of Theology on August 15. Invitations went in the mail last week.
SHST librarian publishes
Congratulations to Sacred Heart School of Theology librarian Kathy Harty whose book review on William J. Collinge’s Historical Dictionary of Catholicism 2nd ed. (Lanham, MD: The Scarecrow Press, 2012) was published in the July issue of Theological Librarianship. Click here to learn more.
ESL photos
The summer ESL program at Sacred Heart School of Theology includes 30 priests, nuns and religious brothers from 12 countries. Besides working on their English, the students are treated to several field trips to practice their English skills outside of the classroom. Last week, students and staff headed to the Milwaukee Zoo. A few snapshots from the day have been posted on the province Facebook page. Click here to view them.
Be sure to check the FB page in the future to view more photos. You do not need to be a member of Facebook to visit the province FB page.
