News & Events | July 06, 2026
Retreat director, formator, novice master… remembering Fr. Byron
Fr. Byron Haaland, SCJ died on Thursday, July 2. He was 77 and had been hospitalized for the past several months for cancer treatment. Originally from California, Fr. Byron professed first vows with the Priests of the Sacred Heart in 1970 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1977.
Most of Fr. Byron’s years of religious life were spent as a formation director and in retreat ministry. For many years that ministry was based at St. Joseph’s Retreat Center in Baileys Harbor, WI. He developed and directed retreats held at the center but also traveled the country –– and occasionally outside of it –– giving retreats for a wide variety of groups and organizations.
In the 1980s and 1990s Fr. Byron served on the Wisconsin State Board for Adult Children of Alcoholics and developed retreats for both the children of alcoholics and participants in Alcoholic Anonymous. “There are many similarities in 12-step programs and SCJ spirituality,” he said. “I think that SCJ spirituality kind of ‘catapults’ you into a poverty of spirit that helps you to see your powerlessness.” And from that sense of “powerlessness,” said Fr. Byron, “one realizes that it is only through God that “we can do anything.”
Outside of his retreat ministry, Fr. Byron worked with the formation department at Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology, was SHSST Director of Mission, and for many years was active with St. Ann Center for Intergenerational Care in Milwaukee.
His last full-time assignment was as novice master for the US Province.
Funeral arrangements are on Thursday, July 9. Reception of the Body and the Vigil will be at 9:30 a.m., followed by the Mass of Christian Burial at 10:30. Both will take place at Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology. Interment will follow in the community mausoleum. A livestream link for the Mass will be made available soon on social media and via e-mail to SCJs.
READ MORE on the province website.
CLICK HERE to view a YouTube series Fr. Byron did with Fr. Andrzej Sudol, SCJ, titled “Ask a Dehonian.” The two answered questions from students of Dehonian schools.
CLICK HERE to view another YouTube with Frs. Byron and Andrzej in which the SCJs talk about their vocation stories.
Magnifiica Humanitas Colloquium
In response to Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, the Dehon Study Center is organizing a three-part colloquium on the theme: “Human Dignity in the Age of Artificial Intelligence.” The first session will be on Thursday, August 12, from 9:00 – 11:45 a.m. [Note that this is a new schedule with both sessions in the morning]
The topics of this first gathering: “What Is Artificial Intelligence? Why Should We Be Concerned—or Not?” presented by Dr. Khaled Tannir, Senior AI and Big Data Architect, with a PhD in Artificial Intelligence from Atlantic International University in Honolulu, and “A Catholic Approach to AI: Antiqua et Nova, Magnifica Humanitas, and Five Discernment Frameworks”, presented by Rev. Dr. Ricky Manalo, CSP, theologian and AI expert, with a PhD from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California.
The colloquium will be available in-person at the Provincial Conference Center and via livestream. It is free and open to the public; however, registration is required. Click here to register.
Questions? Contact Fr. Joseph Mukuna, SCJ, at 414-427-7265 or jmukuna@dehoniansusa.org
Eager for the Lord’s intimacy
“Eager for the Lord’s intimacy, we search for the signs of His presence in the lives of people, where His saving love is active,” begins Rule of Life No. 28.
Paul Harty, a member of the staff at the Leo Dehon Library at Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology, reflected on this passage in the July issue of As a Rule.
“We are called to love and serve Him, if you will, to run out into the metaphorical (or literal!) streets of our own lives and look for Him ‘whom [our souls] love’, recognizing Him in each byway, in each home, in each person that we encounter,” wrote Paul. “As the watchmen in the Song of Songs, our neighbors might not recognize Christ standing near them, but with His help, we can gently invite them into relationship with Him. In taking on our human nature, Christ has chosen radical solidarity and intimacy with us. This intimacy with Him is the condition for a fruitful apostolic life; it is from our union with Him that we can bear good fruit in the world.
“Before Jesus calls us to do anything for Him, He calls us to simply be for Him. Let us stir up our love for Jesus! Let us ask Him to take us from ourselves and give us to Himself, to live for Him alone.”
In his biography note, Paul writes that he is a second-generation library staffer at SHSST. Many of you may know his mother, Kathy Harty, SHSST research and technology librarian. “As a baby, the seminarians would practice ‘baptizing’ me during their practicum classes, until they had learned the ritual thoroughly! ” said Paul. He is an alumnus of Thomas More College of Liberal Arts in New Hampshire, where he studied the classical Liberal Arts with specializations in Theology, Latin, and Political Philosophy.
Click here to read Paul’s full reflection in the July As a Rule, as well as a reflection from the original As a Rule publication written by Fr. Jim Steffes, SCJ (deceased).
Celebrating 250
“As our country celebrates its 250th anniversary, let us celebrate the many colors, cultures and traditions that enrich it,” wrote Fr. Vien Nguyen, SCJ, in his letter to SCJs to commemorate Independence Day and the nation’s 250th birthday. “Together, they are what make American both beautiful and strong.”
Click here to read Fr. Vien’s full letter.
Making the rounds
As noted last week, the summer session of ECS (English and Culture Studies) is underway at Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology. The students’ focus is not only on improving English languages skills but also on learning about the culture of the United States, including the US Province. Last Wednesday, the Provincial Offices hosted the students, who received an introduction to the province, as well as an overview of the Priests of the Sacred Heart and Fr. Leo John Dehon. Many of the summer students are from outside of the community; the visit is an opportunity for them to learn about the religious community that sponsors the ECS program.
The session included a brief welcome from Fr. Vien Nguyen, SCJ (provincial superior), a summary of the Dehon Study Center and its services from Fr. Joseph Mukuna, SCJ, (director of the center), and a quick biography of the community’s founder, Fr. Leo John Dehon, shared by Monica Misey, director of Dehonian Associates. Click here to view a few photos on the provicne Facebook page.
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