General Chapter comes to an end
The XXV General Chapter came to a close on Friday, July 5. Among the topics discussed in the third and final week: mission – how to create common guidelines for mission and internationality, as well as encourage availability and partnerships; reports on the newest mission communities (Nijmegen in the Netherlands and Trondheim in Norway); the Dehonian Family – how to better support and connect lay Dehonian groups as well as make the charism of Fr. Dehon better known; and the celebration of the centenary of Fr. Dehon’s death (2025) along with the 150th anniversary of the foundation of the congregation (2028). There will be four years of celebrations and pilgrimages to commemorate the sesquicentennial (from August 12, 2024 to June 28, 2028). The main celebrations will take place in San Quentin and Brussels (France and Belgium), Quito (Ecuador), Kisangani (Congo), and Yogyakarta (Indonesia).
“We prayed, discussed, listened to, and discerned important matters related to our spiritual, communal, and ministerial life as Dehonians,” wrote Fr. Vien Nguyen, SCJ, to members of the US Province “…I will work with the U.S. General Chapter delegates and the Provincial Council to engage you in conversation regarding the Final Message and the decisions and recommendations that were made.”
The chapter has concluded but videos, photos and reports are available from a variety of communication platforms:
General website
YouTube
Instagram
Facebook
Telegram
WhatsApp
Click here or on the image below to view a video of the Closing Mass at Cristo Re Basilica.
A photo of the delegates taken at the end of the chapter is at the top of the page.
Summer break
The Fridge Notes takes a two-week break this month; there will be no issue published on July 15 or 22. The next Fridge Notes will be on July 29. Click here to send news items for future issues. If you have a prayer request or other time-sensitive information to distribute between July 8-22, please contact Br. Frank Presto, provincial secretary.
Attentive to the appeals of the world
The July issue of As a Rule focused on No. 35, with the theme of living a life of oblation, attentive to the appeals made to us. In reflecting on the passage, Fr. Floribert Bulo Dhelo, SCJ, shared his story of being a refugee, and how Dehonians responded to the appeals of he and his fellow villagers.
“In 2002, my uncle’s family and I fled the ethnic war in Bunia, in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Without forgetting the dramatic and arduous six-day walk on foot, days and nights through the forest, risking encounters with dangerous wild animals and rebels, I will focus on the time we arrived at Mambasa.
“Although we escaped, the suffering wasn’t over. We had no place to stay, no food, no money to survive, not even clothes except what we wore when we fled…
“Our Dehonians looked after the refugees. While some found housing and mattresses, others took care of food, clothing and medicine. And when classes started, they purchased uniforms and paid the school fees for all the refugee children for a year.
“I was touched by this gesture and felt indebted. I learned what it means to weep with those who weep, to clothe the naked, to suffer with those who suffer (Mt 25:36)…
“We are surrounded by people in need, calling to be rescued, needing an open and compassionate heart to hear them and provide an answer or solution to their calls. Fr. Dehon founded the congregation to fight against social injustice. We as well, on his path, are called to find a way to pursue the same spirit of love given freely through social services.”
Click here to read Fr. Floribert’s full reflection, as well as that of Sr. Eulogia (Yollie) Nobabos, TMM, who writes about her call to the missions of South Dakota from her home in the Philippines.
A “Top-Rated” non-profit
St. Joseph’s Indian School was recently named a “2024 Top-Rated Nonprofit” for the eighth year running by GreatNonprofits, the leading provider of user reviews of charities and nonprofits.
The rating and number of reviews that St. Joseph’s Indian School received from volunteers, donors and aid recipients are the basis for the Top-Rated Nonprofit Award.
GreatNonprofits is the leading website where people share stories about their personal experiences with more than 1.6 million charities and nonprofits. The GreatNonprofits Top-Rated Awards are the only awards for nonprofits determined by those with direct experience with charities as donors, volunteers and aid recipients. Click here for the complete list of 2024 Top-Rated Nonprofits.
Pictured above is Second-grader teacher Jessamy Truman working with a St. Joe’s student.
Getting to know MKE!
One of the first outings for ECS students this summer was a walking tour of Milwaukee. “We viewed the sites and learned about the history of downtown Milwaukee from a local guide,” said Ryan Stubbs, ECS director. “I didn’t know downtown Milwaukee, its architecture, riverfront and sites could be so appealing.” The group is pictured here in front of the Milwaukee Art Museum’s iconic Quadracci Pavilion, designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava.
Please remember
+ Fr. António Teixerira de Sous, a member of the Portuguese Province, died on July 1. He was born in 1953, professed in 1973 and ordained in 1980.
Memorial service
There will be a memorial service for Br. Bernard Taube, SCJ, on Thursday, July 25, at 10:30 a.m. at Sacred Heart at Monastery Lake. Br. Bernie died on June 26 and is to be interred near his family home in Minnesota.
Keep in prayer
Please keep Br. Frank Presto’s brother-in-law, Mark, in your prayers. He is being treated for oral cancer on his tongue and lymph nodes. Mark is married to Br. Frank’s sister, Tina.
We do not forget
On July 21, we note the second anniversary of Fr. Anthony Kluckman’s disappearance. It was on that day that he was last seen, captured on security video, leaving Sacred Heart at Monastery Lake. Numerous law enforcement agencies and specialized search teams, as well as a private investigator, have sought for clues regarding his disappearance. Please continue to keep Fr. Anthony in your prayers.
Together we pray…
Loving God, you call all things into being
and bring order out of chaos.
Help us who are searching for Fr. Anthony
to recognize your will in these difficult times.
Be with Fr. Anthony, whom you called to service.
We entrust him to the mercy of the Heart of Jesus.
Amen.
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