News & Events | June 01, 2026
“You give us life!”
From May 26-28, representatives of SCJ ministries from across the US Province came together at Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology to take part in LEAD, a leadership training program based in Dehonian spirituality. Following a pilot program last summer, this is the third such retreat. In his final words to participants, Fr. Vien Nguyen, SCJ, provincial superior, said that “There is a beauty about our mission together; you give us life. I’m very proud to call you my colleagues and with you, extend the mission of the Priests of the Sacred Heart. Our mission is not possible without you. I always come to the liturgy with that recognition, always thankful for what you do for the ministry that we do.
“I hope that wherever you serve, be it St. Joseph’s Indian School, St. Martin of Tours, Sacred Heart Southern Missions, Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology – wherever – that you see the place where you serve as your home. This is a place where you can live out your vocation.
“THANK YOU for all that you do, for all that you allow us to do in carrying on the vision of Fr. Dehon.”
Pictured above: LEAD participants with SCJs at Sacred Heart at Monastery Lake. Below: Laura Grisham (Sacred Heart Southern Missions) and Jennifer Drzewiecki (St. Martin of Tours) with their LEAD certificates.
Click here to view a few photos from the participants’ visit with SCJs at Sacred Heart at Monastery Lake, as well as the closing session of the gathering.
Please remember
+ Fr. Giuseppe Cuomo, a member of the South Italian Province, died on May 22. He was born in 1945, professed in 1968 and ordained on 1974.
+ Ray Nitzki, the brother of Fr. Jack Nitzki, SCJ (deceased), died on March 9. Click here to read the obituary.
On the calendar
The US Province Retreat begins this evening in Mundelein, IL; it will run through noon on Thursday. A livestream link to the conferences was sent to SCJs via email. The livestream is for SCJs unable to attend the retreat in person. If you need the link resent to you, please click here.
On Thursday evening, June 4, starting at 4:00 p.m., the province will honor its jubilarians. They include Fr. Richard Johnston (75 years of religious profession), Fr. John Czyzynski (70 years); Fr. Joseph Dean and Fr. Greg Speck (60 years); Fr. Charles Brown and Br. Frank Presto (50 years); and Fr. Rafael Querobin and Fr. Jean Claude Mbassi with 25 years. We also remember Fr. Anthony Kluckman, a 60-year jubilarian, who went missing on July 21, 2022. Suffering from dementia, his whereabouts continue to be unknown.
Photos from the retreat and the jubilee celebration will be in the online photo site (https://scjusa.smugmug.com) and on the province Facebook page.
Next week the Provincial Council meets on June 9-10. The Esprit de Coeur reunion will be on June 11, and the Feast of the Sacred Heart is on Friday, June 12. The Esprit de Coeur gathering begins at 5:00 p.m. with a prayer service in the Good Shepherd Chapel at SHML. Fr. Vincent Suparman will lead the service. If you have questions about the Esprit de Coeur reunion, click here.
Feast of the Sacred Heart is on Friday, June 12. Activities at Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology will begin with mission talks by Fr. Floribert Bulo Dhelo, SCJ, Sr. Grecely Tangcogo, MCM, and Sr. Ramona Pandan, MCM. The feast-day Mass will be at 10:30 a.m. in the main chapel; Fr. Vien Nguyen, SCJ, will preside. Lunch follows. At 1:00 p.m., visitors are welcome to go to the Provincial Office Building to view handwritten letters from Mother Teresa to Fr. Michael van der Peet, SCJ, as well as a relic from her canonization. Fr. Michael was a part of the work group that prepared for Mother Teresa’s beatification.
Bridging culture gaps in the parish
On June 19, Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology is hosting a conference titled “That They May Be One: Bridging Cultural Gaps in Your Parish.” The day-long event will focus on two sides of interculturality in the parish. The morning sessions will address changes in the demographics and ethnic backgrounds of congregations and communities. The afternoon sessions will focus on the challenges involved in connecting international priests with their American congregations.
Among those speaking at the conference: Bishop Donald J. Hying, Bishop of Madison, and Bishop James T. Schuerman, auxiliary bishop of Milwaukee. Other contributors will include representatives from the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, the Archdiocese of Chicago, the Diocese of Madison, the Diocese of Superior, the Diocese of Rockford, and the US Province of the Priests of the Sacred Heart.
Click here for more information and to register. NOTE: the registration fee is waived for SCJs. Click on the appropriate box during the registration process to have the fee waived. Questions? Contact Pearce Pomerleau at: ppomerleau@shsst.edu
June birthdays
Those celebrating birthdays this month include Fr. Vincent Suparman and Frater Truc Tran on June 5, Fr. Louis Marie Kayamba Butari on June 6, Fr. Ed Griesemer on June 9, Fr. Nick Brown on June 22, Fr. Paul Tennyson on June 23, and Br. Matt Miles and Fr. Francis Vu Tran on June 26. Happy birthday!
Dehonian baguettes
During a recent visit to Cameroon, Fr. Stefan Tertünte, SCJ, provincial superior of Germany, visited the Sacred Heart Global Service bakery of the Priests of the Sacred Heart in Nkongsamba. The bakery produces 9,000 baguettes every night. Fr. Stefan wrote about the bakery in a recent post on the general website, dehoniani.org.
“While the confreres at the provincial house in Nkongsamba, Cameroon, head to bed one after another, the workday for one of them is still in full swing. Br. Achille Tekadam Tiave, SCJ, is still hard at work on the premises of the congregation’s bakery, named Sacred Heart Global Service,” wrote Fr. Stefan. “Brother Achille has been working there for over 15 years. Over the years, he also earned a Master’s degree in Human Resources and Business Management, and has been directing the bakery ever since. In reality, he takes care of absolutely everything: from missing screws in the oven to receiving and paying for orders. And every day – or rather, every night — before the first delivery vans set off to distribute the baguettes, he conducts a random quality control check. ‘Every day, we produce 9,000 baguettes, but we still have room to increase our capacity,’ Br. Achille shares.
“For the finances of the Cameroonian Province of the Priests of the Sacred Heart, these daily 9,000 baguettes are of paramount importance. Among the various initiatives launched to generate local revenue and avoid depending exclusively on donations, the bakery stands out as the flagship model. Sixteen employees work here, whether in production, delivery, or administration.”
Click here to read more on the general website. Many in the US Province may remember Fr. Stefan from his visits to the US as a presenter, and at the Centennial celebration in South Dakota.
Fr. Zelfah, speaking to LEAD participants at SHML. He was responding to the question: “What advice would you give?”
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