News & Events | June 02, 2025
A week from today…
Election Assembly
The US Province Election Assembly will begin a week from today (June 9) at 1:30 p.m. at the Provincial Conference Center in Hales Corners. SCJs from around the country will gather to discern the province leadership team for the next three years. Sr. Cathy Bertrand, SSND, is the assembly moderator; she has served in a similar capacity at previous province gatherings.
Photos and updates from the assembly will be posted on the province Facebook page.
TOP OF THE PAGE: Note the masks in the photo of delegates at the 2022 Election Assembly, which took place in the midst of a national resurgence of COVID-19.
Perpetual vows
Frater Hung Pham, SCJ, will profess his final vows Monday evening during the first Mass of the assembly. He is pictured above during his vow renewal last year.
“This particular moment in my journey makes me realize how blessed I am to be a Dehonian, as I am called to be a prophet of love and to share this message with the people whom I serve,” wrote Fra. Hung in the May issue of As a Rule. “I am called to oblate/offer my life, body, and soul to God and people daily, not only in joy but also in sorrow. Oblation helps me respond to the love of God and be able to serve our brothers and sisters. Reparation aids me in preparing myself with the Spirit of the Sacred Heart, enabling me to perform the ministry that Jesus has entrusted to me in His work of redemption. Our charism, history, and spirituality help me to realize that I need to step out of my comfort zone by going to the people and onto the streets of the world in service of the Gospel (Rule No. 82).
“My perpetual vows do not signify an ending; rather, they represent a continuous love for God and service to His people. I need to perpetually bring God’s love to others and to step out of the sacristy to serve His people.”
Click here to read the rest of Fra. Hung’s reflection, as well as that of his final vows director, Br. Ray Kozuch, SCJ.
Themes for the week
Each liturgy during the assembly will have a theme. Fra. Hung’s final profession will be on Monday. On Tuesday, the delegates will commemorate the centenary of Fr. Leo John Dehon’s death. On Wednesday, the focus will be on vocations, and on Thursday evening the province will celebrate the jubilees of Fr. Gary Lantz, SCJ (50 years in vows) and Br. Frank Snider, SCJ (60 years in vows).
Please keep the work of the assembly in your prayers, remembering especially Fra. Hung, Fr. Gary and Br. Frank as they prepare for their celebrations.
You are invited!
The next monthly Vocation Mass will be on Friday, June 6, at 11:00 a.m. at the Provincial Conference Center. Anyone is welcome to attend. If you would like to preside, preach or serve as a reader at an upcoming Vocation Mass, please click here to contact Fr. Henry Nguyen, SCJ, vocation director.
If you are attending the June Vocation Mass, you are welcome to stay for lunch and join the Dehon Study Center for its monthly book club gathering at 1:00 p.m. Fr. Ramon Domiguez Fraille, SCJ, General Postulator for the Priests of the Sacred Heart, will share updates on the beatification process for Fr. Leo John Dehon and other SCJs. Come to learn about the process and to ask questions. Participants are welcome to attend the meeting in-person at the Provincialate or via Zoom. The Zoom link:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86795180426
If you do plan to stay for lunch, please contact Monica Misey ASAP so we know how much food to provide. Contact info: 414-427-4267 or mmisey@dehoniansusa.org.
On the air!
Fr. Stephen Huffstetter, SCJ, was a recent guest on a WCAT TV podcast. Former vicar general of the Priests of the Sacred Heart, Fr. Steve is now beginning his new assignment as president-rector of Sacred Heart Seminary and School of the Theology. The focus of the WCAT interview was on homiletics (one of the interviewers, Dcn. Steve Kramer, is SHSST’s Director of Homiletics); however, during the interview Fr. Steve was also asked to talk about the Dehonians and his own vocation to the community.
Fr. Steve attended Divine Heart Seminary in Donaldson, IN, but he says that he had no intention of pursuing a religious vocation. He went to the minor seminary as a day student.
“By the time I was a senior in high school and trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life I said, ‘Well maybe I’ll give this [religious life] a try,'” said Fr. Steve. “The priests and brothers at the school were our basketball coaches and our driver’s ed teachers and worked alongside us cleaning things and fixing things and I just got to see them as ‘normal people’ who had gifts that they wanted to share with people in the church. Because they were very human I could see myself doing what they were doing; there was holiness too and inspiration, but I just really was struck by the human relationships and the relatability of these men.”
Fr. Steve applied to become a candidate and continued his studies, eventually professing vows in 1982.
When asked about how he prepares his homilies, Fr. Steve noted the often-cited image of Fr. Dehon with a newspaper in one hand and a bible in the other. “You need to pay attention to the times,” he said. “If you don’t, you aren’t talking about the really important things that people are struggling with.”
Click here or on the image above to view the full interview.
Hello from Cameroon!
Fr. Charles Brown, SCJ, is pictured above with the Dehonian novitiate community in Ndoungue, Cameroon, where he was the featured instructor in May. He writes: “This is a photo of the entire community here at Maison du Sacre-Coeur. Fr. Cyrille on the right is the novice director; his two team members are on the left. We had three sessions a day for the week. It was demanding but they were a wonderful group to work with — full of energy and questions and fresh ideas.”
June birthdays
Among those celebrating birthdays in June: 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. Roger Phaneuf on June 12, 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!
Updates
Fr. Jean Claude Mbassi, SCJ, will be assigned to the Sacred Heart Community in Pinellas Park, effective July 1.
Fr. Christian Hoper, SCJ, from the Indonesian Province, will be moving to St. Michael Community in Nesbit, MS, in late summer. He will assist the pastoral team while studying psychology at the University of Memphis.
And Fr. Floribert Bulo Dhelo, SCJ, arrived in South Dakota last week! Fr. Greg Schill, SCJ, shares the picture above with Frs. Ari Saputra, SCJ, and Floribert shortly after Fr. Floribert arrived.
Thank you!
Speaking of Fr. Christian Hoper, last month he was in northern California leading a day of recollection for the area’s Indonesian Community.
“On Sunday, May 25, we celebrated Mass in Bahasa Indonesian, the official language of Indonesia,” said Fr. Christian, who was joined by a surprise concelebrant: Bishop Rey Bersabal, the auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Sacramento “He came to support the Indonesian community in his diocese, but also to celebrate Pacific Islander Month (May).” Bishop Bersabal is originally from the Philippines.
“After the Mass the bishop asked me: ‘Where are you from, Father?’ I told him Milwaukee. He was surprised, saying ‘That’s far; are you a diocesan priest?’
“I said ‘No, I am a member of the Priests of the Sacred Heart, we are also called Dehonians.’ He then thanked me, saying ‘Thank you for serving and supporting the people here, and thank you to the Priests of the Sacred Heart; I send my greetings and thanks to the SCJs.'”
Fr. Christian is pictured above with participants at the day of recollection.
Please remember
+Fr. Oscar Longen, a member of the Brazil-Saõ Paulo Province, died on May 20. He was born in 1931, professed in 1954 and ordained in 1958.
On pilgrimage in Italy
Fr. Tom Cassidy SCJ, and Fr. Dominic Peluse, SCJ, are leading a Jubilee Holy Year pilgrimage in Italy organized by the Province Development Office. During their stay the travelers have had the opportunity to visit with SCJs at the Generalate community in Rome, where Fr. Tom served for 12 years as a member of the General Council. The tour continues through the end of the week.
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