We hear the cries of the suffering;
we see the violence in our midst.
May we remember them in our prayers
and be in solidarity with our actions.
Teach us to recognize Your presence in every human being.
May we follow the lead of Fr. Leo John Dehon:
proclaiming the boundless riches of Your love and mercy.
We pray for this in Christ’s name. Amen
From the prayer service for World Refugee Day (June 20). A link to a PDF of the service is available at the bottom of this week’s Fridge Notes.
Visitors
Fr. Luca Zottoli, general treasurer, his assistant Aldo Ivaldi, and Fr. Jesús Valdezate (Spanish Province) of the General Finance Commission, are visiting the US Province this week. Today they will meet at the Provincial Offices, as well as the Province Development Office, to discuss, among other things, possibilities for international fundraising.
Tomorrow, Fr. Stephen Huffstetter, general councilor, will travel with them to St. Joseph’s Indian School where they will learn about the SCJs ministries in South Dakota as well as meet with development personnel there.
Schools in Collaboration
St. Joseph’s Indian School in Chamberlain, SD, hosted the SCJ Schools in Collaboration Summer Institute June 10-13. This year’s group included members of Holy Family and Sacred Heart schools from Mississippi, St. Joseph’s Indian School, and St. Martin of Tours School from Wisconsin.
Flying into Rapid City for the weekend, the students toured the Black Hills, visiting Crazy Horse and Mount Rushmore. A stop at the state capital and a cultural museum rounded off the road trip. Sunday evening they heard the story of Fr. Dehon as narrated by David Schimmel, director of Dehonian Associates for the US Province.
On Monday morning there were short presentations on each school community. Students from the SCJs’ San Jeronimo in Spain and Gymnasium Leoninum in Germany were able to participate via Skype. To reflect this international exchange, SCJ Schools in Collaboration have redesigned their logo. Each student and adult participating in the Summer Institute received a t-shirt emblazoned with it. Afternoon activities focused on Lakota culture with a tour of the Akta Lakota Museum, a cultural speaker, and a Dreamcatcher craft.
Please remember
Fr. Jerzy Klima, a member of the Polish Province, died June 18. He was born in 1940, professed in 1959 and ordained in 1968.
Keep in prayer
Harvey Fortner, the brother of Fr. Mark Fortner, has been diagnosed with fourth stage cance. Fr. Mark has gone to Springfield, Mo., to be with the family.
Communication about communication
On June 6 the General Administration held a day-long workshop with two communication specialists from Germany: André Lorenz, (André Lorenz Media – Munich, Germany), and Simon Biallowons. Both have worked extensively with the congregation, especially in Germany.
The work of the day helped to lay the foundation of a communication strategy for the Congregation.
Click here or on the image above to view a short video about the workshop, including comments from Fr. Heiner Wilmer, superior general, about the administration’s growing efforts in regards to communication.
SHSST summer program at Bethsaida
From June 20 through July 11, seven SHSST students and faculty members will spend 10 days traveling throughout Israel visiting holy and archaeological sites, and then spend another 10 days participating in the archaeological dig at Bethsaida.
Click here to follow their experiences on Facebook.
70 and 50
The Dehonian Family in Portugal celebrated the 70th anniversary of the congregation’s presence in the country and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Portuguese Province during its annual pilgrimage to Fatima June 4-5.
Among those present was Bishop José Ornelas Carvalho, bishop of Setúbal, who presided over the Eucharist.
Click here to read more on the congregational website.
Woodshop in action
Fr. Byron Haaland shares the photo above of Frater Joseph Vu working in the new art studio / workshop in Franklin. The workshop is available to any SCJ. For information about using it, click here to contact Fr. Byron.
The importance of simply being present
In the June 10 issue of Dehonian Spirituality Fr. David Szatkowski reflected on his experience of being present to parents who had just lost their son.
“I remember when I was first ordained being called to the home of a family in our parish in the early morning,” wrote Fr. David. “The family had a son who suffered from bi-polar disorder. He had committed suicide that morning and his family had found him.
“I remember being afraid of not knowing what to say, or what to do. There are no words that can be said, no prayer that can be offered that could change the grief that the family was experiencing. The only thing I could offer was being present with them, and in some way to share their grief, acknowledge the pain they were experiencing, and trust that God was present in our midst.
Much later, the family told me that what they most appreciated was that I had come to spend time with them… It was from this that I began to understand that as a Priest of the Sacred Heart one of the gifts that God has given our community is the ability to enter into the sufferings of others. It is not necessary to ‘have had’ the same experience, it is only important to be willing to honor and share the grief and pain of those to whom we minister.
Click here to subscribe to the weekly newsletter which includes prayers and reflections based in the charism of Fr. Leo John Dehon.
Click here to read the most recent issue.
Saying good-bye
Last week parishioners at Our Lady of Guadalupe in Houston held a farewell Mass and reception for Fr. Zbigniew Morawiec who is leaving the parish to join the SCJs’ parochial team in northern Mississippi. Click here to view a few photos from the gathering. Our thanks to Br. Andy Gancarczyk for sharing them.
World Refugee Day
Today, June 20, is World Refugee Day. The United Nations established the date on December 4, 2000, as part of the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the UN Refugee Convention, a multilateral treaty that defines who is a refugee, establishes rights for them and the responsibilities of nations.
In his letter for the Feast of the Sacred Heart, Fr. Heiner Wilmer, superior general, wrote that “As Dehonians we see migration as the greatest challenge of our times. In our parishes, schools, universities, in education and formation institutes, in our social works, in whatever areas that we have influence on public opinion, for example, in our media outlets and publications, let us make migration our theme. We are convinced that every confrere can do something. Every community has an opportunity to do something creative. Every institution and every work can contribute in some particular manner to the demands and needs that result from migration. At the same time, in every community where we live, in every institution where we work, we can make evident the opportunities and benefits that arise from migration.”
Click here to download a PDF of a prayer service created by the North American Immigration Committee for World Refugee Day.
