Happy feast day!

“Father Dehon expected his religious to be prophets of love and servants of reconciliation of people and the world in Christ,” writes Fr. José Ornelas Carvalho, superior general, in his letter to the congregation for the Feast of the Sacred Heart. The feast day is Friday, June 7. Fr. General continues:

“This statement [from the SCJ Constitutions, No. 7] is inspired by one St. Paul made about his apostolic mission: ‘All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. So we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We beg you on behalf of Christ: be reconciled to God’ (2 Cor. 5: 18-20).

“This theme is the one we have selected for this year’s letter on the occasion of the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and it continues our reflections on the basic elements of our spirituality. It also fits in with this year dedicated by the church to Faith. Prophets of love and servants of reconciliation is not merely an intriguing catchphrase. It leads us to the very core of God’s plan, to the life of the Church, to the proclamation of the Gospel, and to what the human race is waiting for.

“Reconciliation alludes to a world of forgiveness, welcome, and concord even as it is located in a real world of estrangement, disunion, injustice, and conflict found at all levels. We cannot disregard the growing consensus about the dignity of the human person and his basic rights anymore than the growing respect for the fragile ecological balance on which all life is based. At the same time, the serious injustices and exploitations that hurtle so many millions of innocent persons toward misery and wars and conflicts that threaten the very existence of the human race escape no one.”

Click here to read the full letter.

Here in Hales Corners, Archbishop Jerome Listecki of Milwaukee will be the main celebrant at the 11 a.m. feast-day Mass at Sacred Heart Monastery. If you have questions about the Mass or other events of the day, please call 414-425-3383.

And by the time we celebrate…

By the time we celebrate feast of the Sacred Heart on Friday the U.S. Province will have elected its new administration, including a new provincial superior. Members of the U.S. Province begin their election assembly today to determine leadership for the next three years. Fr. Tom Cassidy completes his second and final three-year term on July 31.

St. Joe’s travelers

After months of preparation, St. Joseph’s incoming eighth-grade class embarked on a week-long trip. Their journey took them to Native American sites of cultural, spiritual and historical significance in South Dakota, North Dakota, Wyoming and Montana.

“Each stop was connected to one of the great leaders of the Sioux Nation,” said Tony, a St. Joseph’s houseparent who spearheaded the initial planning process.

Now in its fourth year, the trip follows the same course annually and was carefully planned to help students get the most out of each site. During the school year, students learned about the figures and events that made each point on the map significant.

Fr. Stephen Huffstetter and Fr. José Agostinho de Figueiredo Sousa (Portuguese SCJ doing research at St. Joseph’s Indian School) joined the students for part of the trip. Fr. Steve wrote the following in his blog:

“Fr. Jose and I gave the students a day’s head start, and then caught up with them in Sturgis, South Dakota, after they had climbed Bear Butte with prayer ties – a cultural and spiritual pilgrimage.

“Fr. Jose hails from Portugal, and this is his first visit to the Black Hills. He has read much about the history and culture of the Native American people in this area while working on his thesis – he is excited to take in as much as he can.

“After he saw so many billboards along the way, we had to stop at Wall Drug for him to experience that piece of Americana. He had his picture taken by the 20-foot jackelope and had a 5 cent cup of coffee – I had a signature free ice water – and we continued on the journey west.”

Click here to read more about the student trip.

Keep in prayer

Fr. Claude Bédard was recently diagnosed with skin cancer in his nose. He is to meet with a surgeon on June 14 to determine how to proceed.

Fr. Tim Gray’s sister, Carol, is in hospice care after a long battle with cancer. She is 55 and lives in Gulfport, Miss.

Please remember

Fr. Battista Zucchinali, a member of the North Italian Province, died May 25. He was born in 1933, professed in 1951 and ordained in 1960.

Fr. José Gil Ormonde Coelho, a member of the Portuguese Province, died May 31. He was born in 1943, professed in 1969 and ordained in 1977.

 

Young priests gathering in Asia

Forty-four SCJ priests from Asia, ordained 10 years or less, gathered together in Indonesia recently for a first-ever meeting of its kind. The days included formation, fellowship and prayer, as well as the performance of traditional Indonesian dances by Indonesian novices and students.

Click here to see photos and read more about the gathering.

Brothers’ Think Tank

Previously we noted that Br. Ray Kozuch took part in the CMSM Brothers’ Think Tank May 14-15. Recently, CMSM shared news on the effort in the following press release:

Following an historic and successful first meeting in November 2012, the Brothers’ Think Tank held its second gathering at St. Anthony of Padua Friary in Ellicott City, Maryland, on May 14 and 15, 2013. The purpose of the Brothers’ Think Tank is to promote the religious brother’s vocation in today’s church, whether in the context of communities of brothers or in mixed communities of priests and brothers. The meeting was once again moderated by Brother Robert Croteau, SC, chair of the standing committee known as the Brothers’ Focus Group of the Conference of Major Superiors of Men (CMSM), and facilitated by Brother Stephen Glodek, SM, former president of the Conference of Major Superiors of Men.

The Think Tank participants, who share a passionate interest in the identity and future of the vocation of the religious brother, include representatives of the National Religious Vocation Conference, the Religious Brothers Conference, and the Religious Formation Conference joined in full partnership with the Brothers’ Focus Group Committee of CMSM. In the near future the group will welcome participation from the monastic orders as well as newer congregations of religious brothers.

The goal of this Think Tank 2 was to establish an action plan targeting four major audiences: major church leadership, brothers’ communities themselves, present and future church ministers, and the church at-large. The ambitious five-point action plan includes:

– Advocacy for a “Year of Consecrated Life” in the universal church;

– A letter to major superiors of communities of brothers and mixed communities of priests and brothers expressing appreciation for their support in continuing to value the vocation of the religious brother and urging special emphasis on brothers’ vocation in initial formation;

– A focused media promotion and strengthening of connections with Catholic publications;

– A pilot one-day symposium scheduled for May 2014;

– And a subsequent national symposium.

Ad hoc working groups were inaugurated to begin implementation of each of these action plans.

United in full support of the action plan and a firm desire to continue this unique and historic collaboration of the constituent members, the participants scheduled Think Tank 3 for December 3 and 4, 2013, at Maryknoll, New York.

Provincial’s time

Fr. Tom Cassidy is at the election assembly this week discerning with the rest of the membership about who will serve in province leadership for the next three years.