June, the month of the Sacred Heart
“I invite you, and all friends of Jesus’ Heart, to renew your commitment to love. Give your time, your compassion, your patience, your forgiveness, your smile, to everyone who crosses your way. Hold nothing for yourself but be generous in giving yourself to your brothers and sisters, beginning in your own community. Dare to love those who are rejected. You will experience a great joy in sharing the love of Christ. You will discover that we don’t need much to restore wounded hearts. Welcome, love, and God will to the rest.”
The words are from Fr. Willyans Prado Rapozo, SCJ, a member of the Canadian Regional Council, and are taken from his reflection published in the June issue of As a Rule. The focus this month, the month of the Sacred Heart, is on Rule of Life No. 21, that reminds us that “We are strengthened in our vocation by contemplating the Heart of Christ, the privileged symbol of this love. Indeed, we are called to enter into this movement of redemptive love, by giving ourselves, with and as Christ, for our brothers and sisters.” Fr. Will is pictured lower left.
Fr. Bob Bossie, SCJ, the second writer this month, notes that “it is clear that Christ’s redemptive love necessitates ‘care for our common home,’ as Pope Francis instructs us in his encyclical of that name. We are not over or outside God’s earth but in it. We will live or die as the earth lives or dies. Or to put it another way, we live and move and have our being within the web of life, within God. We are all holy and worthy of reverence as is everyone and everything else.”
Click here to read the full issue.
Auto insurance info for SCJs
New auto insurance cards will soon be mailed to SCJs in the US Province; most should receive them on or about June 13. They will be sent to the local superiors to distribute; SCJs living outside of a local community will receive their cards directly. The current insurance card is valid until June 15. If an SCJ has question about the card, or about auto insurance in general, contact Kevin Stanke.
Student updates
In the last Fridge Notes we mistakenly noted that Frater Michael Wodarczyk, SCJ, will be doing summer ministry in Houston. He will be in Mississippi, not Houston. Our apologies for the error.
Also, Frater Paul Phong Hoang, SCJ, will be in Ecuador June 7 through August 16 for Spanish studies.
Bisgrove Field renovated
The “Franklin Force,” a girls fast-pitch softball team, has a new home: Bisgrove Field on the grounds of St. Martin of Tours parish in Franklin, WI. Dn. Chuck Schneider blessed the field on May 22. “Fr. Charlie Bisgrove was the person behind the development of the field when he was pastor,” said Dn. Chuck. “It hasn’t been used in recent years and I had hoped to see it brought back to life. When we learned that the Franklin Force was seeking a new home, it was the perfect fit. They renovated the field [which includes two diamonds] and even had a new sign made.”
Dn. Chuck is pictured above with members of the Franklin Force, cutting the red ribbon to officially open the renovated field.
Fr. Charles Bisgrove, SCJ, died of a stroke in 2011. He was pastor of what was then Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary parish when it merged with nearby Holy Assumption and then became the first pastor of what is now St. Martin of Tours parish. Fr. Charlie later went on to serve as a chaplain with the Franklin Fire and Police Department. In 2001, he became certified to serve as a chaplain with the National Transportation and Safety Board. Just a few weeks later, he was called to duty and assigned to Ground Zero in New York City, following the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers.
Please remember
+ Alexander Sapto Dwi Handoko, a member of the Indonesian Province, died on May 22. He was born in 1963, professed in 1984 and ordained in 1993. Fr. Sapto served on the General Council from 2018-19, and previously was provincial superior of the Indonesian Province. He had also been a member of the General Finance Commission.
Keep in prayer
Fr. Tom Westhoven’s health has been rapidly deteriorating; last week the SCJ was placed in hospice care at St. Camillus. The address:
10101 W. Wisconsin Avenue, Rm #2238
Wauwatosa, WI 53226
Please keep him in prayer.
Safe travels!
Fr. Wojciech Adamczyk, SCJ, left for Poland on Friday, June 2, to begin a sabbatical.
Centennial updates and reminders
In Wisconsin, the province celebrations of the Centennial will take place at Sacred Heart Monastery/Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology July 16 and 17. The schedule:
SUNDAY, JULY 16 – The primary groups invited to the Sunday celebration are benefactors and SCJ alumni. Mass will begin at 10:30 a.m., followed by appetizers, lunch, a remembrance ceremony at the mausoleum, and coffee and dessert back in the SHSST dining room.
MONDAY, JULY 17 – This is considered the “family” celebration. Area employees and friends of the community will join SCJs for a 4:30 p.m. Mass, followed by a social and dinner.
On SUNDAY, JULY 30, the South Dakota community will host a Centennial Celebration in Lower Brule, SD, the birthplace of Dehonian ministry in the United States. The day will begin with a smudging ceremony at 10:00 a.m., followed by a procession to Mass. Bishop Peter Muhich of Rapid City will be the main celebrant and Fr. Stefan Tertünte, SCJ, provincial superior of the German Province, will be the homilist at the Centennial Mass.
All SCJs are very welcome to attend the Lower Brule celebration. If you plan to do so, you are asked to RSVP to Nancy Grzesiak at the Provincial Offices. Click here to email her.
Attendees are responsible for making their own travel and lodging arrangements. Options in South Dakota include the Golden Buffalo in Lower Brule (ask for the Centennial discount), as well as several major hotels in the Chamberlain-Oacoma area including Arrowhead Resort at Cedar Shore, Baymont Inn and Suites Oacoma, Quality Inn, and Americaninn.
Fr. Greg Schill, SCJ, notes that there are also several rooms available for SCJs in one of the student homes. These rooms have shared bathrooms. If you would like to reserve one, contact Fr. Greg.
If you have any questions regarding the celebration in South Dakota, please contact Fr. Christianus Hendrik, SCJ.
Pre-chapter meeting reminder
Chapter delegates are reminded that their next Pre-Chapter meeting is on Tuesday, June 13, from 9:00 a.m. to noon (central) via Zoom. A link will be sent to delegates closer to the date of the meeting.
Closing shot
Last week Our Lady of Guadalupe School in Houston had their annual Pastor – Principal outing with staff. The group took a class together at the Rustic Brush art studio. “What a fun way to unleash our creativity and work together outside of the classroom walls,” wrote one of the participants. Fr. Rafael Querobin, SCJ, pastor, is pictured below with OLG staff.
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