Watching history

In North America many people tuned to their televisions last Thursday morning to watch Pope Benedict XVI get on the papal helicopter and leave the Vatican for the last time as pope.

Members of the General Curia and International College in Rome had a bird’s eye view of the pope from the Generalate roof. On a hill a little over a mile from the Vatican, the congregation’s headquarters was the perfect spot to watch the event.

Click here to view some of the rooftop photos.

 

Also in pictures…

Besides pictures from the pope’s retirement flight from the Vatican, an album from last Friday’s Way of the Cross in the Generalate chapel is also on the province Facebook page. Click here to view it.

A reminder: you do not need to be a member of Facebook to view either the province page or its photo albums. However, if you are a Facebook user, we do invite you to “like” us.

Mark your calendars

The North American Conference, which concludes Fr. General’s visitation of Canada and the United States, will begin with prayer on Tuesday, September 24 at 4:30 p.m., followed by a social and dinner. There will be a full day of activity September 25-26 and the conference will end midday on Friday, September 27.

Location possibilities are still being explored but most likely the conference will be held in Hales Corners. More details will be sent to SCJs in North America soon. Note, the conference is for ALL members of the U.S. Province and Canadian Region.

The jubilee celebrations for the U.S. Province will Monday, September 23.

In South Africa

Fr. Charles Brown has been in South Africa during the past week preparing for a series of three-day retreats for pastoral ministers (priests, nuns, lay ministers and bishops) who have been active in church ministry for at least 10 years. The five retreats will be held in October in Botswana, Swaziland and South Africa.

Fr. Charlie said that the focus of the program will be two-fold: 1) St. Paul’s pastoral ministry and practice as a model for ministry today and 2) specific modern moral issues to which ministers can bring scriptural reflection and practice.

“The presentations are grounded in the historical fact that St. Paul was first and foremost a pastor of souls,” wrote Fr. Charlie.

“The task of these talks is, much as we are able, to let St. Paul speak for himself,” he continued.  “When we begin by allowing Paul himself to speak (and, as least at first, refrain from looking at what later theologians, like St. Augustine or Luther, say about St. Paul), we quickly begin to observe the original genius of not only Paul’s theological expositions, but also the pastoral care and human concern of his ministry through Christ.  We can then bring Paul’s original pastoral insights to inform our ministry today.”

The retreats will be under the auspices of the Office of Continuing Formation of the Southern Africa Conference of Catholic Bishops (SACCB).

Fr. Charlie gave a similar set of talks in Winnipeg, Canada last October for Archbishop Weisgerber and 60 priests from his diocese. This time he will be teaming up with another Charles, Fr. Charles Ryan, SPS, a moral theologian and former colleague.

 

Young SCJs meet

“Los Jovenes,” is a group of province’s younger members. Last week they gathered at the Dehon Formation Community in Chicago for prayer, reflection, discussion of province issues and to simply be together in community. The Los Jovenes gatherings are generally held once a year. The group is pictured above in the formation community’s recreation room.

Preparing for deployment

“Like all of us here, I have mixed emotions about our upcoming deployment; there is excitement and fear,” wrote Fr. Mark Mastin, an Army chaplain who is preparing, with his unit, for deployment overseas.

“I look at this deployment with the Dehonian mindset of oblation.  I have come to appreciate and redefine this attitude.  Scripture says that there is no greater love for another person than to lay down one’s life for a friend or another person.  I do not have a martyr’s complex. I do enjoy living.

“Oblation to me means availability and sacrifice.  As a religious, life should not always be comfortable or convenient.  It means being present with people in their sufferings, compassionate if you will.  It’s being a bridge of hope (GOD) to people, especially young people, who cannot make sense or find meaning in life.  As instruments of God’s mission, simple words of encouragement go a long way without ever having to mention anything spiritual or religious.  Saying that someone is doing a good job has the same effect.

“I will be in harm’s way. But oblation, availability and presence can make a big difference to our soldiers, particularly in how they cope and manage their resiliency and emotions.  And so, I need to make the effort to meet them wherever they may be.”

Click here to read Fr. Mark’s full reflection on the province blog.

St. Mary’s, Lower Brule, hosts Year of Faith celebration

Yesterday, March 3, St. Mary Parish in Lower Brule hosted a celebration of the Year of Faith. Bishop Robert Gruss presided at Mass and then opened a presentation about the year. He encouraged members of the West River parishes to use the occasion of the Year of Faith as a way to deepen and strengthen their faith.

The second speaker was Fr. Michel Malloy, a diocesan priest from Rapid City, who spoke about the Trinity as it is expressed in the liturgy, especially the Eucharist. Dn. Steve McLaughlin concluded the program by reflecting on his journey of embracing the Catholic faith from the point of view of a Native American.

Thirty-five people from three parishes, plus nine priests (including three SCJs from Lower Brule and Chamberlain) attended.

Our thanks to Fr. Vincent Suparman for reporting on the event!

Please remember

The father of Fr. Guy Blair died during the weekend. Mr. Blair was 91 and had been in very poor health for the past several months. Fr. Guy will leave Chamberlain, SD, today for South Carolina, where there will be a simple service. A memorial with the family will be held in Connecticut in spring.

Thank you

Fr. Wayne Jenkins writes the following: “The Jenkins family would like to express its gratitude for the many gestures of affection and of friendship that have been bestowed upon us as we celebrated the life of our Mom.”

Click here to read his homily from the funeral Mass.

After spending time with his family following his mother’s death in February Fr. Wayne is in Hales Corners for few days. He will return to Rome at the end of the week.

Provincial’s time

Fr. Tom Cassidy is in Italy this week for the European major superiors meeting. Held in Albino (northern Italy), the European meeting is a continuation of discussions that took place at the European Conference on Secularity in 2011.

Updates from the meeting will be on the Generalate’s website: www.dehon.it/en