News & Events | May 11, 2026
“May God be with you and may you be with God”
On May 8, Fr. John Czyzynski, SCJ, was the commencement speaker at the 2026 graduation ceremony at Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology.
“The diploma or certificate that you receive indicates that you have a solid foundation, a good start preparing you for whatever ministry God calls you,” said Fr. John to the graduates. “I hope you go forth with an open mind and an open heart to keep learning how to be a good servant-minister of God’s people. Keep taking time to pray, to be connected with God, so that the work you do is God’s, not yours. Keep studying and reading and listen to the people whom you serve in ministry. They have much to teach us. As Karl Jung, the famous psychologist once said to his students: ‘If you just shut up and listen, your client is trying to make a counselor out of you.’
“Listen to the people God calls you to serve. They can help you be a better minister.
“Dear graduates, congratulations! Go out there and give God and God’s people your very best. May God be with you and may you be with God.”
Click here to read Fr. John’s speech in full.
Following his speech, Fr. John was conferred emeritus status for his many years of service to SHSST. After a social and dinner, the evening ended at the province mausoleum, where Sacred Heart faculty and staff continued a tradition of holding an informal toast for the many SCJs who built not only SHSST, but the Dehonian presence in the United States. It was a time to share stories and give thanks.
Click here to view photos from commencement.
Fr. John is pictured above (left) receiving emeritus distinction from Fr. Stephen Huffstetter, SCJ, SHSST president-rector.
Please remember
+ José Carlos Rayo Ramírez, a member of the Spanish Province, died on May 6. He was born in 1967, professed in 1985 and ordained in 1995.
+ Robert “Greg” Yates, a former SCJ (professed in 1955) died on May 5; he was 94. He served for several years as a missionary in Sumatra, Indonesia. The Mass of Christian Burial is today at Our Lady of Presentation Church in Lee Summit, MO. Condolences can be sent to Greg’s wife, Mary, at 316 SE Westwind Dr., Lee Summit, MO 64063.
Coffee and Conversations
Fr. Jim Schroeder, SCJ, was the presenter at the May edition of “Coffee and Conversations” at Sacred Heart at Monastery Lake. Coffee and Conversations is an opportunity for SCJs to share a bit about themselves and their ministries with lay residents at SHML.
Raised in a farming family in southern Illinois, Fr. Jim professed his first vows when he was 19. His ministry as an SCJ has been wide-ranging. As a seminarian and as a young priest, he visited families in their homes, explaining changes in the new liturgy, often concluding by celebrating a Mass with the family. Fr. Jim served in jail ministry and was a chaplain at the Great Lakes Naval Center, as well as at the cardiac unit at St. Luke’s Hospital in Milwaukee.
He went to graduate school to study psychology with the intention of earning a master’s degree in marriage counseling. However, a fellow SCJ encouraged him to pursue a Ph.D. Eventually, his focus turned toward ministry to fellow ministers: priests and religious. For many years he served as a licensed psychologist at the St. Louis Consultation Center. In an intensive outpatient setting, he often saw six to eight clergy each day and said that he took particular joy in helping a priest, brother or sister get “back in the saddle,” returning to ministry after getting the counseling that he or she needed to address a life concern or issue.
Fr. Jim has served on a variety of committees and commissions and represented the province as a delegate to the General Chapter. He is now retired and is a member of the Sacred Heart Community at SHML.
Keep in prayer
Fr. Joe Dean was hospitalized for observation following a fall in his room last week.
Fr. Jim Walters is having a medical procedure today to treat an issue he has been attending to for the past year.
Please keep both SCJs in your prayers.
The impact of the Eucharist
“In the silent adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, I recognize the true presence of Jesus, my ultimate source of strength and hope,” wrote Sr. Grecely Tangcogo, MCM, in the May issue of As a Rule. “As St. John Paul II taught, the Eucharist is truly the heart of the Church, for it is there that I am healed, united with my brothers and sisters, and fortified to live a life of faith. It is not just a sacrament; it is my heart’s nourishment. During my first week in South Dakota, the quietness of the parish pews felt surreal compared to the packed churches of my home country. [Sr. Grecely is from the Philippines] Yet, in that quiet, I felt a deep hope. I am hopeful and praying that the Holy Spirit draws hearts closer to the Eucharist, that our community will grow, that hearts will be opened to the beauty of the Eucharist, and that our church will be filled with a vibrant, yearning for God.
“Sharing my consecrated life here in South Dakota is a living testament to Christ’s love for me in the Eucharist as taken, blessed, broken and shared with our brothers and sisters. My prayer is that our presence here brings hope and courage to those entrusted to our care. May all people come to recognize Christ who offers His life as true bread and wine, and may we always be assured that in eating this bread and drinking this cup of wine, Christ truly lives in us as our source of strength and hope.”
Click here to read Sr. Grecely’s reflection in full, as well as a reflection by Dehonian Associate Edell Schaefer, who writes about being “united with our brothers and sisters as we move forward into our ordinary lives as beloved children of an endlessly loving Father.”
A new principal in town!
There was a new principal at Our Lady of Guadalupe, Houston, last week… at least for a day or two. Michael, an OLG student, won the opportunity to be “Principal of the Day.” In between helping with the daily responsibilities of running a Catholic school, Michael visited with the SCJ parish team that serves Our Lady of Guadalupe Houston, including the pastor, Fr. George (Jerzy) Mordalski, and associate pastors Fr. Henry Nguyen and Fr. Ricardo Teixeira. Michael is said to have done well in his initial stint in administration, but he didn’t seem too sad to hand back the reigns to OLG’s long-time principal, Ms. Irazema S. Ortiz.
Michael is pictured above with Fr. Henry, Fr. George and Fr. Ricardo.
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