Welcome!

James Nguyen, 22, was accepted during the recent Admissions Weekend as an SCJ candidate for the upcoming school year.  Born in Vietnam, he grew up in Seattle where he has lived since he was four.  He is the second member of his family to pursue religious life; his brother Francis professed vows with the Jesuit’s Oregon Province in 2008.

James is active in the Vietnamese Youth Group, has done tutoring and enjoys sports.  He is completing his bachelor’s degree in philosophy and sociology at the University of Washington and has also done international work and study in Brazil and Peru.

As a candidate in fall, James will begin graduate studies in theology.

Final week in the Philippines

As we’ve noted previously, Fr. Bernie Rosinski, SCJ, is spending several weeks in the Philippines assisting the SCJ district with administrative duties as well as helping students in the international formation program with their English. Time is going quickly; he writes with just one week left to his stay:

“To confess the truth, I have enjoyed my stay in the Philippines though I will be processing all the things that have happened to me along with all the things I have seen. I have taken as many photos as I could to remind me of what I have seen.

“What can I say about the people?  They win your heart so effortlessly you don’t even know they’ve got it.  They are so generous, so helpful, so thoughtful and considerate. I don’t know how many feasts and festivals I have gone to because some parish or organization or family was celebrating something and we were invited.

“This week remaining I have four masses to celebrate here in community, one talk to give, and four homilies. I also have to go through a formation plan that the Philippine District is revising so that they can work toward becoming a region. It is 46 pages long. I knew there was some reason why I came here; it is like I never left my administrative work even though I was here to teach English pronunciation.”

Click here to read Fr. Bernie’s full blog post.

Sidenote: Fr. Franics Pupkowski, SCJ, one of the original members of he SCJ team in the Philippines, celebrates his 25th anniversary of ordination today (May 16) in Dumalinao with much of the Philippine District in attendance. The anniversary date is actually June 19 but he will be in Poland on vacation then. Fr. Francis is director of the fund-raising efforts of the Philippine District.

Please remember

Jerome (Jerry) Conrad Vaad, a member of the staff of St. Joseph’s Indian School in South Dakota for the past 22 years, died May 10 at the Mayo Clinic, of amyloidosis. He is survived by his wife, Loaun Werner, a daughter, son and five grandchildren.  A prayer service with students and staff will be held for him at St. Joseph’s this evening (May 16).

Fr. Affonso Robl, SCJ, a member of the South Brazilian Province, died May 15.  He was born in 1929, professed in 1950 and ordained in 1955.

A “missionary” to administration

“Instead of a parish community, I now serve the computer,” laughed Fr. Heru Ismadi, SCJ, noting that much of his day is consumed with administrative paperwork.  Perhaps not what most people think of when they first discern a call to religious life and the priesthood, “but still necessary, still a part of our SCJ mission.”

Since December 1, 2010, Fr. Heru has been the general secretary for the Priests of the Sacred Heart.  He succeeds Fr. Anisio Schwirkowski, SCJ, who is now doing graduate studies in theology.

Fr. Heru came to Rome from Indonesia in early 2010 to serve as the vice-secretary.  He had no intention of being the secretary general.

“Fr. Ornelas [superior general] asked me to take the position; he told me that I was needed, and so here I am,” he said.  However, Fr. Heru admits that it wasn’t a quick or easy “yes.”

“More than once I tried to avoid giving a response,” he said. But as do many missionaries, Fr. Heru finally did say “yes” to a need in the Church, and especially, in the congregation.

Click here to read the full article on the province website about Fr. Heru.

St. Joseph’s wins health award

“Students and staff at St. Joseph’s Indian School in Chamberlain were honored Thursday for their hard work at changing nutrition and physical activity practices,” wrote Anna Jauhola in the Daily Republic newspaper, based in Mitchell, S.D.

“Amid cheers for food service and educational staff, Roger Campbell, the South Dakota Department of Education’s Indian education director, presented the HealthierUS School Challenge Silver Award to the school’s president, the Rev. Stephen Huffstetter.

“’I just applaud St. Joseph’s for making efforts to get the school in the right direction,’” Campbell said.

Click here to read the full article.

Update

Fr. Mark Mastin, SCJ, has a new address as of May 20:
95-781 Hinalii Street
Mililani, HI 96789

Elected

On May 10, Br. Ray Kozuch, SCJ, province director of vocations, was elected to a one-year term as co-president of the Vocation Ministers of the Milwaukee Archdiocese.

South Africa celebrates two new candidates and a deacon

On May 15, World Day of Prayer for Vocations, the South African Province celebrated the diaconate ordination of Jean Pierre Mokonzi Makundo, SCJ. A member of the Congolese Province, Dn. Jean Pierre is a student with the pan-African formation community in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa.  He was ordained by Bishop Adam Musialek, SCJ, who was one of the first students at Sacred Heart School of Theology’s ESL program.

Also ordained were two members of the Missionaries of Marianhill.

On April 28 two men were accepted to the pre-novitiate program for South Africa. Fr. Peter Surdel, SCJ, provincial superior, received Tryston Boucher and Zacheus Tembo to the pre-novitiate; both are South Africans. They will be directed by Fr. Innocent Mabheka, SCJ. The pre-novitiate community is based in Petrusville in the Diocese of De Aar. Also joining the pre-novitiate community will be Dn. Jayaraj Chapalamadugu, SCJ. Dn. Jayaraj, originally from the Indian District, studied with the SCJs’ formation community in Pietermaritzburg. He is in Petrusville doing pastoral ministry.

Provincial’s time

Fr. Tom Cassidy, SCJ, starts the week in Milwaukee and then heads to St. Louis on Wednesday.  This weekend he will be in San Antonio, where he will take part in Dn. Greg Schill’s ordination to the priesthood on May 21. May 23-24 he and the rest of the council will be in Chicago for a meeting with the administration of the Canadian Region.

Upcoming meetings and events:

May 17 & 19: Masses for the anointing of the sick, (SHST) 1 p.m.
May 21: Dn. Greg Schill’s priesthood ordination (San Antonio)
May 23-24: North American councils meeting (Chicago)
June 11: Ordination of Dn. Duy Nguyen to the priesthood (Sacred Heart Monastery)
July 1: Feast of the Sacred Heart, Mass at SHST, 11 a.m.
Week of July 11: Province Assembly, Hales Corners, Wis.
August 30-31: Provincial Council Meeting
October, 2: Pet Blessing (SHST)
October 4-5: Provincial Council Meeting
November 14-16: SCJ Retreat, Pinellas Park
December 14-15: Provincial Council Meeting
December 18: Advent Concert, 2 p.m.