New rectory blessed

On Saturday, November 6, the new rectory at Our Lady of Guadalupe in Houston was dedicated and blessed by Archbishop Joseph A. Fiorenza. “Los Arrieros,” a mariachi band led by parishioner Liborio Moreno, provided the entertainment, and a group of parish volunteers prepared and served a reception on the rectory patio after the blessing.

An open house was held the next day after the 9:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. masses for parishioners who were not able to attend the Saturday festivities. Approximately 250 people participated in the two-day event.

Fr. Ed Kilianski is pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Photos from the blessing are posted on the province Facebook site.  You do not need to be a Facebook member to view them.  Click here.

Celebrating the SCJ presence in the Rio Grande Valley

On January 15 there will be a celebration of the SCJs’ 42 years of ministry in Willacy and Hidalgo Counties in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas.  “The people want to say thanks to the SCJs even though they wish we could continue ministry into the future,” wrote Fr. Richard MacDonald, pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Raymondville.  The celebration will take place at the 10:30 a.m. Mass at OLG.  Fr. Tom Cassidy, provincial superior, will be among the concelebrants;  Bishop Daniel Flores of Brownsville is tentatively scheduled to preside.

All SCJs are welcome to join in the celebration.  For more information, please contact Fr. Mac.

The Diocese of Brownsville is scheduled to assume ministry of Our Lady of Guadalupe, as well as the other Valley parishes for which the SCJs have responsibility, on February 2.  Fr. Miguel Ortega, who will serve as associate pastor as of February 2, began ministering with Fr. Mac on October 15.  “He is 42 and was ordained a year ago,” wrote Fr. Mac.  “His presence is going to help us in these last months of transition.”

Congratulations!

Congratulations to Fr. Wayne Jenkins who received the Vatican II award for “Service in Ecumenism” during the Archdiocese of Milwaukee’s annual Vatican II Awards Ceremony on November 9. The awards were established in 1991 to honor men, women and young adults who exemplify the Catholic Church’s vision set forth in the Second Vatican Council.

Fr. Wayne was one of 14 award recipients. Organizers noted that Fr. Wayne “has spent the majority of his life simultaneously educating people about the Catholic faith and promoting understanding of other religions. He held Bible study groups for Indonesian University students of Catholic, Muslim and other Christian faiths at the Newman Center of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and has been a member of the rabbi/priest dialogue. In 1995, he became a member of the Milwaukee Archdiocesan Ecumenical and Interfaith Commission, and served as vice-chair of the commission for two years and chairperson for two years. Fr. Jenkins has served as sacramental minister for Villa St. Francis, Milwaukee, and St. Monica’s Senior Citizen Home, Racine. He has also been on the boards of the Benedict Center, TYME-OUT Youth Center and St. Monica’s Senior Citizen Home.”

Fr. Wayne said that his service is inspired by a passage from Corinthians (1 Cor 10:17):  “Because the loaf of bread is one, we, though many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.”

He credits the ecumenical marriage of his parents as one of the sparks that ignited his interest in ecumenical outreach.

Update

Fr. Charles Yost
E-mail:  charlesyost9@gmail.com

Available on-line

The most recent Cor Unum is available to SCJs in the Membership section of the province website.  For assistance in accessing the Membership section, please contact Mary Gorski.

Welcome back!

Bishop Joe Potocnak, retired bishop of the Diocese of De Aar, South Africa, is back in the States after several months of help-out ministry with the South African Province.  After a few days in Hales Corners, the bishop will visit with family on the East Coast.  He will then settle with the Pinellas Park community in early December.

Province Assembly dates set

The next province gathering for the U.S. membership has been scheduled for the week of July 11 in Hales Corners, Wis., starting late Monday afternoon and running through mid-day on Thursday.  Details will be shared in the months ahead.

Accreditation

November 1-2 St. Joseph’s Indian School in Chamberlain, S.D., hosted an on-site visit of an accreditation team for the Council on Accreditation (COA).  The Council on Accreditation is an international child, family service and behavioral healthcare accrediting organization. In 2005 the organization accredited more than 1,500 private and public organizations that serve more that 7 million individuals and families in the United States, Canada, Bermuda, Puerto Rico, England and the Philippines.

The on-site visit concluded a six-month process that is a part of maintaining St. Joe’s accreditation status.

Before leaving, the on-site team held an exit interview with key staff who were instrumental in preparing the accreditation paperwork. Fr. Stephen Huffstetter summarized the interview:

“The reviewers always find things we need to work on, but that’s why we go through the process – so we can have other eyes looking to see what we can take for granted, and spur us on to improve.

“It felt good to hear that our students seem genuinely and generally happy to be here. The reviewers told us they were very impressed by how good a job our maintenance staff does in taking care of the campus, and our system of repairs that gets things done in a quick and timely manner. The observation I was most proud to hear, was that they see our programs and staff working together in an integrated way. We are all in this together, and our work compliments each other as we strive for the same basic goal — the education and well-being of the students who live here.”

Calendar updates

• November 20: Frater Greg Schill’s diaconate ordination at Sacred Heart School of Theology.
• December 14-15: Provincial Council Meeting
• January 11-12:  Provincial Council meeting
• February 17-18:  Provincial Council meeting
• March 29-30:  Provincial Council meeting
• May 9-11:  Provincial Council meeting (budgets)
• May 23-24:  North American councils meeting (Chicago)
• Week of July 11:  Province Assembly, Hales Corners, Wis.

Provincial’s time

Fr. Tom Cassidy is in Washington, D.C. this week for meetings with the USCCB.  He attends the bishops’ meetings in his role as president of CMSM.  Fr. Cassidy will spend Thanksgiving week in Pinellas Park, Fl., for a visitation and holiday time with his family.  He then remains out of town for most of the next few weeks with visits to Mississippi, Raymondville and Houston.