News & Events | November 17, 2025
Remembering Fr. Steve
Fr. Steve Pujdak, SCJ, 82, died November 12. Originally from Brooklyn, NY, Fr. Steve professed his first vows with the Priests of the Sacred Heart in 1962. Among those in his novitiate class: Fr. Tom Cassidy, SCJ, Fr. Mark Fortner, SCJ, and Fr. Pat Lloyd, SCJ.
Following seminary studies in the US, Fr. Steve went on to the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium, where he earned a Ph.D. and an STD in theology. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1969 by Bishop Joseph DePalma, SCJ, former superior general of the Priests of the Sacred Heart.
Fr. Steve’s first full-time assignments were in academics, initially serving as a professor at Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology (1975-77) and at Marquette University in Milwaukee (1977-82). In 1983 he joined provincial administration as planning director and then as provincial secretary.
In 1988 he moved to the Rio Grande Valley, where he ministered at Our Lady of Guadalupe in Raymondville, TX, from 1988-2004. He then moved to Pinellas Park, FL, where he assisted with the province retirement community there and did support ministry in the diocese. In recent years was a fully retired member of the community.
Fr. Steve’s parents were both deaf. In an interview for a project on the personal experiences of immigration, he told Fr. Juan Carlos Castañeda Rojas, SCJ – then a seminarian – that his family members were “immigrants to the hearing world” and that his first language was sign language. Click here to read more on the province website. Fr. Steve is pictured at the top of the page, second from right, with the community in Pinellas Park, FL, during the visitation of the superior general in 2013.
Funeral arrangements
Friday, November 21
Good Shepherd Chapel at Sacred Heart at Monastery Lake
7350 S. Lovers Lane Rd.
Franklin, WI 53132
Vigil: 9:30 a.m.
Mass of Christian Burial: 10:30 a.m.
Interment will follow in the community mausoleum
We also remember…
Fr. Richard Johnston, SCJ, recently lost his brother (Brian Johnston) and his brother-in-law (Donald Stich). Funeral arrangements are as follows:
Donald Stich
Thursday, November 20
Viewing: 9:00 – 11:00 a.m.
Mass: 11:00 a.m.
Holy Family Church
Fond du Lac, WI
Brian Johnston
Friday November 21
Viewing: 9:30 a.m.
Mass: 10:30 a.m.
St. Matthew Catholic Church
Oak Creek, WI
Fr. Richard is a member of the Houston community.
Leadership based in Dehonian spirituality
From November 10-12 representatives from ministries from across the US Province came together in Hales Corners to take part in a LEAD retreat. “LEAD” stands for Leadership, Education, Apostolic and Development; it is a newly created formative program “that seeks to create and support spiritually grounded leaders who embody the Dehonian spirit of love and reconciliation,” said Monica Misey, who, along with Joe Tyrell (St. Joseph’s Indian School) and Julie O’Connor (Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology), organized the program and facilitated the first retreat cohort.
Welcoming participants in the opening session, Fr. Stephen Huffstetter, SCJ, SHSST president rector, noted the increasing numbers of lay people taking on leadership roles in the province. “Some of it is out of necessity because we don’t have the number of SCJs that we used to, but a lot of it is because people like you bring gifts and talents that make our ministries better. And so we really see you as coworkers and as an important part of what we do. We work hand-in-hand with you and learn from you. We invite you to deepen your relationship to Dehonian spirituality, but we SCJs hope to continue to deepen our working relationships with you in our ministries together.”
Reflecting on her experience, Allyssa Hoffer (pictured above) of St. Joseph’s Indian School wrote that “Although I have completed many leadership trainings as an HR professional, none has focused on leadership grounded in the spirit of love. This approach, rooted in fulfilling the calling to love others as we love ourselves, reflects the very principle God calls us to do…
“A moment from this week that stands out to me was during the Dehonian Legacies Social [an evening spent visiting with SCJs at Sacred Heart at Monastery Lake]. I shared how much the SCJs have blessed me and my family and how honored I was to be able to work for them, and they all responded ‘likewise.’ In that moment I did not feel like I worked for a company, or for the ‘big guy,’ or for a profit, but rather for a family rooted in serving each other and those who need our missions the most. That to me is the very definition of the Heart of Jesus and the Spirit of Love… No human can thrive, wholeheartedly, without the spirit of love that God has for each of us.”
The retreat is just one component of the LEAD program. There will be Zoom sessions and other opportunities for participants to connect with and support each other. Each year a new cohort will begin while previous groups continue with ongoing leadership formation.
Click here to view a few photos from the days.
Advent Hours of Recollection
The Advent Hour of Recollection for employees and other collaborators will be on Monday, December 1 (Note: the original date was November 17) from 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. (Central).
Zoom link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89575567354?pwd=vcvbFfasaCopkQ7vljMExFhT54AuGb.1
Theme: Reflective Listening for Leaders: Cultivating Meaningful Connection with Those You Serve
The presenter, Kay Eibl, is a professional counselor with expertise in communication; her focus will be on reflective listening skills. Reflective listening is a vital tool for helping people hear where God is calling them in their lives. This program is sponsored by the Dehonian Associates Office to provide ongoing formation and support to the many people who collaborate with the Priests of the Sacred Heart. However, SCJs are very welcome to take part! Questions? Contact Monica Misey at: mmisey@dehoniansusa.org
The Advent Hour of Recollection for SCJs will be on Monday, December 8, from 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. (Central).
Theme: Awake! Prepare the Way of the Lord; Loving Hope and Human Tenderness in a Culture of Artificial Intelligence
This an invitation to SCJs to reflect, pray, and dialogue on how faith, compassion, and Dehonian spirituality keep the human heart awake in our fast-paced, technology-shaped world. The speaker will be Pauline Sister Rose Pacatte, D. Min., who will be joining SCJs from Rome where she heads the International Office for Media Studies for the Daughters of St. Paul. Click here to read her biography.
A Zoom link will be shared with SCJs closer to the date of the presentation. Questions? Please contact Fr. Joseph Mukuna, SCJ, 414-427-7265, Jmukuna@dehoniansusa.org
Later that day…
At 4:30 p.m., December 8, Fraters Long Nguyen (left) and Hung Pham will be ordained to the diaconate by Archbishop Jeffery Grob of Milwaukee. The ordination will take place at Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology. The deadline to RSVP for the ordination is November 25. You can either mail in the RSVP card that came with the invitation, or email: lphing@gmail.com or hupham@shsst.edu.
In service of the gospel
“Growing up in NE Arkansas, where Catholics were a small minority, I never imagined the journey that would bring me to NW Mississippi in 2001. My family had just moved from Florida, and when we visited Christ the King on Stateline Road, we found a ‘For Sale’ sign,” wrote Deacon Ted Schreck in the November issue of As a Rule. “Little did we know, the parishioners and the Priests of the Sacred Heart were working on a beautiful new church home for us.
“Over the next 25 years, I worked alongside various priests, starting with Fr. Pat Lloyd, SCJ, and many others who embodied Dehonian spirituality. As a young father, I had no idea of the mission of the Priests of the Sacred Heart, but I quickly learned about their commitment to spreading the Gospel and serving people not just at Christ the King, but across six parishes in four counties.
“Ten years after arriving, I felt God’s call to the permanent diaconate and began formation in 2011 with the Catholic Diocese of Jackson. Fr. Bob Tucker, SCJ, guided me through this journey and deepened my love for the Gospels.
“By the time I was ordained in 2016, I was committed to the three-fold ministry of service to the Word, liturgy, and charity. My journey led me to serve as Director of Evangelization for the six parishes in 2022. I am deeply grateful to the Priests of the Sacred Heart, whose tireless work has inspired me and others to live out the Gospel. May God continue to bless all our ministries.”
Click here to read Dcn. Ted’s reflection in full.
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