Dear Brothers,
As many of you gather in Lower Brule to mark the 75th anniversary of scj presence in the United States be assured of the thoughts and prayers of the general administration and the entire congregation. An anniversary is a time to look back, a time to look forward and, most especially, a time to give thanks to Our Lord for the many blessings bestowed on us.
As we look back we think of the faith of Fr. Forman and his German compatriots who came to the States from Europe in order to raise funds to assist the German Province recover from the devastation caused by World War I. Divine Providence would steer them to the high plains of South Dakota, to a small Indian Reservation called Lower Brule and from these humble beginnings the United States SCJ Province would bloom. As many will attest those early years were not easy; drought, depression, adapting to a new culture, etc., made life very difficult indeed. It provided the U.S. Province with a spirit of deep abiding faith in God's guiding hand; a hand that could overcome any obstacle, any difficulty, any moment of human weakness. Indeed the U.S. Province owes a great debt of gratitude to those German Fathers and Brothers who left family and friends behind to give birth to the American SCJ Province we know today.
This 75th anniversary is also a time to look ahead. It is a time to renew our faith in God's plan for our future. With the same faith and persistence of your founders, place your self in the hands of God, trusting in His guiding presence. Certainly there are difficulties and obstacles confronting the U.S. Province as it looks toward the future. Let us place our trust and confidence in God, while we work to give authentic witness to our charism as prophets of love and servants of reconciliation.
This 75th anniversary is likewise a time to offer thanks. We thank God for the great work and ministries carried out by the U.S. Province past and present: in South Dakota among the Lakota People; in Mississippi as a missionary Church; in South Texas among the Hispanic People, as well as in several important parishes in the diocese of Houston. We thank God too for the efforts of the three fund raising offices and the unique work they do. We thank God for the missionary spirit that has led American SCJs to Indonesia, the Congo and South Africa. We thank God for those who labor in the field of vocations and in the houses of formation. We thank God for the School of Theology, a special ministry of service to the entire U.S. Church. We thank God for the retreat center in Baileys Harbor, the parish of St. Martins, as well as the houses for senior religious. This catalogue could go on and on remembering both the past and present! May each of you take time to compose your own personal inventory of graces and blessings received.
As superior general I want to offer my special thanks to the U. S. Province for its generosity to the congregation. Your province has been richly blessed, and you have been so willing to share your blessings with your fellow scjs in far distant lands. I also wish to take special note of the ESL Program that has so enriched the congregation and your province during the last ten years. I note that those participating in this year's summer language school are also participating in the celebrations at Lower Brule. I trust they will help forge deeper bonds of international unity the Congregation is seeking to fashion in this era of We the Congregation.