What's New

The office of general secretary has published a list of first professions for 1998. It can be accessed here as well as from the Letters & Documents page (Cf. First Professions).

A report from St. Joseph Indian School written at the request of Carlos Alberto da Costa Silva (CU) for the Justice & Peace Page has been published this week. Look for future reports from various projects and programs from around the congregation (CF. St. Joseph).

The development office in French Canada recently published a prayer for senior citizens that has become very popular in Québec. It is published here in French and English (Cf. Prière des aînés).

What's Happening

Due to his health problems Joséf Gawel resigned his office as provincial superior of the Polish Province. The process has begun in Poland to name a replacement.
 

March 22-25 the Superiors from the South European Provinces and Regions (LU, HI, IM, IS, PO, ACR) met in Lisbon (LU). The theme for their meeting was the "Dehonian Lay Profile". Bishop Antonio de Sousa Braga (LU) spoke about the spirituality of the laity in the Church while Fr. Luigi Mostarda (IS provincial) spoke on the lay expression of the dehonian charism. The group shared information about the different lay dehonian groups in the their provinces or regions. This meeting was another step toward preparing the international meeting of the dehonian family to be held in October 2000. Fr. Wardjito (CU) took part as the member of the general administration responsible for the dehonian family.

Reflections on Border Immersion Experience

Though I have worked in the Brownsville Diocese (US) for almost 8 years, this experience opened my eyes to realities I was not aware of on both sides of the border. We say that 41% of our people in the valley live below the poverty level. But the level of poverty on this side of the river is very different than the level of poverty on the other side.

My own commitment to "being a prophet of love and servant of reconciliation to a world that hungers and thirsts for justice" took on a different focus after this experience. It was a great shot in the arm for me to be making this experience with four young men interested in the Priests of the Sacred Heart, two already professed and two not. That these men are in their twenties was for me a great boost to my spirits. The phenomenon of "globalization" that we hear so much about these days was made very real and practical and painful to me. The fact that US owned companies are putting plants in Mexico is obviously because of the low wages and the lack of enforcement of environmental laws. How sad that "profit" is the principal driving force.

Dave Jackson, scj

Please Remember

+ Fr. Antonius Duindam (NE)

born: 01/01/21
first profession: 08/09/44
ordained: 16/07/50
died 16/03/99 at Den Haag

After ordination, Fr. Duindam was appointed treasurer of Liesbosch (Skolastikat) for three years and for another three years in Nijmegen. From 1958 to 1969 he was treasurer in Liesbosch, as well as chaplain of industry and commerce corporations in Etten Leur. From 1962 to 1983 he taught religion and was a moderator at the Superior Technical School of Breda. In 1983 he moved to den Haag and was again chaplain of industries and commerce. From 1983 to 1994 he was part of the comitato di redazione of our magazine SCJ-Contact, which he headed for 8 years.

He was buried in Den Haag.
 

The US Southwest, Golden Canyon, AZ (from which this edition of our news page was prepared)