What's New

We regret the delay in presenting the news for July 17, 1999. However connections to the Internet from outside the city of São Luis proved impossible, due to a breakdown in adapters. We trust that during the remainder of this visit to Brazil connections will be possible.

We present the fourteenth in our series of Dehon cartoons by Javier Prate, a collaborator on several SCJ publications in Spain. The images are displayed in the church of Saint Martin, Saint Quentin (GA). They are aimed at young people, but can be appreciated by all generations. They depict different scenes in Fr. Dehon's life and his spirituality. This week's image is entitled: "Si tu aimes la paix, travaille pour la justice."

Editor's Note: Next week will be the last Dehon cartoon, at least in the present series by Javier Prate.

We have another reflection on the International SCJ Ongoing Formation Program from Poland. This one is offered by Giuseppe Gruber (IS). Please take note the program in Italian ran from June 27 to July 23, 1999. (CF. Reflection on the Ongoing Formation Course).

What's Happening

Friday, July 9, Sr. Aurora and I together with a driver for Caritas leave Albania in order to bring a truck with humanitarian aid to the village of Stubla in the south of Kosovo (close to Prizren). For hours and hours we have to suffer the road which leads us through the mountains to Kukes (the Albanian - Kosovar border). The roads are a disaster: scattered with holes for 140 km we need more than nine hours. At the border no Serbian officials but instead German soldiers.

So begins Stefan Tertünte's account of his three day visit to Kosovo. You may read more about it by linking to: The memory of our martyrs helped us"- three days in Kosovo

This week marks the start of the Lavras Vocation Conference (August 1 to 20, 1999). We hope to provide reports from the conference on a regular basis. The conference will last three weeks. The first two will take place at the parish of St. Ana's conference center in Lavras, Minas Gerais (Brazil).

During his visit to the Region of Maranhão your editor has been keeping some travel notes. Presented here are some reflections on two days in the forest with p. Sebastião Oliveria Silva, a member of the pastoral team of the parish of Santa Luzia. The parish is about four hours south of São Luis, the state's principle city (Cf. Two Days in the Back Country).

Please Remember

+Petrus Theodorus Maria DUIN (NE)

born: 30.04.14
first profession: 08.12.36
ordeined: 19.07.42
died: 17.07. 99 at Asten, Nederland

Born in Hilversum in 1914, Fr. Petrus professed his first vows at Asten, on 8 December 1936 and was ordained in Nimegen on 19 July 1942. Soon after he worked for several years for SFL (Sint Franciscus Liefdework) a social institution that, following the example of Fr. Dehon in S. Quentin, gave Dutch SCJs the opportunity to offer pastoral care to families forgotten by society and by the Church in the great urban centers. This was done first in Rotterdam (1946-50), then in Amsterdam (50-62). There he was director of the 4th section. Back in Rotterdam he directed the 17th section from 1962 to 1965.

In 1965 we went to Germany, where he served for 25 years in Moenchenglabach. From 1985 to 1988 he was vice-dean in that area. In 1991 and 1992 he served in the parish of Thum. In 1998 he retired to the SCJ House at Asten.

translation provided by Piet Adam (NE)

+Br. Frans Norbertus Beechmans (FL)

born: 02.03.24
first profession: 08.10.42
died: 19.07.99 at Leuven, Belgie

Dehon Photo of the Week

Next week we will again resume the Dehon Photo Series. Stefan Tertünte's has returned to Rome, and during the time prior to his August vacation he was kind enough to prepare weekly commentaries to carry through the month of August.