What's New

In addition to the email address for the Indonesia Province (herru@palembang.wasantara.net.id), Paul Suginio, provincial superior, can now be reached at his own email address: ginoscj@palembang.wasantara.net.id . Please make note of it. We will continue to maintain the 'herru' address as the official one listed on the links page.

This week's Meet and SCJ features Maurizio Rossi IS who is 38 years old. He was ordained in September 18, 1999 and currently is a student at the Theological Faculty of Paris.

The office of the secretary general has updated the house email address list. It has been posted to the links page.

 What's Happening

Indonesia

Rein van Leeuwen IN was kind enough to correct several errors in our recent report on the earthquake in Indonesia. Bengkulu is not in the diocese of Lampung, but in the diocese of Palembang. The correct address for the community is as follows:

Pastoran Katolik
Jl. Prof. Dr. Hazairin SH 12
Bengkulu 38114
Indonesia

Van Leeuwen also wrote that all our scjs are fine. The church and rectory in Bengkulu suffered only little damage (minor cracks). The same goes for the convent. However, their high school was completely destroyed. Bishop Sudarso was in the area as it is his custom to do confirmations in the area around the feast of Pentecost. It afforded the bishop an opportunity to see visit the affected area.

Please Remember

+Fr. Emile Didierjean EF*

born: 12.05.1906
first profession: 08.12.1929
ordained: 17.07.1935
died: 19.04.2000 at Cannes, France

*The death was only recently reported to the Curia.

+Fr. Aldo Fortuna MZ

born: 21.04.1928
first profession: 29.09.1947
ordained: 24.06.1956
died: 13.06.00 at Gilé, Mozambique

+Otto Strobel BM

born: 27.06.1914
first profession: 04.08.1934
ordained: 19.01.1941
died: 15.06.2000 at Jaraguá do Sul, SC, Brazil

Fr. Otto was one of the last German missionaries to come to South Brazil. He arrived in 1936, taught at the seminary of Corupá and then studied theology at Taubaté. He was ordained in 1941.

His entire priestly life was spent in parish work in many different places both as parish priest [pastor] and assistant: Rio, Jaraguá do Sul, São Paulo, Vidal Ramos, Varginha, Cianorte.

+Henricus van Iersel BS

born: 01.09.1908
first profession: 08.09.30
ordained: 14.07.35
died: 18.06.2000 at Recife, Brazil

Born in Tilburg, Holland (1.9.08), he made his first profession at Asten on September 8, 1930 and was ordained in Nijmegen on July 15, 1935.

On 1st July 1936 Fr. van Iersel went to North Brazil fulfilling his missionary vocation. In the North Brazilian Province he worked in many areas of the province during 61 years of ministry, always in parish work. He worked mainly in Engenho do Meio and Catende.

In 1997 he retired to the provincialate in Varzea and spent his last years in a wheelchair, always happy to receive all visitors to the house.

He died suddenly on 18^th July 2000 and was buried in Varzea.

Dehon Photo of the Week

Stefan Tertünte offers his commentary to the second of the Dehon Photo's that began our series without commentary. This week he reflects on:  Leo Dehon a young priest's first pastoral experiences.

It is almost a surprise for Dehon himself to discover very soon after his arrival in Saint-Quentin (November 1871) in a letter to his friend Palustre:

"I'm now perfectly installed and I took up work many weeks ago. I got much better than I expected in the active ministry." (Letter from January 8^th, 1872)

Letters from the First Novices

In this weeks except from CORRESPONDENCE OF THE FIRST NOVICES BEFORE THE "CONSUMMATUM EST 1878-1883 by Egidio Driedonkx (CH) Fr. Alfonse Maria Rasset writes to his sister commenting on the retreat given at the start of his novitiate by Fr. Modeste, sj (1.2.).