What's New

Next week in Meet an SCJ we will begin presenting young scjs from the Cameroon Province. For this week we feature Ed Zemlik (US), who was a participant in this summer's final vow program held at La Capelle and on August 12, 2000, along with Lyle Hennen, made his final vows at Sacred Heart Monastery, in Hales Corners.

We have received copies in Italian and Spanish of Fr. Oliviero Girardi's (IS) homily given at a Mass marking the 75^th anniversary of the death of our founder, Leo John Dehon, on August 12^th in the chapel at our International College, Rome.

What's Happening

Canada

August 20-23, 2000 at Arnprior, Ontario the Anglo Canadian Province and the Region of French Canada held their first joint Canadian SCJ Assembly. The assembly took note of the fact that this year marks the 90^th anniversary of SCJ presence in Canada (and North America) as well as the 75^th anniversary of the death of Fr. Dehon.

Congratulations

On August 12^th, the anniversary of the death of the founder in the novitiate chapel at Ndoungué, Cameroon nine novices professed their first vows. The evening before nine young men began their novitiate year. Congratulations to:

Philippe Djiadeu
Innocent Feuga
Etienne Fouda
Charles-Aimé Koudjou
Jean-Paul Labou
Jean-Roger Lando Tchoffo
Gillo Momo Lekané
Florian Nana Simo
Raïssa Tahboula Rigobert

Justice and Peace

The following is an excerpt published on July 28, 2000 by the Ass. Papa Giovanni XXIII: Operazione Colomba Chiama l'Africa and send to us by Wardjito (CU) from the Generalate in Rome. For more information please use link to I'm coming to Bukavu too!

On 10 December 2000, on the 52nd anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we will go to Bukavu, in South Kivu in the Great Lakes Region, one of the most conflict-ridden areas in the world. We hope that there will be lots of us as many as possible accompanied by distinguished international personalities. We'll be going to Bukavu, but that city will symbolize the whole of Africa for us: its tragedy and its resistance; its suffering and the strength of its nonviolence; its pain, but also its message of hope.

Rome - World Youth Day

Some 40 participants in the Jubilee for youth from Argentina and Texas (US) were housed at our International College in Rome. Kusmaryanto (IN), Mariano Weizenmann (BM) and Léopold Mfouakouet (CM) served as their local hosts and guides. In addition, some priests of Roma II volunteered for confessions.

Fr. Virginio Bressanelli, general superior, took part in the Dehonian Young Encounter at Bologna, organized by the North Italian Province. Stefan Tertünte (GE) and Slawomir Knopik (PO), students at the International College took part in this week long event as well.

Letters from the First Novices

In the eleventh in our series from CORRESPONDENCE OF THE FIRST NOVICES BEFORE THE "CONSUMMATUM EST 1878-1883" by Egidio Driedonkx, we present excerpts 2.4 and 2.5 , letters from Fr. Falleur to his cousin Leo (dated April 9, 1881) and to his cousin Maria (dated September 4, 1881).

The charity that caused me to respond to your dear sister (Maria) inspired me to write to you as well. The day after tomorrow, we celebrate the feast of St. Leo. I suppose that this is your patron saint, Leo the Great, pope and doctor of the Church. May this great saint grant you the grace to become like him, a faithful and generous servant. He saved Rome from the Huns and the Arian Goths....