09 February 2002

What's New?

General Chapter

21st General Chapter Preparatory Text is now available on our site in all languages except Italian. We hope to add it to the site next week.

Spain

The scj community at Novelda has published a website at: http://www.cantoriapadredehon. We will add this page to our links page. Your comments are most welcome and can be sent to: Carmelo de las Heras at scjnovelda@planalfa.es

Welcome

Piero Todesco (IS)

We welcome Piero Todesco of the North Italian Province who will be doing most of the Italian translations for our website taking over for Paolo Gazzotti, provincial scretary, who needs to devote a lot of his time over the coming months in prepraations for their provincial chapter.

What's Happening?

Congo

On our January 26, 2002 news update we published an article by Umberto Chiarello, vicar general of the congregation, on his visit to the Congo to mark the 100th anniversary of our presence in Basoko. The article was available only in Italian. On January 30, 2002, Videmus Dominum published a summary of that article titled:

Congo: Dehonians celebrate the centennial of their arrival in the country

A second article in Italian by Fr. Chiarello describing his travels on the Congo River (CF. Traveling the Congo River) is now available on our website as well.

Canada

View from SCJ House on High Park Boulevard on 31.02.2002

Tom Cassidy (CU) returned to Rome after finishing his consultation with the scjs in Canada as they prepare to chose the first administration for the Region of Canada. The leadership team will consist of a regional superior and a council of two of which one will serve as vicar to either English Canadian or French Canadian scjs depending on from which area (Ontario or Quebec) the regional superior will come from. Before leaving Canada the first major snow storm of the winter created havoc with travel plans for many in Canada and the US east of the Mississippi River.

France

A letter of solidarity with Giuseppe Pierantoni was sent to Fr. General by the religious from the diocese of D'auton, Macon, Chalon meeting on February 2, 2002 at Paray-le-Monial to celebrate World Day for Consecrated Life. The French text begins

Religious Brothers and Sisters from the diocese of Auton, Macon, Chalon united today in the City of the Heart of Jesus at Paray-le-Monial to celebrate World Day for Consecrated Life make it known:

We are in solidarity with Giuseppe Pierantoni who is linked now more closely with the cross of Christ....

World Youth Day Preparations

Fr. Blasius Sukoto (IN)

Among those getting ready for World Youth Day in Toronto are five members of the Indonesian youth choir of Umat Katolik Indonesia. They are a part of the 450-member World Youth Day Choir which has already given a concert in conjunction with Sinfonia Sacra, a 50-piece orchestra, and several professional soloists.

The Indonesian faith community has been ministered to by SCJs in Toronto for many years. Currently, Fr. Blasius Sukoto, on loan from the Indonesian Province, serves the community.

The UKI youth choir is very active and has done two locally-distributed CDs.

For information on SCJ activities in conjunction with World Youth Day, contact Fr. Paul Tennyson, 905-768-2729 (home), 905-768-5726 (work) or by e-mail at: scjv@interlynx.net .

From Fridge Notes
28.01.2002

N.B. Blasius is the sixth Indonesian SCJ to come to Toronto to serve as chaplain for the Indonesian Catholic Community. Most have also had the opportunity to attend local universities to earn Master Degrees in various fields such as pastoral studies, canon law, etc. The usual stay has been for about three years. Blasius arrived in January of 2001 after studying in the ESL Program (English as a Second Language) conducted by Sacred Heart School of Theology in Hales Corners.

Fr. Dehon's meetings with the students of St. John's College

21st Meeting of the Alumni of St. John's College

Fr. Moulin, professor at the College, celebrated the Mass and Fr. Chatelain preached. From Fr. Dehon's brief presentation, we read the minutes taken during this gathering. Fr. Dehon stood up and with ease as well as seriousness that lifted us from our weaknesses and rounding out our moral formation, he explained a familiar topic. This was a list of our obligations in the present day that could be summarized in three words: UNITY, STUDY, and ACTION.

Please Remember

Last week we reported the death of + Fr. Alfons Ludger Nordlohne (AM). He died on January 28, 2002 at Aliwal North, South Africa The following obituary from South Africa was received too late for publication at that time and so is included here:

He joined our congregation after his wartime military service. Soon after the ordination he came to South Africa and became the parish priest in a little town of Bethulie in the Aliwal Diocese. From 1961 to 1967 he served the SCJ community as the Superior of the Aliwal Region. Fr. Nordlohne worked in Bethulie for 40 years till his retirement caused by the serious health problem. He died just 6 days after celebrating the 50th anniversary of priesthood on 22 January 2002; on that day Fr. Nordlohne celebrated the Eucharist together with Bishop F. Lobinger of Aliwal, with the SCJ confreres, the local clergy as well as with many of the religious sisters.

Let us remember his quiet works and thank the Lord for the gift of his life.

From Adam Maslowski (AM)