What's New

Bob Bossie, Director of JPIC for the US province met with the US scj formation commission on Friday, September 18th, to discuss how to better integrate the social dimension of our charism into the initial formation program. This effort flows from the call within the General Plan for a "program" of social involvement within initial formation.

In preparation for this meeting, the directors of each of the three programs - college, novitiate, theology - completed a questionnaire showing how the social element is already a part of their program, including experiential activities; educational programs/classes (e.g. Catholic Social Teaching, Fr. Dehon's writings and work; and spiritual integration).

Several years ago, JPIC composed a list of guidelines for this kind of reflection. These can be accessed here by linking to Some SCJ Guidelines for JPIC in Admissions and Initial/Ongoing Formation - 12/94.

Dehoniana Informationes n. 5-98 has been posted. You may access it by linking here or by going to the Documents & Letters page. In this issue you will find the following articles:

• In Defense of the Poorest (an article on Bishop Marcello Palentini, scj)
• Missionary Meeting (BM)
• Legendary Missionary &endash; Fr. Aldo Marchesini, scj (MZ)
• Earthquake at Bahía, Ecuador (additional information)

What's Happening

 

5th floor chapel nearing completion

New window panels

Work is nearing completion on the "on-going formation chapel" located on the fifth floor of Roma I (College wing). Work on the main chapel will begin shortly, and should be near completion by the time the Provincials/Regional Superiors meet in early November. Once completed it will mark the end of Rome I's renovation, begun in early 1995.

We have received a number of requests for the dates of the 1999 Congregational Vocation Meeting (CF The Plan #24.3.first paragraph). Since the provincial and regional superiors will be meeting at the generalate in November, final plans cannot be drawn up until then. However, the dates that will be presented to them are the first three weeks in August 1999. The site will be at the new retreat center at Lavras.

Congratulations to Enrico Faraci (IS), Govanni Mengoli (IS) and Giuseppe Ferraioli (IM) who made their first profession of vows in the chapel of the Piccola Opera S. Cuore on September 29, 1998.

The following telegram was sent to the Holy Father to mark the 40th anniversary of his Episcopal Ordination and the 20th anniversary of his Papal election.

Most Holy Father,

On the auspicious occasion of the fortieth anniversary of your Episcopal Ordination and the twentieth anniversary of your election as Pontiff, the Superior General of the Priests of the Sacred Heart, in the name of the entire Dehonian Family, wishes to express our

gratitude to God for all the gifts He has given to the Church, and in profound appreciation to your Holiness

for your evangelical solicitude towards the universal Church; for your extraordinary kindnesses toward our Dehonian Family; for your courageous and prophetic proclamation of the universal ethical values and the enduring dignity of the human person, so basic and fundamental to the human condition.

I pray, the God of all Consolation bless your Holiness, blessing your works while giving fulfillment to all your hopes.

Virginio Bressanelli superior general Rome, 23 September 1998

Finnish Lay Dehonians on a pilgrimage in Poland

A group of ten lay dehonians and two scj priests visited scj houses in Warsaw, Stadniki, Stopnica, Sosnowiec, Plaszów. The group celebrated the first Mass ever in the Finnish language in the Chapel of Mary in Czestochowa and visited the home of Pope John Paul II in Wadowice.

Provied by Zdzislaw Huber (FIN)

Desperate Hours

At last I arrived in Rome after hours of desperation and uneasiness. On Friday, September 18th I flew from Milwaukee to Newark (New Jersey) on Continental Airlines. That flight went just fine. Although in Newark I had to wait for 3.5 hours, I had many things to do such as reading books, writing in my laptop, or just plane sightseeing.

In Newark I felt as if it was not in the United States because nobody checked my handbags or my passport although this was an international flight. I boarded at 4.40 PM and the plane departed from Newark at 5.30 PM.

After flying about an hour, something went wrong with the electrical system. It started in the toilet. The knob for the water didn't work and then the toilets wouldn't flush. Later the lights in the plane began to switch on and off. At that point I knew that there was something wrong!

The flight attendants said that although there was indeed an electrical problem, we didn't have to worry. They distributed the snack although (I thought) it was too early for it. The electrical problem continued. The indicator for altitude, temperature, position, etc., didn't function. All were off! The TV above the passengers should have shown a movie, but it didn't. Finally, after 2 hours, the pilot captain announced that we had to return to Newark because the crew couldn't repair the electrical circuit.

The Pilot announced that all passengers had to fasten their seatbelts. All of the passengers were anxious. They began to pray -- me too! I thought hard on how I should act in this situation if the worst came. Maybe, I had to act like the priest in the Titanic when the boat started sinking. At a certain point, the captain announced that we flying above Nova Scotia. My heart began beating faster and harder, because I remembered that a few days before, Swiss Air crashed not far from where we were.

I felt better when the pilot said that we were flying above Boston and I could see the city lights from my window. When the plane landed smoothly in Newark, the people burst into joy. They burst into applause and began to hug each other. Meanwhile, outside there were many ambulances and fire trucks surrounding the plane. They had been ready to face the worst.

After landing, we were stuck inside the plane for almost 25 minutes because there was something wrong with the doors! When finally we exited, Continental's airport staff greeted us and handed out snacks and coffee. After waiting for more then 2 hours, we boarded the same plane. I went to the rest room to check all the buttons &endash; they worked!

The rest of the trip went according to plan. I arrived in Rome at 2.40 PM, almost seven hours late.

by Kusmaryanto 23.09.98

[Editors note: Kusmaryanto left on September 23,1998, to fly home to Indonesian to attend the ordination of his younger brother Kusmaryardi at Palembang, along with six other Indoneisan scjs. With Kusmaryardi's ordination there are now three "Kus" bothers in the Indonesian province: Kusmaryanto '92, Kusmartono '93 and Kusmaryardi '98.]