09 December 2000

What's New

Fr. General's Christmas & New Year Message to the Dehonian Family (dated 21 December 2000) has been posted to the Letters & Documents Section. It's theme centers are two images from Luke: the "silence of Mary" and the "shepherds' pilgrimage" (Lk. 2: 8-19);

A Spanish article is being added to the Education Conference page: Características Identificadoras de los Colegios Fundados por la Congregación de los Sacerdotes del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús en Chile. It was written by Leonardo van Marrewijk Arkesteyn (CH) and published in Santiago de Chile, March 1989.

The final conclusions to the International Gathering of the Dehonian Family have been published and will be added to the Dehonian Family material already on our website. The conclusions are available in English, French, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese.

This week's Meet an SCJ features, Quang Nguyen from the US Province who was ordained on November 25, 2000 and will be serving this year at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Houston, TX. This article was taken from last year's Formation Profiles published in SCJ News, a publication of the US Province. Last week (November 27th on the Fridge Notes website the new Formation Profiles for 2000 were published.

What's Happening

Italy

Studentato per le Missioni

80° Anniversary of the Italian Province & 75° Anniversary of the Studentato

In Bologna on December 9, 2000 at the Studentato per le Missione the two Italian Provinces (IM & IS) celebrate the 80° anniversary of the foundation of the Italian Province. At the same time the Studentato is also celebrates its 75° anniversary.

Foligno


Court Yard Garden Foligno

The General Curia spent five days as guests of the SCJ Community in Foligno (Istituto Missionario). This community operates a casa d' accogllenza (a retreat house/conference center), as well as the postulant center for the South Italian Province. Currently there are three postulants, who are also taking academic courses in either Foligno or theology courses in Assisi. The community also staffs a local parish in the city of Foligno. Many in the congregation know the superior of the community, Giacomo Casolino, who served as provincial superior of the South Italian Province from 1993 to 1999.

The tree pictured in the garden has cachi (khaki) fruit which is in season at this time of year. It is a very sweet fruit enjoyed by many.

Holland

Fr. General is on his pastoral visit to the Netherlands, accompanied by Riszard Mis (CU), councilor responsible for this province. The visit will last until December 16, 2000. One of the highlights of this visit will be celebrating 100 years of scj presence at Bergen op Zoom.

Pictured above is the first scj house in Holland (the house is indicated by a cross just above it). Our Dutch Province has a long and storied history in the congregation. They have been responsible for the establishment of several provinces (Chile, North Brazil, Indonesia, Anglo Canada and the Region of French Canada) in addition to sending missionaries to many parts of the congregation

New Bishops

As reported last week n November 30, 2000, Pope John Paul II named two scjs as bishops.

Fr. Rev. Josef Wrobel, scj, professor of bioethics at the University of Lublin, and member of the Polish Province as bishop of Helsinki, Finland.

Fr. José Alfredo Caires De Nóbrega, scj, superior of the SCJ Novitiate at Antsirabé and member of the region of Madagascar, as bishop of Mananjary, Madagascar.

Posted to the Letters & Documents Section is Fr. General's letter to the congregation: New SCJ Bishops Named.

Madagascar

With the nomination of Fr. José Alfredo Caires De Nóbrega as bishop of Mananjary the general administration has made a new appointment to the regional council (cf. last week). It has also fixed the date for the start of the triennium as January 1, 2001. The new administration now consists of

Regional Superior: Luís Alberto Rodrigues Dinis

Council:

  1. Gaetano Di Pierro
  2. Rocco Nigro
  3. Pedro Fernandes Coutinho
  4. Leandro António Gomes Garcês
Mozambique

Carta às Comunidades 18, published on November 30, 2000, by Alessandro Capoferri, Provincial Secretary of the Mozambique Province, can be viewed by linking to the document. It contains information about the province and is available only in Portuguese.

Letters from the First Novices

In the twenty-fourth in our series from CORRESPONDENCE OF THE FIRST NOVICES BEFORE THE "CONSUMMATUM EST 1878-1883" by Egidio Driedonkx, we present the a letter sent by Fr. Paris to the novice Falleur on June 4, 1881.

"First of all, I would like to thank you for your letter.Your quickness to fulfill my request impresses me and has once again confirmed your goodness of heart.