General Conference Recife, Brazil, 16 - 26 May 2000

What's New

Presenting the idea (at the formators meeting held in 1999) of having a page on Formation on our Web Site I used the following words:

"I believe that the seed of the internationality of the Congregation that has been and is being sawn can find a more fertile soil in the hearts of our candidates, novices and scholastics, provided that it is well sawn and nurtured. The results might be a sweet fruit that might last as long as the congregation lasts.

Among other means, and perhaps the most efficient, that we can use, both for the above end, and for personal information, is our existing web site. Parting from its availability, simplicity, affordability etc., I believe that we can make a very good use of it in many ways as far as information about formation is concerned. Postulants/Pre-Novices, Novices, Scholastics, formators and the confreres at large as well as any religious who visit our web site, can pass information, sharing about everything and anything that is of interests as far as formation is concerned.

By the same means we can establish relationships among ourselves as formators Postulants/Pre-Novices, Novices and scholastics. Here we can also promote the sharing of our Dehonian spiritual values, our Sint Unum, the internationality of our Congregation, our experiences, concerns, joys and other matters of interest to us all."

With this introduction by Zolile Mpambani (CU) our website has a new section Formation. A new sidebar will be added allowing readers to go directly to this section. Formation will be presented in all five of our website languages. For now we are lacking the Spanish page which is currently being translated.

Please note all material for this page should be sent to Zolile Mpambani at zolile@scj.org so that the material can be properly organized and translated into our five website languages.

During the General Conference email can be sent to those who do not have access to their normal email address to: scjbs@cashnet.com.br or confgen@cashnet.com.br . In addition, Claudio Siebenaler (CU), procurator to the Holy See will remain in Roman to handle any matters that may arise during the time the entire council is present in Brazil. He can be reached at: siebenaler@scj.org . In addition, here are several important telephone numbers to note for use during the General Conference:

• At the Marist Retreat Center: [55] 081-307-43084*
• BS Provincial number: [55] 081-271-1398
• BS Provincial fax number: [55] 081-271-1066

*Note [55] is the Brazil Country Code and when dialing from outside Brazil it is not necessary to dial the "0" in front of the 81.

The SCJ community at Aluva, India has a new email address: aniol@eth.net

Carlos Alberto da Costa Silva (CU) has prepared a list of the documents found on our website in preparation for the General Conference according to languages. This reference page may be useful to some preparing for the conference (CF. Document List for General Conference).

After telling our readers last week that we would not have a Meet an SCJ until June due to the general conference we present this week Cyrille Crom (EF), a theology student in Paris. This will definitely be the last one presented until Saturday June 10th when will begin to present young members of the North Italian Province (IS).

Canada

Fr. John van den Hengel of the Anglo-Canadian Province, and colleague Myrtle Power, are the co-recipients of the Jubilee Award presented by the Catholic Religious Education Conference of Ontario (CRECO). This award honors 20 years of work on the development of the "Born of the Spirit" series for the National Religious Education Program, as well as work with catechists.

From May 1st Fridge Notes
a weekly publication of the US province
now also on the web at:
http://www.fridgenotes.org/

Brazil

Brazil: Religious Together for a Roadways Ministry

The experiment in the diocese of Ponta Grossa managed by a bishop of the Priests of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), May 5th (VID) - The "Pastoral Rodoviaria", (The Roadways Ministry) a particular form of evangelization dedicated to the evangelization of the users of the streets, starts off, it is the case of saying it, from the diocese of Ponta Grossa and goes through all of Brazil. It is a demanding experience, based on the commitment of various Congregations.

The Bishopric of Ponta Grossa, suffragan of Curitiba, in the south of the huge country, has as its Bishop Ramos Krieger, of the Priests of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The "Pastoral Rodoviaria" presently carried out by four priests of the Congregation of the Mission, depends on this diocese.

The religious travel throughout the country with three trucks, outfitted with every needed to celebrate masses and to distribute liturgical and catechistic material. In a year, on average, tens of thousands of kilometers are driven and seven thousand stopover points located on the Brazilian roads and highways are visited.

The religious are also promoting the devotion to Our Lady of the Road, and the disseminating the image of this Virgin Mary. The original painting is found in Rome, in the Church of Jesus, run as a matter of fact by Jesuits.

Appeared on the Vidimus Dominum website
05.05.2000

India
The candidates, Mathews and MacQueen are called by name by Fr. Sebastian Pitz SCJ,
novice master, to profess their vows of Poverty, Chastity and Obedience.

This is one of a number of new photos posted by Leonard Zaworksi (IND) to our Indian District website (http://msnhomepages.talkcity.com/DharmaDr/scjindia/). The new photos show important events occurring in the district during the last several months.

Mozambique

Alessandro Capoferri (MZ) has sent two documents to be shared with the scj family. One is CARTA ÀS COMUNIDADES 15 and the other is the Easter letter of Onorio Matti, provincial superior: FRATERNIDADE: SEMENTE E FRUTO DA PÁSCOA. Both are available in Portuguese

Rome

Dehonian Family Conference

Posted this week to the Letters and Documents Page is:

Instrumentum Laboris: For the foundation Charter of the Dehonian Family, and the draft Statutes of the Dehonian Laity.

The document is currently available in English, French and Italian. A Spanish translation is in preparation, and will be posted to the site when completed. Attached to the document is a Memorandum outlining costs and other house keeping matters of interest to the participants. The conference will be held the week of October 8, 2000 at Rome using the facilities of Villa Aurelia.

United States

Frances-Vu Anh Tran (US) for his class project in communications at Incarnate Word University, San Antonio, Texas has prepared a website on the US Province Formation Programs at http://scjformation.bizland.com . He says the work is still 'somewhat in progress' he would appreciate comments and suggestions. He describes the site as:

This web site began when I, Francis-Vu Anh Tran, SCJ, took an Advance Information System class at the University of the Incarnate Word. As a class project, I decided to create a web site for the Formation Program. The purpose of this web site is to help those who in the process of discernment to priesthood or brotherhood or show some interest in religious life, especially with the Priests of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

North American Mission Education Conference

Mike Tyrell, associate executive director of St. Joseph's Indian School, addressing first time participants. Mike was chairperson of the Mission Education Subcommittee (the planning committee for the event).

The US Province hosted the third Mission Education Conference from May 1-3, 2000 at Sacred Heart Monastery/Sacred Heart School of Theology.

First held in 1995, the conference is a time for North American lay employees and other collaborators to come together with SCJs to learn about the congregation, its spirituality and the charism of the founder. For many, it is an important opportunity to feel a part of something larger than just the particular ministry with which they are involved. It is also an occasion to more fully realize that together with the Priests of the Sacred Heart, they are following in the footsteps of a dream begun over a hundred years ago by Fr. Leo John Dehon.

From Mission Education Conference
Report supplied by Mary Gorski

Please Remember

 

+p Jaime López Merino (HI) born: 22.07.1943 first profession: 29.09.1961 ordination: 05.04.1970 died: 03.05.2000 at Valencia

+p Martinus Giesbers (NE) born: 27.03.1915 first profession: 08.09.1937 ordination: 29.06.1944 died: 05.05.2000 at Asten + p Gerard Walraevens (FL) born: 10.05.1925 first profession: 24.09.1945 ordination: 08.07.1951 died 08.05.2000 at Bruxelles

 Dehon Photo of the Week

This week Stefan Tertünte (GE) introduces us to Fr. Eugène Joseph Paris, the first scj to celebrate 50 years of religious life, teacher, preacher, missionary and, as you'll read, sometime acrobat!

Marist Retreat Center, Recifé, Brazil
Site of the Sixth SCJ General Conference
"Economy and the Reign of God"
May 16-26, 2000