21 December 2002

Dehonian Year Week XLIII
Preparation for the 125th anniversary of the congregation

4th Week of Advent
Year B of the Liturgical Calendar
143 days to the start of the XXIst General Chapter

What's New?

Christmas Break - a reminder

A reminder that today's news update is the last for the year and will resume on Saturday, January 11, 2003. Note, there will be Christmas Greetings posted on December 24, 2002.

We also welcome José Zeferino Policarpo Ferreira (LU), who is taking care of the Portuguese translation of the news updates while Odilo Leviski (BM) is on vacation.

Education -to all SCJs working in education

You may obtain a copy of the document "CONSECRATED PERSONS AND THEIR MISSION IN SCHOOLS", by downloading it from the Vatican website at:

www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/ccatheduc/index_en.htm

from Carlos Alberto da Costa Silva CU
Office of Justice & Peace

Pope's Message for World Day of Peace, January 1, 2003.

The office of Justice & Peace would like to make you aware this message can be found on the Vatican website, link here and you will be able to find it in English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Portuguese and Polish:

PACEM IN TERRIS: A PERMANENT COMMITMENT

from Carlos Alberto da Costa Silva CU
Office of Justice & Peace

Fr. Dehon - on the Net

I found on the Net a recording of a radio program (in French) on Fr. Dehon. This was part of a series called Rencontres Spirituelles (Spiritual Encounters), played on Radio Ville-Marie, an interfaith radio station in Montréal. During 45 minutes, Mr. Raymond Beaugrand-Champagne talks about our Founder. It is available on the Net at http://www.dieu-parmi-nous.com/rs/rs19970314.wma. People can listen to but you will need to use Microsoft Media Player ). The program was originally played on March 14, 1997.

From Maurice Légaré (CAN)
14.12.2002

NB. After trying the above link and having some difficulty with it, I asked Maurice for further directions. If you cannot go directly to the link above try this. Be aware, as well, that only Media Player will play this program. "Well, that being said, if you go to http://www.dieu-parmi-nous.com/, you click on Rencontres Spirituelles, then on Émission à partir du catalogue, then you'll get a table and choose the "x" that corresponds to Mars (March) 1997. Click on #424, which corresponds to March 14."

What's Happening?

Chile - The Anchud Chronicles

It has been sometime since the scjs from Anchud have sent us their news update. Happily as the year comes to an end we are able to publish #13 in their Anchud Chronicles. Many thanks to Hernan Leemrijse and Mario Rodríguez for taking the time to keep all informed of their life and work on the island of Anchud.

Anchud 10 de diciembre 2002
Finally as the year comes to a close we are able to share some news about our parish of El Sagrario here in Anchud, Chile. It's been some months since we last wrote one of these chronicles. Now that we are headed toward a new year, with new plans and projects a foot we want to share them with you. For the past few months we have been busy with a number of things.

Mozambique - vows


 Fr. Mário Gritti and those making their first profession of vows.

On the evening of December 7, 2002, at the novitiate four young Mozambicans were accepted into the novitiate:

In the same ceremony the following renewed their vows:

On December 8, 2002, in the Gurue cathedral in the presence of Fr. Mário Gritti, delegated by the provincial superior Onorio Matti, the following made their first profession of vows:

Onorio Matti,
provincial superior
11.12.2002

To view several more photos link to Mozambique Profession Photos.

This week's Dehonian Historical & Spiritual Calendar

Here is this weeks Dehonian Historical and Spiritual Calendar. As previously noted the text is in Spanish with the Dehonian quotes in French. You can link to past weeks from the Letters & Documents section.

Dehonian Historical & Spiritual Calendar for the week of: 23.12.02 -11.01.03 

Note: Since we will not be updating the news until 11.01.2003, the Dehonian Calendar has been carried through the 11th of January.

Please Remember

+Fr. Philip Elmer US

born: 16.11.1926
first profession: 08.09.1961
ordained: 21.09.1966
died: 13.12.2002 at Houston, TX

Fr. Phil Elmer, SCJ, died Friday, December 13, in Houston, Texas. He was 76, and had been a member of the Priests of the Sacred Heart since 1961. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1966. 

Originally from Cloquet, Minn., Fr. Phil had served in the U.S. Army from 1945 &endash; 1948. Following his military service, he entered St. John's University in Collegeville, Minn. He did his seminary studies at Sacred Heart Monastery in Hales Corners, Wis. 

Following ordination, he served as assistant novice master for two years, and then as dean for the province's Dehon Seminary in Great Barrington, Mass. In 1971, he moved to Texas, where he was on the pastoral team of St. Lawrence parish in San Antonio. He also ministered in Raymondville and Brownsville, Texas. 

In 1980, he began a 12-year commitment ministering among Native American Catholics through the Kateri Indian Center in Sioux Falls, S.D. Soon after, he moved from the Native American missions to the missions of South Africa. He was in the diocese of De Aar for three years.

When he returned in 1995, Fr. Phil did a year of ministry in New Mexico (Estancia Valley Catholic Church in Moriarty) before joining SCJs at Holy Name parish in Houston in 1996. He was assigned there until his death.

From Mary Gorski
Office of Communications US Province