Fr. MacDonald is here for board meetings at the Province Development Office, but then leaves this afternoon for South Dakota, where he will visit with Fr. Tom Westhoven. Fr. MacDonald then heads to Houston for meetings with members of the community.
Update
Fr. Tom Westhoven continues his recovery –– this is his eighth week of hospitalization. However, he is scheduled to go to a rehabilitation facility in Pierre, SD, on Wednesday. Good friends of his from Chamberlain will be transporting him. Fr. Tom is becoming stronger each day. He is able to take frequent walks and his wound care is going well. His memory also seems to be improving.
We will share Fr. Tom’s temporary address after he has made the move.
Correction
Last week we shared news from the staff at St. Joseph’s Retreat Center in Baileys Harbor. We concluded with what we thought was Br. Ray Kozuch’s phone number. If you would like more information about any of the retreat center’s programs, please contact Br. Ray at: 920-839-2391.
Birthday fun
Jack Buckingham, a student at the SCJs’ Bellefontaine seminary in the mid-1960s, writes that “Fr. Paul Casper was a favorite of many of us and left us with many indelible lessons and values. I thought you might get a kick out of a photo of a younger Fr. Paul at our wedding in June, 1972, at the College of the Holy Cross. Fr. Paul graciously witnessed our vows and later enjoyed the reception. He is dancing with my mother-in-law and my younger sister is raptly watching behind them. Vivat Cor Jesu!”
Fr. Paul celebrates his 77th birthday this coming Sunday, April 29. Below is the photo Jack describes, picturing Fr. Paul at a spry 42.
Those celebrating birthdays next month include: Fr. Charles Yost (75) and Fr. Mark Fortner (67) on May 4, Fr. Byron Haaland (58) on May 6, Fr. Bryan Benoit (45) and Jack Kurps (56) on May 7, Fr. Guy Blair (56) on May 8, Fr. Anthony Kluckman (60) and Fr. Elie Ngoy (40) on May 12, Bishop Joseph Potocnak (74) on May 13, Fr. Thi Pham (32) on May 14, Fr. Kevin McInnis (78) on May 16, Fr. Jim Casper (69) on May 20, Fr. Bob Tucker (55) and Fr. David Maher (66) on May 21, Fr. Wayne Jenkins (60) on May 25, and Fr. Stephen Huffstetter (48) and Fr. P.J. McGuire (65) on May 31. Happy birthday!
Graduation
On May 17 at 7:30 p.m., Fra. Mark Mastin will graduate from Catholic Theological Union with both an M.Div. and a master’s in theology. Congrats!
Urban Plunge
Each year, novices take part in the Eighth Day Center’s “Urban Plunge.” The week-long program literally “plunges” participants into the heart of Chicago, where they learn about and experience lives much different than their own. The following are taken from reflections done by this year’s novices:
“I was impressed by the work of ShoreBank and their efforts to provide loans for those who might otherwise have difficulty in obtaining one because of low income or credit problems,” wrote Canadian novice Brian Tompkins. “The visit to St. Bonaventure’s, a home for HIV/AIDs patients, was a moving and informative time told from the personal experience of one of its residents. The emotional stories of two women who had been incarcerated gave better insight into the jail system. The ‘slum busters’ day demonstrated how a less-than-upscale neighborhood, with the determination of one great couple, can become an area to be proud of without the concern of their homes becoming a gentrification project.”
Clay Diaz wrote that, “I was able to capture what is the Social Justice system in the United States and what the 8th Day Center for Social Justice is doing to educate the community about it. I learned a lot about different areas that I was not aware of, such as discrimination against agricultural workers, and how women in prison deal with injustices, as well as the impact of their imprisonment on their children.”
“I was amazed by what I experienced during Urban Plunge,” wrote Long Nguyen. “It seems that wherever there are people congregating together to build a better society and better their quality of life, there will always be some downfall due to competition and materialism. Betterment in one aspect of society sometimes comes at a cost to other people and our environment. Organizations such as P.E.R.R.O., North Shore Bank and Resurrection Project are working to alleviate the costs of socialization of people (such as its impact on pollution, poverty and human dignity) in response to urbanization.”