THE NEWS FOR THE WEEK OF August 20, 2007...
Provincial’s time Fr. Tom Cassidy has meetings on Monday and then heads to Mississippi for a visitation. Next week (August 27-28) he has council meetings and then the opening liturgy at Sacred Heart School of Theology (August 29). Please remember… Fr. Joseph Gole, an honorary SCJ, who broke his hip and is now in rehabilitative care. He was at Southpointe Healthcare Center in Greenfield, Wis., but is expected to be at Clement Manor (also in Greenfield) early this week. Fr. Chuck Kelly, whose physical health is rapidly deteriorating.  “Yet in the midst of his dying,” said Fr. Jim Brackin, director of elder care, “Fr. Chuck is experiencing great peace as he trusts in the compassion of the Sacred Heart.” Fr. Karl Schäfer, a member of the German Province, who died August 17. He was born in 1930, professed in 1959 and ordained in 1965. Dr. Jack Kernohan, the brother-in-law of Fr. Charles Bisgrove, who died on August 14. He was 73. Dr. Kernohan was married to Fr. Charlie’s sister, Peggy Kernohan. Founder’s day in India Fr. Tom Fix, an American SCJ serving in India, e-mailed with a round-up of the district’s activities on Founder’s Day (August 12, the day upon which Fr. Leo John Dehon died). “Founder’s Day is a tradition Fr. Martin van Ooij started here years ago,” wrote Fr. Tom. “Being that all five of our communities are formation ones, it is most fitting that we know well the life and spirituality of Fr. Dehon. We spent much of our celebration doing games and other activities to help our students better know the founder. Here in Kerala, the minor seminary group in Kumbalanghy, consisting of some 40 staff members and students, always come to our place, the philosophy house in Aluva, whose facilities are more accommodating. We are a little smaller in number, 35 or so. “We started the celebrations by garlanding the statue of Fr. Dehon at the main entrance, and then having pictures taken of the whole assembly. A word of welcome was expressed and a prayer read together. Then some refreshments for the guests, immediately followed by the main attraction of the day: a quiz on the life of Fr. Dehon, this year concentrating on the years when he founded the congregation, plus general facts about our history as it has been unfolding in recent years, particularly as it has involved our India District. “Two teams of three boys represented each of the two houses in this quiz. It was moderated by Fr. McQueen, who ran the show for the full two hours. He had also composed the 80 questions and the intricate rules of the game. One of the minor seminary teams came in first, with the two philosophy teams taking second and third, leaving the fourth slot to the remaining minor seminary team. “A team of judges had worked for days beforehand, evaluating essays and poetry. The judges also evaluated drawings, paintings, sculptures and other art done by the students. While the judges were busy with these tasks, the students enjoyed sport competitions. Together, we took a break for adoration before joining together for the mid-day meal. Our kitchen staff had begun preparations for it in the middle of the night.” In the afternoon, competitions continued, followed by an awards ceremony. Fr. Tom said that most of the awards seemed to go home with the minor seminarians. The day also included skits and choir performances from each of the schools, as well as soloists, some singing original pieces. “All performances – singing and acting – followed the theme of the day: ‘For him I have lived and for him I die,’ the last words of the founder,” wrote Fr. Tom. Congratulations! Congrats to Br. Brian Tompkins, who professed his first vows last week in Montréal. He is preparing to serve as a brother with the Canadian Region. A photo from the ceremony, courtesy of Br. Long Nguyen (Br. Brian’s classmate) is on the Fridge Notes homepage: www.fridgenotes.org. 100 years! Fr. Paul Grizzelle Reid is in Finland this week, representing the province at celebrations noting the 100th anniversary of the SCJs’ presence in the country. Mission intention The pope’s mission intention for August: that the Church in China may grow in unity and show its communion with the Holy Father. Back to school Next Monday, August 27, the new semester begins at Sacred Heart School of Theology. It is the 75th anniversary of the school, which was originally the major seminary for the Priests of the Sacred Heart in the United States.