THE NEWS FOR THE WEEK OF January 29, 2007...
Provincial’s time Fr. MacDonald has council meetings on Thursday and Friday. Updates Fr. Thomas Westhoven His second work number should be 5215 not 52315. Fr. Charles Wonch Residence number should be 605-473-5487 More info As we noted last week, Bishop Joseph Potocnak received superficial stab wounds in a thwarted robbery attempt. We now have more details of what happened. His assailants returned after breaking into the bishop’s house early the previous morning. “I was woken by a lot of noise in the kitchen upstairs. Fortunately, I decided not to get up and check,” he said. The burglars stole the keys to the house and a car. The locks were changed the following day, but later that night the household was woken again when a seminarian noticed something suspicious outside. “Br. Mabendera, Fr. Douglas Sumaili and I went downstairs to call the police. I then went outside, armed with a golf club,” said Bishop Potocnak. “As I walked out of the door this big guy rushed at me with a knife. I thought it was a stick, it was so big.” The bishop was stabbed several times before Br. Mabendera and Fr. Sumaili managed to restrain his attacker. The police arrived shortly after and arrested him and his companion. “It felt like a movie while it was happening. It was quite a shock to see this big man rushing at me.” The bishop was lucky –– he required only a few stitches. “It could have been far worse than it was.” Please remember… Br. Giuseppe Dubla, a member of the Region of Madagascar, who died December 25. He was born in 1916 and professed in 1935. Fr. Tarcísio Gonçalves Pereira of the South Brazilian Province, who died January 4. He was born in 1961, professed in 1984 and ordained in 1990. Fr. José Luiz Pimentel Quental of the Central Brazilian Province, who died January 13. He was born in 1931, professed in 1954 and ordained in 1958. Fr. Mario Perin of the North Italian Province, who died January 21. He was born in 1944, professed in 1962 and ordained in 1971. Thank you Fr. David Jackson writes: “I wish to extend thanks on behalf of our family for the many expressions of condolences regarding my mother’s death. Mom’s funeral was a celebration of her life on earth and rejoicing of her presence now with God. Sincere thanks.” Habla español Fr. Ed Kilianski leaves for Oaxaca, Mexico, today for continued Spanish studies. He will be there until March 2. Hotel info If you are still looking for a place to stay for the upcoming ordination in San Antonio, a block of rooms has been reserved at the Hampton Inn, phone: 210-684-9966. The rate is $79 per night. Stella Roush is the sales representative at the hotel, or simply request a room from the block being held for the ordination. Catholic Schools Week Yesterday, January 28, marked the beginning of Catholic Schools week. Schools around the country will be doing special activities to note the week. At Our Lady of Guadalupe School in Houston, students will be honored for outstanding essays they wrote on the topic of Catholic education. Tuesday is Teacher Appreciation Day. The grandparents of students will be recognized at Mass on Wednesday. Letters and cards of appreciation for school employees will highlight Thursday’s activities, and on Friday it will be Student Appreciation Day with fun activities and casual dress to bring the week to a close. St. Martin of Tours Parish School in Franklin, Wis., began its celebration of the week with an Open House yesterday that followed the 8:30 a.m. Mass. The Open House featured guided tours of the school, classroom demonstrations and activities, and a treasure hunt for kids. Available We received a text from Fr. Charles Yost titled “A Conference for a Special Day of Prayer.” It is a six-page refresher course on the sacrament of penance. Divided into three parts, it includes a homily on the forgiveness of sins, a short history of the sacrament, and a theological description of the process of forgiveness. If you would like to receive a copy, contact Barb Taylor at the Provincialate Offices. On microfilm Mark Thiel from Marquette University’s Department of Special Collections and University Archives has supervised the microfilming of Mission Call, Reign of the Sacred Heart and Cor. Copies of the microfilm files are now at the Generalate, the Province Development Office, and of course, the Province Archives.