THE NEWS FOR THE WEEK OF July 9, 2007...
Provincial’s time Fr. MacDonald starts the week with a meeting with the newly elected Provincial Council. Please remember… –Fr. Kevin McInnis, who died June 27 of complications from pneumonia. He was 78. Fr. Kevin professed vows in 1949 and was ordained both to the diaconate and the priesthood in 1957. A missionary in South Africa from 1963-1971, Fr. Kevin loved his ministry in De Aar, and in retirement, returned to the country to visit and do help-out ministry. In the United States, Fr. Kevin did parish and chaplain ministry around the country. He served in dioceses around the country, including Texas, California, Mississippi, South Dakota and Wisconsin. He came to Hales Corners in 1993, where he did a variety of ministries, including hospital chaplaincy. In 2000, he retired and moved to the SCJs’ senior community in Pinellas Park, Fl.  Health needs necessitated that Fr. Kevin had to move to nursing care several years ago. A member of the Villa Maria community, he had residence at St. Camillus Retirement Center in Milwaukee for the past several years. The funeral Mass for Fr. Kevin was at Sacred Heart Monastery on July 2. –John Potocnak, the brother of Bishop Joseph Potocnak, died last week leaving a wife and three children. A former Army colonel, he was buried at Arlington National Cemetery on July 4. –The older brothers of Fr. Richard Zelonis. He writes that the eldest was recently diagnosed with Leukemia and the second eldest has Parkinson’s. –Ethel McCullough, the mother of Fr. Brian McCullough, who is gravely ill. Thank you Fr. Steve Pujdak thanks the community for prayers and condolences offered following the death of his nephew and godson, Daniel Pujdak. “Leo (Daniel's father) gave a eulogy at the funeral liturgy, as did Mayor Bloomberg, Fire Commissioner Scoppetta, Captain Jerry Horton of his fire house and an attending auxiliary bishop,” wrote Fr. Steve. “Thousands were at the wake and funeral. It was just massive and overwhelming. The fire department really does honor their own.” Update Fr. Bob Bossie 1421 E 53 St Chicago IL 60615 Congratulations! Dn. Mark Mastin was ordained to the diaconate at Christ the King Church in Southaven, Miss., on June 30, by Bishop Joseph Latino of Jackson. Dn. Mark had ministered at Christ the King during the 2005-06 academic year before completing his master’s degree in theology at Catholic Theological Union this year. Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, Dn. Mark initially began studies with the Priests of the Sacred Heart in high school. He attended the community’s minor seminary in Donaldson, Ind., and spent several years in formation. However, in 1979 he left to attend to a variety of family needs. While working, he completed a degree in theatre from Loyola University and a second in business at DePaul University. He assumed that his vocation was outside of ordained ministry. “But after spending some 20 years in the corporate world, I decided to find a more fruitful way to live my life,” said Dn. Mark He revisited his earlier call to the Church and applied to be a priesthood candidate with the Diocese of Joliet, Illinois.  When the bishop of Joliet decided to send Dn. Mark to Sacred Heart School of Theology he became reacquainted with the SCJ community. “I wanted to know what kind of education I was going to receive and how the SCJs had developed as a community since I last knew them,” said Dn. Mark. Admittedly looking for “some chink in the armor of the SCJ congregation –– I read as much literature about them as possible. I wanted to know who these people were who were going to be forming me as a priest. “ But in his search for flaws, he instead re-connected to his love for religious community. “I found so many parallels in the SCJs’ spirituality and my way of life,” he said. “It dawned on me that God had brought me back to the SCJs via the diocesan path.” Dn. Mark professed his first vows with the Priests of the Sacred Heart in 2003, and his final vows in May. Dn. Mark will soon join the pastoral team at St. Martin of Tours Parish in Franklin, Wis. More congrats! Congratulations as well to Dn. Markus Monch of Germany who was also ordained to the diaconate in June. Dn. Markus spent a year studying in the United States, spending most of that time with the Chicago formation community. Also, congratulations to Fr. Thomas Vinod Chittilappilly who was ordained to the priesthood June 23 for the District of India. CSE Photos from the Christian Summer Experience (CSE) can be viewed at scjusa.smugmug.com. Fr. Yvon Sheehy reports that there were seven participants this year. The group did ministry at locations in and around Lower Brule, and also had the opportunity to do a bit of site-seeing to places such as the Black Hills.