THE NEWS FOR THE WEEK OF September 17, 2007...
Provincial’s time Fr. Tom Cassidy heads to Texas this week for visitations in Houston and the Valley. He drives back next weekend, has a day or two at home, and then it’s on to Baileys Harbor. Please remember… Br. Gabe Kersting who, as we noted last week, underwent cardiac catheterization. Major occlusions within the right coronary artery were repaired with the placement of four, coated stents. He is now recovering at the Sacred Heart Community in Pinellas Park. Day of peace Friday, September 21, has been declared a United Nations International Day of Peace. Students and staff at Sacred Heart School of Theology will commemorate the day with a brief prayer service in Sacred Heart Chapel at noon. If you are in the area, you are welcome to join the seminary community in prayer. Happy anniversary! Today, September 17, Sacred Heart School in Southaven, Miss., celebrates its 60th anniversary. Congratulations! All roads lead to Rome As Fr. Cassidy mentions in his letter today (sent by e-mail to SCJs in the U.S. Province and Canadian Region), this is the time of year when “all roads lead to Rome.” Already, Br. Frank Presto is in the Eternal City, taking part in the provincial secretaries workshop (or as we at the Provincialate call it, “secretarial school”). Fr. Bernie Rosinski is also there, sharing much of the knowledge he has picked up after years of pushing papers in Rome, and serving as provincial secretary here at home. Next month will be the meeting of major superiors. Fr. Cassidy will be there, as well as Dn David Nagel, who attends the meeting as a part of the General Finance Commission. Following the major superiors will be the formation directors. Fr. John Czyzynski will represent the U.S. Province at the formation meeting. Electronic news Increasingly, the province is using e-mail as a form of communication. As noted above, Fr. Cassidy has been sending his letters to the province as an e-mail attachment. To save on printing and postage, it is hoped that we can increase the use of electronic communication in the future. If you are an SCJ in North America, please make sure that Mary Gorski has your most up-to-date e-mail address so that you can receive these mailings. If you do not have e-mail, please make arrangements to receive office mailings either from a community member who does have e-mail, or via conventional mail from the Provincialate. Again, to update your e-mail address, contact Mary Gorski at marygorski@sbcglobal.net. If you do not have access to e-mail, please let Mary know and she can arrange to have your communications mailed to you. However, keep in mind that those who receive e-mail will get their communications soon after they are sent whereas those who prefer conventional mailings will have to wait a few days until the mail finds its way to their post box. City proclamation The mayor of Franklin, Thomas M. Taylor, made the following mayoral proclamation on September 11: “In recognition of Sacred Heart School of Theology’s 75th anniversary, “WHEREAS, Fr. Leo John Dehon arrived in the United States in 1910 to explore the possibility of a presence in North America for the Congregation of the Priests of the Sacred Heart of Jesus; and “WHEREAS, in 1929 the Congregation purchased an abandoned convent with 15 acres around Franklin Township Lake; and “WHEREAS, Sacred Heart Monastery is affiliated with the School of Sacred Theology of Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., in 1959, allowing the conferral of a Bachelor of Sacred Theology Degree; and “WHEREAS, Sacred Heart Monastery changed its name in 1975 to the Sacred Heart School of Theology and became a member of the Association of Theological Schools; and “WHEREAS, in 1983 Sacred Heart School of Theology was fully accredited by the Association of Theological Schools and permitted to award a Master of Divinity degree; and “WHEREAS, over 750 Sacred Heart School of Theology graduates have served the people of God in more than 100 dioceses and religious communities throughout the United States and the world. “NOW, THEREFORE, I, Thomas M. Taylor, Mayor of the City of Franklin, do hereby wish to acknowledge and congratulate the Sacred Heart School of Theology on 75 years of foresight and spirit in its mission to prepare priests for ministry in tomorrow’s Church.”