Inside this issue:
Partners Against Poverty Receives Grant
Leadership Ministry Graduates Cohort
Corporate Letter to President Bush
Obituary: Rev. Francis A. Byrne, CM
Also visit:
Around the Provinces:
Confrere News and Updates
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| Larry Christensen |
Bob Schwane |
Art Trapp |
DePaul House, Denver:
Larry Christensen has been appointed Chaplain of the newly formed Serra Club in the Ft. Collins/Loveland area. In March, he will lead a group of parishioners to Italy on a Lenten pilgrimage. Joe Hess arrived January 15 and has been settling his many possessions into a relatively small apartment but all are happy to have him aboard. Tom Nelson has returned from St. Louis after a successful repair to his hip replacement. His muscles and nerves are gradually becoming accustomed to the added inch in his height. Bob Schwane represented the house at a seminar for priests on "Cybersex Addiction." Hartrick Sullivan traveled to Perryville for the Provincial retreat. His only complaint was that security guards at the airports must "have a thing" about feet. He had to remove his shoes three times.
DePaul Centre, Nairobi:
Two confreres from the Eastern Province US, John Gouldrick and Richard Kehoe, spent a week in Nairobi in mid-January. They were there on a fact finding mission for their province. The theological library from Mary Immaculate Seminary North Hampton (now housed at St. Joseph’s in Princeton) may be donated to a theological center or school in the near future. Tangaza College, where we train our men in theology, is a possible recipient of the collection. John and Dick gathered data to report back to the province about Tangaza. They also spent time in Nyeri on their short visit.
A Gallop Poll conducted in November and December of 2002 named Kenya the most optimistic country on earth. 67,500 people were interviewed in 65 countries. More than three quarters of Kenyans believe that 2003 will be a better year than 2002. This optimism was based on the hope that the Moi and the Kanu government would no longer be around in 2003. The hope of millions has come through. The transition has been tough, but the optimism and hope for the future is still very real. People really feel that they’re living in a different country.
New additions to DePaul Centre, Art Trapp, Jim Donlevy, and the five Kenyans who entered the initiate program, are all doing well.
St. Mary’s of the Barrens, Perryville:
All those at St. Mary's of the Barrens are doing just fine and are pleased to have Fr. Bob Brockland home again. (He was hit by a sleeping driver who crossed over the median on I-55.) His new hip is on the mend after an infection due to the accident. Bob's heel (on the other leg) is now in a cast so both will be immobile for the next month or so. Then he will have physical therapy before resuming full activity. All in all, it should take three or so months of recuperation. Please remember him in your prayers.
Perryville also had their annual retreat with retreat master, Fr. Jack McKenna, CM, from the Eastern Province. They were joined by seven confreres from outside the house. All enjoyed the new/ different life in the house and we thank all of our guests. We had a bit of snow while they were here and although the digging out of snow and ice on their cars on Friday was difficult, all managed to get away safely.
We are having a new roof put on our gym along with a new floor (after removal of the asbestos.) The leaking over the past three years destroyed the floor as we just could not get the water off fast enough with a big rain. The gym is used from August to May by St. Vincent's high school as a practice facility; and some of the men and employees of the house walk during the day when the weather is foul. Blessings to all for the New Year from the retired and working men of The Barrens!
St. Genevieve:
A recent article in the St. Genevieve Herald featured a visit by Jack Minogue, president of DePaul University. Jack was in town to visit the site of the new "DePaul University Discovery Ridge Learning Center," the main feature of which will be a habitat for tigers. A small group of students will arrive this summer, but once the program is up and running there may be as many as 120 DePaul students living in and around St. Gen. "We are very excited," Minogue told the Herald in an interview. "We’ve been working on the idea for about five years. It’s been eked out, bit by bit. It’s a work in progress...and we are making progress."
St. Catherine Laboure Parish:
On Sunday, January 21, 2003, the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, St. Catherine Laboure Parish launched the year-long celebration of their 50th anniversary. Under Founding Father, Wendelin "Buck" Dunker, CM, the parish began pretty much as new parishes do–with an empty lot, a neighborhood house for a rectory, and a territorial inheritance of 200 families. In time, it developed into an impressive plant, complete with a school (extended twice), a gymnasium (formerly the church), the actual church, a convent, and the rectory. The most recent additions date from about three years back: a new gymnasium (the former building becoming the parish hall), a six-room addition to the school, an extension of the church narthex, and the construction of a Perpetual Adoration Chapel. At the present time, there are over 1700 families, and the school enrolls almost 500 students.
The parade of pastors since Fr. Dunker includes Fathers Owen Quigley, Morgan Barr, Wilbert Bruns, Tom Hinni, John Overkamp, Charlie Prost, Pat Keeley, and currently, Jim Cormack. Many associates have served here, and confreres from the city have done weekend work. One Associate briefly stationed here was Father Oscar Huber, CM, who enjoyed celebrity status as the priest who had anointed President J. F. Kennedy in Dallas.
We have several festive events planned for the year. In early Lent, there will be a mission, "Celebrating 50 years of Building the Kingdom," aimed at parish renewal. In May, we will begin a parish service project of building a house in East St. Louis alongside the others that have been built in the past. The funds and labor for this project will come from the parishioners (and others who wish to join). We are almost halfway to the desired amount needed for funding. On Pentecost Sunday, there will be another liturgical celebration and social event. In mid-October, we will celebrate with a large parish social. And in November, in honor of our patroness, St. Catherine Laboure, we will close the year with the final liturgical celebration. As mementos of the year there is a Jubilee Prayer to be used, and one of our musicians, Karl Zimmerman, has composed a jubilee song.
Lazarist Residence, St. Louis:
The confreres at Lazarist Residence welcomed the addition of Gerry Brown to the house. Previously the pastor of St. Henry Parish in Charleston, Missouri, Gerry is now a "senior priest in service," which means he can still get out and work. And work he does! Gerry has been tapped to help with Hispanic Ministry at St. Francis de Sales Parish on the south side of St. Louis.
Provincial Office, St. Louis:
During his time away from the CIF program in Paris, John Rybolt generously spent over two weeks at the Provincial Offices at Earth City, going through the files — thinning, sorting, and organizing one file cabinet after another. A lot of unnecessary paper was recycled, and some went to the DeAndreis-Rosati Memorial Archives at DePaul University. It wasn’t a very exciting way to spend one’s vacation, but John did it with his usual good humor and efficiency. And, as always, John found a number of interesting bits of community history buried within the forest of papers.
Rogers, Arkansas:
A new ministry will soon begin. A young man, Jaime Torres, a.k.a. Serio, is putting his former life as a gang member to use in an outreach ministry called "Prevention and Rescue." This ministry is the local realization of this outreach based in California and founded by William Portillo. Focusing on youth with drug or gang backgrounds, the goal is to bring them into full and active Catholic life. (It also focuses on families to prevent the youth from becoming involved in the first place.) The outreach has developed some key elements and uses the "School of Evangelization" materials developed by Pepe Prado in Guadalajara, Mexico. The initial event is scheduled for May 31—June 1, 2003.
In addition, five Spanish speaking young adults participated in the Mission organized by the Eastern Province as a mission training event for the Central American and South American organization of Vincentian Provinces. They returned eager to initiate outreach in the local parish. We decided to use a small group faith sharing method developed by Ralph Rogawski, OP. He will give a week's mission March 9—13, 2003, and then remain to do training with those we recruit to do this outreach.
Holy Trinity Parish, Dallas:
The new Parish Community Life Center (which includes a gymnasium, meeting rooms, and the new St. Vincent Outreach Center) at Holy Trinity Parish in Dallas are eighty percent complete. This $4 million construction project is scheduled to be dedicated on the Feast of St. Vincent DePaul on September 27, 2003. The new St. Vincent Outreach Center will more than triple the current space available for immediate emergency assistance to local residents along with counseling, office, food pantry, and gathering sites for adult education programs. Holy Trinity Parish will enter into a three-year management agreement with the local parish conference of the Society of St. Vincent DePaul Society to administer the center on a day to day basis.
On January 31, 2003, the Dallas area leaders of the Vincentian Family met together at Holy Trinity Parish for a dialogue dinner with Fr. Jose Antonio Ubillus, the Assistant Superior General, during his canonical visitation of the Southern Province. The diocesan council of the Society of St. Vincent DePaul will locate their offices in the new St. Vincent Outreach Center. Holy Trinity Parish's Thrift Shop known as "Vincent's Corner" has been closed. Holy Trinity Parish has joined forces with the other Dallas area branches of the Vincentian Family. Parishioners will now provide donations and volunteers for the present Ladies of Charity Thrift Shop and the new Society of St. Vincent DePaul Store that will open this summer in Dallas.
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| Jim Donlevy |
Tom Hinni |
Charlie |
Vincentian is published bimonthly by the Midwest and Southern Provinces of the Congregation of the Mission, the Vincentian Priests and Brothers, to promote the apostolic works of its members and those of the larger Vincentian Family.
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