Around the Provinces: Confrere News and Updates

Fr. Tom Meik, CM		Fr. Henry Grodecki, CM		Fr. Ray Ross, CM		Fr. Ron Hoye, CM		Fr. Paul Golden, CM

Midwest Province

St. Mary’s of the Barrens:

Father Tom Meik, CM, is now living at the Apostle of Charity Residence and is doing just fine. Father John Cantore, CM, has moved from Cape Girardeau to the parish complex around St. Vincent’s.

Some of the buildings that have been occupied for more than 130 years are in the process of being razed. They have taken down the boiler room, except for the smoke stack, which they are hoping to take down soon. The garage we have used over the years is also flat. At this time they are cleaning up the debris that was once called the “C” building. It was pulled down in stages, about one third at a time.

The new Visitor’s Center for the Association of the Miraculous Medal was dedicated on Sunday, October 15. Leading the dedication ceremony was the president of the association, Father Henry Grodecki, CM. Joining the friends and employees at the event was past-president Father Chas Shelby, CM. The center was named in honor of his mother, Ruth Shelby, whose generous bequest to the Midwest Province made the construction of the Visitor’s Center possible.

Lazarist Residence, St. Louis:

Father Dan Harris, CM, gave a one-day preaching workshop to the priests of the Diocese of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Father Ray Ross, CM, was honored for his 18 years of ministry at St. Catherine Laboure Parish. While he has had a wide and varied ministry here over those years, he has always been interested in and an advocate for the children, especially the younger ones. On October 14, the parish took the opportunity to break ground for its new parish playground that will aptly be named the Fr. Ray Ross, CM, Playground. It was a joy to honor someone who has lived and served through his priesthood, especially someone who has helped children come to the Lord, and who has always helped and never hindered.

St. Catherine Laboure Parish School and Youth Program, St. Louis:

The school children of St. Catherine’s are collecting funds each month to support the purchase of a cow and the building of a house for the Vincentian mission parishes in Kenya. If over $500 is collected each month, one of the teachers or staff from the parish will dress in a cow costume for a day! The children also collected over 800 pairs of shoes for the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. A clothing drive earlier in the month collected numerous bags of clothing for the poor. That collection benefited the works of Guardian Angel Settlement.

Exalt! The youth of St. Catherine’s and the surrounding area gather every third Thursday of the month at St. Catherine’s for prayer, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and Benediction.

Province Office, St. Louis:

The Provincial Father Jim Swift, CM, and the Assistant Provincial, Father Ray Van Dorpe, CM, attended the Provincial Assembly of the Southern Province, October 23-26. During that time they came to a better understanding of the traditions and customs that the confreres there have nurtured over the past 30 years.

Province Development Director Teresa Manna and her assistant Yvonne Luedtke attended that National Catholic Development Conference in Chicago. They attended a number of workshops connected with development ministry and professional growth.

DePaul Vincentian Residence, Chicago

We welcomed Bishop Zekarias Yohannes, retired exarch of Asmara, Eritrea. Father Daniel Hasso, CM, our confrere from Ethiopia, accompanied the bishop on a round of meetings and celebrations, especially for the Catholic Eritrean and Ethiopian community, whom Fr. Hasso serves in the Ethiopian (Ge’ez) Rite several times a year.

Father Ron Hoye, CM, managed to run in the recent Chicago Marathon, coming in under four hours, a record for him. Congratulations!

DePaul University, Chicago

The DePaul Leadership Project now offers a certificate in Values-Centered Leadership. The next session begins on January 9, 2007 and runs for 10 weeks. For more information, see the Web site: https://leadership.depaul.edu/secure/eng/lEduCP.asp.

DePaul House, Denver:

Father Paul Golden, CM, gave a talk at the annual convention of the Canon Law Society of America held last month in Fort Worth, Texas. The topic was “Advocacy for Clerics Accused of Sexual Abuse of Minors.” He also wrote a chapter entitled “Sponsorship in Higher Education” that was published in Sponsorship in the United States Context: Theory and Praxis, published by the Canon Law Society of America.

Southern Province

Comments from Provincial Superior Father Dan Borlik, CM:

Especially here in Dallas, we look forward to the cooler months of the year as a break from our long, hot summer – for once, “change is good!” But for our province these months between summer and winter have been a time of great promise and hope, as well.

Our Southern Province has been enriched with the arrival of three additional confreres who will live and work with us this year. Brother Tom Juneman, CM, transferred from the Province of the West, has arrived at Holy Trinity to join the parish staff; Father George Varakulam, CM, from the Northern India Province, also residing at Holy Trinity, is now working closely with me on two special projects; and Father Anthony Nettickatt, CM, of the Southern India Province, has joined the Vincentian Urban Ministries team led by Father Perry Henry, CM, in New Orleans.

Conference of Major Superiors of Men

Joined by Fr. Henry, I attended the Annual Conference of Major Superiors of Men (CMSM) General Assembly in Vermont in August. For four years, these gatherings of male religious provincial superiors and leaders have highlighted, among other issues, our national commitment to providing a safe environment. Remarkably, well over 95 percent of religious men in the United States have participated in this program just as we have. All of us are tremendously helped by Praesidium, Inc. and Christian Brothers, resulting in annual workshops and seminars for our members, and the independent agency accreditation process every three years. This year, the “CMSM Jubilee Assembly” (1956-2006) focused our talks and reflection on CMSM’s history and accomplishments, as well as the serious challenges that our religious congregations face today in the United States, especially the shortage of native vocations and the widening experience of diversity (such as generational, ethnic, linguistic, etc.).

In September, I met with many other provincial superiors and leaders in New Orleans for the Region IV CMSM. For most of us this is our first gathering since the terrible Katrina storm of over a year ago. Although New Orleans clearly is a long way to full recovery, we see signs of hope and progress in many neighborhoods. This is especially so in the blighted urban downtown area around Tulane Avenue where we Vincentians are committed to assist returning residents and the homeless.

Praesidium Accreditation Update

We have been busy accrediting our pro­ vince as a safe environment for minors. Three members of the Praesidium staff have already visited with me and various other Vincentians and Province collaborators. These interviews focused most clearly on those of us with clear responsibilities and oversight (pastors, superiors, vocation director, etc.), as well as those of our members in special living arrangements. There are a few administrative details that are being attended to, but the process has been very helpful to us and has gone very well. The team has given the members of the Southern Province very high marks regarding ongoing formation around and commitment to providing a safe environment for all those we serve, especially the young and vulnerable.

News from the Vocation Office

Invited by Father Kevin Creagh, CM (Eastern Province), I joined Father Bill Piletic, CM, (Province of the West) and Father Dave Nations, CM, (Midwest Province) for a visit and study of a discernment house and the theology formation house located in the New York area of the Eastern Province. As guests at St. John’s University Residence, we shared Eucharist, meals, and listening sessions with both the discerners and formators at the newly-established Vincentian Discernment House located conveniently on the edge of St. John’s University campus. It was interesting to me that these young men have all been born outside of the United States, presenting both their unique gifts and serious challenges to Vincentian formation – this is a growth experience for all involved! We spent the next day with the Vincentian community of the theology residence in Oyster Bay, Long Island, meeting with Fathers Pat Griffin and Gerry Luttenberger, CMs, and the seven students (philosophers and theologians) who live there. Perhaps this experience will assist our western provinces in developing an effective approach to invite and nurture vocations with the new groups of young people with whom we find ourselves in ministry – let’s hope for God’s guidance on this!