EAfter a serious surgery followed by three weeks of recuperation in Aliwal North, Fr. P. Koscielny resumed his pastoral duties in De Aar.

 

EBirthday of Fr. Michal Ciemiega gathered in Teresa Mission four other SCJs and three diocesan priests.

 

EThe groups that have been working on Ratio Formationis Provincialis and on Provincial Directory have completed their tasks. Unfortunately the forthcoming chapter will again make some changes. Do not loose your heart, the victory is close!

 

EFr. Ntaka took part in the 12-day ongoing formation workshop for priests. The workshop took place in June in the Natal Province.

 

EThe SCJ AM Province celebrated the Feast of the Sacred Heart on 6 and 7 June. It contained two Bible-based sharing sessions, Eucharist and a festive meal. Bp. Potocnak presided the Eucharist in the Aliwal Cathedral and Fr. Westendorf, the treasurer of the GE Province, delivered the homily. In the whole event the Sacred Heart Sisters actively participated.

 

EFr. A. Austin has seen doctors lately on several occasions. First he underwent a little surgery of his palm in Bloemfontein then he painfully injured his ribs. Close to the retirement, Father?

EOur ‘Iindaba Express’ has lost a lot of its speed (from a ‘monthly’ to a ‘quarterly’). This machine needs a new ‘engine driver’, doesn’t it? Any voluntaries, please?

EDeacon Sompane conducted the celebration of the Sacred Heart Feast for the S.H. Sodality of the Aliwal Diocese in Molteno, on 14-16 June.

 

EFr. A. Lemahieu was in Europe from 10 June to 11 July for celebration of his golden jubilee of priesthood, in two places. He did it first in his home-place Gits, Belgium, on 22 June. Then a similar celebration took place in Martental, Germany, this time jointly with another jubilant - Fr. Huppertz, SCJ. On the second occasion Frs. Hansel and Tratz participated. Fr. Lemahieu will celebrate once more in Aliwal North, on 23 or 24 September (the date is yet to be determined).

 

EFr. Westendorf paid a short visit to the province from 6 to 20 June. He visited Merrivale, Middelburg, Aliwal North, Teresa Mission and Bethulie and worked hard with the Provincial Treasurer.

 

EFr. B. Hansel left for 4 months to Europe for holidays, on 20 June. He is to come back in October.

 

EFr. P. Surdel left for 3 months of holidays, on 25 June. He will come back on 27 September.

 

ESince18 July Fr. Notermans is 90! He celebrated so with the Mount Carmel community (and many visitors!), as well as with the Aliwal SCJ group. Although everything goes fine, he reminds everybody to be careful when reversing…

 

EFr. M. Ciemiega left for his holidays as well as for sabbatical to Poland, on 10 July.

 

ESince Fr. Surdel is on holiday, Fr. Ntaka brought the pre-novice Dudley to Aliwal North, on 8 July. Dudley has here regular lessons with Frs. Przybys, Lemahieu, Ofenloch and Dn. Mabeka. He also gets acquainted to the ‘Irish-English’ when conversing with some sisters in ‘Fatima’.

 

EFr. K. Grzelak left Merrivale for sometime – perhaps – and settled in Teresa Mission, as from 22 June. He replaces Fr. M. Ciemiega.

 

EDn. Mabeka is occupied ‘in full swing’. He does some parish work in Aliwal Cathedral and some work of the vocation director. Occasionally he goes to other places, e.g. St. Francis Mission, Fatima, Umhlanga Mission. In the latter he was a main speaker for the St. Anna’s Sodality feast.

EFr. Maslowski visited Aliwal North for a few days in July. Also Frs. Chwaja and Koscielny visited community of the Monastery combining it with some SCJ business.

EErnest and Lulamile, two of our three pre-novices, left the pre-novitiate in Bethulie, at the beginning of June.

 

ESome young people with fantasy and trust visited the SCJs in Aliwal North, in May and July. First Emilie and Renaud (from Poland and France respectively) who wanted to experience Southern Africa by car going from Cape Town to Nairobi. Then Chris and Ganton - two other Frenchmen who go hitchhiking all over the world (!) from Greece, through Jordan, the whole Africa, to Latin America, Panama, Australia, Asia - back to France. All of them spent five days with us. Emilie and Renaud completed already their journey and thank in a letter for our hospitality. Their visits have caused a certain side effects - some of us started to dream again.

 

EThe newly established “Ikhwezi Mphotlotsane Day Care Centre” for the elderly in Aliwal North (Dukathole) thanks very much for the work of Br. Bona who has spent lately much time, power and some of the SCJ money renovating the Center’s building. The project is a joint venture of the H. Cross Sisters, the Aliwal North Municipality and the local laity.

 

EFr. Zolile underwent a shoulder surgery in Italy. It has been well done so he recuperated well too. He will be with us in South Africa 2 times this year: from 27 October to 14 November (Pr. Chapter) and from 03 December till 05 January (holidays).

 

ENews from Merrivale:

On 21 June our students succesfully finished the first semester. After a few days of rest the community started the “spring – cleaning” of the property. In July deacon Innocent participated in the Clinical Pastoral Education course scoring a 72% mark. At the same time Brothers Gilbert and Pascal had been placed in Kwamakhuta Community Resource Center (run by the Diaconia Council of Churches in Durban) for pastoral experience. Brother Basile was working in the Inchaga Hospice for patients with HIV/Aids. At the end of the pastoral placements our brothers took part in a three – day session on Stress and Trauma in the Diaconia Center. Brothers Abram, Ntsikelelo and Joshua went to Montebello where the Dominican Sisters run various social projects. Brother Abram worked in an orphanage while Ntsikelelo and Joshua in the Chronic Sick Home. Then Gilbert, Pascal and Basile, accompanied by Fr. A. Musialek, went to Bluff near Durban for preparation of their renewal of vows that is due for 12 August. Renewed spiritually and phisically all our students went back to books on 5 August. (Submitted by Fr. Adam).

EGolden Muyambi sends greetings. At the moment he runs “The Golden Products” that imports food-stuffs from Mozambique to Zimbabwe.

Provincial

Provincial doesn’t travel much these days since Frs. Hansel, Surdel & Tratz are in Europe. However he visited:

25. 05              – Porth Elizabeth

27. 05              – Teresa Mission

1-2. 06             – Graaff Reinet

09. 06              – Burgersdorp

9-11. 06           – Merrivale

14. 06              – Teresa Mission

18. 06              – Middelburg, Bethulie

20. 06              – Bloemfontein

27. 06              – Teresa Mission

05. 07              – Dordrech

17. 07              – Middelburg

18-19. 07         – Bethulie

PROVINCIAL COUNCIL

The Council met on 06 June in Aliwal North and on 17 July in Middelburg.

The decisions taken:

Pto appoint Fr. K. H. Ofenloch as the treasurer of the Aliwal Community, as from 20 June 2002.

 

Pto hand over R10.000 of the S.H. Auto League money to the new soup kitchen project in Middelburg.

 

Pabout the contents of the 24-25 September 2002 Provincial Assembly in Aliwal North.

 

Other items the Council dealt with:

 

P2001/2002 Financial Report of the Province and 2002/2003 Provincial Budget. The Council was not yet able to approve these documents. Subsequently they became a matter of a thorough deliberations with Fr. Westendorf.

 

Pfuture responsibilities of Fr. Grzelak.

 

Ppreparation of the 2002 Feast of the Sacred Heart.

 

Pthe matters of ordinations to presbyterate of our deacons. Here “the Council sees a possibility for some ordinations on 7 or 14 December.”

Pthe evaluation of the application for financial assistance from the German Province of the S.H. Sisters.

 

Ppreparation of the Council for participation in the forthcoming Provincial Chapter.

De Aar

_ The Father of Fr. Albert Post died on 26 July of lung cancer and was buried in Pretoria. Bp. Potocnak attended the funeral.

_ All three catholic churches in Graaff Reinet got lately a ‘face lift’. Fr. Z. Chwaja is just completing the renovation of St. Teresa.

Aliwal North

_ Fr. Nkunyana came back from sabbatical in England; he is transferred from Burgersdorp to Sterkspruit- Umlamli.

 

_ Fr. Pitso after his sabbatical in England will leave Sterkspruit and take over St. Francis in Aliwal North.

_ Fr. Jabulani leaves St. Francis; he is on the way to England for sabbatical.

 

_ Fr. M. Wustenburg (a new Phd of Unisa) went to the USA for a short sabbatical, till 16 December. He will leave Sterkspruit permanently after Easter to join the ‘Lumko’ staff.

_ Burgersdorp Mission has been sold. It will become a hospice and a local AIDS Center. A little chapel has been bought instead. Parish priest will no longer reside in Burgersdorp.

 

_ Two priests from DRC (Zaire) are on the way to join the Aliwal diocesan personnel.

 

_ Bp. Lobinger visited 8 dioceses in Indonesia and the Philippines, in June. He was interested in the work and training of the laity.

Various information

# Take note of the fax number change in Middelburg (Fr. Strittmatter): Tel. No. the same. Fax: (049) 842 4292

# Since this financial year the treasurers are to distribute the feast-day and Christmas “gifts/grants.” Merrivale community has its own regulation.

# Fr. Ofenloch - holiday in Germany. Canada: the SCJ Conference on J&P. Will go on 28 Aug and come on 29 Oct

SCJs IN THE WORLD

? Fr. B. Pitcarvage sends greetings; he is busy in 2 parishes and a school in South Dakota. He was lately on the steering committee of the Provincial Chapter.

 

? The CM SCJs have two more ‘doctors’: Fr. L. Mfouakouet and Fr. Sedzik. Congratulations!

 

? The “Brazil & Germany - an exchange of personnel” project brought 2 young BM members to live and work in the SCJ parish community of Handrup, since Feb 2002.

 

?Nine local candidates started their novitiate in India, on 6 May.

 

? By the decree of 07.06.2002 the general superior erected two Districts depending on the Polish Province. The first is MUK (Moldavia & Ukraine). The first Polish SCJs went to Moldavia in 1990 and to Ukraine in 1997. The new District of MUK counts 11 priests (1 from Moldavia), 2 brothers (1 from Ukraine and 1 from Moldavia). There are 5 professed clerics from Moldavia, 4 from Ukraine and 1 from Romania. The second district is BIA (Belarus). The first Polish SCJs came to Belarus in 1990. Today there are 11 SCJs working in 10 parishes of three dioceses. There are 3 professed clerics from Belarus and 1 from Russia, as well as a brother from Russia.

 

? After the merge of CA and CGA a new independent SCJ Region has been established in Canada, on 7 June 2002. Fr. Woodbury the first Regional Superior.

 

? Out of 18 postulants of the PL Province this year 7 are from the regions of BIA
and MUK - former Soviet Union.

 

? A 10-day Final Vow Preparation was held in France and Belgium, in July. Ten young SCJs from Croatia, Ukraine, Italy, Poland and Portugal participated.

? Former general superior Fr. A. Panteqhini became the Provincial Superior of the SCJs in Cameroon.

 

? The young SCJs of Latin America held their first common meeting in Brazil, in April. They produced a final document, just published in form of a book.

 

? Next year the SCJ in Brazil will celebrate centenary of our presence in that country. Our first confreres in Brazil were from Germany.

 

? As of 01 July 2002 the former Province of Zaire is officially known as the ‘Province of Congo’, please.

 

? Some recent ordinations to priesthood: Cameroon-3, Mozambique-3, Madagascar-2, Britain/Ireland-2, USA-3 and Poland-4

.

? The Provincial of the Portuguese Province made contact with bishops of Angola and wrote a report for the SCJ provinces interested in mission work there, namely for Mozambique, South Italy and Cameroon. He was also to visit Angola in July.

? According to the 2000 census Buffalo County where the US SCJs work for decades is the poorest county in the USA.

 

? A 35 page article was recently made available by Fr. Carlos da Costa Silva, regarding justice and peace education - how and why it is necessary to incorporate it into the curriculum of students at all levels. It is also a commentary on justice issues. If you want a copy contact Mary Gorski at the Prov. Offices (US), mgorski@execpc.com

 

Mark & Adam