Summer V+J Oblates of St. Francis de Sales Toledo-Detroit Province. Convocation 2017: Oblate Missionaries

Transcription

1 Summer 2017 V+J Oblates of St. Francis de Sales Toledo-Detroit Province Convocation 2017: Oblate Missionaries

2 BONDINGS The Quarterly Oblate Magazine Patron of Teachers As this issue reaches you, many of our readers return to school as students or teachers. St. Francis de Sales is the patron of teachers. His life was marked by a deep reverence for learning. We ask his intercession that this school year may be rich and productive for all. Francis once told his priests that knowledge is the eighth sacrament, indicating how much he valued learning. His comment would apply to all of us. We live in an amazing world. Getting to know more about it one of the chief ways we have of thanking God for this gift. The lead article in this issue is on the Convocation held at DeSales University in Center Valley, Pa. It was the second joint meeting of the two North American provinces. The provinces divided in 1966 but many Oblates shared a common novitiate and formation program. So it was a time for renewing friendships as well as some serious reflection and prayer. Our deep thanks to the photographers who provided photos of the Convocation and also the Salesian Leadership Camp held this summer. They include Oblate Fathers Michael Murray, Alan Zobler, Tom Ribits and Scholastic Joe Katarsky. Editorial Staff Cover: A gathering of Oblate priests at the June Convocation who have been or currently are foreign missionaries. Mission Statement The mission of the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales of the Toledo- Detroit Province is to Live Jesus according to Salesian spirituality in our personal and communal lives, and to share this spirituality with the People of God. Bondings Bondings is published regularly for the members and friends of the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales, Toledo-Detroit Province. Its purpose is to enhance and develop the bond we have through our common faith in Jesus Christ and Salesian spirituality. Bondings is free of charge to anyone on request. Send your name and address (or that of a friend) to the Provincial Office or call Provincial Office 2043 Parkside Blvd. Toledo, OH Editorial Staff Father Roland Calvert, OSFS Father Tom Helfrich, OSFS FAITH Catholic 1500 E. Saginaw St. Lansing, MI Chairman Rev. Dwight Ezop President and CEO Patrick O Brien Editorial Director Elizabeth Martin Solsburg Graphic Designer Janna Stellwag 2

3 Oblate Convocation 2017 by Father Tom Helfrich, OSFS We called it Convocation 17, Assembly of the North American Provinces, a big name for a big event. Each summer the Oblates in the U.S. come together for a week of community renewal, prayer and decision making, but typically as two separate provinces. This year, though, in an echo of our joint meeting in 2013, we gathered as one June at DeSales University in Center Valley, Pa. The Provincials: Fathers Ken McKenna and Jim Greenfield Fathers Vince Smith, Dan Lannen, Alan Zobler Oblates Joe Katarsky, John Extejt, Jack Loughran, Craig Irwin, Dave Kenehan Our Toledo-Detroit Province, with a range from western New York to California, came into being in 1966 in response to growing numbers and broadening geographical range that made management of the American Province unwieldy. That original body was renamed the Wilmington-Philadelphia Province and embraces much of the eastern seaboard. Times have changed, of course, and while our numbers are lower, our range is as broad as it s ever been. The presence of Oblate mission preachers from around the world was a great reminder that we are not a regional but a worldwide congregation. Now we face the challenge of how to work in closer collaboration, while honoring those geographical challenges. Summer

4 BONDINGS The Quarterly Oblate Magazine The Liturgical Choir assisted at Mass Fathers Bill Auth and Jim McHugh Fathers Jack Loughran and Barry Strong Activities during our time together ranged from general addresses to one-onone encounters; from liturgical prayer to anniversary celebrations; from top-quality theater (Evita!) to an unexpectedly poignant and unifying rendition of Don t Cry for Us Fellow Confreres. Yes, it was a bit tedious at times, but always valuable and mysteriously graced. There were many inspiring messages in those addresses and in homilies at Mass and Evening Prayer. The first of these was a reflection from Jim 4

5 Oblates Dan Lannen, Joe Newman, Craig Irwin, Frank Danella, Alan Zobler Fathers Tom Gallagher, Bob Schramm, Jim McHugh, John Lehner Fathers Tom Murphy and Mike Newman McHugh of Clarklake, Mich. He recounted that amazing story from a few years ago about softball players from the opposing team helping an injured opponent score the winning run, because it was just the right thing to do. And that s what community life is all about, helping one another. Jim Greenfield, Provincial of Wilmington-Philadelphia, quoted Margaret Wheatley in acknowledging the challenges we face: We live in a dark time. People are losing faith in themselves and one Summer

6 BONDINGS The Quarterly Oblate Magazine Oblates Mike Newman, John Kasper (back), Lou Fiorelli, Joseph McDaniel, Rich Eberle (front) Fathers Ken McKenna, John Kasper, Ron Olszewski Brother Grant Ferris another. Our Salesian message of optimism and hope is more important than ever. Our own Provincial, Ken McKenna, shared a powerful message from our founder, Louis Brisson: We take as our motto to do passionately well what we do and to have good courage. It was a sacred time to come together. An inspiring call to do more of that in building a great future as servants of the Lord and sons of St. Francis de Sales, and our co-founders Blessed Louis Brisson and Ven. Mother Mary de Sales Chappuis. 6

7 In A Nutshell: The Treatise by Margaret Margeton Book Review by Father Roland Calvert, OSFS The Treatise on the Love of God (1616) is generally acknowledged to be the masterpiece of Francis de Sales. It is a challenging work, though, with some deep theology in it. Francis acknowledges this in his preface and suggests that readers could skip the opening chapters if they are interested only in the actual practice of God s love. Through the centuries, some translators have printed abbreviated versions of the treatise. Others have presented modern versions of the work (e.g. Bernard Bangley s Living Love) in more contemporary language. I have to confess that it took some years after my novitiate to read the entire work. I followed Francis advice and read portions of the work. It sat on my bookshelf for a long time next to James Joyce s Ulysses, that challenging stream-of-consciousness novel, admittedly two strange companions. I would read these two books in dribs and drabs as the saying goes. As an octogenarian, I can proudly say I ve read them both completely several times and have greatly benefitted from them. Margaret Margeton has recognized the difficulties and has performed a distinct service. She goes through the 12 sections of the Treatise and has summarized each part in clear, excellent prose. Then she gives actual sections of the original (in the J. K. Ryan translation) at the end of each chapter in order to savor Francis style. Her desire, clearly, is to encourage the reader to read the original work and benefit from it fully. Margeton has a master s in theological studies with an emphasis on spirituality. She has been a Daughter of St. Francis de Sales for 25 years and has written extensively on Salesian spirituality. She brings this knowledge and experience to her very useful project of presenting the Treatise in a nutshell. Courage is a quality that marked St. Francis de Sales. He writes of the difficulty of speaking about God in the beginning of the treatise. Our human words and minds can never grasp the eternal God. But Francis courageously takes on the challenge and wants us to grasp how great God s love is. He ends the work by speaking of Calvary as God s school of love. During this mortal life, he writes, we must choose eternal life or eternal death; there is no middle ground. His final prayer is that we might all live Jesus and live in that great love for all eternity. Margaret Margeton s book contributes to an even larger audience hearing that vital message. This book is available from Embraced by God ( resources@embracedbygod.org; phone: ). Summer

8 BONDINGS The Quarterly Oblate Magazine Studying Francis Treatise in Ann Arbor by Karen Stein We were disappointed! Our group of spiritual friends whom we had grown to dearly love was splitting up. We had to dig deeper into our Salesian formation and put that Direction of Intention into practice. First, we had to accept, for the love of God, that the group was going to split up. And without a doubt there would be difficulties that we would meet. And then to top it off, we had to conduct ourselves in a manner pleasing to God. So here is what happened. Front: Karen Stein, Lupe Leidy, Mary Morris. Back: Father John Lehner, John Paglione, Jim Stein 8 The Michigan Daughters of St. Francis de Sales went in new directions. As many of the daughters got older and found traveling one hour or even longer to our monthly meetings a hardship, we had to do something about it. Since the majority of the women live in close proximity to the cities of Jackson or Monroe, a logical solution to the problem was to form smaller groups in both of these locations. However, there were a few of us who didn t live near either of those locations and were not

9 comfortable making a choice between the two groups. We had developed spiritual friendships in both groups. So asking for help in prayer, God inspired us with a new idea. We started a Distant Daughter Small Sharing Group that meets six times per year in Ann Arbor Michael McKay, John Paglione, Karen Stein, Father John Lehner, Jim Stein from October through March. It is open to all daughters in either group. This was a special interest group for the purpose of celebrating the Eucharist and discussing Salesian spirituality while enjoying lunch together. The meetings started with holy Mass followed by a discussion with Father John Lehner, OSFS. We began with the book by one of the daughters, Margaret Margeton, In a Nutshell: St. Francis de Sales Treatise on the Love of God, which quickly led us to reading the actual text by St. Francis de Sales. Unlike the Daughters gatherings, we did not have a business meeting. We limited our discussions to the topics at hand following a study guide provided by Father John. One of the daughters shared after the first meeting that our intimate Eucharist and lunch meeting was how she imagined the original Daughters group first started with Father Chaumont in Paris on Oct. 15,1872. And we re growing! During our first year, two women have filled out applications to begin formation to become consecrated Daughters of St. Francis de Sales. We began with five women at our first meeting in October 2016 and quickly grew to twelve members of men and women who wanted to learn more about the teachings of St. Francis de Sales. We studied one book each month and made resolutions to be more Salesian in our everyday lives. As an added bonus, we ve enjoyed having many talented cooks, both men and women, who brought outstanding dishes to share at our luncheons. In June, some of the members came together for a picnic to discuss ideas for the future of the group. We decided to continue in October 2017 with book seven in the Treatise of the Love of God. Father John and the men and women in our group hope someday to go to France together following in the footsteps of St. Francis de Sales. Summer

10 BONDINGS The Quarterly Oblate Magazine Salesian Leadership Camp by Father Mike Newman, OSFS Participants in the Leadership Camp Salesian Leadership Camp ran from June 10 to 16 at DeSales Center/Camp De Sales. Oblates Ken McKenna, Joe Katarsky, Joseph McDaniel, Craig Irwin, Chris Allen, Dan Lannen, Tim McIntire, Jim McHugh, Geoff Rose, Mike Newman, Joe Newman, Brian Zumbrum, Pat Kifolo and Jack Koldziej were joined by postulant Jimmy Herrighty, eight Oblate associates from St. Francis de Sales School, Lumen Christi, DeSales University, and other staff to teach leadership skills to 55 campers. 10 The camp teaches Salesian leadership skills through a blended model of prayer, large and small group presentations, community activities (in groups and by school), and recreation. Schools attending this year include: Salesianum, Paul VI, Bishop Ireton, Georgetown Visitation, St. Francis de Sales School, Father Judge, Padua Academy, St. Mary s Stockton, Lumen Christi, St. Louis Visitation, Mendota Heights Visitation and Minneapolis Windsock Visitation.

11 Leadership Camp is part of the Oblate Summer Internship program which is designed to allow Oblate associates to spend the summer living in Oblate community and joining the Oblates in their lives of prayer, community and ministry to those at the De Sales Center. Special thanks to Tim McIntire, Joe Katarsky and Craig Irwin for overseeing and running the program this summer for our associates. The Oblates who work SLC come from Oblate ministries around the United States including DeSales Center, DeSales University, Father Judge, Georgetown Visitation, Lumen Christi, Salesianum, and St. Francis de Sales School. Our Oblate Associates: Patrick Ludlow, Christian McCormick, Henry Wickus, Jimmy Karban, Eric Zmuda, Jake Flom, Devin Lanz, and Kevin Mossing Summer

12 V+J Oblates of St. Francis de Sales Toledo-Detroit Province 2043 Parkside Blvd. Toledo, OH NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID LANSING, MI PERMIT NO. 689