GENERAL SUPERIOR
CONGREGATION OF THE PRIESTS OF THE SACRED HEART
Dehonians

Prot. N. P0301/2013

November 12, 2013

            Dear Confreres,

It is with great sadness that we have witnessed once again the force and the devastation of extreme weather. This time it occurred in the Philippines. Typhoon Haiyan slammed into the Philippine coast last Friday. With storm surges of up to six meters and winds exceeding 200 km per hour, the death toll has reached many thousands especially near the coasts. At least 800.000 people have been displaced.

It is with a sense of relief that we can report that none of our confreres in the Philippines has been killed or injured. We do not have a precise report yet as to the damage done by the winds. Some of the families of our Philippine confreres were affected but we have heard of no deaths until now.

At this time we wish to stand with the Philippine people and try to help them in this time of need. On your behalf, the General Administration has already sent $20,000 for relief assistance. We have sent the money to Fr. Francis Pupkowski, the superior of the Philippine Region, so that he can direct the relief money to the neediest parts of the country.

We invite our Provinces, Regions and Districts to channel their own contributions either through the Generalate by contacting Fr. Aquilino Mielgo Domínguez (aquilino@dehon.it) or directly to the Philippine Region through Fr. Francis Pupkowski (fpupkowski@gmail.com).

In this time of need, we want to express our sympathy and our support. We hope that with international assistance the Philippine people will soon be able to rebuild homes and replace the crops that were ruined by the very high winds. We will support them also with our prayers.

May the Lord accompany the Philippine people in this difficult time and give them courage and determination to restore their lives and their livelihoods.

In the Heart of Christ,

Fr. José Ornelas Carvalho

General Superior

On September 22, members of the Priests of the Sacred Heart remember Blessed Fr.  Juan Maria de la Cruz, who was beautified on March 11, 2001 in Rome by Pope John Paul II.

The life and martyrdom of Fr. Mendez, SCJ, introduces us to a dark chapter in modern Spanish history – the religious persecution during the Civil War from 1936 to 1939.

Mariano García Méndez was born on September 25, 1891, in San Esteban de los Patos in the Province of Avila, the firstborn of 15 children. After his seminary training, he was ordained a priest for the diocese of Avila. His deep desire to lead a life of greater perfection led him toward religious life, but his first steps in this direction failed due to his poor health.

After his novitiate at Novelda (Alicante), Fr. Mendez made his first profession on October 31, 1926 and took the religious name of Fr. Juan María de la Cruz. Enjoying limited success as teacher in the minor seminary at Novelda, he became a fundraiser in 1929, begging for money in villages and market towns and looking for young students to direct to the congregation’s minor seminary.

The Civil War, opposing nationalists and republicans, broke out on July 18, 1936. In this context, on July 23, 1936, Fr. Juan traveled to Valencia seeking to find refuge with one of the congregation’s benefactors. “While traveling from the train station to the home of Señora Pilar, he passed by the church of ‘de los Juanes’ in the center of the city. He was horrified by ‘a horrible spectacle’ — his own words — when he saw men ripping apart the church interior and preparing to burn down the church. He could not stand by in silence. Fr. Juan did not hide his disdain at seeing the church torched. When the evildoers said to each other: ‘He’s a reactionary!’ He responded ‘No, I am a priest!’ The republicans there upon arrested him and took him to jail Modelo of Valencia.”

Afterwards, witnesses recalled that Fr. Juan led an exemplary priestly life in prison. He remained faithful to his religious practices, cared for other’s pastoral needs as he prepared for martyrdom. On the night of August 23-24, 1936 together with nine other prisoners, Fr. Juan was taken south of Valencia to be shot. On August 24th the bodies of the victims were thrown into a common grave in the cemetery of Silla.”