Jun 25 2017

Benefactors’ Day in Cagayan de Oro

It is already a tradition that on the Sunday after the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus the formation community of Cagayan de Oro celebrates Benefactors’ Day. It is the way to let the benefactors know more about the congregation and its activities and also an opportunity to thank them for their support and generosity.

This year, the celebration of Benefactors’ Day was held on June 25, 2017. It started with the Holy Eucharist presideded by the Regional Superior Fr. Francis Pupkowski, scj, who is also in charge of the Fundraising Office. At the end of the Mass, the benefactors could watch a short video presentation containing an information about “Who we are and what we are doing…”

The celebration was culminated with a common meal.

Jun 24 2017

Celebration of the Feast of the Sacred Heart in Cagayan de Oro

The Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is one of the most important patronal feasts that is significantly observed by the entire congregation of which it is dedicated and named after. This year the patronal feast was celebrated on June 23, 2017.

The concelebrated Mass in the afternoon was presided by the superior of the community Fr. Patrick L. Gutib, SCJ. After the reading of the Gospel, all SCJs renewed their commitment as religious, which was followed by the acceptance of new Postulants. Fr. Francis Pupkowski, SCJ, the Regional Superior, accepted four Filipinos and eight Vietnamese into the Postulancy Program. The candidates were presented by theMaster of Postulants, Fr. Patrick L. Gutib, SCJ.

The celebration, which was attended the SCJs from the nearby communities and many visitors, was followed by a common meal.

Jun 17 2017

Renewal of Vows in Manila

On June 16, 2017, six SCJs on temporary vows (2 Filipinos and 4 Vietnamese) renewed their vows of Chastity, Poverty and Obedience in the Congregation of the Priests of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The Eucharistic Celebration was presided by Rev. Fr. Aloisio Back. SCJ, the Vice-superior of the SCJ Philippine Region, and was attended by the SCJs from the nearby communities, scholastics from India and Indonesia – participants of the final vows preparation program and some friends.

May 17 2017

28 Years of SCJ Presence in the Philippines

From the left: Fr. Jeremiah Sheehy, Fr. Henricus Sondermeijer, Fr. Yohanes Sono Pribadi, Fr. Stephen Schmitz, Fr. Adrian Borst – General Councilor, Pope John Paul II, Fr. Francis Pupkowski, Fr. Eduardo Aguero, Fr. Juan Domingo Griffone and Fr. Rino Venturin.

May 17, 1989, is the official date of arrival of first SCJ missionaries in the Philippines. The original group was composed of eight (8) priests representing seven (7) nationalities and five (5) different entities: 3 from Argentina, 2 from Indonesia, 1 from Germany, 1 from Poland and 1 from British-Irish Province.

Prior to that, from October 1988 to March 1989, the group met in the United States, in Hales Corners (WI) to study English, the common language of the group and one of the official languages in the Philippines.

From April 20 – May 3, 1989, the whole group met again in Rome. During series of meetings with the members of the General Administration, different people from the Philippines, the group could learn more about the needs and challenges lying ahead of them. On April 25, 1989, the group of first missionaries came up with the following guiding principles for their new mission:

As a SCJ group of missionaries we give the highest priority to Community life. We reaffirm that “Community life is mission itself”.
We go to the Philippines to serve the local Church, as communities, according to the missionary spirit of our own Rule of life.
We will try to stay together and to live together avoiding situations where a member has to live permanently alone.
We intent normally to form communities of at least three members.
We are going to share life, responsibilities, pastoral work, projects and money.
We are going to meet once a month with the whole group for at least one day.
We are going to meet, once a year, for an Assembly and also in a different date for a Retreat.
Once a week those who live nearby are invited to come together.
While we are a small group, we will share all responsibilities and decisions.
There will be a single common money box; there will be neither funds nor private projects. All decisions, on projects, will be taken together by the missionary group.

The group also chose a coordinator, two councilors and a treasurer.

On April 26, 1989, the group was received by Pope St. John Paul II, who gave his apostolic blessing to the new missionaries, after the mass celebrated in his private chapel at the Vatican City, before their departure for Asia.

As usual, at the end of the Mass celebration, the group was guided from the Pope’s Chapel to the library nearby, where the Holy Father greeted his guests.

“When the Secretary of the Pope told him about us, the Holy Father smiling said to us ‘Dehonians, Dehonians, courage in the Philippines’ (Fr. Juan Domingo Griffone).

May 17 2017

Acceptance of New Novices

On May 16, 2017, twelve Postulants (six Filipino and six Vietnamese) were officially accepted to the fourteen month Novitiate. The ceremony of acceptance took place during the Holy Eucharist in Dumalinao Parish, which followed the meeting of the SCJ Philippine Region. The new novices were presented to the Regional Superior Fr. Francis Pupkowski, SCJ, by the Master of Postulants Fr. Patrick Gutib, SCJ. So far this is the biggest group that entered the Novitiate program. At the moment the total number of Novices is seventeen. Five Novices (three Filipino and two Vietnamese) will have their first profession of vows on June 28, 2017.