CCONGREGATIONONGREGATION OFOF THETHE SSACREDACRED HHEARTSEARTS UUNITEDNITED SSTATESTATES PPROVINCEROVINCE

JJUNEUNE 20152015

Dear Brothers & Sisters, Greetings from Eire!! As I begin this newsletter, I am attending the Assembly and Retreat of the Ireland-England Province. The Irish welcome is always a fantastic one. The brothers here, many of whom some of you know better than I from formation days and more, are spirit-filled and carefully discerning their future. It is a joy to be here with them. I was able to be with the community as they said farewell to Brother Anthony Mc Morrow, ss.cc. Hearing the words expressed by his niece, letting everyone know how easy it was for them to see how much Anthony was loved by the SSCC brothers and sisters, was a particularly special and poignant moment. It was also good to be able to personally thank the Ireland-England brothers for their generous financial support of $20,000.00 for Francis Subal’s work with the poor in Tonga.

FROM THE COUNCIL: We had our three day council meeting in Hawaii last week. Out of it came two continuing issues from Chapter 2014 and one ongoing concern regarding the care of our elderly. All three need your attention, thought and input:

PRIORITIZATION OF MINISTRIES LIVING IN COMMUNITY TAKING CARE OF OUR ELDERLY

To look at each one …

To begin, I want to thank Martin, Fintan and Kathy for their work on this. They have put together an instrument (as was mentioned in the last Provincial Newsletter) that identified brothers, their current ministries, ages and potential for more, which we then looked at in council. Evaluation of ministries will be done by the local community; prioritization of ministries will be done by the provincial and provincial Government. Martin and Fintan will be putting together a process which will include a profile of each ministry and other aids which will assist the local communities as we look to prioritize our ministries in November. The realistic view of who we are and what we are capable of doing will help us to plan into the future. This is a work in progress and much has been done behind the scenes – again thanks to Martin, Fintan and Kathy.

The 37th General Chapter (2006) speaks of an ‘intense community life’ (cf. Const. 38,39) as being lived, first and foremost, in the ‘local community’ (cf. Const. 39, Stat.9). It further affirms that the ‘principal agent of our mission and our formation is the local community ’ (GC 37. #4). It claims that interdependence is only possible through living at the local community level. The General Chapter then explores and advocates the commitment required by each brother in order for local communities to work as agents of interdependence – communal discernment, PARL, sharing of goods in common, etc. My purpose here is simply to jog memories of the Chapter, not to re-express its riches.

From the Provincial’s desk…

PRIORITIZATION OF MINISTRIES (STRATEGIC PLAN GOAL #1)

LIVING IN COMMUNITY (STRATEGIC PLAN GOAL #5)

2

The observation I have made in the province is that the local community experience varies from a strong structured position, such as what is found in formation and retirement homes, to a very minimal structure ( usually found in active ministry). This is not a judgment call on my part, but more I hope a reflection of the reality – and it seems to work, albeit we could say something from our days of formation has given way to the ministries we are involved in. A key component to this is the local superior and what this position entails. Javier speaks to this in his letter on the Local Superior (INFO SSCC

39. March, 2010). He begins with the reality that it is unclear what is expected of this position and, in many cases, it is vacant, i.e., no one has been appointed to fill it. However, he suggests that the local community, our principal agent of mission and formation, requires a local superior who has, at his heart, the desire for the local community to remain alive. He has to have a deep appreciation and love for the brothers, ‘being interested in their lives, wanting the best for them and taking their vocation seriously ’. (INFO SSCC 36). Javier then gives some concrete examples of the role that the local superior could play: Call brothers to meetings and communal prayer; Call brothers to discern a simple communal PARL; Review communal finances with the local community; Possess the ability to make decisions when necessary; Keep an eye on the broader community; Always having an attentive interest in the brothers. We have very few appointed local superiors – just as we have very few allocated local communities. We have been mindful of how we appoint brothers to ensure some semblance of local communities, but these have not been formally established. The Provincial Chapter 2014 has called for a change, and Goal 5 of our Strategic Plan has mandated that local communities be established. This is certainly in keeping with GC 37 and Javier’s letter, and has its strong foundation in GC 38. I would like to point to some remarks from GC 38 ‘Sent in community by the community’: No. 6. reiterates: “The principle agent of our mission and of our formation is the local community.” No. 7. explains how, “we appear to be reticent with regard to community life,”; we do not find an adequate correlation between our apostolic life and our community life. It further poses the questions, “How can we be convinced that community life is something good and actually makes us better people? How can we be persuaded that mission needs our community life? Where do we find the motivation to engage in the self-denial that living together demands? How can we move from putting up with community life to actually desiring it?” No.10. Suggests that “it is in community where the apostolic activity of each is discerned, shared and evaluated.” No.13. Describes the local superior as, “the servant of communion. He will be attentive to the needs of the brothers.” These resources reflect what our Constitutions express in Chapter III, ‘Our Communion in Mission’, which describes the role of local leadership in the community and the call to communal discernment (also see our Statutes

7); to the exercise of local authority (Const 98); to communal evaluation of the community life and apostolic life. From the Constitutions, to the General Chapters, to the General’s input, we have a abundance of beautiful descriptions of the communal life. They are constantly calling us to the communal life as the way of life for us that will bring life. We are constantly reminded through our formation of God’s activity in our communal life that we find the Will of the Spirit in our communal discernment far more poignantly than just the will of the superior.

3

Why then does living the communal life seem so difficult and different? Again from my observations, it is primarily ‘personality’. We are richly diverse. Some brothers get along, others do not. Some can sit and discuss our communal life and the apostolic works we do without any hesitation; others will just not feel comfortable. Personality affects style of leadership within the community and within ministry. Our personalities enrich us and can also be the unmovable rock that blocks us. We have been molded and fashioned by our trusts, our hurts, broken promises and dreams, just as we have by fulfilled lives of service and achievement. Our personalities seem to drive our expectations and often times they are not communicated well, if at all. It is what makes us fantastically unique with the potential for promise and can also devoid us of accepting and embracing those around us as fellow personalities on a journey. It is who we are. So, what do we do?

A common sense approach to local communities and local superiors and what is expected of them will certainly help us. What do I mean? Viewing and hearing how brothers approach what it means to be a local community and what is expected from a local superior varies with each brother. What is clear is that each brother wants to participate in a local community. This was apparent from the 2013 Assembly and in my own conversations with brothers. What is unclear is a uniform understanding of ‘what this looks like’ and then how to implement it. Perhaps a common sense approach is not to look for strong uniformity, but rather a sense of unity. This means that one size need not fit all,

depending on the lived experience of brothers which has shaped our differing personalities. It suggests that there is a ‘spirit’ of community desirous of the brothers, and at the same time ‘how’ the community is LIVED will be diverse depending on how brothers have experienced community. As I have understood it, WHO we are (our communal life) is reflected in WHAT we do (our Apostolic works or ministry). Throughout the province, the WHO as reflected in our communal life varies. I do not mean that we are NOT all Sacred Hearts men, i.e. people who feel for the poor, feel for our brothers, take seriously our ministry for the poor and endeavor to reflect this in a simple lifestyle. I am saying that this is diverse just as the province is diverse. What is a simple life style in one area may constitute luxury in another and vice versa. How we pray together is diverse; our practice of Adoration is diverse. A large part of this is that our Apostolic works (ministry) has and is impacting our communal life. Some see this as a danger and that community life will suffer for it – others see it as reality and that ministry influences our community life experience no matter how we try to cut it! I certainly don’t suggest that we be completely satisfied with this. We always have room to grow and strengthen our community life – to grasp something back from our years of formation. But perhaps we expect too much and don’t appreciate as ‘good’ what is actually being lived, even if what we live can always improve. How to approach this? First, let us appreciate what we have as community life as we seek to implement the provincial chapter mandate. The vast majority of our presences are two or more brothers living together, or in close proximity. We have very few who live alone (actually only three) and find their community when they visit others close by. While for two brothers this works fine, one finds it challenging. For the most part, those who live with two or more find this workable; a few find it a lonely experience. For the majority, they are content with meeting when meetings are called, usually to discuss matters given to them from the provincial government. Most find time to pray

4

together and give time to Adoration. It would seem to me that the tension between community life and ministry is real. While time and energy are always limited commodities, the balance between giving time and energy to community life and ministry works. However, it does mean a shift from what was practiced in formation years. So to expect a similar allotted time to community life as was experienced in formation is just not practical and won’t work. The reality is ministry impinges, for better or worse, on the time and energy we can give to community life. Realizing our reality and the relationship between community life and ministry, we should have realistic expectations. This does not mean expect less, but appreciate what we have, and at the same time be open to new possibilities for our community life. Second, we can structure ourselves in a way that appreciates our reality and allows us to strengthen, albeit in small measures, our community life. This is what the provincial government has done at our recent council meeting in response to the mandate of Goal 5. We have created larger local communities and have selected local superiors who will support the community life. What would be the role of the local superior as a part of these new local communities? Again I refer to Javier’s letter and input from the Constitutions and General Chapters. In practical terms the role of the Local Superior could include: In conjunction with those in the local community, call meetings for communal discernment, both matters of

concern to the provincial government or local concerns, i.e., areas from the chapter which they feel may have not been adequately addressed;

With the local community, develop its PARL, which would include a common project and the PARLs of individual members;

Facilitate community prayer and days of recollection; Address financial matters of the local community; Collaborate with other SSCC local communities; Coordinate social gatherings; Serve as the conduit for the provincial and his government. In a province of our geographical size, it is almost

impossible for the provincial to facilitate a communal discernment process everywhere. Local superiors can certainly help with this.

As we prepare for specific occasions, i.e. our 2016 Assembly and 2017 Chapter, the local superior can facilitate the discussions that come from the pertinent committees (Assembly and Chapter Preparation Committee) and report back to them.

In this year of Consecrated Life, we have been called to appreciate who we are as religious, courageously explore how we can be and do better; and boldly step (albeit in small steps) into a possible new or renewed sense of community. I can only hope that the steps the provincial government has taken will provide us with these opportunities. What is going to happen? The provincial government has restructured our local communities; these are not huge changes. They have also selected local superiors. I am in the process of contacting these brothers and asking them whether they would be willing to serve in this capacity. By July 1, I will send out a letter to each brother defining the members of the local communities and appointing the local superiors. One of the first tasks for which they will be calling the local community together will be to begin working on the prioritization of ministries in the province. We have eliminated the term area communities and will be using the local community as the bricks which make up the province. Not bricks to build a wall, but bricks to lay a road—a strongly paved road with strong bricks which (please, God!) will certainly make for a smoother ride.

5

As you know the provincial government has been working on determining the philosophy for the level of care that we provide for ourselves. We have met in area communities and have received input from individual brothers. At the moment it seems to be leaning towards Assisted Living Plus, i.e. something attuned to what is happening at Damien Residence. Of the 31 responses we received from brothers, 6 chose Option #1, Retirement; 11 chose Option #2, Assisted Living; 14 chose Option #3, Assisted Living Plus. There are still variables to consider which the provincial government is working through. We have set the final decision time for our November meeting. In the interim we will keep you posted as to how the discussion unfolds. This is a fairly ‘sacred’ area, as we are talking about our brothers who have given their lives for the Congregation and who want to remain as long as possible in a Congregation home. It would be good to point out that, should the decision be Assisted Living Plus, this does not negate someone retiring in place should they have an active brother who is willing and able to accommodate them. If you have any questions about this, please do not hesitate to email or call me.

PERSONNEL CHANGE:

Kathy Hinds, who has been with us for 11 years has informed us she is going to SEMI-retire. She and her husband Dan have brought a place in Sugar Hill, New Hampshire, overlooking a beautiful mountain range, and plan to move there sometime in September 2015. With the ease of telecommunications, she has offered to continue as provincial secretary in her semi-retirement, assisting us with provincial correspondence, provincial council meetings, the 2016 Assembly and 2017 Chapter preparations, but as she will be three hours away her daily presence in the provincial office will cease. Kathy is such a strong part of the SSCC family both for the former East Coast province and now the US province. She has been instrumental in ensuring communication reaches throughout the province: attaining visas; preparing for Chapters and Assemblies, assisting in Development; Provincial Council meetings; generating newsletters; work on the website; receptionist; and those are only some of her many duties. Personally she has kept me grounded and directed, constantly reminding me of things I need to be doing and preparing for. We owe her a HUGE debt of gratitude for ALL that she has done. I have asked her to say a few words in this newsletter as she prepares to depart – and again, its SEMI – retirement. She will be back and forth but nevertheless we all will miss her terribly. THANKS KATHY!!

To My Dear SSCC “Family”,

As I shared with some of you at the Assembly, eleven years ago this August 1st, my Mom died, suddenly but very peacefully.

When, through my tears, I looked up at the altar at her funeral, there were Fr. Tom McElroy and Fr. Gabriel Healy, special

friends, but both of whom I had no idea would be there. It was a very poignant moment for me, probably because my mother

(and my father) were such wonderful, faith-filled people, and I knew my Mom would be so happy that there was more than one

priest celebrating her funeral! It was only because of their presence on that day that I learned of a position opening at the

Congregation.

It truly does seem like just yesterday when I walked through the doors at the Fairhaven Provincial House, terrified at the “young”

age of 56 to be applying for a job again; not knowing whether I had the ability to start a new “career”, let alone to learn so many

unknown things! But you all welcomed me so warmly and lovingly and made me feel like I belonged—and I was absolutely

certain my Mom had so much to do with my being here—it just had to be all right.

You have all had such an impact on my life for the past eleven years. You have allowed me to learn and grow, both

professionally and spiritually. You have put your faith and trust in me to accomplish things that sometimes even I did not know I

could do. You have been my friends, my “advisors”, my family—and for all of this I can only say, from the bottom of my heart,

thank you and I love you.

Kathy

PROVIDING QUALITY CARE FOR OUR ELDERLY BROTHERS (STRATEGIC PLAN GOAL #9)

6

... NEWS AROUND THE PROVINCE

The 2015 retreats for the province have been scheduled for October 19-23, 2015 in Wareham and November 2-6, 2015 at Bethany. Both retreats will be given by Fr. Michael Ruddy, ss.cc. from the Ireland/England province. We are grateful for his willingness to be

with us. Michael has been to the East Coast a few times but this will be his first time in Hawaii. We look forward to welcoming him to the US province.

The India Assembly has been completed. Brother Richard Kupo, ss.cc. represented the provincial government at the Assembly. I have heard from Sudhir Nayak, Regional Superior, that it was a good gathering with sound deliberations. The members of the Region are primarily engaged in working on their Ten-Year Strategic Plan which I believe they are hoping to present in draft to the November provincial government meeting.

Brother Soane Ulutaufonua, ss.cc. professed his temporary vows to the Congregation on May 9. I was fortunate enough to be able to be in Manila to accept the vows from Soane, the first SSCC from our new Tonga Mission. He will be doing his summer assignment in Bagong Silang with Marisi Palepale and Brother Maiki Kamauoha, ss.cc. before going to Fiji.

Brother Michael Kamauoha, is in the Philippines with his newly professed brother, Soane and Fr. Marisi for his summer assignment.

Brother Jeremy Sabugo, is in London with the Ireland/England province working in ministries there including Emmaus House in Acton.

Brothers Justin Carrigan, John Sawchenko and Daniel Estrada are living with the brothers in the Mexican Province while learning Spanish.

In Novitiate, Esitio Niuliki and Semisi Pulotu in Hawaii and Arockia Kulandai in the Region of India continue toward their temporary vows in August. After much discernment, Matthew Bicoy has made the decision to withdraw from novitiate and the Congregation. We wish Matthew a wonderful and exciting life’s journey and will keep him in our prayer.

From the Kingdom of Tonga Mission, Paul Zaccone writes:

“Upon my arrival here in the Mission of the Kingdom of Tonga, I noticed that in my particular ministry at Apifo'ou College that there were certain basics of education that were not able to be funded by the school.

I began to fund raise and through that have been able to afford to purchase articles such as crucifixes for the classrooms, English Bibles, Dictionaries, school Spirit buttons, pens, pencils...the list goes on. This photo shows the Home Economics class of 90 students who had only 3 sewing machine. After we raised the funds, we purchased 14!! So the practical learning continues on. Malo to all who have contributed to this personal fund raising, assisting in my Education ministry.”

7

A reminder...

OUR 2015 STRATEGIC PLAN GOALS

Goal # 1 The Provincial Chapter mandates the Provincial Government to evaluate and prioritize all of our Province ministries in the first year of its term, using as criteria the “Mission” document of the General Chapter 38 and the decisions of this Provincial Chapter. Goal # 2 1. The Provincial Chapter mandates that the Ministry of retreats in Wareham continue and develop.

1.1 The Provincial Chapter further mandates that the Retreat Center be repaired, maintained and significantly upgraded according to the Province’s realistic capabilities including funding by a capital campaign if necessary. Goal #3 In addition to our work with the Secular Branch and Associates, the Provincial Chapter calls upon our brothers to invite the laity to join together with us in terms of Adoration, Family Ministry and promotion of the vision of Saint Damien. This will be included in the PARL of each local community. Goal #4 The Provincial Chapter mandates the Provincial Government to gather brothers with experience and interest in the Enthronement process to renew the enthronement as a form of our family ministry. They will do this in collaboration with the laity, especially laity committed to the Enthronement Ministry. Goal #5 The Provincial Chapter asks the Provincial Government to assure that all brothers live in local communities of three (3) or more brothers with a PARL and a local superior. Brothers can be living in one location or, for pastoral reasons, several locations, but in close proximity. Goal #6 The Provincial Chapter mandates the Provincial Government to appoint a member of the Provincial Council to be Director of Ongoing Formation (OF). The priority area would include: the renewal of community, mission, and our SSCC spirituality. He will form a team that would be representative of the province. Goal #7 The Provincial Chapter mandates that the Provincial Government will develop a three-year strategic plan. This plan shall include a financial component, which will ensure the stability of the property and investments of the Province. The financial component will also indicate how the on-going mission, support activities and any new projects will be financed. Goal #8 The Provincial Chapter mandates the Provincial Government to work with the Regional Government of India to develop a 10-year strategic plan for the region. This will conclude with the Golden Jubilee of the region in 2025. Goal #9 Providing quality care for the sick and elderly brothers. Goal #10 To organize a Province Assembly half way between the 2014 Chapter and the next Chapter. The Provincial government will explore the most feasible way. Goal #11 Facilitate the Chapter Decision to approve receiving West Coast Delegation into the US Province Goal #12 The Chapter formally endorses all the decisions of the previous Chapter that have not been abrogated by this Chapter.

8

... PICTURES FROM AROUND THE PROVINCE

Brothers Maiki and Soane in the Philippines... Brother Jeremy in London...

An Assembly in India…

and a Special Welcome to Brother Richard Kupo...

Brothers Justin, Daniel and John in Mexico ...

A “selfie” with the Texas Community ...

9

...with humble hearts and with the spirit and courage of St. Damien

...we move on.

Fraternal Blessings,

Very Rev. Johnathan Hurrell, ss.cc., Provincial Superior

CELEBRATING THE MILESTONES OF OUR BROTHERS AND THANKING THEM FOR

THEIR MANY, MANY YEARS OF SERVICE TO THE CONGREGATION!

60 Years

Professed 60 Years Ordained

50 Years Ordained

25 Years

Ordained

FR. GERRY SHANLEY, SS.CC.

FR. BRIAN MARGGRAF, SS.CC. FR. FINTAN SHEERAN, SS.CC.

FR. MICHAEL KELLY, SS.CC. FR. CHRIS KEAHI, SS.CC. FR. MATTHIAS SHANLEY, SS.CC.

FR. ED POPISH, SS.CC.

We are putting together the General canonical visitation calendar for March-April 2016 which I will be sending out to you in August. This is to allow brothers to be present while Javier and Pankras are with us.

I began this PNL in Ireland; continued it while in Fairhaven and finish it up in Texas before returning to Hawaii, June 24th. For the month of July I will be Hawaii and then in August will be assisting our students as they prepare to leave for Fiji and their new Formation experience. I thank God for His blessings and the wonderful works of each and every brother as we build God’s kingdom in the Sacred Hearts fashion.