Walk with us!

Wednesday marked the official start of our visit to Vatican discasteries and councils. Our first order of business was to attend the weekly audience of Pope Benedict XVI. Each Wednesday when the pope is in town a general audience is held for anyone wishing to attend — just as long as they have a ticket (which are free upon request). We were fortunate to receive tickets that placed us on the raised platform and had the opportunity to meet the pope at the conclusion of the hour-and-a half audience.

Fr. Cassidy was able to snap this photo of Pope Benedict XVI as he made his way to Wednesday's general audience.

At the end of the audience, two gentlemen from Singapore joined us and I learned that the man next to me was the ambassador to the Holy See from Singapore. He brought along a gift for Pope Benedict, a beautiful handmade tea pot. He was a very kind man and quite talkative. I told him Singapore is my favorite airport in all the world — and it is!

We had just enough time at the conclusion of the audience to walk down Via della Conciliazione for our 12:30 appointment at the Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue. This was a joint meeting of LCWR (Leadership Conference of Women Religious) and CMSM (Conference of Major Superiors of Men) with its president, His Eminence Jean-Louis Pierre Cardinal Tauran, JCD. Cardinal Tauran shared with us the scope of the work of this council and its on-going effort to further the efforts of dialogue between religious traditions around the world. Obviously, at this juncture in time the dialogue between Christianity and Islam is very important.

Representatives from CMSM and LCWR shared with Cardinal Tauran some of the efforts various religious communities in the United States are making in promoting dialogue. The monastic communities of both men and women have long been involved in religious dialogue, especially with monastic traditions of other faiths, such as Buddhism.

We left two information packets with Cardinal Tauran. In one of these is included information on Dr. Richard Lux from Sacred Heart School of Theology and plans to honor him as he retires with the establishment of the Lux Center for Catholic-Jewish Studies.

I close this on a sad note. Due to the time difference between here and Milwaukee (seven hours) and the busy day that limits how often I can check for e-mail, I just found out this morning of the death of Fr. Michael van der Peet, scj. It did not come as a surprise as I have been kept informed of his failing health due to multiple strokes. I regret that I will not return in time to be present at his funeral. He was a stalwart member of our province having come over from Holland in the 1950s. Many students from our minor seminary in  Donaldson, Ind., and our former college in Honesdale, Penn., recall his teaching of French and his love of music. I suppose if you asked him though, the ministry he found most satisfying was as a retreat master and spiritual director. A personal friend of Mother Teresa, Fr. Michael spoke often of her and her influence on his life. Though officially “retired,” he continued to serve the province and church as a spiritual director at Sacred Heart School of Theology; his presence there and in the province will be missed.

Fr. Thomas Cassidy, scj, provincial superior

Fr. Michael van der Peet at the beatification of Mother Teresa

Fr. Michael van der Peet, SCJ, died today, April 21.  Already our province website is filled with biographical information, stories about his friendship with Mother Teresa, links to news articles and even a video interview of him.

One of the most touching items was written by Fr. Michael himself, to be shared after his death.

“Very understandably I do not know who among my friends will ever read this reflection, but regardless, I have my own personal and unique thoughts and feelings for each one of them,” he wrote.  “Each relationship is so unique:  what I would say to one, I would not say to the other and vice versa, but to all I would say, ‘I have loved you very dearly and as the profound saying of Roy Kroft goes, “I thank you, my friend, not so much for what you are, but for what I was, when you were with me.”’

Fr. Michael  would probably be the first to say that no one person’s life is more important than another’s.  The work of a quiet parish priest, or a brother in a social service agency, is just as important as a person whose life and work often put him at the center of attention, both within his community and in public media.  However, Fr. Michael certainly made it easy to share the significance of his life with others.

I invite you to visit our website to read about Fr. Michael, as well as the full text of the reflection noted above.

Click HERE for our province website.  To go directly to the feature on Fr. Michael, please click HERE.

Mary Gorski, province communications director

Fr. Tom Cassidy, SCJ, provincial superior, U.S. Province

Since we now have the ability to blog on our website I will try to keep you informed of my CMSM Vatican visits that begin tomorrow. I arrived in Rome last Saturday being one of the fortunate ones in being able to cross the Atlantic with much of European airspace closed to traffic. My Continental flight out of Newark was a non-stop to Rome, which made the trip possible. However the flight did take about an hour-and-a-half longer then normal since we flew a more southern route. Usually you enter European  airspace around Southern England and then cross France heading towards Rome. This trip we flew across Spain south of Madrid and then to Rome. In fact, I think this was the first time I can remember landing in Rome directly from the sea in an easterly direction rather then from the north.

Fr. David Szatkowski met me at the airport with Fr. Aquilino Mielgo as our driver. Fr. John van den Hengel had just returned to Rome the day before from the Missio Conference in Brazil.  One of his brothers and his wife are also at the house for a visit. Today the general council drove up to Vitorchiano (about an hour from here) to spend the next two days in talking about the six year plan, etc. John told me Ornelas likes to get away from Rome from time to time on these short “reflection” breaks. Vitorchiano is still, I think, the novitiate for the South Italian Province.

My “excitement” over the last two days is wondering if my companions at CMSM will make it over the big pond! As of yesterday there were only two of us here: myself and Br. Frank Carr, our treasurer and provincial of the Christian Brothers (Chicago). The other three were all in limbo regarding their flights. This morning I received an e-mail that Paul Lininger was able to take off and lands this morning. The other two are still a bit iffy. I have no idea about the women from LCWR.

Last evening the North Americans went to David’s favorite Restaurant,  Sor’Eva. For those who know Rome it’s just around the corner as you exit the tunnel and meet the Tiber (bus routes 881, 98, etc.). Having had our pasta fix at noon we all opted for pizza. I’m sure many of you heard it more than once from my lips that there is nothing like Roman pizza. Actually 12 years in Rome turned me into a ‘pasta snob’ as there is nothing like Italian pasta.

As I think I noted in my last letter to members of the U.S. Province, I did bring the iPad to use in place of a laptop. I did have connection troubles in the general house, but thanks to Villa Aurelia, our hotel next door,  I am able to get online. One of the first e-mails I read was about the deteriorating condition of Fr. Michael van der Peet. He is in my prayers as his time appears short. He contributed much to our province over the many years. As I sit here in Rome I am reminded of the time he spent here working on the beatification process for Mother Teresa, a women he knew well and admired greatly.

My plan tomorrow is to leave after pranzo (the noon meal) and take a taxi over to Domus Carmelitana S. Alberto where CMSM and LCWR will be staying. I’m sure we’ll have a planning session and then begin our work on Wednesday. I’ll try to report on our activities every couple of days.

Fr. Thomas Cassidy, SCJ

This is an informal blog hosted by the U.S. Province of the Priests of the Sacred Heart (SCJs).  On it will be periodic postings from members of the community, as well as co-workers and other collaborators in ministry.  Our first posts will be from Fr. Tom Cassidy, SCJ, provincial superior. He will be writing during his visit to Rome as president of CMSM (Conference of Major Superiors of Men) starting the week of April 19.  Be sure to come back and take a look!

-Mary Gorski, province communications director (marygorski@sbcglobal.net)