Hospitality for migrants in Texas (USA)

Fr. Bob Charlton, ss.cc., Fr. Brian Guerrini, ss.cc. and the people of Queen of Peace Parish in Harlingen, Texas are certainly "stepping up to the plate" to help the immigrants coming into the country.  They have opened their parish centre hall as a reception help centre for those released from Federal Custody.

In memory of Good Father from Jogyakarta

SS.CC community in Yogyakarta held two events in order to celebrate the feast of our Good Father, Pierre Coudrin. First, we invite the catholic youths from Gantang parish to visit and stay at our community. Secondly, we went to St. Mary orphanage, in Boro, Yogyakarta, to share our family spirit with the orphans.

BREXIT, Context, Chaos and Revelation

Derek Laverty sscc offers his reflexions on Brexit

Context:  I cannot look at Brexit without thinking of Trump. My sense is that the 2016 election of Trump and the UK vote to leave Europe both evidence a shift to the right in politics and the emergence of what we now call ‘fake news‘.  The actual results on both sides of the Atlantic were certainly unanticipated and have brought with them unforeseen and one can say very divisive and chaotic consequences.  This shift to the right and the perversion of truth as a means to justify ends are not limited to the UK and the USA. I believe there is something more global taking place in our world today. Brexit and Trump are but symptoms of this.  What ‘it’ is I cannot say but it does seem connected to: (i) the global social and economic inequality that is growing among peoples; (ii) an unreasonable sense of entitlement and (iii) self-serving hidden powers and agendas.

A return to digging wells / Creuser à nouveau les puits / Volver a cavar los pozos

Fr. Mike Barry lives in Oak Hills (California), where he is president of Mary's Mercy Center. A new project (Mary's Village) is being set up to help homeless people in San Bernardino. In this article Fr. Mike invites us to "dig wells", to go to the sources of our SS.CC spirituality. 

Diaconate: service with a smile / Diaconat, servir avec le sourire / Diaconado: servir con una sonrisa

We offer two short messages that have come in from our newly ordained deacons: Don Brian Malnegro and Jose Marie Dumagat (Philippines). And another message from the new deacon Esitio (Tio) Niuliki (USA).

Rencontre des Branches Séculières d’Allemagne 

et de France à Werne (Allemagne)

Christophe PAVARD 

Coordinateur de la Fraternité Séculière ss.cc. - Secteur France

Vendredi 30 novembre 18h30, début de mon voyage vers l’Allemagne. En effet, dans le cadre des relations internationale de la Fraternité Séculière, nous avons l’habitude de faire des échanges avec la branche allemande qui, depuis de nombreuses années, vient participer à nos rencontres annuelles en France. C’est la deuxième fois que je me rends à Werne, après un échec l’année dernière puisque j’étais en panne de voiture. Un voyage aller très calme, en dehors des gilets jaunes belges qui m’ont bloqué presqu’une demi-heure. Arrivée vers 1h00 du matin ; le Père Ludger et Annegret ont eu le courage de m’attendre pour me souhaiter la bienvenue et m’aider à m’installer. Pour anecdote, il y a deux ans, j’ai passé la nuit dans ma voiture, mais ça, c’est une autre histoire.

Robert Charlton sscc 

is the Pastor of Queen of Peace Church, Texas. 

He is also the US Province Vocation Director and director of the  Prenovitiate

The United States Province serves in two parishes in the Diocese of Brownsville, a region of the U.S.A.  commonly known as the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) in South Texas.  The four counties constituting the Diocese are on the border with eastern Mexico close to the Gulf of Mexico.  The two parishes where we serve are approximately 15 miles north of the border.  Traffic between the two countries passes through several border crossings that are policed by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Services and the Border Patrol on the American side.