Last week, Feast of the Sacred Heart was celebrated with events throughout North America. In Mississippi, SCJs, Dehonian Associates, and members of the six Catholic Parishes of Northwest Mississippi gathered at Christ the King Church in Southaven, MS, for a dual celebration: the feast day itself, as well as the Centennial of Dehonian ministry in the United States. An afternoon Mass was followed by dinner.
“We celebrate 100 years of Dehonian commitment and charism,” said Bishop Joseph Kopacz of Jackson. The bishop was the presider of the liturgy. “It has been in our midst for generations in this diocese, with ministries that respond… to the broken of the world.
“In that spirit, we give thanks this evening, using the words of Pope Francis. He speaks of encountering, accompanying others and showing them the face of Christ. We can certainly say in the reality of Sacred Heart Southern Missions and the 100 years [of the Priests of the Sacred Heart] in our country, that so many in the Dehonian community… have revealed the loving Sacred Heart of Christ.”
Other celebrations included a Mass at Good Shepherd Chapel at Sacred Heart at Monastery Lake with local SCJs, SHML residents and Milwaukee area staff. At Our Lady of Guadalupe, representatives of Dehonian schools in Quebec, Mississippi, South Dakota and Texas celebrated the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart as they closed their week together in “Schools in Collaboration.” [See top of page] The parish celebration was in the evening.
And in Ottawa, the Canadian Region gathered Wednesday and Thursday for its annual two-day anticipation of the feast day.
