The Priests of the Sacred Heart were founded by Leo John Dehon 133 years ago. We have ongoing efforts to give our staff and students a real sense of who he was and the values he stood for. This week is our Mission Awareness program. Fr. Byron Haaland SCJ joined us to help students and staff appreciate the spirit of love and reparation Fr. Dehon instilled in the congregation. We had two prayer services, one geared more toward the elementary students and one for the staff who work outside the school building, elsewhere on campus.
Fr. Byron had a full day because in the afternoon he gave a mini retreat to our business office staff encouraging them to understand, affirm and accept the members of their team. I think we go a long way in avoiding conflicts and resolving misunderstandings when we take the time first to really listen to and understand those around us.
In the evening he worked with our high school students. He was pleasantly surprised that they knew not only what prophets in the Old Testament did, but could name several of them. Maybe they’ve been listening to my homilies more than I give them credit for!