QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER OF THE CLERICS OF SAINT VIATOR Volume S, Number I Summer 2001

F A I T H

Election and Installation of

New Provincial and Council _____ ____ _ Every four years American

Viatorians meet to elect new lead­

ership. Easter Tuesday Viatorians

met in Arlington Heights and Las

Vegas for the elections. Father

Mark Francis, C.S.V. Superior

General presided in Chicago and

Father Gervais Dumont, Vicar

General presided at Las Vegas.

The Reverend Charles G. Bolser,

C.S.V. Pastor, Maternity B. V. M.

parish, Bourbonnais, lL was elect­

ed Provincial. The Reverend

Thomas von Behren, C. S. V. ,

President, St. Viator High School,

Arlington Heights, was elected

next and appointed Assistant

Provincial. The Reverend Robert

Erickson, C.S.V., the Provincial

Treasurer was re-elected to the

Council and re-appointed

Treasurer.

Two additional Counselors were

selected to join the five person

Provincial Council. They are the

Reverend John Linnan, C,S V. for­

mer President and a present

Associate Professor, Catholic

Theological Union (CTU) at the

University of Chicago, and Brother

Leo V. Ryan, C.S.V. Professor

Emeritus, Kellstadt Graduate

School of Business, DePaul

University (Chicago). The election

is to a four-year term, 2001 - 2005.

On Trinity Sunday, June 10, the

new Council was installed at a

Eucharistic Liturgy in the Chapel

of St. Viator High School. About

100 Viatorians, family members

and friends attended. The

Reverend Robert M. Egan, C. S. V.,

retiring Provincial was delegated

by the Superior Genera l to receive

Father Bolser's Profession of Faith

and the assent of the councilors.

Father Bolser was the principal

Concelebrant for the Mass and

delivered the homily. The Most

Reverend Gerald Kicanas,

Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago

presided in the sanctuary. He also

spoke and pronounced the final

Blessing on the new Council. The

Mass was followed by a social

hour and dinner.

Father von Behren will continue as

President, St. Viator High School

while serving as Assistant

Provincial. Father Linnan was

appoin ted Pastor, Maternity BVM,

Bourbonnais to succeed Father

Bolser. Brother Ryan will join the

Provincial and Provincial Treasurer

as a full time resident Councilor. •

Tile new Viatorian Council (L toR) Fr. fohn E. Linnan, Councilor, Fr. Thomas R. Von Bel1ren, Assistant Provincial, Fali1er Charles G. Bolser, Provincial, Brother Leo V Ryan, Councilor and Fr. Robert E. Erickson, Provincial Treasurer

2

Viator Reverend Charles G . Bolser, C.S. V. Provincial Publisher

Philip J. Skeris Director of Development Managing Editor

VIATOR is published quarterly by the Clerics of St. Viator, the Viatorians, for friends, families, parishioners and alumni of Viatorian a pos tola tes.

The Clerics of St. Viator are religious priests and brothers sent by the Catholic Church to teach the Faith and proclaim Jesus Christ as Gospel. In parishes, schools, and a variety of other m inis tries Viatorians w ork with Christian communities to live, d eep en and celebrate their faith .

Our legal title is: Clerics of St. Viator.

From The Provincial's Perspective -~ Dear Partners in Faith,

As I have been recently attempting to better understand the nature of the role of Provincial, I have just begun to appreciate the time, care, and compassion of those who have held this office; I remember well Fr. John Brown, Fr. John Stafford, Fr. Eddie Anderson, Fr. Ken Morris, Fr. Pat Render, and most recently the outstanding work of Fr. Mick Egan and his council. Each ~f these individuals has had to deal with problems and opportunities specific to their time. Following in the tradition that they and many others have established over the years is no easy task. They have indeed been fortunate to have been ably assisted by their councilors and by the entire Viatorian Community in establishing our identity and focus as we have struggled to meet the changing needs of our world and church.

It is both proper and necessary to extend to Fr. Egan, and his council, Fr. Larry Lentz, Fr. Thomas von Behren, Fr. Robert Erickson, and his Assistant Provincial, Fr. Richard Rinn, our profound appreciation for their service, dedication, love, and strong sense of ministry to the Viatorian Community, and through the Community to the people of God. They encouraged, challenged, supported, and prayed. The made every effort to respond to the presence of the sacred in all that they met and served in so many ways. Fr. Egan served as Assistant Provincial for eight years with Fr. Pat Render, and then as Provincial for the past eight years. He has served during these years with a sense of humor, and a continuing sense of dedication to not only his Viatorian brothers, but also the Chicago Cubs, which proves his sense of loyalty and unswerving faith in the second coming. On behalf of us all, I simply extend our heartfelt gratitude and love to Mick and his Council, as well as our continuing prayers. Congratulations and thank you for a job well done.

Sincerely in Viator,

#~h~c~ Charles G. Bolser, C.S.V. Provincial

Fr. Bolser surrounded by his sisters Anne and Mary Colleen and his brothers Joseph , John, Steve, their spouses and families and Fr. Robert Bolser, C.S. V Unable to be present: his mother, Mrs. Catherine Bolser and his sister, Sr. Mary Catherine O.P.

3

Young Adults

Assist In Belize Eleven young adults from the

Chicago Province Recently spent

ten days in Corozal Town, Belize

working with and learning from

Belizians active in the Viatorian

Mission there. The trip, spon­

sored by

the

Vocation

Ministry

Office,

brought

together

young

adults from

three

Viatorian

ministries

in the U.S.

to experi­

ence the

communi-

and one of our four young men

on the trip considering life as a

Viatorian.

with Belizian adults and young

adults. Finally the group saw the

beauty of Belize by spending a

morning snorkeling in the

Br. Corey Brost, C.S.V., director • Caribbean and an afternoon

of vocation ministry, led the trip touring ancient Mayan ruins.

Each

young

adult

talked

about after

the trip

about what

he or she

learned. "I

learned/'

Matt said,

that I must

continue to

grow in

prayer, to

be open to

ty's

international

Young adults from Belize an U.S. Viatorian Schools Following a Faith and Life Discussion session God's wilt

mission. The trip's participants

included six graduates of Saint

Viator High School in Arlington

Heights, IL: Ryan Keenan,

Megan Connolly, Greg

Anderson, Paul Daday, Mary

Scheck and Annie Reifsnyder.

. Two graduates of Bishop

Gorman High School in Las

Vegas- John Miller and Andy

Kano- also attended. The only

participant not from a Viatorian

institution was Matt Ramage, a

University of Illinois student

with help from Melissa

Jankauskas, also a Saint Viator

High School graduate and Betsy

Pons, who grew up in Maternity

BVM Church in Bourbonnais

and now directs Campus

Ministry at Saint Viator High

School. Jhe young adults

learned about the Viatorian

Mission in Belize by working for

a week as teacher assistants in

two mission schools. The group

also spent two evenings dis­

cussing faith and life in Belize

every

moment of my life as these

Viatorian priests in Belize" and

to share "my material excess"

with "peoples at home and

abroad."

Do you know a young adult

from a Viatorian institution

interested in 10 days of service

and learning with the Viatorians

in Belize next summer? If so,

contact Br. Corey Brost at

847/398-0658 . •

4

Regional Roundup

General Honored ___________ _ The Viatorian Superior

General is an internationally

recognized authority on

Liturgy. The U.S. Catholic

June, 2001

Annual Retreat Viatorians from across the

country gathered at the

Provincial Center, June 11-15

for the Annual Community

Retreat. The theme for the

retreat was the two fold prior­

ities established by the World

Assembly of Viatorians held

in Rome 2000. The General

Chapter of the Congregation

adopted two priorities for the

next six years. They are

Bourbonnais With the election of Father

Charles G. Bolser as

Provincial, Father John

Linnan, newly elected coun­

cilor was named Pastor at

Maternity BVM effective July

15th. Father Linnan earlier

was Pastor, Our Lady of

Wisdom Parish, Reno,

Press Association named his

new book "Shape a Circle

Ever Wider (Chicago

Liturgical Training

"Renewal of our Experience of

God, especially in its contem­

plative, dimension" .. . and

"Promotion of Vocation

Ministry" A team of three

Viatorians presented the

retreat reflections: Father

Arnold Perham, Saint Viator

High School, and Father John

Milton, DePaul University

presented aspects of the

Contemplative Dimension.

Publications) best

book in Liturgy

at their 2001 Awards

Ceremony in Dallas in June. •

Brother Corey Brost, Director

of Vocations, addressed the

Vocation Ministry. The Retreat

included Morning and

Evening Office in common,

Eucharist, daily Conferences,

group reflections, private

prayers and periods of silence.

Each day a different retreatant

presided at Eucharist and

delivered the homily. •

Nevada, before joining the fac- his "Unselfish and caring con-

ulty at Catholic Theological tributions to the life of our

Union (CTU), Associate city". Another new member of

Pastor, Maternity BVM, Father the Maternity BVM Team is

John Peeters C.S.V. was recent- Brother Daniel R. Belanger

ly recognized by the Mayor of C.S.V. who moves to the

Bourbonnais with the city Parish as full-time Youth

2001 Humanitarian Award for Minister. •

his Civic Leadership and for

5

121 Years

St. Anne Novena ______________ _ For over 100 years pilgrims from

throughout the Midwest come to

the Illinois Village of St. Anne to

participate in the Annual

Novena preceding the July 26

Feast of St. Ann, mother of Mary

and grandmother of Jesus. "Last

year nearly one thousand per­

sons attended some Novena day

and at the Feast Day Mass and

Festival" according to the Pastor,

Father James F. Finale, C.S.V.

St. Anne has been a Ministry of

the Clerics of St. Viator since

1932 when The Shrine 'Nas

assigned to the Viatorians by

Samuel Cardinal Stritch before

the establishment of the Diocese

of Joliet in Illinois. Father Arthur

J. Landroche was the first

Viatorian Pastor. Pilgrims attend­

ing the July 26 Mass this year

witnessed the unveiling of a

hitherto undiscovered stain glass

window of St. Ann. The original

Parish Church was constructed

in 1852. The present Church is

the third church and dates from

1872. "Sometime over the years,

the window was sealed off and

forgotten" according to Father

Finale. "Only when redecorating

was this historic and well pre­

served window discovered. The

Feast of St. Ann seemed the per­

fect time to unveil it."

The New Provincial Council stands to receive The Blessing of Bishop Kicanas

The 2001 Novena, July 17-26 was

preached by Father Wayne

DuPuis, C.S.V. Associate Pastor,

St. Viator Parish, Las Vegas,

Nevada. This year is the 121st

Anniversary of the Novena to St.

Ann. The cult of St. Ann existed

in the 6th Century in the Eastern

Church and in Rome since the

8th Century. It was during the

13th and 14th Centuries that

there was an enormous increase

in the devotion to St. Ann. July

26th was established as the Feast

Day in 1584. Since 1887, the

shrine has been known as the

"Original Shrine of Ste. Anne in

the United States." •

Name

Address

Send To: Development Office

Clerics of St. Viator

1212 Euclid St.

Arlington Heights, IL 60004

847-398-6805

Telephone ________________________________________________ __ Please include your current label.

If you would like any information on the Clerics of Saint Viator or if you have any special requests for prayers, please write them here or on a separate sheet, and mail them to us. Thank you.

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