A Texas-sized Welcome for Father General
From Saturday, August 16th until Friday, August 22nd, Blessed Sacrament (SSS) Father Philip Benzy Romician SSS, Superior General of the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament, Father John Thomas Lane SSS, Provincial Superior, and Mona Grigsby-Suarez, Director of the Center for Eucharistic Evangelizing (CEE) embarked on their canonical visit to the great state of Texas and the ministries of the SSS in Houston, San Antonio and Laredo in Texas.
Father Benzy spent time with each of the SSS religious in surveying their life, ministry, community life, prayer, worship, and physical well-being. He interviewed each religious privately. In Houston, the local SSS community shared mouth-watering meals, prepared by various religious: Fathers Sekar, Thomas Smithson, Jaime Rodriquez Reyes, Christian Christopher, and novice Matthew Vlastelica. Saturday afternoon, the 16th, Father General presented a meditation to the Associates of the Blessed Sacrament.
Photos: TOP – On Saturday, August 23, the routine continued with a retreat similar to those held in Northeast Ohio and Houston, attended by 35 in-person Associates and others who streamed online to the church. Father General also preached at the Mass.
BOTTOM – Local SSS community with Deacon William, Fathers Sekar (pastor), Lane (provincial), Benzy (superior general), Christian (hospital chaplain, Jaime (parochial vicar) pause for a photo after the concelebrated Mass. Missing from the photo is Father Thomas Smithson who was busy ministering in the hospital.
A Florida Getaway Weekend and Visit – Part 1
Father Benzy, Mona, and Father Lane flew early in the morning to make the same “routine” with the Diocese of Saint Petersburg, Florida SSS community and the Associates from 5 different parishes, including the SSS parish Saint Vincent de Paul, Holiday, Florida. Father General enjoyed a Vietnamese-Japanese meal with our local SSS community of Fathers Joseph Thai Tran SSS, Dominic Long Nguyen SSS, and Joselito Hitosis SSS.
On Saturday, August 23, the routine continued with a retreat similar to those held in Northeast Ohio and Houston, attended by 35 in-person Associates and others who streamed online to the church. Father General also preached at the Mass.
Photos: TOP – Some of the Diocese of Saint Petersburg associates with leadership based at Saint Vincent de Paul in Holiday, Florida, which encompasses 5 parishes in the diocese.
BOTTOM – Five new Associates proclaim their promises into the Aggregation of the Blessed Sacrament with Father General and Father Fickel receiving them
