Marianist Community - 22683 Alcalde Road - Cupertino, CA 95014
Telephone: 408-253-4841 – extension 252 – e-mail: stutas@aol.com

GREETINGS FROM CUPERTINO! SEPTEMBER 2006

Now that I am settled in Cupertino, I want to send you some things I have written in recent weeks. I wrote this first letter in Cupertino. Attached are letters I wrote as I moved from California to Hawaii – entitled Aloha Oe!

ANOTHER NEW BEGINNING – ANOTHER TURNING POINT

Almost three years after leaving Cupertino, I returned to begin a new phase in my life in the Society of Mary. I left Maui on July 30. After eight flights, many car rides, and almost daily walks, I finally arrived in California on August 31.
I brought with me great memories of my years in Hawaii and also great gratitude for this new opportunity to serve the Church and the Society of Mary in the San Francisco Bay Area – and beyond. My hope is to continue, in a new but familiar setting, trying to fulfill what I had been preaching about the Mission of the Senior Marianists, emphasizing Prayer, Reflection, Reading and Writing…

On the last day of August, as I flew from Dayton to Chicago and on to San Francisco, I had the peace and quiet of airline travel to reflect on the inspiring words of the Scripture Readings for the 21st Thursday. I was struck by Saint Paul’s great sense of identity and mission and asked for a similar awareness that each of us is called to help build a nation of saints. I also made my own Paul’s continual gratitude to God for what God has done for his people, enriching them in so many ways. At the same time I asked for an ever greater awareness that the Spirit is present and active in the Church today and therefore in our own lives. It was in this context that I found the words of Jesus so challenging: “Keep awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.” So often we think of these words in terms of the hour of death, but we can also understand them in terms of God breaking into our lives here and now.

Brother John Haster welcomed me at the airport and briefed me on Marianist life as we drove down to Cupertino. My new home is the former Provincialate in which I lived and worked in 1969-1971. My room overlooks the enchanting Santa Clara Valley and my office is the same one I had when I served here as a member of the Provincial Administration. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the boxes we had mailed from Wailuku in late July had arrived. In the afternoon we had a “Welcome Home” social and dinner at Villa Saint Joseph.

The 25 Marianists in Cupertino currently live in four residences while the Marianist Center is being remodeled. Every room at Villa Saint Joseph is occupied; others live at the Alcalde Residence, the Bordeaux Residence (formerly Archives – now excellently remodeled under the direction of Brother Tom Suda) and the San Juan Residence, the former Provincialate.

Brother John Haster is the Director, aided by subdirectors Brother Stanley Murakami and Brother Joseph Nu’uanu. Mrs. Grace Pancipanci and her staff continue to provide outstanding care for all of us, but especially for the Marianists at Villa Saint Joseph. Mrs. Nancy Romano is on call to offer secretarial assistance, including the editing of “The Director’s Report.”

It is from Cupertino that I am happy to send you greetings and to assure you of my continued remembrance of you in thought and prayer, ever grateful for your interest in the Marianists of Cupertino!

ALOHA OE-PART ONE

FROM MAUI TO CUPERTINO
VIA BURLINGTON AND DAYTON

LAST GREETINGS FROM MAUI!

I left Maui the night of Sunday, July 30. At my last Mass at Saint Anthony’s,
I made this statement before the final blessing:

This has been a very important three year period in my life.
I am grateful to God for being here;
I am grateful to you for your warm welcome.
I have also appreciated your support here
and in the various meetings and retreats
I have been involved in elsewhere.
Although I leave Maui tomorrow,
I shall continue to be with you in spirit, day by day,
in the celebration of the eucharist which transcends time and space.
Let us continue to pray together in thanksgiving and hope.
And may Almighty God bless you
and your families and friends abundantly.

BURLINGTON, AUGUST 1-6, 2006
GREETINGS FROM THE GREEN MOUNTAIN STATE!

The conference of major superiors of men religious (CMSM) was founded in 1956. For this year’s national assembly past presidents were invited to join the current members for a Golden Anniversary celebration. The site selected was the Sheraton-Burlington Hotel and Conference Center in Vermont. I arrived in the midst of a heat wave that was plaguing the mainland from coast to coast, even to upper New England. But living in an air conditioned environment made a comfortable setting for a great meeting. I attended a pre-assembly workshop on inter-generational relationships and instantly found some old friends and quickly made new ones.

The assembly was very well organized and the liturgies were well prepared with the monks from the Westin priory providing the music for the Jubilee Mass at the close of the assembly. I was particularly impressed by the way the theme of the conference – a Coat of Many Colors – was woven throughout the assembly as we reflected on the fascinating story of Joseph in the Old Testament. The remarkable presentations were both colorful and sobering, but always inspiring and challenging. The jubilee celebration featured past presidents and executive directors reminiscing about their years of service. I am attaching a copy of my statement. The evening concluded with a jubilee banquet. Early Sunday morning I made my way to Dayton. More about that in my next report.

ALOHA OE-PART TWO

DAYTON, AUGUST 6-14
GREETINGS FROM THE BIRTHPLACE OF AVIATION!

Early Sunday morning, August 6, I left Burlington to make my way to Dayton. There I was warmly welcomed by Father Bert Buby who drove me to the Marianist Community on Stonemill Road, near the University of Dayton. There I met the others, a group of nine plus some other guests. Community prayer at Stonemill is enriched by the presence of Father Gerry Chinchar who is an accomplished liturgist and musician. The Director, Father Paul Marshall, leads a group of enthusiastic cooks.

Each day, after morning prayer, I enjoyed walking for an hour on the University of Dayton campus. At the Marianist cemetery I remembered many outstanding “ancestors of courage.” There were many maintenance and construction projects underway as the campus was being readied for another school year. I was surprised to find many Canada geese enjoying the fresh mornings as much as I. And when I saw signs about “no sledding” I pictured the beautiful campus covered with snow.

Monday afternoon Father Bert and I went to Cincinnati to watch the Reds play. It turned out to be the Reds’ worst game of the year (13-1) and we were amazed at the number of exuberant Cardinal fans who had come in from Saint Louis. But we still had an enjoyable time together and we also took advantage of the special $1.00 hot dog promotion. We had great seats and I faithfully followed the game, but I enjoyed much more the magnificent full moon, large and golden, right in front of us.

The next day I visited most of the men at Mercy Siena, about a half hour’s drive from Stonemill. I was reminded of Maui when I noted that the chapel was dedicated to Saint Anthony. It was good to find so many cheerful and welcoming, beginning with Brother Frank Deibel, who at 97, is the dean of the Province. I was with Brother Frank in my first year of teaching at Purcell in Cincinnati – in 1946! He is amazingly alert, quite adept at e-mail and uses a cell phone to keep in touch with family and friends. I was also fortunate in seeing some of the staff – a group of Marianists who live in a cottage nearby – and Judy Moehl, who replaced Brother Jim Vorndran, and who had visited with us on Maui in January.

That evening Father Bert and I were guests of Eileen Moorman and her daughter Peggy for a fine dinner. The next evening I had a wonderful visit with my cousin Edna Gronlund who lives in peaceful but active retirement in Dayton. On Friday I drove down to Hamilton, going first to Meyer Hall where I had two gift packages waiting for me – so that I could begin distributing Hawaiian candy. In Hamilton I stopped first at the cemetery where my mother and dad are buried – along with my brother, my maternal grandparents and so many other relatives and friends.

I then drove through downtown Hamilton and over the river to visit my cousins Bill and Mary Helen Boyd for a lively lunch featuring non-stop talk and plates of tasty goetta. After that I drove through the neighborhood where
I grew up, past my home and that of my grandparents, up to Saint Joseph’s church and school across from Notre Dame Academy and then uptown before returning to Dayton.

On the weekend I walked with Father Bert in the cemetery alongside UD. The rolling hills and vigorous pace made this a much more challenging walk than what I had been doing on campus. My only business of the week was a conference call in preparation for the next meeting of the provincial chapter.
I had some difficulty with e-mails, and I wasn’t able to send any attachments while at Stonemill. Of course I devoured news about the Reds and Bengals, well covered by the local media – and local fans.

The big event of the week was the province jubilee celebration on Saturday afternoon and evening. The Mass at the University of Dayton chapel began at 5:30 followed by a reception and dinner. Eighteen jubilarians were honored, beginning with Brother Frank Deibel who made his first vows eighty years ago! Father Don Bracht would have been there, too, but he fell during the night and was briefly hospitalized. He made his first profession 75 years ago. Brother Ed Fick was next in line, and he was there, as he had been 70 years earlier.

Then came those professed 60 years ago followed by the Golden Jubilarians, including Father Dave Fleming, back from Rome after 10 years of service as our Superior General. We also celebrated silver jubilees and anniversaries of ordination. Father Jim Fitz, from the Provincial office, presided. In his homily Father Bert Buby blended notes about jubilee with reflections on the Sunday readings. An orchestra and choir led the music. Quite a few of our men came from Mercy Siena for the Mass and some stayed for the reception and dinner, too.

During the week I remembered other anniversaries and birthdays and I was united daily with the 6:30 Maui faith community. I also had a triple anniversary on August 8. On that date, in 1942, I left home to enter the Society of Mary. On the same date, in 1947, I received my first assignment to Hawaii. And on August 8, 1954, I celebrated my first mass in my home parish, St. Joseph, in Hamilton.

On Sunday I joined the Alumni Hall Marianist community on the University of Dayton campus for Mass and dinner. The Sunday pre-empted the feast of Blessed Jakob Gapp and Saint Hippolyte – two special days in my personal calendar.

On Monday, after my usual morning routine, I left the Stonemill community to move to Mount Saint John, about twenty minutes across town. I will write about my days there in my next report.

ALOHA OE-PART THREE

DAYTON, AUGUST 14-31
GREETINGS FROM MOUNT SAINT JOHN!

On Monday, August 14, I made my last walk around the UD campus and then went to Mount Saint John, (about twenty minutes away) again a guest of the Meyer Hall community. That evening I celebrated Mass with the community then enjoyed dinner and compared notes with Father Dave Fleming. The next day, Feast of the Assumption, was a perfect time for me to begin a special retreat as I processed another transition in my life.

For the rest of the month I had the opportunity each morning to make a vigorous walk around the beautiful property that was my first home away from home in 1942! Mount Saint John is simply a peaceful park, marvelously maintained by an excellent grounds crew and featuring countless trees and shrubs of all sizes and ages and shades of green. There are numerous memorial plaques all along the way.

I began my walk by visiting the Chaminade Shrine and then walked by what used to be the Provincial headquarters but which now features other offices, notably NACMS (North American Center for Marianist Studies). At 7:30 in the morning everything was fresh and glowing at sunrise as I made my way up the hill to the Lourdes Grotto across from the Novitiate Building. From there I walked past Bergamo and went to the cemetery, going past one row every time, remembering those great Ancestors of College – all of whom I had known.

I was especially mindful of those with whom I had lived – including four members of the Meyer Hall Community who had died in the past two years. After that I walked out to the entrance and then reversed my path. There were no deer to be seen, but many squirrels and rabbits and birds. All that took twenty minutes, so I did this three times and was then ready for the day!

I had a series of lunches and dinners with family and friends and visits with our Brothers at Mercy Siena. I also visited the Gallery Saint John which features work done by Marianist artists and I made a quick visit to NACMS, too, and was impressed by how well this work has developed in recent years. I also devoted time each day to writing – beginning with my reflections on the daily Scripture Readings.

At one point I mentioned that the only thing lacking was a glorious thunderstorm – and a few hours later we had wind and lightning and rain! The cloudburst came on us as three of us were visiting two of our Brothers who had been hospitalized. I was also immersed in commentary about the Cincinnati Reds and Bengals – enough to carry me through the coming months as I enter Giants and A’s territory!

Be assured I am with you in thought and prayer, ever grateful for your prayerful support.