POPE LEO'S MONTHLY INTENTIONS APRIL 2026
PRAYER FOR PRIESTS
In the life of the Church, priests are called to accompany, support and serve their communities. But they themselves can go through difficult moments in which they need closeness and support. With this in mind, Pope Leo XIV, in his prayer intention for the month of April, invites us to pray for priests experiencing a crisis, that they might experience the nearness of God and his people, and rediscover hope and joy in their vocation.
About Sacred Hearts Secular BRANCH
SACRED HEARTS SECULAR BRANCH
We are lay Catholics who desire to live out the charism of the religious order of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary and of Perpetual Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar which is the consecration to the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. In doing so, we contemplate, live and proclaim the Love of God made manifest in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary. We commit to a life of Reparative love through intercessory prayer, penance, Eucharistic Adoration and service.
DIVINE MERCY CONFERENCE/MASS WITH FR. BARRY
Southern California Charismatic Renewal Presents
Fr. Michael Barry, SS.CC., Maria Velasquez , LMFT and Dominic Bernardino in a conference on the Divine Mercy with healing Mass presided by Fr. Barry, SS.CC.
Saturday, April 18, 2026
St. Dorothy's Church, Glendora
11:30AM-2:30PM
NO REGISTRATION!
Fr. Saia Fainga'a, ss.cc. Graduates in Clinical Pastoral
Graduation of Clinical Pastoral Education
Wednesday March 11, 2026 at 5:15 pm in the garden of the University of Southern California Arcadia hospital (Formerly Arcadia Methodist Hospital) the Winter Full-Time hybrid Clinical Pastoral Education. Clinical Pastoral Education, a program to prepare chaplains, is based on group process and self-reflection, in the context of pastoral ministry, in this case in the hospital setting.
The group was comprised of the CPE Supervisor Rev. Bruce Whyte, Stephanie Ivler, a rabbi, Richard Reliford, a Protestant pastor/chaplain, Abigail Gaines, Protestant pastor, Tenzin Chopel, a Tibetan monk, and our very own, Fr. Saia Fainga’a. Fr. Saia Fainga’a, is an associate pastor at Holy Name of Mary Church in San Dimas, CA.
Tenzin started the ceremony by chanting beautifully a Tibetan blessing.
Fr. Saia graduated with one unit of CPE. He spoke about the process and his own personal growth at the graduation ceremony.
Join Sacred Hearts Secular Branch Today
Fr. Saia Comments
“I accepted myself, and I was able to connect with other people in ways that I maybe would not be able to if I didn’t if I didn’t join the CPE. I came in with the mentality of that “ I am a Catholic priest. I need to be a better priest.” The priesthood was the most important part for me; now I’m just a human person who happens to be from Tonga and who happens to be a priest and I find myself liking that identity more - as I shared with the group. I feel more freedom understanding that I am much more than the priest. There’s a certain freedom realizing that there’s so much more in the Catholic Church. The two women in our group because of you I was able to, I was encouraged to be comfortable with sharing my emotions. To the three men in the group because of you I get to. I actually copied a lot of Richard in how he pronounced words and how he expressed himself, in how he talked to other people. I felt safe with you and eventually I felt safe out there”.
Comments from Students
Some words from Richard: “I’m here going no matter where you send me next or whatever you give me. What if I simply lay down or pick up if I’m not the most healthy representation of a loving human being that will be short of His vision for us. That’s actually the work for CPE that it matters every human matters so as they pass as they have struggles as they struggle with their realities; we cannot do damage but actually do good. …. Sometimes the best thing we can do is love and sit with people with my pain with no answers.”
Abigail: “I took on Tower Four affectionately known by hospital staff as the Graveyard. I thought that it was a good idea for me to heal in a hospital so if I were to chart on myself…. I would say I spoke with, she expressed being supported by her husband , her children and her church community and a host of loving and compassionate friends. I held compassionate and empathetic space for her to explore her feelings around suffering”.
Rabbi Stephanie was emotional speaking about her 98 year old mother going on hospice while her children were in bomb shelters in Israel. She spoke about the transformative experience, the trust that developed, how the group was able to support each other and be vulnerable.
Tenzin: “It was very precious to have such an opportunity to take care of the patient in this hospital. If I just stayin the temple or just stay in the hospital? From our colleagues especially, our educators in the hospital, I learned that taking care, showing compassion, showing love to patience is something for me. All this love and compassion needs to start from me to start to grow out from me, so that’s in order to grow up all those love and compassion. I need to learn about my own emotions. I need to learn about all those kinds of negative emotions, which needs to generate love which opens my mind…., so that’s why learning and training about the emotions is the most important for my life to be open-minded so that’s all I learned from the class …..I need to recognize my emotions. I need to hold my emotions. I need to learn how to let them go because I don’t want to be starting in my emotions for whole life.”
PROFESSION OF VOWS by Fr. Bill Gural and john pickering
Welcome
Welcome
Welcome
"PROFESSION OF VOWS FOR THE PICPUS CONGREGATION IN SAN DIMAS, CA, the archdiocese of Los Angeles.
This evening at the 5.00pm Mass at the Holy Name of Mary parish in San Dimas, California, five young men from Fiji, Tonga and the islands of Wallis and Futuna professed temporary vows in the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary.
Their vows were received by the Provincial Superior of the US, Fr. Lane Akiona SS.CC.
Novices
Welcome
Welcome
Among the five young men, two are from Fiji. Iowani Tuiviani and Antonio Damuni Masilekaleka. Iowani is from the village of Kanakana in the district of Tunuloa, with maternal links to Nauciwai, Yale Kadavu while Antonio is from the village of Lovonivonu on Taveuni, with maternal connections to Nuku, Masi Serua.
From the islands of Wallis and Futuna is Mathieu Vaitulukina, while from the Kingdom of Tonga are Mark Makasini and Patelesio To'oa.
History
Welcome
Consecration
Fr. Lane spoke about the missionary legacy of the Sacred Hearts who were commissioned to evangelize the Pacific in 1827- nearly 200 years ago, sending Sacred Hearts missionaries to Hawaii, the Marquesas, the Cook Islands and Tahiti.
He also spoke these beautiful from our Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary rite of profession, reminding us SS.CC. of our consecration and mission. "There is a wealth of history of brothers and sisters, who came to those wonderful items to evangelize. You are the inheritor of our tradition. maintain yourselves in the service of the gospel." And now are coming full circle, with vocations coming from the Pacific- where we were first sent to preach the gospel.
Consecration
In the Service of the LORD
Consecration
Fr. Lane spoke these beautiful for the consecration of these young men to the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary:
"Do you want to enter into the mystery of redemption to prefer nothing to the love of Chris being for the kingdom of God accepting freely to be poor and promising to be obedient in order to be consecrated as such to the Sacred Hearts do you want under the action of the Holy Spirit to generously lay down your lives, serving the people of God, as brothers of the congregation of the Sacred Hearts, living your commitment in community as members of a single single congregation of brothers and sisters may God contemplate live and proclaim his love and may God with this good work and you bring in to fulfillment? May the Lord look with kindness upon your sons presence of desire by promising to keep evangelical consoles consecrate their lies to the heart of your son, and they find the heart Heart of Mary the model faith in your love and soul their way of life, glorify you and continue to the contribute to the salvation of all people to Christ. Amen."
In the Service of the LORD
In the Service of the LORD
In the Service of the LORD
"May your own attitude, choices, and task that led Jesus to the point of having his heart trans pierced on the cross; may you be sustained by the intercession of the Virgin Mary, St. Damien, Blessed Eustaquio, and the whole church always maintain yourselves in the service of the gospel."
"Remember: above all else we preach love."
The Tongan choir sang "Here I am, Lord" (in Tongan) with great gusto and joy as the first profession liturgy was concluding.
Fr. Chris Santangelo, the pastor of Holy Name of Mary Church, spoke a few words of gratitude, concluding with the call and response: "God is good.... all the time. All the time... God is good".
Indeed how great is our God!
by Fr. Bill Gural, SS.CC.
fund raiser: Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary (US province)
Annual Fund Raiser
Annual Fund Raiser
Annual Fund Raiser
Our West Region of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary (US Province) annual fundraiser was a big success, a wonderful time of sharing our gratitude and friendship we have formed through the years journey and serving God together in the charism of the Sacred Hearts.
Fr. Chis Santangelo wrote:
“Interacting with our donors, sharing a meal with them, and thanking them for their ongoing support of us helps keep our relationships with them strong.”
Birthdays
Annual Fund Raiser
Annual Fund Raiser
We celebrated the birthdays of Fr. Arul Thiyagaraj Esthakkiyan and Fr. Jerry Holland (one of whom has twice the number of years as the younger).
Ministries
Annual Fund Raiser
Reaching Our Goal
Mindy Teuber did a fantastic job of putting on this event with the help of many volunteers, especially her husband Brian, who manages the business office, and of their son Rhys.
On the program these ministries were highlighted as Mission for West Region: Holy Name of Mary Church, Mary’s Mercy Center, the Healing Ministries of Fr. Mike Barry and Fr. Pat Crowley, The Tijuana Outreach Mission Project. Damien High was also mentioned as an ongoing mission of the Sacred Hearts with Fr. Charlie Martinez serving as religious teacher and the chaplain. Fr. Rich Danyluk gave a warm welcome, thanking the benefactors who have supported our mission in California, and regional superior Fr. Chris Santangelo blessed our meal and time together.
Reaching Our Goal
Reaching Our Goal
The atmosphere felt like a family gathering, a reunion, with much laughter and sharing of stories. After the tasty appetizers and delicious meal, and exuberant dancing, Fr. Martin O’Loghlen gave a very persuasive appeal before the live auction, speaking of the funding of seminarians (reaching the goal of $300, 000 for the West Region to fund seminarian education for another year). He reiterated of the spiritual practices of Lent: Prayer, Fasting, and ALMSGIVING!
A group of Damien High students served at the event. It was good to see the young men and interact with them.
Community Participation
Members from the Secular Branch came from Chino Hills as well as the nearby La Verne/ San Dimas area.
God Is Good!
The event was quite successful, having reached one third of the goal of funding the seminarians for a year just through the ticket sales --- and more was raised through the live auction. Fr. Martin remarked that the turnout was the best as had ever been--- about 240 attendees. God is good!
*Written by Bill Gural, ss.cc.
out and about with fr. brian
With the Brothers and Sisters in Rome!
I arrived on Sunday, March 8 to Rome to spend two weeks to finish research in the General Archives of the Brothers’ Generalate on Via Rivarone for a book I am compiling on the SS.CC. Presence in the World. I was greeted warmly by Alberto Toutin (Superior General) and Fernando Cordero (Secretary General) at the Motherhouse. It took me just a few minutes to feel at home. I have been coming to Rome over the past few years to do research and to experience the internationality of our Congregation. Presently in the General House there are our five on the General Council: Alberto Toutin (Superior General from Chile), Jean-Blaise Mwanda (Vicar General from Congo), Fernando Cordero (Secretary General from Spain), Enrique Ramirez Capetillo (General Councilor from Mexico), and Stephen Banjare (General Councilor from India and the U.S. Province); Andrejz Lukawski (Postulator and Procurator General from Poland), Eric Hernout (Archivist General from France), Sumit Nayak (Licentiate in Sacred Scripture Student from India), Andrea and Giulio (young Italian students studying in Rome) and Nader and Ahmed (two refugees to Italy from Bangladesh and Egypt). It is quite a variety of nationalities and cultures in the house!
From left: Andrea and Giulio, Eric, Patricia, Alberto, Ploermel Superior General, Chilean priest fri
Three days after I arrived, we celebrated the birthday of Alberto, our Superior General, with a lavish dinner with three invited guests: Sr. Patricia Villaroel, ss.cc. (Superior General of the SS.CC. Sisters), the Superior General of the Brothers of Ploermel (whose General House is right next door to ours) and a Chilean priest friend of Alberto (see below for photos). I am here in Rome for two weeks, during which I am also running the Rome Marathon on March 22. Then, I will be 6 days in Leuven, Belgium visiting with our brothers and sisters there. Then, off to Ireland for two weeks with our brothers and sisters there, during which I am doing a 10K in Dublin. After Ireland, I will spend a week with my sister in Indianapolis and do a half-marathon there, then return to LA on April 20. Ciao, arrivederci!
SPIRITUALITY OF Sacred Hearts
Mission
“The Consecration to the Sacred Hearts is the
foundation of our Institute.”
From this consecration our mission has its origin: to
contemplate, live and announce to the world God’s
Love which was made flesh in Jesus. Mary has been
associated in a singular way with the mystery of God
made man and with His saving work: this is what is
expressed in the union of the Heart of Jesus and the
Heart of Mary.
Our consecration calls us to live the dynamism of
saving Love and fills us with zeal for our mission.
Constitutions Article 2
Mary
“In Jesus we find everything: his birth, his life and his
death. This is our Rule.”
We make our own the attitudes, options and tasks that
led Jesus to the point of having his Heart transpierced
on the Cross. In our radical following of Christ, Mary
his Mother, model of faith in that Love, precedes and
accompanies us so that we can enter more fully into the
mission of her Son.
Constitutions Article 3
Reparation/Reparative Love
Aware of the power of evil that opposes the Father’s
Love and disfigures his design for the world, we wish to
identify with the attitude of Jesus and with His
reparative work. Our reparation is communion with
Him, whose food is to do the Father’s will and whose
work is to reunite by his blood the dispersed children of
God.
Our reparation makes us participate in the mission of
the Risen Christ, who sends us to announce the Good
News of salvation. At the same time, we recognize our
sinfulness, and we feel ourselves to be in solidarity with
the men and women who are victims of injustice,
hatred and sin in the world.
Finally, our reparative vocation encourages us to
collaborate with all those who, led by the Spirit, work to
build a world of justice and love, sign of the Kingdom.
Constitution Article 4
SPIRITUALITY OF Sacred Hearts
Eucharist
In the Eucharist, we enter into communion with the
thanksgiving of the Risen Jesus, Bread of Life,
Sacrament of Love.
The eucharistic celebration and contemplative
adoration make us participate in the attitudes and
sentiments of Jesus before the Father and before the
world. They impel us to assume a ministry of
intercession and remind us of the urgency to work for
the transformation of the world according to the criteria
of the Gospel. Like our Founders, we find in the
Eucharist the source and the summit of our apostolic
and community life.
Constitutions Article 5
Evangelization
Our mission urges us to evangelizing action by which
we enter into the interior dynamism of Christ’s Love for
his Father and for the world, especially for the poor, the
afflicted, the marginalized and those who have not
heard the Good News.
To make the Kingdom of God present, we seek the
transformation of the human heart and we endeavor to
be agents of communion in the world. In solidarity with
the poor, we work for a just and reconciled society.
Availability to the needs and demands of the Church,
discerned in the light of the Spirit, and the capacity to
adapt to circumstances and events are characteristics
inherited from our Founders.
The missionary spirit frees us and makes us available to
exercise our apostolic service where we are sent to
bring and receive the Good News.
Constitutions Article 6
History
In the communion of the Church, the People of God,
the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and
Mary and of Perpetual Adoration of the Most Blessed
Sacrament of the Altar is an Apostolic Religious
Congregation of Pontifical right, founded by Pierre
Coudrin and Henriette Aymer de la Chevalerie.
Brothers and Sisters, united in the same charism and
the same mission, form a single Congregation approved
as such in 1817 by Pope Pius VII.
Constitutions Article 1
Join Sacred Hearts Secular Branch Today
Sacred Hearts Secular Branch Consecration to the Sacred hearts of Jesus and Mary
I take the resolution of honoring, every day of my life, the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary; of encouraging others to honor them, as much as I can; of repairing by the practice of good works, the insults that they receive from sinners and of observing to the letter the rule of this pious Association to which I will have the happiness of belonging. In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
About Sacred Hearts Secular Branch
Who We Are
Who We Are
Who We Are
The Secular Branch of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts is a group of laity who are committed to the same Charism as theprofessed brothers and sisters. It is an association of Christ’s faithful who share in the charism and spirituality of the congregation.They are an extension of the congregation. From the beginning lay people were in
The Secular Branch of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts is a group of laity who are committed to the same Charism as theprofessed brothers and sisters. It is an association of Christ’s faithful who share in the charism and spirituality of the congregation.They are an extension of the congregation. From the beginning lay people were intimately involved with the foundation of the Congregation.The Secular Branch took its present form in June 1993. It was formally recognized, accepted by both the brothers and sisters of the congregation. It had the church approval by the Holy See..
Mission
Who We Are
Who We Are
The mission of the Sacred Hearts Secular Branch is to promote the love in the heart of Jesus. The Charism of the Congregation is the consecration to the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary.From this consecration our mission has its origin to contemplate,live and proclaim the love in the heart of Jesus as living in Mary.
Membership
Who We Are
Membership
To become a member of the Secular Branch a person must be Catholic in good standing and undergo a formation process. Then after that process is concluded with the approval of the major superior of the nearest community the person is invited to make a formal commitment. The Secular Branch member do not make profession or vows but is committed to the same Charism as the professed member.
About Sacred Hearts Secular Branch
Spirituality
Communities/Candidates
Communities/Candidates
The Secular Branch member should be well informed of the Charism of the Sacred Hearts Congregation and be missioned by it. Study and education in the formation process must be successfully completed typically in 2 years.Aside from being a practicing Catholic, one should be motivated to spend at least an hour in adoration before the Blesse
The Secular Branch member should be well informed of the Charism of the Sacred Hearts Congregation and be missioned by it. Study and education in the formation process must be successfully completed typically in 2 years.Aside from being a practicing Catholic, one should be motivated to spend at least an hour in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament on a weekly if not daily basis . The member should pray and use the Secular Branch Prayer Book provided in the morning and at night.
Communities/Candidates
Communities/Candidates
Communities/Candidates
From the inception of the Secular Branch in about 1997, the first 7 members made their commitment in 1999. Through the years , We have a total of 123 commissioned members and 26 candidates.
Contact Information
Communities/Candidates
Contact Information
For information email SSCCWest@gmail.com or text 951-743-7189/ 909-593-5441