Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Thank you for your gracious welcome to me last weekend, July 8-9. After seven years serving as retreat director at St. Francis Retreat House in Easton, Pa. I am happy to be back in parish ministry here at Transfiguration Parish. It was in 1959 that I graduated from Duns Scotus College at Nine Mile and Evergreen; that was many years ago. After another four years of theological study, I was ordained to the priesthood in Dayton, Ohio in 1963. Southfield, Michigan looks a lot different to me now than it did in the late 50’s. During the time in between 1963 and 2017 I have had a wide range of assignments from our Franciscan Province of St. John the Baptist. For the first 14 years after ordination I ministered in New Mexico - Grants, Santa Fe, and Roswell. Then I was introduced to ministry in the African-American community where I spent the next 20 years - Kansas City, Mo., New Orleans and Lafayette, La. In the year 2000 I began something new - initial formation ministry in our Province. The first area of this ministry was in the Vocations Office. This was followed by seven years in our inter-Provincial novitiate as a director of novices. After these seven years I was assigned to my recent ministry in Easton Pa. I am still not unpacked as I type this article for the Sunday bulletin. Since this assignment came as somewhat of a surprise to me, I already had two retreats planned for August and November of this year. Because I need to honor these commitments I will be away from our parish for a couple of weeks when that time comes.
Again I thank you for accepting me as temporary pastor of your parish. The permanent pastor, Fr. Jeff Scheeler OFM will arrive in December and I will do ministry (retreats and substitution sacramental ministry) from my new friary, Duns Scotus III, where I am currently living. God bless you all. As you can see by the dates I note above, I am no “youngster.” However, I will try to do my best to be of service to you, the parishioners of Transfiguration Church.
Fr. Dennet Jung, OFM
p.s. If you want to know, as most people do, where the name “Dennet” came from, I am not surprised. That was the name given to me when I was given the Franciscan habit as a novice. At that time in church history and Franciscan practice, a new name was given to those entering religious life. Since everyone in our Province of 600 plus members was expected to have a different name, I was given the name “Dennet” which is a variation of the name Dennis. And yes, there is a canonized Saint in the annals of the Church by the name of Dennis. Hopefully, he doesn’t mind the reconfiguration of his name which I now bear!