Missionaries of the Sacred Heart

Discover the stories of some of our members. Find out what they are doing now and get a glimpse of daily life as an MSC.

MSC SOUTHERN MISSION

Fr.Bernie Jakubco, MSC

Fr. Bernie is parochial vicar at St. Rose of Lima Parish in Milton, Florida.

I am surprised myself that I am now a volunteer chaplain in one of three maximum security State prisons in Florida. And how cathartic it is: to bring some humanity to a tough place. I am there at least once a week, sometimes twice a day.

Most of the 1300 inmates at Santa Rosa Correctional Facility are in “close management,” locked up for 23 hours a day. I usually visit in front of the cell door and sometimes offer Holy Communion through the mail-slot-type of opening. Sometimes an inmate requests to be brought out of the cell, in shackles and handcuffs, for Confession or counseling.

I am forming a group in Faith formation for inmates who are not in “close management.” We also take turns celebrating Mass for them one Sunday a month. Our parish has a team of lay people who visit on other Sundays.

I also travel once a month as a personal visitor to another facility closer to Tallahassee. I am now familiar with five different State prisons.

Hispanic ministry is also part of my full-time parish ministry. I celebrate Mass and other sacraments in Spanish and am acquiring fluency, despite the fact that I don’t see many Hispanics, even on Sundays. Ever since their places of work have been raided by the local Sheriff and some have been arrested, those who are undocumented are afraid to appear in public. I will write more about the challenges of Hispanic ministry in our parish in the future. Meantime, I will be attending a short course in Spanish language and culture in Miami June 1-19, funded by a grant from our Sacred Heart Foundation. (Miami is 11 hours away by car, believe it or not.)

Mobile, Alabama, is close to where I live. The Brothers of the Sacred Heart were founded in Mobile in 1852, and their motto is “Ametur Cor Jesu.” That’s close to us, but not quite what our Father Founder had in mind. Obviously, Fr. Chevalier added “Sacratissimum” to that motto, plus “ubique terrarum,” with its world-wide implications—which daily inspires my MSC presence in the Pensacola-Tallahassee Diocese.

I certainly feel like a missionary in this area. Our Santa Rosa County is in the Guinness Book of Records for having the most churches in a county: about 150. Only three of them are Catholic.

The Pensacola-Tallahassee Diocese comprises over 14,000 square miles and has only some 67,000 Catholics. Officially, we are a “mission diocese.” The Archdiocese of Mobile has about the same number of Catholics.

The presbyterate here is an interesting assortment of diocesan and Religious priests (like myself) of all ages and from many different countries, e.g., Vietnam, Philippines, Poland, Ireland, India, England, Africa, Spain, Colombia, and the U.S.A.

I hear that the Diocese would be happy to welcome more MSC priests like myself. The four O.M.I. here may not be able to continue much longer. Father Schwab, who is the head of Catholic prison ministry, is 81 and will celebrate 55 years of ordination in June.

Father Bagan is 82 and is retired. Two are pastors: Father MacGee is 78; Father Gordon is about 48. Significantly, they all live in rectories; they don’t need to own real estate in order “to be missionary.”

So far I have not been able to break away and travel North for a variety of reasons, including the fact that the Pastor travels frequently on ministry assignments. I have a fairly full schedule, which also includes retreat and convocation at nearby beach resorts. Understandably, I should not pass that up; besides, I need to spend some time with the wonderful priests who are my colleagues in ministry.

I will stay in touch and will travel North some time after my Hispanic Ministry course. More about Hispanic ministry next time....

MSC Discernment Process