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Date Posted: January 25, 2012; Applications accepted until February 24, 2012
Job Title: Director of Campus Ministry
Description: Click the link for PDF of the Position Announcement – Director of Campus Ministry
Contact: Interested candidates should send a resume and cover letter to Marquette University Human Resources at http://www.mu.edu/hr/careers.shtml

For further inquiry, please contact:
Ellen Blonski at 414.288.4545

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To sign the guest book for an individual Jesuit, please click his name and you will be directed to a page that allows comments.

April 26, 1924, to
January 23, 2012

Fr. Glenn F. Williams, SJ, counselor, professor, and Jesuit for 68 years, died on January 23, 2012 in Pontiac, Michigan. A Cleveland native, Fr. Williams was born to Charles Grover and Grace Frank on April 26, 1924.

Following his graduation from St. Ignatius High School in Cleveland Fr. Williams spent two years at John Carroll University before joining the Society in Milford, Ohio, on August 20, 1943. His fascination with human nature led to an M.A. in experimental psychology and a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Loyola University Chicago. Fr. Williams also expanded his interests to literature, philosophy, chemistry, and theology.

Fr. Williams spent the majority of his years ministering in his hometown of Cleveland.  He was an instructor of psychology at John Carroll University from 1963-1970 and was associate pastor of Gesu Parish in University Heights from 1970-1978.  “Fr. Williams had a great ability to recall events in history, especially parish history and Jesuit history. He knew many of the families in Gesu Parish personally because he grew up in the parish.  He was one of those remarkable Jesuits who could describe in detail the history of the Society of Jesus depicted in the stained glass windows high above the sanctuary on both sides of the main altar at Gesu,” explained Gesu parishioner John Power.

For many years Fr. Williams served as a student counselor at St. Ignatius High School (1978-2003) before moving to Colombiere Center where he remained until his death in 2012.

Memorial gifts:
Memorial gifts may be made to The Jesuits, 2050 N. Clark Street, Chicago, Illinois 60614.

To make an online contribution, click here.

On Wednesday, January 25th, Cristo Rey Network Chair Emeritus and Chief Mission Officer Rev. John P. Foley, S.J. will be one of the nine leaders in Catholic education from across the country who will be honored at the White House as Champions of Change for their service to their communities and our nation.

The Champions of Change program was created as a part of President Obama’s Winning the Future initiative. Each week, a different sector is highlighted and groups of Champions, ranging from educators to entrepreneurs to community leaders, are recognized for the work they are doing to serve and strengthen their communities.

To watch this event live, visit www.whitehouse.gov/live at 1:30 pm ET January 25th.

To read the full press release for this announcement, click here.

Loyola Productions’ new post-apocalyptic drama 40, produced in association with the Chicago-Detroit Province and Loyola Press, premiered Ash Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012, offering viewers a one-of-a-kind Lenten experience. Available exclusively on the web, two new episodes will air each week during Lent on the series’ original website – 40theseries.com – as well as on Youtube, Vimeo and Facebook with updates available through Twitter. Each of the 14 (4 – 7 minute) episodes acts as a Lenten allegory and provides meditative reflections centered on the scriptural references contained in each episode, shepherding viewers right up to Easter Triduum. [ Click to Learn More ]

If you’d like a chance to win an iPhone 4s (like the iPhones used in 40: The Series), just share a friends’ email with us. Check out the contest rules.

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The Cristo Rey Jesuit High School Board of Trustees and the Presidential Search Committee are proud to announce the election of Cristo Rey’s 3rd president, Antonio Ortiz, effective June 25th, 2012.

Tony is very familiar with Cristo Rey and Catholic education.  A native of El Paso, Texas, Tony attended Catholic grade school and high school there before heading to the University of Notre Dame.  While at Notre Dame, Tony received his bachelors in Business Administration with a concentration in Public Policy and later his Masters of Education, which was granted in conjunction with the Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) program.  As part of the ACE program, Tony taught at a Catholic grade school in the border town of Edinburg, Texas for two years.

Tony knows Cristo Rey, its faculty and its community well from his ten years of service at Cristo Rey from 2000 to 2010 where his responsibilities included time as both Director of Foundation and Corporate Relations and as Associate Principal.  While at Cristo Rey, Tony also earned his MBA from Loyola University Chicago and graduated from the JSEA Seminars in Ignatian Leadership.  From 2010 until now, Tony has been at the Big Shoulders Fund serving as Director of Partnerships and Outreach.  He is excited about returning to what he views as an extremely special place, both for the students and families, as well as those who work to fulfill the mission of Cristo Rey.  He is truly inspired by those who will work with him at Cristo Rey, and exited about rejoining the team.

Tony’s experience also includes current and past service on several relevant boards, including the University of Notre Dame Board of Trustees, the Institute for Latino Studies Advisory Board, The Resurrection Project Board, and others.  Most recently, Tony was accepted as a fellow in the highly selective Leadership Greater Chicago program.

Cristo Rey is extremely fortunate to have enjoyed the leadership of Fr. Jim Gartland over the past eight years.    His impact on the school, its students, parents, alums, and faculty will be felt for many years to come.  All of us who got the chance to work with Jim are grateful for the experience and thank him for his selfless service.  We wish him the best in his new role as Rector of the Jesuit community at the Jesuit Seminary at Boston College.

To read this announcement in its entirety, click here.

Loyola High School in Detroit and the board of trustees are delighted to announce the election of their fifth president, Fr. Mark Luedtke, SJ, effective July 1, 2012.  Fr. Luedtke will succeed Fr. David Mastrangelo, SJ, who has served at Loyola for 19 years as teacher, principal, and president.

Fr. Luedtke is a native of Chicago and a graduate of St. Ignatius College Prep and Georgetown University. After working in retail sales and marketing after college, he entered the Society of Jesus in 1999. He taught and worked in campus ministry during his three-year regency at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Chicago. Upon completion of his studies at the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley, he was ordained to the priesthood in 2010. For the past three semesters, he has been interning at Jesuit high schools in Sacramento, San Francisco, and New York City. In January, he will move to Detroit and begin immersing himself in the Loyola community.

As a member of Loyola’s Board of Trustees, Fr. Luedtke is very familiar with the school and is fully committed to its unique mission that has been fostered so carefully by Fr. Mastrangelo and Loyola’s staff.

To read the full announcement from Fr. Mastrangelo and other news in Loyola High School’s “Landmark” magazine, click here.

To view a video featuring Fr. Luedtke reflecting on his Jesuit vocation, click here.

The Jesuit conference of the United States announced recently that it’s four-year engagement with OM Group has resulted in the adoption by the company of a human rights policy for its employees, including miners at its cobalt smelter in Lubumbashi, Decomcratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

According to the Jesuit Conference, their engagement with OM Group began after a visit to the company’s smelter in Lubumbashi raised concerns about worker safety at an adjacent site owned by a joint venture partner.  In 2007, three children were killed in a workplace accident there.

John Sealey, assistant for Social and International ministry for the Chicago-Detroit Province said, “Global expectations of businesses to respect human rights also confer a responsibility on the company to have its joint venture partners remediate human rights risks like the unsafe conditions around the Lubumbashi smelter where artisanal miners are routinely injured.”

To read the full article, click here.

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Date Posted: 1/5/2012; Applications accepted until January 23, 2012.
Job Title: Director of Business Activities
Description: Click the link for PDF of the Position Announcement – Director of Business Activities
Contact: Interested candidates should send a cover letter and résumé to:

Father Tim Manatt, S.J., President,
Cristo Rey Jesuit High School
2924 4th Ave S
Minneapolis, MN 55408-0268

or email to timmanatt@cristoreytc.org

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To sign the guest book for an individual Jesuit, please click his name and you will be directed to a page that allows comments.

October 19, 1936, to
December 19, 2011

Fr. Thomas M. Gannon, SJ, Chicago native and Jesuit for 57 years, died on December 19, 2011, in Pontiac, Michigan.  Fr. Gannon was born to Thomas and Bernice (Pouk) Gannon on October 19, 1936.  “He was a wonderful, generous friend who had helped very many people,” explained friend and fellow Jesuit Br. Jerome Pryor, SJ.  “He generously shared his friends with me and they are now my friends.”

Fr. Gannon joined the Society of Jesus in Milford, Ohio, in 1954 after graduating from Loyola Academy.  During his years of Jesuit formation, he received his B.A. in classics and M.A. in Sociology from Loyola University Chicago, a Ph.L. in philosophy from West Baden College, an S.T.L. degree in Theology from Bellarmine School of Theology, and a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Chicago. During regency, Fr. Gannon taught at Loyola Academy (1961-1962) where he also led the Glee Club.  He then moved on to St. Ignatius High School in Cleveland where he continued to teach sociology, Latin, and dramatics.

He took on many administrative roles in the Province Office (as associate director of Province Planning, director of the Social Apostolate and social ministries planning, Provincial Assistant for Jesuits in Formation, and Provincial Assistant for Special Projects).  “Tom was a pioneer when the US Jesuit leadership changed from assistants to formation directors.  This was not a mere change of title, but a real and major change in how we supported and guided younger Jesuits,” said longtime friend Fr. George Traub, SJ. Fr. Gannon spent 10 years at Loyola University Chicago (LUC) where he served as Chairman of the Department of Sociology.  He was director and superior of the Woodstock Theological Center in Washington, DC, and he served as the administrator of Holy Family Parish in Chicago.  Most recently, he was the Director of the Heartland Center in East Chicago, Indiana, and the Director of Peace and Social Justice in the Diocese of Gary, Indiana.

Fr. Gannon moved to the Colombiere Center in 2008 where he worked on his writing and served the community until his death.  “During his health difficulties, he never lost his sense of humor,” said Br. Pryor.

Memorial gifts:

Memorial gifts may be made to The Jesuits, 2050 N. Clark Street, Chicago, Illinois 60614.

To make an online contribution, click here.

The Ignatian Volunteer Corps National office welcomes Christine Curran as the new Director of the Ignatian Volunteer Corps in Chicago (IVC). Christine Curran succeeds George Sullivan, Regional Director for Chicago IVC since its inception in 2001.

Christine comes to IVC with a professional background in volunteer coordination and social service administration, most recently serving as Director of Mission and Community Relations at Franciscan Outreach Association, a homeless services organization in Chicago. Christine is intimately familiar with the experience of volunteering, having served in settings across the country from shelters and transitional housing programs to refugee and elderly supportive services. In 2004, she transitioned from a career in political journalism to become a full-time volunteer with Covenant House in Atlantic City, NJ where she served as a youth counselor for homeless and at-risk youth. Christine also has ministry experience working with foster care youth in residential care, and has taught English overseas in grammar and high schools in Poland and Taiwan. Christine earned a B.A. in Philosophy and History of Mathematics from St. John’s College, MD and an M.A. in Religious Studies from Yale Divinity School in addition to further graduate studies at Catholic Theological Union.

The Ignatian Volunteer Corps in Chicago has maintained solid membership over the last several years with 40 men and women serving the poor through 31 partner agencies across the Chicagoland area. IVC offers a substantive and sustainable way for retired men and women to integrate service and Ignatian spirituality. Ignatian Volunteers serve materially poor and marginalized communities two days per week (September through June) in a range of settings, including schools, social service agencies, hospitals, and immigration centers.

Members come from a wide variety of backgrounds—law, medicine, parenting, military, business, education and more—but they share a common desire to meet Christ in service to the poor. The impact Ignatian Volunteers have in the lives of the marginalized is immeasurable.

For more information on how to become involved in IVC Chicago as a member or IVC partner agency please contact Christine Curran at 773-975-6871 or ccurran@ivcusa.org. Additional information can also be found at www.ivcusa.org.

UPDATE 12/16/11:
On Tuesday, Ann Arbor immigrant Lourdes Salazar learned that her December 27^th deportation had been postponed for one year through Deferred Action. She will remain in the country to enjoy Christmas with her family in the United States.

For more information on Lourdes’ case, click here.

UPDATE:
The vigil held Friday, November 11, 2011, was attended by many to show their support for Ms. Lourdes Salazar.  ABC 7 Action News was there to cover the event.  To view the video, click here.

The work for Lourdes’ case continues.  More petitioning and phone calls are needed to help persuade ICE Director Morton to grant Lourdes a deferment of her deportation order, set for December 27.  Three University of Michigan students are currently at the Capital meeting with Senator Stabenow and others to share their thoughts on various social justice issues, including immigration reform.  None of this could have happened without your help and continued support.

Parishioner and mother of three facing deportation:  A candlelight vigil will be held today, Friday, November 11 to support a member of the Jesuit-run parish at U. of Michigan, Ann Arbor (St. Mary Student Parish) Ms. Lourdes Salazar is scheduled to be deported on December 27.  She and her husband have been in the U.S. for 14 years and they have three children (ages 13, 9, 7) all born in the U.S. They have owned a house in Ann Arbor for over ten years.  Her husband was deported last year and she has been the sole supporter of her kids.  Lourdes is just one of three individuals from the parish that are in the process of deportation.  The parish is working with other immigrant rights groups on and off campus to petition for reconsideration of her case.  Bishop Earl Boyea (Diocese of Lansing) and oversees Ann Arbor has written to directors of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on behalf of Ms. Salazar.

 

Additional Resources:
Click here to learn more about Lordes’ case and help take action
To read a joint appeal to Congress made by the provincials of the Jesuit conference, click here
Learn more about the Jesuits’ work on migration and immigration
US Conference of Catholic Bishops
Justice for Immigrants
New York Times Article About President Obama’s Policy on Deportation

To sign the guest book for an individual Jesuit, please click his name and you will be directed to a page that allows comments.

June 26, 1923, to
December 7, 2011

Fr. Robert E. Beckman, SJ, who served as a Jesuit missionary to the people of Peru for 39 years, died on December 7, 2011, in Clarkston, Michigan.  Fr. Beckman was born to Vincent and Irene (Hummel) Beckman in Cincinnati on June 26, 1923.  “He was one of the most optimistic people I have ever known,” said longtime friend Fr. John Foley, SJ.  “His gift, his style of leading, was to encourage everyone on the team to do their thing and he’d get out of the way.”

Following his graduation from St. Xavier High School in 1941, Fr. Beckman began studying at Xavier University before joining the Society of Jesus in Milford, Ohio.  During his Jesuit formation Fr. Beckman received various degrees from Xavier University, West Baden College, Loyola University Chicago, the University of Michigan, and Georgetown University. His broad interest earned him degrees in Latin, philosophy, theology, history, education, linguistics, Spanish, and pastoral studies.

Fr. Beckman spent the majority of his years of ministry in the Society in Peru.  As one of the very first Jesuits to go to Peru from the former Chicago Province, he taught, was involved in spirituality programs, and was asked to serve in administration. Among his administration jobs, Fr. Beckman was principal and later director of Colegio San Jose (Arequipa), director of juniors at the Jesuit Center of Spirituality (Lima, Peru), rector of Xavier University (Cincinnati), and even acting regional superior in Peru.  Fr. Patrick Casey, SJ, spent many years with Fr. Beckman in Peru. When describing his impact on the people of Peru Fr. Casey explained, “He was very much involved in the spirit of change of the Society in those days.  He insisted that we American Jesuits make an effort at enculturation into the Peruvian world and he was a leader in social reform.  He encouraged Jesuit members of the community to live among the poor, and then eventually went to live there as well.”

Because he was a truly gifted spiritual director, the Peruvian Provincial asked him to live in the novitiate to serve as an inspiration to the young Jesuits. “In spiritual direction, when someone shared with him what had excited them most in prayer, he would get as excited as the person he was directing,” explained Fr. Foley.  “Spiritual direction was more like a pep rally, and people flocked to him.”

Fr. Beckman returned to the US many times during his career.  In October of 2007, he returned to Clarkston, Michigan, where he remained until his death.

Those in Peru have described him as “a messenger from God,” “one who reflects the great stamp that the Jesuits have inherited from St. Ignatius of Loyola and lived it to the fullest,” “friend, guide, and man of God,” and “a spiritual father.”  His light-hearted, enthusiastic and warm spirit was infectious. He was greatly loved wherever he was missioned.

Memorial gifts:

Memorial gifts may be made to The Jesuits, 2050 N. Clark Street, Chicago, Illinois 60614.

To make an online contribution, click here.

Earlier this year the National Alliance to End Homelessness State of Homelessness Report estimated that 14,055 people currently  experience homelessness each night in Illinois.  According to the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, in 2010-2011, 93,870  men, women, youth, and children were homeless in Chicago.  This includes those living in shelters or with relatives and friends.  Nationally, over the course of a year, 2.5 million to 3.5 million people in the United States will experience homelessness.

Many are losing the battle to survive.

The National Health Care for the Homeless Council, states, “Homelessness dramatically elevates one’s risk of illness, injury and death.  Join us as the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless and the Ignatian Spirituality Project host a Memorial Service for Those Who Died Homeless. The Memorial will take place on Wednesday, Dec. 21 at 6 p.m. at Old St. Patrick’s Church, 700 West Adams Street.

“Let’s consider the incarnation through a different lens, the lens of the homeless poor living and dying on our streets.  In Chicago, where the abundance of wealth and security is ever present in the bombardment of media messages to buy, buy, buy, there is another reality; the reality of our brothers and sisters — children of God — losing the struggle for their lives.  It is to them that we turn to, to memorialize and to ask about the message of beauty and hope that Christmas offers,” said Tom Drexler, executive director of the Ignatian Spirituality Project.

This Memorial Service and Candle Lighting Ceremony is a way to honor those who died without hope, without a home. It’s an opportunity to give grieving loved ones a moment of remembrance for those they’ve lost as well as a chance to celebrate their lives. “I am convinced that there are certain things that only the weakest and most vulnerable among us can teach us about life. We have to offer hope to those still in the midst of this struggle, a life struggle for survival,” said Wayne Richards, community organizer for the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless.

In the shadows of the Magnificent Mile, this Memorial Service and Candle Lighting will serve as a reminder to all of us that homelessness is a human struggle. Each individual life is precious; therefore, we should all care about the struggles of others because housing is a human right.

“It is our hope that this Candle Lighting and Memorial Service will help build awareness of this plight that affects so many people across the country,” said Tim McCabe, retreat coordinator and development associate for the Ignatian Spirituality Project. “We hope those struggling with this difficult issue will be encouraged to move beyond it.”

For more information on this service, please contact Tim McCabe, Development Officer for the Ignatian Spirituality Project, 312.226.9184 or  tim@ispretreats.org

About the Ignatian Spirituality Project

Founded in 1999, The Ignatian Spirituality Project (ISP) works to end homelessness by providing Ignatian Retreats to men and women who are homeless and in recovery.  ISP has found that people living in shelters and on the streets are confronting enormous obstacles in their transition out of homelessness and into recovery.  ISP has pioneered a retreat program, which effectively addresses this need.  Spirituality and spiritual retreats have proven to be an effective and important resource in laying a fundamental foundation of hope, which can lead to further and long lasting transformation.

About the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless

Since 1980, the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless (CCH) has had a clear mission: We organize and advocate to prevent and end homelessness because we believe housing is a human right in a just society.

CCH advocacy targets access to affordable housing, job training and public schools in Chicago and the suburbs. Community organizers, policy specialists, and public interest attorneys work with people who are impacted by homelessness, including mothers with children, unaccompanied youth, prostitution survivors, ex-offenders, and low-wage workers. CCH runs regular outreach at 30 shelters, transitional housing and street programs across Chicago, involving 4,500 people a year.

About Harmony Hope and Healing

Harmony Hope and Healing (HHH) is a creative music program that, since 2003, has been offering dignity and spiritual healing to homeless and under-served individuals in Chicago.   Through music therapy, HHH promotes healing to those experiencing homelessness, poverty, substance abuse, community and domestic violence, and isolation.   HHH offers a means to make positive changes through the restorative power of music.

To sign the guest book for an individual Jesuit, please click his name and you will be directed to a page that allows comments.

June 26, 1928, to
November 25, 2011

Fr. Gerald C. Walling, SJ, who worked as a professor, writer, and actor for over 50 years, died on November 25, 2011, in Clarkston, Michigan.  A Chicago native, Fr. Walling was born to parents Charles and Clara (Stachler) Walling on June 26, 1928.  “He will always be remembered by his friends for his wonderful sense of humor.  He was an inspiration to us because of his humble and sweet spirit,” wrote a former coworker in an online tribute.

Following his graduation from St. Rita High School in Chicago in 1946, Fr. Walling began studying at the Illinois Institute of Technology.  He earned his B.S. in psychology with a minor in sociology from Loyola University Chicago.  From 1948 to 1950, Fr. Walling served in the United States Marine Corps Reserve.  Despite his father urging him to reenlist, Fr. Walling felt an inner voice was telling him not to. On August 8, 1951, Fr. Walling joined the Society of Jesus in Milford, Ohio.  During his time with the Jesuits Fr. Walling received degrees in numerous fields including humanities, philosophy, theology, and theater.  When asked why he became a Jesuit, Fr. Walling credited an ill-fated date.  He explained, “On a date in February, 1951, she stunned me by saying she was going to become a nun.  How could she take all that talent and vivacity, and pour it into a life of service of others?  God showed me it was love.”

From 1956 to 1978 Fr. Walling worked all around the Midwest in Jesuit high schools and universities teaching theater, and writing and directing plays.  In April of 1978, former provincial Fr. Dan Flaherty, SJ, urged Fr. Walling to become a professional actor explaining, “You can meet and influence people that other Jesuits would never contact.”  Following the advice of his provincial, Fr. Walling spent the next six years working as a professional actor in Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York City.  His work included roles in musicals, soap operas, and most recognized, The Blues Brothers movie alongside Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi in 1980.

For the remainder of his career Fr. Walling stayed close to his hometown and continued his work in fine arts.  He retired in 2008 and lived in Clarkston, Michigan, until his death in November 2011.

Memorial gifts:
Memorial gifts may be made to The Jesuits, 2050 N. Clark Street, Chicago, Illinois 60614.

To make an online contribution, click here.

To sign the guest book for an individual Jesuit, please click his name and you will be directed to a page that allows comments

August 17, 1925, to
November 23, 2011

Fr. Theodore C. Thepe, SJ, avid photographer and chemistry professor for 50 years died on November 23, 2011, in Clarkston, Michigan.  Fr. Thepe was born to Theodore and Mary (Gailbraith) Thepe in Cincinnati, Ohio, on August 17, 1924. 

After graduating from St. Xavier High School in 1942, Fr. Thepe joined the Society of Jesus in Milford, Ohio.  Following two years at the novitiate, he received various degrees including a B.A. from Loyola University Chicago in Latin (1946-1947), philosophy and theology degrees from West Baden College (1946-1979 and 1952-1956) in West Baden, Indiana, and an M.S. in Chemistry from John Carroll University in Cleveland, Ohio (1958-1961). Chemistry would prove to be a passion that would continue for the remainder of Fr. Thepe’s life.  “A great teacher and a great love for science was obvious,” said former student Anne Leugers of Midland, Michigan.  Fr. Thepe was ordained on June 15, 1955. 

Fr. Thepe began his first assignment at Loyola Academy in Wilmette, Illinois, where he taught physics and geometry from 1949-1958. Beginning in 1961, he began a long career at Xavier University (XU) that would last 50 years and allow him to impact the lives of many students.  Fr. Thepe taught both chemistry and photography during his years at XU.  On the university’s website, a tribute written in Fr. Thepe’s honor explained, “Thepe was popular with students and maintained friendships with them long after they left his classes.  He was known for his classes on radioactivity in the 1950s and 1960s when it was a new science.” 

A self-taught photographer, Fr. Thepe’s enthusiasm for photography began at age four and would also become a part of his career at XU.  Known as the “camera man,” Fr. Thepe embraced the digital age while still remaining loyal to his traditional film cameras.  In an interview with Fr. Thepe in the summer 2009 issue of Xavier Magazine, he described how his love for photography began, “My uncle loved photography.  Uncle Clement had no children, and he treated me like a son.  He took photos of every family event, and he gave me the camera when he died.  It was important to me because he did it and enjoyed it and because I could represent people at events, even to be able to find sunlight and shadows that made sense to me.”  (For more from this article and others about Fr. Thepe, click here.)  His favorite subjects included flowers and Xavier’s women’s basketball team.

Fr. Thepe remained at Xavier University until his retirement in 2010.  Today, he is fondly remembered by his former students.  In an online tribute one student wrote, “It was a joy to have you as my professor at Xavier.  I loved learning about photography from you and have never forgotten you or your class.” 

Memorial gifts:
Memorial gifts may be made to The Jesuits, 2050 N. Clark Street, Chicago, Illinois 60614.

To make an online contribution, click here.

In October 2011, a 10-foot statue of Our Lady Queen of Peace (OLQP) was placed at the entrance of OLQP Educational Centre in Dodoma, Tanzania to welcome visitors.  Fr. Martin Connell, SJ, headmaster of St. Peter Claver High School, had a design in mind for a statue and commissioned sculptor, Patrick Loti, a Ugandan artist specializing in religious art to bring his idea to life.  Our Lady is depicted as a proud African woman who stands tall despite the trials that beset her.  She is holding a happy child, Jesus, who holds on to his mother even as he holds out his hand in an ambiguous gesture of welcoming or giving.

In his blog, Crosshairs of Providence, Fr. Connell affirms, “Too often we get so concerned about goodness and truth that we forget the importance of beauty.”  Funding for this statue, as well as a life-sized carved wooden crucifix for the chapel at SPCHS, was made possible by the extraordinary generosity of a friend of Fr. Connell’s in California.

 

 

World AIDS Day, December 1, 2011

Dear Benefactors and Friends,

I write to you with a great deal of joy in my heart as we mark the completion of another school year at St. Aloysius. We are grateful to all of you who have supported us in every way through this year. It seems that, each day, we take a small step; it is easy to neglect to look back and consider what has been accomplished since our modest beginnings in 2004. With our 59 seniors, who have just finished their month-long final exams, we have graduated just short of 300 students. Nearly all have continued on in the graduate program with community service for six months and sponsorship for college. We expect to have our first graduates receive their Bachelor’s degrees in 2012.

In 2001, we reached out to those whose needs we saw were the greatest – the people living in Kibera slum who were dying of AIDS.  We asked them how we could help them. They all asked us to take care of their children.  Today, with your important partnership, their children, now orphans, have been given an opportunity and hope for a high school and college education and a life far beyond their parents’ dreams.  Thanks to your financial support, your prayers, and your willingness to share the story of St. Al’s, our students have hope and aspire to live the school motto “to learn, to love and to serve”.

For the fifth consecutive year, Margaret Halpin and Charles DeSantis of Georgetown University taught art classes to interested St. Al’s students. As always it was a wonderful opportunity to develop talent and to find outlets for creative expression. Again, this year Kuona Trust offered us a gallery where students were invited to exhibit their paintings to the public.

As the year draws to an end, we celebrate some of the many accomplishments of our students. Some 30 St. Al’s students participated in the World Peace Day Competition for the countries of East Africa. Through competitions involving speeches, quizzes and skits, St. Al’s won the Fr. John Anthony Kaiser Peace Trophy (Fr. Kaiser was an American Catholic missionary, working in Kenya, who was martyred in the cause of justice).  St. Al’s Head Girl and Junior, Sharon Sophy, was elected Deputy Governor at the Kenya National Children’s Parliament. Once again, our school drama group rose through the local and province levels to compete at the national festival. At a French competition involving many of the most respected schools in Nairobi, our students won the top prize!

In early December, we look forward to the construction of a well on our property so that we will have regular access to our own fresh water.  The well has been funded by another grant from the American People through the American Schools and Hospitals Abroad (ASHA) program and should be completed in time for the new school year in January, 2012.

Our website, www.sagnairobi.org has been updated and offers our original video (now also updated) to tell our story. I encourage you to take a look at it and share the video and website with your friends and family. We rely on the kindness and financial support of many generous people and with your help we can educate more AIDS Orphans in Kibera slum.

It was a great pleasure for me to spend more time than usual in the US this year and to have more time to interact with many of you.  It was an even greater pleasure to return to St. Al’s with your encouragement about what we are accomplishing. I was greatly heartened by your commitment to ongoing financial support, even in the midst of the challenges of the world economic crisis. It is so good to have your support as we all work together to help the dreams of a better future become a reality for our high school students, graduates and their families.

One of my special joys this year – now that we have our beautifully furnished school chapel – has been to plan and celebrate a mass

with each of the 8 classes at St. Al’s. Each occasion was uniquely inspiring due to the efforts each class made, first, to choose a theme meaningful to the group and, then, to develop it with Scripture readings, songs and symbols. Not one of these occasions passed without the students praying for you and your loved ones.  As we enter into the holiday season and reflect upon God’s overwhelming love celebrated in the birth of Christ, our gratitude to you can only increase.

Sincerely,

Terry Charlton, SJ

Additional Giving Ideas Cost per student for one year… $1,200 Tuition and fees $130    Breakfast and Lunch $100    Textbooks $30      Sports Kit $25      School Uniform $400    Salary and benefits for one teacher for one month $125    Educational field trip for one class of 35 students

P.S. Please consider sponsoring a student for $1,200 per year.  I certainly welcome your gift at any level.

Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School is pleased to announce that, on the recommendation of its Presidential Search Committee, the Board of Trustees has elected Father Jack Dennis, SJ, as its 11th President.

Coming to Brebeuf from Loyola University Maryland, where he currently serves as Director of Campus Ministry, Fr. Dennis will build upon the School’s already solid institutional foundation of academic excellence and spiritual strength. Fr. Dennis will begin his appointment on July 1, 2012, with the start of the 2012-2013 school year.

“The quality of the applicant pool was extraordinary, which we take in part as a compliment to Brebeuf,” said J. Mark Howell, Chair of the Brebeuf Jesuit Board of Trustees. “The Search Committee was presented with several extremely well-qualified candidates, and I can validate the decision of the committee to extend the offer to Fr. Dennis. We believe he will be a decisive leader, an inspiration to students and faculty, and an outstanding representative of Brebeuf to the central Indiana community.”

Ordained as a Jesuit priest in 1986, Fr. Dennis is an experienced and energetic leader. Having served as President of Loyola Blakefield in Baltimore from 1998 to 2005, Brebeuf will become his second posting as CEO in a Jesuit secondary school. In addition to his role at Loyola University, Fr. Dennis has served previously in senior staff positions at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles and St. Ignatius College Preparatory School in Chicago. He holds a master’s degree in education from Harvard University and a master’s degree in divinity from the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley California. His Bachelor of Arts degree in accounting was earned at Villanova University.

From his years working in the Chicago (now Chicago-Detroit) Province of the Society of Jesus, Fr. Dennis knew of Brebeuf’s great reputation of academic excellence. “What sold me on the school,” explained Fr. Dennis, “were its quality and character, the strong and deep loyalty the search committee members and the Board of Trustees have towards Brebeuf, and the school’s new mission statement which was carefully and lovingly crafted last spring.”

Fr. Dennis continues, “Brebeuf Jesuit has been run so well on all levels–in regards to academics, finances, mission and extracurriculars. I am blessed and excited to plug into everything at the school.”

“As we prepare to celebrate our 50th anniversary in 2012, Brebeuf Jesuit is guided by a new strategic plan to implement its continuing vision that Brebeuf will be the best college preparatory school in central Indiana by providing an outstanding academic program and ensuring the education of the whole person,” stated J. Murray Clark, Chair of the Presidential Search Committee. “We have great confidence that Fr. Jack Dennis is exactly the right leader to commence Brebeuf’s second 50 years.”

About Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School

Brebeuf Jesuit, a Catholic and Jesuit school located on the northwest side of Indianapolis, seeks to provide an excellent college preparatory education for a lifetime of service by forming leaders who are intellectually competent, open to growth, loving, religious and committed to promoting justice. Fostering a culture of understanding and dialogue, Brebeuf Jesuit welcomes and serves over 800 students from diverse religious, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds.  At Brebeuf Jesuit, students are called to discover and cultivate the fullness of their God-given talents as a responsibility and as an act of worship. More information about Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School can be found at www.brebeuf.org.

The online version of Partners features enhanced content, videos, photos, links, and the chance for you to share your comments. Catch up on news and the many ways the Jesuits and you, our partners, are making a difference in the world! (read more) Barbara and John Schubert, both educators, began their commitment to the Midwest Jesuits nearly 20 years ago; they reflect on their commitment to the Jesuits and their rewarding experiences of service. (read more)

The Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice 2011 (IFTJ) is an opportunity for members of Jesuit institutions and partners to gather for learning, prayer, networking and legislative advocacy on Capitol Hill.  Teach-In attendees represent twenty-eight Jesuit universities, over twenty-five Jesuit high schools, Jesuit parishes, Jesuit volunteer communities, and many other Catholic institutions and organizations.  In total more than 1,100 individuals will participate in Ignatian Family Teach-In, including hundreds of university and high school students.  The teach-in delegations will represent more than 25 Jesuit universities, 20 Jesuit high schools, and many Jesuit parishes.  The Teach-In will take place November 12-14, 2011 in Washington, D.C.

Click here for more information.

To join the Teach-In LIVE, click here.

On Monday, October 24, 2011, the Vatican released a document called “Towards reforming the international financial and monetary systems in the context of a global public authority.”  In it, the Pope calls for a new global economic authority that could impose penalties on member states.

Fr. Thomas Reese, SJ, a Jesuit priest at Georgetown University’s Woodstock Theological Center, put pen to paper in anticipation of the document’s release writing that it is “closer to the views of the Occupy Wall Street movement than anyone in the U.S. Congress.”

To read a full article from CNN on the Vatican’s document, click here.

Fr. Reese also appeared on MSNBC’s Weekends with Alex Witt to further comment on the Pope’s political position.

The Loyola High School Bulldogs defeated Shrine 40-0 at the Prep Bowl on Saturday, October 22, 2011.  They move onto to the state playoffs to face Britton Deerfield on Saturday, October 29, 2011 at 1 pm at the University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy.

Fox Sports featured Loyola High School and their winning combination of dedicated coaches and teachers that helps these boys succeed each year.  Watch the video below:

On Friday, October 21, 2011, Bob Newhart (class of 1947) returned to his alma mater, Saint Ignatius College Prep, for a day of fun with the students.  Bob and his wife Ginnie spent the day walking the halls, telling old stories, and looking at photos.  The McLaughlin Theater was named and dedicated in his honor, and the Harlequins presented three sketches drawn from his shows and films.  Bob then addressed the student body on the importance of a good education and how grateful he was to have attended Saint Ignatius.  Following that, he led the the students in singing the school song.

To watch a video of Bob talking about his day at Saint Ignatius, click here.

Fr. Benjamin Urmston, SJ

Xavier University Priest and Leader Recognized by Cincinnati Chapter of NAACP

The Cincinnati Chapter of the NAACP will present its Fair and Courageous Award to Fr. Benjamin J. Urmston, S.J., PhD at the 56^th Annual Freedom Fund Dinner Friday, October 21.  Urmston is Director Emeritus of Peace and Justice at Xavier University. The award, established in 2005, is presented to a public servant who performs fairly, impartially and courageously, and publicly recognizes professionals demonstrating fairness and courage. Urmston will share the award with Sister Alice Gerdeman of the Intercommunity Justice and Peace Center.  Morris Dees, Founder and Chief Trial counsel of the Southern Poverty Law Center, will be the evening’s keynote speaker.

Urmston, who turned 86 in September, has been at Xavier for forty years.  Over that time, he has been active in neighborhood community councils, especially Evanston Community Council, was a member of the Cincinnati Archdiocesan Commission of Social Action and World Peace, a member of the Metropolitan Area Religious Coalition of Cincinnati, the Rural Life Conference of the Cincinnati Archdiocese, the St. Francis-St. Joseph Catholic Worker House shelter for homeless men, the Peace and Justice Studies Association, Rural Resources, St. Robert Bellarmine Chapel, Christian Life Community USA, and Cincinnati NAACP.  Fr. Ben also was active with the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility and the Justice Across Campus Committee at Xavier.  For twenty-eight years he hosted a weekly community radio show on WVXU-FM. He also taught at University of Detroit Jesuit High School and St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati. A veteran of World War II, he was in General Patton’s Third Army in Europe and participated in three major battles, The Rhine, the Ruhr, and Bavaria.  He also served in the Philippine Islands.

He has received the Dorothy Day Medal for his initiatives at Xavier, the Xavier Muslim Student Association Award of Recognition, the Orchid Award from the Tri-State Environmental Committee, awards for his work with the Archdiocese from Archbishops Joseph L. Bernardin and Daniel E. Pilarczyk, the Manhattan College Peace Studies Medal “to recognize his outstanding and significant contribution to peacemaking and Peace Studies through his personal life and institutional witness.” In 2002, Urmston received the Rev. Maurice McCrackin Award, given to those who demonstrate support for the basic human rights of all, integrity and commitment in the struggle for social justice, leadership and inspiration, teaching with wisdom and compassion through words and actions. In 2003, he was given the “Religious Leader of the Year Award for his commitment to the Contact Center, the Cincinnati Welfare Rights Coalition, and the Ohio Empowerment Coalition.

Urmston has created a website www.xavier.edu/frben.

See his comment on our Africa blog about what makes a Jesuit school Jesuit anywhere in the world: click here

On September 16, 2011, Fr. General Adolfo penned a  letter addressing his concerns about the rising ecological troubles.  The report includes regional assessments, the Jesuit mission in the context of the ecological crisis, and recommendations and suggestions for how we can all take steps towards improving our relationship with the natural world.

• To view the full report, click here.
• Click here to read more about linking faith and ecology.
• For more information about Jesuits and Ecology, click here.

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Date Posted: 10/14/2011; Applications accepted until November 15, 2011
Job Title: Managing Director, Corporate Work Study Program
Description: Click the link for PDF Cristo Rey/Christ the King Jesuit Prep, Chicago-Managing Director
Contact: Interested candidates should e-mail or mail a resume and cover letter to:

MDirectorsearch@ctkjesuit.org
or
Ms. Kamaria Porter
Christ the King Jesuit College Prep
5088 W. Jackson Blvd.
Chicago, IL 60644

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Date Posted: 10/13/2011; Applications accepted until November 30, 2011
Job Title: Director of the Loyola University Chicago Institute of Pastoral Studies
Description: Click the link for PDF Loyola University Chicago / Director of the Institute of Pastoral Studies
Contact: Interested candidates should e-mail a resume and cover letter to www.careers.luc.edu

For more information, please contact Rev. Kevin Gillespie, SJ, Chair of the Search committee at: kgillespie2@luc.edu

 

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Date Posted: 10/13/2011; Applications accepted until November 30, 2011
Job Title: Graduate Program Director for MA program in Social Justice and Community Development
Description: Click the link for a PDF Loyola University Chicago / Graduate Program Director
Contact: Interested candidates should email a resume and cover letter to www.careers.luc.edu

For further information, please contact: Timothy O’Connell, Chair of the Search Committee at: toconne@luc.edu

 

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Fr. W. Henry (Hank) Kenney, SJ
September 28, 1918, to October 3, 2011

To sign the guest book for an individual Jesuit, please click his name and you will be directed to a page that allows comments.

Fr. W. Henry (Hank) Kenney, SJ, Jesuit Priest and missionary to South Africa, died on October 3, 2011, in Clarkston, Michigan.  Born on September 28, 1918, to parents Herbert Kenney and Alice Terstegg, Fr. Kenney was an Indiana native and one of six children (five boys, one girl). Fr. Kenney is survived by his brother James C. Kenney. “He was dedicated to his ministry,” explained Fr. Walter Bado, SJ, fellow Jesuit brother and longtime coworker at Kentucky Jesuit Mission. “He was dedicated that the just wanted to serve as long as he could, and people appreciated that about him.”

After earning his high school diploma in 1935 from Cathedral High School in Indianapolis, Indiana, Fr. Kenney attended St. Joseph’s College in Rensselaer, Indiana.  It was there that he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in both English and physics (1939). Immediately following college he entered the Milford Novitiate in Milford, Ohio.  For the next 11 years, as he studied to become a Jesuit, Fr. Kenney received numerous degrees including a licentiate in philosophy (Ph.L) from West Baden College in 1946, as well as a licentiate in sacred theology (S.T.L) in 1953. He was ordained on June 18, 1952, in West Baden, Indiana.

Fr. Kenney spent the first 21 years of his priesthood teaching at both the high school and college levels at Loyola Academy in Wilmette, Illinois, (1946-1979) and Xavier University (1957-1967). He traveled around the Midwest serving in various positions such as superior of the philosophers at Bellarmine School of Theology, of the collegiate (First Studies) program at the University of Detroit, and assistant for communities and apostolates at the Province Office (1969-1973).

In 1973, Fr. Kenney took his work to Ghana and Nigeria for spiritual renewal before returning back to his roots as a professor of philosophy in Sudan (1975-1979). He briefly returned to the United States during which time he spent a year teaching at Loyola University Chicago. For the next five years (1981-1986) Fr. Kenney returned to South Africa and served as spiritual and retreat director and superior. “He was a great spiritual director –a prayer coach in many ways,” said Fr. Bado. He joined the Kentucky Jesuit Mission in Lexington in 1987 and remained there for 24 years offering outreaching programs, individual and group retreats, direction of the Bluegrass Spirituality Center, providing chaplaincy to various hospitals and other activities to aid the community. “Fr. Kenney began Spiritual Direction for me and we met for 25 years. I will truly, truly, truly miss him,” said longtime friend of 25 years Rev. Willis Polk.  He taught me to be with God and to love him.

In July of 2011, Fr. Kenney was moved to the Colombiere Center in Clarkston, Michigan, until his death in October.

Memorial gifts:

Memorial gifts may be made to The Jesuits, 2050 N. Clark Street, Chicago, Illinois 60614.

To make an online contribution, click here.

(Text from St. Xavier High School website) USA Football, the sport’s national governing body in the United States named St. Xavier High School head football coach Steve Specht (’86) as head coach for the 2012 U.S. Under-19 National Team. For more coverage, click here.

USA Football will be on hand at St. X for the pep rally prior to the Elder game Sept. 30 to make a presentation to Specht.

“Representing the United States in anything is a tremendous honor,” Specht said. “To do so in football – the ultimate team sport – is an honor, an opportunity, a challenge and a responsibility. Being part of USA Football the last three years has let me see firsthand how the international game is growing and improving, both from a player and a coaching standpoint.

“I’m excited to be part of the International Bowl and to help build understanding for American football around the world. Anyone who knows me knows I love to compete, so I look forward to getting our team ready and playing the world’s best in Austin.”

Team USA will compete in Austin, Texas, on Feb. 1 – National Signing Day – in the International Bowl, formerly Team USA vs. The World. The International Bowl is an annual competition that unites the 62 nations spanning six continents that are part of the International Federation of American Football (IFAF).

“Steve Specht personifies everything we seek in Team USA’s head coach,” said USA Football Executive Director Scott Hallenbeck. “He leads a highly successful high school program with class and integrity, and we’re confident he will help us assemble a team of young men who represent the talent and values one would expect from national team athletes.”

The Specht-led U.S. Under-19 National Team, comprised of high school seniors, will face an IFAF World Team of top players age 19-and-under from outside the United States. Both teams will field a roster of 50 players. Team USA’s players and coaches are selected by USA Football.

Specht, 43, is 74-19 since becoming the head coach in 2004, replacing his own coach and mentor, Steve Rasso. His Bombers have won two Ohio big school state championships (2005, 2007), with Specht earning Ohio Division I Coach of the Year honors both times.

Specht’s Team USA coaching staff will be determined in the weeks ahead. The IFAF World Team’s 13-member coaching staff hails from 10 countries, led by head coach Greg marshall of Canada. Marshall, the head coach of the University of Western Ontario, was the IFAF World Team’s head coach this past February in Austin, where Team USA won 21-14.

Familiar with the sport internationally, Specht was the defensive coordinator of the 2009 U.S. Under-19 team that won the gold medal at the first IFAF Under-19 World Championship in Canton, Ohio, allowing three points in four games. Additionally, in conjunction with Brazil’s American football federation, a USA Football contingent including Specht lead Brazil’s first national football coaching clinic in April 2011 in São Paulo.

The International Bowl is recognized as a U.S. National Team competition by the NCAA and is not an all-star game. International Bowl participation does not count toward a high school senior football player’s limit of two postseason events.

USA Football hosts more than 80 football training events annually offering education for coaches and game officials, skill development for players and resources for youth football league commissioners. The independent non-profit is the official football development partner of the NFL and its 32 teams, the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Mid-American Conference and the Patriot League. USA Football manages U.S. national teams within the sport for international competition and awards $1 million annually in equipment grants to youth and high school football programs based on merit and need. Endowed by the NFL and the NFL Players Association in 2002 through the NFL Youth Football Fund, USA Football is chaired by former NFL team executive Carl Peterson.

My Town: Rev Joaquin Martinez: foxtoledo.com

My Town: Rev Joaquin Martinez, SJ

video and article by Fox Toledo.

To sign the guest book for an individual Jesuit, please click his name and you will be directed to a page that allows comments.

September 12, 1925, to September 21, 2011
Pontiac, Michigan

Fr. Cornelius (Neil) Curtin, SJ, Jesuit priest and missionary in Patna, India, for 40 years, died on September 21, 2011 in Pontiac, Michigan. A Chicago native, Fr. Curtin was born to parents Cornelius Curtin, Sr. and Susan Murphy Curtin on September 12, 1925. “I will remember him most for his round face, rosy smile, and infectious chuckle laughter,” said Fr. Jim Dressman, SJ, fellow Jesuit who spent 10 years with Fr. Curtin in Kathmandu. He is survived by four brothers, three sisters, and numerous nieces and nephews.

Immediately following graduation from Saint Ignatius College Prep in 1943, located on the west side of Chicago, Fr. Curtin entered the Milford Novitiate in Milford, Ohio. After spending four years at the novitiate (1943-1947), he began studies at West Baden College in West Baden, Indiana. He moved on to Loyola University Chicago where he received both his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees in English.

In the 1950s, during his years of formation, Fr. Curtin was selected as one of the first Jesuits to travel to Patna, India, where the Chicago Province of the Jesuits hoped to create a new mission. Upon arriving in Patna in 1959, Fr. Curtin began his assignment as co-pastor to various churches in the Patna Diocese. In 1960, he was appointed school director of a parish school in Durbhanga where he remained for 13 years (1960-1973) before moving on to serve at another school in Dumraon (1973-1978). Fr. Curtin then took on a very different role as he began teaching at the K.R.H. School in Bettiah from 1980-1986. “By reason of his girth and warm smile, he was a dominant presence in the classroom,” explains former community member and long-time friend, Fr. Paul Faulstich, SJ. “He knew the strengths of his students and was methodical in giving assignments and correcting them. They felt privileged to have such a teacher.” During this time, Fr. Curtin also served as the chaplain to the Sacred Heart Sisters Novitiate. He spent the remainder of his time in India as a teacher at St. Xavier’s high school in Jawalakhel. “This was a very happy period in his life, the last mission chapter. He was thrilled to be part of building the Lord’s kingdom in one of the most ancient of kingdoms…literally on top of the world,” continued Fr. Faulstich.

In 1999, Fr. Curtin joined the Colombiere community where he resided until his death.

“Neil is now enjoying his well-earned reward in Heaven,” said Fr. James Chambers, SJ.

Memorial gifts:

Memorial gifts may be made to The Jesuits, 2050 N. Clark Street, Chicago, Illinois 60614.

To make an online contribution, click here.

Gift to Ignatian Spirituality Project goes long way in supporting Jesuit-sponsored ministry that provides retreats for the homeless, but the need is still great

For more information and ways you can help:
• Ignatian Spirituality Project (ISP) Website
• Make a contribution to support the Jesuits

CHICAGO, IL—Bill Koloseike and his “Bill Kay” Auto Group have given a gift of $1 million to the Ignatian Spirituality Project (ISP), a Jesuit ministry that works to end homelessness by providing retreats to women and men who are homeless and in recovery.

“With this gift, I hope we can increase our outreach to those in the greatest need and encourage others to give, especially in these tough times,” says Koloseike, who has provided ISP with financial and volunteer support for the past several years. “ISP helps the homeless see themselves as God sees them; these retreats make all the difference by helping people already on the path to recovery from addiction to drugs and alcohol recognize their value and imagine a better future,” he continues.

“The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius and Ignatian spirituality are the Jesuits’ great gifts to the world,” explains Fr. Timothy Kesicki, SJ, head of the Chicago-Detroit Province. “We are incredibly grateful to Bill Koloseike for helping ISP increase its ability to share this tradition with our homeless sisters and brothers as a profound recognition that we all are loved in God’s eyes. Growth takes time and resources, and we pray that others will follow Bill’s lead.”

Koloseike was first introduced to the Jesuits in college. He attended Marquette University for two years before completing a degree in business from Loyola University Chicago in 1951. Fifty-four years, four children, ten grandchildren, and nine Bill Kay car dealerships later, Bill was reintroduced to the Jesuits when he answered an ad in his parish bulletin to join the Ignatian Volunteer Corps, another Jesuit ministry that provides retired and semi-retired men and women the opportunity to serve the materially poor and to reflect on the experience through the lens of Ignatian spirituality. “My experience of working with the Jesuits to serve others has deepened my spiritual life,” says Koloseike. “When my wife, Shirley, died in 2004, I was feeling lost,” he continues. “That’s when I decided to devote the rest of my life to God. I know this gift to ISP is what my dear wife would want; she, too, struggled with addiction and through grace and hard work overcame it and lived a full life.”

Founded in 1998 by Fr. Bill Creed, SJ, the Ignatian Spirituality Project has pioneered a retreat program that provides an effective and important resource in laying a foundation of hope that can lead to further and long-lasting transformation. With the help of dedicated staff and many volunteers, ISP has grown from its base in Chicago to 19 cities total and offered nearly 100 retreats throughout the US in this past year alone. In addition to retreats, ISP works with individuals and agencies in each city to systematically end the injustice of homelessness.

Since 2006, ISP has offered women’s retreats and in 2010 held more retreats for women than men. The number of homeless families continues to rise at alarming rates.  More often than not, single-parent families who are homeless are headed by women. Though men continue to make up the largest segment of homeless individuals, the growing rate of women and children who are homeless deepens the cause for concern.

“When someone in recovery and homeless reaches out, we want to make sure ISP is there to help,” says Tom Drexler, executive director. “Our paid staff is small (3.5 employees), so we rely on an army of volunteers throughout the 19-city ISP National Network and donations to help us cover our retreats (which average $3,750 each) and continue our growth into cities where the homeless need us most.”

The Ignatian Spirituality Project is sponsored by the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits), a religious order of priests and brothers in the Roman Catholic Church. For more than 470 years, the Jesuits have served in the spirit of St. Ignatius Loyola, who founded the order in 1540. Jesuits serve throughout the United States and the World in educational institutions, parishes, retreat centers, social justice ministries, international ministries, and intellectual apostolates. The 350 Chicago-Detroit Province Jesuits serve in a wide range of ministries based in Ohio, Kentucky, Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois.

Contact
Jeremy Langford, Director of Communications, Chicago-Detroit Province Jesuits
(773) 975-6913, jlangford@jesuits-chgdet.org

Pat Walsh, Vox Public Relations Public Affairs
(541) 434-7021, pwalsh@voxprpa.com

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As the new academic year opens, we share the remarks of Chicago-Detroit Provincial Fr. Timothy P. Kesicki, SJ, speaking at the commencement of John Carroll University on May 22, 2011. Fr. Kesicki reflected upon his own Jesuit education, saying “Our society is ultimately built on what we share together”. It is in this spirit that we share the work of some of our Jesuit schools as they, too, begin another academic year.

As the new school year begins, Jesuit Schools are on the move!

• St. Ignatius College Prep invites us to Experience the Spirit and shares its video channels

• Chicago Jesuit Academy takes great pride in its success as a unique Chicago schools success story

• Christ the King Jesuit College Preparatory School emphatically says that We are Christ the King and celebrates the recent success of their R!se Up event including CBS2 Chicago’s coverage

• At St. Xavier, Fr. Tim Howe began the year with a welcome message for students and faculty

• Loyola Academy has a thank you message from students, teachers and alumni who have been touched by the generosity of the Loyola Academy community.

All of the Chicago-Detroit Jesuits educational ministries are working hard as the new school year begins. Click here for a complete list.

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The online version of Partners features enhanced content, videos, photos, links, and the chance for you to share your comments. Catch up on news and the many ways the Jesuits and you, our partners, are making a difference in the world! (read more) Also, Fr. Terry Charlton, SJ, (photo) co-founder of St. Aloysius Gonzaga High School in Nairobi, Kenya, the world’s first high school for AIDS orphans, visits the US to Raise Awareness (read more)

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UPDATE, September 13, 2011:
If you missed hearing the Tavis Smiley interview on WBEZ, click here to visit the Tavis Smiley website and listen to the podcast. 

Christ the King (CTK) and the Cristo Rey Network are being featured by radio and television host Tavis Smiley as “the ray of hope” in America’s education crisis. Smiley is responding to the alarming dropout rate among teenagers, especially African-American males, by traveling across America to speak to education experts and students about the challenges they face and how education can be redirected to address their needs. He will feature his findings and stories of hope on his radio and television programs (details below). “A new focus on our Black boys is a renewed focus on America,” says Smiley. Only three out of every 100 African-American males will graduate college by age 25, he explains.

CTK will be featured on the Tavis Smiley documentary “Too Important to Fail,” which will premiere Friday, September 9, on National Public Radio and Public Radio International.

Tune in to WBEZ-Fm Sunday, September 11, 2011, at noon and Monday, September 12, 2011, at 1 p.m. to hear the interview.

In the radio story, CTK senior Emmanuel, classmate Stanley, and Rob Birdsell, President of the Cristo Rey Network, discuss the hope and opportunities CTK and Jesuit education provide. In the Midwest alone, the Jesuits run 20 secondary and pre-secondary schools that serve more than 10,000 students and their families. Like Christ the King, Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Chicago, Loyola High School in Detroit, and Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in the Twin Cities are Jesuit schools that concentrate on serving communities where the need for high quality education is greatest. More “traditional” Jesuit schools not only support and help make possible Cristo Rey- and Nativity-model schools, but also directly serve students in the greatest need through scholarships and specially designed tutoring programs. Click here for a listing of our schools.

 

The radio program promotes a five-part PBS-TV series Smiley is doing on “The Education of African-American Boys and their Impact on America,” which will premiere on Tuesday, September 13, at 8 PM Eastern on PBS.

“This school has given me a chance to do something I never could have imagined,” Emmanuel said during the taping at CTK. He plans to attend an engineering program in college next year and is busy preparing to apply. “At first it was tough walking home through the neighborhood in a shirt and tie and hearing all the stuff guys were saying. But now they leave me alone and I think many of them look at me and wish they could be in my shoes.” Emmanuel works five days a month (and kept his job five days a week last summer) at the law firm of Hoogendoorn & Talbott LLP, through CTK’s Corporate Work Study Program.   (Left: Senior Emmanuel poses in front of the banners of colleges and universities–some of which he will soon be applying to for admission in Fall 2012. Photo by Bill Healy)

For more information about Christ the King Jesuit College Preparatory School:

• Visit CTK’s homepage and Videos
• Learn more about CTK being honored with prestigious architecture award
• Read about CTK in Partners magazine: Spring 2010 and Fall 2008

The Jesuit Volunteer Corps (JVC) will receive a Centennial Medal from Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA) to recognize their contributions to the reduction of poverty in the US and their commitment to the principles by which CCUSA conducts its work.  JVC, an international nonprofit organization that gives women and men an opportunity to work full time for justice and peace,  is one of 100 individuals or organizations receiving Centennial Medals at the September 10, 2011, ceremony.

To view photos of participants of the Ignatian Volunteer Corps, click here.

How does a small bar and grill in Maumee, Ohio, have a connection to a Jesuit high school in Dodoma, Tanzania?  They–Dale’s Bar and Grill– just helped raise over $10,000 for St. Peter Claver High School’s new agricultural program, and this isn’t the first time they’ve made a big contribution.   Following the great success of last year’s inaugural fundraiser, “Big Bucks for Books,” the family of Fr. Martin Connell, SJ, led by his sister Toni Arman and longtime friend Rob Loeb wanted to repeat that success this year.   “We had asked Marty, the headmaster of the school, specifically what he needed most and we went from there,” said Toni, “and that’s how we came up with, ‘Holy Cows for Marty,’” a campaign designed to provide a farm full of animals for Our Lady Queen of Peace Educational Centre in Dodoma, Tanzania.

Fr. Martin Connell, SJ, began his work in Dodoma in 2009 to help open St. Peter Claver High School located on the Our Lady Queen of Peace Educational Centre campus on the east coast of Africa. The Catholic Jesuit boarding school opened in January 2011 with Connell as the headmaster and currently serves 140 boys and girls in their first year of secondary school.

On August 14, 2011, family, friends, and loyal supporters of the Jesuits came together for mass at St. John’s Jesuit Chapel followed by food and drinks at Dale’s Bar and Grill.  “The owner of Dale’s graciously donates the use of his restaurant for our event, his wife and kids run the grill, the committee runs the bar, and my son and his friends (all Jesuit school alumni) bus the tables.  We have a splendid time!” Toni explained. Their goal was to raise money that would provide animals such as pigs, rabbits, chicks, cows, and goats that would not only teach students to be as self-sufficient as possible, but also to provide them with a basic foundation in agriculture.  So far, they’ve collected $10,000 and the generosity continues as donations are still being received.  The need is still great, and even though you may not have been able to take part in the food and drinks, you can still help.

To make an online contribution by credit card, please click here to visit our website

If you would like to send in your donation via postal mail, please make checks payable to The Jesuits with “OLQP Farm” in the memo line and mail to:

Chicago-Detroit Province Jesuits
Re: OLQP Farm
2050 N. Clark Street
Chicago, IL 60614

To view of copy of the invite with information on what your donation could provide, click here.

To view a copy of the letter sent by Fr. Connell to participants of the event, click here.

For more information on the great work of Fr. Martin Connell, SJ, and St. Peter Claver High School, click here.

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UPDATE 4
Images and text provided by Jim Strzok, SJ (based in Nairobi). Click any image to view it larger, in a new window

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Eastern Africa, “the Horn of Africa” has been experiencing one of the greatest droughts in 60 years. In Somalia and Eastern to Central Provinces of Kenya, there has been little or no rain for three years. 

I traveled to northeast Kenya, to Garissa, Wajir, Moyale in mid-September with a group called The Camillian Task Force,  to survey the needs of the area.

What I saw and experienced was heart-rending. Along an 800km journey from Nairobi, moving northeast, one moves from green highlands to red semi-desert, which looks something like the desert southwest of the US.

However, as we traveled northeast along the Kenya route, it looks worse. Few trees have leaves. Three years of drought, grazing goats and camels have stripped most of the trees completely. Carcasses of cows, camels and goats are found along the edges of the water [ponds] because there is no water. During the dry seasons the pastoralists dig down into the [ponds] looking for traces of water. These days they dig until they find bedrock. There simply is no water left in the ground or in the river beds. So, goats and camels and wild animals eat leaves. When there are no more leaves, they eat the succulent bark of the trees. This is all there is to eat.
 
In some areas there is water to be found; it can be reached by digging shallow wells to a depth of about thirty feet. However, the water is sometimes too salty to drink. Animals and people gather around water holes, or bore-holes that give potable water. But the numbers of people and animals stress the capacity of the holes to the limit.

We have met families moving through the desert with their carts and donkeys towards these water holes, but often too late. Children were sick, animals too tired to move. A donkey falls down and won’t move, even if beaten, until it either gets the strength to get up, or it dies. It is hard to look at that.

The Kenyan government tries to deliver fresh water to a 50km distance around some water wells by using tankers. Water is delivered into large, four-thousand liter plastic water tanks which are fitted with a tap. However the tanks are often damaged beyond repair when people, desperate for water, turn the tanks on end to get the last drops.  
 
There is an ongoing effort to meet some of these needs through many Non-Government-Organizations. Kenyan churches, especially the Catholic Church, are located in these areas and have the infrastructure to assist, so are doing great relief work.

The Catholic International Commmunity where I say mass has sent over $4,000 aid to the Dioceses of Lodwar and Garissa. JRS and a special fund in our Eastern African Province are doing significant work. Kenya Corporations, private citizens, churches, and groups like Rotary International are assisting the international groups.

I was happy to see that the US Jesuit Conference set up immediate and long-range projects (details below).

Thanks for what you can do to help. The needs are great and will be for quite some time.
 
I am attaching some images you can publish with this report made on the September trip.    God bless.
 - Jim Strzok, SJ

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UPDATE 3
According to JRS, this seasonal drought became a regional humanitarian crisis affecting 12 million people due to three underlying causes:
    • Climate induced drought
    • Instability with lack of infrastructure in Somalia, especially south-central Somalia controlled by the al-Shabab militant group
    • Regional food inflation which devastates already vulnerable populations

It’s not too late to help. The Jesuits remain committed to providing short- and long-term aid to those in the greatest need. For more information, see below.

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UPDATE 2
JRS Eastern Africa Director, Fr. Frido Pflueger, SJ, has returned from a visit to the Dollo Ado refugee camps in south-east Ethiopia. In a recent interview he describes his impressions of the situation on the ground and explains how JRS will become involved. To read this short interview, click here

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UPDATE 1
The Jesuit Refugee Service is working diligently to address the hunger crisis in East
ern Africa. A JRS team recently visited camps receiving Somali refuges in southeast Ethiopia. To read a PDF of their report detailing conditions and challenges, please click: August 17, 2011, JRS Situation Report, Ethiopia

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Originally posted: August 12, 2011

The Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) pray for all those suffering from drought, hunger, displacement, and famine in the Horn of Africa. According to the UN, more than 12 million people are in need of emergency assistance, primarily in Somalia, Kenya, and Ethiopia. The most devastating famine to hit the region since the 1950s has not yet reached its peak, leaving many wondering how best to help.

The Jesuits are responding to this humanitarian crisis in two ways: immediate food assistance and long-term projects. We are grateful for your prayers and financial support; for more information about how you can help, please see below:

Immediate Food Assistance:

Working in collaboration with religious congregations and dioceses, the Eastern Africa Province of the Society of Jesus has established a Famine Relief Project to provide food relief to a targeted group of the most vulnerable persons in some of the worst hit areas of northern Kenya. The Chicago-Detroit Province, which is twinned with Eastern Africa, is receiving funds to support this project. To make an online contribution by credit card, please click here to visit our website, or call (800) 922-5327. To contact our Advancement staff, click here.

Checks can also be made payable to The Jesuits with “Famine Relief Project” written on the memo line and mailed to:

Chicago-Detroit Province Jesuits
Re: Famine Relief Project
2050 N. Clark St.
Chicago, IL 60614

Long Term Projects:

The Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) in East Africa has been assisting refugees from Somalia for many years and is preparing to help increased flows of traumatized famine survivors. The long-term commitment of JRS includes psychosocial projects and education services. To support JRS/USA efforts, please click here to visit our website, or call (800) 922-5327. Please clearly note “East Africa Drought” in the comment box. To contact our Advancement staff, click here.

Checks can also be made out to The Jesuits with “East Africa Drought” written on the memo line and mailed to:

Chicago-Detroit Province Jesuits
Re: East Africa Drought
2050 N. Clark St.
Chicago, IL 60614

We remain in solidarity with the people of Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Djibouti through this very difficult time. Please check back for more information and ways to help.

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March 15, 1926, to July 31, 2011
Patna, India

Fr. Thomas Francis Tobin, SJ, who served as a Jesuit missionary to the people of India for 50 years, died on July 31, 2011, in Patna, India.  Fr. Tobin was born in Memphis, Tennessee, to parents Joseph and Rosemary (Lardner) Tobin on March 15, 1926.  He is survived by his sister Mary Iorantha Tobin Buck as well as many nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews, to whom he was a beloved brother and uncle.

After his family moved from Tennessee to Chicago in 1940, Tom attended De La Salle High School until his graduation in 1944.  At the age of 17, he joined the air corps where he worked as a navigator for three years (1944-1947). After completing his service, he attended the General Motors Institute in Flint, Michigan (1947-1952) and began work as a tool and die designer until his entrance into the Society on August 8, 1954 in Milford, Ohio.  Following his years at the Milford Novitiate in Ohio, Fr. Tobin earned a masters degree from St. Louis University in engineering mechanics.

In 1960 he was assigned to serve in Patna, India, thus beginning a long career serving the poor.  Given his background in mechanics and engineering, he was assigned to various mission stations where his talents could be put to good use such as solar energy projects in Phulwari. “Tom made it a point to bring new ideas to his various assignments,” explained longtime friend Fr. Jerry Drinane, SJ.  “He had the joy and opportunity of pastoral work.  Obviously he was a man of wide interests and abilities but in all of this, Tom brought his priestly and religious charism.”  Fr. Tobin spent many years working closely with the mentally and physically challenged children of Barauni, Bihar, where he devised a number of aids to help them speak and understand. Later, he compiled a dictionary of land-related terms to help those who had to deal with land purchases and real estate to communicate more easily.  During his 50 years of missionary work in India, he served in various locations including Jamalpur, Sasaram, Basauni, and many others.

As well as being a dedicated priest, Fr. Tobin remained close to his family despite the great distance between them. Between visits, he kept in touch through letters and occasional phone calls, and in more recent years, emails, as Tom was always interested in new technology and delighted in this new form of communication. Fr. Tobin was often present through the years for family first communions and baptisms, and he proudly showed off pictures of his large family at home while in India.

In 1994, Tom’s sisters, Io and Rosemary, had the privilege of visiting him in India and treasured the opportunity to see Tom in his adopted home. Fr. Tobin’s last visit to the United States was to celebrate his 50^th Jubilee in Chicago in 2004 where he was supported by numerous family and friends from both the Chicago and Detroit areas.  “It was fitting that he went to his eternal rest on the feast of St. Ignatius Loyola, the founder of the Jesuit order, which he served for more than 50 years,” says Isabel (Bob) McEachern, Fr. Tobin’s niece.

“He was indeed a dedicated Jesuit and devoted priest.  His memory will be cherished by all of us in Patna,” says Fr. Drinane.

Fr. Tobin’s funeral and burial took place in Patna, India, on August 1, 2011.

Memorial gifts:
Memorial gifts may be made to The Jesuits, 2050 N. Clark Street, Chicago, Illinois 60614.

To make an online contribution, please click here.

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Philip R. Amidon, SJ

Grace is the word that seems to characterize my Jesuit life. I have seen it everywhere in my life, before and after entering the Society of Jesus, but now in retrospect it becomes ever clearer. My family, my friends, the Society itself, my ministries, the communities in which I have lived—all represent the Lord’s enduring care of me. It is His faithful companionship of me down through the years, in every situation, that has made His presence something I continue to rely on more and more.

BORN: August 22, 1943
ENTERED: September 1, 1961
ORDAINED: May 18, 1974
RESIDES: Creighton University Jesuit Community, Omaha

Click here for more about the Jubilarian Reflections

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To learn more about St. Ignatius and to view an interactive slideshow that brings his story to life, click here.

 

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 26, 2011
www.ignatiansolidarity.net
Contact: Christopher Kerr, Executive Director
O – 216-397-4777
C – 216-410-7351
ckerr@ignatiansolidarity.net

IGNATIAN  SOLIDARITY  NETWORK  MOVES  TO  JOHN  CARROLL  UNIVERSITY
John Carroll University Graduate Named Executive Director

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, OHIO – The Ignatian Solidarity Network (ISN), a national social justice education and leadership development organization connecting members of Jesuit universities, high schools, and parishes has relocated its offices to John Carroll University in University Heights, Ohio, as of July 18, 2011. The office moved from the University of SanFrancisco in San Francisco, California.

In addition to relocating, ISN also welcomes a new executive director, Christopher Kerr, a graduate of John Carroll University and Walsh Jesuit High School. Kerr replaces Ann Magovern who served as executive director for five years and departed ISN to become president of St. Martin de Porres Elementary School in Oakland, California. Kerr had served as the coordinator of social justice and immersion experience programs for the campus ministry office at John Carroll. He also co-directed the university’s social justice scholarship program named after former Jesuit superior general, Pedro Arrupe, S.J. Previously, Kerr taught at Cleveland area Catholic elementary and high schools and worked with ahuman rights organization focused on Latin America. He brings experience with social justice education, non-profit management, legislative advocacy, and electronic and media outreach.  Kerr earned a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education from John Carroll University in 2000 and a Master of Arts in Education Administration in 2005, also from JCU.

On accepting the position with ISN, Kerr said, “I am excited to work with so many passionate people at Jesuit institutions across the U.S. to develop leaders with a life-long commitment to the ‘service of faith and promotion of justice.” In an announcement to the John Carroll University community regarding ISN’s presence on-campus and Kerr’s appointment, JCU President Rev. Robert Niehoff, S.J., said, “This national organization provides another valuable expression of our Jesuit identity. We are excited and proud that Chris will be providing leadership of the Ignatian Solidarity Network.”

A JPEG image of Christopher Kerr can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/ISN-KERR

Started in 2004, ISN initially became known for hosting one of the largest faith-based social justice gatherings for young people in the country. Until 2009, the event started by former California province Jesuit Robert Holstein, known as the “Ignatian Family Teach-In for Social Justice” took place in Columbus, Georgia. In 2010, the Teach-in moved to Washington DC on the campus of Georgetown University. The Teach-In includes prominent national and international speakers, educational workshops, and an advocacy day on Capitol Hill. Over 1,200 Jesuit students, alumni, and parishioners attend the event each year. In recent years, ISN programming has expanded to include additional social justice leadership and advocacy education programs for members of Jesuit institutions and the broader church. In 2012 ISN will host social justice leadership retreats for select students identified as promising social justice campus leaders at their respective high schools and universities.

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The Ignatian Solidarity Network promotes leadership and advocacy among students, alumni, and other emerging leaders from Jesuit schools, parishes, and ministries by educating its members on social justice issues; by mobilizing a national network to address those issues; and by encouraging a life-long commitment to the “service of faith and the promotion of justice.” ISN is non-profit 501c3 organization.

In 2011, the Society of Jesus in the United States ordained 11 men to the priesthood. Coming from all walks of life, the ordination class of 2011 includes an actor and a registered nurse. They will go on to serve around the country in various forms of ministry. Read more at National Jesuit News

Fr. Joel Medina, SJ, was featured in the July 2011 issue of Stroger Hospital’s newsletter for becoming the newest Jesuit chaplain. The Jesuits have had a continual presence in the hospital for more than 100 years. To read more, click the link below and scroll to p. 2 of the PDF

Stroger_Notes_July_2011

Join in a month-long celebration of Ignatian spirituality with 31 Days with St. Ignatius. In honor of the feast of St. Ignatius Loyola on July 31, Loyola Press has created a calendar of Ignatian articles, blog posts, videos, and prayers for every day of July. Click on the button above to open the interactive pdf.

Loyola Press, a Jesuit ministry serving the Catholic community in faith formation, education, and spiritual growth since 1912, recently won two awards for excellence in Catholic publishing.

Voyages in English, Loyola Press’s grammar and writing curriculum, has been awarded the 2011 Association of Educational Publishers’ Distinguished Achievement Award for excellence in educational resources for Curriculum–Reading and Language Arts–Grades 6-8. To learn more, click here

Thrift Store Saints: Meeting Jesus 25¢ at a Time, by Jane Knuth and published by Loyola Press, has won first place from the Catholic Press Association in the “Popular Presentation of the Catholic Faith” category.  To learn more, click here

Loyola Press is a nonprofit apostolate of the Chicago-Detroit Province of the Society of Jesus. The Press is committed to service by publishing resources that support children’s faith formation, language arts education, whole community catechesis, and the ongoing spiritual growth of adults through books and resources on a wide variety of topics including prayer, Catholic life, history, and Ignatian spirituality.

To view a new video featuring Christ the King Jesuit College Prep students reflecting on why they love their school, click here.

ALSO:

Christ The King students reflect on the opportunity to work for the Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks as part of the school’s unique Corporate Work Study Program.
Click Here for Video [Flash Video]
Check out CTK’s other videos

Fr. Joel Medina, who was recently ordained a Jesuit Priest, is profiled in the Jackson Citizen Patriot in Michigan.  To view this article in full, click here.