To the graduating class of 2013 at U.S. Jesuit Universities and Colleges, this video is for you! Here are some special Ignatian messages from notable SJ’s, including Fr. Mike Kennedy of Jesuit Restorative Justice Initiative, Provincial Fr. Tim Kesicki of the Chicago-Detroit Jesuit Province, and Provincial Michael Weiler of the California Jesuit Province.
Congrats to you all, and hope you all go set the world on fire!
It is with great gratitude and joy that the Midwest Jesuits welcome Francis, the First Jesuit Pope.
In a statement, V. Rev. Timothy P. Kesicki, S.J., Provincial of the Chicago-Detroit Jesuits, reflects upon the Election of Francis as Bishop of Rome and Holy Father (read more).
Fr. General P. Adolfo Nicolás S.J. issued a statement on the election of Pope Francis (Read More)
Jesuit Fr. General Adolfo Nicolás Recounts His First Visit with Pope Francis (read more).
In a letter to Jesuit Fr. General Adolfo Nicolás, the Holy Father asks for prayers, offers blessings to the Jesuits and to all those who cooperate with the Society of Jesus in her activities, those who benefit from her good deeds, and those who participate in her spirituality. (read more).
Photo: Newly-elected Pope Francis, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina, waves after praying at the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome March 14. (CNS photo/Alessandro Bianchi, Reuters) (March 14, 2013).
Fr. Michael Garanzini, SJ President of Loyola University, Chicago and Secretary for Higher Education for the Society of Jesus
The Jesuit Alumni and Friends of Chicago presented a luncheon with featured speaker Rev. Michael Garanzini, SJ, on April 23, 2013. Fr. Garanzini is President of Loyola University Chicago, and Secretary for Higher Education for the Society of Jesus.
If you’d like to listen to Fr. Garanzini’s presentation to the Jesuit Alumni and Friends on April 23, 2013, please use the player above. If you’d like to view the program from the event in a new window, a pdf file is available (click here).
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P. Adolfo Nicolás S.J., Superior General of the Society of Jesus, and Pope Francis (Photo: L’Osservatore Romano)
In the name of the Society of Jesus, I give thanks to God for the election of our new Pope, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, S.J., which opens for the Church a path full of hope.
All of us Jesuits accompany with our prayers our brother and we thank him for his generosity in accepting the responsibility of guiding the Church at this crucial time. The name of “Francis” by which we shall now know him evokes for us the Holy Father’s evangelical spirit of closeness to the poor, his identification with simple people, and his commitment to the renewal of the Church. From the very first moment in which he appeared before the people of God, he gave visible witness to his simplicity, his humility, his pastoral experience and his spiritual depth.
“The distinguishing mark of our Society is that it is . . . a companionship . . . bound to the Roman Pontiff by a special bond of love and service.” (Complementary Norms, No. 2, § 2) Thus, we share the joy of the whole Church, and at the same time, wish to express our renewed availability to be sent into the vineyard of the Lord, according to the spirit of our special vow of obedience, that so distinctively unites us with the Holy Father (General Congregation 35, Decree 1, No. 17).
P. Adolfo Nicolás S.J.
Superior General
Rome, 14 March 2013
UPDATE: to read Fr. General’s account of his first visit with Pope Francis on March 17, click here
Fr. Paul Coelho, SJ, offers insight about the universal experience of being a Jesuit and much more.
The Jesuits of the Kohima Region in Northeast India work in the rural, mountainous area situated in the Himalayan hills and valleys between Myanmar, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Tibet. They serve a population that is primarily indigenous and their work includes: the establishment of parishes, the operation of 10 high schools, 13 middle schools, 26 primary schools (over 13,000 students), one undergraduate college, a teacher training center and numerous vocational and agricultural training programs. Social action projects include economic self-help cooperatives, women’s micro-finance groups; initiatives to support human and cultural rights, religious/ethnic tolerance initiatives and dialogues, ecological preservation, legal advocacy, and support for health care.
A Union of Hearts and Minds
The Midwest Jesuits and the Jesuits of the Kohima Region each work directly with indigenous communities. This common bond helps to unite us in an apostolic partnership known as “twinning.” Twinning encourages solidarity and mutual sharing to help Jesuits and their colleagues advance their respective mission to accompany those on the frontiers and promote the faith that seeks justice.
Rain does not deter the work of the boarding school children at St. Mary’s in Maweit, Meghalaya. The summer monsoon can produce much of the 120 inches of annual rainfall. Due to distances and difficult roads, many children need to live at school and only go home at breaks.
Kohima: Partners in Care
By John SealeyThe Wisconsin Province Jesuits have cooperated with the Kohima Region since 2002. The Jesuits of the ethnically and geographically diverse Kohima region have worked tirelessly and faced the challenges posed by rural, mountainous terrain, a 50% literacy rate, and 240 distinct languages. As the Chicago-Detroit and Wisconsin Provinces prepare to unite, together they continue to dedicate their efforts to making a difference in the lives of those in northeast India.
Two Portuguese Jesuits, Frs. Cacella and Cabaral, passed briefly through northeast India in 1626 en route to Tibet… (read more)
Modern conveniences are a luxury in a region where only 30% of households have safe drinking water and electricity.
Lessons Learned
By Paddy Gilger, SJThe most embarrassing moment of my time in India actually happened before I even set foot on Indian soil; it happened on the plane. I was travelling with another Jesuit—my classmate, the prophetic and eloquent and inevitably plaid-shirt-wearing Br. Joe Hoover, SJ—and we had discovered that we had, through some fortunate accident, been given first-class tickets for the last of our long series of flights. This flight would land us in the city of Guwahati, Assam… (read more)
During the summer of 2009, four Wisconsin Province Jesuits discovered trust, sorrow and joy in Northeast India
A Summer in Northeast India
In an effort to deepen the “twinning” relationship between the Wisconsin Province and the Kohima Region, scholastics, pictured left, Stephen Wolfe, SJ, R.J. Fichtinger, SJ, Luke Hansen, SJ, and Joseph Simmons, SJ lived and worked in Northeast India in the summer of 2009. Fichtinger, Simmons and Wolfe served in Jesuit parishes and schools in the rural villages of Maweit, Chidimit, and Dawagre, respectively; Hansen interned with the Jesuit-sponsored Legal Cell for Human Rights in Guwahati. Their immersion experience concluded with a 10-day tour of Nagaland, home to several Jesuit institutions near India’s eastern border with Myanmar. (read more via the Wisconsin Jesuits)
Photos: The Kohima Region
This slideshow may not play back on all devices; to view the gallery in a browser (click here)
Fr. Dave Mastrangelo, SJ, was recently interviewed on radio 760 am to promote the great works of Loyola High School Detroit, and to also highlight their upcoming event in which they team up with the Detroit Tigers!
Jesuit Brother Jim Boynton was missioned to Haiti in late 2009 to serve refugees through the Jesuit-founded Foi et Joie (Faith and Joy) school system. When the devastating earthquake hit the small Caribbean island nation on January 12, 2010, Br. Boynton answered the call to lead an emergency medical response team to Port-au-Prince. Today, Jesuits continue to provide support in the dire situation in Haiti a year after the natural disaster struck and continue to stand in solidarity with the people of Haiti during their time of need.
In January 2011, National Jesuit News spoke with Br. Boynton about his experiences in Haiti as part of its monthly podcast series. To listen, click here.
Below is a brief video highlighting Br. Boynton’s efforts to help rebuild Haiti through education and service:
In May 2010, Br. Jim Boynton, SJ, briefly returned from Haiti to share his story of the earthquake and hope for the future for the Haitian people. Br. Boynton met with donors in three cities and visited six high schools, offering gratitude for the tremendous prayerful and financial support of over 1,800 people, including Jesuit parishes and Jesuit schools. To see photos, click here.
It is with great gratitude and joy that the Midwest Jesuits welcome Francis, the First Jesuit Pope.
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