Ignatian Corner: Arrupe subject of new filmBy: Daniel Joyce, S.J.
Posted: 11/14/07
Some Jesuits want him canonized a saint; others feel he betrayed the Society of Jesus. No single Jesuit is as controversial as Pedro Arrupe, S.J. Nov. 14, 2007 marks the centenary of the birth of Pedro de Arrupe y Gondra, the 28th general of the Society of Jesus (The Jesuits). From 1965 to 1983, Arrupe led the Jesuits through a time of social upheaval and dramatic change in the Catholic Church. Born in 1907 in the Basque region of northern Spain, Fr. Arrupe went on to medical studies at the University of Madrid with plans to become a doctor. His plans were dramatically altered during a visit to the shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in France. Witnessing the hundreds of pilgrims seeking healing at the famed waters of the holy locale, Fr. Arrupe decided that he would become a spiritual healer and servant of God.Fr. Arrupe joined the Society of Jesus in 1927. The Republican government of Spain at the time ordered all Jesuits into exile. This development caused the young Jesuit novice to pursue his philosophical and theological studies in Belgium and the Netherlands. After ordination into the priesthood in 1936, Fr. Arrupe was sent by his Jesuit superiors to begin doctoral studies in medical ethics at St. Louis University; however, as sometimes happens to Jesuits, he received a sudden call from his provincial superior to go as a missionary to Japan in 1939.For the next 26 years, Fr. Arrupe tried his best to make the people of Japan the focus of his work and service. He served as parish priest, master of novices, vice provincial, and the first provincial of the multi-national group of Jesuits who served in Japan. He was living in suburban Hiroshima when the atomic bomb fell in August of 1945, ending World War II. He described that event as "a permanent experience outside of history, engraved on my memory." He utilized his medical skills in the service of the wounded and the dying, transforming the novitiate into a makeshift hospital for over 200 severely harmed Japanese civilians.In 1965 Fr. Arrupe was elected to be the 28th Superior General of the Jesuits, which numbered over 30,000 members on six continents. His 16-year term in leadership is outlined in a new documentary produced by Georgetown University for the Centenary of Pedro Arrupe's birth. This film claims that Fr. Arrupe created a unique brand of Christian service that now characterizes Jesuit education at universities such as Saint Joseph's.
In a now-famous address to alumni of Jesuit schools on July 31, 1973, Fr.Fr. Arrupe called for a new emphasis on Christian faith and the call to serve the most vulnerable in society at large."Today, our prime educational objective must be to form men-[and women]-for-others... people who cannot even conceive of a love of God which does not include love for the least of their neighbors; people convinced that love of God which does not issue injustice for human beings is a farce.... It is thus that we must sow justice in our world, substituting love for self-interest as the driving force of society," Fr. Arrupe said. This emphasis on the connection between faith, love, and justice remains one of many controversial statements made by Fr. Arrupe during his time of leadership. The full story of his life and the debate about his legacy will be discussed after the Philadelphia premiere of the documentary "Pedro Arrupe, S.J.: His Life and Legacy." A special panel conversation will include the Rev. William Byron, S.J., Former President of Loyola University, The Catholic University of America, and The University of Scranton; Sr. Frances Joseph Scarpello,. R.A. of the Saint Joseph's Faith Justice Institute; and Kevin Hickey, Executive Director of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Camden. John J. McCall, Ph.D., Director of The Pedro Arrupe Center for Business Ethics in The Haub School of Business, will host the event. The Arrupe Centenary event will be Monday, Nov. 19 at 4 p.m. in Mandeville Hall, The Wolfington Teletorium. Link to original article (here)
General Arrupe painted a profile of an ideal graduate. The address caused an
uproar among the men attending the gathering and is credited with marking a
dramatic shift in how to imagine the future of Jesuit education. Admitting that
Jesuit schools have not always been true to the early Jesuit interest in serving
the needy and combining this work with intellectual activity,
© Copyright 2007 The Hawk
1 comment:
Many years ago, Fr. Pedro Arrupe was on a TWA flight, sitting in coach on a full 747. A priest introduced me to him and referred to Fr. Arrupe as the "Black Pope". Our conversation was most pleasant and translanted by the priest traveling with him. At that time, I knew nothing about him but was moved by the warmth, sincerity and air of special presence that emanated from him.
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