The Jesuit Colloquium on Papal Thought Of Benedict XVI:

"Virtue, Liturgy and Jesus of Nazareth"

June 7-June 10, 2009

Plenary Session Speakers Included

Robert Araujo, S.J., Boston College:

"Benedict XVI, The Virtues, and Catholic SocialThought"

Claudio Burgaleta, S.J., Fordham University:

"Benedict XVI: Theology of the Word ofGod"

Christopher Cullen, S.J., Fordham University

Joseph Godfrey, S.J., St. Joseph’s University:

"A Catholic Philosopher Looks at Spe Salvi"

Joseph Koterski, S.J., Fordham University:

"The Fourfold Sense of Scripture in Benedict XVI's Jesus of Nazareth"

John M. McDermott, S.J., Sacred Heart Major Seminary:

"Benedict XVI and the Theological Virtues"

Bruce Morrill, S.J. Boston College:

"Worship in Spirit and Truth: A Sacramental/Liturgical Theologian Engages Ratzinger"

Joseph Mueller, S.J. Marquette University:

"The First Thing We Must Do is Open Ourselves to God, Benedict XVI's Theocentric Christology in Jesus of Nazareth"

Edward Oakes, S.J. Mundelein Seminary:

"The Biblical Christ and Apologetics According to Cardinal Dulles"

Selected talks above are available for audio (.mp3) download. The papers from this and

the last two conferences on Pope Benedict XVI are in the process of publication by

St. Joseph's University Press.

Link (here)

A Jesuit Mission

Prepare to be moved in a power packed series of talks given by scholastic Andrew Jaspers, S.J. on March 1-3, 2009 at St. Joesph the Worker Catholic Church in Mankato, Minnesota.

In Talk One, Want to explore heaven on Earth? Andrew explores Jesus revealed in the Heavenly Mysteries of the Sacraments, the state of your soul and how Jesus can use tragedy in your life in order that you may find Him in His Sacred Heart.

In Talk Two, Andrew breaks into Pope Benedict's Sacramentum Caritatis, he presents the beauty of God in the Eucharist in three parts; Celebration, Our participation in the Eucharist and Adoration.

In Talk Three, Find yourself immersed in Jesus as Andrew discusses the real Blood and the real Food of the Gospel of St. John, chapter 6 as well as living and sharing the Eucharistic life.

Listen to

Talk One "A Mystery to be Believed"
Talk Two "A Mystery to be Celebrated"
Talk Three "A Mystery to be Lived".

Fr. William A. Ryan, S.J. "Rest In Peace"

The Rev. William A. Ryan, 94

By Walter F. Naedele

Inquirer Staff Writer

The Rev. William A. Ryan, 94, who served the Jesuits as an educator and a Vatican official, died of congestive heart failure Sunday at Manresa Hall, the infirmary at St. Joseph's University.

Father Ryan was executive assistant to the president of what is now St. Joseph's University from 1957 to 1959 and then a teacher of Latin, Greek, and religion at St. Joseph's Preparatory School from 1959 to 1972.

From then until 1983, he worked in Rome as secretary general for the Pontifical Biblical Institute, a graduate school for scriptural studies.

Born in Baltimore, Father Ryan graduated from Georgetown Preparatory School in North Bethesda, Md., entered the Jesuits in 1932, taught at his prep school and was ordained in 1945, and professed his final vows in 1949.

Father Ryan was assistant dean of students at Georgetown University in 1946 and 1947 and, from 1948 to 1951, minister to the Jesuit community there.

He returned to Georgetown Prep as rector from 1951 to 1957.

During his 15 years in Philadelphia, from 1957 to 1972, he earned a master's degree in classics from Villanova University in 1970.

When Father Ryan returned from Rome in 1983, he became a parish priest at St. George Roman Catholic Church in Glenolden, Delaware County, but, after three years, health problems forced him to move to the Jesuit residence at St. Joseph's University.

But he worked part time as assistant director of the Catholic Information Center of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia until retiring in 1992.

Father Ryan is survived by a brother, Francis, and 47 nieces and nephews. His eight other siblings preceded him in death.

A viewing was set from 2 to 4:30 p.m. today in Manresa Hall, 261 City Ave., Lower Merion, and from 10 to 11 a.m. Thursday in St. Matthias Roman Catholic Church, 128 Bryn Mawr Ave., Bala Cynwyd, followed by an 11 a.m. Funeral Mass there. Burial is to be in SS. Peter and St. Paul Cemetery, Springfield, Delaware County.

Link (here)

Fr. Friedrich Spee Von Langenfeld, S.J.

In August of the year 1633 Treves had been delivered over by its governor to the French, and the Jesuits, who were strong Imperialists, had had their schools closed. They were still holding on in a small way as parish priests in their Church of St. Simeon at the Porta Nigra, when, in the beginning of 1635, the Government issued a decree for their expulsion, which was to be carried into effect on the 27th of the ensuing March. It was the night between the 25th and the 26th of March when the Imperialist Graf Von Rettberg, at the head of 1,200 men, managed to effect an entrance, and, after some eight hours of desperate street fighting, found himself master of the town.

During all this time Fr. Friedrich Spee, S.J. was busy among the combatants, doing important service'to friend and foe, carrying the wounded on his shoulders into safe corners where he slaked their thirst, dressed their wounds, and, where it was needed, gave them the last sacraments. Five hundred Frenchmen were slain, and as many more, with their leader, were taken prisoners.

As soon as the battle was over, Fr. Spee hastened to Von Rettberg and prevailed upon him—Heaven knows how, except that Spee was not an easy man to refuse—to grant all the prisoners their liberty. Within a month of the capture of Treves Fr. Spee had the consolation of seeing all the prisoners who were fit to travel well supplied with clothes and money by his charity, and en route for their homes. Many, however, of the -wounded of both sides still lay in hospital, where a pestilence soon added to the difficulty of the situation.

There it was that Fr. Spee at once established himself as confessor, nurse, physician, and general servant, and there he met with his reward; they brought him home to die. He died surrounded by his brethren on the 7th of August, 1635, with no last words that have come down to us, but ' full of hope and happy.'

He lies in the crypt of St. Simeon's Church at Treves, and his epitaph says as much and no more : ' Hier liegt Friederich Spec.'

Link (here) to the full essay on Fr. Fredrick Spee, S.J. entitled A Jesuit Reformer and Poet by Fr. Henry Ignatius Dudley Ryder

FREDERIC VON SPEE, SJ: Cautio Criminalis of Processibus contra seu Sagas. Liber ad magistratus germaniae hoc tempore necessarius auctore Incerbo theologo Romano. Liber ad magistratus Germaniae hoc tempore necessarius auctore Incerbo theologo Romano. Rinthelii 1631. Rinthelii 1631. (here) and (here)
.

"Der Teufel Ist Los"

Therefore a "wedding" ceremony is conducted the night before the execution: The young girl is forced to have..... Link (here)

Some Jesuit history in Persia (here)

Portuguese Jesuit On The Priesthood

Several participants spoke about the issues faced by priests today, and the council's vocational commission gave a presentation. The secretary from the Portuguese conference, Jesuit Father Manuel Morujão, stated that "the definition of a priest is not the function or the task he performs." He affirmed that a priest is a "human being who specializes in God" in order to serve others twenty-four hours a day. Father Morujão added that the priest must be "an expert in the art of encountering God," and for this reason he must know how to "draw on the Eucharist as his highest expression of fulfillment."

Link (here) to the full story

If you would like to read more about the priesthood read this book entitled, Jesus Lives In The Priest, By Fr. Pierre Millet, S.J.

Not To Be Missed

On Saturday July 25, 2009 at 1pm
"SPIRITUAL SYMBIOSIS: THE JESUIT, THE MEDICINE MAN AND THE POWER OF SONG,"
Tamastslikt Cultural Institute, 72789 Highway 331, Pendleton. Ethnomusicologist Chad Hamill presents a free public lecture. Link (here)

The latest news account on Fr. Joseph Fessio, S.J. and his removal from Ave Maria (here)

Indian Jesuit Discourse

Fr Abraham Painumkal, a Jesuit priest and counsellor, will deliver a discourse on Are we not second-hand people' on Thursday at Jesuit House, Panaji, at 6pm. Fr Abraham will also be available for counselling at Jesuit House (Tel: 9850123667/2223495). Link (here)

TV Jesuit

On Friday, July 24th, CatholicTV’s talk show “This is the Day” will feature Fr. George Winchester, SJ, and Chris Benguhe. Fr. George Winchester is a Roman Catholic priest and a member of the Society of Jesus of New England (Jesuit). He has been at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (Boston, MA) as a chaplain for over 15 years. He provides Sacramental ministry as well as Pastoral care to Catholics and other patients and families, respecting their values and spiritual orientation, regardless of religious affiliation. Fr. Winchester feels that his service to others is a privilege for which he is most grateful. Fr. Winchester calls the hospital "my parish."

Link (here)

Fr. Joseph Fessio, S.J. And Ave Maria University

Fr. Fessio again removed from Ave Maria University

CATEGORY: SESSIUNCULA — Fr. John Zuhlsdorf @ 4:27 am

Via Fr. Z.

From a reader:

This is an email (copied/ pasted) that I received from Fr. Joseph Fessio, S.J. earlier today. Could you ask your readers to pray for Fr. Fessio and for the Ave Maria University (Naples, FL) community? Thank you very much.

***********************
This morning, (Monday, July 20th) Dr. Jack Sites, Academic Vice President of Ave Maria University, flew from Houston, where he was attending a meeting of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, to San Francisco, to inform me personally that I was being dismissed from Ave Maria University. Our meeting was amicable and Dr. Sites, as always, acted as a Christian gentleman.

He said that the reason for my dismissal stemmed from a conversation I had in November of 2008 with Jack Donahue, then chairman of the board of AMU. At that time I felt it an obligation to speak to the board chairman before the upcoming board meeting, to make sure he was aware of the urgency of the university’s financial situation. After I had informed him, using projections based on publicly available documents and statements, he asked me what I thought was the solution. I told him that there were policies being followed that were at the root of the problem, that the present administration was irrevocably wedded to those policies, and that without a change of administration the university was at great risk.

Dr. Sites said that Jack Donahue related this conversation to Tom Monaghan, and it was decided (I don’t know specifically by whom) that the university could not have a faculty member making these criticisms of the administration and thus undermining the university.

Dr. Sites told me that there were unspecified others who had similar substantive concerns that I was undermining the university.

I continue to support the university. I pray for its success. I have great admiration for the faculty, students, and many of the staff. I do disagree with some of the policies of the administration. This seems to be the reason I was fired the first time, in March 2007, since the official explanation was "irreconcilable administrative differences".

Nevertheless, I think it is an accurate summary to say that I am being dismissed as a faculty member because of a private conversation with the chairman of the board in which I made known my criticisms of the university administration; and because of allegations which have not been made known to me and to which I have not been given an opportunity to respond.

I will continue to recommend AMU to students and parents. And I will continue to think my dismissal is another mistake in a long series of unwise decisions.

Link (here) to the original post by Fr. Z.

Fr. Raymond H. Reis, S.J."Rest In Peace" The Oldest Jesuit

Rev. Raymond H. Reis, world's oldest Jesuit, dies

Rev. Raymond H. Reis

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

07/21/2009

The Rev. Raymond H. Reis, a longtime professor at St. Louis University and briefly the oldest member of the Jesuit order, died Sunday (July 19, 2009) at Jesuit Hall at the university. He was 104.

Father Reis had been aware for some time that he was the second oldest of all the nearly 20,000 Jesuits worldwide, and the oldest priest in the order. His death came a few days after word arrived from Rome advising of the death of the previous oldest Jesuit, in Mexico.

Father Reis had two careers with the Jesuits. After retiring from teaching, he returned to school to become a registered nurse.

He was born in St. Louis on March 25, 1905, attended Kenrick High School and graduated from Quincy Academy in Quincy, Ill., in 1923.

He joined the Jesuit order at St. Stanislaus Seminary in Florissant in 1926. He returned to St. Louis University and earned a doctorate in biology in 1940.

He taught at Marquette University in Milwaukee and Rockhurst College (now Rockhurst University) in Kansas City and was a visiting researcher at the University of Milan.

He returned to St. Louis University, where he taught biology from 1961 until he retired for the first time in 1973. He then studied nursing at the university and worked as a nurse for the residents of Jesuit Hall until 1992, when he retired again.

He remained active. "I remember getting a couple of flu shots from him after that," recalled the Rev. Michael Harter.

Friends said he took good care of his health and enjoyed raising vegetables. He got up early and helped clean the chapel and made sure that residents had their daily newspapers. He prided himself on being the first in line for dinner.

"He was a very orderly man, and at exactly 5:30, he would walk into dinner," the Rev. Tom Melancon said.

Visitation is from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday at St. Francis Xavier (College) Church, 3628 Lindell Boulevard. The funeral Mass will be celebrated at 7 p.m. at the church. Burial will be at Calvary Cemetery.

Among the survivors are nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Jesuits of Missouri Province, 4511 West Pine Boulevard, St. Louis, Mo. 63108.

German Jesuit on "Caritas In Veritate"

A section of the gathering was devoted to review Benedict XVI’s latest encyclical, “Caritas in Veritate.”

The general secretary of the German conference, Jesuit Father Hans Langendörfer, gave a presentation on the document. He emphasized three main themes: the centrality of man, the economy’s social dimension, and globalization and the interdependence of peoples. The priest pointed out that through the economic crisis, people have understood that “the market cannot count on itself, but must draw moral energies from other subjects.”

Thus, he said, human development cannot be separated from respect for life, religious freedom and protecting workers’ rights. Father Langendörfer explained that the encyclical calls for global awareness in economic reconstruction, and thus, “the European economy cannot ignore Africa or Asia.” In a discussion after the presentation, the secretaries expressed appreciation for the document, and the Holy Father’s clarity in assessing the current issues.

Link (here) to the full story.

Former Jesuit Says, "Buddism Is The Spiritual Tradition That Has Influenced Me The Most"

Ex-Jesuit Don Riso, one of the founders of the Enneagram Institute, told David Ian Miller that “the Enneagram, as I've defined it, is a guide to self-observation. It is a way to map the spectrum of personality and illuminate those dark areas.”

There are nine different Enneagram types, each of which has nine states of development. “You could spend your whole life on one of these levels,” said Riso.

“Or you could move from one level to another, as most people do, depending on various circumstances and the stresses operating on them from moment to moment.”

You move from level to level when you have “awareness” and are “willing and able to go against the habits of your personality type,” said Riso.

Those at the lower levels, who are “asleep to themselves,” “need the help of some external force” --- “therapy or a spiritual teacher,” for instance.

“Enneagram knowledge alone is not enough,” said Riso.

Riso said the Enneagram provides a spiritual path “to see reality directly.” “To me,” he said,

“reality is spiritual. If God is real, God is by definition the most real thing there is ... The world of maya, the world of illusion, in which we live, is not ‘the really real.’”

In it “we are dealing with mental constructs: our projections, our reactivity, our fears -- all kinds of things in our mental world.”

To Miller, noting that “religious groups” like the Catholic Church have been critical of the Enneagram, Riso said they “get scared” because

the Enneagram is “not dogmatic. It's not a religion. It is an invitation to spirituality, to learn about spirituality for yourself and to investigate your own experience of the divine in your life.” Religion’s big problem today “is that people are not taught how to have spiritual experiences. If they did, then they might not need organized religion anymore

--- at least, that is the underlying fear.”

Though a former Jesuit, Riso said Buddhism is the spiritual tradition that has influenced him most.

“Sufism has also been important to me,” he continued. “I would say that my spirituality is fairly nondenominational.

I think the seeking comes from a desire for the truth in whatever form it appears, especially in my own personal experience. I've never been much of a joiner, and I've never been one to read tons of books to find answers.”

Link (here) to the full article first published in 2007 in the California Catholic Daily.

Link (here) to an article by Fr. Mitch Pacwa, S.J. entitled, Enneagram: A Modern Myth.

Our Lady Of Peace And Good Voyage

For St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic Church, Saturday was a day of celebration and great anticipation -- not only for its parishioners, but also for Filipino-Americans around the state who showed up to share and celebrate their faith and heritage.

It all starts with a statue. As the story goes, exactly 380 years ago Saturday, July 18, the galleon El Almirante landed in the Philippines from Mexico with precious cargo -- a carved statue of the Virgin Mary -- a gift to the Filipino people by their Governor General.

Legend says the trip from Mexico to the Philippines was fraught with great storms and a fire aboard the ship, but the ship landed safely -- with many contributing the successful journey to the presence of the holy cargo.

She then became known as "Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage." Eventually, the statue found permanent residence in the small village of Antipolo, under the careful watch of Jesuit priests. Tradition says the statue disappeared several times and was found in the branches of the tipulo tree. The priests built a church near the tree, cut it down, and made it into a pedestal for the statue, where it remains to this very day.

Now, almost 400 years later, "Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage," has again made a journey and found a new home under the watchful eye of the people of St. Maximilian Kolbe. Remy Canque, a Filipino-American and a parishioner, explained the only other statue of "Our Lady" is housed at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. "And we couldn't get that one," she laughed.

The "Lady" she explained, is a symbol of Filipino-American Catholic friendship and common faith. So, she said, the Filipino community raised funds for a replica of the statue in Washington, D.C., to be constructed and housed at St. Max. "It was made in the Philippines," said Ana Romillo, a parishioner and longtime community activist, and the statue was received in Port Charlotte last April.

Its dedication being the same day as the original statue landing in the Philippines, she said, was fitting. For Canque, the dedication of the statue is very personal. As she told her story, her eyes often became misty and her voice quivered. The year was 1945. She and her family lived on the small Filipino island of Cebu.

Link (here) to the full article

A great Jesuit site from Chile, entitled CVX Chile (here)

Fordham Professor on African Democracy

Shaebia.org interviewed Dr. Amir H. Idris, Assistant Professor at Fordham, New York City’s Jesuit University. He is from the Department of African and African American Studies.

What is democracy based on African point of view?

I think the question of democracy in Africa is very important question. But, what we need to do is we have to put it into a context. Democracy is one form of political system and all of us know that the purposes and functions of any political system is to share specific objectives. In the case of Africa all of us know that post colonial states now exist in Africa since the 1950s and 1960s. These states face so many problems, and we can summarize them into three main challenges: first is the question of national unity or national identity; the second is the question of economic developments; and the third issue concerns human rights. And I may also add the question of ethnic conflict, civil war etc; these are some of the major challenges of many African countries and I think if you want to talk about democracy then it must be a means of resolving such challenges in a peaceful way.

Link (here) to the full written interview

An update in the death of Fr. Victor Betancourt, S.J., Father was murdered in Moscow, Russia on Oct.28th, 2008. Read the story (here)

Faculty JUG

A French teacher at Jesuit High School in Sacramento has been fired after 21 years on staff. Maria Pozsar said she was dismissed just days after returning from a trip to Europe with Jesuit students, a trip she has lead many years in the past. Pozsar, who could not talk about why administrators dismissed her, has retained celebrity Los Angeles attorney Gloria Allred for her case. Allred said in a statement to KCRA 3,

"... we believe that the reason she was terminated was because she complained and supported another teacher's complaint of sexual harassment." Pozsar said of her termination, "I did not know what hit me, I felt like, my heart stopped.""I thought, oh my God, my whole world has collapsed and why, it was very hard," Pozsar said.

Jesuit High School President Father Greg Bonfiglio said in a statement, "As you know, conclusions drawn without full factual information are often faulty; there are always two sides to every story. Unfortunately, out of respect for employee privacy rights and laws regarding confidentiality, we are not able to provide any specific information regarding decisions in any personnel matter. Please know that Jesuit High School does not make decisions precipitously and considers all facts and circumstances before coming to any conclusions."

Link (here) to the full article

How The German Protestant Saw The 18th Century Jesuits

The Jesuits preached after their fashion daily, promising freedom from all contributions, and from the infliction of billeting, and special favor and privileges from the Emperor; but to the refractory temporal destruction. They went so far, that the intimidated burgesses were driven to the determination of accepting confirmation ; most of the men of the community took the Lord's Supper according to the Roman Catholic custom, unblessed by the cup. The more steadfast of the citizens, however, were compelled to go away in misery.

Hardly had the Jesuits left the town, when the people fell back again, the citizens rushed to the neighboring villages, where there were still evangelical pastors, and were there married and baptized; their churches standing empty under a Roman Catholic priest.

There were new threatenings, and new deeds of violence. The upright burgomaster Schubert was carried off to severe imprisonment, but the Council now declared boldly that they would die for the Augsburg Confession; the burgesses pressed round the governor of the province in wild tumult. The executioners of the Emperor, " the leatifiers," rode through the gates; great part of the citizens flew with their wives and children out of the town; all the villages were full of exiles, who were brought back with violence by the soldiers and apostate citizens, and put into prison till they could produce certificates of confession ; those who fled further, were driven into Saxony.

Link (here) to the specifically anti-Jesuit, pro Lutheran book entitled Pictures of German Life by Gustav Freytag

Engraving of the Augsburg Confession

Sotomayor

Jesuit Scholastic Matt Malone, in his post at America's blog In All Things says,

Memo to those who missed this week’s Sotomayor hearings: Imagine a cocktail conversation between Hume and Aquinas, or Karl Marx and Adam Smith, or maybe even Jack Webb and Cheech Marin and you get some idea of what this rigmarole sounded like: two people

(Sotomayor and her G.O.P. interlocutors)

having what appeared to be a conversation, but was in fact a series of monologues by people who have such radically different philosophies that there is only the narrowest conversational opening between full-blown debate and mannerly chit chat. Some tried, but they all missed the opportunity and that is why the hearings were such a snoozer. Every party to the hearings wanted to avoid a vigorous open debate--the G.O.P. because it did not want to be remembered for its shabby treatment of the country’s first Latina justice, and Judge Sotomayor because she wanted to quietly get the heck out of there without doing any harm to the all but certain prospect of her confirmation. And so it is that the country missed another chance to have a desperately needed, meaningful exchange about our constitutional system.

Read Malone's constitutional conversation post (here) entitled, Last Thoughts on the Hearings. Missing in the article were Judge Sotomayor's Catholic background, her position on abortion, stem cell research, the 2nd Amendment, her position on the white fireman's discrimination case and the famous "Latina woman" comment.

From The Jesuit Blog: Ignatian Spirituality In Maine

New Executive Director for the Jesuit Collaborative

June 19, 2009 –Fr. James R. Conroy, S.J., has been named the executive director of The Jesuit Collaborative beginning August 1, 2009.

Fr. Conroy, a native of Pittsburgh and a member of the Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus, currently works in directing the Spiritual Exercises in Pittsburgh. Fr. Conroy has extensive experience with Ignatian spirituality in varied settings. Throughout his career as a teacher, parish priest, in Jesuit formation, and retreat director he has led over 150 bishops, priests, religious, and lay men and women through the Spiritual Exercises.

Link (here) to the blog entitled, Ignatian Spirituality in Maine by Fr. John Predmore, S.J.

Fr. John D. Whitney, S.J. - A World Of Grace

The poet and Jesuit priest, Gerard Manley Hopkins, once wrote that “The world is charged with the grandeur of God.” I suppose, more than anything, that has been my experience and my greatest hope.

A quote by Fr. John Whitney, S.J.

Link (here) to the wonderful and pictorial world of Fr. John D. Whitney's personal website.

Out On A Lim

A professor at the Jesuit-run University of San Francisco is also the founder and executive director of the Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project. The project was founded in the year 2000 by Madeleine Lim. The project’s webpage describes its mission: “[The project] promotes the creation, exhibition and distribution of new films and videos that increase the visibility of queer women of color, authentically reflect our life stories, and address the vital social justice issues that concern our communities.”

Link (here) to the full story at California Catholic Daily.

Photo is of Madeleine Lim

Berkeley Professor Writes Book

Brian Olszewski, editor of the Milwaukee archdiocesan newspaper, reviews a study of six northern California parishes for Catholic News Service on July 8.

The book, Sense of the Faithful: How American Catholics Live Their Faith, contains interviews of parishioners in Oakland and San Francisco
The author, Jerome Baggett, (here) is associate professor at the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley

From Olszewski’s review:
“The statistical compilations are interesting and valuable as they provide qualitative and quantitative responses to a variety of questions, e.g., Why are you Catholic? Would you ever consider switching to another religion? Do you consider the Mass to be important to you? What does this parish do particularly well? “…However, in addition to the data, what makes this important reading for those who are in parish ministry and planning are the stories of the interviewees. Given the variety of parishes -- one that ministers to and with a large gay and lesbian membership, another that celebrates two Latin Masses every Sunday, and another that serves Filipinos, Anglos, African-Americans and Vietnamese -- one reads accounts of the Catholic experience that reflect the diversity within their faith communities.”

Link (here) to piece in California Catholic Daily
Photo of Jerome Baggett

India, Death, Starvation, Baptism, Salvation, Jesuits And Thomas Malthus

Recent years have made us familiar with the tales of Indian famines; but there is nothing novel in these in the history of that long over-peopled country. One of the Jesuits cited by Thomas Malthus says that it is impossible for him to describe the misery to which he was witness during the two years' famine in 1737 and 1738, and another Jesuit writes, -" Every year we baptize a thousand children, whom their parents can no longer feed, or who, being likely to die, are sold to us by their mothers in order to get rid of them."

Link (here)

Photo of Indian famine victims (here)

Blogger Note: Thomas Malthus was a eugenicist and his ideas are a precursor to Hitler's "Final Solution", Margaret Sanger's Planned Parenthood and the Chinese " One Child Policy"

BC Jesuit On Pope Benedict XVI

Last week, Pope Benedict published his latest encyclical, "Caritas in Veritate," or "Charity in Truth.'' The latest in a century-plus of papal statements advocating for moral reforms in our world's economic and political order, this detailed document calls for greater protections for workers and the poor.

Some people get nervous when religious leaders reach beyond strictly private, spiritual matters to address public affairs such as economic justice and international cooperation. While this is an understandable reaction, the Vatican has been extremely deliberate to comment on social justice concerns in a style that is modest and constructive, ever vigilant not to exceed its expertise.

As moral voices, popes have been remarkably consistent in proposing - rather than in any way imposing - ethical approaches to public issues in a pluralistic world.
Since 18 years had gone by since John Paul II issued the previous social encyclical, there was much for Benedict to analyze: the present financial crisis, for one, and trends like enhanced globalization, migration, environmental degradation and new technologies. Traditional Catholic values such as attention to the common good, social justice and human dignity are applied to current global realities in new ways by Benedict.

By Father Thomas Massaro, S.J., a native of Floral Park, is professor of moral theology at the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry.

Link (here) to read Father Massaro's full article.

Fr. Mitch Pacwa, S.J. Debunks The Enneagram

Enneagram: A Modern Myth

by Father Mitch Pacwa, S.J.

The Enneagram is alleged to be a 2000 year old Sufi system of personality types from Islamic mystics who lived before the time of Christ.

The Enneagram is a circle, meant to symbolise the Cosmos and the "one-ness": this comes from a monist perspective. The Sufis are monists believing that we are all one with each other and with the universe and at the same time pantheists believing that the universe is god. So that's why they're not highly regarded in Islam, because they're kind of Heterodox.

Inside the circle is a triangle, and it connects up the points of the 9, the 3 and the 6; and it symbolises God. We should notice right away that it's God inside the cosmos, not the cosmos inside God.

There's another figure that is 6 sided and it connects from the I to the 4, 4 to the 2, 2 to the 8, 8 to the 5, 5 to the 7 and the 7 back to the I again. And there you have your Enneagram. (Ennea is Greek for "nine").

It is claimed that the Enneagram is a system revealing nine personality types and it is used in the various workshops and taught in seminaries.

Nine Personality Types

1. The Perfectionist: personality type-"ego-resent".

2. The Caregiver: personality type-"ego-flattery". These types will try to say nice things about you so that you can say nice things back to them.

3. The Achiever: personality type-"ego-go". It doesn't have a real interior life, it's all in its role, and all in its functions in society rather than to an interior depth.

4. The Artist: personality type-"ego-melancholy". This type feels sad it is among so many people that are without real sophistication. They're sad and melancholic over being so artistic among so many bores.

5. The Observer: personality type-"ego-stinge". These people want to gather in all sorts of things and never give anything back.

6. The Team Player: personality type-"ego-cowardice".

7. The Optimist: personality type-"ego-gluttony".

8. The Competitor: personality type-"ego-venge".

9. The Peacemaker: personality type-"ego-indolent". Don't cause any problems, just sort of let things be.

Link (here) to the full debunking

Arabic, Hebrew, Syriac, Coptic, Ethiopic And Jesuit In Beirut

When driven out of their country, the Portuguese Jesuits betook themselves to Brazil, where their help was greatly needed; the Italians went to New Mexico and California; and the French missions of China and Syria benefited by the anti-clericalism of the home government; for Zikawei became an important scientific world-centre and Beirut obtained a university. The latter was, until the war broke out, a great seat of Oriental studies.

The most imposing institutions in Beirut, a city with a population of over 150,000, made up of Mussulmans, Greeks, Latins, Americans and Jews, are those of the Jesuits. They maintain and direct outside of Beirut 192 schools for boys and girls with 294 teachers and 12,000 pupils. There is, in the city, a university with a faculty of medicine (120 students) founded in 1881 with the help of the French government; its examinations are conducted before French and Ottoman physicians and its diplomas are recognized by both France and Turkey. The university has also a seminary (60 students) for all the native Rites. Up to 1902 it had sent out 228 students including three patriarchs, fifteen bishops,one hundred and fifteen priests and eighty-three friars. Its faculty of philosophy and theology grants the same degrees as the Gregorian University in Rome. Its faculty of Oriental languages and sciences, founded in 1902, teaches literary and conversational Arabic, Hebrew, Syriac, Coptic and Ethiopic; the comparative grammar of the Semitic languages; the history and geography of the Orient; Oriental archaeology; Graeco-Roman epigraphy and antiquities. Its classical college has 400 pupils and its three primaries 600. A printing-house, inaugurated in 1853, is now considered to be the foremost for its output in that part of the world. Since 1871 it has published a weekly Arabic paper, and since 1898 a fortnightly review in the same language, the editors of which took rank at once among the best Orientalists. Besides continually adding to their collection of philological papers, they contribute to many scientific European reviews.

Link (here) to the book entitled The Jesuits: 1534-1921, by Fr. Thomas Joseph Campbell, S.J.

Fr. Frank Fadner, S.J.

Fr. Frank Fadner, S.J. was an expert in Russian history, a remarkable polylinguist, and accomplished artist. He taught history from 1949 to 1978 and also served as Regent of the School of Foreign Service. In 1987, James Alatis, Dean of the School of Languages and Linguistics, recollected that:

New students were often intrigued by the black gowned gentleman with the long gray beard, intelligent eyes, black cassock, beretta and flowing cape. Theories as to his identify were legion.

Two particularly memorable ones were that he was either the Metropolitan [Archbishop] of Moscow in exile or the Papal Confessor. Father enjoyed his mysterious image and would note that it wasn’t bad for a boy from Neenah, Wisconsin . . .

Link (here)

Honduran Jesuit On Political Situation

Honduras' powerful Roman Catholic Church has backed the ouster of President Manuel Zelaya, surrendering a chance to be an impartial mediator because it would rather take sides in order to counter the influence of Venezuela's leftist president, Hugo Chavez.

The political forces and military that toppled Zelaya on June 28 cited Chavez as a factor in their coup, saying they feared the Honduran president was adopting the Chavez brand of socialism and political tactics.

They accused Zelaya of violating the constitution by seeking to extend his rule through the lifting of presidential term limits, as Chavez has done.

Leaders of the Catholic Church, which polls show is the most respected institution in the conservative Central American country, have backed the ouster and thrown their weight behind the interim government installed by the Honduran Congress.

"The Church should have taken a more conciliatory posture," said Efrain Diaz, a political analyst with the non-governmental Center for Human Development. "This country is fractured and it needs a climate of reconciliation."

Ismael Moreno, a Jesuit priest and radio commentator who is not part of the hierarchy, put it more bluntly.

"The Church has lost all ability to mediate," he said. "It has lost all credibility."

Link (here)

Interesting

Whether it’s true or not that a Cabinet-level official met with the Iglesia ni Cristo and the Jesuits to “push the idea of a revolutionary government” to be headed by the President, it’s well worth noting that the national security adviser (who has Cabinet rank) publicly floated the idea back in June. Norberto Gonzales suggested that the President head a troika composed of both Houses of Congress, the judiciary, and the Church—adding he’d contacted leaders of the Catholic and various Protestant churches.

Link (here)

Paganism is not cool, see for yourself (here)

VOTF, Fairfield University, University Of San Francisco And The Ex-Jesuit

In a move to unite U.S. Catholics, the newly formed American Catholic Council called today for an historic assembly of the Catholic Church in the United States. Voice of the Faithful joins this call, spurred by evidence of serious deterioration in the life of the U.S. Church today......

Another endorser is former priest Dr. Paul Lakeland, professor of Catholic Thought and Interreligious Dialogue at the (Jesuit) Fairfield University.

Dr. Lakeland was recently in the news for his public support of Connecticut bill 1098, introduced by homosexual activist state Senators Mike Lawlor and Andrew J. McDonald. Bill 1098 sought to use legislative means to restructure the governance of the Catholic Church in Connecticut. The bill was tabled after intense opposition. On March 10, 2009, the Catholic News Agency reported: “The bill, which bears resemblance to Voice of the Faithful’s Strategic Plan, is being supported by Dr. Paul Lakeland, who believes that in this case it’s appropriate to use state legislation to force the Church’s hand…Concluding his support for the bill he said,

'I see absolutely no chance whatsoever of the Institutional Church making a change in this direction without pressure from somewhere outside the Church. There’s not even the most remote likelihood that the Church would adjust in this direction itself. I think this is a way of putting pressure on them to make changes and bringing the issue into a more prominent setting.'

" On June 15, 2008, Dr, Lakeland was a guest at the (Jesuit) University of San Francisco. He spoke on the topic: “How the Laity can Save the Church.” Lakeland’s speech was co-sponsored by Voice of the Faithful Northern California and USF’s Lane Center for Catholic Studies and Social Thought.

Link (here) to the full article

Brand New Ex-Jesuit Says, "Felt Less Attached To The Institutional Church"

HIGH-PROFILE Jesuit priest Peter Norden is leaving the religious order and considering his future as a priest, burnt out and somewhat disillusioned after four decades of pastoral and social work.

Father Norden — a noted social advocate, long-time Pentridge Prison chaplain and founder of Jesuit Social Services — said yesterday his workload had become unmanageable and he had not been adequately supported by the church on organizational or personal issues.

He said that in his last year as a part-time parish priest at St Ignatius, Richmond, he did 70 weddings, 200 baptisms and 50 funerals. He also travelled interstate 30 times as policy director for Jesuit Social Services.

Over the decades he ministered to the six prisoners who died in the Jika Jika fire at Pentridge Prison in 1987 and attended several murder and suicide scenes.

"At Jika Jika most of the officers took six months off and had counselling, but no one had any concern for me," he said. "Most of the stuff I am working through is traumatic stuff from 20 years ago. In one sense it's all very exciting and challenging, but you realise you are carrying scars."

Father Norden said he was still motivated by a call to service of the community, but felt less attached to the institutional church. He said he was still thinking about whether he would remain a priest. "I feel burnt out and need a new direction."

Jesuit Provincial Steve Curtin expressed gratitude for Father Norden's "extremely stressful work, on behalf of … people at the edges of society".

Link (here) to original article in The Age.

The Black Robes And St. Catherine

Her mother was a Christian Algonquin, taken captive by the Iroquois and given as wife to the chief of the Mohawk clan, the boldest and fiercest of the Five Nations. When she was four, Kateri lost her parents and little brother in a smallpox epidemic that left her disfigured and half blind. She was adopted by an uncle, who succeeded her father as chief.

He hated the coming of the Blackrobes (Jesuit missionaries), but could do nothing to them because a peace treaty with the French required their presence in villages with Christian captives. She was moved by the words of three Blackrobes who lodged with her uncle, but fear of him kept her from seeking instruction.

She refused to marry a Mohawk brave and at 19 finally got the courage to take the step of converting. She was baptized with the name Kateri (Catherine) on Easter Sunday.

Link (here) to Galway blog called Church of the Sacred Heart.

Shoes

(Here) is post by Fr. James Martin, S.J. at America's In All Things blog. I am not criticizing the content of the post, however I think it is worth evaluating and pointing to something more self reflective.

There is that old saying, "If the shoe were on the other foot."

I am going to leave this first excerpt of Father Martin's post just as he published it, then below I am going to change a few words around so that we can see somethings in a little different light.

Fr. Martin is pointing to the upcoming Apostolic Visitation of The Legionaries of Christ. Fr. Martin excerpts an interview with Fr. Thomas Berg a former Legionaries of Christ priest.

"This question - whether there is a genuine institutional charism present here or not - is very serious and, as it presents itself in the case of the Legion, unprecedented in the history of the Church. I hope that the visitors will turn up useful information that will assist the Holy See in discerning the answer to that question.

Finally, I fear there may be more victims of Fr. Maciel out there. Their welfare has to become more clearly a palpable and obvious priority for the Legionary superiors. I am hopeful that the major superiors of the Legion who may be now have acquired much more information in this regard will be entirely forthcoming with the visitors."

Now slightly changed.

This question - whether there is a genuine institutional charism present here or not - is very serious and, as it presents itself in the case of the (Oregon Province of the Society of Jesus) unprecedented in the history of the Church. I hope that the visitors will turn up useful information that will assist the Holy See in discerning the answer to that question.

Finally, I fear there may be more victims of ( the 40 Oregon Jesuits) out there. Their welfare has to become more clearly a palpable and obvious priority for the (Jesuit) superiors. I am hopeful that the major superiors of the (Jesuits) who may be now have acquired much more information in this regard will be entirely forthcoming with the visitors.

Go (here) to the back stories on the abuse cases of the 40 Jesuits and Oregon bankruptcy.