Friday, December 18, 2009

"Jesus In Christmas" By Fr. Emeterio Barcelon, S.J.

Why celebrate Christmas?

Christmas for most of us is a time of merry making, of gift giving, of joyous music, of expressions of love. In all of these we may forget the main reason for the celebrations which is the remembrance of God’s love, so great that He took the form of man to make it easier for us to love Him and because of love for Him to love our fellow man. Our faith is a faith of love and joy. As a creature we can easily understand the need to adore but we may find it hard to love an Almighty God, all-knowing, all- encompassing Creator. But since He is the God of love, He made it easier for us to love Him back by becoming a man like us, a Child in Bethlehem. This is the basic reason for all the celebrations. God's loves us and in His mercy has given us the opportunity to love Him back. This justifies the joys of Christmas.

The coming of the king as a humble child in poverty in a manger also reminds us of His coming to save us from the weight of our own tendencies to evil, our shortcomings, our gloom, and weakness in the face of temptation. He saved us from evil, and made up for our transgressions, our sloth, our greed for power and possessions, our lust, our anger and desires for revenge, our selfishness and unconcern for others. Rejoice then, because He has made up for our transgressions. We have no more debts, no punishments to undergo since they have all been forgiven and paid for. The tiniest whimper or suffering of the Almighty God made man would have sufficed to pay for our transgressions although He went on to the Cross to give us an example and to warn us that we are still subject to the evil within us, and of the powers of evil that surround us.

Without the Child, Christmas merry making has no meaning. We rejoice because He taught us how to love and made it easier for us to love the Almighty. We rejoice because we have been empowered to control the evil within us and strengthened against the forces of evil that surround us. The evergreen tree of the Christmas tree is the symbol of the constancy of God's love. It is ever green and ever constant. Santa Claus is the symbol of giving and self giving that Jesus taught and did for us. So are the three kings who came from the east to offer gifts of adoration.

Link (here) to Fr. Emeterio Barcalon's full reflection.

Advent Apparitions Of Our Lady?

There are no details as yet as to when the phenomena began, but according to blog reports crowds began forming on December 9 -- a day after the Immaculate Conception feast -- and thousands are now gathering each night, chanting, singing Arabic-style Christian songs, and loudly exclaiming as forms or flashes of light materialize. The forms of light are vague as taken with what appear to be cell phones and presented on internet videos but like apparitions that occurred in the late 1960s and early 1970s at other Orthodox churches in Cairo seem to show a bright light in the form of Mary moving amid the domes or over an entrance near an illuminated Cross as a frenzied crowd and beeping taxi horns form an audio backdrop.
One video is available (here), or in a longer version ( here).
Link (here) to the full Spirit Daily report.
Jesuits in Egypt (here)
On Monday Bishop Theodosios the Coptic Orthodox Bishop in Giza issued a statement: "On Dec. 11th, 2009 Friday, at 1am, a full apparition of the Virgin Mary on the right dome of the church was reported by at least 3,000 people. She appeared in her usual heavenly blue costume. She was crowned and the concrete cross on the dome was placed on top of her crown. Those present captured photos and videos of the Holy scene," read the statement.

Link (here)

A Jesuit Defending A Jesuit

We might learn something from the example of Fr. Robert F. Drinan, S.J., the dean of the Boston College Law School who, in order to oppose what he saw as the sin of the Vietnam War, was elected to Congress from Massachusetts in 1970 and served until 1980. During those ten years he was the first to call for Richard Nixon’s impeachment, and was a constant advocate for human rights all over the world. But, as a lawyer, he was also convinced that abortion was morally wrong but could not be outlawed in a pluralistic society. By 1980, Pope John Paul II forced him to not run for office again because the Pope felt the two roles of priest and politician, especially in his case, could not be reconciled.

During those ten years, however,

though Drinan’s political position was basically pro-abortion-on-demand
, because he was convinced that not all moral evils could be controlled by law, church authorities never suggested he could not celebrate the Eucharist. Bishops used their political influence to get him out of Congress, but never denied him the Body of Christ.

Link (here) to a rather lengthy article by Fr. Raymond Schroth, S.J.

Jesuit Without A Right Forearm

Father Richard J. Curry, S.J., is no stranger to the world of acting. The 66-year-old Jesuit, who was born without a right forearm, earned a PhD in theater from New York University, and he’s even played a psychiatrist on the television detective series “Monk.” But he is perhaps best known as the founder and artistic director of the National Theatre Workshop of the Handicapped, a 32-year-old nonprofit theater arts training institution for persons with physical disabilities, currently based in New York City and Belfast, Maine. Six years ago, Curry reached out to disabled combat veterans, especially amputees, and began the Writers’ Program for Wounded Warriors, holding workshops for soldiers to tell their stories in dramatic monologues and in the process to begin to heal the psychological, emotional, and spiritual wounds of war. “A dramatic monologue is not just journalism,” says Curry, “not just retelling their story. In fact, it is telling their story for a very specific purpose, a very specific response that they want from the particular audience.” It is an act of the imagination, he explains, and feeling the audience’s response, says Curry, can be a source of great healing. “It opens up a validation that probably would not have been there before,” he explains. The wounded warrior realizes that he is “part of a larger universe of love,” says Curry, “and once you get the wounded warrior in touch with that, then you can see that the healing can begin.”

Link (here) to the full piece at PBS

Jesuit Jubilarians


The Irish Visit Of Fr General Adolfo Nicolás In Pictures


This is Fr Nicolas first visit to Ireland and during his time here he has traveled around Ireland to Jesuit centers and meeting the Jesuit community. The picture shows Grant Tungay a Jesuit Scholastic incensing the church during the mass watched by Fr Adolfo Nicolas SJ at the packed mass St. Francis Xavier Church on Gardiner Street in Dublin.

Irish Visit of Fr General Adolfo Nicolás in September, 2009

Lots and lots of Pictures
(here)

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Jesuit Feindbild And The Jesuit Law Of 1872 In Germany

The Jesuit Specter in Imperial Germany

The Catholic Historical Review

There was a specter haunting Germany -- not of communism but of Jesuitism. This at least is what bourgeois Protestant opponents of the Society of Jesus believed, according to Roisin Healy's The Jesuit Specter in Imperial Germany.

The title echoes that of Friedrich Heyer's article "Das Jesuitengespenst der deutschen Protestanten" of 1977, but the fascinating topic of anti-Jesuit fanaticism has waited for a sustained and serious study. This book is both an examination of the Jesuit Feindbild (enemy image) and the legislative history of the Jesuit Law of 1872, which banned the order from Germany.

Link (here)

Photo is of Friedrich Heyer

Portrait Of Saint Ignatius Found At The Jesuit Headquarters In Rome

Found (here) at Orbis Catholicus Secundus

Father Dwight: "Talking About Catholic Extremists"

Talking about Catholic extremists. I'm planning to show a video at school about Central American immigrants.
It's produced by Jesuits in Calilfornia and it criticizes the American government for harsh treatment of children who cross the border.
I'm likely to get some flak for it because it will be perceived as a 'bleedin' heart liberal left wing Jesuit justice and peace' piece of agitprop.
Link (here) to Fr. Dwight Longenecker's full piece entitled, "Catholic Via Media" at Spero News.

Photo is an older one of Fr. Dwight

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Astounding Artistic Calloboration: The Passion Of The Christ


Fr. William Fulco, S.J. and Mel Gibson collaborated on a masterpiece.

A thousand years from now the movie entitled, The Passion of the Christ will be watched and replayed over and over again. In the deluxe edition of the movie which came out a few years ago Fr. William J. Fulco, S.J. a professor of Archeology and Ancient Languages at Loyola Marymount University is a key figure in some the back story of the movie. What I did not realize until I watched the short documentary, that Fr. Fulco was so instrumental in giving the artistic life to the three day narrative of Jesus' Passion, the movie might never have been made or been made in the unique way in which it was presented with out Fathers help. I do not want to give to much away, because I urge you to watch it for yourself. You will be astounded at the process of breathing life into the native tongue of Jesus, Aramaic and the choices of words and the dramatic use of Latin.

Scott Hahn's Jesuit

Jesuit Father Dennis J. McCarthy was one of the great Catholic Old Testament scholars of the twentieth century. He enjoyed a long career at the Biblicum, and published widely, making important contributions especially on the topic of biblical covenants. Dr. Scott Hahn is deeply indebted to McCarthy, as a scan of the author's index to Hahn's tome Kinship by Covenant will show.

Read more (here) at The Sacred Page

Father General Visits Kenya

Hekima College, the Jesuit School of Theology, Nairobi, is blessed with the visit of Father General of the Society of Jesus: Very Rev. Fr. Adolfo Nicolas, S.J.

Link (here) read more and look at pictures of Fr. Varghese Malpan S.J. blog entitled For the Greater Glory of God, Father belongs to the Kerala Province in India, he is a teacher of theology at Hekima College in Nairobi, Kenya.

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Tuesday, December 15, 2009

"Triumph Of The Name Of Jesus''

I've never been too in touch with Baroque paintings, but in a dramatic gallery of Baroques,
an exuberant 17th-century oil-on-parchment work called "Triumph of the Name of Jesus,'' by Il Baciccio took my breath away.
Katy explained it was actually 14 glued-together pieces, a model for the world-famous ceiling fresco in Rome's Gesu Church.
In glorious detail it celebrates the work of the Jesuits; it draws worshipers into a whirlwind of light coming from the name of Christ, muscular angels leading the way, dark clouds and nonbelievers fallen below.

Link (here) to the full article.

Everyone In The Room Laughed

Everyone in the room laughed.

"Not Georgetown," Subbaraman recalls saying, astonished that a university founded by Jesuits was supporting so publicly a community that long has felt shunned by the Catholic Church. "You must mean at GW [George Washington University]."

But less than two months later, Sivagami "Shiva" Subbaraman interviewed to be that director. She left her job at the University of Maryland's Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Equity and, last August, helped open the LGBTQ Resource Center, the first of its kind at a Jesuit university in the United States. (At Georgetown, LGBTQ stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning.)

"This is the biggest unmapped frontier in faith," said Subbaraman, a lesbian who grew up in a Hindu family in India and attended a Catholic high school and college.

The center has two full-time staff members, a rarity at college resource centers, who provide training sessions and workshops for faculty members and student leaders. They also help students find services on campus and plan events such as Coming Out Week festivities in October and Lavender Graduation, an additional graduation ceremony for gay students.

Link (here) to the full article in the Washington Post.

PPFA At UDM

The Planned Parenthood Federation of America is listed as a “career and professional resource” within the women’s and gender studies discipline

on the University of Detroit Mercy’s web site.

“The Women's Studies Mission is global in its pursuit of equality, justice and humanity for all,” according to the web page, which lists Planned Parenthood as one of nine “career and professional resources” and describes it as the “best known pro-choice organization in the U.S. Provides information about planned parenthood, AIDS, Congressional action, and more.”

The web page on which Planned Parenthood is listed “is endorsed by the University of Detroit Mercy (UDM) and supports the views, values, and mission of UDM,” according to a note at the bottom of the web page. “The University of Detroit Mercy web site provides links to other web sites, both public and private, for informational purposes. The inclusion of these links on UDM's site does not imply endorsement by the University.”

Link (here) to the full article in Catholic Culture.

Monday, December 14, 2009

The War Between Christianity And Secular Atheism: Old Spanish Jesuits To The Rescue!

This disturbing editorial is not from a communist functionary in China but from a Canadian newspaper, the Finacial Post, its author Diane Francis. Is a new face of a chilling realization that Climate Change fanatics have a sinister plan.

An excerpt.

The "inconvenient truth" overhanging the UN's Copenhagen conference is not that the climate is warming or cooling, but that humans are overpopulating the world.

A planetary law, such as China's one-child policy, is the only way to reverse the disastrous global birthrate currently, which is one million births every four days.

The world's other species, vegetation, resources, oceans, arable land, water supplies and atmosphere are being destroyed and pushed out of existence as a result of humanity's soaring reproduction rate.

Read the rest of this crazy editorial (here)


Yet Spanish Jesuits had climate change figured out over 70 years ago this excerpt come from Time Magazine published in 1944.

Monkish Learning. Still not sure that his theory was proved,

Dr. Charles Greeley Abbot learned that Jesuit monks at an observatory in Spain had photographed, every day from 1910 to 1937, (The Observatory of Cartula) certain calcium clouds on the sun's surface. Dr. Abbot compared measurements of fluctuation in the area of these clouds with his own measurements of solar heat and weather. To his great delight, all three showed almost exactly the same pattern of ups & downs.

Now confident that he had a workable system, Dr. Abbot told the Weather Bureau last March that on 175 specified days during 1943 it was likely to rain in Washington, and that rainfall on those days would be 166% of normal. Actual figure at year's end: 158%. He also correctly predicted the three days of heaviest Washington rainfall in January and February this year. Once, consulted by an Army engineer, he predicted that during a three-month period rainfall in the Tennessee Valley would be 84 to 87% of normal.

Link (here) to the Time article

Jesuit In India Is Building A Solar Crematorium

Patna, Dec 5 (ANI): Fr. Mathew Muthuplackal, S.J. , also known as ‘Solar Mathew’, is planning to set up a solar crematorium in Patna.

Since 1996, Mathew, a Jesuit priest, has been running a project - the Solar Alternatives and Associated Programmes (SAAP), and has been involved in assembling a range of solar appliances.

The project has been instrumental in spreading the use of solar energy in the region. Mathew, however, is working on a new project - a plan for a solar crematorium. He says that it would be very useful for the poor, who cannot afford to purchase the wood required for funeral pyres.

“Many poor people struggle to collect rupees 4,000 to 5,000 needed to buy wood for a funeral pyre. We thought of building a solar crematorium, a design for which has been already created in Gujarat,” said Mathew.

“Wood is required to burn dead bodies and it is not widely available. Also, burning wood creates pollution, and it is expensive. So to save on cutting wood and money, we have planed to come up with a solar crematorium,” Mathew added.

Solar Alternatives and Associated Programmes has been recognized as a supplier of solar thermal devices by the Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Sources. (ANI)

Link (here)

Photo is on of Father's solar cookers

Book For Sale: Sermons Of Fr. Louis Bourdaloue, S.J.

Nice, early copy of Bourdaloue's sermons in original mottled calf leather.

Fr. Louis Bourdaloue, S.J. (1632-1704),
French Jesuit and preacher, was born in Bourges. Voltaire said that his sermons surpassed those of Bossuet. His success as a preacher in the provinces led his superiors to call him to Paris in 1669 to occupy for a year the pulpit of the church of St. Louis.
Owing to his eloquence he was speedily ranked in popular estimation with Corneille, Racine, and the other leading figures of the height of Louis XIV's reign. He preached at the court of Versailles during the Advent of 1670 and the Lent of 1672, and was called again to deliver the Lenten course of sermons in 1674, 1675, 1680 and 1682, and the Advent sermons of 1684, 1689 and 1693.
It was the custom at that time never to call the same preacher more than three times to court. On the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes he was sent to Languedoc to confirm the new converts in the Catholic faith, and he had much success in this delicate mission. Catholics and Protestants were unanimous in praising his fiery eloquence in the Lent sermons which he preached at Montpellier in 1686. This volume was previously owned by S. Mariae Buckfast Monastery and contains their bookplate.

Link and buy book (here)


Sunday, December 13, 2009

Fr. Thomas H Green, S.J. "Rest In Peace"

FR. THOMAS H. GREEN, S. J. died on Friday morning, March 13, at San Jose Seminary. He had returned the night before from two weeks in the hospital, where repair was done on blocked heart arteries. He had a good night’s sleep and felt fine but his heart gave out about mid-morning. Death was apparently very sudden. Fr. Tom would have been 77. He entered the Society on 7 September 1949 and was ordained a priest on 19 June 1963. Requiescat in Pace.

Link (here) to a blog dedicated to Fr. Tom and his work in the Philippines

Father Generals Speech At LMU In Los Angeles

The keynote address by the Very Rev. Adolfo Nicolás, S.J., Superior General of the Society of Jesus, opened Loyola Marymount University’s Mission Day on Monday, February 2. Mission Day is an annual daylong event at LMU that gathers the campus community to reflect and discuss aspects of the university’s spiritual goals and priorities. This year’s theme was Companions in Mission. Nicolás told students, faculty and staff at LMU’s Sacred Heart Chapel that “collaboration is at the heart of the mission” of all those who seek a just world.
Listen and watch Father General's address (here)

Photo (here)

Fr.Joseph Fessio's Ignatius Press, Releases "The Thirteenth Day"

On the heels of thirteen successful nationwide screenings on
Oct. 13 and hundreds of advanced screenings at parishes and within communities across the United States and Canada, The 13th Day will be released on DVD on Dec. 1.Remove Formatting from selection
Based on the memoirs of Sister Maria Lucia de Jesus, The 13th Day recounts the appearances of the Blessed Mother to Lucia Santos and her two cousins, Francisco and Jacinta Marto in the region of Fatima, Portugal during the year 1917. Just as the “Heavenly Lady” foretold, Lucia and her cousins endured persecution from the government and the community.

The 13th Day is the first major motion picture by directors Ian and Dominic Higgins. Ignatius Press is the North American distributor of the film, and has been proud to offer the opportunity for groups, parishes and dioceses to preview the film in advance of its public release.

“Advance screenings of The 13th Day have been extremely successful, allowing thousands of people to be exposed to the Message of Fatima,” Anthony Ryan, Director of Marketing for Ignatius Press, said. “We are excited to offer the DVD to the public. This message is more than relevant for today. Every Catholic, perhaps every person, should see this film.”

The film, complete with accuracy of what has been documented as the actual events at Fatima, teaches its audience that a great miracle occurred in Fatima, that the world was given both a warning and a blessing, and that there is hope for those who dare to believe.

“The 13th Day film is a dramatic and artistic presentation with a powerful message about what Our Lady requested at Fatima,” said Fr. Andrew Apostoli, CFR, a Fatima expert. “These children had such courage; they were willing to die because they loved Our Lady so much.”

The DVD will officially be available for purchase beginning Dec. 1. Stylistically beautiful and technically innovative, the film uses state-of-the-art digital effects to create stunning images of the visions and the final miracle. Shot on location in Portugal and in the United Kingdom, the film has a cast of hundreds to re-create the scenes of the 70,000 strong crowds, with three young Portuguese actors playing the iconic roles of the Seers. Special Features on the DVD include optional Spanish subtitles, a 24-page companion Collector's Booklet with special interviews, articles, pictures and more.

In conjunction with the film’s release, Ignatius Press has scheduled a tele-press conference for Tuesday, Dec. 1 at 1:00pm ET to answer questions from the media about The 13th Day. The producer, the writers and directors, and actors from the film will be available for questions from the media. Also on hand will be representatives from Ignatius Press and Fr. Andrew Apostoli, CFR, an expert on Our Lady of Fatima.
Ignatius Press is a Catholic publishing house based in San Francisco, California. It was founded in 1978 by Father Joseph Fessio SJ, a Jesuit priest and former pupil of Pope Benedict XVI.
For more information about The 13th Day, The Advanced Screening Program or to schedule an interview with Anthony Ryan, please contact Christine Schicker with The Maximus Group at 404-610-8871.

Link (here) Spero News

Saturday, December 12, 2009

The Archbishop of Canturbury Met With Father General

From a report filed by The Living Church Foundation.

After they concluded their private discussions, the archbishop presented his entourage to the pope, including the Rt. Rev. Christopher Hill, Bishop of Guildford. Walter Cardinal Kasper joined them too, together with Msgr. Mark Langham, who is the Vatican’s desk officer for relations with the Anglican Communion. Then, in what many interpreted as a significant and highly symbolic gesture, Pope Benedict gave the Archbishop of Canterbury a gold pectoral cross. Afterward, Archbishop Williams had a private lunch with the Father General of the Jesuits, Adolfo Nicolas, before returning to London.

Link (here)

Father Claudio Barriga Travels The Globe Promoting The Apostleship of Prayer

In 2007 Father Claudio Barriga, S.J. took the reins of the 164-year old program and is working to update a solid, very practical spirituality.
He also devotes time to the Eucharistic Youth Movement and took part in World Youth Day in Australia last summer.
Years of pastoral work in Chile prepared Fr. Barriga to handle a mission which is far more pastoral than administrative.

Link and listen to Fathers podcast (here)

Cardinal Avery Dulles S.J. On The Ten Commandments

Watch and listen to the 6 minute You Tube video (here)

Twenty Podcasts By Father Mitch Pacwa, S.J.

Friday, December 11, 2009

Fr. Walter Ciszek, S.J. Was Born And Baptized 105 Years Ago

SHENANDOAH - Tuesday marked the 25th anniversary of the death of Father Walter J. Ciszek, S.J., and in memory of the priest, adults and children gathered for Mass in St. Casimir Roman Catholic Church, the same parish in which he was baptized.

Monsignor Ronald Bocian, pastor, offered the Mass in which students of Trinity Academy, located in the Father Walter J. Ciszek Education Center, participated.

The Rev. J. Michael Beers, pastor of St. Joseph Church, Frackville, concelebrated.

"What happened last month 105 years ago?" said Bocian to children gathered Tuesday. "Father Ciszek was born and baptized. Do you see what's standing right in the center aisle in the back? It's a baptismal font, and that is the actual baptismal font that Father Ciszek was baptized in."

Born in Shenandoah on Nov. 4, 1904, Ciszek joined the Jesuits and became the first American ordained in the Byzantine rite of the Catholic Church. Responding to a call by Pope Pius XI for missionaries to the Soviet Union, he entered the communist country under an assumed name. He was captured, held five years in the infamous Lubianka gulag in Moscow and later sent to Siberia. After 23 years in captivity, he was released in a prisoner swap in 1963.

On his return to the United States, he wrote two books, "With God in Russia" and "He Leadeth Me," with co-author the Rev. Daniel Flaherty, S.J.

Ciszek died Dec. 8, 1984, on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, at his residence in the John XXIII Center at Fordham University in Bronx, N.Y. Ciszek is buried at the Jesuit Novitiate in Wernersville.

His cause for canonization is being investigated through the Roman Catholic Diocese of Allentown. The Father Walter Ciszek Prayer League is the official organization for the promotion of the cause of canonization of Father Ciszek.

"All his life, especially when he was in prison, Father Walter tried to do God's will," said Bocian to Tuesday's attendees. "And do you know what he finally realized? God wants me at this time, in this place, to do what I am doing, which is doing His will. He realized that all through the time he was in prison. As for me, this is what God wants me to do in this place in Shenandoah, at this time of my life, and that's God's will for me."

An annual tradition observed during Mass on Dec. 8 is to have the religious sisters renew their vows of poverty, chastity and obedience.

Later in the Mass, Bocian asked the boys in attendance to think about the possibility that they may have a vocation to the priesthood, noting that Ciszek began thinking of his vocation after he turned 13.

"Just ask yourself if it's God's will for me to become a priest like Father Walter," he said.

Link (here) to the Republican Herald

Photo is of the headstone of Fr. Walter J. Ciszek, S.J.

Fr. William C. McInnes, S.J. "Rest In Peace"

The Rev. William C. McInnes, S.J., who as the fifth president of Fairfield University oversaw a period of growth for the Jesuit-run school, died Tuesday in Weston, Mass,

McInnes, who was 86, served as Fairfield U.'s president from 1964 to 1973. He had been a Jesuit priest for 52 years.

The university's facilities, enrollment and academic programming all expanded during his tenure.

Fairfield established the School of Nursing, the Graduate School of Corporate and Political Communication, and a new Center for Lifetime Learning, along with expanding the Graduate School of Education.

Bannow Science Center opened with computer equipment, along with the Nyselius Library, a multi-purpose campus center, four new residence halls and a central utility complex.

And the school's undergraduate enrollment grew from 1,290 to 2,500 students.

Fairfield, which had been founded as an all-male school, in 1970 began admitting women. Efforts also were made to recruit a more diverse student body; a new academic council gave the faculty more say in university affairs, and the lay advisory board of trustees merged with the board of Jesuit trustees, according to the university officials.

The university was not immune to the turbulence sweeping across the nation's campuses during that era. At one point, Fairfield students staged a 10-day strike and occupied two administration buildings.

Under McInnes, Fairfield University played a role in a legal battle over the right of church-related colleges to receive federal aid under the "Higher Education Facilities Act of 1963."

With a legal team headed by Edward Bennett Williams, Fairfield joined three other Catholic colleges and universities in the state, winning their case at federal court in New Haven. An appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court was denied. The decision had long-range implications for the more than 600 church-related colleges and universities in the country.

McInnes said of the decision, the justices had "recognized religious pluralism and academic integrity as being compatible." The court, he said, "has not taken down the wall of separation of church and state. It has, rather, shown more clearly where the wall really is."

"We stand on the shoulders of those who come before us and we are greatly indebted to Father McInnes for the tremendous growth and innovation he brought to this campus," the Rev. Jeffrey von Arx, S.J., the current university president, said in a statement. "During a time of great social unrest, he addressed challenging issues and through his inspiring and indefatigable leadership led this university to new heights of academic achievement and social awareness.

"We are saddened by his passing, but so grateful for the generous life he lived here and throughout his entire ministry."

He promoted the university's involvement in a range of social and community programs throughout the region, including a joint program with Action for Bridgeport Community Development that led to establishment of the Upward Bound program at the school, student volunteer tutoring, the Big Brother and Big Sister programs, and local programs to support the Glenmary Home Missioners in Appalachia.

McInnes became president of the University of San Francisco after leaving Fairfield U., serving until 1977. He then served as president of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities from 1977 to 1989. He was parochial vicar at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish at the University of Connecticut in Storrs from 1990 to 1997. McInnes spent his later years at Boston College, where he served on the faculty from 1997 to 2008.

He is survived by a niece, Tina Watson.

A wake will be held at Campion Center in Weston, Mass., from 3 to 5 p.m. Monday, with a 4:30 p.m. prayer service. A wake will also be held at St. Mary's Hall at Boston College from 7 to 9 p.m.

The funeral Mass will take place at 10 a.m. Tuesday in St. Ignatius Church at Boston College. Burial will be in Campion Center Cemetery.

Link (here)

Society of Jesus in Zimbabwe (here) and (here)

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Weather Jesuits

Two Jesuits from OCIPE (the Jesuits' European office) in Brussels, José Ignacio Garcia (CAS) and Jacques Haers (BSE), are present at the COP15 Climate Conference in Copenhagen as NGO observers, part of a team of Franciscans International.

They keep up a blog, with posts in English and in Spanish, reflecting their personal reflections and experiences. This blog can be visited at: ignatianeconet.wordpress.com .

Link (here)

A portion from one of the posts (here), entitled IPCC: Truly Our Best Available Science

Youba Sokona pointed out that global (human produced) anthropogenic GHG emissions, especially CO2 emissions, are still growing. Contributing factors to this continuing increase are population growth, income increase per capita, carbon intensity and energy intensity. The stabilization of GHG concentrations in the atmosphere is, from a scientific point of view, urgent, and technological advances and transfers will be important to attain this. All sectors and regions will have to contribute.

Blogger Note: Let me translate, people are emitting poison by breathing.

Jesuit On The "Holy Coat Of Treves"

By Rev. R. F. Clarke, S.J.

THE "Holy Coat" lately exposed for veneration in the cathedral of Treves has an antiquarian interest quite apart from its religious and devotional character. Everyone has a right to ask what evidence exists for its antiquity, and for its identity with the garment for which the executioners cast lots beneath the Cross. Unless there can be shown to exist a moral certainty, or, at least, a very strong probability that it is what it professes to be, a relic which can be traced back to the third or fourth century, and which there is good reason to regard as having existed previously and come down from the days of the Apostles, we cannot expect any prudent

man to accept it as genuine. At the same time we must remember that the Catholic Church does not require that proof positive should be adduced of the authenticity of every relic exposed in her churches for veneration. All that is necessary is that there should be some sort of continuous tradition in its favour, and no evidence fatal to its claims. Even if the authenticity of the Holy Coat rests on no absolute basis of certainty, this does not destroy, or even materially interfere with, its value as an object of devotion. The ultimate object of all devotion is God, and when any material object is venerated on account of its connection with Him, there is always in the mind the implied condition that the connection is a real one. I do not therefore pledge myself to a proof of its authenticity. I leave the readers of the Antiquary to judge for themselves. My object in the present paper is merely to put before them the existing tradition and a brief summary of the evidence in its favour, referring those who desire to go into the subject more at length to Father Beissel's exhaustive Geschichte des Heiligen Rockes (Trier, Paulinus-Druckerei, 1889) for more detailed information.

Two preliminary questions have to be answered first of all. The first is whether it corresponds to

[graphic]

any garment commonly worn by the Jews in the time of our Lord. We know from contemporary evidence that a Jew of the middle or upper-middle class wore at that time two garments, to which a third was added in the winter. Next to the skin was a tight-fitting shirt, and over this a tunic, the length of which varied with the position in life or the pretensions of the wearer. It was worn quite short by the labouring class, coming down only to the knees. The upper class wore it down to the ankles, and only men of noble rank or special dignity allowed it to hang about their feet (St. Mark xii. 38). Our Lord, during the time of His sacred ministry, would presumably wear a tunic of moderate length down to His ankles. This corresponds exactly to the length of the Holy Coat of Treves, which is not quite 5 feet long. It is also woven of one piece throughout. We learn from Josephus that this was not uncommonly the case with the Jewish tunic, and therefore it is not in itself a conclusive argument that the relic of Treves was identical with the seamless robe for which the soldiers cast lots on Calvary. As to the material, it has been, and still is, a matter of dispute whether it is linen or cotton or a sort of hemp. I understand that the most recent examination by experts has declared itself in favour of cotton. But this is of no great consequence to its authenticity, as cotton had been known to the Jews since their contact with Persia, and linen and hemp from the earliest times.

The other preliminary question is that of its alleged rivals. If there are, it has been

said, several Holy Coats, how are we to know which of them is the true one? Are we not justified in regarding them all with considerable suspicion ? This objection would have some weight if one of them necessarily excluded the rest, and if there are also several that set forth claims opposed to those of Treves. In point of fact there is only one Holy Coat which may be called in any sense the rival of that of Treves, and that one is the garment of Argenteuil. Their respective claims do not present the least difficulty, especially when we remember that the relic of Argenteuil was generally known in mediaeval times as " Cappa pueri Jesu," and was probably a different kind of garment, worn at a different period of His life.*

Having cleared the ground of these preliminary questions, we now come to the positive evidence for the Holy Coat. Its present condition testifies at least to its great antiquity. Although it still presents one almost continuous surface, it has only been saved from falling to pieces by the careful precautions adopted for its preservation. It is fastened to a lining of very strong, closelywoven gray silk, the date of which it is impossible to determine. It is completely covered at the back by a stout, coarse muslin or gauze. Only the front is exposed to view, and this is so friable and in danger of crumbling away that it has been thought desirable lately to fasten it to the silk beneath with a strong paste, so that in some places it can now scarcely be distinguished from the silk beneath it

Read the rest of Fr. Clarke's essay (here) it is found in the book entitled, The Antiquary, Volume #25.

Top photo is of the Cathedral Treves

Middle sketch is of the "Holy Coat" found in Fr. Clarke's article.

Bottom picture is of "The Tunic of Christ"


Project Daniel 5:25

ABORTION CLINICS IN AMERICA – Total: 713
A list of every known abortion mill in America (here)
Jesuit + abortion = (here)

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

It Might Smack Of Insubordination

What If We Said, 'Wait'?
The case for a grass-roots review of the new Roman Missal
Fr. Michael G. Ryan | DECEMBER 14, 2009
the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments that have raised rubricism to an art form, or the endorsement, even encouragement, of the so-called Tridentine Mass. It has become painfully clear that the liturgy, the prayer of the people, is being used as a tool—some would even say as a weapon—to advance specific agendas.

I know
it might smack of insubordination
to talk this way, but it could also be a show of loyalty and plain good sense—loyalty not to any ideological agenda but to our people,

with all that the church has on its plate today—global challenges with regard to justice, peace and the environment; nagging scandals; a severe priest shortage; the growing disenchantment of many women; seriously lagging church attendance—it seems almost ludicrous to push ahead with an agenda that will seem at best trivial and at worst hopelessly out-of-touch.

“What If We Just Said No?” was my working title for this article. “What If We Just Said, ‘Wait’?” seems preferable.

Fr. Michael G. Ryan is pastor of St. James Cathedral in Seattle .

You can read his entire article at America (here)

Go to the website of What if we said wait? (here)

Listed below are the Jesuits who signed on to this project as signatories

Fr. Dave Anderson, S.J.
Fr. Anthony Egan, S.J.
Fr. Gregory J. Boyle, S.J.
Fr. Hilary Thomas, S.J.
Fr. Joseph Spieler, S.J.
Fr. George B. Wilson, S.J.
Fr. Charles R. Gagan, S.J.
Fr. Edward Vacek, S.J.
Fr. Thomas Massaro, SJ
Fr. John R. Sachs, S.J.
Fr. John W. O'Malley, S.J.
Fr. John Baldovin, S.J.
Fr. Jack Morris, S.J.
Fr. Philip Endean, S.J.
Fr. Eugene J. Nevins, S.J.
Joseph Carver, S.J.
Fr. John A. Coleman S.J.
Fr. William A. Clark, S.J.
Fr. John D. Whitney, S.J.
Fr. Paul J. Bernadicou, S.J.
Find the mentioned Jesuit and all of the 1489 signatures (here)

On January 7th, 2008, at the opening Mass of the 35 General Council, His Eminence, the Most Reverend Franc Cardinal Rodé, C.M. had this to say in his homily to the leaders of the Society of Jesus.

An excerpt.


With sadness and anxiety I also see a growing distancing from the Hierarchy. The Ignatian spirituality of apostolic service “under the Roman Pontiff” does not allow for this separation.
In the Constitutions which he left you, Ignatius wanted to truly shape your mind and in the book of the Exercises (n 353) he wrote” we must always keep our mind prepared and quick to obey the true Spouse of Christ and our Holy Mother, the Hierarchical Church”.
Religious obedience can be understood only as obedience in love. The fundamental nucleus of Ignatian spirituality consists in uniting the love for God with love for the hierarchical Church.
"

Link (here) to read Cardinal Rode's full homily.

In the Letter from Pope Benedict XVI to the 35 General Congregation

An excerpt

I too gladly wish to take this opportunity of a General Congregation to bring such a contribution to light and, at the same time, to offer for your common reflection some considerations which might be of encouragement for you and a stimulus to implement ever better the ideal of the Society,
in full fidelity to the Magisterium of the Church, such as described in the following formula which is well familiar to you: “To serve as a soldier of God beneath the banner of the Cross and to serve the Lord alone and the Church, his spouse, under the Roman Pontiff, the Vicar of Christ on earth” (Apostolic Letter Exposcit debitum, 21 July 1550). One treats here of a “peculiar” fidelity confirmed also, by not a few among you, in a vow of immediate obedience to the Successor of Peter perinde ac cadaver.
The Church has even more need today of this fidelity of yours, which constitutes a distinctive sign of your Order, in this era which warns of the urgency of transmitting in an integral manner to our contemporaries — distracted by many discordant voices — the unique and immutable message of salvation which is the Gospel, “not as the word of men, but as it truly is, as the word of God”, which works in those who believe.


Link (here) to read the full letter

Read the resulting decrees of the 35 General Congregation of the Society of Jesus (here)

Fr. Z on the new missal translation (here)

Link (here) to the new missal.

A new petition has been formed entitled We've Waited Long Enough

We believe that the newly approved English translation of the 2002 Missale Romanum needs to be implemented as soon as possible.

We believe that the Church in English-speaking nations has waited far too long for an accurate, faithful translation of the original Latin.

We believe that the current translation currently in use in English-speaking nations is overdue to be replaced, as it was developed using the method of dynamic translation, a method rejected by the Vatican in the document Liturgiam Authenticam.

We stand united with the English-speaking bishops' conferences in their approval of the new translation.

We oppose any efforts to continue to delay this new translation.