Jesuit Missions And Astronomy In 18th Century China

Fr. Karel Slavíček, S.J.  (here) and (here) (Karl Slavicek, S.J.) or (Carolus Slavicek, S.J.) an astronomer and mathematician from Jimramov (today's Czech Republic), came to Beijing from Lisbon, Portugal as a Jesuit missionary in 1714. "Slavíček was on a mission; not only in the real sense of the word as a religious missionary, but also on a mission of creating a bridge between the cultures of Europe and China," Sečka said in his opening speech. 

In 1722, many Jesuits were expelled to Canton, China, but Slavíček's scientific merit allowed him to stay in Beijing. He defended Chinese astronomy, especially the sixty-year cycle, which is the basis of the Chinese calendar, and said that China was the most educated and civilized nation of his time. 

The exhibit, which shows Slavíček's translated letters and works, will be on display in the second hall of the observatory for the next three months. Veronika Musilová, third secretary of the Embassy of the Czech Republic to China, said that the exhibit took several tedious months to complete. She said she hopes the exhibit will spark interest in others to visit observatories in the Czech Republic and harbor more Czech-Chinese cooperation.

Link (here) to China.org

Jesuit At Leftist Rent-Rally Protest Thirteen Arrested

Thirteen people were arrested Monday afternoon at a sit-in outside 250 Broadway, an office building in lower Manhattan that houses some New York State Senate and Assembly offices. 

The sit-in was staged by protesters angered by the state Senate's failure to pass rent-reform legislation. Protesters blamed the failure on a key group of Democrats in the Democrat-controlled Senate, including senators Pedro Espada, Craig Johnson, and Carl Kruger..........

A pastor from the Jesuits of New York, Fr. Mark Hallinan, S.J. (here) was also present at the rally. “This is not just a political issue,” he said. “This is a moral issue.”

Link (here) to the full article at City Limits

"Religion Overthrowing Heresy And Hatred"

The tomb of St. Ignatius Loyola is situated at a brilliant side altar in the Society of Jesus's Mother church in Rome, the Church of the Gesu. One of the most striking features of the tomb of St. Ignatius is the sculpture to the right of the altar entitled "Religion Overthrowing Heresy and Hatred" by the Baroque master Pierre Le Gros "the Younger" (1666-1719). Indeed it is a memorable and striking work, the intricacies of which tell the story of a triumphant Church and a religious order of men that was dedicated to ensuring such triumph. G.K. Chesterton once commented, "Baroque was regarded as a bombshell; especially as it was spread by the Jesuits, who were credited with consistent readiness to throw a bomb." Some of the Jesuits of my acquaintance were indeed bomb-throwers but not of the baroque variety.

Link (here) to Renew America  and read the full article by John M. DeJak entitled "Bomb Throwing Jesuits"

Words

Vasco Da Gama discovered the Cape route to India. Filippo Sassetti, an Italian Jesuit priest who was in Goa in the 1580s, noted that the terms in Sanskrit and in Mediterranean languages for six, seven, eight and nine, God, snakes, etc were similar.
Link (here) to the Telegraph to read full article.

Vocational Shortage

Not just Belgium, but the school from where Constant Lievens, 

the famous Flemish Jesuit priest, who has the credit of establishing the roots of Christianity among tribals in India, is now looking for priests. Minor school of Roeselare in Belgium, where the legendary missionary got his initial education,

is left with one priest and the school no longer deals in theology. 

Link (here) to the full news account.

Fr. Timoteo Ofrasio, S.J. "Share With The Faithful We Serve, Is To Live And Teach Fidelity To The Church."

What, to me, is the challenge for Jesuits today—and which we can share with the faithful we serve— is to live and teach fidelity to the Church. In his rules for thinking with the Church, which is expressed in and by the Jesuit vow of obedience, Ignatius exhorts us, above all, to “ever be ready and prompt to obey in all things the true Spouse of Christ our Lord, our holy Mother, the hierarchical Church.” Fidelity and obedience to the Church, in the person of the Pope and the local bishop, is the mark of a true Roman Catholic Christian, even when sometimes—or many times–we do not understand certain decisions or actions that cause us much hurt and confusion. 

We may question certainly; we may represent; we may disagree, even dissent probably—but in the end, when we have exhausted all means to make our voices heard, we humbly bow and accept the inevitable because as Ignatius teaches us, God’s will is manifested in our all-too-human superiors and Church leaders. This is a hard saying for many, I know, and maybe even my fellow Jesuits will dispute this, but there is no other way we can preserve the unity of the Church which we all love, if we do not live and practice obedience to her. 

Unfortunately, this Mother Church is not a democracy, and this is probably one of the reasons why “the gates of hell has not prevailed against it” for 2000-plus years. Only time will tell if our voices were disinterested and prophetic, or were they voices of vested interests under the guise of “for the common good.”

Read the rest of the homily (here) of Fr. Timoteo Ofrasio, S.J.at The Monk's Hobbit.
Photo is of a statue of St. Peter at St. Peter's Basilica within the Vatican

Former Jesuit Raised 100 Million Dollars For Communist Sandanista's, Disobeident To His Church, The Holy Father And His Order

The Rev. William R. Callahan, a Roman Catholic priest and self-described “impossible dreamer” whose vociferous and organized opposition to Vatican policies prompted Jesuit officials to expel him from their order, died on Monday in Washington. He was 78. He attended the Jesuit-run Boston College High School and after graduating joined the New England Province of the Society of Jesuits in 1948. 

“Bill tried to be a prophetic voice in the church, a voice crying in the wilderness,” said the Rev. Thomas J. Reese, a senior fellow at the Woodstock Theological Center at Georgetown University. 

Father Callahan remained a priest after his expulsion from the Jesuit order, the Society of Jesus, in 1991, but the church barred him from acting as one. Known widely as Bill, he still sometimes used the honorifics “Reverend” and “Father.” 

He aggravated church officials during the American tour of Pope John Paul II in 1979 by imploring priests to refuse to help the pope in celebrating Mass. 

He started the Quixote Center in 1976 with Dolly Pomerleau, who became a work partner of his for many years. They married days before he died.

The Quixote Center achieved particular prominence in its support of the leftist government of Nicaragua in the 1980s, a stance directly at odds with that of the Reagan administration. It raised more than $100 million in humanitarian aid for the (Totalitarian Sandanista Party) Nicaraguan government. In 1979,

Jesuit leaders rebuked Father Callahan for his defiance of dogma, and by 1989 his Nicaraguan activities and liberal initiatives in the church, including a ministry for g@y Catholics, had set off calls for his expulsion from the Jesuit order.

Link (here) to the New York Times to read the full obit.
Photo of a Sandanista FSLN rally in Nicaragua featuring Marx and Lenin

Ouch!

Mr. Brian Murray, 67, former head of Murray Insurance Agency Inc., was arrested late Thursday by agents from the state attorney general's insurance fraud section and arraigned before Magisterial District Judge John Pesota. 

Some of the victims of the alleged fraud include Moses Taylor Hospital, Mount Airy Casino Resort and several Jesuit universities, including the University of Scranton, which gave Mr. Murray, an ardent financial supporter, an honorary degree in 2006. 

Mr. Murray allegedly took their premium payments but left them uninsured. "This is theft on a grand scale, targeting an assortment of institutions throughout the region that placed their trust in Mr. Murray," Attorney General Tom Corbett said. 

Link (here) to read the full story and watch the arraignment hearing at The Times Tribune.

The Society Of The Holy Family

The Society of the Holy Family, canonically approved and endowed with indulgences and other privileges by Leo XIII, 14 June, 1892, was called into organized existence by the Jesuit Father, P. Francoz, in 1861, at Lyons, France, Its chief centre is in Rome, with regular local directors for each diocese, and registers of membership in each parish. The duties are daily prescribed prayer before a picture of the Holy Family.

Link (here) to the mentioned portion of the book entitled American Ecclesiastical Review

Painting is entitled The Holy Family with a curtain, by Rembrandt in 1646.

An Intersection Of Jesus, The Apostles, The Jesuits, Poland And Man

The Church of Sts. Peter and Paul (Kosciól Świętych Apostołów Piotra i Pawła) in Kraków is a Baroque Jesuit church known best for the statues of the 12 disciples lining the fence at the front. It is the oldest Baroque building in Krakow. Construction was begun in 1597 by Jozef Britius for the Jesuit Order, and completed by Giovanni Trevano. It is one of the most faithful examples of transplanting the architecture of the famous Gesu Church in Rome to foreign soil, with a fine Baroque facade and great dome. It is said that the Jesuits spent so much money on the ornate white facade and the sculptures that they ran out of money to finish the rest of the building. Indeed, behind the impressive Baroque facade is a church made from ordinary brick. The stone statues of the 12 Apostles on the fence, looming larger-than-life-size, are replicas of the 18th-century late Baroque originals. The latter can be seen in the side yard. The interior is not as impressive as the exterior, but worth a look. The crypt contains the sarcophagus of Father Peter Skarga, S.J., a famous 17th-century Jesuit preacher.

Link (here) to read the blog post by Wojtek, his post is entitled Apostołowie zimową porą

Of Piotr Skarga, S.J.

There is what I can only describe as a “thing” on St. Mary Magdalene Square. 

No matter how hard I look at it I can’t decide if it’s a kids’ climbing frame or a devastatingly insightful comment on kids’ climbing frames. 

The already alarming statue of the arch Jesuit Piotr Skarga glowers down at the “thing” from his perch and looks ready to pounce on the toddlers who have concluded that it is, in fact, a kids’ climbing frame.

Link (here) to the full article in the Poland's Krakow Post.

Peter Skarga, S.J., "The Polish Chysostom"

Any attempt to give a full list of Polish authors would swell these pages far beyond orthodox limits. Sebastian Fabian Klonowicz, called the Sarmatian Ovid (born 1551, died 1608), was greatly admired by his countrymen, and is still esteemed a classic. Rhetoric and pulpit-eloquence, as may easily be imagined, were greatly fostered by the Jesuits. Among the most successful cultivators of these forms of literature was Peter Skarga, the Court preacher of Sigismund III., who earned the appellation of the Polish Chrysostom. Skarga has left a host of sermons and religious works behind him, among which may be mentioned " Lives of the Saints," " Discourses for Sundays and Saints' Days," " Discourses on the Seven Sacraments,". For a glowing eulogy of him, see the Lectures of Adam Mickiewicz. He expressly praises his sermons preached before the " Diet," in which he appears as a true patriot. On account of his freedom of speech, he is said to have been many times in danger of his life.

Link (here) to read the portion from the book entitled the Westminster Review.

Sigismund III "King Of The Jesuits"

The election of Sigismund III to the throne proved to be the greatest blow it was possible to inflict upon Protestanism in Poland. Brought up by his mother, Catherine Jagiellon, in the strictest Roman Catholic doctrines, he made the promotion of the interests of Rome the guiding motive of all his actions. This zeal for Rome outweighed all considerations of prudence or policy; through it ' he lost two hereditary thrones, and brought innumerable calamities on the country which election had handed over to him , "In order to make sure of heaven," said the Emperor Ferdinand, "he has renounced earth." The Protestants called him the "King of the Jesuits," and Sigismund gloried in the appellation. This feeble imitation of Philip II of Spain possessed all the bigotry and zeal of his model without his abilities or strength of character. In all that he did he was ruled by the Jesuits; he bestowed honours only on those whom they favoured, and preferred their advice to that of his wisest counsellors. 'By private interviews, wrote a Roman Catholic historian who was also bishop of Przemysl, 'which they could always command, the Jesuits so bound the king by their solicitations, that he did everything according to their counsel, and the hopes and cares of courtiers had no weight except by their favour.Chief among these advisers of the king was Peter Skarga, one of the most eminent of Polish Jesuits. Born in Masovia in 1536, he was educated at the University of Cracow. where he distinguished himself by winning the "prima Laurea." He then proceeded to Rome, where he entered the society in 1568. He began his preaching at Pultusk, and visited the colleges which Stephen had founded at Riga, Dorpat and Polock; his eloquence was very successful, and even now his sermons are thought highly of in Poland. On the accession of Sigismund he became royal chaplain : he founded a confraternity of St. Lazarus at Warsaw, and many other establishments elsewhere.

Link (here) to full engaging account of the "King of the Jesuits"

Fr. James Martin, S.J., "The Presbyterian Church's Decision Is A Positive Reflection Of Society's Greater Acceptance Of Gays And Lesbians In Our Country."

The Catholic Church, however, shows no signs of loosening its stance towards g@y ordination or same-sex marriage. Father James Martin, a Jesuit priest and BT expert, said the likelihood of a similar action in the Catholic Church is "slim to none." 

The Vatican, he said, "has been very clear about not accepting gay men into seminaries and religious orders." 

But Father Martin added, "the Presbyterian Church's decision is a positive reflection of society's greater acceptance of gays and lesbians in our country."

 

Link (here) to read the full post at the liberal secular blog/site Big Think

Jesuits Stop Organizing And Funding Nationwide Protest At Fort Benning

In 2009, the ISN gathered the national Ignatian family for its final year of participation in the SOA protest.
Link (here) to read the full announcement at the National Jesuit News
Some background (here) and (here)

Jesuit On Mohammedanism

The coexistence of Christians and Muslims is good for civil society because their mutual questioning of the other's faith acts as a stimulus and leads to deeper understanding, says a Jesuit priest who is an expert in Islamic studies.  This is the opinion of Father Samir Khalil Samir, an Islamic scholar and Catholic theologian born in Egypt and based in the Middle East for more than 20 years.

He teaches Catholic theology and Islamic studies at St. Joseph University in Beirut, is founder of the CEDRAC research institute and is author of many articles and books, including "111 Questions on Islam."

ZENIT spoke with Father Samir regarding the June 21-22 meeting in Lebanon of the Oasis International Foundation, which seeks to promote mutual knowledge among Christians and Muslims.

ZENIT: Why was the subject of education placed at the center of the Oasis meeting this year?

Father Samir: The problem we are experiencing both in the Church as well as in Islam is that we are not always able to transmit the faith easily to the new generation and the generations to come. The question we ask ourselves is: In what way should we rethink the faith for young people, but also in parishes or in mosques, in the talks that religious address to their faithful?

This is what we want: to make a study of the Christian experience in Lebanon, and the Muslim Sunni experience and the Muslim Shiite experience in this ambit. We want to compare, to identify even if it is only the common difficulties, to seek together an answer to them. I think this has been the main objective of our meeting in face of a dialogue of cultures in the Christian and the Muslim faith

Link (here) to the full and lengthy interview by Zenit

Jesuit On The Motu Proprio And The Holy Sacrifice Of The Mass

What is key for Fr. Kieth Pecklers, S.J. however, is that the assembly celebrating the liturgy connects what goes on inside church with the world outside. "You can have the most beautiful liturgy in the world, but if you don't have people on board, it won't matter," he says. His own efforts to make that happen include co-founding Caravita, an international Catholic community that meets in Rome's St. Francis Xavier Caravita Church. Still, 

Pecklers is concerned by the trend toward the liturgical past. While acknowledging that today's liturgy isn't perfect, going back is no solution. "The pre-Vatican II liturgy was as idiosyncratic as the post-Vatican II liturgy, but in different ways. There's no golden age there either." 

We Catholics talk a lot about the centrality of the Eucharist, but do you think everyday Catholics, even priests, really get what Mass is all about? I still am not convinced that 40 years after the second Vatican Council the average Catholic actually grasps what it is that we're being called to when we go to Mass on Sunday. 

Link (here) to full article in the US Catholic

More on the Motu Proprio (here)
"Hic est enim calix sanguinis mei" means "For this is the Chalice of my blood" translation (here)

The Apostle Of Leece

St. Bernardino Realino (1530-1616), the Apostle of Leece, was of the Italian nobility. Before entering the Society of Jesus, he was an accomplished lawyer. He was also a chief tax collector, a mayor, and a judge. He also became a superintendent of the fiefs of the marquis of Naples. Yet, despite his success, St. Realino found himself unfulfilled with worldly honors. When he heard God’s call, he gave up everything to be a religious, a priest, a Jesuit. He became a model confessor, a sincere preacher, and a diligent teacher of the faith to the young.  He was a dedicated shepherd of souls and a pastor to the poor, the slaves, the sick, and the prisoners. When he was 32, he wrote to his brother, “I have no desire for the honors of this world, but solely for the glory of God and the salvation of my soul.”

Link (here) to the Philippine Province of the Society of Jesus to read the full article

Legal Skunk

Appellant realleges the facts that the New York Province of the Society of Jesus is a Corporation in the State of New York and whose members with an exclusive oath have not duly registered with the New York Secretary of State or the Attorney General, as both are agents of the New York Province of the Society of Jesus, that otherwise is a compelling state issue of law enforcement under civil rights law; and notwithstanding the fact that there is a federal matter because then President Ronald Reagan on January 10, 1984 for the first time in USA history recognized the sovereignty of the Vatican State, in what may only be compared to a concordant.

Link (here) to read the full legal document. 
Link (here) and (here) to read more about the anti-Catholic anti-Jesuit Christopher-Earl Strunk

Fr. James Martin, S.J., " Will This Get Me In Trouble?"

Sometimes when I'm writing or speaking, even to small groups, I find myself thinking not "What would God want me to say?" But “Will this get me in trouble?”  It’s not surprising.  Occasionally, during my talks I’ll spy humorless men and women furiously taking notes.  The other night it happened during a talk on a particularly incendiary topic: joy.  Ironically, I am probably one of the most theologically conservative Catholics you'll ever meet.......Another irony: I'm sure that even writing this blogpost will lead people to think I'm a dissenter--even though I've not dissented from any teaching. 

I'm sure that out there in the blogosphere are those same self-appointed guardians 

ready to pounce on any whiff of disagreement or critique and somehow twist it into dissent.

 

Link (here) to read full blog post in context by Fr. James Martin, S.J. entitled "Is This A Fear Based Church"

Lingua

What do you call a Jesuit who speaks many languages?  Multilingual.
What do you call a Jesuit who speaks only two langugages?  Bilingual.
What do you call a Jesuit who speaks only one language?  American.
.
Link (here) to read the full light hearted post by Fr. Jim Keane, S.J.

28 New Jesuits In Asia Pacific

Fresh faces are filling up the novitiates across Asia Pacific.  Last February, Korea accepted five novices.

In March, Indonesia welcomed 12 and Australia has three. Philippines has added five. And by the end of April, three more will be in the Myamar Novitiate.  

Thank you God for these abundant gifts!

Link (here)

440 Jesuits Gather In The Great Lakes

The more than 440 Jesuits who attended the first Midwest Tri-Province Days of the Chicago, Detroit and Wisconsin provinces deemed the event a success for getting to know each other and for sharing thoughts and goals for the future. The gathering was hosted on the Marquette University campus in Milwaukee, Wis. on June 11 and 12 and reflected the future reconfiguration of the three provinces which will eventually result in one combined province for the entire Great Lakes/Midwestern region of the Society of Jesus.

Link (here) to the Jesuits USA website to read the full article and see the pictures about the event.

Jesuit On Pre-Reformation Ireland

Too often writers will say that classic Irish religious culture was "Jansenistic." This erroneous claim can be examined and dismantled. Newer scholarship readily depicts a more accurate picture.

Medieval European Catholicism was "abbey centered." Early monastic life had evolved into the great abbatial sees. The monastic ideal was the only ideal for the Christian, and the laity absorbed "the culture of the monastery" into their morals and piety. For the Christian West the thought of St. Augustine overshadowed the other Church Fathers, and this dominance shaped monastic spirituality as well as popular Catholicism. Augustinianism was "rigorist" by its nature, and this should surprise no one. Eamon Duffy says the pre-Counter-Reformation church in Ireland was "profoundly Augustinian."

Link (here) to read the full article by Fr. Brian Van Hove, S.J. entitled, "Jansenism, the Liturgy and Ireland"

Painting entitled The Triumph of St.Augustine (here)

Dismissed Former New England Province Jesuit Priest And Radical Passes Away at 78

Father William R. Callahan, an international leader in movements for social justice, peace, and reform of the Roman Catholic Church, died July 5th at Community Hospice Hospital in Washington, DC due to complications from Parkinsons disease. He was 78. Callahan, a Jesuit until the early 1990's, was dedicated to the justice call of the reformist Second Vatican Council [1962-1965] in the Roman Catholic Church. He was best known for his leadership for peace and justice in Central America, especially in Nicaragua, and for his advocacy of gender equality in the Catholic Church, including women’s ordination.

Link (here) to read the full story at Baltimore Nonviolence Center blog