Jesuit Roses

The well-known Jesuit, Brother Alphonsus Rodriguez, (here) used to say his Rosary with such fervor that he often saw a red rose come out of his mouth at each Our Father and a white rose at each Hail Mary. The red and white roses were equal in beauty and fragrance, the only difference being in their color.

Link (here) to read the rest of the post at the Lewis Crusade

Marianology Smashed Into Liberation Theology

Michael Daley a religion teacher at the Jesuit St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati offers a truly unique viewpoint on Our Lady.

More to the point, as a woman living in first-century Palestine, Miriam is struggling to survive a life marked by oppression. Economically she belongs to a peasant class which works the land with little compensation. Furthermore, given the people’s tax burden to Rome, Herod the Great and temple, it is quite burdensome. Politically, though, she retains the dangerous memory of the liberating story of Exodus; her homeland is occupied by a foreign power which cares little for the inhabitants and maintains control through violence. This will be illustrated most visibly in the death of her son by crucifixion.

Link (here) to read Michael Daley's full article entitled, The Catholic Moment: What keeps me Catholic-the real Mary at The Catholic Telegraph

Ten Reason has a good take on this subject (here)

For real Catholic view on Mary go (here) to read Fr. John Hardon, S.J.

Marquette University And Freshman Orientation Thought Reform

St. Joan of Arc Chapel at Marquette

In a previous post, we discussed some of the things that go on during Freshman Orientation. We took particular exception to an exercise called “Take a Stand” which requires new Freshmen to publicly declare a position on some topic – often a topic that is highly contentious. 

We called the process “Stalinist thought reform.” We did not have the script of the monologues that students were exposed to before the “Take a Stand” exercise, nor did we have the instructions to Orientation staff people who lead the exercise. 

The Division of Student Affairs, which we asked to provide them, failed to do so. Our sources were students who had been through the exercise. This past Tuesday (September 21) we finally met with Jeff Janz, Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs, and L. Christopher Miller, Vice President for Student Affairs. They defended the program, and gave us access to the script and several sheets of guidelines and instructions given to both discussion leaders and new Freshmen.

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Link (here) to read the lengthy and well documented post by John McAdams at the Marquette Warrior.

Jesuit University Gets A Million Bucks From The US Government

Saint Joseph’s University has received a $1 million grant from the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Program (EEREA) to fund key research and public education projects that will promote and advance responsible environmental stewardship. The award will also enable SJU to formally establish a proposed Institute for Environmental Stewardship.

“This DOE award will position Saint Joseph’s to enter into research that will be meaningful to both the sustainability movement and to the education of students who are interested in careers in the environmental sciences,” says William Madges, Ph.D., dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “With its emphasis on public education programs, it also supports our Jesuit mission by providing opportunities to contribute to the greater good.” The planned research initiatives focus on two different projects, one involving switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), a potential biofuel crop, and another involving a comparison of green roof systems

Link (here) to read the full press release from Saint Joseph University

Former Guns N's Roses Guitarist On His Jesuit Education

Duff McKagan

I went to Seattle University--a Jesuit school--a few years back. If you know anything about Jesuit schools, you will know that the Jesuits require a ton of philosophy courses for their students to advance.

Hence, I am a quasi-expert armchair philosopher. There is a Buddhist saying that says, and I paraphrase:

"Be the water flowing down the stream, and not the boulder in the stream trying to hold the water back."

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Link (here) to read the blog post by Duff McKagan

Radical Ex-Jesuit

Dr. Paul Lakeland

The Diocese of Antigonish, Nova Scotia, has organized a conference this month to be delivered by dissident theologian and former Jesuit priest Dr. Paul Lakeland of Fairfield University in Connecticut, who openly holds views on abortion, h@mosexuality, contraception and women priests that go against Catholic teaching. The conference, entitled ‘Catholicism at the Crossroads: How We Can Save the Church’ and scheduled for October 22-24, has a strong emphasis on the role of lay people in the Church.  The brochure includes a quote from Pope Benedict XVI, calling for lay people to be “co-responsible” for the Church rather than mere “’collaborators’ of the clergy” (Rome Conference on the Laity, June 2009). 

There is strong evidence, however, that Lakeland’s vision of a “co-responsible” laity radically diverges from that of the pope and the bishops. In his books, Lakeland suggests that Catholics can disagree with the Church’s condemnation of contraception and h@mosexual acts, for example.  

He has even suggested that the Church should not seek a ban on abortion, based on the notion that Catholics should not impose their view on the entire population.

Link (here) to read the full Lifesite article.

Three Hundred And Thirty Seven Million Dollars

There were several other areas of improvement at Fordham. In fund-raising for fiscal year 2010, the University had its third-best showing, bringing in $59.7 million. As of June 30, Fordham had raised $337.6 million toward Excelsior | Ever Upward |The Campaign for Fordham, its $500 million fundraising effort. The campaign was running ahead of its goals in alumni participation, law school fundraising and contributions from trustees.

Link (here) to Fordham Public Relations 

Jesuit In The Company Of Communists

Piedad Córdoba is an intelligent and brave person, a brilliant speaker, with well-articulated thoughts.  A few weeks ago she visited us in the company of other distinguished personalities, among which was a remarkably honest Jesuit priest.  They came spurred on by a profound desire to seek peace for their country and they were requesting Cuba’s collaboration, remembering that for years, and at the instance of the government of Colombia itself, we lent our territory and our collaboration for the meetings that took place in our capital between representatives of the Colombian government and the National Liberation Army.

Link (here) to the full post with pictures, the blog is entitled The Marxist -Leninist.

My Uncle The Jesuit

The other day I was in the car with my uncle, a Jesuit priest and a very wise man. Our conversation turned to the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle, and my uncle noted that for Aristotle, the most important thing was the type of question asked.

Link (here) to read the full post by Mary Pope-Handy

Devotion Of The Shepards

O Most Holy Heart of Jesus, I cannot love you as the Blessed Mother loved you. I feel bad about it. I would like to love you, as the chaste Joseph did. 

At least, O Lord, make me love you with simplicity and affection equal to that of the devout shepherds. How happy will I be when I will really begin to love you! 

How fortunate I will be when, enkindling my accent, I will be able to applaud around you with the choirs of angels, saying: “Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth to men of good will!”

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Link (here) to the full post dedicated to the memory of Blessed Louis Guanella by Fr. James Kubicki, S.J. his blog is entitled Offer It Up.

Jesuit On Sin, Shame and Suicide

George Washington Bridge

It's impossible not to be moved by the terrible stories of the five youths who recently took their own lives because they were being harassed as g@ys and l@sbians. 

 In New York the story of Tyler Clementi, the Rutgers freshman who was filmed having a romantic encounter with another man, which was them live-streamed by his "friends," seemed particularly harrowing.  

A despairing Clementi, age 18, ended his life by jumping off of the George Washington Bridge. 

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Link (here) to read the full post by Fr. James Martin, S.J. at America.

Pacifist Jesuit Verses Georgetown Universtity

Fr. John Dear, S.J.

Last week, some of us learned that Georgetown University appointed the former president of Colombia, Alvaro Uribe, to a teaching post at its Walsh School of Foreign Service. Uribe, who is linked to paramilitaries that slaughtered thousands of innocents and who befriended drug traffickers, bringing them into the political mainstream, is being named Georgetown’s “Distinguished Scholar in the Practice of Global Leadership.” He began, Sept. 8.

Apparently neither the university president nor the faculty nor the Jesuits have been apprised that lawyers are working to bring charges against Uribe at The Hague for human rights violations. 

Georgetown might just as well have invited the Philippines’ Marcos, Nicaragua’s Somoza or Liberia’s Charles Taylor to teach. I shouldn’t be surprised. Georgetown in particular has a long history of supporting U.S. warmaking. It has taken millions from the Pentagon, trained thousands of young Catholics in its ROTC program, hired Henry Kissinger, welcomed the person who ordered the assassination of Romero, and supported warmakers from the Shah of Iran to Ronald Reagan.

Link (here) to the full post by Fr. John Dear, S.J. at the blog entitled, Jesus Radicals.

Jesuit Is Already There

Fr. Mark Mossa, S.J. was recently interviewed on Relevant Radio by Wendy Wiese about his new book, Already There. Father Mark discusses religious and pop-culture figures including, Fr. Thomas Merton, Fr. Henri Nouwen, Adam Sandler, the rock band U2. The interview weaves through Father Mark's experience in dealing with young adults and their Catholic faith. Listen to the entire interview (here)

Jesuits' Nut

Water caltrop, what is it?

Jesuits' Nut

The bizarre, ornately shaped fruit or "corm" (the swollen tip of an underground stem) of a water plant that grows in freshwater ponds and streams in Indonesia, southern China, Japan, Italy, and tropical America. The water caltrop is also known as the European water chestnut, buffalo-head fruit, bull nut and Jesuits' nut. Not to be confused with the familiar sweet-and-crunchy Chinese water chestnut, the water caltrop is actually toxic if eaten raw.

Link (here) to the Winnipeg Free Press

The Hawk Will Never.................................

Barbelin Hall - St. Joseph's University

Moral values are under assault at St. Joseph’s University. Since 2001, the Jesuit university in Philadelphia PA has been sponsoring Unity Week, a pro-hom@sexual event first called Rainb@w Week. This year Unity Week will sponsor speakers and events that are in direct conflict with the moral teaching of the Catholic Church and the mission statement of the university, which affirms: “The Catholic character of Saint Joseph's University springs from its historical relationship with the Roman Catholic Church, and from its current embodiment of the great traditions of Catholic life and culture. For this University, Christ and the Church are sources of truth, guides and inspirations for life.”

However, according to a tentative 2010 Unity Week schedule forwarded to TFP Student Action, the following disturbing activities are planned, beginning on October 31:

•A talk by Shawn Decker, a pro-h@mosexual activist who promotes “safe-s@x” and contraception among college students;
•A talk by “LG@T advocate and policy attorney” Brian Sims, titled Coming Out on the Gridiron;

The “G@y” Deathstyle

•A presentation by the Philadelphia G@y Men’s Chorus, suggestively titled “Brotherly Love;”
•A talk by Shiva Subbaraman, director of the LGBT/Q Center at Georgetown University
In previous years, Unity Week has:
•Screened R rated movies such as Brok@back Mountain and MILK;
•Featured “tr@nsgender woman,” Isis King;
•Featured hom@sexual activist Darren Manzella, advocate of open h@mosexuality in the U.S. Military;
•Hosted the L@g Cabin Republicans
•Sponsored “Rainbow Week Liturgy: A Eucharistic Celebration of Unity” 

Link (here) to read the full article at Spero News

Jesuit Director Of Berlin Canisius College In The Center Of Abuse Scandel In Germany Criticizes The Holy Father

Translated from the original German with Google translate Fr. Klaus Mertes, S.J. The non-controversial within the church Jesuit Klaus Mertes gets in a few days in the Archdiocese of Vienna as part of the event "Acts 2010" an opportunity to perform and may Keynote presentation on "But you shall receive the Holy Spirit" force hold one. Father Mertes had in recent months back to strange statements provided medially. So he said to Pope Benedict in an interview: "I have great respect for Benedict XVI." Because he question of abuse not afraid of the truth has been in love. I wish him that he criticized the church even more can discover the church. " Then the Jesuit claimed that the Pope "hard of hearing it," is that God by the "secular world" to the Church talk. End of January 2010, he had arranged with statements on homosexuality for attention. In connection with the abuse scandal at its own Berlin Canisius College, which was the current abuse scandal in the church to roll, had Mertes criticized the way the Catholic Church and homosexuality, and then said: "The church suffers from homophobia homosexuality is concealed clerics.. with this tendency are not sure whether they are accepted by an honest dealing with their s@x life. " Mertes is also very critical to the establishment of the Working Group Committed Catholics in the Union "Arbeitskreis Engagierter Katholiken". It was incomprehensible to him how a Catholic in the CDU, "the Catholic" in sectarian political and public anger Sharpening ever could, Mertes wrote in an article for the Berliner Tagesspiegel. His opinion does not correspond to the spirit of C in the CDU, the journalist and rector of the Jesuit Gymnasium Berlin Canisius College. The Jesuit priest is a son of the CDU politician and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Alois Mertes (1921-1985). The meeting will be held on 14 to 16 October in St. Stephen's place.          Link (here) to KathNet. Hat Tip to Tancred (here)

Georgetown Grad Gaining Momentum In Upcoming Election

Sean Bielet and Congressman Barney Frank

Sean Bielat, the Republican candidate for Congress in Massachusetts' 4th District, has had just one conversation with his Democratic opponent, Rep. Barney Frank. It was in August, at a parade in New Bedford. "I went up to introduce myself and said, 'Nice to meet you,'" Bielat recalls. "He said, 'I wish I could say the same, but you've made this personal. You've been attacking me.' Then he turned and walked away." Bielat remembers thinking that was a little odd, since at that very moment Frank's Web site featured plenty of attacks on Bielat. But the brief encounter set the tone for what has become an increasingly contentious campaign. 

The nervousness plaguing Democrats nationwide has touched even Frank, a 14-term incumbent who hasn't faced a serious challenger in years. Bielat is 35 years old, a Marine who spent four years on active duty and is now a major in the Reserve. He's a graduate of Georgetown University with a master's from Harvard and an MBA from Wharton. 

He's devoted a good portion of his professional life to manufacturing the high-tech robots that defuse improvised explosive devices in Iraq and Afghanistan. In other words, he's a serious man.

Link (here) to read the rest of the story at the Washington Examiner

Jesuit On Bearing False Witness

Fr. Charles Delhez, S.J.

On a recent visit to Belgium I read a leaflet by a Jesuit priest, Fr Charles Delhez; reviewing the (proven) scandal of the Bishop of Bruges he appealed, as I do here, for justice: justice not only for the victims of sexual crimes, but also justice for accused priests – who may be innocent. We know of false memory syndrome, where unscrupulous and unregulated psychotherapists act upon vulnerable young people to unearth supposed memories of familial incest, causing trauma and breakdown in ordinary families. The same syndrome can operate within the clerical sphere. Add to it the temptation of receiving a large sum of money, the tricks of memory after the passage of time, the wish for revenge and the harbouring of a grudge and you have, as I indicated above, a minefield for the police to navigate. Fr Delhez referred to the notorious affair of Outreau in France, where 13 people, including a priest, spent three years on remand before the accusations of children against them were found to be lies and fantasy and they were acquitted. I myself know an elderly English Jesuit priest accused in this way by a former pupil of the school he taught at, and who was also later acquitted of any wrongdoing. He suffered deeply in the meantime.

Link (here) to the full blog post at the Catholic Herald

Jesuit On The Catholic Biblical View Of The End Times And The Protestant Interpitation

One of today’s best known—and, happily, one of the most solidly Catholic—biblical scholars, Father William Kurz, S.J. of Marquette University, has prepared an easily readable review of what the Bible does (and does not) say about end times. Through a careful examination of key biblical themes, symbols, and images from Genesis through Revelation, Kurt urges that the Bible is not some kind of puzzle designed to allow us to construct an intricate end-times scenario, but a body of divine revelation by which God wants to show us how best to cooperate with his salvific plan, including mysteries like the end times, for which he has chosen to reserve knowledge about the details.

Kurz shows at length that many of the most common fundamentalist interpretations of the scriptures on these questions are faulty. Perhaps it is the understandable desire to supply from the imagination what seems missing, even when it means running beyond the evidence. But whatever the motive for their convoluted reasoning, these attempts often reach beyond what is possible in principle to grasp when claiming to predict the way in which God will conclude history. What will be much more helpful, Kurz maintains, is a careful study of the biblical evidence of how God wants us to be ready at all times, without fear of our personal death or of end times, but always prepared by living faithfully in Christ. The believer should be mindful of God’s abiding intent to free us from our sins and, as the Lord’s Prayer emphasizes, to deliver us from evil. The reason for our hope about the Second Coming resides in the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus at his First Coming.

Link (here) to read the full book review. 

To purchase the book go (here)

Jesuit Is A Part Of Regnum Christi Papal Delegation

Fr. Gianfranco Ghirlanda, S.J. (ctr) and the Holy Father

The papal delegate for the Legionaries of Christ has confirmed both the advisers who will assist him in his mission, and the apostolic visitor assigned to the Regnum Christi Movement. Archbishop Velasio De Paolis confirmed to ZENIT the four people entrusted with advising him as he oversees the renewal of the congregation of the Legionaries of Christ. The advisers are: Father Agostino Montan (a religious of the congregation Josefino de Murialdo), episcopal vicar for religious life of the Diocese of Rome; Monsignor Mario Marchesi, vicar-general of the Diocese of Cremona, Italy; 

Jesuit Father Gianfranco Ghirlanda, former rector of the Gregorian University of Rome; and Bishop Brian Farrell, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. Bishop Farrell is himself a Legionary of Christ. 

Archbishop De Paolis also confirmed to ZENIT that Archbishop Ricardo Blázquez of Valladolid, Spain, was appointed visitor for Regnum Christi. Archbishop Blázquez will particularly focus the visitation on the consecrated members of this apostolic movement, which is linked to the Legionaries of Christ. According to the July 9 decree from the Vatican Secretariat of State, Archbishop De Paolis has "the responsibility of governing this religious institute in [the Pope's] name 'for as long as it takes to complete its path of renewal and lead it to the celebration of an extraordinary general chapter, whose main purpose will be to bring to completion the revision of the Constitutions.'"

Link (here)

Protestant Discusses His Jesuit Education

As a Church leader I often wonder how much people know about their own faith… and I also wonder how much they know of other religions. I think having a greater knowledge of other religions only helps you solidify your beliefs while understanding where others are coming from! I studied at a Jesuit College and spent countless hours talking about God, the scriptures, and life with Jesuit priests I would now call friends. In those year I learned a lot of people don’t know much about the Catholic Church, including friends who considered themselves Catholic. 

Link (here) to read the full post at at the blog entitled, His Flame Alone by Tony Simoncini

The Former-Jesuit Advocate

A former Jesuit and currently a professor at Georgetown has joined in rallying support for same-s@x marriage on the campus of Georgetown University.

Father Joseph Palacios, a sociology teacher, is a member of the board of Catholics for Equality, (here) a group that is pushing for legal recognition of same-s@x unions. 

He argues that Catholics are ready to embrace the cause because “Catholicism, as a religious group, is one of the most progressive Christian groups” in the country. 

Link (here) to the original Catholic Culture article.

Link (here) to the Georgetown's Hoya newspaper website article on the subject

18th Century Jesuit Chinese Bishop Of Nanking

The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Nanjing

........in 1752, Bishop Gottfried Xavier von Laimbeckhoven was appointed bishop, although he had to escape to Macao for his Episcopal consecration three years later. But he continued his active missionary life, traveling all over his diocese. "I was their bishop," he noted, "but I could neither meet, nor lead my flock." His most painful cross was the duty imposed on him to promulgate the Pontifical Brief suppressing the Jesuit Order in 1773. It was to him like "condemning my own mother to death." From his Jesuit Superior in Beijing, he received this note dated May 25, 1775:

"For the last time, I can sign as a Jesuit. The bull of suppression is on its way, and will soon reach you. Yet it is already a tremendous blessing to have been a Jesuit one or two years!" 

All his life, Bishop Laimbeckhoven faithfully observed the Jesuit Rule, which was a source of profound joy and strength for him. The bishop of Macao questioned his faculties, and a Portuguese missionary refused to obey him. Rome considered him too old and sent a vicar to take his place, but the latter died on the way, creating a delicate juridical impasse. Exhausted, Bishop Laimbeckhoven retired to an obscure village, where an ex-Jesuit priest ministered the last sacraments to him.

Link (here) to the full article at Business World written by Fr. José S. Arcilla S.J. 

Link (here) to the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Nanjing 

Zen Jesuit On Pagan Buddhist Spiritual Master Bodhidharma

So I looked over the group walking. In the official zen world a priest would have a robe. No, none had a robe, even the priest ( Fr. Robert Edward Kennedy, S.J ) who ran the zendo. But everyone was in black, even yours truly. Everyone, that is, except a tall gray-haired man with kaki pants (w/rolled up cuffs) and a patterned shirt. Clearly this would not be Kennedy Roshi. He should have a robe and a collar and maybe a patch over one eye... not kaki pants and a patterned shirt. So, you guessed it... it was him, in all his splendor.

Bodhidharma

I'm now listening to some of his talks on CDs that I purchased. He told an interesting story about (here)  Bodhidharma, who supposedly said that if a monk only studied and copied the teachings then he could be killed because there was no need for him. We need people with insight. Yea... not to the killing, but with that the point of view.

Link (here) to read the full blog post, at the blog entitled Diaristic Notations

Jesuit A Part Of Irish Visitation

The Vatican Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life will organise the visitation of religious congregations in two phases.

Firstly it will conduct an inquiry by questionnaire to be sent to all the superiors of religious institutes/congregations in Ireland. This is intended to establish an accurate picture of the current situation and to help formulate plans for the observance and improvement of the norms contained in church child protection guidelines.

The apostolic visitors to the religious congregations will be Fr Joseph Tobin, former superior of the Redemptorist congregation, and Jesuit Fr Gero McLoughlin, who will both visit men’s religious congregations.

Sr Sharon Holland, of the Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and a former Vatican official, as well as Sr Máirín McDonagh, of the Religious of Jesus and Mary, will visit female religious congregations.

As the Vatican said in a statement announcing details of the visitation last May: “The Holy See intends to offer assistance to the bishops, clergy, religious and lay faithful as they seek to respond adequately to the situation caused by the tragic cases of abuse.”

Link (here) to read the full article at the Irish Times.