Should Not The Murder Be Sent To Prison Longer Than 15 Years?

Russian prosecutors Monday demanded a 15-year prison term for a man found guilty in the killing of a Jesuit priest in October 2008. A Russian justice spokesman was cited by the Interfax agency as divulging details after a jury had found the man guilty in the bludgeoning death of the Jesuit priest, Victor Betancourt, 42. The jury accepted the evidence that the accused, under the influence of alcohol and in the heat of the moment, had killed Betancourt with a dumbbell...... Prosecutors had charged that the man also killed a further member of the Jesuit order, Otto Messmer from Germany, in order to cover up the first killing. But the jury aquitted the accused on that charge. The two Jesuits were members of a Germany-based charity group called Renovabis involved in aid projects in Eastern Europe.

Link (here)

So Who Killed Fr. Otto Messmer, S.J.?

Jury finds man guilty of killing Jesuit priest in Moscow

Moscow, August 24 Interfax - A jury at the Moscow City Court has found Mikhail Orekhov guilty of killing one of the two Jesuit priests who were found dead in a Moscow apartment in October 2008.

The jury found Orekhov guilty of killing Fr. Victor Betancourt, a priest from the Independent Russian Regional Society of Jesus, Moscow City Court spokesperson Anna Usachyova told Interfax.

Orekhov had been originally charged with committing both murders. The investigation insisted that Orekhov had also killed Fr. Otto Messmer, but the jury found Orekhov not guilty of this crime.

The jury also ruled that Orekhov did not deserve clemency.

"The investigation has determined that Orekhov decided to murder Betancourt while being intoxicated on the basis of a personal conflict, after the victim had tried to induce the Russian to commit a joint sex act," the Investigative Committee said earlier.

It said Orekhov had hit the priest on the head with a dumbbell at least 11 times.

The investigation believed that the purpose of the other murder was to conceal the previous one and that Orekhov killed Messmer when the latter returned from Germany to the apartment where Betancourt had been murdered.

"Orekhov introduced himself to Messmer as a friend of [Betancourt's], followed him into a room, and killed him the same way," the Committee said.

Orekhov was arrested on November 6, 2008.

Link (here)

Photo of the murder Mikhail Orekhov

My Jesuit, My Hobbit

The Stone of Erech at the Ionosphere Building of Manila Observatory

I am staying at the Ionosphere buiding of the Manila Observatory for more than a year now. The building looks like a block of brick on the sea of grass. The windows are squares and the doors rectangles. It is stuffy inside for all the windows are closed. It smelled like the Great Smials of Michel Delving when I first came here. The old hobbit who lived here was Fr. Victor Badillo, S.J. But since he is past 80 and physically weak, though his mind is still sharp, and spends his time at the Jesuit Infirmary of the Ateneo de Manila University, I was asked to man the place in his stead. I just arrived from the infirmary; I visited him there for a few minutes to tell him about what happenned to his old computer files. He is glad that somebody is taking care of his files. Today marks the first time that a bond is established between us, that of a teacher and a student. I still have much to learn from the old hobbit.

Link (here) to the blog entitled St. Holbytla's Monastary

A Jesuit Volunteer In Baltimore: Tom O'Keefe

Last Thursday, after moving my things into the Baltimore JV House in Charles Village, getting a tour of Cristo Rey Jesuit Baltimore, and riding a Duck Boat around Baltimore, I hugged my family goodbye at BWI Airport and joined 90 other JVC East JV’s and staff at Bellarmine Retreat Center in Blue Ridge Summit, PA for Orientation. The picturesque, rural Pennsylvania setting was a perfect meeting place for such a vibrant, excited, and nervous group of young people beginning a year of service promising to “ruin” us “for life”.

As I met the different people there, it became apparent that, though we were all from different places in the US and beyond, attended colleges in different locales, and came from differing backgrounds, we were all good people with a real sense of purpose and love for what we were doing.

We introduced ourselves to one another and learned about our different placements. There were nine Gonzaga graduates from the west coast, a few Holy Cross graduates familiar with Worcester, a Providence graduate from New Jersey who knew some friends from home and Villanova, a communication major working in legal services, and, in my case, a Villanova graduate rooming with a St. Joseph’s University (PA) graduate (*GASP!*). The retreat was a truly amazing way for so many selfless, energetic, and absolutely amazing people to come together.

Link (here) to the full post by Tom O'Keefe, his blog is entitled Volunteacher

Words Mean Things

New Words: A Deeper Meaning, but the Same Mass

The Missale Romanum (the Roman Missal), the ritual text for the celebration of the Mass, was first promulgated by Pope Paul VI in 1970 as the definitive text of the reformed liturgy of the Second Vatican Council. A second edition followed in 1975.

Pope John Paul II issued a revised version of the Missale Romanum during the Jubilee Year 2000. The English translation of the revised Roman Missal is nearing completion, and the Bishops of the United States will vote on the final sections of the text this November. Among other things, the revised edition of the Missale Romanum contains prayers for the observances of recently canonized saints, additional prefaces for the Eucharistic Prayers, additional Votive Masses and Masses and Prayers for Various Needs and Intentions, and some updated and revised rubrics (instructions) for the celebration of the Mass. The English translation of the Roman Missal will also include updated translations of existing prayers, including some of the well–known responses and acclamations of the people.

This website has been prepared to help you prepare for the transition. As this site continues to be expanded, you will find helpful resources for the faithful, for the clergy, and for parish and diocesan leaders.

May this process of the implementation of the revised Roman Missal be a time of deepening, nurturing, and celebrating our faith through our worship and the celebration of the Sacred Liturgy.

Link (here) to the USCCB website.

Jesuit on the subject.

Fr. John Baldovin, S.J.

John Baldovin, a Jesuit priest and professor of liturgy at Boston College, questions whether those seeking a "reform of the reform" are representative of the majority of Catholics. "I don't think there are a large number of people who are dissatisfied with the reform. I think it's a small minority."

Whether their numbers are large or small, though, Baldovin believes that defenders of the reformed liturgy need to take the "reform of the reform" movement seriously. Baldovin recently published Reforming the Liturgy: A Response to the Critics (Liturgical Press), in which he evaluates a number of critics of the post-Vatican II liturgy, including Pope Benedict, the liturgical historian Klaus Gamber, and the philosopher Catherine Pickstock.

Link (here) to the full US Catholic piece

My Jesuit Says

As my Jesuit priest says - friend, he's not my priest; I am not Catholic - but he's a friend of mine, and he's always saying that we must disarm our hearts, and he believes that homophobia is just a terrible by product of the armed heart. And I totally agree with him.

- Dar Williams

From an article by Chris Azzopardi

A Book About Liberation Theology, Communism, Central Americian Politics, Jon Sobrino, Pedro Arrupe And The University of Central America

Jesuit Education and Social Change in El Salvador By Charles Joseph Beirne, S.J.

On Loyola University New Orleans

Loyola University New Orleans was ranked No. 6 among master’s universities in the South in the U.S. News & World Report 2010 edition of “America’s Best Colleges,” which hit newsstands Thursday, Aug. 20.

“America’s Best Colleges” includes rankings of 1,400 colleges nationwide, which are grouped into categories created by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. This is the 19^th year Loyola has ranked in the “Top 10 Southern Region Schools.”

Loyola was also ranked second place on the report’s “Great Schools, Great Prices” list of southern master’s colleges. The magazine cited the stellar quality of Loyola’s academic programs, combined with the comparatively low cost of attendance for students who receive need-based financial aid. According to the description of the rankings, the magazine works “on the premise that the most significant values are among colleges that are above average academically.”

The great news comes as no surprise to Loyola President Kevin Wm. Wildes, S.J., Wildes said Loyola’s continued presence in the rankings is a testament to the quality and commitment of students, faculty and staff.

Link (here)

End Times Jesuit

The Coming of the Messiah in Glory and Majesty, composed by John Jehoshaphat Ben-Ezra, the pseudonym of a Jesuit Father, Manuel Lacunza, a native of Chile. Link (here)

His book La venida del Mesías en gloria y majestad, observaciones de Juan Josafat Ben-Ezra was published in Spain in 1811. It was banned by the Catholic Church on January 15, 1819. An English translation was published in 1827 by Edward Irving under the title of The Coming of the Messiah. It was influential in the development of 19th century beliefs in an imminent Millennium, for example among the Millerites.

“I Will Always Have Time For The Jesuits”

In August 1990. A Jesuit scholastic, while writing about Mother Teresa and Jesuits, dropped in to see her not knowing that she was in retreat. She did see him. While he apologized for disturbing her, she just smiled and said,

“I will always have time for Jesuits.”

When she heard that the scholastic was from Calcutta, she became almost chatty and continued,

“Being a priest is not enough, being a good priest is important…. The Jesuit vocation is a very special type of religious vocation, called to a great spirituality. The Society has given many saints to Mother Church. You are called to aim at nothing less….”

Link (here) to a neat site on Mother Theresa

How Many Jesuits Are There?

By Felix Raj, SJ

According to a recent Jesuit Documentation, No. 81, published from Rome, as of January 2001, there were 21,063 Jesuits in the world - 14,852 priests, 3,997 scholastics, and 2,311 Brothers.

The net loss from January 2000 is 320 members. Between January 2000 and January 2001, 500 men entered the Society of Jesus, 479 died and 339 left the order.

While the relative numbers of entrances and departures is consistent with the trend of the last few years, the number of deaths is higher.

The highest number of Jesuits in their 460-year history was in 1965 with 36,038 members, 20,301 Priests, 9,865 Scholastics and 5,872 Brothers.

The overall decline in number from 1965 to 2001 is 41%, of which the share of the brothers is 16.9%, scholastics' is 16.4% and priests' 7.7%.

In the last 35 years, the overall fall of brothers is 60.6%, scholastics is 59.5% and priests 14.7%.

The Jesuit Headquarters is situated in Rome: Curia Society of Jesus, Borgo S. Spirito, 4 – 00193 ROMA, Italy.

Superior General: Most Rev. Fr. Peter-Hans Kolvenbagh, SJ.

Link (here)

Blogger Note: The total number of Jesuits today is just under 20,000.

Jesuit Frs. Gray And Niehoff On Their John Carroll University

More than 70 percent of students at John Carroll University identify themselves as Roman Catholic, and the 60-acre campus, about 10 miles outside Cleveland, is what one would expect from a Catholic college. There are imposing Gothic buildings, a standard quad, and the requisite student facilities and sports complex. It's a quiet campus and one that students are encouraged to think beyond. "We teach students about themselves, but that's not something that can be fully realized until they put their learning into practice in the world," says Fr. Robert Niehoff,

the Jesuit who serves as president.

Worldwide, the number of Jesuits in higher education is in decline-their order now counts fewer than 3,000 in the United States, a third of them of retirement age.

This is especially evident at schools like John Carroll, where a graying group of 11 Jesuits is turning to lay parishioners to preserve traditions.

"Not long ago, I was out with some students practicing a little of what they call 'pub theology,'" says Fr. Howard Gray, the school's rector.

"I had to go home to bed, and I wished there was a young priest who could have taken my place."

Comments Katie Mahoney, a senior and the editor in chief of the student newspaper:

"It might seem kind of strange that they pride themselves on being a Jesuit school when there are so few Jesuits left, but their influence is still very strong."

The Jesuit spirit of engagement emphasizes service. Sure, there are parties, says one student, but serious community service goes on, too. Every Friday night, student groups make sandwiches for the homeless; other nights, they volunteer at the Catholic work house. Spring break sometimes means Cancún, but it can involve housing projects in Nicaragua or hurricane relief on the Gulf Coast, as well.

The school's academic focus also reflects the realities of life off campus. There are programs in applied ethics and social justice, for example, and others on teaching literacy to schoolchildren. John Carroll has just inaugurated a "Poverty and Solidarity" program, designed to teach students about the causes and impacts of poverty. Ohio, in particular the northeastern part of the state, has seen better economic times. It has been a goal of schools in the region to concentrate on entrepreneurship as a means to both educate their students and help the region out of the doldrums. "Regional engagement was not always a focus in John Carroll's history," says Niehoff. "We now see that as a duty and a focus."

Link (here) to the US News and World Report

Professor At Jesuit Institution Leading An Ugly Movement Against The Church

Sandra M. Schneiders, a member of Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary of Monroe, Mich., is a professor of New Testament Studies and Christian Spirituality at the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley, California.

This is a short portion of an op-ed piece by the disgruntled nun who teaches the brightest young Jesuits.

The exciting theologies of liberation and lay ministerial empowerment in the church were being repressed in favor of a renewed clericalism and centralization of power. From a strictly human standpoint it was a bleak time for those who had come of age in the joyous, Spirit-filled enthusiasm of the Council when community, equality of discipleship in the church, commitment to the building of a better world, deepening spirituality, inter-religious dialogue, feminist empowerment were the very air they breathed. From every angle hope was being crushed and old world narrowness, neo-orthodoxy, and Vatican re-centralization were replacing the Spirit-filled, world-affirming, humane spirit of John XXIII and the Council.

Link (here) to the full opinion piece in the counter productive National Catholic Reporter.

Swedish Jesuit Fr. Ulf Jonsson S.J. and the editor of Signum is being interviewed for EWTN's The Journey Home hosted by Marcus Grodi. Watch interview (here)

Google And Fr. Athanasius Kircher, S.J.

A few years ago Paula Findlen, a professor of Italian history at Stanford University, edited a book with a title calculated to stir unusual interest -- Athanasius Kircher: The Last Man Who Knew Everything. Findlen admires people who dream of acquiring universal knowledge and in Kircher, a German Jesuit, she chose a prime specimen.

He lived in the 17th century, when it was a lot easier to appear omniscient. Learning was not yet specialized, book publishing was a young profession and a scholar could still master most recent books and many classics of antiquity.

Kircher, relatively obscure in recent centuries, has lately been attracting so much attention that the 21st century has produced 11 books on his work. As the author of 40 volumes, he fascinates people studying the beginnings of book culture, a fashionable subject now that the future of print is in question.

Irish Jesuit Says, Enough Of The "Psycho-Babble"

Bray killer Shane Clancy had tried to kill himself before his fateful murder-suicide at the weekend. As further details of Clancy’s deranged state emerged today, a leading cleric branded the killings as “pure evil”. Fr Fergus O’Donoghue, a Jesuit priest and friend of victim Sebastian Creane’s family told the Herald that he was sick of the "psycho-babble" tributes that has marked the killer's passing. The Trinity student was buried today in Dalkey as Gardai try to piece together his final moments.

Link (here) to the full story.

Fergus O'Donoghue, SJ is editor of Studies: an Irish Quarterly Review.

Jesuit Turns 101 Years Old

Fr. Joseph Neuner, S.J., veteran Indologist, theologian and spiritual advisor to Mother Teresa, celebrated his 101st birthday at Sanjeevan Ashram, headquarters of the Pune Jesuit province, here on Wednesday.

Fr Neuner, born on August 19, 1908 at Feldkirch in Austria, has been a Puneite since 1938. As professor of theology at Jnana Deep Vidyapeeth, he has taught thousands of priests, some of whom rose to be bishops and cardinals.

The centurion was in a cheerful mood, receiving greetings from people when this Sakaal Times reporter called on him on Wednesday. The priest was greeted by his fellow Jesuits and others on his 101st birthday.

"Fr Neuner did not want a big celebration and so we did not invite many people for the birthday,”

said Fr Anil Soares, one of the priests residing at the Jesuit provincialate. Although his movement and activities have now been restricted,

Fr Neuner still follows the community routine at the Jesuit house. He has meals and tea along with other Jesuits.

Refusing to be assisted, he comes to the dining hall with the support of a walker. He converses with others on the latest happenings although in the recent past, he has been hard on hearing. “But he never misses his exercise of walking in the passage with the walker,” adds Fr Soares. Neuner, who for a few years, stayed on the first floor of ‘Sanjeevan Ashram’ was shifted to the ground floor when he neared his century.

Before his arrival in India, Neuner had completed a doctorate thesis at Rome-based Gregorian University on the theme, ‘The idea of sacrifice in the Bhagvadgita’. During World War II, Neuner along with other German nationals in the country, was detained by the British government and was incarcerated for over five years, initially in Ahmednagar and later at Dehradun.

Neuner served as an expert at the Vatican Council II, which is said to have ushered in reforms in the Catholic Church.

The Catholic Church had appointed Neuner as censor theoloigicus in 1999 for the proceeding launched for beatification of Mother Teresa. His job was to study the nun’s published writings to find if they contained any heresy.

The Mother was declared a Blessed, a step towards sainthood, a few years later.

Link (here)

Ignatius Press Is On The Move

Ignatius Press is the largest publisher in English of current Catholic leading theologians, including Joseph Ratzinger, Henri De Lubac, Hans Urs von Balthasar, plus the distributor of hundreds of other Catholic books, not to mention the magazines Catholic World Report and Finally this year, in May, 2009, the renovation and move were complete and this summer, the executive work of Ignatius Press takes place in the firehouse (brass firepole included) on 1348 Tenth Avenue.

Much of the work of the press is done elsewhere - printing in Michigan, order taking in Colorado, copy editing and proofreading at copy editors’ and proofreaders’ homes.

But the executive work – decisions about which books to publish, how to market them, the layout decisions – are made at the San Francisco headquarters.

The biggest project now is converting all new titles and much of the backlist to electronic format—both as e-books and as downloadable audio files. “Within the next 12 months, we should have all our new titles and the most popular titles of our backlist ready to download and read in Kindle or similar devices,” says Father Joseph Fessio, the founder of Ignatius Press.

Read the full article (here) at The California Catholic Daily

Marketing Jesuit Vocations

The British Jesuit Province has launched a designated web site entitled Jesuit Vocations Britain to help men considering whether they have a vocation to the Society of Jesus. Under the direction of Vocations Director, Father Matthew Power SJ, the site provides a comprehensive overview of life as a Jesuit, assesses what are the qualities needed in a Jesuit priest or brother today, and offers potential candidates some suggestions for exploring their vocation.

The site is also rich with photographs of Jesuits involved in various ministries and personal testimonies, both written and on video. Jesuits - including the Superior General, Father Adolfo Nicolás - reflect on what it means to be a member of the Society of Jesus, the importance of the vows, and the process of discernment as each of them recalls his own path to the Society. There is also considerable focus on the process of formation, living in community and prayer.

Link (here) to the full article.

Catholic School Is Not For Catholics But Those Defined As Poor

Peter Watts relishes the bonds he forged with coaches, teachers and classmates at Verbum Dei High School, an all-boys Catholic campus with a long tradition as an athletic powerhouse and a haven from strife in South Los Angeles.

Now a successful educator, Watts assumed his son, Avery, would carry on the tradition as a proud Eagle at "the Verb." He and his wife were stunned when the 13-year-old's application was rejected. The reason: The school is now dedicated to serving only poor students, and the Wattses' income is too high.

That policy is the source of growing contention among alumni, many of whom attribute their success to the school and feel they are being punished for their achievement. They argue that legacy admissions are common at private schools and alumni can be a lifeline for fundraising.

In 2000, Verbum Dei was cash-strapped and struggling with low enrollment. Cardinal Roger M. Mahony asked the Jesuits to take over, and linked Verbum Dei with the Cristo Rey Network of Catholic schools, which provides a college preparatory experience for disadvantaged urban teenagers. Students participate in a work-study program that finances part of their education, which school officials say averages about $13,000 per pupil. Annual tuition and fees are about $2,900; the difference is made up through grants and fundraising.

Spaces are reserved for low-income students rather than families such as the Wattses, who can afford to pay higher tuitions at other private schools.

Link (here) to the full article

Jesuit Fr. Frank Majka On "True Religion"

It seems you can buy true religion for a couple of hundred dollars and wear it out of the store. True Religion is the name of a line of high end denim clothing that’s been appearing in malls and True Religion outlets all over the country.

When I first walked by the True Religion section in Macy’s, the name brought me up short. The name still bothers me. I don’t like the highjacking of a spiritual concept to designate a clothing line. I’d rather we kept the phrase “true religion” for what the Letter of James says it is — “to care for orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world” (James 1:27) — not a pair of jeans.

Link (here) to Fr. Frank Majka, S.J. blog, The Bridge

Sharky Jesuit: Fr. James Martin, S.J.

“A Franciscan, a Dominican, and a Jesuit go on a fishing cruise. . . “

As told by Father Jim Martin, S.J. (here)

It's A Chicago Thing!

“The numerous stories we hear of people suffering so much because they’re unable to get access to health care makes this such a need,” said Jesuit Father John Baumann. “We’re hoping that thousands and thousands will call in to show support for health care reform and that the reform will cover everyone.”

Father Baumann in 1972 founded PICO National Network, a community–organizing initiative that started in Chicago.

Link (here)

Gonzooks!

"Planned Parenthood is a great organization which does a great job of helping many women..."

Susie Prusch – Manager of University Events at Gonzaga University, a Jesuit institution in Spokane, Wash., – praised the work of Planned Parenthood from her Gonzaga e-mail account, according to Jill Stanek. When a reader of Stanek’s blog forwarded Prusch a LifeNews story about a Spokane Planned Parenthood which made “significant” errors in Medicaid billing, Prusch replied with an e-mail that included the following statement: “Planned Parenthood is a great organization which does a great job of helping many women who need the medical treatment and help, advice, and support throughout their pregnancy.” Read the rest of the story and see the screenshot of Prusch’s e-mail over at Jill Stanek’s blog.

Link (here) to the original Cardinal Newman Society post.

More (here) at Values Voters

More (here) at Ignatius Insight

Jesuit House For Sale In Manilla

In Sta. Ana is Xavier House,
originally an 1800s private home now owned
by the Jesuits who are looking for a buyer.

Link (here)