That Was Then

St. Edmund Campion, S.J.

Think for example of St Peter Canisius, who spearheaded the re-evangelisation of Germany with his catechetical works; and one remembers with pride St Edmund Campion, who even though on the run during his brief English ministry still managed to write, print and distribute the Decem Rationes, popularly known as “Campion’s Brag”, a stunningly effective work of apologetics, all the more so for being produced under the very noses of the Elizabethan authorities. Its very daring got it noticed. Again, Jesuit colleges throughout Europe, but especially in the Austrian lands, were effective in re-Catholicising territories that had been lost to the Church.

Link (here) to the Catholic Herald.

Pune Jesuit

Fr. Francis X. D'Sa, S.J.

Father Francis D'Sa knows this reality well. He is a Jesuit priest and theologian from Pune in India, part of a Christian minority in a country whose majority is Hindu, but which also has large numbers of Muslims, Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists. He has become well known as a specialist in inter-religious dialogue, speaking and writing extensively on the appropriate theology that will promote understanding and good relations between different cultures and faiths. D'Sa is one of the leading scholars worldwide on the theology of Raimon Panikkar, who is a pioneer in promoting inter-religious dialogue. Panikkar, now 92 and only recently retired, was born in northern Spain of a Spanish Catholic mother and Indian Hindu father. After ordination as a Catholic priest, he was one of the first Western academics to go to India to study Eastern religions

Link (here) to Australia's Eureka Street.

Martyrs Are Real People

I walked down into the ravine where Isaac Jogues and his companions were martyred. Having never been to Europe where many site of martyrdom can no doubt be found, this was a particularly powerful experience for me. 

Knowing that I was walking on the very ground where Jogues and his friends were captured, tortured, and killed made the whole “saint thing” all the more real. While we venerate these holy men and women for their moral excellence and dedication to the faith, this visit forced me to come to grips with the fact that these were real people. 

Indeed, they were ordinary people who, by the grace of God, accomplished extraordinary holiness. It also forces one to reflect on our own ordinary lives and ask whether we have missed out on invitations to extraordinary opportunities. As my brother in law often says, “If not now, then when? If not me, then whom?” Because Isaac escaped from his initial captivity, we have his own written journals describing the horrific events that happened in Ossernenon (modern day Auriesville, New York). As you begin the trek down into the ravine, there are signs posted every ten feet or so. On the signs are written the very words of Isaac Jogues.

Link (here) read the words of Saint Isaac and to the very personal and moving post at Roma locuta est, by blogger Jake Tawney.
Statue of St. Isaac Joques, S.J. (here)

Fr. John Hardon, S.J. On Having A Good Conscience

To offer us some protein, Miss Best was kind enough to drive us every week to sit in on the theology classes she was taking with Rev. John Hardon, S.J., at St. John's University. While the man was brilliant, the classes were dull -- based as they were on impenetrable phenomenological addresses by Pope John Paul II. 

But I made the most of the question periods, probing that saintly priest with all the Faith-testing, Jesuitical questions that 16-year-old smart alecks are driven to ask. And Father Hardon parried them brilliantly, as Jesuits have done for centuries. He shot down in flames every doubt my personal Screwtape had whispered in my ear, and built up in my mind solid habits of faithful reasoning. I will be grateful to him in eternity, I hope. 

When my high school friend (not I) expressed an interest in the priesthood, Father Hardon offered advice: "I wish that I could recommend you apply to the Society of Jesus," he said in his careful way. "I love the order, and wish it could be saved. But I cannot in good conscience send any young man into its seminaries."

Link (here) to Badger Catholic

South Of The Border

In fluent English, Hernandez explained how he had been stopped by U.S. immigration inspectors at the border at Tijuana as he returned home from a trip to his native state of Veracruz in east-central Mexico for his great-grandfather's funeral. Instead of being at work in Seattle, Hernandez was among about 75 men having a hearty breakfast at the "comedor," or dining room, run by the Kino Border Initiative, a collaborative effort of the Jesuit provinces of California and Mexico, the Diocese of Tucson, Ariz., the Archdiocese of Hermosillo, Mexico, Jesuit Refugee Service and the Missionary Sisters of the Eucharist.

Link (here) to the full article at The Tidings

Fr. Angelo Secchi, S.J. And The "Secchi Disk"

The first reliable system for measuring the transparency of sea water was developed by astronomer and Jesuit priest Pietro Angelo Secchi. Asked by the Pope in 1865 to measure the clarity of water in the Mediterranean Sea for the Papal navy, he conceived and developed the "Secchi disk", which must be one of the simplest instruments ever deployed; it is simply lowered into the sea until its white colour disappears from view.

Link (here) to the full BBC article.

Fr. John Hardon, S.J. On The Incompatiblity Of Yoga And Hinduism With Catholicism

Yoga is incompatible with Catholicism because the best known practice of Hindu spirituality is Yoga. “Inner” Hinduism professes pantheism, which denies that there is only one infinite Being who created the world out of nothing. 

This pantheistic Hinduism says to the multitude of uncultured believers who follow the ways of the gods that they will receive the reward of the gods. They will have brief tastes of heaven between successive rebirths on earth. 

But they will never be delivered from the “wheel of existence” with its illusory lives and deaths until they realize that only “God” exists and all else is illusion (Maya).

Link (here) to read the full explanation by Fr. John Hardon, S.J. at Patrick Madrid's blog
Painting of Shiva and Ganeshji (here) 

The High Financial Cost For "The Problem" Of The Jesuits In Germany

A spokesman for the Roman Catholic order, reacting to the call by the victims' group "Eckiger Tisch" ("Square Table"), said the round table group on abuse set up by the government in March would discuss the compensation question in September.

"I appreciate the impatience of 'Eckiger Tisch'," Jesuit spokesman Thomas Busch said,  

"But there will be no special arrangement before September with one particular group ... This is about more than one group -- the round table deals with a range of abuse cases." 

Link (here) to read the extensive story at The Washington Post.

Funny Pictures

At Santa Clara University, Dan Dion was the comedy director. He had an annual budget of $10,000 but always spent $15,000 flying in the likes of P.J. O'Rourke and Second City to perform on the Jesuit campus.

Link (here) to read the full story then you will get the title.

The Holy Family Ward, Jesuit Vocations And Vocations In India

The Holy family Ward has been blessed with a number of religious vocations. Six children of late Intru and Rosemary Lobo have dedicated themselves to the service of the church and serving in different regions of India. Fr. Daniel Lobo S.J. is in Mumbai, Fr. Lawrence Lobo S.J. in Baroda, Sr. Veronica Lobo (AC) in Orissa, Sr. Shalini Lobo (AC) in Mangalore, Sr. Pricilla Lobo (AC) in Gujarat and Sr. Sylvian Lobo (AC) in Mangalore.

Link (here) to read all about it.

The Paper Is Entitled

Violence Prevention in United States Society of Jesus Secondary Schools
Author: Thomas Andrew Simondsa of Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska, USA
Yes, some actually wrote this article for 30.00 dollars you can buy it (here)

Jesuit On Carmel And George Bernanos

The spirit of Carmel has been more notable in Chile over these last days.  And despite my loyalty to my Jesuit confreres, I have to admit that there is a special urgency to the holiness of Carmel.  For attention to the Church’s esteem for “unaccomplished,” contemplative lives helps to disambiguate two ideals so easily confused in our age: Christian holiness and philanthropic moralism—with the latter being understood more or less as the duty to reduce human human suffering whenever possible. The Chilean Church’s seemingly disproportionate joy over these feasts of Carmel reminded me of a letter written by Georges Bernanos (pictured) that I ran across some years back (and that has haunted me ever since). Therein the French Catholic novelist explains why he made Fr. Donissan, the saintly protagonist of Sous le Soleil de Satan, so humanly unimpressive.  For Bernanos, the human “foolishness” of this “saint of Lumbres” was necessary precisely to expose the attempted reduction of Christianity to philanthropic moralism

Link (here) to read  the full post by scholastic Aaron Pidel, S.J.

The Mi'kmaq And The Jesuits

The 400th anniversary celebration of a Nova Scotian chief's baptism will be held next week. His baptism, along with others from the Mi'kmaq people represent the first conversions to the Roman Catholic Church in the area.

The celebration commemorating 400 years since the baptism of Grand Chief Henri Membertou of the Mi'kmaq People will take place on Chapel Island, Nova Scotia this coming Aug. 1.

A letter released by the Holy See's Press Office on Saturday announced that newly appointed prefect of the Congregation for bishops, Cardinal Marc Ouellet, will be attending on the Pope's behalf.

Bishop of Antigonish, Brian Joseph Dunn, explained the significance of the occasion in a pastoral letter earlier this month. Congratulating the Mi'kmaq people on their faith since the leader converted to Christianity four centuries ago, Bishop Dunn recalled why this anniversary is "such a momentous occasion for all in this diocese." Grand Chief Henri Membertou was baptized by French explorers, thus becoming the first indigenous leader to become Christian, being joined in baptism that day in 1610 by the rest of his family. Bishop Dunn said that he took on his responsibilities as a committed Christian, also urging Jesuit missionaries to preach in the Mi'kmaq language. Following his lead, the Christian faith became a part of the people's culture, he wrote, and has continued up to today, "to such an extent that virtually each Mi’kmaq person continues the tradition of being baptized. "The Mi’kmaq people are truly the first Roman Catholics in this land and their descendants practiced the Christian faith even before the arrival of any permanent European settlement."

Link (here) to the full article at CNA.

Photo source (here)

Jesuit On The God-Shaped Hole

I usually talk about St. Augustine's famous line from his autobiography, "The Confessions:" "You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you."  

We all have a God-shaped hole in our hearts, a longing for infinite love and beauty. Only God can fill that emptiness, but we tend to want to take the hunger pains away by filling the hole with substitutes--possessions and wealth, pleasure, power and prestige. 

We may feel satisfied for a while, but ultimately the restlessness and longing return.

Link (here) to Fr. James Kubicki, S.J. his blog is entitled, Offer It Up!

In Lieu Of Taxes.

The Scranton City Council president to task for trying to shake down the University of Scranton in exchange for an aerial easement it needed to build a $33 million dormitory in the 900 block of Mulberry Street. The university pulled its request after its president, the Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., said Mrs. Janet Evans and her council "supermajority" tried to tie approval of the easement to an increase in the university's voluntary annual payment in lieu of taxes. Despite council's attempt to hold the university's project hostage, officials there decided to increase the nonprofit's PILOT payment nearly 60 percent, to $175,000. The university is the city's only major institution making a PILOT payment of any significance. 

Link (here) to read the full op-ed piece in the Time Tribune

Santa Clara University is under scrutiny (here) , (here) , (here) and (here)

Controversial Labor Leader Now Working For Georgetown Univeristy

Andy Stern, past president of the SEIU, will join the Georgetown Public Policy Institute as a senior research fellow beginning August 1st.  In the words of Georgetown's press release, Stern "will conduct and coordinate research efforts on a number of social policy issues, including wage reform, labor policy, and retirement security.  He also will engage with the Georgetown community of students, faculty and alumni in a variety of ways, through guest lectures, workshops, and public events."

Link (here) to read the full post at Restore-DC-Catholicism entitled SEIU-Thug Chieftan Joins Georgetown Public Policy Institute

Fr. John Hardon, S.J. On Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen

Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen

During the Tre Ore sermon which he preached on Good Friday some years ago, Fulton J. Sheen asked his audience:  

"If Jesus Christ thirsted for souls, must not a Christian also thirst? If He came to cast fire on the earth, must not a Christian be enkindled? Has he not called us to be His apostles and His ambassadors, in order that His Incarnation might be prolonged through the continued dispensation of the divine through the human?" 

He answered his own question by declaring that, "A Catholic who does not strive to spread his Faith is a parasite on the life of the Church."

 

 

Link (here) to the full essay by Fr. John Hardon, S.J. entitled Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen - Author, Orator and Missionary.

23 Reasons Why A Jesuit Priest Should Wear A Roman Collar

This is reason number 9 out 23, original published at the Homiletic and Pastoral Review

A Jesuit priest in a Roman collar is an inspiration to others who think: “Here is a modern disciple of Jesus.” The Roman collar speaks of the possibility of making a sincere, lasting commitment to God. Believers of diverse ages, nationalities and temperaments will note the virtuous, other-centered life of the man who gladly and proudly wears the garb of a Catholic priest, and perhaps will realize that they too can consecrate themselves anew, or for the first time, to the loving Good Shepherd.

Link (here) to read the full list at Courageous Priest

Where Missionaries Such As Matteo Ricci And Adam Schall Studied Chinese

Ruins of St. Paul's College in Macau

All that remains of the greatest of Macau's churches is its magnificent stone facade and grand staircase. The church was built in 1602 adjoining the Jesuit College of St. Paul's, the first Western college in the Far East where missionaries such as Matteo Ricci and Adam Schall studied Chinese before serving at the Ming Court in Beijing as astronomers and mathematicians. The church, made of taipa and wood, was brilliantly decorated and furnished, according to early travelers. The facade of carved stone was built in 1620-27 by Japanese Christian exiles and local craftsmen under the direction of Italian Jesuit Carlo Spinola.

After the expulsion of the Jesuits, the college was used as an army barracks and in 1835 a fire started in the kitchens and destroyed the college and the body of the church.

After restoration work, lasting from 1990 to 1995, the back side of the Ruins of St. Paul's was turned into a museum. The ruins are regarded as the symbol of Macau and now offer visitors a new site where they can view the remains of the former Church of the Mother of God, visit a Crypt where the relics of the Martyrs of Japan and Vietnam rest, and a museum of Sacred Art where there are exhibits of paintings, sculptures and liturgical objects from churches and monasteries in the City.

Link (here) to the post with lots pictures.

WWI: A British Spy Chief And A Jesuit Intelligence Agent

Graf Zeppelin

The war broke out in August 1914, Mansfield Cumming's service moved quickly to expand its network of agents across Europe and Russia. It was imperative to know where the German troops were headed and what armaments they were developing. Many civilians in Belgium and northern France risked their lives to provide details of enemy troop movements by watching the trains on which they travelled to the front. 

One of Cumming's most successful agents was a French-Irish Jesuit priest named O'Caffrey. In June 1915 he located two Zeppelin airships, housed in sheds near Brussels, that had days earlier dropped bombs on London, killing seven people and injuring 35. The British wreaked their revenge, bombing and destroying the Zeppelins. 

As the war dragged on, the British began to worry that Russia would withdraw from the fighting, freeing up 70 German divisions for the Western Front. With the Tsar at the front, Russia was ruled by the Tsarina, who was in thrall to the 'holy-man' Grigori Rasputin, a promiscuous, power-crazed drunk. 

Link (here) to read the full article at Daily Mail

On John Bollard

If the religious institution was not acting out of religious motives, the Ninth Circuit reasoned, then it was liable for Title VII violations. The same reasoning was employed by the Ninth Circuit in Bollard v. California Province of the Society of Jesus. Bollard was a novice at a Jesuit prep school and then attended a Jesuit seminary. He alleged s@xual harassment involving his superiors in each place, who sent him p@rnography and made se@ual advances. The court held that the ministerial exception did not protect the Jesuits, because the discrimination happened in a context divorced from clergy selection and in the absence of a religious belief in the s@xual harassment. 

Link (here) to the full article at Find Law the author is Marci Hamilton

Thus If A Man Wearing

Thus if a man wearing an "I Hate Jesuits" doublet comes up to you on your way home from mass and asks in a threatening manner "What religion are you?", you can say "Why, Protestant of course," then mentally add "Not really! Up Pope Urban!" and proceed, troubled by neither your questioner's dagger nor your conscience.

Link (here) to the full article at the UK Guardian.

The Art At Seattle University

St. Ignatius of Loyola Chapel - Seattle University

As a relatively young city, Seattle doesn't have a large number of major art collections in public or private hands. Though our art benefactors have been generous and shown a fine eye for great art, Seattle can't stand up to the magnificent art collectors and collections in cities like San Francisco, New York, or even Los Angeles.
So local art lovers have to do a little more legwork to enjoy the pleasures of seeing art. One great source for viewing art is to take in the fine art collections in the corporate or organizational world. To take in one of these fine collections, start at Seattle University's central campus on Capitol Hill.

Link (here) to the Sun Break blog with lots of pictures of Seattle University art collection and new chapel.

Russian Orthodox Meet With The Superior General

Pope Benedict XVI and Russian Patriarch Kirill

Last December, the Western press once again wrote about the possibility of a personal meeting between Pope Benedict XVI and Patriarch Kirill, but the Russian Orthodox Church and secular analysts refused to make forecasts. The reconciliation of the two churches seemed unlikely then, but the situation has changed and a historical meeting may take place soon.

Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia has a positive view of the pontific, as evidenced by his recent interview with the Ukrainian media. Journalists asked the patriarch about dialogue between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church.

"We are optimistic about the position of Pope Benedict XVI," Patriarch Kirill told Ukrainian journalists. "Liberal theologians and the Western media may criticize him, but his stance coincides with the opinions of the Orthodox Church on many social and moral issues."

The staff of the Patriarchy is searching for venues of practical cooperation with western Christians. Just over a week ago, Hegumen Philipp (Ryabykh), deputy chairman of the Moscow Patriarchy's Department for External Church Relations, met with Rev. Adolfo Nicolas, the Superior General of the Society of Jesus, to discuss the possibility of joint efforts to promote Christian values in Europe, including with the Jesuit experience in religious education.

Link (here) to read the full story at RIANOVOSTI

Not His Own Musings About Pious Things

Back in the dressing room, I put on my clericals and walked out. Going by the technicians' office, I said goodbye. One of them looked at me astonished.  

"I didn't know that you were a man of the Word." I had to laugh: My clerical status does not shine through a hospital gown. I do not ever remember being called a "man of the Word." No doubt, this form of address is an honored title in black Protestant churches. It was meant as that. 

The title made me think. Is a priest a "man of the Word?" His three powers are to "teach, to rule, and to sanctify." So, yes, he is a man of the Word. He recognizes Scripture -- and, through it, the Church and Christ -- as the source of any "word" he speaks in its name. The man of the Word is first to be sure that his word is the word that the Lord handed down, not his own musings about pious things.

 

Link (here) to read the full article by Fr. James V. Schall, S.J. at Inside Catholic entitled, The Man of the Word.

Print "Jesus Talks About Heaven" 

Gentleness And Compassion

A photo of Salahidin Abdulahat, 32 swimming in Bermuda

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Three Christian (Including one Jesuit scholastic) activists from Witness Against Torture traveled to Bermuda on Friday, July 16, 2010 to meet with four Uyghur men who were detained in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba for more than seven years. (The Uyghur ethnic group primarily resides in western China.) The Bush administration conceded that the men are not “enemy combatants,” and in October 2008 a federal judge ordered their release. Eight months later, four Uyghurs were resettled in Bermuda. Other Uyghur detainees were resettled elsewhere while five Uyghurs remain in Guantánamo.....Luke Hansen, who is studying to become a Jesuit priest, states, “One of the many things that has impressed me in our conversations with these men, whom the Bush administration repeatedly labeled as the ‘worst of the worst,’ is their gentleness and compassion. While these men fiercely criticize the rationalizations behind their detention, they have expressed no resentment towards their captors, but rather have focused solely on the imperative to release the remaining Uyghur detainees at Guantánamo.”... Luke Hansen, S.J., 28, is part of the Wisconsin Province of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). In May, Luke earned an M.A. at Loyola University Chicago. His thesis is titled, “Countering Terrorism with Justice: A Catholic Response to Policies of Indefinite Detention in the Fight Against Terrorism.”

Read the entire press release at (here) Common Dreams, a self described progressive organization. 
Photo (here)
Read more about the Uyghurs and Islamic militancy at Jihad Watch (here) 

Superior General Vladimir Ledochowski, S.J., Pope Pius XI And "The Hidden Encyclical"

The death of (pictured) Rev. Vladimir Ledochowski, the "Black Pope," on December 13 somberly marked a period of tremendous growth for the Society of Jesus, whose general he had been since 1915. Monuments to his service included new buildings for the Curia Generalis on Borgo Santo Spirito and the Gregorian University on the Piazza Pilotta, along with the Oriental Institute, the Russian College, and the Biblicum. His uncle, the Cardinal Archbishop of Gniezno, had been deposed one month after taking office in the Kulturkampf of April 1874, imprisoned for two years, and lived from then on in Roman exile. One of Father Ledochowski's sisters would be beatified by Pope Paul VI, and another canonized by Pope John Paul II.

The Father General was small in stature and frail in appearance: "In later years, his face had a certain ageless transparent look; and he walked with a noticeable limp."

Father Ledochowski had supervised the Latin translation of Pope Pius XI's encyclical Humani Generis Unitas, which Eugene Cardinal Tisserant attested was on the pope's desk the day he died on February 10, 1939. Under Father Ledochowski's guidance, three Jesuits had drafted the document in Paris: the American Rev. John LaFarge, Rev. Gustav Gundlach, and Rev. Gustave Desbuquois.

While the encyclical began with a general condemnation of modernist assumptions, it moved into a specific attack on racism. Father LaFarge's hand was evident in the condemnation of American racial segregation, but the burden was anti-Semitism and Nazi eugenics. As it was never published, it has been called "The Hidden Encyclical," 

 with the implication that Pope Pius XII found it too strong. Now we know that Pius XII, in his own inaugural encyclical Summi Pontificatus, took up the theme of race mythology but excised the glaringly anti-Jewish commentary that accompanied the broad condemnations of genocide in the text Father Ledochowski had presented to Pius XI. Like Harry Truman, who had not been informed of the Yalta texts, Pius XII apparently had not previously seen the text of Humani Generis Unitas.

Contrary to the claims of some later historians, Pius XII preserved the essential critique of anti-Semitism, while excising stereotypical descriptions of Jews that would have been exploited by the Nazis:  

"Blinded by a vision of material domination and gain," and "this unhappy people, destroyers of their own nation."

Link (here) to read Fr. George W. Rutler's full article entitled, 1942: The Coming of Emmanuel at Inside Catholic

Jesuit On The Delirium Of Violence

This is a portion of an essay entitled The Fascination of Violence by Fr. Vincent Miceli, S.J. (here) found at Catholic Culture.

We would identify and expose the root reason for the delirium of violence which is rampant today. It is the attack against God. Behind the metaphysic of murder lies the metaphysic of hate. I refuse therefore I am Refusal to serve God was the cry under which Satan brought violent rebellion among the angels. He seduced men into aping his fanatical refusal and thus brought violence and death upon the earth. 

Christ testifies that this father of lies was a murderer from the beginning and he warns the Pharisees that men who reject God will freely choose to become the children of Satan, and will follow in their lives Satan's desires and deeds. We live in an age of violence because we live in an age of organized and spreading atheism. In the West a generation that has rejected absolute Christian truths and values, that has dissolved God into a series of harmless abstractions, that disestablished and secularized religion, that has praised permissiveness and tolerance of heresy and immorality, is living a life pleasing to that murderer from the beginning. 

Such a Judaeo-Christian civilization is trying to live not off the substance but off the vanishing perfume of Christianity. In coming to terms with lying, fornication, adultery, sexual perversion, divorce and mass abortion this civilization has opted for a life of sin-the source of every violent way of life. Such a civilization cannot any longer attract men to ideals and virtues it has long rejected. On the contrary it inflames men to violent rebellion because of its betrayal of these values and of its hypocrisy in still posing as Christian. Our modern godless civilization with its amazing advancement in technical progress has, nevertheless, turned men into machines, destroying their sense of personal dignity and responsibility. 

Link (here) to read the full essay. 
Go (here) to read a story right out today's headlines demonstrating the facts of Fr. Miceli's essay

The Masses Were Full Of Liturgical Abuses

Awhile ago, I served as sacristan at a Jesuit high school. With no disrespect to the Society of Jesus, you can imagine that the Masses were full of liturgical abuses. After Mass, I was often asked by the campus minister and/or priest to purify the vessels. Also, after every all-school Mass there was always a considerable amount of Precious Blood remaining; when I began to consume the Precious Blood remaining, I was told by the campus minister and priest to 

"just pour it down the sacrarium; that’s what it’s there for."  

Now I knew that purifying vessels was reserved to the priest/deacon, and I wasn’t positive—but fairly sure—that the Precious Blood should not be poured down the sacrarium. But, out of confusion and fear, I did what they asked me to do (only once, however, did I pour the Precious Blood down the sacrarium; after that one time, I refused to). I brought these sins to confession, and received absolution. However, I now fear that I have incurred a greatly penalty than I originally thought. I know it wasn’t intentional, but would this situation still be considered "desecration or profanation of the Blessed Sacrament"). And if so, how would I resolve this?

Link (here) to read Fr. John T. Zulsdoph's full post, his answer and further analysis at What Does The Prayer Really Say ?

Contemplating The Priesthood

At St. Mary's High School, where (you have got read this link>)  Thomas Slabon recently graduated, 

there are two other students contemplating the priesthood, 

said religion teacher Kishanie Jayasundera. 

Slabon wants to be a Jesuit priest.
Link (here) to the Daily Gleaner

The Jesuits Have Saint Lawrence

"Certainly it's a stylistically impeccable, beautiful painting," the newspaper said in an article that will appear in its Sunday edition. "One can't but be reminded of works like the Conversion of St. Paul, the Martyrdom of St. Matthew and Judith and Holofernes."

The "Martyrdom of St. Lawrence" belonging to the Jesuit order has not yet been authenticated as a work of (pictured) Caravaggio, 

but appears to have all the hallmarks of his paintings including dramatic lighting effects, the Osservatore Romano said.

Link (here) to read the piece at Reuters 

"Douce Pitie" Tender Mercy of God for St. Thomas By Fr. Pierre Chaignon, S.J.

God's condescension is striving against St. Thomas' incredulity. Eight days went by, days of joy and happiness for the other disciples, days of anxiety for Thomas. After eight days, Jesus is seen again, and this time the manifestation is for the very purpose of convincing the unbelieving apostle. God condescends-to his weakness; in His excessive charity He allows him to verify the assertion he has so rashly made:

"And after eight days His disciples were again within, and Thomas with them; Jesus cometh, the door being shut, and stood in the midst and said: Peace be to you." 

How did He enter, all doors being shut? Behold He is in the midst of them, in medio eorum; the Shepherd with His flock. At the sight of Jesus in His glory, at the sound of His voice, what a thrill of joy went through them! "Then He saith to Thomas—" Why is he the first to draw the Lord's attention? Peter and John were there; Mary herself, they say, was there. Jesus spoke to none of these. He ignores the dignity of some present, but takes heed of the one who stands in need of His mercy. In this instance we see the heart of Jesus, as shown in the parables of the prodigal son and the good shepherd: He leaves the ninety-nine in the desert, and goeth after the one that hath perished.  "Son, thou art always with me; but thy brother was dead and is come to life." (Luke, xv. 31, 32.) "Draw near to Me, faithless disciple, thou art so dear to Me, I will not consent that thou shouldst go to perdition. I will comply with thy request. Behold, here are the hands that have healed the sick, and lavished blessings upon the people. Here are the feet that were so eager to run after the stray sheep; here is the heart that was opened by the lance. Behold, and if to see Me is not enough, touch Me; put thy finger into My hands, bring hither thy hand and put it into My side, plunge it into that heart that loves thee still, and be not incredulous, but faithful: Put in thy finger hither, and bring hither thy hand and put it into My side; and be not incredulous, but faithful." O unutterable compassion! O sweet mercy! O surpassing tenderness! Priests of God, do you thus welcome the poor sinner?"

Link (here) to the mentioned meditation.

A Jesuit Presence In Innsbruck

The Jesuit presence in Innsbruck dates back to 1562, when St. Peter Canisius established a Jesuit college at the invitation of Emperor Ferdinand I. The institution that Canisius founded survives to this day as the Akademisches Gymnasium Innsbruck, 

which is no longer under Jesuit administration but remains one of the leading secondary schools in Western Austria. 

The Faculty of Catholic Theology of the University of Innsbruck also traces its origins to the Jesuit college founded in 1562, though the university itself wasn't founded until 1669.

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Link (here) to Jesuit Joe at The City and the World.

Tusganwan Orphanage

The recently opened Tushanwan Museum features a contrast that is pure Shanghai: a 1930s advertising poster of a sultry, qipao-clad siren next to an austere painting of Jesus. Both are legacies of the city's Jesuit Tushanwan Orphanage and its attached arts and crafts academy, which helped to introduce Western art into China.

Link (here) to the full article at the Wall Street Journal. 

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So what happened to Tushanwan? In 1953, the 200 remaining orphans – and the orphanage – were taken from the Shanghai Diocese, and brought under the control of  (Communist) Shanghai’s Civil Affairs Bureau . In 1956, as the country’s various industries were nationalized, Tushanwan’s workshops were broken off and given to various state industrial groups. According to Zikawei in History: “The Tushanwan Orphanage finally finished its history in about 1960.”

Photo is of the Tushanwan Orphanage wood shop (here) at Shanghai Scrap

A New Jesuit Priest In Chile

Diaconal Ordination Jose Tomas Gatica SJ

Jesuit Bishop Of The Chaldeans In Syria Helping The Chaldeans Of Iraq

THE bishop coordinating a massive relief operation for Iraqi Christians fleeing to Syria has thanked a leading Catholic charity for its ongoing emergency help – medicine, food aid and schooling. Bishop Antoine Audo S.J. of Aleppo, north-west Syria, turned to Aid to the Church in Need as a refugee crisis broke following the 2003 overthrow of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and the charity has helped ever since. 

The charity’s latest refugee package for Syria of $29,000 comes amid reports showing that Iraqis continue to face huge problems on entering the country. Exhausted after a long and sometimes tortuous journey, the refugees arriving in the Syrian capital, Damascus, and Aleppo receive help first and foremost for urgent operations and other medical aid. 

Coordinated by Chaldean Catholic parishes in both cities, the relief operation also includes basic food stuffs – tea, butter, sugar and cooking oil – distributed monthly. In response to urgent pleas for help from young families, Bishop Audo (pictured) has opened a school for refugee children in Aleppo and both there and in Damascus youngsters are receiving educational support from parish volunteers. Speaking from Aleppo in an interview with Aid to the Church in Need, Bishop Audo said: “When the Iraqi Christians arrive in Syria, they only have the Church to help support them. It is the Church which is there for them. We are the ones providing adequate aid.” 

Link (here) to the full article at Aid to the Church in Need

Without Twitter Where Would We Be?

We’ll admit it—we love spotting Jack the Bulldog riding around campus in a golf cart with his buddy, Fr. Christopher Steck, S.J.. For a short time this week, however, it looked like Jack lost his cart privileges. “Bad news for Jack: he’s going to have to use his paws to get around campus. No more use of the Jesuit golf cart,” Steck wrote in a Twitter message last Saturday. 

The Jesuit Community decided to “limit use of its golf carts to Jesuits” after one cart set on fire while students used it. 

Steck told us in an email that the incident, which occurred “a couple of months ago,” raised liability concerns that led to the stricter policy.

Link (here) to the Georgetown Voice Vox Populi

St. Francis Borgia, S.J. Finding His Place In Florida

A triple alignment of historic significance will take place in conjunction with the dedication of the Mission Nombre de Dios Museum on Sept. 4. "It doesn't matter what your religious affiliation is. Anyone who has lived in St. Augustine or visited the Oldest City should recognize the importance of this historic event when the casket of Don Pedro Menendez de Aviles makes a brief stop below the Great Cross and the statue of Father Francisco Lopez de Mendoza Grajales on the way to its place in the new museum," said Eric Johnson, director of Mission Nombre de Dios. In 1565, Menendez landed at that spot and claimed the site for Spain and the Catholic Church. It was here that he knelt to kiss a wooden cross presented to him by (Francisco Lopez de Mendoza Grajales) Father Lopez who was chaplain of Menendez's expedition and founding pastor of the parish of St. Augustine. A diocesan priest from Jerez de Frontera, Spain, he celebrated the first Mass in the new colony on Sept. 8, 1565. The 208-foot stainless steel cross, marking the site of the landing, was erected in 1966 to commemorate the 400th anniversary. It serves to remind visitors of the role played by the Christian faith in the history of both Florida and the United States. Lighted at night, it often serves as a navigation tool for boaters, day and night. Menendez's coffin currently is housed in a side room of the mission gift shop. For two decades, it sat in the shrine chapel of Our Lady of La Leche. In the early 1960s, it was moved to the gift shop, where it could be maintained under controlled temperatures. The coffin will be moved to a central place of exhibit in the new museum......Taking up permanent residency in the (look down in the comments section>) museum will be white marble statues of Pius V and St. Francis Borgia that have been removed from San Lorenzo Cemetery. The 5 ft. statues, originally displayed in the Cathedral Basilica, were placed in the cemetery in 1965. The statues are in the process of being restored. Pius V was the pope during the Menendez era. St. Francis Borgia was the Father General of the Jesuit order in Spain in 1565.

Link (here) to read the full article at St. Augustine.com

In 1565 and 1566 he founded the missions of Florida, New Spain, and Peru, thus extending even to the New World the effects of his insatiable zeal.

Link (here)

Painting A Picture With Words

The Jesuit Louis-Daniel Le Comte, thus describes the Chinese emperor Camhi. " The emperor appeared to me of stature above the average, more corpulent than those among us who are proud of their shape, but a little less so than a Chinese desires to be ; the face full and marked with the smallpox ; the forehead large ; the nose and eyes small, like those of the Chinese ; the mouth handsome, and the lower part of the face very agreeable. His demeanour is benevolent, and one remarks in all his manners and actions, something which indicates the sovereign and is distinguished."

From a Letter of Father Ferdinand Verbiest, sent from Pekin, the capital of China, to Europe ; concerning a Second Journey which he made with the Emperor of China, beyond the great Chinese Wall into Tartary. 

Link (here)

Quisling

On 4 June 1996, Robert F. Drinan, S.J., identifying himself as a Jesuit priest and professor of law at Georgetown, endorsed near-birth abortions — which even Sen. Patrick Moynihan said, "is to close to infanticide," and which former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop said is never medically necessary. On that date, 

Fr. Drinan in a New York Times Op-ed piece told the president he was right to veto the bill which would have saved viable children from a ghastly and barbaric death. 

For the first time a quisling met his match. Cardinal Law attacked the piece and The Pilot for one had a seething editorial. John Cardinal O’Connor, in Catholic New York, thundered, "I’m sorry Fr. Drinan, but you are wrong, dead wrong. You could have raised your formidable voice for life, you raised it for death. Hardly the role of a lawyer, surely not the role of a priest."

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Link (here) to the full article entitled, Of Quislings and Kisslings: foot soldiers in the Culture of Death by Dr. Joseph R. Stanton, MD

Domus Dei Clerical Society Of Apostolic Life

Founded in 1630 by Jesuit missionary Alexander de Rhodes, Domus Dei has a long history of evangelization. After 1954, 

when Vietnam was divided in two, many Catholics moved from the Communist North to the South where they could freely practice their religion. During this time, Domus Dei members helped immigrants adapt to the culture and environment in their new land. 

That ended in 1975, when the communists overtook the South as well. Many Domus Dei Religious fled the country to the United States, where the mission has continued. 

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Link (here) to the full article in the Catholic Sentinel

Convinced

From the pages of America magazine, 

found in The Sign of the Times dated 6/21/2010 

Obama also thanked (pictured) Sister Carol Keehan, a Daughter of Charity who is CHA president and chief executive, for "the extraordinary leadership she's provided in advancing our national discussion." In the closing days of the health reform debate, Sister Carol and other CHA leaders urged passage of the legislation, saying they were convinced it would not expand federal funding of abortion. 

Link (here) to America

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From the pages of Fox News, dated 7/14/2010

The Pennsylvania Insurance Department announced at the end of June that the federal government had approved $160 million to set up a high-risk insurance plan for thousands of Pennsylvania residents with pre-existing conditions. Though the announcement made no reference to abortion and the policy itself says "elective abortions" are not covered, the National Right to Life Committee claimed it would cover abortions in almost every circumstance. "What their plan actually does is say if it's legal, it's covered," said NRLC Legislative Director Douglas Johnson. "Abortion ends up being covered if it's not explicitly excluded." The Pennsylvania policy says it covers "only abortions and contraceptives" that fall under Pennsylvania law. Johnson said that the "elective abortion" restriction in the Pennsylvania policy is "not a legal term," and so any abortion procedure legal in Pennsylvania could be covered under the high-risk plan. 

Link (here)

Golf Courses And Jesuits

The 350 scenic and rolling acres on which the golf course sits once served as a park retreat for the Detroit Society of Jesus, a Roman Catholic order of priests and educators. And yes, many of them are good golfers and play Shepherd's Hollow often.

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Link (here) to full article at Michigan Golf

Link (here) to the  Colombiere Conference and Retreat Center