The Typus Mundi

The titlepage of the Typus mundi says: RR.C.S.I.A. These initials represent 'Rhetoribus Collegij Societatis Iesv Antuerp'1, the Jesuit Order of Antwerp. The book has been composed by senior students of the class of Humanities. Each of them created three or four emblems, including a long Latin poem and short poems in French and Dutch. The names of the students are mentioned after the thirty second and last emblem: Egidius Tellier, Balthasar Gallaeus, Gerardus van Rheyden, Ioannes Waerenborch, Ioannes Moretus, Ioannes Tissu, Nicolaus Coldenhoue, Philippus Helman and Philippus Fruytiers; people of whom we do not know much. At the time Jean Matthiae (1601-1669) was their professor of rhetoric. Such a way of teaching was normal within the Jesuit colleges. The colleges provided a humanist education for a large part of the population. Young people were taught Latin and Greek and rhetorics. In the senior classes they were able to use the classical models and to create persuasive texts. So emblematics had been included into the curriculum for its rhetorical function. Making the emblems themselves, the lecturers learned even better how convincing the rhetoric instrument could be. Emblems in the Typus mundi emphasize the joy the students had in appealing to their wit. The collection they created has less to do with the devotional emblem books the Jesuit Order produced in the same era. In that context images and poetry together supported the exercising of faith, certainly a different aim.

About the Typus mundi

Jan Cnobbaert published the Typus mundi in 1627. The full Latin title means Image of the World, in which Calamities and Perils are emblematically presented along with the opposition in feeling between the Love of God and that of man. These calamities and perils are pointed out in all kinds of objects representing human failures. Swords and crowns for instance, represent the dangers of human power. Furthermore a lot of familiar habits pass by, like pride and vanity. Sometimes the examples are somewhat odd and very humorous: Cupid crushing the world with all its goods with a machine (Erit ex hoc æquior Orbis [31]) or Cupid playing pool using globes as pool balls (in Hâc vincitur, illâc perditur [26]).

The cuts are by Phillip de Mallery (1598-?). Some of the them were already used for the Amoris divini et humani antipathia (1626). But the Typus mundi must have had a larger in influence on the Amoris divini et humani antipathia than vice versa. Some illustations of the Typus mundi can be found in the edition of 1629 of the Antipathia.

A portrait of St. Ignatius Loyola fills the frontispiece, properly speaking the thirty third emblem. Loyola is standing on top of the world, looking into heaven. He despises what is below and respects what is above. Only the important places on earth are marked - the Jesuit seminaries or colleges.

Without any doubt the four editions of the Typus mundi (1627, 1630, 1652 and 1697) proof that it has been a popular book. In addition a part of the emblems has been copied in the first and second book of Francis Quarles's Emblemes (1635). More important is the influence on the Poirters, Ydelheit des weerelts, which exploited the success of its ancestor. 

Link (here) to the Typus Mundi

The World Of Jesuit Higher Education.

While our Holy Father was addressing a distinguished delegation from a highly regarded school founded by the Congregation of the Holy Cross, I am quite confident that he did not exempt from the application of his exhortation the twenty-eight colleges and universities founded by his (and my) religious order, the Society of Jesus. There is no question that these institutions also have a crucial role in 

“the uncompromising witness… to the Church’s moral teaching, and the defense of her freedom, precisely in and through her institutions, to uphold that teaching as authoritatively proclaimed by the magisterium of her pastors.”

It may be that there are some within the Jesuit network of higher education institutions who are willing to compromise on such matters, but I know that there are dedicated, faithful people who view such compromise as a betrayal of one’s duty as a disciple of Christ. Pope Francis is clearly one of them, for he recognizes that the unambiguous witness of the Christian cannot compromise on any matter central to the Catholic faith. Time will tell to what extent his words and the sentiments they carry are shared within the world of Jesuit higher education.

Link (here) to the blog entitled Mirror of Justice, read in its entirety this post by, Fr. Robert John Araujo, S.J.

Associated With Jesuit Universities

Theologians and others associated with Jesuit universities have joined with the partisan group Faith in Public Life to defend Catholic grants to grassroots organizing groups, despite concerns that some recipients have undermined Catholic teaching. Faith in Public Life has issued a report lamenting the declining support for the U.S. bishops’ Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD). The report blames pro-life and other groups for complaints that the grant program has supported groups directly or indirectly opposed to Catholic teaching on abortion, marriage and other issues. But Faith in Public Life has long been allied with Catholic and other religious groups that oppose the Church on key public policy issues. Launched by political activists following the defeat of pro-abortion Sen. John Kerry in the 2004 presidential election, the group encourages support for Democrat policies among religious Americans. Thomas Chabolla, former associate director of the CCHD and now assistant to the president of the Service Employees International Union, serves on the board of Faith in Public Life. The author of the new CCHD report is John Gehring, a former media relations officer for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Gehring last year tried to convince news reporters that the Catholic bishops’ “Fortnight for Freedom” was a partisan effort to impact the 2012 presidential election. In fact, the Fortnight rallied support for the religious freedom of Catholic colleges, hospitals and other apostolates — and it will be repeated this month in a non-election year. Also last year, a group with apparent ties to Faith in Public Life attacked The Cardinal Newman Society as “a powerful network of right-wing Catholics” when the Society opposed Georgetown University’s invitation to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius as a graduation speaker. In a post at MoveOn.org, Michael Sherrard of “Faithful America” — who told donors to send gifts to the mailing address of Faith in Public Life — also complained of the Newman Society’s leadership in opposing the University of Notre Dame’s commencement honors to President Barack Obama in 2009.

Link (here) to Aleteia.org

Jesuit's Pay Joe Biden's Son $80,000.00 To Be A Lobbyist

Anti-lobbyist rhetoric lost among festivities
Jim McElhatton
THE WASHINGTON TIMES

DENVER | Under Sen. Barack Obama's self-imposed ban on accepting money from federal lobbyists, Michael Dino isn't allowed to give a dime to the Democrat's presidential campaign. Neither could Steve Farber. But for the better part of two years, the two men have been raising tens of millions of dollars from major corporations to finance this week's launch of Mr. Obama's presidential bid. Mr. Dino, a registered federal lobbyist, and Mr. Farber, who was a lobbyist until last month, are two of the top officials for the Host Committee of the Democratic National Convention, which pays for many of the expenses for festivities here. Mr. Dino is its chief executive, and Mr. Farber is the co-chairman. Campaign-finance watchdogs are troubled by the arrangement, which they say clashes with Mr. Obama's anti-lobbyist campaign rhetoric.

The lobbying of Sen. Joseph R. Biden (Sen. Joe Biden has received an honoray degree in 1976) Jr.'s son, Hunter, is also drawing scrutiny as Republicans target his work. Hunter Biden, 38, is a longtime federal lobbyist for a variety of interests, including the Jesuit university located in his father's hometown, Scranton, Pa. According to federal disclosures, Hunter Biden has been earning about $80,000 a year since 2006 to lobby for the University of Scranton.

To be sure, watchdogs say they're equally troubled by the lobbying by top officials at both the Democratic and Republican committees. Like Mr. Obama, Sen. John McCain also has railed against the influence that lobbyists and their money have in Washington, and has barred lobbyists from his campaign staff. "It undermines the message that both candidates have been making on the campaign trail," said Craig Holman, legislative representative for Public Citizen, an advocacy group. "When it comes to the campaign finance, both conventions are one big gaping loophole." Aides to Mr. Obama say he wants to change how conventions are funded in the future, but did not have time this year to insist on those changes because of the long primary, in which he narrowly beat Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton for the Democratic nomination. "Barack Obama is committed to reforming our political system and getting the special interests out of politics. He has changed the way presidential campaigns are funded and made significant changes at the DNC. He also expressed a desire to significantly change the way conventions are funded in the future should he be elected president," said Obama campaign spokesman Nick Shapiro.

Link to the full story (here)

Photo is of Hunter Biden (Georgetown grad) listening to his father and V.P. candidate Senator Joe Biden

Mormon Talk

 Mormon temple ceremony

There’s been a lot of “Mormon talk” in the air lately. Presidential candidate Mitt Romney has something to do with that, as do the acclaimed HBO series Big Love (chronicling a fictional polygamist family that splits from its traditionalist Mormon roots) and the real-life trial of polygamist Warren Jeffs. People have the usual questions.

What do Mormons believe? Are they really Christians? How many wives do they have, anyway? Such talk arises whenever Mormons step into a more prominent role in American public life. In the nineteenth century, the talk was about Mormon polygamy and Utah statehood. In the early twentieth century, it centered on apostle Reed Smoot and whether he could assume elected office as a Utah senator. Now the talk surrounds Romney’s presidential bid. Some of the punditry has been less than edifying. Jacob Weisberg wrote in the online journal Slate that he could never vote for someone whose religion “is based on such a transparent and recent fraud.” 

Private Mormon temple rituals have been laid bare in the media, and Romney has had to endure one too many stories about traditional Mormon undergarments. Having taught about new religious movements at the College of the Holy Cross for several years, I’ve found that my students combine a personal openness to Mormonism (one had a long-term boyfriend who was a Mormon) with deep skepticism about details of Mormon belief. Like many people, my students tend to find the Book of Mormon fanciful at best. Translated by Joseph Smith from golden plates he claimed to have unearthed in 1827 on a hill in upstate New York (Smith said he was guided there by Moroni, an angel who also gave him seer stones with which to translate the plates’ strange markings), the book is both a “testament of Jesus Christ” and a history of two rival American nations founded by the sons of Lehi, a prophet who sailed from Jerusalem to America in 600 BC. Link to full article (here) entitled, Meet the Mormons: from the Margins to the Mainstream by Mathew N. Schmalz , Mathew is the director of the College Honors Program and associate professor of religious studies at the College of the Holy Cross. 

Read about the distinctive beliefs of the Mormon Church (here) at Catholic Answers

Democracy, Culture, and Catholicism

There are over 100 Jesuit Universities across the world. Their first college was created in the Italian city of Messina in the year 1548. Since then, they have expanded with locations in 27 countries. Members from these different schools recently gathered in Rome to discuss the situation of Democracy, Culture, and Catholicism in each of their countries. Many of these Jesuit Universities deal with censorship and other threats to political and religious freedom.

Link (here) to Rome Reports

Conflicted

Suicide’s legalization has been advocated by prominent professors in Catholic universities including Georgetown, Marquette, Santa Clara, and Boston College. It is a particular irony that the bishops’ statement comes this year, even as the bishops are quietly reviewing the implementation of Vatican guidelines for Catholic higher education in the 1990 constitution Ex Corde Ecclesiae.

The professors’ efforts came to light during a Cardinal Newman Society investigation in 2005, following news reports of a legal brief filed by 55 bioethicists in opposition to “Terri’s Law,” a Florida measure that empowered Gov. Jeb Bush to ensure that the comatose Terri Schiavo received water and nutrition. 

As reported in “Teaching Euthanasia,” an exclusive report in the June 2005 issue of Crisis, multiple professors at Catholic universities had taken positions on end-of-life issues that seemed to conflict with Vatican teaching.

Link (here) to the full article at Crisis Magazine

Fordham Feminist Sister Looking For Jesuit Martyrs

"I eventually found myself self-censoring," Sister Elizabeth Johnson said. "I thought, ‘Do I want to live life with these constraints?" Johnson then joined the Department of Theology at Fordham and published She Who Is: The Mystery of God in Feminist Theological Discourse (Crossroad Publishing, 2002). The award-winning volume calls for feminist language about God. "Father [Joseph M. McShane, S.J, president of Fordham], then the dean of Fordham College at Rose Hill, was thrilled; he threw a big party for my department," Sister Johnson recalled.

"There’s no question I found academic freedom here." A focal point of the evening was Decree 14 of General Council 34, a document issued by the Society of Jesus in 1995 that commits "in a more formal and explicit way to regard solidarity with women as integral to our mission."

Sister Johnson said she supports the document, but added that the goal of Decree 14 remains unfulfilled. "There was tremendous excitement when it was approved, but I’m afraid it’s petered out," she said. "When Decree 14 was new, I harkened back to the Jesuits that were martyred in El Salvador in 1989 because they were helping the poor," she said. "They took Decree 4 of General Council 32 [on social justice] seriously and were martyred. I said that if the Jesuits take Decree 14 just as seriously, there will be martyrs."

Link (here)

Treason And Tyranny Alike Are Sins Against God And Crimes Against Society.

When in 1846 the French Minister Adolphe Thiers publicly attacked the education of the Jesuits on similar grounds, six hundred former pupils of the Jesuits, who then held high positions in the administration, in literary and industrial circles, came forth with the solemn declaration: 

Jules Ferry

"Our Jesuit professors taught us, that God and His religion have to enlighten man's intellect and guide his conscience; that all men are equal before God and before the law which is an expression of God's will; that the public powers are for the nations, not the nations for the public powers; that every one has the sacred duty to make all sacrifices, even that of property and life, for the welfare of the country; that treason and tyranny alike are sins against God and crimes against society. Would that all France knew that this calumniated education is solid and truly Catholic, and that we, by learning to unite our Catholic faith with patriotism, have become better citizens, and more genuine friends of our liberties."

In 1879, Jules Ferry introduced new laws to suppress the Jesuit schools. In the Revue des Deux Mondes (1880), Albert Duruy asked Ferry whether the Jesuit pupils had less bravely fought against the Germans in the war of 1870, or whether more Jesuit pupils had taken part in the Commune; whether especially the ninety pupils of the one Jesuit school in Rue des Postes, Paris, who had fallen in the battles of that war, had been bad citizens, devoid of patriotism ? The same question may be asked in every country where Jesuits are engaged in educating youth: Have Jesuit pupils ever shown less patriotism, less heroism, less self-sacrifice for their country than pupils of secular institutions?

Link (here) to the book entitled, Jesuit Education

Bing Crosby Was Jesuit Educated At Gonzaga

I Love Bing Crosby

Posted by Karen DeCoster

December 23, 2007

Hat tip to Lew Rockwell and Karen DeCoster for this great blog post.

Lew, indeed, this video is wonderful (Crosby & Bowie), and I remember watching the song being performed for the first time on Bing's Christmas special. However, thanks to YouTube and the people who stock it, this fabulous video is also online. This is the scene from White Christmas where Bing, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, and Vera Ellen sing "Snow" in the train dining car. It's so special because it showcases Bing's natural ease, his elocution, his gorgeous phrasing. (Though I never liked the fact that the audio recording of this song replaces Rosemary with Peggy Lee.) Another showcase moment is Bing's short version of "Count Your Blessings," as he sings to Rosemary Clooney. There has never been a more marvelous voice. (Though Gary North has argued that Nat Cole is top shelf.)
Clive James comments on the remarkable and unparalleled skill of Bing Crosby:

In high school Crosby learned elocution from the Jesuits. He went on to a college education. He was so at home with a twelve-cylinder vocabulary that his radio and film writers later poured on the polysyllables in full confidence that he could handle anything. But he was saying exactly what he meant when he said he had an ordinary voice. He could do extraordinary things with it, but regarded as a mere sound it was just the noise of a nice man speaking.

He put most of his art into making sure that he still sounded like that even when he was performing prodigies. The secret of great success in the popular arts is to bring the punters in on the event, and you can’t do that if you are manifestly doing something they can’t do. You have to be doing something they can do, so that they can dream. It’s just that you do it better, so that they can admire. Essentially they are admiring themselves: it’s a circuit, and too much obvious bravura will break it.
I think many people don't know how Bing came to be so unique and refined. A New York Times book review of the Gary Giddins biography on Bing states:
Crosby thought that his singing grew more secure through the years -- that he had been sloppy in the early 30's. It didn't matter: the rich intimacy of the voice, the beautiful phrasing, the perfect elocution and pitch and, crucially, the mastery of the microphone and of radio prevailed over carelessness and weak material. Crosby is both revolutionary, in that no earlier singer sounds anything like him, and assimilative, containing the Jewish Jolson, the African-American Armstrong, his own Irish musical heritage. He's both a melting pot and uniquely himself.
...Bing attended a Jesuit high school in Spokane, studying Latin and mastering the art of elocution, to which he later said he owed his remarkable phrasing.

Bing, I believe, matured during his mid-40s to mid-50s stage. His voice settled and he did away with the unnaturally high pitches of his Columbia years of the late 20s - early 30s. This is also a great YouTube moment, with Bing singing a live and informal version of White Christmas, in his later years. (You'll have to ignore the aggravating piano player.) Even in his 60s and 70s he could still swing with grandeur.
Another scene from White Christmas shows Bing and Danny performing the "Sisters" routine of Rosemary Clooney and Vera Ellen. I've read all the Crosby bios, and the story is that Crosby, who was rather macho, initially refused to do this scene because they wanted him in full lady's garb. He finally settled for rolling up his trousers and sticking a gadget in his hair, and thank goodness, because it is a memorable scene from the movie.
There are many terrific videos of Bing out on the web that all fans must see. A must-watch video is this moment with the twins of Cool, Bing & Dean. My favorites. All cool and class. Here's another Bing & Dean video in various skits. And of course there's the other great duo, Bing and Louis Armstrong. This video reflects how much fun these two had together in performance. Here's another one of my favorites, Andy Williams, with Bing in the 60s. Then, this video is especially wonderful as it showcases Bing (whistlin') and the fabulous Ella Fitzgerald (scattin') in rare footage of them together. Finally, here is a YouTube video of Bing & Frank Sinatra singing White Christmas, and Bing with the Andrews Sisters.
This TV spot of Bing is especially notable because it would never make it on the air today. In a time when only "holiday" music is appropriate, Bing reminds us what Christmas (yes, "Christmas") is really about.
I too love Bing, and thank goodness a real scholar - Gary Giddins - set the story straight on a guy who was perniciously portrayed post-death. There has never been a more talented entertainer then Bing Crosby.

Link (here)

.

In the fall of 1920, Bing enrolled in the Jesuit-run Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington, with the intention of becoming a lawyer. He maintained a B+ average. While at Gonzaga, he sent away for a set of mail-order drums. After much practice, he soon became good enough and was invited to join a local band made up of mostly local high school kids called the "Musicaladers," managed by Al Rinker. He made so much money doing this that he decided to drop out of school during his final year to pursue a career in show business.

From Wiki (here)

Can You Name That Jesuit Institution?

Can you name the Jesuit Colleges and Universities?
To play the game, go (here)

"The Land O'Lakes Statement: The Nature of the Contemporary Catholic University,"

"The Land O'Lakes Statement: The Nature of the Contemporary Catholic University," which has subsequently been referred to simply as "The Land O'Lakes Statement." The signing universities were Notre Dame, Georgetown, Boston College, Seton Hall, Catholic University, St. Louis University, Fordham, the University of Puerto Rico, Pontifical University of Peru, LaValle University, and the University of Sherbrooke, Canada. Significantly, the Land O' Lakes Statement was also signed by Fr. Vincent T. O'Keefe, S.J. the Assistant General of the Society of Jesus.

Link (here) to the New Oxford Review

A Jesuit Ranking System

If Jesuit business schools had a ranking system of their own, it might look something like this.

The Aspen Institute's "Beyond Grey Pinstripes" rates business schools across the world based on how they integrate social issues into their MBA curriculums.

"These schools are preparing students for the reality of tomorrow's markets by equipping them with the social, environmental, ethical and economic perspectives required for business success," the program's overview explains.

That's debatable. Although some of the top schools in the far-more significant BusinessWeek and U.S. News rankings also score well here, the list doesn't do a convincing job of creating an alternative universe.

Is York University in Toronto really the world's No.1 business school? That finding no doubt would come as a surprise to the corporate recruiters who "vote" on that issue with the salaries they offer to grads.

In Chicago, Loyola University's Graduate School of Business ranks No. 22, ahead of Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management at No. 54.

Link (here)

100 Year Anniversary Of The Potifical Biblical Institute

This morning the Holy Father received members of the Pontifical Biblical Institute which is currently celebrating its centenary. The institute was founded by Pope Pius X.

Benedict XVI greeted Cardinal Zenon Grocholewski, prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education, and expressed his thanks to Fr. Adolfo Nicolas Pachon S.J., superior general of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). The Jesuits,

“not without considerable effort, invest financial and human resources in running the Faculty of the Ancient East, the Biblical Faculty here in Rome and the institute’s office in Jerusalem”

, said the Pope. He also extended his greetings to include the rector, professors and students of the Pontifical Biblical Institute.

“This centenary represents a goal and, at the same time, a starting point”, said the Holy Father. “Enriched by the experience of the past, you continue your journey with renewed enthusiasm, aware of the service to the Church that is asked of you: that of bringing the Bible into the life of the People of God that they may know how to face the unprecedented challenges that the modern age poses to the new evangelisation. Our shared hope is that, in this secularised world, Sacred Scripture may become not only the heart of theology but also a source for spirituality and for vigour of faith among all who believe in Christ”.

The Holy Father recalled that the Vatican Council II Dogmatic Constitution “Dei Verbum” highlighted “the legitimacy and importance of the historical- critical method, identifying therein three essential elements: attention to literary genres; study of historical context; and the examination of what is often called ‘Sitz im Leben’. …The conciliar text also adds another methodological indication. Given that Scripture is a single thing rooted in the one People of God, which has carried it through history, it follows that reading Scripture as a unified whole means reading it on the basis of the Church, … and maintaining faith in the Church as the true key for its interpretation.

“If exegesis also wishes to be theology, it must recognise that faith is the Church is that form of ’sympathy’ without which the Bible remains a closed book. Tradition does not close access to Scripture, but it opens it. Furthermore it is the Church, in her institutions, that has the decisive word in the interpretation of Scripture. It is, in fact, the Church that is entrusted with the task of authentically interpreting the Word of God as written and transmitted, exercising her authority in the name of Jesus Christ”.

Link (here)

Chicago: Old School Jesuit

St. Ignatius' College.—This building was erected for the education of the Catholic youth of Chicago, in 1869,

through the efforts of the Society of Jesus. It was chartered by the Legislature of Illinois on June 30, 1870, with power to confer the usual degrees. The college stands on Twelfth Street, just east of the Church of the Holy Family. It is of brick, with stone trimmings, and consists of a main building flanked by two wings.

There are thirty class-rooms, all well lighted and ventilated. It has a hall seating fifteen hundred, with a gallery which will accommodate four hundred. The entire : cost was $200,000.

Originally there were two distinct courses of study, the classical and commercial. The former, a six years' course, embraced the English, Latin and Greek languages, mental and moral philosophy, pure and mixed mathematics, and physical science. The latter, a four years' course, was limited to the branches of an English education. French and German were optional. In 1879, a scientific course was added to the curriculum, which was designed to qualify young men for civil and mechanical engineering, mining, assaying, etc.

Link (here)

Thousands Of Students Greet Jesuit Priest

Thousands of students joined a rally in Jharkhand to welcome the first priest vice-chancellor of the newly established Kolhan University saying they expect the university to grow under the Jesuit’s leadership.

Jesuit Father Beni Ekka, director of Xavier Institute of Social Science (XISS), was named the vice-chancellor of Kolhan University on Aug. 12. He officially took office at the Governor House Ranchi on Aug. 13. State governors are chancellors of state-run universities in India.

In Chaibasa, where the university is based, people took out an impromptu rally Aug. 13 led by Madhu Koda, local parliamentarian and former state chief minister. Thousands joined the rally and expressed their joy by smearing each other with ‘abir-gulal’ (color powder) and bursting crackers.

Several students and Koda said they expect the university to become an exemplary educational institution under the leadership of the Jesuit priest. Jesuit missioners are known for education in the state.

Father Ekka said the government appointment “was a great surprise’ but he accepted “the offer as a challenge.” He said it would give him an opportunity to work in the underdeveloped region, “where as a large section of society is poor and underprivileged.”

Father Ekka is the second priest to become vice chancellor, highest decision making authority, of a university in India. Another Jesuit, Father Savarimuthu Ignacimuthu, was appointed Vice Chancellor of University of Madras some time ago but he had to step down because of political pressure.

Link (here)

Photo is of Fr. Beni Ekka, S.J.

Premum Regnum Dei

From June 1969 through March 1976, we have endured the long sermons of the late Monsignor Belleza during masses. Our religion teachers, including Fr. Pan, taught us how to pray to our Lord and seek His help.

When we all moved to Ateneo De Naga, Jesuit priests like Fr. Bob Hogan SJ, Fr. Jack Phelan SJ, Fr. Francisco Mallari SJ, Fr. Juan Bonafe SJ, Fr. Nemy Que SJ, Fr. Marasigan SJ, Fr. Millar SJ, Fr. Moran SJ, Fr. Clintworth SJ, Fr. Martinez SJ, Fr. Ibabao SJ, Fr. Natividad SJ, and Fr. Moreta SJ taught us the value of worship and prayer to our Creator. All of them pointed to our school motto, Primum Regnum Dei, as the three words that should serve as a guiding lighthouse to assist us in navigating through the unpredictable and sometimes treacherous routes of our lives

Twenty nine years after we sang our last Ateneo school song to bid farewell to our high school life, does the message of that song still resonate in our hearts? Did you guys know that Premum Regnum Dei (Seek ye first the kingdom of God) is a call to seek Christ and not carnality?

During our senior year in Ateneo, the fiery Jesuit, Fr. Juan Bonafe, pervaded his sermons with the urgent call to detach ourselves from the need to satisfy our selves with earthly things. Fr. Bonafe once asked, “What do you fervently seek in life? If it is something from this world then you are on the wrong road! If it is heaven that you seek then you are on the right road!”

Link (here) to the post, Life is Hard, Pray Harder at the blog entitled, Ateneo De Naga High School 1980.

Photo of Ateneo de Naga University

Space Jesuits

NASA OIG on Wheeling Jesuit University

Final Memorandum on Review of Wheeling Jesuit University Cost Proposals

"We found that NASA inappropriately approved, obligated, and partially expended more than $4 million of facility and administrative (F&A) costs because NASA grant officers in charge of the WJU agreements did not adequately review WJU's cost proposals. Specifically, the grant officers failed to note that WJU had included F&A costs as direct costs in its cost proposals to NASA. During our interviews with NASA grant officers assigned to review the WJU agreements, they stated that they were not sufficiently familiar with the definitions and allocation of direct and F&A costs to adequately exercise due diligence to ensure proposal costs were allowable, allocable, and reasonable under the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-21, "Cost Principles for Educational Institutions" (Revised August 8, 2000) (Circular A-21).

Link (here)

Some Internships Opportunities At Jesuit Institutions

Catholic Colleges Support Internships with Advocates of Abortion, Gay Marriage

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A national Catholic higher education organization has identified 10 Catholic colleges and universities that are promoting student internships with organizations whose missions or activities are directly opposed to the moral teachings of the Catholic Church, including on fundamental issues such as abortion and marriage.

“This discovery validates the concerns of so many thousands of faithful Catholic parents and students, that public scandals at Catholic colleges are just the tip of the iceberg,” said Patrick J. Reilly, President of The Cardinal Newman Society. “Under what definition of ‘Catholic education’ do students receive academic credit to work for leading pro-abortion organizations?”

Last week, CNS wrote to the presidents of these colleges and universities to inform them of the problems with their internship programs. None have yet indicated that they will take steps to remedy the problems.

The internship programs—along with concerns about theological dissent, weakening academic standards and declining campus culture at many Catholic colleges and universities—help explain why most students and recent graduates of Catholic institutions believe that abortion and gay marriage should be legal, despite the Church’s clear teachings to the contrary. That was one of the disturbing findings of a November 2008 study published by the CNS Center for the Study of Catholic Higher Education and titled “Behaviors and Beliefs of Current and Recent Students at U.S. Catholic Colleges.”

Inappropriate internships were discovered at the following institutions:

Boston College

A page on the Boston College website recommends “Non-Profit Internship Sources” including two pro-abortion advocacy groups, the Feminist Majority Foundation and the National Organization for Women. A Boston College Law School website also recommends to students opportunities for “pro bono” legal work, including the Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts which “depends on the work of volunteers and interns to make it possible to achieve its mission of providing low-cost, high-quality medical, educational, counseling, and advocacy services to men and women across the state.” Also listed are the ACLU-Massachusetts and the Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders (GLAD), both of which advocate homosexual “marriage.”

Georgetown University

A 2007 change in policy by the Georgetown Law School permitted students to receive university funding through the Equal Justice Foundation for interning at abortion advocacy organizations. The change came after a student was refused funding for an internship at Planned Parenthood. After lobbying from pro-abortion Georgetown students and faculty ensued, the law school altered its policy and no longer considered the mission of organizations in determining grants for internships. A recent review of Georgetown Law School and the Equal Justice Foundation gives no indications that this policy has been altered from the 2007 decision.

Loyola University of Chicago

The Loyola University of Chicago Women’s Studies and Gender Studies website lists opportunities for internships and volunteer opportunities at the following pro-abortion organizations: Chicago National Organization for Women, the Feminist Majority Foundation, Planned Parenthood, and the Chicago Abortion Fund.

University of San Francisco

USF’s Media Studies program promotes internships at Girlfriends Magazine (which requires applicants to be “conversant in lesbian culture and politics”) and the California Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League.

Link (here) to the full list at The Cardinal Newman Society

Jesuits Building Vocations To The Priesthood

Josh Laws, a 24-year-old parishioner of St. Stephen in Bradshaw, said he has been thinking about becoming a priest since kindergarten and finally took the leap this year. He was accepted into the formation program and will begin his first year at St. Mary’s Seminary and University in Roland Park this fall.

“When I told my parents, they both said, ‘It’s about time,” Laws said with a laugh. “They’ve been very supportive.”

The former altar boy grew up in a family that prayed together every night. His father is a deacon at St. Stephen. The seminarian said he was inspired by the priestly example of the Jesuits who taught him at Loyola Blakefield in Towson and Loyola College in Maryland, where he earned a degree in philosophy and theology.

“They had a huge influence on me,” said Laws, a former religion teacher at The John Carroll School in Bel Air. “The Jesuits were extremely committed guys, but joyful in their faith. They were the first ones to challenge me to think about faith as part of who I am.”

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