News from the Provinces 2007

 
Celebrating Father Arrupe’s life in Portugal

In the Portuguese Province, the community for formation in philosophy is named after Father Arrupe, and therefore we had special joy in celebrating his 100th birthday on the past 14th of November. As a member of this community, I felt particularly happy for this occasion because it was a great opportunity to confront ourselves, in a more intense way, with such an inspiring and challenging life as was the life of Father Arrupe. We prepared various power point presentations on his life, as well as videos and personal testimonies, in order to invite those who we work with to know his life better. His life was also the main subject for other apostolic activities prepared by Jesuits all over the country, such as a pilgrimage for young people during one night, conferences and exhibitions. One of the things that impresses me most about Father Arrupe is that his simple presence inspired a strong desire of fidelity and commitment to Christ, in many of those who surrounded him. Every day, he dedicated a lot of his time to being close with Jesus in prayer because he believed that the most important things in live do not depend on us. When I joined the Society he was no longer with us, but I feel more and more that his happiness and hope are the signs that today’s world seek in us Jesuits. To be a Jesuit in formation is to learn that father Arrupe’s smile reveals a heart completely focused in learning the way of Christ. 

... Submitted by Francisco Machado (POR)

 
Philosophy formation in Moscow

After the Moscow-based Institute of Philosophy, Theology and History run by the Independent Russian Region of The Society of Jesus was licensed in 2006 to provide its graduate students with state-recognized diplomas, some scholastics started their joint juniorate and philosophy stage of formation there. It is possible to follow a curriculum lasting either 3,5 or 5 years (depending on whether one has a higher education degree or not). The curriculum includes a wide variety of subjects in philosophy, theology and history of the church, which are taught by renowned professors of famous Moscow universities. It is particularly important for Jesuits to receive state-recognized diplomas since this allows in future to teach in educational institutions in Russia. While previously the Moscow institute was only the place of juniorate for Russian Region scholastics (after which they were usually sent to the Paduan philosophate), at present there are 2 young Jesuit students studying there, and another one doing his regency teaching theology in the same institute. tudying in Moscow which is the heart of Russian Orthodoxy obviously gives lots of opportunities for deepening the understanding of this Eastern Christian tradition and to grow in the sense of dialogue.

... Submitted by Viktar Zhuk (RUS)

 
First Vows and Four New Novices in Spain

Thursday, the 20th September, Javier (ARA), Antonio (BET), Dani and Alberto (CAS) joined the Noviciate of San Sebastian (Basque Land). They offered their lives to the Lord in the Society of Jesus after a good period of discernment. That day they had a mass in the noviciate presided by the Novice Master Fr. Juan Antonio Guerrero (CAS) and co-celebrated by the promotors of vocations from all Provinces in Spain.

Adding to this, Carlos (CAS), José Carlos (BET), Rubén (TAR), Miguel (LOY), Fabuán and Sergio (CAS), six novices of second year, pronounced their first vows in the Society of Jesus on Saturday’s morning in the Basilique of Loyola. The Church was crowded. Hapiness and anxiety were mixed. The Mass has been presided by Fr. Joaquín Barrero (CAS), Provincial of Castilla and co-celebrated by several jesuit companions. One day to remember? Right now, they start one nice period of formation, to live every day in poverty, obedience and chastity in the ordinary life. These values are the way to find our Lord and to live with others companions, friends in the Lord, Servants of the Christ Mission. Congratulations!

... Submitted by Eduard López (TAR)

 
Italian Jesuits in formation meet Father General in Rome

In the beginning of September Italian Jesuits in formation met in Rome for 3 days to discuss the next General Congregation. Two fathers were invited from the Curia to help the discussion. Father Wendelin Köster talked about the contribution of the Society of Jesus to the Church. Father Thomas Roach presented the new challenges for Jesuit High Schools. The number of scholastics attending totalled to 45, out of whom 41 were Italian, three from Russian region, one from Poland and one Slovenian. On Saturday 8 September the whole group visited Father General at the “Curia”. After a warm welcome, Father Kolvenbach shared with the group some thoughts regarding the preparation for the General Congregation. This was then followed by a mass celebrated by Father Manuel Morujão.
The days spent in Rome were a rich time to know Jesuits in different stages of formation, waiting the time to cooperate together under the same flag, in the “misma Compañía”.

... Reported by Vincenzo Anselmo, (ITA)
 

 
Spanish Course in Salamanca

Deep rooted in Ignatian tradition, this course prepares Jesuits from all over the world in the knowledge of the Spanish language. It is hosted by the five Spanish provinces during the month of August, and is hosted at Salamanca, Spain.
Offered to Jesuits from around the world, the participants not only learn Spanish, but also gain important insights into the Spanish culture, by visiting different Spanish locations and emblematic Ignatian shrines.
After taking a level placement test, the students are arranged into three groups. Classes take place in the mornings and there are individual tutorial follow ups in the evenings. In other words, the formation is very personalized.
During the time of the course, there is also time for praying, resting, masses, friendship, presentations about the different provinces and time to get to know each other.
During this past 2007 edition, the group was composed by Jesuits from seventeen different countries, including France, Germany, Albany, U.S.A., Puerto Rico, India, Italy (yes Vincenzo, he was from Naples), Korea, Spain, Croatia, Poland, and Slovakia.
Many of the students who have come to these courses move on to work in Spain and/or Latin America, even though some just come to improve on their Spanish.
Next year´s will be the 23th edition. If you are interested or have any questions, you can write to the following email: dcabrera@jesuitas.es.

... Submitted by Saúl López Cuadrado (CAS)
 

 
TSNC (Tomad Señor Nuestro Canto - Receive Lord Our Song)

This university experience began in July 2003. It lasts for twelve days: during that time the participants share moments of prayer, friendship, music composition, and, most importantly, they learn to find God´s will in an Ignatian way, joining faith and music. This experience is an incredible opportunity for them to grow in faith, to work in groups, and to pray in common.

The day begins with a personal prayer, followed by a one hour meditation about its message. Then, the participants try to compose a song about what they meditated upon. They do this by dividing into workgroups. Inspired on the first companions, they try today to hear God´s will and to go on into the mission.

For the songs, they chose texts from the Spiritual Exercises and other Ignatian inspired works about justice, peace, etc…
They offer these songs and music to different high schools, universities and working pastoral teams for using at celebrations and masses. These compilations are hold in a kind-of-database with the purpose of sharing and offering them to the church.
If you want to learn more about it or see examples of the music, you could visit www.pastoralsj.org.

... Submitted by Anacleto Iglesias (CAS)
 

 
Pastoral centre for university students in Slovakia

Several young Jesuits in Slovakia work with students, who are studying at university. The name of the centre, which is available for them is called University pastoral centre. It consists of a team, which includes a Jesuit priest, a scholastic on regency and several lay students, known as coordinators. Together they try to prepare several activities, which they can offer for the students to make their day nicer and to open them for Christ.

It’s the same for the pastoral centre in Banská Bystrica, where I am living and working. Every day we prepare under the leadership of a young Jesuit priest interesting spiritual but also relaxing activities for the students to help them to find God in their every day life. There are several occasions for the holy mass, which is always different, as you can find in a classical church. It’s more vivid, with nice music and a friendly attitude of the celebrating priest. After the mass there is always an „agape“, where the students can talk to each other. A very nice occasion to meet Christ more closer is the adoration done once a week for the period of one hour. Most of the students appreciate concerts of gospel music but also some lectures, which are done in a very good way by some specialists, who we invite to lecture on some theme close to the students heart. Confessions are done daily and the students are satisfied with the accepting atmosphere which surrounds it.

In the present time we are preparing a new building, which will open up in September. The position of it could not be better, because it is in the centre, where the students are living and they can easily visit it and find there rest and God’s presence.

… Reported by Tomáš Jellus (SVK)

 
350th anniversary of martyrdom of St. Andrew Bobola

Saint Andrew Bobola (1591–16 May 1657) was a Jesuit missionary and martyr, known as "an Apostle of Pinszczyzna" and "a hunter of souls".
He was born in 1591 into a noble family in Strachocina, Poland. In 1611 he entered the Jesuits in Vilnius. He subsequently took solemn vows in 1630 and then served for several years as an advisor, preacher, superior of a cloister, etc., in various places. From 1652 he also worked as a country missionary, in among other places Polock, Lithuania, where he was probably stationed in 1655, and also in Pinsk, Lithuania (both now in Belarus).
On 16 May 1657 he was captured in the village of Peredil, Lithuania by the Cossacks of Chmielnicki and subjected to a variety of tortures (amputated limbs, flayed skin, burn wounds, wood slivers driven underneath the fingernails, cut-off nose) and killed (in Janów Poleski). In 1719 the casket was officially reopened and the body inspected by qualified medical personnel (five physicians and pharmacists). It was still completely undecomposed: pliable, the flesh soft.

St. Andrew was declared Blessed by Pius IX on 30 October 1853, and canonized by Pope Pius XI on 17 April 1938. His feast day is held on May 16. Since May 16, 2002 Andrew Bobola is a patron saint of Poland and the Warsaw archdiocese. His body is displayed in our church in Warsaw.

On May 16th this we had a big celebration in our house. The Holy Mass was celebrated by the bishop of Warsaw. The new museum of St. Andrew Bobola was blessed and opened o †???8??�?b??????n that day too.

May is also the last month for our third year theologians, who are preparing their deacon ordinations, which are to be on June 16th. For the rest of us it is a time of taking exams and preparing jobs for the coming vacation.

… Reported by Andrzej Kowalski (PME)

 
Greetings from the Slovenian scholastics

To begin my notice from our province I have very good news. This year three scolastics will be ordained in our province. For our small province this is a major event. Among them is one ex-member of the Co-co team (2006), Primož Jakop. The other two are Damjan Ristic and Peter Rožic. Some of you may know them. There are now two remaining scholastics, but we hope that next year there will be three more, who will finish the novitiate this year. Despite the small number of scholastics, the general outlook of our province is young and in our generation of Jesuits there are many ideas and energy for new projects, especially in the field of culture. We believe that work in this area is perhaps the most important for our province future. Last year’s EJIF was a good inspiration and affirmation in this direction.

… Reported by Marjan Kokalj (SVN)

 
Renovation of the vows in Paris

Today, there is a chapel at the place where the “martyrium” is supposed to have been. And even if we’re not quite sure it’s at the same place, it’s in Montmartre… At the end of the day of reflection, the scolastics from “Blomet” and from other communities prayed at this place and repeated the words that Ignace wrote. I feel very impressed by such a celebration. It makes me feel closer to the first companions. Then, after mass, we separated in groups and we had dinner in little restaurants in Montmartre… There are no fields nowadays… There are no windmills either… except… ????? ??�?b?????? But no, we didn’t go to the “Moulin Rouge”!

... Reported by Olivier Paramelle (GAL)

A Net of companionship

Thanks to the growth of vocations in our province, this group has also been growing every year. At the present time, the group has 47 members: some of whom are studying philosophy in Braga (north of Portugal); some are in regency in different places in Portugal and also in Mozambique; some are studying theology in Rome, in Madrid, Boston or Berkeley; some are doing their tertianship; and some other are already doing pastoral work being priests.
The diversity is quite big but we’re all connected by the Net. And as a result the fruits are obvious. It has proved to be an excellent way to tell private jokes, but mainly has been a privileged channel of giving and receiving news, of communicating difficulties and joyful experiences, of sharing life and mission through the Net.

In conclusion, this has certainly been a powerful way to build the Body that we are part of. And, given the profit that we have been taking, we would strongly advise it to any group of Jesuits who want to build a part of the Kingdom together.

... Reported by João Delicado (POR)

 
The scholastics in the Austrian Province

We are seven scholastics in the Austrian Province: Christian Marte (43) is finishing his theological studies in Innsbruck (http://theol.uibk.ac.at/). Hannes Schwabegger (25) is working there at the Jesuit youth centre (Marian Congregation; www.mk-innsbruck.at). Fr. Volkmar Premstaller (42) is prefect of studies and minister in the Collegium Canisianum, an international seminary run by the Society in Innsbruck (www.canisianum.at); at the same time he teaches Old Testament at the theological faculty. Dominik Markl (27) is responsible for the youth pastoral in the Parish of Lainz/Vienna (www.pfarre-lainz-speising.at). Christian Bargehr (33) is deepening his practical psychological skills in Rome (Il Gesu). Paul Schroffner (37) is writing his theological doctoral thesis in Paris (Communauté Saint Pierre Canisius), while Fr. Markus Schmidt (39) is finishing his ecumenical studies in Dublin parallel to his work in the parish of St. Andrä/Austria. Differing in age as well as stage of formation and distributed over five European cities we feel that we don’t yet know each other well enough. Therefore we arranged a meeting together with our four novices (Hans Brandl, Benjamin Furthner, Fr. Albert Holzknecht, Stefan Reichel) in the Easter week in Vienna (www.kardinal-koenig-haus.at). There we will discuss questions of our formation. We are also thinking about cooperation with former schools of the Society where we would like to offer Ignatian project days.

...Dominik Markl, Austrian Province, Lainz

 
Lent in Poland

During lent many of the polish scholastics are involved in giving some kind of retreat in different schools. In every polish school there are three days for spiritual activities. During this time students do not have any classes. Retreats are usually in local parish churches, led by priests or groups of religious people. Also groups of scholastics are giving such retreats trying to bring the Good News in creative way, and speaking to young people their language. We had retreats in all levels of educations starting from 6 years old children, and finishing with students from our faculty. For us it was also a great chance to meet God during service.

...Krzysiek Glowacki, Northern Polish Province, Krakow

 
Co-operation between Dutch and Northern Belgian provinces

The Dutch (NER) and the northern Belgian (BSE) provinces are co-operating ever more closely - the fact that we share an EJIF-delegate is only one example. Of great importance is that we speak the same language - Dutch - which does not, however, exclude a different sense of humour.
The provinces are much alike demographically: both have about 140 members; the Dutch have three non-ordained scholastics, the Flemish two; and we have both one novice in the shared novitiate in Birmingham, England.
Every year we organize a meeting of those who entered after 1970. Depending on our state of mind, this meeting is called ‘Forum’ or ‘Group 70+’ - twenty of us are from Belgium, ten from the Netherlands.
The scholastics are dispersed all over Europe: Bert Daelemans is in Madrid, Bart Beckers in Munich and Ward Biemans - he will be ordained deacon on April 10th - in Rome. Fortunately, Walter Ceyssens lives in Paris, like me, in the ‘rue Blomet’-community, which is great. On behalf of all us (34) at 'Blomet' I invite you to come and see for yourself.

...Wiggert Molenaar, Dutch Province, in Paris

 
Formation Days for the Hungarian Scholastics

One of the most important trait of our last EJIF meeting was the joy of cooperation between Jesuits. This needs to be nourished in the Hungarian Province as well. In accordance with our Provincial’s request, from September 2006, ten scholastics have been meeting each month for a weekend. The goal of these weekends is “to strengthen community consciousness among young Jesuits and aid all of us in continuing either our studies or works in increasing harmony with our Jesuit self-dedication,” wrote Father Provincial in his letter for the participants.
There are ten of us, four studying, six working. The FD begins on Friday afternoon, in one of our houses in Budapest. First comes a sharing of the past month’s experiences in the light of the graces of the Second Week. This is followed by a dinner and a free evening together. This is a creative part of the meeting, a time for entertainment, e.g. watching films, board games, cheerful conversations, or bowling.
On Saturday we have an optional half an hour of meditation, and a reading session. We read some paragraphs from the Complementary Norms, interpret them, and then select a topic connected to the text to be discussed.
After that we do a case study. We reflect on an issue of our religious or apostolic life, in the light of our experiences, impressions, questions, and advices. After lunch, we have a closing circle of evaluation. FD is concluded by the Eucharist.
Every beginning is difficult. The differences of age, personality, and apostolic situation still have to fall in place.

...Fél Szabolcs (HUN), Budapest
 

 
The end of the Jubilee Year in Poland

In the day feast of Saint Francis Xavier, Archbishop Marian Golembiewski, together with the Provincials of both Polish Provinces, said a thanksgiving Mass in the Church of Saint Ignatious Loyola in Wroclaw for the end of The Jubilee Year of the Society of Jesus in Poland. There were Jesuits invited from all our houses, and superiors of other Orders. In his homily the Archbishop reminded of the presence of Jesuits in Wroclaw throughout many centuries. He especially talked about the Patrons of the Jubilee Year: St. Ignatious, St. Francis Xavier and Blessed Peter Faber showing them as a unique gift of God for The Church. The Archbishop knows our Saints and Jesuits very well, because he studied at Pontificia Università Gregoriana in Rome. He recollected that it had been a very fruitful time while being taught and formed by Jesuits. He requested Polish Jesuits to get involved in Christianization of the contemporary world. Despite the fact that in Poland the majority of people declares to be Catholics, however secularization is gradually pervading our society. He said that Jesuits should be especially involved in the dialog with contemporary culture as they did in the Renaissance. They fought against the Reformation by teaching at schools. The Jubilee Year was not only a time of celebrating anniversaries of the great Jesuits. Above all, it was a time for reflecting upon our identity nowadays. During the Jubilee there were many special celebrations, events, meetings, retreats and conferences on the Patrons of the Jubilee Year. There were several books published as well.

...Romek Swoboda (PMA) and Pawel Witon (PME), January 2007
 

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