News from the Provinces 2008
The Portuguese province has a new motivation to be happy. During the Summer of 2007, the scholastics, joined in a meeting, began to think in a new project of a web site to the people who live around us.
This site implied a great effort between us and our friends, who we could invite to give some collaboration.
Guided by the thought of St. Ignatius, “come in with them and come out with our”. The new web site borned in the last April, and is truly a great mean of apostolate. The essejota.net is divided in sections. The themes are very sundry, like reflexion, being Church, the world around us, cartoon, music, book suggestion, poetry, net suggestion, everything renew each month.
Sometimes I think how is important the Jesuits work together and also with lay people. This project is a great opportunity to learn so much about the life in Society, like St. Ignatius dreamed. Looking to the web site today makes me remember the incredible number of Jesuits who gave them lives working to the Kingdom, persecuting the way of Jesus.
More than the final result, which is very gratefully, more than the quality of the site, is the feeling that is possible join our will in the same task and build something that is not of only one but is ‘our’.
… Reported by Rui Ferreira (POR)
Once again… a scholastics' week in Malta
Faithful to our now consolidated tradition, scholastics’ week took place from the 1st till the 7th of September, at Fekruna, where the six of us had the chance to enjoy long periods of relaxation interspersed with a number of meetings.
As always, we opened the week with a moment of sharing, during which each one of us shared the experiences, difficulties and joys which characterised the twelve preceding months. In the days that followed, Fr Provincial Paul Pace joined us for the remaining sessions, the first of which dealt with the recently concluded general congregation and the state of the maltese province. More than anything, Fr Paul was eager to hear our views regarding various aspects of our lives as Jesuits, an opportunity which was very much appreciated by all of us.
Another highlight of the week was the meeting we had with three laypersons who gave us some feedback regarding the way the Society and its mission is perceived by “the man/woman in the street”. We also welcomed Fr Jimmy Bartolo for a session during which we discussed opportunities and challenges linked to Vocation Promotion to the Society. Last but not least Schol. Karl Vella gave us a short presentation on the EJIF (European Jesuits in Formation) meeting he had just attended in Aix-en- Provence (France) during which he was also elected President of the Coordinating Committee!
During the week, the Naxxar and Valletta communities kindly invited for lunch, where besides the delicious food, we also thoroughly enjoyed the company. One evening was dedicated to our families who were invited over at Fekruna to share with us dinner preceded by a Eucharistic Celebration presided over by the newly ordained Fr René Micallef who during this year’s edition of the scholastics’ meeting, displayed his multiple talents not only by leading us in prayer on numerous occasions, but also by cooking some very original and mouth -watering dishes throughout the week!!
… Reported by Mark Cachia (MAL)
The summer of the scholastics studying in Warsaw
The summer is almost over. Polish scholastics studying theology in Warsaw have been involved in many different activities throughout that time. Besides participating and helping in big events such as the 5th Ignatian Youth Days in Stara Wies (www.jezuici.pl/idm) and the 9th Jesuit Youths Days in Swieta Lipka we worked in our parishes and retreat houses.
Michal Maslowski SJ for the third year in a row organized a bike tour
across Poland. They traveled from Suwalki (north-east Poland) through
Lublin and Zamosc to Kraków making 900 km in 7 days.
Two of us were studying languages: I studied Slovak in Bratislava and Roman Swoboda SJ studied German in Austria. Pawel Szpyrka SJ helped in the archives in Rome. Each one of us has also served a week in the infirmary accompanying the qualified staff.
Four of us under the supervision of the campus minister Fr. Piotr
Kropisz SJ , directed two series of retreat. We were learning how to
give a fully individual retreat. It took place in Sucha, very modest
center in the countryside of Poland. The simplicity of facility and
nature supported our efforts to help the people discover the presence
of God in our lives.
… Reported by Damian Mazurkiewicz (PME)
September, a month of hope in Spain
Dear companions, after this extraordinary summer, the new course knocks at our doors. At least in my case, it has been easier to find God in these last months than in the previous year of Philosophy… but as a result of those, I start this new lap with lots of hope.
September`08 is not only a month of starting a new academic course. Fortunately, in the Spanish Society, it also means the vows of seven novices (who will live in my same community from this following 21st of September), the entering of also seven new people in the noviciate and the beginning of the Tertianship in Salamanca, with thirteen Jesuits from all around the world.
So, September is above all…a month of hope in this side of the Society.
Let´s ask our Lord and Creator not to give up, not to forget all his gifts and graces given to us during this last summer, with its EJIF meeting, and its Spiritual Exercises.
As Michael Holman said:“The Jesuit way of loving is through Obedience”. And Obedience, from my point of view, has a lot to do with hope…in our ordinary life, studies (even if these are Philosophy, just joking). This month help us to do so.
Have a good and hopeful September!!!
… Reported by Fabián Melendi López (CAS)
To answer this question, 70 young Christians will gather in the next days in the Cultural Center of the Jesuits in La Baume (Aix-en-Provence, France). During one week, they will share on their experiences in political or social involvement, and build up a reflexion on this theme. They will also listen to the conferences of politicians (members of the French Parliament, but also a former member of the Italian government, and a counsellor in the European Commission), to the analysis of theologians and philosophers, and to the witness bearing of Mgr Emmanuel Lafont, bishop of Cayenne (French Guyane).
The whole idea to create such a session came to a French Jesuit when he saw the lack of political consciousness among the young Christians. Many of them were interested in pilgrimages and Christian formation, but the field of politics was considered very distantly by them. The aim of the session is to stimulate their desire to be part of the political process, at a specifically political or globally social level; and through that to deepen the relation between the Church and the world. So politics is to be discovered as an appropriate and self standing way to be servants in the following of Christ, and as a place where one can grow in his personal discernment and fulfilment.
“La Politique une Bonne Nouvelle” (Politics: a Good News) is now organised by a team of 10 members representing a wide range of catholic associations from all over the French Church. Together with them and with two Jesuit Fathers and another scholastic, I’m now ready to welcome these young people, and let the session begin.
… Reported by Pierre Molinié (GAL)
PS : such a session now exists on a European level: it takes place in Venice this year, and we’ll probably hear about it in a few weeks.
We do not have any new ordained Jesuits this year. Therefore we celebrate silver, gold and iron Jesuits, those who celebrate 25, 50 or 70 years of their ordination. Four scholastics who belong the SVN province, focus this summer on several apostolates and we relax from the academic efforts. Actually we are dispersed around the country, collaborating with other Jesuits of the province. We help those who give spiritual exercises or guide groups of young people and pilgrims. Furthermore we are engaged in parish works and community life. Some of us are involved in JRS project of interreligious room in detention centre in the west of the country.
At the end of august we have the scholastic’s week which will be introduced by the meeting with our parents. It will be followed by the discussion with the guy who participated the 35th general congregation. We will continue the week with the sharing of our personal lives within the Society and the Lord. The meeting will be concluded by discussion about the applicability of the GK decrees in our province.
These activities represent our hope to collect enough energy and faith for the academic year 2008/2009.
… Reported by Robert Dolinar (SVN)
World Youth Day in Sydney and regency in Melbourne
At the beginning of June I flew into to Melbourne to commence my regency. I was gently surprised to discover that the Melbourne Winter had far more cold bite to it than I expected to be the case. While the depths of this Winter are not quite those of a Polish one, the strong wintry winds that whip through the streets here do so under a gloomy, grey sky. Fortunately, to compensate for these surprising clime, I was very warmly received by Australian Jesuits.
I was most blessed to arrive Down Under within just a few weeks of World Youth Day. Prior to WYD each Aussie diocese arranged a variety of events for the international and local pilgrims which was called ‘Days in the Diocese’. During this week, without a doubt, the most memorable event for me was the Commissioning Mass for almost fifty thousand youth in a football stadium in Melbourne. The atmosphere was a deeply moving mixture of devotion and youthful enthusiasm. This wonderful Mass was followed by the pilgrimage to Sydney for WYD from Tuesday 15th to Sunday 20th July 2008. I traveled with a group of Australian youth from the State of Victoria who are of Polish background. Our group forged a deep camaraderie borne of our shared faith. For all of us WYD was a week of unforgettable spiritual events focused on the presence of Pope Benedict and hundreds of thousands of joyful and devout young people from all over the globe. The streets of Sydney were filled with prayerful song and dance for one glorious week.
Currently I’m living in an international theological college with scholastics who are mainly from East Asian Provinces. I am in the same situation as most of these scholastics to the extent that we are all struggling with living in a foreign culture and trying to communicate with each other in a foreign language. I look forward to developing the attractive Australian accent while I’m here as I prepare to commence my work at Xavier College here in Melbourne, a large secondary school administered by the Jesuits. (www.xavier.vic.edu.au)
… Reported by Maciej Kranc (PME)
EJIF summer meeting – France 2008
I always enjoy gatherings of Jesuits where we meet and pray together. I
particularly enjoy gatherings of Jesuits from different parts of the
world - so it came as no surprise that I found myself leaving France
thinking there has not been a time in my life that I have enjoyed
myself, and the wonderful company I was privileged to share, so much,
and thanking God. This state of feeling was, I think, shared by many,
and it could only be heightened when we renewed our vows during a mass
celebrated by Father General who spent the morning with us sharing his
views on the theme of the conference, 'Service through Leadership'.
This, we all thought, was the Society of Jesus at its best: at once
Universal, focused on and excited for the mission, and united deeply
together in our hearts and minds.
Fr Alfred Darmanin (MAL) was with us in Aix-en-Provence and made such a
good impression during his 4 day input that many delegates were wanting
to know more, which as one delegate pointed out, is surely the grace and
fruit of Fr Alfred's inputs. He introduced us to the theories talked
about in Leadership and Management, with a focus on Communication, and
how they apply to life in the Society. He very definitely wanted us to
have more of an experiential knowledge of such things and so facilitated
much successful group activity, personal reflection and plenary
reportbacks. The personal sharing in the small groups and the respectful
and thoughtful dialogue in the larger ones were the things that have
stuck in my mind.
Fr Michael Holman (BRI) directed the retreat in Lyon, presenting us with
a rich selection of 'take-it-or-leave-it' inputs in the morning focusing
on God's goodness and Christ's way of loving. It was very much
appreciated that Fr Holman rooted his message in the Ignatian tradition
and illustrated it by the decrees, and stories, of the recent General
Congregation as well as through his own personal autobiographical
anecdotes. We were also grateful to Fathers Dermot O'Connor (HIB),
Ludger Joos (GER) and Pablo Alonso (CAS) for accompanying us with Fr.
Michael Holman during the retreat and the rest of EJIF.
The last days, with the renewal of vows and Father General's input, the
election of the new CoCo (Co-ordinating Committee) and Fr Mark
Rotsaert's sharing about the Jesuits in Europe and our relaxing 'last
night' (complete with impromptu play, opera, karaoke, solo and duet
singing and even a magic show and many memories of Mr Bean) reminded me
once again of the talent and energy in this group. We will, I think,
especially remember and treasure Father General's advice of looking for
the 'downward path' (the service aspect made so clear by our leader,
Jesus Christ) and continue to reflect on the points of leadership, not
least in how we ourselves lead and allow ourselves to be led.
I left with a deep gratitude, not only by joining in saying "Qu'il est
bon le bon Dieu", but also with many new friends in the Lord. If the
purpose of EJIF is to bring people together from across Europe to forge
relationships and learn from and about each other and our provinces -
then I think EJIF 2008 passed with flying colours! Thank you to Fr Mark
Rotsaert and Luca Uggias (ITA), Olivier Paramelle (GAL), and João
Delicado (POR) who were co-ordinating this and, together with all the
delegates and helpers, made it all possible.
… Reported by Matthew Charlesworth (BRI-SAF)
Jesuit School of Philosophy in Munich
At the end of my philosophical studies, I want to give you a personal impression about life at the German formation centre for jesuits in Munich.
The School of philosophy is run by the German province. The academic diplomas are fully recognized by the state. Most of the 20 lecturers and professors are jesuits. The school has over 400 students, but only around 10 of them are jesuits in formation.
The small number of students guarantees personal contact among the students and professors. Within the first 2 years („basic studies“) of philosophy, you get a profound overview of all key subjects, which is unique compared to other schools of philosophy. The good conditions to study make it possible that our students graduating with their „Master of Philosophy“ reach their goal faster than all other philosopy students in Germany. At the Jesuit School of Philosopy, you not only get in touch with philosophy, but also with theology, social science, psychology, biology, physics and science of education. The school offers courses in rhetorics to learn how to present the results of your studies.
Young jesuits can choose between 2 international communities. One is based directly on campus and one is in a suburb of Munich and attached to a parish. Both communties are independent and have a rich community life. Social experiments are offered, e.g. with homeless or with asylum seekers.
The Jesuit School of Philosophy can be a perspective for you. Either for basic studies or for a master’s degree or a doctorate. A good opportunity to get to know the formation centre Munich would be to take part in our language course, which is just about to start in August. Do not hesitate to apply for next year’s course.
… Reported by Julian Halbeisen (GER)
EJIF summer meeting – France 2008
I’m writing from the Jesuit retreat house of La Baume – very near to Aix-en-Provence - where this year’s EJIF meeting will take place. 28th July: this is the day of arrival of the delegates. Today this house will receive 20 young Jesuits in formation coming from all over Europe to start a very special three weeks period of widening borders in the Society. It’ll last until the 17th of August. The theme of the meeting is “Serving through Leadership” and our facilitator will be Fr. Alfred Darmanin sj, from the Maltese Province. As usual in EJIF Forum’s we’ll have some short input given by our facilitator and then we’ll have exercises to deepen and develop the subject in a practical way. The second period of the meeting will be the week of Spiritual Exercises. It’ll take place in the retreat house of Le Chatelard, near to Lyon. For the Retreat, we have the pleasure to have Fr. Michael Holman sj, Provincial of the British Province, as the main retreat director. Besides him, there will be three more Jesuits (speaking several languages) with us, so that everyone can also have a personal guide: Dermot O´Connor (HIB), Pablo Alonso (CAS) and Ludger Joos (GER). After the retreat we’ll have the privilege to receive the visit of Fr. General and also Mark Rotsaert.
… Reported by João Delicado (POR)
After a long and dark winter at last the sunny spring has come to Copenhagen.
At school (Niels Steensens Gymansium - www.nsg.dk) a dense time begins. Our kids are participating in many exchange programs, so months before summer holidays, when a lot of guests come to Niels Steensens. Until now we had groups from catholic schools in Reims in France and Newport in the USA. In May other groups as Poles, other Americans and Germans are coming.
Spring is also a time of schools examinations, especially for 3 graders from the gymnasium, therefore the classes schedule is being changed. Other classes get the possibility to have a day excursions, or so called “theme weeks”, when they focus themselves on a certain topic.
For Jesuits the last months of the school year are also a time of work in our retreat center in the countryside which is just being finished, and is going to welcome the first groups at the beginning of new semester.
... Reported by Krzysztof Augustyniak (PMA)
We are presently 8 scholastics of the French Province in the period of regency: 4 in the first year and 4 in the second year. Among us two are doing regency abroad: Pierre Hong in Athens (Pierre was grown up in Greece, which belongs to the French Province) and Gabriel Khairallah in Lebanon (Gabriel was born in Lebanon). The rest of us are dispersed throughout France: Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseille, Toulouse and Versailles. Most of us work in Jesuit high schools and colleges. Regents of the French Province gather three times a year with our Provincial in the place of one of us, for a weekend in which we share our experiences, joys and sorrows and have some leisure time. The first meeting took place in Versailles at the end of October. The second one was in Toulouse in January. Unfortunately several of us were not able to attend: Father Provincial was obviously in Rome, accompanied by Antoine Paumard who was working in the GC35 as a Spanish French translator. Our fellow regents of Greece and Lebanon were not present either. Next meeting will be in Marseille at the end of May.
... Reported by: Jean de Lanzac (GAL)
A couple of announcements" on the life of the Czech scholastics
At this time we have five scholastics in the Czech province of the Society of Jesus. This year only one of them is living in our country, doing his regency. The other four are studying abroad. So we are a kind of community „ad dispersionem".
But, in fact, since September 2007 we have formed „a Czech minority" in the Collegio del Gesù in Rome. This academic year three of us are residing in the „Eternal city". We enjoy life in the community, which is celebrating the 40th anniversary of its founding by Fr. Arrupe. With the other 40 scholastics we share a genuine spirit of fraternity and service.
Recently the college hosted seven delegates of the 35th General congregation. It was a nice occasion to share with them their experience of this great event for the Society. We also participated actively at the principal liturgical celebrations of the Congregation.
And how are the three Czech Jesuits from the Gesù? Ladislav Nosek has just finished his retreat in preparation for the diaconate ordination, which will take place on Tuesday, March 25th. Easter Tuesday is usually the day of ordination in our college. This time we expect 12 new deacons from 11 provinces of the Society. After he has finished his studies at the Gregorian, Ladislav will begin the licentiate in Frankfurt, Germany. Petr Vacík is in his second year of theology, and in his free time he takes nice photos. He's actually an excellent artistic photographer! In February he offered an exhibition of his work for us and some of the friends of the community. The author of this report is going to complete his thesis for the licentiate in ecclesiology, and is looking forward to work in the Czech province.
A brief word on the other young Jesuits in formation: Marek Janás continues his studies in Paris and is also near to becoming a deacon. Radek Stojanovič, the next EJIF delegate from our country, will do his first year of regency working as an assistant in a Czech – Polish parish on the border of the Czech Republic. Also in regency is our brother Tomáš Novák, who lives in Prague and cares for our web page. (You can appreciate his work by clicking on: www.jesuit.cz.
I wish you all the deep and transforming joy of the Risen Lord.
...… Reported by Robert Svatoň (BOH)
Vocation Promotion in the Hungarian Jesuit province
From June 2007 there are some new initiatives and programs in the field of vocation promotion in the Hungarian province. The provincial appointed a full time vocation director and two other Jesuits to help part time in vocational work. It is very good experience that we work together and it is also a witness for the young people that we Jesuits are an apostolic community. In the mission statement of the new apostolate there are four main goals:
1. to help the young people who are in a vocational discernment process or who are interested explicitly for the Society,
2. to help all Jesuits in the province to become a better promoter of vocations,
3. to make known the Society and the religious life among young people in our institutions and outside,
4 to prepare candidates for the novitiate, and to coordinate the admission process.
There are different programs which helps to realize these goals. The central elements are the ignatian retreats (3 days retreat during Fall and Spring, 8 days ignatian retreats for vocational discernment during Fall and Summer) and personal contact and spiritual direction for young people. We have two groups for men in vocational discernment meeting regularly.
During the summer we organize a youth camp about the Christian vocations. In April there is an open weekend in a Jesuit house, and in November there is a day of Jesuit vocation when the people in our Churches and the students of our schools pray for vocation. To produce information sheets and brochures about the Society is also an important part of vocation promotion, while perhaps the Jesuit homepage with a vocational part is the most important tool for this. Finally a theater play about the Canadian Jesuit martyrs was also a good possibility to make known better our order among young people.
… Reported by Koronkai Zoltán (HUN)
News from the Maltese Province
Malta is a small province and doesn't have it's own houses of formation, therefore we spend all of our formation abroad, with the possible exception of regency. Since on the 8th of March the Maltese were called to the polls for the general election, we Maltese scholastics had the opportunity to see each other since we all flied home to vote. It was a pleasant occasion to meet fellow Jesuits, family and friends in an ecstatic election atmosphere.
The 3rd of July, will bring a blessing for the Maltese Province because one of our scholastics, René Micallef, will be ordained priest in the con-cathedral of St. John, Valletta. René, 27 years old joined the Society on 19 October 1997 doing his novitiate in Genoa. He then studied philosophy in Padua and obtained a masters degree in philosophy in London. He completed his regency at St. Aloysius’ College in Malta followed by the first cycle of theology in Centre Sèvres in Paris. He is currently studying theology in Comillas Pontifical University, Madrid.
The academic year 2008-2009 will be an interesting year for our province since there will be four Jesuits in formation going back to Malta. Three scholastics will be returning to Malta for regency together with a young father who is currently finishing his second cycle of theology.
... Reported by: Chistopher Vella, (MAL)
Jesuit scholastics in Slovakia - Three great venues for men in formation
Bratislava, Slovakia. The young Jesuits from Slovakia have had three uplifting experiences of being a Jesuit.
First one was on a different note of building a good community life together. January 18 scholastics from the Collegium of the Holy Saviour in Bratislava took community cars and spent a day out together in Vienna taking a tour round the city centre and enjoying the tourist sites.
The second experience challenged all theology students in Bratislava to reach out to fellow Jesuits across the border of the Slovak province. Jesuits in formation of the Hungarian province studying in Budapest, Hungary and those of the Slovak province currently studying philosophy in Krakow, Poland met up in the northern region Orava in February 9 – 15. The reports brings a few snapshots of the week of holidays together.
The third and the last experience was to take a different approach to a community evening and go out to the restaurant Ashoka in Bratislava. The Indian cuisine lifted up the spirit of the community binding. Pictures document the good atmosphere felt among one another.
... Reported by: Ladislav Sulik, (SVK) Bratislava
Dear Friends,
We have a new General! – Father Adolfo Nicolas. The first two things I heard about him were: “He’s Spanish and speaks Japanese.” This is much in line with how I experience the General Congregation – not only as a European Jesuit, but as a member of the worldwide Society.
A reminder: my community in Paris is half-French, half-not-French. One of my Asian companions met Fr. Nicolas; what struck him about his office was that his desk was absolutely bare - interesting.
On our community GC35-blog I saw two photos of the new General. On one he is wearing a colourful poncho, smiling broadly while being congratulated on his election. On the other he is in clergyman, grave, pronouncing the formula which marks the beginning of his term of office. I pray that, for the good of the Society and for himself, he may be able to keep these two sides of his personality in balance.
While the Congregation reflects on our priorities for the time to come, the candle in front of an image of Saint Ignatius will continue to burn in our chapel, as will be the case in your houses elsewhere in Europe.
EJIF-greetings,
... Submitted by Wiggert Molenaar (NER-BSE), Paris
XI Day of Judaism and Internet retreats in Poland
On 17th of January we were celebrating the XI Day of Judaism in Poland. A lot of Polish Jesuits were involved in this important event. Centre of the Culture and the Dialogue, running by the Jesuit University of Philosophy and Education "Ignatianum" in Krakow, organised the cycle of meetings and panel discussions on this occasion. A shared life of Poles and Jews - at present and in the past, was a main topic. There were numerous representatives of Jewish environments from Poland and invited guests from foreign countries.
We noticed a huge interest in the topic of Polish-Jew dialogue among young generation of Poles. It is a very good sign for the future. The young generation of Poles finds Jewish culture as an important part of Polish history. As you very well know Polish and Jewish shared-life during and after the II World War sometimes was painful - but the dialogue and the openness could only be help to overcome this painful experience. Therefore such initiatives make us pleased.
In mid-January the first Internet retreats took place. It was addressed to the charismatic communities. The topic was focusing around the relationships inside groups. The Jesuit community from Lodz was responsible for this entertainment and almost 2000 people from Poland and abroad participated on-line. This idea opened wider perspectives for spiritual growth for those who are not able to practice their faith outside their place of life and work. The retreats turned out quite nice success. For their commitment we wish organizers and participants a lot of spiritual fruits.
… Reported by Jarek Charchula (PME), Krakow
Changes to come at Formation Center Munich