EJIF: News from the Provinces 2012
The affective world of Jesuits in formation
It happened on the last March 18th to 22nd on the Portuguese Province: the meeting of Masters and Socius of Noviciates and Rectors of Juniorates from Portugal, Spain and Italy. They were together with Fr. Orlando Torres (Assistant for the Formation) and Fr. Alberto Brito (Provincial of Portugal) to talk about The affective world of Jesuits in formation.
It wasn’t a meeting to decide anything nor to make a great document or treatise. It was especially to share the experience of the Mission and to point out a path for the Jesuits of the XXI Century. That’s why the Rector of the Portuguese Juniorate – Fr. José Frazão – talked about The life in parables: crib, garden, cavern, mountain; and Fr. Carlos Carneiro (responsible for the formation in Portugal and Master of Novices) talked about The affective characteristics of the Society of Jesus and The chastity as Will and Goodness.
There was time do pray, to rest, and to visit Guimarães, the city where Portugal was born in 1143. On Monday, they all had the Eucharist, dinner, and a social in Pedro Arrupe’s Community, with the Scholastics where we could listen and ask those who are leading our formation. Fr. Orlando Torres told us about how to be available in the Society – is more than to only have dreams, is to dream inside the great dream of the Society. In this century, we cannot be pleased with assimilation nor with tolerance: we must work for interculturality like the first Jesuits, which means to be really in the culture of the place we live and not only to know how to answer to some eventual issues. Our formation is long indeed, but it is necessary to respond to all the impulses of the world we live in – learning from the books, get strength on prayer and community life.
Thank you Fr. Orlando Torres, Fr. Alberto de Brito, Fr. Luís Maria Dominguez, Fr. Pablo Alonso, Fr. Juan José Iragorri, Fr. Paolo Bizzeti, Fr. Carlo Chiappini, Fr. Beniamino Guidotti, Fr. José Frazão, Fr. Gonçalo Castro Fonseca and Fr. Carlos Carneiro. AMDG.
… Reported by Samuel Beirão (POR), Braga
Scholastics Salamanca and Braga meet
People different in background and diverse in talent can live together as true “friends in the Lord”. Jesuit identity is relational; it grows in and through our diversities of culture, nationalities, and languages, enriching and challenging us. This is a process that we enter upon as we join the Society, and we grow in it every day.
CG XXXV, dec. 2, 19
The weekend from 17th to 19th February 2012 has been great for Scholastics from Salamanca (Spain) and Braga (Portugal).
We met in Pedro Arrupe Community, the Portuguese Scholasticate. It was time for sightseeing, visiting our works and communities of the Society in Braga and around, having some rest, sharing and having some fun. As well as time to pray together, to celebrate the Eucharist, to share joys and difficulties of this same stage of formation.
After the dinner on Friday, we visited the city. On Saturday, we visited different communities; we celebrated Mass, and had a very nice conversation with the Provincial of Portugal. At night, there was time to go to Guimarães, where Portugal was born in 1143. And suddenly it was Sunday, and we had to say farewell, although we keep praying for each other.
The best of all? To feel real part of the same Body – the Society of Jesus – and to deepen our way of proceeding and to experience the meaning of Friendship in the Lord.
… Reported by Samuel Beirão (POR), Braga
EJIF Summer 2011 Meeting in Spain
The year 2011 was a special year for EJIF. As it was established in 1986, our group was privileged to celebrate the 25th anniversary of its existence. That may have inspired the EJIF Coordinating Committee (CoCo) to choose an equally special place – relevant to its anniversary – the birthplace of St. Ignatius. Therefore 21 young Jesuits from various parts of Europe and indeed the whole world met in Loyola from July 18th – August 8th 2011.
The meeting consisted of three parts: Province presentations, Retreat days and the Magis part, which was another curiosity of last year´s EJIF meeting. Normally, retreats are followed by forum days and workshops.
Spending almost a whole month in Loyola was very dear to each one of us. Looking at the local hills, walking the paths in the surrounding nature let us think about how Ignatius may have larked around with his friends. Visiting the Santa Casa – the place of his daily life and finally where he was recovering from the injury – brought us back to his times and let us reflect upon what he then in our age – was going through. Not leaving out his experience with the discernment, I remember how spontaneous it was on that spot to pray for the same grace of discernment for me and for the whole Society.
President of the Conference of European Provincials Fr. John Dardis SJ joined us for the province presentations. They gave us a sense of each one´s provinces, their works and specifications. It was great to see the variety of apostolates and the generous and zealous work of many Jesuits. Simultaneously we could know each other. Free time provided us with the opportunity to discuss various challenges of our lives and share things on a much deeper level. Hopefully those relationships will bring fruit in the future of our Europe. What was actually going on was described in the theme of the meeting: «Christ at the heart of the world».
Before we started our retreats, a day trip to San Sebastian fixed our weariness from discussions and listening. It is a beautiful town at the north coast, an hour away from Loyola.
Our yearly retreats allowed us to get even deeper into the friendship with the Lord. Fr. Tony Corcoran SJ (RUS) – an enthusiastic director provided us with the inspirational points for our prayer. Fr. Dermot O’Connor (HIB), Fr. Fredrik Heiding (GER) and Fr. Pawel Adamczyk (PMA) made the individually guided retreats with 21 participants possible. Common Eucharist each day and adoration created a very prayerful atmosphere and a sense of great unity in the Lord.
Finally, I would like to thank our directors, the members of the CoCo-team (Mikael Schink SJ, Ricardo Barroso SJ, Erik Šopoň) and Fabian Melendi SJ who all took care of all the practicalities and our needs. Not less important is to thank mutually one another for that wonderful experience.
If you like to see some more pictures and see what we saw and experience, use the links on facebook (San Sebastian, Azpeitzia, Loyola).
The history moves on and we are about to create a new part of it. The next EJIF 2012 will take place from July 28th to August 18th in Belgium where it started 26 years ago.
… Reported by Martin Benko (SVK), Bratislava
Meeting young Jesuits BSE & NER
Between Christmas and New Year young Jesuits from the Netherlands and Flanders met for a few days. This is the first year for a long time that there are again as many JIFS (Jesuits in formation) present in the Low Countries. Five of us returned this year from foreign study centres in our home provinces, for further studies or to start regency. It was a nice opportunity to meet each other and to share those new experiences.
We were seven to meet in Heverlee (Bart Beckers, Ward Biemans, Wouter Blesgraaf, Walter Ceyssens, Wiggert Molenaar, Jos Moons, and Samuel Overloop), as three had apologised. And Thorsten Philipp (GER), working at the CEP in Brussels joined us. The community of Heverlee received us with open arms and we felt us straight away at home. The first afternoon was rather calm: time to breathe after the busy working days followed by the public holidays. In the evening we celebrated the Eucharist. We did a tour of Louvain, the student city and finished with a fresh pint. The following day, we had the opportunity to get to know each other at a deeper level and to become familiar with the events in our lives. Such exchange is also sometimes called a “révision de vie” and concentrates on the movements, which we experienced in our hearts: energy and depression, joy and sadness, simplicity and complications. The afternoon we had a nice walk in and around Louvain.
The last day was dominated by ecology. The theme of the ecology is more topical than ever and father general has invited us to confront it. At the basis of our exchange was the document “Healing a broken world”, issued by the Social Justice and Ecology Secretariat of the General Curia of the Society of Jesus. There seemed to be among us a major concern for the climate and an awareness that we as Jesuits have a certain responsibility, not only by living a personal integrity and a simple life, but also by involving the injustice of the climate change in our studies and work.
Through our meeting we were able to experience the silent support of our older confreres. Heverlee is a house of older Jesuits. They represent in our eyes the tradition in which we are putting ourselves, in their eyes we represent the future. During the meals there was extensive opportunity to exchange with them about dreams and aspirations, about the past and the place of the Jesuits in the local church.
With a refreshed heart and renewed hope all of us returned home. Until the next time.
… Reported by Samuel Overloop (BSE), Antwerpen
