Adolfo Nicolás SJ: Six hopes for the General Congregation

When he left for Rome as an elector at GC35, Father Adolfo Nicolás SJ was Moderator of the Jesuit Conference of East Asia and Oceania. Shortly before leaving, he expressed his thoughts about – and hopes for – GC35 in Province Express, a newsletter of the Australian Jesuits.

Can we be realistic?

I can still remember GC34. They are fond, humorous and challenging memories. But we were not realistic. Just imagine: 220 Jesuits decide to tackle 46 topics, work on them for three months, produce 26 documents and solemnly handle and approve 416 complementary norms. Read more »

Personal response to election of Father Adolfo Nicolás

The following personal response to the election today of Fr Adolfo Nicolás as Superior General of the Jesuits has been sent by Fr Fernando Franco of the Jesuit Social Justice Secretariat.

We left the election hall only a few minutes ago. I am glad to announce that we have a new Superior General of the Society of Jesus. There is immense joy as the members of the Congregation approach the new General to greet and embrace him. Adolfo Nicolás SJ is a man from Asia, a theologian from Japan, but he was born in Palencia, Spain, in 1936. He represents a new generation of Spanish missionaries in Japan, after Fr. Arrupe. Read more »

Death of Michael Reidy SJ

Fr Michael Reidy SJ died peacefully in Cherryfield early on the morning of Friday 18 January 2008, aged 90 years. May he rest in the peace of the Lord. Read more »

Praying with the electors

The GC35 webpage has a prayer corner which is worth visiting. A video on the page combines the text of a prayer with the music of the Veni Creator. From the prayer:

Lord, during this congregation, may we be attentive to the voice of the Spirit. Grant us the gift of discernment and the desire to serve the Church. Strengthen our fidelity to the Pope and our desire to make you known. Give to us an authentic love for the poor and the least, the desire to work for justice and peace, the heart of a good shepherd, enthusiasm in promoting dialogue.

Click here to visit the page.

Murmurings in Rome

In the America Magazine blog, ‘In All Things’, James Martin SJ explains the wisdom of having days for murmurationes before casting votes for a new Superior General:

St. Ignatius was adamant about removing as many temptations as possible for Jesuits to seek leadership positions in the church, since he had seen what ambition did to some of the churchmen of his time. Thus, when Jesuits pronounce their final vows, they make an additional promise against “ambitioning” for jobs, and even to turn in anyone who has been “ambitioning” or campaigning. So with no electioneering permitted, how to surface names for the right candidates in the General Congregation? The “murmurationes” is an elegant answer to that.

Read the full blog entry on the America website.

Congregation on TV

You can find an interesting news piece on the opening of the General Congregation on the website of a Rome-based Catholic internet TV service, ROMEreports (click here). It includes footage of the opening ceremony and some clips from an interview with Jesuit spokesman José María de Vera SJ.

The odd search result

Searching the internet for Jesuit and Congregation turns up mostly expected results. It was a surprise to find the arresting headline, Three more police killed in Ireland: shooting outsite Dublin church. The report went on to describe how women and children were hurt when the congregation in Gardiner Street stampeded. Read more »

Fr Kolvenbach resigns

The Jesuit America Magazine is one publication that quotes the outgoing Father General:

“With the blessing of the Holy Father granted the 20th of June 2005 and after having obtained a positive vote from the Assistants for provident care and from the Provincials of the whole Society on the seriousness of the reasons to resign, I present now to the judgment of the General Congregation my resignation as Superior General of the Society of Jesus.”

Fr Kolvenbach, who had secured Pope Benedict’s permission to tender his resignation to the Jesuit General Congregation, praised the delegates for the “elegant way which you have found to fire me.”

See a slideshow of Fr Kolvenbach’s resignation on the Creighton University website. To read all stories in AMDG relating to GC35, click here.

Church unity week

This year is the centenary of the January Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Among the events organised for the week is the Morning Service programme on RTÉ, 27 January, at 11.15am, which will be led by staff and students from the Irish School of Ecumenics. The Week in Dublin opens with an ecumenical service in St Mary’s Pro-Cathedral at 8pm on Friday, January 18, 2008. The preacher will be Archbishop Alan Harper, the Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh. Also, Tom Layden SJ has been invited to preach at the morning service in Knock Methodist Church, Belfast, on Sunday 20 January.
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Worrying time in Kenya

Violence in Kenya in recent weeks has already taken more than 600 lives, and it is feared that the situation may worsen in coming days. John Guiney SJ, who spent many years working with the Jesuit Refugee Service in East Africa, has been corresponding with his colleagues there. From Elias Omondi SJ, Director of the Hakimani Faith and Justice centre in Nairobi, John has received various messages expressing deep concern about the “thuggery and stealing, as well as something close to ethnic cleansing of the Kikuyus”. In a general communication, Elias stresses that the Hakimani Centre is in full accord with the Catholic Bishops’ Letter, which called for peace and reconciliation, an audit of the election results, and political mediation.

Read more »

Sports history conference

Boston College-Ireland, a branch of the Jesuits’ Boston College, is holding a one-day conference on Sports History at their Dublin campus on St Stephen’s Green next February 16. Most of the papers relate to Irish sports history, covering such topics as ‘DeValera and sport’, ‘GAA and Soccer in Donegal, 1884-1914′ and ‘The Cork City GAA, Civil Disobedience and the Public Assembly Ban of 1918′. For more details, check the Boston College website.

Archbishop commends Institute for decades of engaging with culture

The Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin, paid tribute to the work of religious in building Irish society. Speaking at a mass to launch Milltown Institutes’s celebration of forty years, the archbishop said that the Jesuits were among the groups that contributed to Irish cultural renewal. Drawing on Milltown’s history, he encouraged students and faculty to continue to find ways to engage with culture and to shape the future. He praised the work of the Institute and spoke of how he valued the presence of religious congregations who care pastorally for 20% of the Diocese of Dublin. Read more »

Encountering the Creator

Heythrop College is running a five-day Jesuit Theology School in Ushaw College, Durham, for Jesuits and their co-workers from the British and Irish Provinces. It runs from Tuesday 25 March to Saturday 29 March. At the heart of the School is a plenary course on ‘Encountering the Creator’, led by Guy Consolmagno SJ. There are also many elective courses, all led by Jesuit theologians, on such topics as Blaise Pascal, globalisation, original sin, and the vernacular in the liturgy. For details, contact Judith Crimmins at Heythrop College.