GC35 adopts first three decrees

Three decrees have been adopted by the General Congregation in Rome in recent days. The first of them (29 February) concerns ‘Governance at the Service of the Universal Mission‘ and calls for a renewal of the Jesuit mode of government in such a way that it remains authentically Ignatian. The second decree is ‘On Obedience’. It looks at issues which arise from the integration of individual efforts into the mission of the entire Society and offers reflections on how Jesuits may live their relationship of obedience to the papacy today. The third decree is entitled ‘Collaboration at the Heart of Mission‘. It provides instructions on how Jesuits ought to proceed in collaborating with lay people, other religious, and people of other religions so that all concerned may go deeper, both spiritually and practically, in the mission they share. For more detail and for more news from GC35, see SJWeb.info.

The family today

The Irish family is not in crisis, but neither is it in full health. So argues Fergus O’Donoghue SJ in the editorial of the spring 2008 issue of Studies, which takes as its theme ‘The family today’. ‘There are social and ideological currents that affect all of us,’ Fr O’Donoghue continues; ‘if we try to understand them, we will have a better grasp of what is happening, thus lessening our chances of being helpless and hapless victims of change.’ Many of the articles in this issue deal with matters which impact on the family in contemporary Ireland, including secularisation, multiculturalism, home stability, cohabitation, and civil unions. For more details, see the Studies website.

Mr Frank Murphy, RIP

Please pray for the repose of the soul of Frank Murphy, father of Fr. James (Séamus) Murphy SJ, who died in Salthill, Galway. Funeral details will be published in Wednesday’s papers. Ar dheis lamh De go raibh a anam. Read more »

JCFJ book comes out in Spanish

A book produced by the Irish Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice has recently been translated into Spanish and will now reach a much wider readership. The Development of Peoples: Challenges for Today and Tomorrow was translated by ALBOAN, a partner organisation of the JCFJ, and will be distributed by the Spanish Jesuit publishing house Mensajero, under the title El Desarrollo de los Pueblos: Desafios par hoy y manana. The publication was commissioned by the International Jesuit Network on Development (IJND) and the essays were compiled and edited by the Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice in Dublin. Included in the book are essays by authors from around the globe which reflect on contemporary development challenges in the light of the encyclical Populorum Progressio, issued by Pope Paul VI forty years ago. For more information, please contact the Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice.

Can faith and politics mix?

Can faith inform secular affairs while respecting freedom of conscience? This is one of the questions up for discussion at the Sixth Slí Eile Pub Conversation, which will be held at the Belvedere Hotel, Great Denmark Street, Dublin 1, on 11 March between 7.30pm and 9.30pm. To help bring issues into focus, Senator Ronan Mullen will be present as guest speaker. Ronan Mullen was chosen in the last elections to represent the NUI constituency. As a senator he aims ‘to be a consistent, constructive advocate for a society where every person is respected and for socially responsible policies in a globalised world’.

Saint Francis Xavier Novena of Grace

The Novena of Grace of Saint Francis Xavier began in many churches in Dublin and around the country on 4 March and continues until 12 March. Jesuit priests will be preaching at some of the venues in Dublin, Galway and Limerick. The novena in the Church of St Francis Xavier in the Jesuit-run parish of Gardiner Street, Dublin 1, will be led by Ciary Quirke SJ, Tony O’Riordan SJ, Edmond Grace SJ, and Gerry O’Hanlon SJ. For fuller details of this and other parish churches, see the table below. Read more »

Is Love Enough? Action Makes Love Real

The Pobal Dé conference held in Milltown Park on Saturday 1 March was a great success. More than one hundred people attended. Below is the full text of Gerry O’Hanlon’s address to the conference.

Introduction: Love lost?
‘Today, the term “love” has become one of the most frequently used and misused of words, a word to which we attach quite different meanings’ – thus Pope Benedict at the beginning of his exploration of the link between love and justice in Deus Caritas Est (2005/6, no. 2). But a certain perceived ‘wetness’ around the use of the term ‘love’ is not restricted to contemporary times. Recently retired Jesuit General Peter-Hans Kolvenbach notes the decision of the 32nd General Congregation of the Society of Jesus (1974-5), in its prophetic description of the mission of the Society in terms of the ‘service of faith and the promotion of justice’, not to use the term ‘love’. He says: ‘We should not forget that even St Ignatius was weary of using this word. Read more »