Commemorating slain Jesuits

A memorial service will be held in Novosibirsk on 29 November for the Otto Messmer SJ and Viktor Betancourt SJ, the two Jesuit priests who were brutally murdered in Moscow last week. The homily was given by Bishop Joseph Werth SJ, Bishop of the Diocese of the Transfiguration of the Lord and President Russian Bishops’ Conference. The full text of the homily is below. Read more »

Short Notices

• As the picture shows, the bulldozers finally tackled the old Cherryfield on Monday, 3 November.
• This Friday and Saturday, 7-8 November, the Milltown Institute will host an International Pastoral Conference with Dr Timothy Radcliffe OP as the keynote speaker, on: “Who do you say that I am?”
• Speaking to Fr Provincial, John Dardis, this morning, 4 November, Gerry Clarke said he moved back to Goma yesterday after having spent a number of days over the Rwandan border on account of the danger from rebel troops near Goma. Goma is calm now, he said; the ceasefire is holding but the situation is still fragile. There is a strong presence of police and UN forces in the town at present to ensure security. “It’s lovely to know you are thinking of us,” he said.
• There will be a special welcome for Jesuits at the Mass in University Church on 11 November (6.30 p.m.) to mark the 150th anniversary of the completion of John Henry Cardinal Newman’s service to Irish education.
• Michael J. Kelly SJ has been asked and agreed to serve as a member of the International Advisory Board for the Combat Diseases of Poverty (CDP) consortium based at the National University of Ireland, Maynooth.
• The Gardiner Street Gospel Choir provided backing vocals for two tracks to the new CD from Luca Bloom, called ‘Eleven Songs’. They were recorded in the Ignatian Room, at the back of Gardiner Street Church.
• Niall O’Neill, Senan Timoney, Brendan Duddy and John Dunne, whom we prayed for in their sickness, are all happily back with their communities.

Ireland funds African projects

The Jesuit Mission Office works hard to raise funds for a variety of projects in different parts of the world, and recently Murt Curry and his colleagues in the office were rewarded. Four more projects were approved by Misean Cara, bringing the total project money approved in 2008 to 560,000 euro. Our picture shows JVI volunteers Dermot and Josephine, who are helping Br Paul Desmarais SJ with an ECO-Housing and Metal Workshop project in Kasisi, Zambia. Read Murt’s report below. Read more »

The Pilgrims

Seven Jesuits have just returned from a long-planned pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Donal Neary and Derek Cassidy had gone ahead to prepare the way for them, checking on places and transport. The picture shows Charlie Davy, Peter Sexton, Derek Cassisy and John Guiney offering Mass at Dalmanutha, where Jesus prepared breakfast for his disciples after the Resurrection. Read Donal’s account below: Read more »

Canon of Shyogwe

AMDG Express inflitrated the Synod of Dublin and Glendalough to get this picture of a now-familiar face, Ken Rue, financial director of the Messenger. Ken is studying for ministry in the Church of Ireland, and is a Canon of Shyogwe in Rwanda, which gives him a special link with his pictured companion: Fidele, Rwandan by birth but for many years now an Irish citizen and a member of the Irish Jesuit Refugee Council (he fled to Goma during the Rwandan genocide).

Making news

Three Jesuits were in the national news last week. John Dardis, on RTE’s News at One, talked to Sean O’Rourke about the two Jesuits murdered in Moscow. Edmond Grace has held his line in an exchange of letters to the Irish Times. Richard Leonard (pictured right) from Australia gave radio interviews on the dangers of internet addiction, to Newstalk and to Aonghus MacAnally on the Mooney programme. Richard also gave excellent 3-minute reviews of four important films, on camera for JCC – they will appear presently.