Father General: Inclusive, global and charged with love

You know charism when you encounter it. After four days in the company of the charismatic Adolfo, the Irish Jesuits and their partners in mission are elated and energised. Paradoxically, Fr Nicolás would not want his charism to be the focus of our memories. A recurring theme of his talks and homilies was that the ego – including his ego – has to be left behind if growth is to happen. Speaking of the multiple works and missions of the Irish Jesuits, he asked: “How many deaths were there, to make all this blossoming possible?” - and under deaths he included all the disappointments, partings, failures, and pains that lie hidden in that history. The abiding impression he leaves is upbeat: of an outreach that is inclusive, global and charged with love.

Saturday in Milltown

The gathering of Jesuits for the five o’clock Mass in Milltown was an event in itself, because the brethren were greeting friends they had not seen for perhaps twenty years, and they were praying in the chapel in which most of them had been ordained priests. They were lifted by the Missa de Angelis and modern hymns from the strong, sweet voices of the Gonzaga choir. Mass was prayerful, focussed on the Lord, not on performers. Fr Nicolás’ homily, in Ignatian terms, stressed the First Week of the Exercises, and the deaths and sacrifices that nurture growth. Later, after dinner, his answers to questions covered Jesuit identity, collaboration with lay partners, and relations with ex-Jesuits  – “two of my brothers, he said, are ex-Jesuits!”

Warm welcomes up North

Sunday 13th. After the mass in Gardiner Street and the reception in Belvedere, Father General took the road north to Belfast. A keen observer of the reality around him, by the time the car reached Newry he was ready to ask where the place called ‘Amach’ was and why it was signposted at every off-ramp on the motorway. In his talk in the Connor Theatre at the University of Ulster he acknowledged the presence of the many people who have welcomed the Jesuits to Portadown, Belfast and Armagh over the years. When he spoke from his text he acknowledged the great range of commitments of Jesuits and their friends in the North: spiritual, theological, social, cultural, ecumenical, to dialogue, to reconciliation, etc. Read more »

New Jesuit.ie launched

The Jesuit Communication Centre launched a complete rebuild of Jesuit.ie last week, in time for the arrival of Fr General Adolfo Nicolás. It acted as an excellent showcase for news stories and photos during the visit. The new site is designed to be a gateway for all Irish Jesuit websites, giving visitors a clear view of the many apostolic works in the Province, and it incorporates all the Province news on www.amdg.ie. It also has links to Jesuit accounts on social networking sites such as Twitter, Flickr and YouTube. This is the tenth website built by the Jesuit Communication Centre over the past few years. The others include Jesuit Refugee Service, Manresa, Jesuit Missions and Slí Eile.

Fr Provincial’s Diary

JESUITICA: Musician on mission

The most accomplished musician among Jesuit missionaries was an Italian Baroque composer called Domenico Zipoli (1688-1726). He joined the Jesuits in order to volunteer to work in the Reductions of Paraguay, and while still a novice he sailed to Buenos Aires in 1717, already a Kapellmeister (which included the jobs of organist, choir master and composer). Though he was only 38 when he died of tuberculosis, his works were already famous across Latin America. Last week a recording of music from The Mission on Lyric FM included some music by Zipoli. You can hear it, and read more about him on Wikipedia.