JESUITICA: Jesuits to the frontiers

Ray Howgego’s “Book of Exploration”, warmly reviewed this week, is the story of over 7000 travellers who have contributed to our knowledge of this earth. It reveals how often Catholic and Jesuit missionaries were to the forefront of exploration. The travels of St Francis Xavier, to India, South East Asia, Japan and the coast of China, are an example. After him, in the 1570s, Portuguese Jesuits discovered the Blue Nile. Italian Matteo Ricci spent more than 30 years in China, and drew for the Emperor a famous map of the known world, with China placed at the centre.

Short Notices

• Gerry Foley, principal of Belvedere, welcomed the meeting of Pastoral Coordinators from Jesuit schools who met in Belvedere House on Thursday and Friday 8-9 October 2009. The meeting was convened by Brian Flannery, Education Delegate, to coordinate pastoral and RE programmes in the JesuitsSchools. Present were (L t R), Brian Flannery, Gerry Foley (Belvedere), Danny McNelis (Gonzaga), Helen Barden (Belvedere), Grainne Delaney (Crescent),  Frank Clarke (Clongowes), Brendan McManus SJ (Coláiste Iognáid).
• Jason Lyons, a third-year Coláiste Iognáid student has been in Dublin for the last three weekends for trials for the Under 15 national soccer team. Jason who plays for Barna soccer club, is among 67 players selected and is currently awaiting notification about whether he will be selected for the squad. Jason has also been involved in trials for Celtic and hopes to be included in the Irish squad that sees its first game in December.
• Belvedere Parents Association invited Ms Pat Coyle, Jesuit Communications Manager, to kick off their monthly talks for the 09-10 school year. She spoke about the Jesuit Ethos in Education to almost 100 parents of pupils in various years  in the college.
• The Coláiste Iognáid choir and orchestra travelled to Limerick on Saturday 10 October to take part in a musical event as part of the 150 year anniversary celebration in the Crescent Comprehensive school. The Jes, which came second, was one of 7 schools who took part in the competition for choirs and Orchestras of Jesuit Schools and schools in the Limerick area. Music teacher, Carl Hession was joined by Geraldine King and vice-principal, Catherine Hickey for the event.
• The Jesuit schools in Leinster had a  large representation in the Leinster schools under 19 ‘s team that won this year’s schools interprovincial championship for that age group. In the final match of the season they defeated the Munster schools 19-8 to clinch the championship for a fourth consecutive year. A total of six players on the panel of 22 were from the Jesuit schools. They were  Daniel Diviney (Gonzaga), Conor Duffy (Belvedere), Robert Hynes (Clongowes), Mark McGroarty (Gonzaga), James Hart  (Belvedere ) and Donal Murray ( Belvedere). The Jesuit connection was completed with Clongowes senior cup coach Noel Murray being part of the Leinster schools successful coaching team . Robert Hynes of Clongowes had a colossal game in the forwards and was the team’s most outstanding forward.

Forthcoming Events

• Slavek Kwi, a composer and sound artist, will set up an installation of the compositions he worked on with the children of St Declan’s School, in the John Field Room, National Concert Hall. The installation will run continuously for 48 hours, through Friday 16 and Saturday 17 October. All are invited.
• Gerry O’Hanlon SJ will speak about the recession and God in Galway this evening, 13 October.
• Brendan Comerford SJ continues his lecture series on ‘An introduction to St Paul’ in Gardiner Street Church, 8-9pm, October 13.

Navigating St Luke’s gospel

Philip Fogarty SJ has just had the first of four books on the gospels published. It is called Navigating the Gospels: Luke and is published by Columba Press. The Navigating the Gospels series is intended for the general reader who wishes to know how the gospels came to be written and what they have to tell us about Jesus, who once walked the dusty roads of Palestine demonstrating God’s love for humanity. The stress therefore is on leading the reader on an imaginative ejourney, looking at the people, places and actions described in the gospel story. As such, it is intended as an aid to the contemplation of the gospels, letting them speak to the heart as well as to the head.

Celtic Tiger and Christian values

“We spent money we didn’t have on things we didn’t need” was Peter McVerry’s summary of the Celtic Tiger in his keynote address to the bi-annual Irish Religious Education Conference on Sat Oct 3. Describing two defects of those  heady days, he said that Celtic Tiger wealth wasn’t sustainable or available to all. Addressing the conference theme “Between Memory and Hope”, in the Fairways Hotel, Dundalk, Peter McVerry SJ told the gathering of over 500 religious educators that no matter how well Ireland fared in the future, we must never go back to the days of selfishness and greed that characterised those heady Celtic Tiger times. Christian values represented the antithesis of that culture, he said,  as the Gospel commanded us  to build a society based on caring for our neighbour rather than looking out for ourselves. For the full address click here: Peter McVerry SJ on the Economic Crisis.

‘Messenger’ in pink!

For the first time in The Messenger’s 121 year history its iconic red cover has been transposed to a flush of pink  because The Messenger magazine has taken the lead in supporting Action Breast Cancer during the month of October. To mark Breast Cancer Awareness month  the magazine  will  be donating 10% from all new postal subscriptions taken out in the month of October, to the charity  Action Breast Cancer. Editor Editor John Looby, S.J.,says they did not take the decision to change the colour lightly but “The Messenger receives thousands of letters every month and many of those letters leave us in no doubt about the prevalence of cancer and in particular breast cancer in Ireland. So we wanted to signal our concern and show our readiness to help.” The special pink October edition has a feature article by Carita Kerr entitled “Me and My Cancer: A Personal Journey.”

Marking Gonzaga’s maturity

In a year’s time Gonzaga College will be sixty years old.  On 4th October Fr. John Dardis, Jesuit Provincial, marked its maturity when he blessed and formally opened the college’s new buildings. A capacity crowd of parents filled the hall in a spirit of joy in the new building that provides space for education, for gathering, for hospitality and creativity. The extension of new classrooms, science facilities, IT/Computer Room, Theatre, Library and Dining Hall finally provides facilities which are commensurate with the quality of the education. Jesuit education always looks to the future and prays that a new building be one of service in which potential is developed and glory is given to God’s name. The picture here shows the hall during the visit of Fr General Adolfo Nicolás SJ, the first use of the hall for a public meeting.

Meetings matter!

“Eighty-five million meetings occur every day” according to Meetings Matter! by Brian Grogan SJ and Phyllis Brady: Veritas: 2009. Here is a practical, easy-to-use handbook on how to make the meetings in our lives more useful and painless. John Galbraith, in his book on the Great Crash, described the various reasons for meetings, including those whose function is to do no business. Power-brokers in one of Dublin’s great academic institutions have been known to shy away from any committee or meeting which has no control of cash. Grogan/Brady’s focus is different and distinctive: on the often ignored faith dimension of meetings. “Our thesis is that God is involved with groups, and uses our help to achieve the common good. We are, in fact, presenting a spirituality of meetings.”

Retreat in Birmingham

Patrick Hume SJ (right in photo) reflects on St. Thérèse of Lisieux after her reliquary visits Birmingham: “Arriving on Friday at Manresa House, Birmingham, I learnt that all the novitiate were to attend Mass at St. Chad’s Cathedral on the following Sunday. The Reliquary of St. Thérèse of Lisieux otherwise The Little Flower (Bláithín) was on tour and would be the focus of a special celebration for religious congregations in and around Birmingham. I was curious. My grand uncle Timothy Canon Hurley, D.D., to give him his full title, wrote a biography of the same young saint. Uncle Timothy was a priest of the diocese of Elphin and while working in Strokestown, Co. Roscommon, as a curate he embarked on a study of the life of St Thérèse. He eventually published a devout study, St Thérèse of the Child Jesus. Story of her life, with mysticism of spiritual childhood in 1927. Read more »

Pioneers vowing and ploughing

The Pioneers’ Heroic Offering, first made 120 years ago by Fr James Cullen in St Peter’s Cathedral, Belfast,  drew hundreds of Pioneers to a jubilee Mass on the same spot. Cardinal Daly presided, Bishop Farquhar led the celebration, and Fr Raymond McCullagh preached. Across the Border, in Athy, hundreds more visited the Pioneer stand at the National Ploughing Championships, a show which attracted 80,000 people a day. Many of these visitors were young adults who saw the Pioneers as an organisation that could support them with the choices they have made around alcohol. The Association is reflecting on this year’s experience and planning ahead.

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Goodwill, trust and Europe

Edmond Grace SJ, who campaigned tirelessly for a ‘Yes’ vote on the Lisbon treaty, has written a brief reflection on the event and what it tells us about ourselves. “Last Saturday evening some hundreds of people gathered in a Dublin hotel to celebrate the ‘yes’ vote for Lisbon. These people were one small part of the ‘Ireland for Europe’ campaign which was made up of a myriad of small networks addressing different aspects of the campaign for a yes vote. They were to be found in every part of the country and in every sector of society – community groups, trade unions, farming organisations, churches, public service, politics, sport, business. The turn-out (the biggest of any European referendum) and the majority (two to one) is largely due to these extensive networks of dedicated people and the leaders of our three largest political parties have acknowledged their gratitude.” Read more »

School Mass

Opening Masses are a feature of the beginning of the school year in most Catholic schools. Frs Donal Neary (Belvedere and Kings’ Inn St) and William Reynolds (Gardiner St Primary School) celebrated opening Masses in the local schools. Such events are an important feature of the faith life of young people. For many, the school and parish are the main spaces for faith. For some pupils it may be the only Mass of the year, or one of few. The  preparation of the Masses by staff and pupils - selection of readings, meditations and music - teaches pupils about faith and liturgy.  The celebrants pay tribute to the huge work of catechists and chaplains in our schools, particularly in schools where there is no regular presence of priests or religious.

Hopkins where he died

There is still time to see a unique dramatisation of Gerard Manley Hopkins in Newman House. Go there at 7 p.m. on 6th or 7th October, and relish (rather than enjoy) “No Worst, there is none” (the title is from Hopkins’ desolate Sonnet 49). The young Irish company, the Stomach Box, uses the rooms and stairwells in which GMH spent the last sad years of his life, to bring the audience close to the horrifying disparity between the exuberance of The Windhover and Pied Beauty, and the downward spiral of the sonnets of desolation. It is as though nature has disappeared from his consciousness, and it is just the depressed, guilt-ridden self that remains.