JESUITICA: Irish Jesuit at the front

When they remember their war dead on Anzac Day, Australians include in that number Fr Michael Bergin SJ, an Irish Jesuit who signed up with the Australian Imperial Forces (AIF) in order to accompany them as chaplain to Gallipoli. Two facts give Fr Bergin particular distinction. Firstly, though he served with the AIF he never set foot on Australian soil. And secondly, he was the only Catholic chaplain serving with the AIF to die as a result of enemy action – not, however, in Gallipoli, which he survived, but in Passchendaele, Belgium, in 1917. According to the citation for the Military Cross, which he received posthumously, Fr Bergin was “always to be found among his men, helping them when in trouble, and inspiring them with his noble example and never-failing cheerfulness.” Read Frank McNally on Fr Bergin in last week’s Irish Times.

Young people and suicide

“Young people and suicide” was the theme of a two-day Magis event organised by Slí Eile, the Jesuit outreach to young adults. It took place in the Redemptorist retreat centre ‘Marianella’ on Friday 30 April and Sat 1 May. The young people gathered heard moving accounts of the experience of suicide from differing perspectives. A young man described what brought him to almost take his own life whilst a close relative of someone who had committed suicide shared about the trauma of the experience for the family. As with every Magis event, each of the sharings was followed by a period of guided prayer and reflection. UCD Chaplain Leon Ó Giolláin SJ showed a DVD probing issues raised by this vexed problem and led a discussion afterwards. The next Magis weekend is on the theme of ‘Disability’, contact Noelle Fizpatrick, 01-8880606.

Spotlight on women’s prisons

Eoin Carroll, Acting Director of the Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice, featured twice in the Irish Times last week. He was one of the co-signatories, all of whom were from notable social justice and human rights groups, of a letter commending Kathleen McMahon, governor of the Dóchas Centre women’s prison, for resigning on a point of principle. The letter concurs with her judgement that  chronic overcrowding will cause long-term harm to the  progressive rehabilitative regime that once characterised the Dóchas Centre. Read the letter below. Later in the week, on Saturday 1 May, Eoin is quoted by Breda O’Brien in her article ‘Prison reform for the Price of a Pension’. He suggests that the former Minister for Justice, Máire  Geoghegan-Quinn, could ‘gift’ her pension for a whole-scale review of women in prison. Read more »

Two Provincials come to town

Wojciech Ziółek (right in picture), Provincial of the Southern Polish Province, was in Dublin this week. While struggling with English he managed to convey his gratitude to the Irish Province for hosting so many Polish scholastics. Apparently ‘most’ enjoyed their stay very much. The Provincial for the East African Province, Fr. Agbonkhianmeghe Orobator (left in picture), also visited Ireland briefly last week and gave a wonderful talk to a group of Jesuits in the Milltown Park residence, voicing gratitude for the Irish contribution and a description of the complex and rich nature of the EAP. Fr. Orobator, an ecclesiologist from Nigeria, had been working as lecturer and rector of Hekima College in Nairobi when, to his great surprise, he was appointed to the EAP as provincial.  (View video; listen to podcast). Conall O’Cuinn SJ remembers him vividly. Read his account below. Read more »

International conference on Church in China

RTE  presenter Sean O’Rourke will chair an international conference on the Church in China today, in Gonzaga College, Saturday 8 May, 09.30-1pm. The conference will mark the 400th anniversary of Matteo Ricci SJ, one of the most remarkable figures of Catholic missionary history. It will open with a lecture on the importance of Ricci’s contribution to the Church in China, by Oxford scholar Antoni Uclerer SJ. Then Willi Muller SVD will analyse the Church in China today, and John Lee Hua SJ will outline the role of the Jesuits there, who have followed in the footsteps of  ‘The Wise Man from the West’. After lunch, there will be a workshop on Chinese character writing and a showing of a short film on the life of  Ricci. All welcome. On Sunday, the Provincial will celebrate  a commemorative mass in Gardiner St Church at 12.30.

Forthcoming events

• 7-8 May: Slí Eile MAGIS ‘Understanding Disability’ (action and reflection experience). This 2 day discussion meeting will take place in 6 Ely Place, Sea Road, Galway, starting 7pm. Details from Edel at 0862295915 or edel.roddy@sli-eile.com.
• 8-9 May: Matteo Ricci conference: this 2 day event marking the 400th anniversary of Jesuit missionary to China will be help in Gonzaga College, Sandford Road, Dublin 6 Sat 8 May at 9:30am with the Bilingual mass in St. Francis Xavier Church, Gardiner St. Sun 9 May at 12:30pm. All welcome.
• 15 May: Slí Eile MAGIS, ‘What sort of Catholic am I?’ – looking at different spiritualities/traditions in the Church. This meeting will be held in Slí Eile, 20 Upper Gardiner Street, Dublin 1. Details from Debbie Moore. Tel: 01 8943165. Email: debbiemoore@sli-eile.com
• 15 May: Manresa, ‘Time-out together for Married couples, a day to explore marriage as a sacred journey’ – starts at 10am and finishes with Eucharist at 4pm. Cost: €80 per couple, including lunch. For further details, contact Manresa at 01 8331352.
• 16 May: Slí Eile’s 10th anniversary mass for Gardiner Street Gospel Choir will be held in Gardiner Street Church, Sunday 7:30pm. All welcome.
• 18 May: Launch of George Tyrrell and Catholic modernism, edited by Oliver P. Rafferty SJ (Four Courts Press: €45), in the Irish School of Ecumenics, Milltown Park, at 6pm. Dr Padraig Conway of UCD will launch the book.

World cup in Bushy Park

JRS Ireland entered two teams in a 5-a-side Mini World Cup held in Bushy Park on Saturday 1 May. The competition was organised by the Africa Centre to celebrate the hosting of the FIFA World Cup in South Africa this year. The JRS teams, Nigeria and Cameroon, comprised of participants from the regular football outreach in Trinity College, Ryan and Ross from Suas, and Stephen from JRS. Against all the odds and battling the elements, the unfancied Nigeria side made it all the way to the Final. Unfortunately, their journey ended there. Afterwards, Stephen Hayes, JRS Ireland Project Worker, said “It was a fantastic journey. As we travelled home there was huge sense of joy and pride among the team members at our achievements on the day in reaching the Final”.

Short Notices

• On 29 April, Provincial John Dardis blessed the new Milltown community building (pictured here). The residents love its light and space, built around four cores, and give huge credit to Mike Drennan SJ and the architectural team.
• The Statistics of the Society of Jesus worldwide as of the beginning of January 2009 have been just published. The total number of Jesuits is 18,226: 12,887 priests (last year: 13,088); 1,589 brothers (last year: 1,674); 2,818 scholastics, that is the Jesuits in formation, (last year: 2,925); and 972 novices (last year: 816).  A decrease of 237 members was experienced from 1st  January 2009.  These figures show a small decline in relation to the previous year, when the loss was of 304 members. The average age has dropped very slightly: 57.44 to 57.29.
• Clongowes beat Belvedere 10-9 in the final to win the Foster cup (also known as the Thirds Cup) for the second consecutive year – Clongowes’ third rugby trophy this year.
• The newly-established Irish Victor Frankl Institute of Logotherapy and Existential Analysis is accepting applications for its one-year (Academic Associate in Logotherapy) and two-year (Diplomate in Logotherapy) part-time training programe: lectures at Jesuit Conference Centre, Milltown Park, Dublin 6. Visit www.logotherapyireland.com or phone 01-4971120.
• The pastoral preparation committee of the Eucharistic Congress, due to be held in Dublin in June 1012, has just launched e-Congress, an online magazine which may be accessed at www.iec2012.ie. It contains resources to assist in personal or community preparation for the great event.
• Colaiste Iognaid: Over 150 people  celebrated 40 Years of Jes Rugby at a special event on  May 1. Rugby coach and Jes teacher, Steve Parkinson presented a slide show of photos from the 4 decades, providing good memories for all.
• The Nolan family have enjoyed a great year with Crescent College sporting teams. Ciara scored one of the winning goals for the Crescent Senior Hockey team which beat Mount Mercy in the final of the Munster Senior Cup. Ciara’s brother David, a former pupil, helped to train the rugby  team which captured the Munster Junior Cup for the first time since 1991. Proud father Pat, a former F.A.I. cup winner with Limerick F.C., coached the Crescent U.16, U.17 and U.18 soccer teams which succeeded in winning the North Munster Cups.
• Congratulations to Padraig Swan, Director of Slí Eile, who ran his third marathon (this year!) in Belfast on Mon 3 May in a personal best time of 3hrs 24 mins. At 26 miles it was only a bit of a stroll, and the real test will come later this month in hilly Durban, South Africa, when he’ll jogg 56 miles to raise money for Slí Eile projects including their work with prisoners and the homeless. To support, visit www.sli-eile.com

ISE launch of book on Tyrell

A new book on George Tyrrell is to be launched at the Irish School of Ecumenics, Milltown Park, on 18 May. This collection of essays is edited by Oliver Rafferty SJ, and both he and Michael Hurley SJ are contributors to the volume. The work re-evaluates the life and thought of Tyrrell, one of the most prominent of the modernist thinkers, on the centenary of his death. A Jesuit priest, Tyrrell was dismissed from the order and excommunicated from the church for his views. The problems he tried to grapple with – the relation of science to religion, questions of meaning and modernity, issues of the articulation of Christian ideas in modern culture – have a peculiarly contemporary ring. These articles set Tyrrell’s work within the framework of early 20th-century Catholic ideas and draw some conclusions about his thinking for present-day concerns.

Mystic evenings

Brendan Comerford’s course Insights from the Mystics is drawing crowds eager to know more about a rich Christian tradition. The conference room at Manresa is packed every week. One woman who travels up from Killarney for the lectures has been searching for years for a course on the mystics. Others travel down from Belfast. This year these searchers are being treated to some “tasters” from the Desert Fathers and Mothers, Evagrius, John Cassian, Benedict, Francis of Assisi, Julian of Norwich (statue pictured here), Ignatius of Loyola, Teresa of Avila, Therese of Lisieux and Thomas Merton. They’re learning that these mystics speak about more mundane and practical subjects (and often with great humour) than clouds of unknowing and dark nights. Brendan hopes to present another set of mystical giants next year.