Christmas cards from Jesuit Missions

The Jesuit Mission Office is selling four designed Christmas cards for the price of €1.00 each.  The cards have been designed by school pupils in Eastern Africa and all proceeds will go towards the Jesuit Missions Education Basket. The Education Baskets supports poor and disadvantaged students in Eastern Africa, Zambia and Malawi enabling them to receive a decent education. For more information, contact the Mission Office at 8366509 or email misson@jesuit.ie. Read more for images of cards. Read more »

Tour of Roman archives

Damien Burke (Irish Jesuit Archives) and Margaret Doyle (Clongowes Wood College) attended the Catholic Archives Society study trip to Rome last October. Over a six-day period, twelve visits were arranged, which included the Propaganda Fide Archives, the Vatican Secret Archives and the Archives of St Peter’s Basilica. They also had an audience with the Grand Master of the Knights of Malta and with Cardinal Marchisano and Abbot Zielinski, Pontifical Commission for the Cultural Heritage of the Church. Fr. Brian Mac Cuarta, SJ (Director, Archivum Romanum Societatis Iesu), who is pictured here (right) with Damien, made them very welcome at the Jesuit Archives and at his local ristorante. The trip highlighted the challenges faced by religious archives, especially in terms of accessibility to their historic collections.

Forthcoming events

• Sunday 27 November and Sunday 4 December: Magis Ireland: Retreat in Daily Life. For further information, contact noelle.fitzpatrick@magisireland.com. Tel:01 8880606.
• Sunday 27 November: Mass for deceased members of Coláiste Iognáid in St. Ignatius, Jesuit Church, Sea Road, at 11.00am. All pupils, staff and parents, both past and present, are welcome.
• Monday 28 November and following Advent Mondays: Reflection and prayer on the following Sunday’s gospel in Ignatian Room, Gardiner St Church, Dublin 1. From 6.00pm-6.45pm.
• Tuesday 29 November and Tuesday 6, 13, 20 December: Advent Prayer and reflection evenings from 7.30pm-9pm. Manresa, Jesuit Centre of Spirituality, 426 Clontarf Road, Dollymount Dublin 3. For further information Tel: 01 8331352. Email: Manresa@jesuit.ie; or visit www.manresa.ie.
• Wednesday 1 December: Making Space for Faith and Prayer from 7.30pm-9pm. Manresa, Jesuit Centre of Spirituality, 426 Clontarf Road, Dollymount Dublin 3. For further information visit www.manresa.ie or tel: 01 8331352
• Friday 2 to 4 December: Weekend retreat for Lay people in Manresa, Jesuit Centre of Spirituality, 426 Clontarf Road, Dollymount Dublin 3. For further information Tel: 01 8331352 email: Manresa@jesuit.ie; or visit www.manresa.ie
• Saturday 3 December: Vintage Chic Couture Ladies’ Fashion Show and Lunch in aid of the Peter McVerry Trust will take place in the Westin Hotel from 12.30pm to late. For further information Tel: 8230776; email: fundraising@pmvtrust.ie, or visit www.pmvtrust.ie.
• Sunday 4 December: Christmas Carol Concert in aid of the Peter McVerry Trust. Will take place in St. Patrick’s Cathedral at 7.30pm. Hosted by Mr. Pat Kenny with Guest speaker: Peter McVerry SJ. For further information Tel: 8230776. Email: fundraising@pmvtrust.ie; or visit www.pmvtrust.ie
• Monday 12 December: Lecture by Robert Kennedy SJ, author of ‘Zen Spirit, Christian Spirit’ and ‘Zen Gifts to Christians’, Gonzaga College at 7.30pm. Contact union@gonzaga.ie for further information.
• Monday 12 to Friday 16 December: Advent Triduum. Manresa, Jesuit Centre of Spirituality, 426 Clontarf Road, Dollymount Dublin 3. For further information Tel: 01 8331352 email: Manresa@jesuit.ie or visit www.manresa.ie
• Saturday 17 December: Christmas Preparation for Children. Manresa, Jesuit Centre of Spirituality, 426 Clontarf Road, Dollymount Dublin 3 at 3pm-5pm. For further information visit www.manresa.ie or tel: 01 8331352

Remembering the dead

As the year is dying, Christians remember the dead: the millions whose lives were squandered in tragic wars, and the others, close to us, whom we save from oblivion by memorial rites in November. Colaiste Iognaid in Galway will hold a Mass of remembrance – for the first time – for its past pupils and staff, on Sunday 27th November at 11.00am. A large congregation attended the annual memorial Mass for deceased Jesuit missionaries (pictured here), and heard Michael J. Kelly reflect on the lives of his missionary colleagues in Zambia and other mission fields. The last few years have robbed us of Bill Johnston in Japan, Frank Doyle in the Philippines, Cecil McGarry in Nairobi, and many others. These men who left their homeland for a life among strangers – what inspired them to that move? Michael picked out four qualities – read on. Read more »

Finance a service industry?

Bill Mathews’ first degree was in electrical engineering, long before he thought of the Jesuits. In the best Jesuit tradition (see the Jesuitica story above) he was attracted to mathematics and he worked in mathematical research in the UK before he entered, at the age of 25. Over the years he has taught philosophy, in Ireland and USA, and was working in Washington DC, USA, at the time of the Lehmann Brothers crash. He set himself to understand why the collapse of a bank had such enormous repercussions. Bill’s take on the affair appeared in an article on Finance Ethics in the Lonergan Review (2010). Peter Scally SJ, asked Bill to attempt a similar analysis of the Eurozone crisis for Thinking faith, the online journal of the British Jesuits. See his highly topical and readable Euro Lessons in Context in Thinking Faith. Read more below. Read more »

Jesuit ‘journey to trust’

David Tuohy SJ features in a documentary film on the history of the Le Chéile Schools Trust, which comprises over fifty schools from thirteen religious congregations. The aim of the trust is to carry on the legal, financial and inspirational role of trusteeship that has been done by those individual congregations and who now want to renew and reformulate their commitment to Catholic education. A well-known educational consultant who works both here and abroad, David was the facilitator who worked with representatives of the Congregations for over six years in the unique, project described as ‘one of the most important developments in the history of Catholic education”. Contributors to the programme said that David Tuohy’s work was crucial to the success of the project – a claim he modestly denies. Watch here.

Short notices

• For an upbeat view of the country’s crisis, look at Edmond Grace SJ’s recent article in Eureka Street. Edmond has written extensively on political and social issues and is the author of Democracy and Public Happiness. Recently he wrote a series of articles for the Irish Times on Ireland’s three crises: banking, political and religious. He chairs the organising committee for the Venice Workshop on Faith and Politics, a joint collaboration of European Jesuits.
• Despite misigivings about summing up the results of schooling (in school league tables, published this week) in statistics “that could be read off by a one-eyed colour-blind metre-reader” – as Schumacher described the points system – it is no harm to feel pleased that on the narrow criteria of Leaving Cert. Points and access to difficult third-level courses, Gonzaga heads the list, with Belvedere in the top 20 and Crescent in the top forty Irish schools.
• Fr  Paddy Greene SJ will facilitate a”Dare to Dream” workshop, Friday 9th – Sunday 11th December 2011. Participants will be helped to explore how dreams point  to places of growth, healing and surprise. Topics also include recall of dreams, dreams in other cultures, death in dreams, dreams and health. There will also be time to work on dreams in the group setting. Contact Debbie Moore, Magis Irleand at 01 8880606 or visit the Magis Ireland website.
• Frank Sammon SJ was the respondent to a paper on Teilhard de Chardin, given by Dr Deirdre Kinlen to a Patrician group on 21 November. The group’s high level of participation prompted Frank to take his Teilhardian studies further.
• Magis Ireland – South Africa Volunteering Programme offers young people a chance to make a difference and they are looking for volunteers now for their 11th Aug – 25th 2012 programme. Applications forms now available on the Magis Ireland website. Closing date: 28 November. Contact Debbie Moore: 01 8880606.
• Jesuit schools used to aim at giving pupils a Copia verborum, meaning a large supply of words. In our last issue, Belvedere boys had argued and charmed their way to the UCD L & H Mace. This week the focus is on Colaiste Iognaid: Third Year ‘Jes’ debaters Eoghan Finn and Daragh McCarthy debated against 80 school teams from around the country to win the prestigious All-Ireland Belvedere Mace. Congratulations. Vivat copia verborum!
• Every Monday during Advent, beginning on 28th November, a reflection and prayer on the following Sunday’s gospel takes place from 6.00pm-6.45pm in the Ignatian Room, Gardiner St Church, Dublin 1. This will be led by Fr Donald Neary SJ and will begin with some background to the gospel and end with guided prayer on the gospel text. All are welcome.
• Renowned literary scholar Professor Terry Eagleton will give a lecture on “Jesus and tragedy” in St Mary’s Church, Haddington Road, Dublin, on Thursday 1 December at 8pm. It is one in a series of lectures being organised by a Gonzaga alumnus, Judge Kevin Cross, and his committee.
• Footnote:  Father Luis Archer, featured in the last AMDG Express, was proud of his Irish ancestry, being descended from a Kilkenny man who emigrated to Oporto in 1720 (to avoid the Penal Laws) and who married an Englishwoman he met in Portugal.

Polish ministry thriving

The Gardiner Street Polish Ministry hosted a seminar on Family and Marriage, with direction and input from Mr Jack Pulikowski, author of fifteen books on family life. It took place in an overflowing Fr John Sullivan room. The Saturday session was followed by the weekly Scripture course, run by Fr Jaroslaw Paszynski SJ. Apart from the weekly Masses (Sat 7.15 pm, Sunday 11.45 and Tuesday 6.15 pm), in Gardiner St, the ministry, under the direction of Fr Tomas Szymczyk (pictured here), has an outreach with Sunday Masses in Ballymun and Balbriggan. Various initiatives in Ignatian spirituality have also been offered over the past five years. According to Gardiner St. PP Donal Neary SJ: “Many Polish people find a renewed liturgy and spirituality here and enjoy the friendship and hospitality after Mass. The  congregation is very family-friendly, and many of the children have been baptised here.”

Reflections on Advent

‘I don’t agree with people who say we’ve got to put the ‘Christ’ back into Christmas’ says Donal Neary SJ in an interview with Pat Coyle on his latest book, New Reflections on  Advent (Columba Press €5). “All the things we associate with Christmas can be made sacred if we approach it in the right frame of mind.” His book offers a prayer and a reflection on the various Gospel readings for Advent, and he believes that those who use it during Advent, as preparation for Christmas, will find it a helpful guide. “Many people may not be finding great renewal in Church structures today, but if we go to the scriptures, where our faith is rooted, we can find real renewal within ourselves as we reflect on the Word of God.” Listen here or see him on the Jesuit homepage.

JESUITICA: A penchant for science

During their first century the Jesuits were the only scientific society in existence anywhere. Jesuit scientists treated science as a window on God’s grandeur. Science and mathematics maintained a place of honour in the curriculum established for Jesuit seminarians in the Roman College. Jesuit educators knew that “many a professor of philosophy has made no end of mistakes because of his ignorance of mathematics”. In 1611 a school in Antwerp specializing exclusively in mathematics was established for young Jesuits skilled in the sciences. As a result, scientific inquiry of a high order flourished in the early Society, and put them in touch with people who otherwise had murderous prejudice against Jesuits – witness the extraordinary contacts of Francis Line (d. 1675). Read more below. Read more »

Jesuit Tertians retreat

Twelve Jesuits took an important step on Saturday 19 November when they began their thirty-day retreat in Dollymount. The twelve Tertians are being directed in the Spiritual Exercises by Joe Dargan, Jan Van de Poll and Kevin O’Rourke. Nine of this year’s Tertians are from European Provinces and three from Asia -  Brendan McManus and Piaras Jackson of the Irish province being among the group. The Tertians spent their first weeks in to study the history of the Society and the Constitutions and considered a range of topics with presentations by the instructors and visiting speakers. They will leave Dollymount in January to spend three months on placements before Tertianship finishes in May. They ask to be remembered in your prayer at this time. You will find an outline of the weekly theme on the Tertianship website, www.tertianship.eu.

Magis Ireland programme launched

Magis Ireland, the Jesuit outreach to young adults, officially launched its range of activities for 2011-12 on Friday 4 November, 6.30pm, with a cheese and wine reception in their offices at 20 Upper Gardiner Street, Dublin 1. The Magis team outlined  many of the programmes planned for the year ahead, including reflection days, retreats and social justice outreach projects. Young adults spoke about their experience of previous programmes and the impact they had. In particular there was a celebration of their very successful Arthur Cox overseas volunteers project in Zambia (see photo). Many of the achievements of this project were high-lighted, along with an acknowledgement of the impact it had both on the local communities in Zambia and on the trainee solicitor-volunteers involved. Visit their website.

Forthcoming events

• Saturday 12 November: Inter-faith Experience for Young People. Magis Ireland, Gardiner Street and the Lantern Centre Synge Street at 9.30am to 7.30pm. Further information contact Noelle Fitzpatrick at noelle.fitzpatrick@magisireland.com or Christine Santisteban at santistc@tcd.ie
• Tuesday 15 November: An evening with Dermot Mansfield on Newman entitled “A light for our time”. Manresa Jesuit Centre of Spirituality, 426 Clontarf Road, Dollymount, Dublin 3 at 8pm. Further details Tel: 8331352 or email Manresa@jesuit.ie
• Friday 18 November: Belvedere College Confucius Classroom an initiative of the UCD Confucius Institute for Ireland. Belvedere College, 6 Great Denmark Street, Dublin 2 at 4.15pm
• Sunday 27 November – Sunday 4 December: Magis Ireland: Retreat in Daily Life. Further information contact noelle.fitzpatrick@magisireland.com. Tel: 8880606.
• Sunday 4 December: Christmas Carol Concert in aid of the Peter McVerry Trust. Will take place in St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Further information contact Peter McVerry Trust, 29 Mountjoy Square, Dublin 1. Tel: 01 8230776. Email: info@pmcvtrust.ie.