There was no escaping the US Presidential election over the last two weeks, so AMDG Express sought a personal viewpoint from Donal Godfrey, the Cork-born Irish Jesuit who is head chaplain in the University of San Francisco. Donal responded at once with an engaging account of his experience on campus, where he was pictured with a life-size cut-out of his favoured candidate. Read Donal’s story below Read more »
Jesuit-related video clips are being compiled by the Jesuit Communication Centre and featured on Jesuit.ie. The first ones are about the JUST project in Ballymun and (in two parts) a Kairos production about Fr John Sullivan SJ. The producer was Fr Edmund O’Keefe SJ. Many more videos will be added to the ‘Worth Watching’ page in the coming months.|
FR PROVINCIAL’S DIARY 22 Oct: Returns from CEP and EOC meetings in Madrid 23 Oct: Finance meeting; Ministries Commission meeting 24-25 Oct: Consult 27-31 Oct: Holidays |
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One of the Slí Eile volunteers, Edel, penned this fine impressionistic account of her time in the Hogares y Luz orphanage this summer. She and a number of other volunteers spent three weeks in Bogota, and they were all deeply impressed by the experience. Read more »
Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, director of the Vatican press office and the head of Vatican Radio, spoke on 29 May 2008 at the Catholic Media Convention in Toronto. His address, entitled When the Pope Speaks to the World: Working With Modern Media, is made up mainly of personal reflections on working in communications at the Vatican. Pope Benedict XVI emerges from these reflections as a pontiff who truly holds, as he said at his inaugural Mass, that ours is not a religion of prohibitions but, rather, a religion based on the great ‘yes!’ of love. His norm in presenting the Christian proposition is to state the positive first. The full text of Fr Lombardi’s address is available at the Catholic News Service blog.
The summer edition of the Irish language Jesuit publication, An Timire, is now available. Carly-Anne Gannon writes about her experiences at World Youth Day and of the periods which she has spent working on a voluntary basis under the auspices of Slí Eile in Bogota, Columbia. Fr Sean McDonagh SCC illustrates how Jesus drew inspiration from nature in much of his teachings to show his care for mankind and discusses his healing ministry. Dr. Muireann Ní Bhrolcháin tells of the destruction being carried out near Tara with the construction of the new motorway and Daithí Ó hÓgáin gives us the lore and mythology about Tara. Leon Ó Giolláin SJ tells the story of a young man and his search for God. There are reflections for each day of the Sacred Heart Novena as well as book reviews. Copies of the Timire can be obtained by writing to An Timire, Manressa Centre of Spirituality, Dollymount, Dubin 3. An Timire is published quarterly and the annual subscription is €10.
Brian Lynch speaks to Dr Richard Leonard, SJ, Director of the Australian Catholic Office for Film and Broadcasting in this month’s edition of The Word magazine: “Young people especially ‘are not lacking in an openness towards otherness and transcendence’ as evidenced by the predominance of science fiction and fantasy films at the top of box-office charts for the past three decades. Star Wars, The Matrix, Harry Potter; each incorporates altered states of reality, the existence of evil, and the need to confront it. ‘The generations who no longer go to Church are not lacking in the appreciation of a big story – and the Church has the biggest story in town. We actually have the biggest story there is. So it’s not what we’ve got to say; it’s how we’re saying it’.”
BBC Radio Ulster held an interview with Fr. Federico Lombardi SJ, director of the Vatican Press Office, on Sunday 4 May. He talks about the Papal visit to the U.S., the perceived change in Pope Benedict’s image, and a possible Papal visit to Northern Ireland. It was broadcast during their Sunday Sequence programme, and can be heard on their playback facility here (starting at 53 mins). Fr Lombardi was also interviewed in Rome recently by BBC journalist Martin O’Brien. Fr Lombardi’s earlier interview about the Jesuit mission to be at the frontier of faith and culture can be seen here on H2O Catholic News.
The Pontifical Commission for Cultural Goods marked the restoration of the altarpiece painted by Brother Andrea Pozzo, a Jesuit of the sixteenth century, in the historic Gesù Church. To see the video on H20 Catholic news service click here.
Outgoing Taoiseach Bertie Ahern concluded his final Dáil session with a quote from the Jesuit writer, Fr John Sullivan. Mr Ahern urged that life be taken “in instalments” and that each day be a new beginning: “Let the past go. Now let me do whatever I have the power to do.” Mr Ahern has been a regular attendee at services in St. Francis Xavier’s Church, Gardiner Street, where Fr. Sullivan’s tomb is a centre of devotion and prayer. Fr. John Sullivan, who died in 1933, had a reputation for holiness and healing, especially in Co Kildare. The Cause for his canonisation was formally begun in 2002, and many come to Gardiner Street be blessed with his cross and visit his tomb. For the story of Fr. Sullivan’s life see: www.gardinerstparish.ie.
![mcverry_jesus.jpg](http://www.amdg.ie/images/gallery/amdg-april-2008/mcverry_jesus.jpg "Jesus: social revolutionary?\")
The Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice (JCFJ) has announced the publication of Jesus: social revolutionary? This new book is written by one of the JCFJ team, Peter McVerry SJ, and published by Veritas. Tony O’Riordan SJ, director of the JCFJ, states that the book is “an attempt to open a debate about the meaning of our faith and the Christian obligation to question how a society that, though incredible wealthy, continues to tolerate immense poverty and inequality.” The JCFJ have set up a special section on their website, www.jcfj.ie, which contains extracts of the book and an interview with the author, Peter McVerry, on the background to the book. Read more »
In the current edition of the Irish language magazine An Timire Pádraic Gilligan, Managing Director of Ovation Global DMC, refers to the inspiration of Chiara Lubich, the recently deceased founder of Focolare in his discussion of the challenges facing the Christian in the business world. Fr Petrus Hans describes his long period in prison in China and Tekadiomona Nima SJ outlines the need to make Christianity relevant to the culture of the Church community. Other articles include a tribute to Seán Ó Duibhir SJ, poems and book reviews. An Timire is published quarterly and can be ordered by writing to An Timire, 36 Upper Leeson Street, Dublin 2. Yearly subscription is €10.
Richard Leonard was interviewed by Pat Coyle during his recent visit to Ireland. Audio courtesy of RNN. Click here to select other AMDG audio.
A book produced by the Irish Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice has recently been translated into Spanish and will now reach a much wider readership. The Development of Peoples: Challenges for Today and Tomorrow was translated by ALBOAN, a partner organisation of the JCFJ, and will be distributed by the Spanish Jesuit publishing house Mensajero, under the title El Desarrollo de los Pueblos: Desafios par hoy y manana. The publication was commissioned by the International Jesuit Network on Development (IJND) and the essays were compiled and edited by the Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice in Dublin. Included in the book are essays by authors from around the globe which reflect on contemporary development challenges in the light of the encyclical Populorum Progressio, issued by Pope Paul VI forty years ago. For more information, please contact the Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice.
