Murmurings in Rome

In the America Magazine blog, ‘In All Things’, James Martin SJ explains the wisdom of having days for murmurationes before casting votes for a new Superior General:

St. Ignatius was adamant about removing as many temptations as possible for Jesuits to seek leadership positions in the church, since he had seen what ambition did to some of the churchmen of his time. Thus, when Jesuits pronounce their final vows, they make an additional promise against “ambitioning” for jobs, and even to turn in anyone who has been “ambitioning” or campaigning. So with no electioneering permitted, how to surface names for the right candidates in the General Congregation? The “murmurationes” is an elegant answer to that.

Read the full blog entry on the America website.

Congregation on TV

You can find an interesting news piece on the opening of the General Congregation on the website of a Rome-based Catholic internet TV service, ROMEreports (click here). It includes footage of the opening ceremony and some clips from an interview with Jesuit spokesman José María de Vera SJ.

Fr Kolvenbach resigns

The Jesuit America Magazine is one publication that quotes the outgoing Father General:

“With the blessing of the Holy Father granted the 20th of June 2005 and after having obtained a positive vote from the Assistants for provident care and from the Provincials of the whole Society on the seriousness of the reasons to resign, I present now to the judgment of the General Congregation my resignation as Superior General of the Society of Jesus.”

Fr Kolvenbach, who had secured Pope Benedict’s permission to tender his resignation to the Jesuit General Congregation, praised the delegates for the “elegant way which you have found to fire me.”

See a slideshow of Fr Kolvenbach’s resignation on the Creighton University website. To read all stories in AMDG relating to GC35, click here.

GC35 photographs

A number of photographs by Wisconsin Jesuit Don Doll have been made available to Jesuit publications. In some of them, the Irish Electors, John Dardis and Jim Corkery, can be seen at their places as the Congregation begins a session with a prayer at which two of the Dublin-based tertians assist. Read more »

The Jesuit job description

John Dear SJ, web columnist with the National Catholic Reporter, reflects on GC35 in an article The Jesuits gather in Rome. Peace activist John Dear hopes that Jesuits “reclaim our early historic Gospel zeal, the spirit of our saints and martyrs.”

As Jesuit leaders gather in Rome to plot our work for the next few decades, pray with me that we can reclaim our early historic Gospel zeal, the spirit of our saints and martyrs; that we might individually and corporately renounce violence and war once and for all; that we might ban ROTC from every Jesuit campus; that we might have nothing to do with any military anywhere, and instead defend the poor and marginalized from every injustice.

GC35 is a bellweather

In a post entitled Forever Jesuit on Commonweal’s blog, Michael Higgins concludes

The election of the new General and the charting of new directions – all in the shadow of a wary Roman Pontiff – bear close watching if for no other reason because the Company of Jesus is the perfect bellwether for an imperfect ecclesia.

GC 35 information sources

AMDG will provide links to information on GC35 in the coming weeks. Click here for all GC35 articles. The following sites also promise to be helpful in keeping you up to date.

Read more »

Jesuit Congregation begins in Rome

The Thirty-fifth General Congregation (GC35) of the Jesuits was formally opened in Rome on Monday 7 January. More than 220 Jesuits from around the world convened at the Jesuit Curia, which is close to the Vatican, to elect a new Superior General and to discuss the apostolic challenges confronting the Society in the years ahead. Father Kolvenbach is expected to offer his resignation to the General Congregation and, following the election of a new Superior General, the Congregation will move to the discussion of a number of issues concerning Jesuit identity and mission. The opening address of GC35 was delivered by Cardinal Rodé you can download it here. The photograph shows Jim Corkery, one of the two Irish electors, in procession at the opening liturgy.

Homily at the Opening Mass of GC35

His Eminence, the Most Reverend Franc Card. Rodé, C.M.
Dear members of the xxxv General Congregation of the Society of Jesus

St Ignatius considered the General Congregation “work and a distraction” (Const. 677) which momentarily interrupts the apostolic commitments of a large number of qualified members of the Society of Jesus and for this reason, clearly differing from what is customary in other religious Institutes, the Constitutions establish that it should be celebrated at determined times and not too often.

Nevertheless, it must be called principally on two occasions: for the election of the Superior General and when things of particular importance or very difficult problems which touch the body of the Society must be treated. Read more »

Five facts about the Jesuits

Reuters.com news service offers five facts about the Jesuits, noting that,

Jesuit delegates from around the world are gathering in Rome to choose a superior general to run the largest male Catholic clerical order.

A window on a General Congregation

by Jim Corkery SJ, Irish Province Elector

On amdg.ie you will find information about what a General Congregation does.  But you may wonder about the experience of one– about what it’s actually like to be there.  Well, you wouldn’t be alone in that!  After Christmas I will go off to Rome with Fr. John Dardis, the Irish Jesuit Provincial, since we are the two from Ireland who will attend the 35th General Congregation, beginning on January 7, 2008.  Read more »

Roads to Rome

The Irish Provincial, John Dardis SJ, and Jim Corkery SJ will travel to Rome in January to take part in the 35th Jesuit General Congregation (GC35) . This is the ruling body for deciding issues around Jesuit mission and identity. This Congregation will address, among other issues, the retirement of Fr Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, General since 1983 and now 78 years of age. Prayer cards have been made available by the Curia. See GC35 webpage: www.jesuit.ie/gc35