jesuits & friends

Jesuits and FriendsA faith that does justice

Spring 2009 Issue 72

Jesuits and FriendsJesuits and FriendsA faith that A faith that does does justicejustice



Spring 2009 Issue 72Spring 2009 Issue 72



FFooccuuss oonn ZZiimmbbaabbwwee::cchhaalllleennggeess aanndd hhooppee Soup and popcorn at Holy Trinity

Welcome to ‘Our Home’: new presbytery at Aishalton

Poverty and power: Ignatian events at the World Social Forum

”

The JESUIT DEVELOPMENTFUND helps to establish andmaintain churches, schools,retreat centres and apostolicworks of all kinds at home andoverseas. At present thetrustees are assisting thedevelopment of our work inSouth Africa, and providingnursing care and attention forthe elderly Jesuits of the Province.

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SOUTH AFRICA – Fr Russell Pollitt SJHoly Trinity, PO Box 31087,Johannesburg 2017, South Africa, Tel: + 27 (0)11 339 2826,[email protected]

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www.jesuitsandfriends.org.uk Spring 2009 Jesuits & Friends 3

ContentsSpring 2009 Issue 72

FROM THE EDITORHEARING THE CRY OF THE POOR: Fr Tim Curtis SJ reflects on his recent visit to Zimbabwe. 4

CELEBRATING THE YORKSHIREWOMAN WHO ‘DARED TO DREAM’: The Mary Ward Jubilee‘TO LIVE, DIE AND RISE WITH THE POOR’. Sr Pat Robb CJ looks back over nearly 60 yearsof Mary Ward’s Sisters in Zimbabwe. 6

SERVING THE NEEDS OF A GROWING INNER CITY: Holy Trinity parish in Braamfontein appeals for help to provide food and medical care for the homeless. 8

OUR FUTURE HOPE: Br Medino Abraham SJ on his experience at a Fé y Alegria school in Porto Alegre. 9

A GENUINE COMMITMENT TO THE POOR. Sarah Broscombe attends the World SocialForum and Ignatian PreForum in Amazonia.A VOICE FROM GUYANA: Fr Paul Martin SJ 10

WAPADANAA OR HOTEL CALIFORNIA? Fr Simon Bishop SJ recalls some of thehighlights of the past 100 years in the GuyaneseInterior and the growth of the Aishaltoncommunity. 12

SHARING A ‘MATURE’ FAITH ON THE AIR IN LUSAKA: Fr Roy Thaden SJ explains why TV discussionsabout faith are so important in Zambia. 14

TURNING EVERY MOMENT INTO ANAPOSTOLIC INITIATIVE: Fr Michael Beattie SJ on the Pope’s Apostleship of Prayer intentions for the next three months. 15

UK JESUIT FUND FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE: What is it and how to apply for a grant.HELPING THE HOMELESS IN LIVERPOOL:Debbie Reynolds on STREETfaith. 16

ANOTHER MARATHON … ANOTHER TARGET: Support the runners and projects of 2009. 17

ECONOMICS, POLITICS OR SCIENCE: ONLINEJOURNAL OFFERS A FAITH PERSPECTIVE ONTHE ALL. Celebrating the first year of ‘Thinking Faith’. 18

CLC – A SAFE PLACE TO DEEPENAND SHARE FAITH:Meeting some of the people for whom belonging toa Christian Life Community is an important part oftheir lives. 19

BITS AND PIECES 20

RECENT PUBLICATIONS 21

OBITUARIES AND OUR RECENTLY DECEASED BENEFACTORS 22

Left: The Jesuits ofZimbabwe gatheredrecently at St George’sCollege, Harare, fortheir Province Meeting.

Photos: Tim Curtis SJ

Jesuits and Friends is published

three times a year by the British

Province of the Society of Jesus

(Jesuits), in association with JM.

Tim Curtis SJ

Executive Editor

Ged Clapson

Editor

Editorial group:

Denis Blackledge SJ

Dushan Croos SJ

Alan Fernandes

Jane King

Siobhan Totman

Graphic Design:

Ian Curtis

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Cover photo: Scholastic PeterMusekiwa in the gardens ofSt Ignatius College, Harare,where he grows food for the

school community

From the Editor...

4 Jesuits & Friends Spring 2009 www.jesuitsandfriends.org.uk

Hearingthe cry ofthe poor

It was with some trepidation that I set off on New Year’sDay to revisit Zimbabwe. I was looking forward to meetingmany old friends, and making some new ones. ButZimbabwe is perhaps not on many people’s “must visit” list.

My co-novice, Fr Stephen Buckland SJ, took over last yearas the Zimbabwean Provincial. He has the task of leadingthe 120 Jesuits of Zimbabwe and discerning with them thebest way of serving their hard pressed people. He hasassembled a great team to assist him: Fr Joe Arimoso SJ,a young and energetic priest, is now his Socius (principaladvisor) and Fr Tony Berridge SJ is the new and verycapable treasurer of the province.

I was accompanied on my trip by Julian Filochowski, theformer director of CAFOD, and together we met withStephen and the Jesuit Emergency Relief Committee.Stephen began by thanking me most sincerely for theextraordinary generosity of so many of our benefactors whohad made a shipment of food possible by Christmas.

We soon identified the need to have a local coordinator onthe ground to spearhead the Jesuit relief effort. JM has

Fr Tim Curtis, SJ, Director of JM, reflects on hisrecent visit to Zimbabwe.

At a family liturgy I once asked achild during the homily what he likedabout coming to Mass. The childreplied, “I like it, Father, when yousend us home with a tune in ourheads”. We all know what this nineyear old meant. It’s nice to go homefrom Mass “buzzing”, feelingenergised, and ready to face theworld and all its problems.

On my travels I find that there is acorrelation between the desperateness of a people andtheir ability to celebrate. On my recent visit toZimbabwe, I was struck by how seriously people“celebrate” Mass. Singing uses every part of the bodyand the whole self is revitalised through the song that issung.

It is not just singing at Mass that gives us energy.Hearing a story or getting to know a friend can also helpme realise who I am and what my place is in God’screation.

St Ignatius recommends a form of prayer called“contemplation”. In this prayer we don’t just mull overor think about some distant event. For Ignatius,contemplation situates us in the scene that we aremeditating on. Being part of salvation’s story gives methe energy I need to be able to transform my own story.The energy we get from celebration is not an escapefrom the problems that surround me, but the source ofenergy that God gives me that enables me to begin todeal with these problems.

In this edition of Jesuits and Friends, there are manystories of salvation – stories where God’s transformativeenergy is at work amongst peoples. We see this mostdramatically demonstrated where the situation seems tobe most desperate. We need to learn from those whoknow how to celebrate how we too can celebrate so thatwe too can become transformers of our own lives. Afterreading this magazine, I hope you go home “buzzing”with a “tune in your head” ready to be agents of changefor God.

Apology

A gremlin got into our computer programme for the lastissue which resulted in some people receiving more thanone copy of Jesuits and Friends. We apologise for thiserror and will make sure it does not happen again thistime. Happily, most people to whom this happened wereable to give the extra copy away to a friend.


offered to fund a post for two years to make sure thishappens. We discovered that many other Churchagencies are mounting relief programmes and it is vitalthat the Jesuits dovetail their efforts with those of otheragencies. We are hoping that through this cooperationwe can get more food to where it is most needed.

While in Zimbabwe I had to learn some newvocabulary. The whole economy has been “dollarised”.Even a street vendor will not accept the now worthlessZimbabwe currency. Teachers need “Top Ups”, as thesalary that they receive from the state is worthless.Teachers are demoralised, as no one seems toappreciate their efforts to keep the education systemfunctioning. It is important that we appreciate andencourage the dedicated teachers who continue toserve in our schools.

I was really impressed meeting ordinary Jesuitsdoing ordinary jobs, but under really extraordinarycircumstances. Fr Roland Von Nidda somehowmanages to keep St Ignatius College going, findingteachers to teach and food to feed the children. FrDavid Harold Barry at Silveira House provides coursesto help hard pressed Zimbabweans survive the harshrealities of life. Fr Heribert Müller at Makumbimission station finds that sourcing fuel to visitoutstations is a challenge. Fr Karl Hermann saidthat it was easy to tell that a hospital was functioningas you would see patients with cholera being broughtto it in wheelbarrows. Fr Oscar Wermter explainedthat at Mass, there is no sign of peace and theEucharistic Ministers wash their hands up to theelbows before giving Communion – all precautionsagainst cholera. Even the scholastics studying atArrupe College spend a good part of each daylooking for water. Yet each of these Jesuits faces

these challenges with quietequanimity.

Despite all of these hardshipsand difficulties, people werereally cheerful. The celebrationof Mass was always a joyfulaffair. People sing with theirwhole bodies and are alwayslooking out for someone whomight be worse off than they are.

Even on the political front,people are hopeful that theNational Unity Governmentmight bring much needed peaceand stability to Zimbabwe. As Ileft the country, there was hopethat the unity accord, which hasalready been signed, mightbecome a reality. Let us keep allof these friends of ours verymuch in our prayers.

Fighting cholera: the medical teamat St Rupert’s mission.

Fr Heribert Müller SJ (right) with teachers at Makumbi mission station


There was a major celebrationin York Minster at thebeginning of the year as

Sisters of the Institute of theBlessed Virgin Mary and theCongregation of Jesus marked twoanniversaries associated with theirFoundress, Mary Ward (1585-1645).

Born near Ripon in a staunchlyCatholic family, Mary dared to foundan order of religious womenmodelled on the Society of Jesus in1609. They had freedom from areligious enclosure and a readinessfor apostolic works which would putthem at the direct service of theChurch. She set up communitiesand schools in many cities on theEuropean continent, and hermembers were sent under cover onthe English Mission to support thepriests. But this adventurous stepinto the unfamiliar and unknownaroused fierce opposition fromwithin the Catholic Church, and in1631 Mary Ward’s Institute wassuppressed by Pope Urban VIII. Maryherself was described as a hereticand imprisoned for a time by theInquisition.

Mary’s rehabilitation in the Churchdid not take place until 1909, so thecelebrations that took place in Yorkmarked both the 400th anniversary

of the founding of her Institute andthe 100th anniversary of heracknowledgement as Foundress.More than 2,000 people packed theMinster, among them CardinalCormac Murphy O’Connor, who wasthe principal celebrant, and theBritish Jesuit Provincial, FatherMichael Holman SJ. The Cardinalopened his address by readinggreetings from Pope Benedict XVI

who was himself educated by theSisters in Bavaria.

In her reflection, Sister GemmaSimmonds CJ said, “Mary Warddared to dream the impossible and itcame true, though not in her time.”In her words of thanks Sister JaneLivesey, the Provincial of theCongregation of Jesus, added, “Theprophet has at last been honoured inher own country”.

Celebrating The YorkshirewomanWho ‘Dared To Dream’

Fr Michael Holman SJ (far left) concelebrates with the Cardinal, bishops and other clergy at York Minster.

The Mary Ward Jubilee


Mary Ward wanted her sisters to beavailable to “go where the need isgreatest”. The sisters in Zimbabwe do nothave to go far to be alongside those in thegreatest need: the oppressed, sick andimpoverished. They arrived in Zimbabwein 1952, at the invitation of the SwissBethlehem Fathers, to help with teachingand nursing on two of their Missions:Serima and Zaka.

It is said that when Sister Theresiaarrived, she had only a shoe box full ofmedicines, but a heart full of love. Shestarted her work under a tree,becoming more mobile with the aid of abicycle, and she eventually took overthe running of the children’s ward inthe newly built hospital. The school hadequally humble beginnings. Both thesemissions have now been handed on to aZimbabwean congregation.

In 1967, the Jesuits invited the sisters tohelp them at St Ignatius’ College inChishawasha. Sister Christopher, now 92and still involved with spiritual direction inZimbabwe, was one of the first sisters toteach in the college. Later they built andran a hostel for girls in the 6th form. Oneof the community runs the local clinic andanother is a university lecturer.

From Serima and Zaka, the sistersmoved to Chishawasha, Harare andKwekwe where, in 1985, they set up houseand saw their apostolic work increase andmultiply: social work, nursing, teaching, achildren’s home for orphans, as well asparish work and the house where novicesare prepared for religious life. The sisters

have a community in the town centre andone in each of the townships.

In Amaveni, the Mary Ward Sisters runa pre-school children’s home for 80orphans and also have sisters working ingovernment schools. In these difficulttimes, they sometimes find babies left onthe doorstep and have made room for

them. The Home has four houses, eachwith about 20 children and a housemother. Older children look after theyounger ones and all have to pull theirweight in the house and garden just asthey would in normal family life. Ifpossible the children are reunited withtheir blood relatives, if they can be traced,and support systems are put in place forthem to return to live with them. Childrenfrom the Home have gone onto college,university and apprenticeships and keepin close contact, often returning to help inthe holidays.

One sister in Mbizo runs thegovernment clinic. And at the request ofthe local residents, funding fromGermany enabled the sisters to build alarge primary school and pre school inMbizo township. Schooling certainly is notfree and on top of fees the parents have topay for books, uniform and sports funds.This means many children, especiallygirls, have to drop out of school.

Before things became as bad as they arenow the sisters had helped to fund some

vocational training of local peopleespecially women and those withdisabilities. One man, who is confined to awheel chair, has learnt how to operate a“phone shop” (selling phone calls, notphones!) and can now support his family.Others have done dressmaking,agriculture, child care etc, and, of course,there is in-service training for others inthe schools, clinics and in social work.

At this time, when so manyZimbabweans are suffering extremepoverty, the workload for the sisters hasincreased. Each house has at least oneperson designated to watch out for thosein dire need: grandmothers looking aftermany children, households run bychildren, households with people affectedby HIV and AIDS, families with very smallchildren; the list is endless. As far as ispossible, working with local churches andwhatever government welfare schemesare still functioning, the sisters and theirhelpers make sure families receive foodsupplements and get medical care.Donations from overseas help them withthis work.

This year, as we celebrate 400 yearssince Mary Ward’s foundation, the wordson her tomb stone (in OsbaldwickChurch, York) are very apt: “To love thepoor, to live, die and rise with them, wasall the aim of Mary Ward…..” God Blessand help Zimbabwe!

JM

The author (far left) with Sister Mercy andsome of the children from the home in AmaveniABOVE: Mary Ward’s tomb stone in York.

To live, die and rise with the poor

Sr Pat Robb CJ looks back overnearly 60 years of Mary Ward’sSisters in Zimbabwe, where theyare bringing life and hope to apopulation starved of food, healthfacilities and education.


The daily soup kitchen at the innercity parish of Holy Trinity inBraamfontein on the west ofJohannesburg currently operatesfrom a basement under the church.It is coordinated by the parishhouse-keeper, Yvonne Moloelang,who three years ago was presentedwith a Campion Medal for her 25years of service at Trinity. Severaldozen people who live on the streetscome to Holy Trinity every day forfood, provided through the kindnessof parishioners and fundraisingefforts of the St Vincent de PaulSociety (SVP).

However, on Monday evenings, theSVP runs a large soup kitchen at thechurch, at which around 250 peopleare served. At the same time, medicalstudents from the university run aclinic to provide primary health carefor those who do not have any otheraccess to health care because theyare not South Africans. The healthcare system in South Africa is in acrisis and many South Africansstruggle to get care for basicconditions. In addition people aregiven clothes, shoes, soap, candlesand – in the winter – blankets, allcollected from the parish community.

Holy Trinity at Braamfontein hasbeen staffed by the Society of Jesus

since 1973. The parish is the home ofthe chaplaincy to the University of theWitwatersrand and the University ofJohannesburg, and is also home tomany African immigrants – some ofwhom are ‘legal’ and others who arein South Africa ‘illegally’.

“We need a major renovation toprovide a better and more hygienicservice to the street people ofJohannesburg,” says parish priest,Father Russell Pollitt SJ. “The kitchenis inadequate and the facilities can’tcope with the growing need. There areno decent wash-rooms for those whocome to the soup-kitchen; medicalconsultations are done in a publicspace as there’s no private place forthem; and when it rains (especiallywhen we have thunder-storms insummer) the soup kitchen andmedical service can’t function asmost of it is conducted in the open.”

The SVP recently introduced a‘movie night’ for people living on thestreets. Besides their normal mealeach person was given a bag ofpopcorn. The movie – Mr Bean ¬–was a great hit but not everyonecould join in the fun simply becauseof inadequate facilities. The parish

urgently needs to renovate to makethis area functional and hence ableto better serve the growing innercity needs.

“We are also hoping to become adistribution point for antiretrovirals inthe near future,” continues Russell.“We regularly have counselling andvoluntary HIV/AIDS testing at theparish but many people who needfurther medical care are denied itsimply because they’re poor. Theparish, with other organisations, hopesto be able to make a difference to thelives of the poorest of the poor byproviding the necessary treatment.”

Holy Trinity Parish has already savedsome money to renovate the existingarea and reconfigured the space sothat an adequate store-room, kitchen,wash-room, and an area for medicalconsultations would be available. Theparish’s Finance Committee iscontinuing to raise funds butadditional help is needed if they aregoing to complete the project. “Anyhelp would be much appreciated,”says Russell. “But most especially bythe people who come here daily forfood, medical attention, material helpand the odd movie night!”

JM

A Jesuit parish in South Africaappeals for help to renovate itskitchen for the homeless andprovide private facilities formedical consultations.

Serving the needs of agrowing inner city

Queuing for food in the carpark of Holy Trinity Church


Fé y Alegria (literally, Faith andHappiness) was founded in Venezuelain 1955 as a non-governmentalorganization to establish directcontact with the poor and the needy. Itsupports the educative services bothon the peripheries of the big cities andamong the poor of the rural areas. Fr José Maria Vélaz SJ, the founder ofthe movement, best encapsulated thisideal when he said: “Where theasphalt ends and the town changes itsname, there Fé y Alegria began”.

Fé y Alegria has its philosophicalroots in the work of the famousBrazilian educator Paulo Freire, whodeveloped a model of populareducation, which was quite differentto what he felt was the moretraditional “elitist” system ofeducation found in Latin America.

The movement operates differentlyin most places and countries,depending on the needs of the peoplein that country. In Brazil, themovement was established in 1981;

the branch here in the southern stateof Brazil has been running for thepast four years. The service offered isfor children who are victims of sexualabuse, enforced child labour andother forms of ill treatment. Theschool acts both as a symbol ofsolidarity and provides a place ofprotection, while at the same timeoffering an opportunity to develop andbe transformed by their gifts.

My weekly visits to the school wereon Friday afternoons. I began bygetting to know the children, and tofamilarize myself with the activitiescarried out by the institution. Thesmall building structure serves 105children from the ages of five to 14,and has five teachers. Because of theneed to protect and developing thechildren’s potential, this branch of Féy Alegria has adopted the model ofnon-formal education; in other words,it does not teach formal subjects likemathematics and Portuguese, butinstead using the insights of Piagetand Freire. It offers classes in art,sport, music, dance, care-for-the-environment and computing. Also

included in the curriculum is trainingin human formation, which ismoulded by Ignatian Spirituality.

My experience in the school wasvery consoling: I was edified,especially to see my brothers in theBrazilian Society of Jesus reachingout to the poor so creatively througheducation. Fé y Alegria is offering thelittle ones an opportunity to be betterpersons and, despite their own pastexperience of being abused by theworld, help them to make a positivecontribution to that same world. Inprotecting and caring for thesechildren, who are our future hope, Féy Alegria stands as an excellentexample of Jesus’ own commission tothe disciples: “Let the little childrencome to me!”

JM

Our Future Hope

Medino Abraham SJ is a GuyaneseJesuit who is at present engagedwith a University course inPedagogy in South Brazil. Lastsemester, as part of his practicalwork, he had the chance toexperience working with a branchof Fé y Alegria, run by the Jesuitsof Porto Alegre. He says he foundthe experience very helpful“because it offered me anopportunity to catch a glimpse ofone of the dimensions of theJesuits’ involvement in educationfor the poor in Latin America”.


I am very thankful that we began bygoing to the Ignatian pre-forum,‘Religious Faiths and Defence of Life’,which took place for the three dayspreceding the World Social Forum(WSF) itself. It was much more hope-filled, much more focussed andimmeasurably better organised!

The pre-forum was attended by 230participants from 28 countries. It is astrange feeling to hear all the familiarslogans - ‘unity in diversity’, ‘apreferential option for the poor’ - incontexts where they are so manifestlybeing acted out. We had a largedelegation from India, all in some wayconnected to the South Asian People’sInitiative (SAPI). They were mainlyindigenous and from several religions,with a high proportion of womenspeaking for grassroots tribalmovements. Overall, the global Southwas represented much more heavilythan Europe and America (Australiawas the only continent notrepresented at all). The meeting wasconducted in Portuguese (with goodtranslation, thank heavens!), butsomehow the most special momentsin the large sessions for me werewhen SAPI participants gave theirresponses in Tamil or Hindi, followedby a translation.

Guest speakers were Frei Betto,Jose Comblin and Marina Silva, and

all were passionate and thought -provoking. Frei Betto’s talkparticularly stays with me - the callto have the faith of Jesus as well asfaith in Jesus, so that rather thanhaving a political agenda, our stanceis always pro-poor. He challenged usto think through a spirituality ofconflict in tune with Jesus’ life.

Even more special were the prayersand liturgies. We had our facespainted with Urukong, a red plant inkfrom the Amazon. We danced theGloria in silence. We listened towonderful Hindi village songs foroffertories. We prayed outside underthe mango trees, warmed ourselvesat fires, were flicked with water forpurification - we never knew what toexpect. A lot of thanks were beinggiven too for the food! We guzzledfruit juices for which there is notranslation in Portuguese, let aloneEnglish. Everything seemed tobelong together - the talks, the food,the celebrations, the prayers.

In a nutshell, the pre-forum wasfantastic – and not just for thecontent. I am not saying it wasperfect: my head ached from thetranslation, there was not enoughsilence for me, some of the talks

disturbed some people, and thediscussion groups were not alwaysfruitful. But some outcomesparticularly struck me. One of theDalit attendees said at the end thatthey had always thought Christianswere not interested in poor people.Now they had got to know the Jesuitsand co-workers here, they realisedthat this was not true - they had seenChristians committing themselves tosolidarity with the poor. OneAmerindian said in our last groupmeeting that he had been verysurprised to find that his contributionmattered, that he was part of thegroup. One European worker for theJesuit Refugee Service said that shehad expected the WSF to be brilliant,and the pre-forum “just something toget through”. She was astonished tofind such wonderful work going onamong the Jesuit family, and she nowsees JRS as part of a bigger picture.

I have found myself asking aquestion many times over the lastfew years, especially when friends oracquaintances are hostile towardswhat they perceive as negative,unjust or elitist about the Church. Ifpeople observe the Society of Jesusin their own country from the outside,

JM

On her way to Guyana where sheis taking up the role ofDevelopment Worker, SarahBroscombe attended the WorldSocial Forum in Brazil. But it wasthe Ignatian pre-forum thatimpressed her most.

Marching in solidarity in Amazonia

A genuine commitmentto the poor


what do they perceive its preferential option to be?‘A preferential option for the intellect’? ‘Apreferential option for education’? At the WSF, Ifound myself feeling very proud to be associatedwith Jesuit work. Marching with SAPI, I felt bothproud and humble. But there is more to do. I thinkthat when Jesus says ‘By their fruits you will knowthem’, he challenges us to keep asking ourselvesthis question: ‘When strangers look at me, wheredo they perceive my preference, my allegiances, tolie? Without the cloak of words, what do mychoices, my career, my LIFE say about my faith?’

If you would like to hear more from a wide rangeof individuals about their experience of the pre-forum and the World Social Forum, please visithttp://preforumfenamazonia.wordpress.com

My name is Paul Martin. I wasborn in Liverpool, England,and joined the Jesuits there

in 1984. I first came to Guyana inSouth America in 1989 to do my Regency (full-time apostolicministry between Philosophy andTheology studies). After fourchallenging but very happy years oftheology in Brazil, I returned toGuyana in 1995 to begin workingwith the indigenous people there.This is the work I have been engagedin up until now.

Just as the indigenous people of theworld are a small and often poorlyunderstood group within the modernglobalised world, so Jesuits workingwith them are few in number and often encounter difficultiesexplaining, even to fellow Jesuits, thepoint of this work. I was delighted toaccept the suggestion of my RegionalSuperior to attend the World SocialForum in Brazil and the pre-forumorganised by the Amazonian Regionof the Society of Jesus. This was anexcellent opportunity to renewcontact with others who are engagedin similar work, and at the same timeto meet many whose work is verydifferent, yet whose desire to see aworld in which all have access to thenecessities of life is the same.

The atmosphere both atthe pre-forum and theForum itself has been oneof joyful celebration of lifebuilt on a sincere desire toact justly, valuing theunique contribution of eachindividual. Frei Betto put itso well when he said thatChristian faith is a call toshare in the faith of Jesus; tounderstand ourselves and our lives inthe light of our relationship with theFather and to allow thisunderstanding to determine the waywe act.

If I were to offer one criticism it wouldbe to say that in emphasising the callto share the faith of Jesus and act ashe acted we cannot ignore the cross. Ifwe wish to model our lives on the life ofJesus we need to hear his warning that"anyone who wants to be a follower ofmine, must take up his cross andfollow me". Just as those who heldpower at the time of Jesus chose touse that power to silence him, so thosewho hold power in today's world willuse that power to silence the voice ofthose who call for a different world.Christians must therefore also havefaith in Christ. That is to say we arecalled to believe that the cross is notthe final word. Rather Christ who was

crucified “is risen”. Hedoes not rise to prove hisenemies wrong - if thatwere the case we wouldbe reading of hisappearances to Pilate, toCaiaphas, to those whocalled on him to comedown from the cross.Rather, he rises to prove

his friends right - to confirm those whofollowed him in the faith that theyshared with him.

The new world begins not when thepowerful are overthrown but whenthose whom they seek to dominate nolonger allow fear to control their livesbut live in the freedom of the childrenof God. That is a different world, onethat is, in one sense, already here,and in another, will always be adream for tomorrow.

The World Social Forum could soeasily become either a protest rallydominated by passionate speechesdenouncing the evils of the world -or a carnival in which people for awhile forget the harsh realities of lifein a wild party of music and dance.Yet, in the spirit of the pre-forum, itcould also be a joyful celebration ofhow the world could be with acommitment to the struggle that itwill take to make it so.

A voice from Guyana(at the Ignatian pre-forum)

JM

Sharing the cultures: face-painting with Urukong

Fr Paul Martin SJ

The Jesuits first came to the southRupununi in 1909, led by BishopGalton, vicar apostolic of what wasthen British Guyana, accompanied byFr Cuthbert Cary-Elwes SJ. FrCary–Elwes had been born inBoulogne, France, where he spent hisearly childhood and, after beingeducated at Stonyhurst College,joined the Society of Jesus at the ageof 18. He was ordained at the Churchof the Immaculate Conception, FarmStreet, in 1900, and arrived in Guyana,aged 37, in 1904. For the first fiveyears he worked in Georgetown and

in the Northwest District and then, on19 November 1909, he headed up theDemerara River to join the Essequibowhich finally, on 10 December,brought them to the RupununiSavannah.

The savannah had been the home,for at least two centuries, of theMakushi and Wapishana Indians,divided more by the east-west line ofthe Kanuku Mountains than by thenorth-south international borderbetween Guyana and Brazil. FrCary–Elwes had been keen to start upa mission far from the Brazilianborder and nearer to the Indians butthe bishop wanted the mission to benearer to the Catholic community inBrazil. So began the mission ofZariwa, St Ignatius – present dayLethem – which is still today the hubof the Rupununi mission and fromwhere Fr Cary–Elwes was able tohead out to meet the WapishanaIndians.

So, it was that for 60 years, theJesuits based at St Ignatius andthen, later, in Sand Creek, wouldcover vast distances to support andencourage the Catholic faith,embraced by the Wapishanas.

Fathers Bernard McKenna SJ andManus Keane SJ began building apresbytery for a resident Jesuitcommunity in 1968 but were barredfrom the area by the then president,Forbes Burnham, after theChristmas rebellion of 1968 in whichcattle ranchers and othersupporters protested against thepresident’s reclaiming of the land. Itwas not until February 1969 that aresident Jesuit community wasestablished in Aishalton, a fulfilmentof Fr Cary–Elwes’ dream.

Fr Derrick Maitland SJ – a mantrained during the war in motor


Wapadanaa orHotel California?

In the second of three articlesto mark the centenary of theJesuits’ work in the GuyaneseInterior, Fr Simon Bishop SJlooks at some of the highlightsof the past 100 years and howthe work is growing in the southof the country.

JM

Fr Cary-Elwes SJ

‘You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.’

From ‘Hotel California’, lyrics by Felder/Frey/Henley

mechanics – was the idealchoice, given the amount ofdriving in such isolatedterritory, and he wasaccompanied by Fr Doc LoretzSJ, who took on the role oflocal GP.

There are now four Jesuitsliving in the community of StRobert Bellarmine: Fr AmarBage, the parish priest, fromthe Ranchi province inNorthern India; Fr PaulDominic, from the Andhraprovince; Jerry Dias, ascholastic from the Karnatakaprovince, who is doing his regency inthe parish, and then Fr Peter Britt-Compton, like Fr Cary-Elwes analumni of Stonyhurst College. It wasvery moving, therefore, as a formerstudent of Stonyhurst Collegemyself, to be part of thatextraordinary legacy, if only for a fewdays at the end of 2008. Maybe it isthe lush quiet of this ‘sweet especialscene, Rural scene, a rural scene,Sweet especial rural scene’ (BinseyPoplars, Gerard Manley Hopkins,1879) which, reminiscent of theRibble Valley, so attracted Fr Cary-Elwes and Fr Britt-Compton to thisbeautiful place.

Fr Amar arrived in Aishalton at thebeginning of February 2008 and, withthe encouragement and blessing ofFr Dermot Preston SJ, the regionalsuperior, work was begun onconstructing a larger and morepermanent home for the JesuitCommunity. The building wascompleted ten months later, on 19November – on the very day,remarkably, that Fr Cary-Elwes hadset off for the Rupununi, 99 yearsearlier – and was officially blessedand opened on the feast of Christ theKing.

In his address to the hundredsgathered for the opening, Fr Dermotspoke of the presbytery as a house ofprayer and as a house of mission. Hewanted the house to be a place wherethe Jesuits, individually and incommunity, would come together to

pray for the needs of everyone in theircare and be strengthened and filledthemselves with God’s love and life,so that they, in turn, would bringGod’s love and life to everyone towhom they are sent. The home iscalled, in Wapishana, ‘Wapadanaa’ –‘our home’ – meaning not simply thehome of the Jesuit Community, butthe house of and for everyone. Thiswas in no doubt when, after theblessing, everyone, especially thechildren, took great delight and pridein running all over the house!However, it seemed, for a moment,that the house might be called by adifferent name ... For, after all theblessings, prayers and speechesabout houses and the Holy Spirit, theAmerindian DJ, who had beenpumping fairly anonymous Brazilian“musak” out over the campus, startedthe highly recognisable guitar riff forthe beginning of Hotel California. Isuspect neither he nor anybody elsein the village (except perhaps Fr

Dermot and myself) realised thesuitability of the lyrics. It did not takelong for the DJ to become bored withthe record as he switched it off halfway through ... but by then theimagination had been fired!

The house, the church, and theJesuit Community, now supportedand strengthened by the arrival offour Ursuline nuns, also from theRanchi area of India, are a wonderfulsign of the Society’s and the Church’scommitment to the people of the

Rupununi. In my blessing ofthe house, I spoke of theLord’s desire to come closeto us, to make His home in us(cf. John 8: 31-2; 14:23; 15:4):‘Behold I stand at the door ofyour heart, knocking; if youhear my voice and open thedoor, I will come in to you andeat with you, and you with me.’(Rev.3:20) I was overwhelmedby the warmth and generositywith which the people of theRupununi had opened theirdoors and their hearts to me. Iam so proud and so delightedthat the Church and the Society

of Jesus – 100 years on - continue toopen their doors and hearts to thepeople of the Rupununi.

It was with a deeply grateful andsad heart that I left the people andplace of Aishalton. I thought I mighthave struck lucky when, on myreturn journey with Jerry Dias andPercy, the parish’s expert driver, wearrived at the river Rupununi only todiscover that it had risen too high tocross by jeep and there was no onearound to make use of the pontoon –the ferry made from disused barrelsto carry vehicles across. “Would it bebest if I wade across?” I asked Percy.“Not only would that be the best way,Father,” replied Percy, “it is the onlyway!” Wading through the Rupununi,with my bags held high above myhead, it seemed the perfect ending tomy visit - a kind of baptism into thepeople and country of the Rupununi.I had ‘checked out’ but I truly wishedI might never leave.


JM

Fr Simon Bishop blessesthe new house

Welcome to ‘Our Home’!


Sharing a ‘mature’ faithon the air in Lusaka

The heart of the Advent series was a 20-minute lively informaldiscussion by five lay Catholic adults: a business consultant, aheadmistress, a social analyst, adirector of an NGO which promotessmall projects and a universitystudent. Jesuits were visible in theprogrammes: scholastic PrivilegeHaang’andu introduced each of themand Fr Emmanuel Mumba SJ made acommentary after each discussion.Invisibly in the background, Fr Charles Chilinda SJ and Icontributed to the production.

The aim of this series was toaddress the more “mature”Christians in the country withquestions about the background oftheir Christmas faith. For example,“Can and does God come into ourworld?” “If He does come, does hetake away our freedom or does Herespect our choices?” “How doesChrist coming into the world impact

our lives?” At the end of theprogrammes hopefully each viewerwas stimulated to reflect and askthemselves, “What do I think andbelieve about my personal freedomvis-à-vis God’s ‘control’ in my life?”To encourage this, the discussions were filmed absolutelyspontaneously and in commonsurroundings: one around a kitchentable, another in someone’s garden,and so on. This allowed the viewersto identify with one or other of thosediscussing.

Another aim was to get away fromthe teaching/preaching style of somuch religious television. Too oftenviewers look at their screens and seepastors haranguing their audiencesabout their sin and their Saviour,followed by cutaways showing teary-eyed people emotionally respondingwith handkerchiefs. We believe theexpression of Christian faith inZambia needs something deeperthan that if it is to be authentic. So ina bid to show the present level offaith in the country to the countryand at the same time to encouragepersonal reflection about faith bymeans of example, we asked thesefive adult Zambians to share theirfaith before a national televisionaudience.

Most feedback was quite positive.“Well done”; “A challenge to myfaith”; “Why haven’t we seen moreprogrammes like these before?” Afew said the content was toointellectual, or that such ideasshould be left to the theologians. Butgenerally these four presentationsfor Advent were well received. Asurprise response was that quite a

few non-Catholics offered veryfavourable evaluations – a giant stepfor ecumenism in the country!

The needs for our Lenten series arethe same; and the target audiencewill probably be the same too. Butthe content will be different. So theformat we decided on is a seriesentitled "Food for the Journey"; eachweekly programme built on one ofthe following six themes: Journey,Desert, Living Water, Manna, Crossand Palms. The "Bumper" (openingmontage) tries to show a number ofways we are fed and we feed others.The heart of the programme is againthe Christian reflection/discussion -this time with a priest and sisterparticipating and an intelligentstrong-willed anchorman keepingthe ideas flowing. The longer clipsfrom outside the studio (e.g., a"Zambian pilgrimage site" and"Charcoal burning turning theforests into deserts") stimulate thediscussions. What people see andhear from their televisions influencetheir values tremendously,especially the tender youth. We hopethat this Lenten series will makesome sort of a positive contributionto these minds.

Last November, LoyolaProductions in Zambia madefour weekly half-hourprogrammes about Advent faith. As Fr Roy Thadden SJ explains,the concept is being repeatedand developed for the season ofLent.

JM

Talking part: local headmistress and CLC member,Josephine Shamwana Lungu, agreed – withouthesitation – to take part in the Loyola Productionsprogrammes

“The Church needs you, relies on youand continues to turn to you withtrust. “ (Pope Benedict XVI, 21 Feb 2008)

These words were spoken by theHoly Father when he addressed theJesuit members of the 35th GeneralCongregation, held in Rome last year.

As the Society of Jesus depends somuch on the help, expertise, theprayers and good will of so very manylay men and women worldwide, I thinkthat these words of the Holy Fatherare legitimately applied to them and toall the readers of Jesuits and Friendswho, one way or another, associatethemselves with Jesuit apostolicinitiatives.

The Pope’s words are particularlypertinent to those of us who try tobase our prayer life on the simple yetauthentic discipline of the Apostleshipof Prayer: a commitment in themorning to offer the day to the Lord,united with the great prayer of Jesusin the Eucharist and offeredspecifically for the intentions of theHoly Father.

So what are the apostolic initiatives,concerns and prayers of the HolyFather for the next three months?

In April, the Pope asks us to pray forthe farming community throughoutthe world. Farmers produce our food.We pray also that the efforts of thosewho are in a position to alleviate thedreadful hunger that afflicts so many

people will be successful. We couldremember especially our Jesuitpriests and brothers in missionaryterritories who, with their lay helpers,are desperately trying to find enoughfood to feed their people.

In May, we pray that young men andwomen will be found who areprepared to dedicate the whole of theirlives to the service of Jesus Christ inthe Church of today and tomorrow. Weask the Lord that lay people mayseriously take this intention to heartand be active promoters of priestly and religious vocations. We remember new Christiancommunities especially in missionaryareas and we remember those whohave been received into the Church atEaster. May their dedication andenthusiasm be instrumental inbringing others to know, love andserve the Lord.

The Holy Father wishes us todedicate each day of June tothose people who aredesperately poor. Rich nationsmust be generous, especiallyin wiping out the intolerableburden of foreign debt. Weshould remember also

those Christian communities who livein fear of violence, who are persecutedbecause of their belief in Jesus Christ.

So many Jesuits and their helpers indifferent parts of the world are deeplyinvolved in all these situations. PopeBenedict, as Vicar of Christ, reliestrustingly on them as he does on us tooffer each day to the Lord for the papalprayer intentions.

Such is our mission and ourprayerful task in the midst of a worldthat seems to be so full of doom andgloom! Not so for us. In faith we knowthat “God is on our side and who canbe against us”! (Rm 8.31)

Saint Ignatius ceaselessly exhorts usto “find God in all things”. Through thedaily living of our Apostleship ofPrayer we turn every moment into anapostolic initiative and live out ourlives Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam – for thegreater glory of God.

Fr Michael Beattie SJ, ProvincePromoter of the Apostleship of Prayer

TURNING EVERY MOMENT INTOAN APOSTOLIC INITIATIVE



Among the projects supportedrecently by the Jesuit Fund for SocialJustice has been STREETfaith inLiverpool. The Jesuit Church of SaintFrancis Xavier (SFX) in the Evertondistrict of the city is neighbour to andhas a strong working relationshipwith the Whitechapel Centre, whichserves the homeless and those livingin inadequate housing. Through thisconnection it was realised that therewere communication difficultiesbetween faith based communitiesand agencies in both the statutoryand the voluntary sectors.

Regularly, faith based communitieswould give help to homeless people

without consulting or seekingguidance from homelessnessagencies. For instance, they wouldhand out sleeping bags to roughsleepers, seeing it as a genuine act ofhuman kindness; but it wouldfrustrate the City Council authoritieswho would consider this to beprolonging rough-sleeping. Similarly,a rough-sleeper might tell a workerin a faith based group – but not asecular agency – that he was scaredof accepting hostel accommodationbecause of the number of people withaddiction problems under one roof,which could result in violence orrobbery. And while the City Councilwere looking for premises for coldweather provision, there were someunused church buildings available,but no one at the council knew. Theneed to simply invite service-users togather, worship, grieve or celebratewas also considered essential by faithcommunities such as SFX. So twoyears ago, STREETfaith was set up toaddress this confusion.

STREETfaith is a network betweenLiverpool Homelessness, Street SexWorkers and Faith BasedCommunities. The forum meets

three or four times a year, to sharegood practice, raise awareness andnetwork. More recently it hasresponded to training needs and heldan information day for leaders andmembers of faith communities onhow to help homeless people in crisis.A further training day on foodhandling is also planned; both werepart funded by the Jesuit SocialJustice Fund.

Last year, STREETfaith was invitedto a ‘Faith and Homelessness’workshop, which was more abouthaving a church building convertedinto a hostel than that of faith supportfor homeless people. When thequestion was asked about thespiritual needs of a homeless person,the answer was “We don’t andshouldn’t ask the person theirreligion!” But neither doesSTREETfaith – this forum is trying toconsider the well being of the wholeperson regardless of race or religion.

The continued generosity andsupport of the Jesuit parish of SFX,Liverpool, means that the work withand for the poor and the vulnerable inthe district can continue and the workof STREETfaith can develop and grow.

Debbie Reynolds writes aboutSTREETfaith and particularly theLiverpool Homelessness, StreetSex Workers and Faith BasedCommunities Network.

Helping the Homeless in Liverpool

Since it was established in 1992, the Jesuit Fund for SocialJustice has supported Jesuits in many varied projects:refugee work, homelessness, reconciliation and much more.Today, many lay men and women in our schools, ourparishes, our volunteering schemes and elsewhere play a fullpart in the social justice work of the Jesuits in Britain.

The Fund for Social Justice is available to everyone who isconnected with the Society of Jesus, either Jesuitsthemselves or those who work with the Society throughschools, parishes, retreat centres, volunteering etc.

Grants are normally quite small, up to around £2000,intended principally to help develop modest new projectsand initiatives in works where the applicant is alreadyinvolved. These may be one off or long term, and can beinvolved as a part-funder if more substantial funds arerequired.

For more information and an application form, go to:www.jesuitfsj.org

UK Jesuit Fundfor Social Justice

In 2008, JM runners raised just over £55,000 forprojects overseas. This year, the team is slightlyup with 31 runners taking on the task of running26.2 miles and attempting to raise £60,000.

The runners are taking part because they havea keen interest in the work of JM. Some are partof the JM Companions programme and areaiming to provide financial support for theirpartnership school overseas. Some runners willalso be raising funds for the work of the JesuitRefugee Service in the UK. Although Africa mayhave dropped out of the news recently, the needsare still there and the majority of funds raisedwill go towards Jesuit works in the continent,where the focus is on improving the quality of lifefor local communities.

Amongst the runners this year are: PatriciaGadd, Tim Byron SJ, John-Paul Morrison, RobertDolinar SJ, Joanna Konieczna, Bill Blackledge,Tony Carroll SJ, Nicholas Isola, George Joliffe,Clare Brotherhood, David Hurst, Rupert Bell,Ben Gogarty, Ruta Navyte (JRS), John Marshall,Christopher Cuttle, Declan Linnane, Zita Noone,Jonathan Smith, Eddie Gilmore, Ed Pike, JohnMcCann, Alain van West, Virginia van West,Jonathan Conlin (JRS), Josephine Hayward,Rafael Morrison, James Conway SJ, MaryKirkham (JRS), Noel Sainsbury and Ged Brumby.

You can sponsor them by sending your cheque to JM, or on-line atwww.gbjm.org/marathon

Alan Fernandes, Assistant Director JM


2009 Projects

Zambia - Roofing St Peter's Outstation 2,000Zambia - Roofing Chipokolo Outstation 2,000Zambia - Dedema School 2,000Zambia - Canisius High School Refurbishments 2,000

Guyana - Liturgical Items Interior 4,000Guyana - Small Business Project Berbice 1,000Guyana - East Coast Feeding 2,000Guyana - Catholic Magazine Revamp 2,000Guyana - Amerindian Scholarship Top Up 2,000

Zimbabwe - Orphan Projects 5,000Zimbabwe - St Peter's Kubatana 6,000

Tanzania - St Ignatius School Dodoma 8,000

South Africa - Soup Kitchen 5,000

Emergency Appeals 2009 12,000

JRS (UK Office) 5,000

Total: £60,000

JM

Anothermarathon …another target

Development has been possible at StMartin’s School in Soweto thanks tofunds raised by Fr Rampe Hlobo SJ whoran in last year’s London Marathon.

As the second project of Jesuit MediaInitiatives, Thinking Faith is the onlinejournal of the British Jesuits. It followedpray-as-you-go which began in Lent2006, and its ministry is to be a sourceof intellectual nourishment for itsreaders, in the belief that encouragingpeople to think honestly about a widerange of issues in terms of their faithwill lead them into a deeperrelationship with God. Just as pray-as-you-go offers a daily reflection to aidpeople in their prayer life, ThinkingFaith offers thought-provoking articles,written from a faith perspective, toinspire and challenge its readers, andto aid their knowledge andunderstanding – an equally importantaspect of Ignatian spirituality.

People don’t need to be trained intheology to visit Thinking Faith, it is notintended to be an academic journal. Weaim to pitch our articles at people who

are interested enough in questions of‘faith and life’ to look at the site, so wehope that the pieces we publish areaccessible to people of all levels ofexperience and understanding.

In a society where people areincreasingly looking to the internet fornews, comment and information, it iscrucial that there is a Catholic voice inand amongst all others. The Jesuitmission of promoting the Gospel insociety today necessitates an onlinepresence, which is what Thinking Faithaims to provide.

The journal offers articles onculture, ethics, politics, science andevents, as well as reflections onliturgy, scripture, Church affairs andspirituality. The reviews on thewebsite are an opportunity to offeropinions on what our readers may beinterested in watching or reading: filmreviews comment on films that are on

general release, as well as art house,independent and foreign features;book reviews offer informed opinionon publications which are addressingimportant and topical issues, often inthe fields of theology and socialsciences.

Thinking Faith is free, and it has a“rolling” format, which means thatthere is no weekly or monthly issue,but new content is added at any time.More than 1,400 people have nowsubscribed to receive the email alertsthat are sent out whenever newcontent is added to the site, and thejournal is currently attracting anaverage of 400 visits each day.

So what has been attracting people tothe journal in its first year? The monthlyarticles on St Paul, which are forming ayearlong series to mark the Paulineyear, have been very popular: authors ofthese articles have included Bishop

18 Jesuits & Friends Winter 2008 www.jesuitsandfriends.org.uk

In the 13 months since the launchof Thinking Faith, over 65,000people have visitedwww.thinkingfaith.org to read thearticles, film and book reviewsthat the site offers.Deputy Editor, Frances Murphy,has been assessing its appeal.

ECONOMICS, POLITICS OR SCIENCE: ONLINE JOURNAL OFFERS A FAITHPERSPECTIVE ON THEM ALL

The Christian Life Community (CLC)has its origins deep in the history of theSociety of Jesus. Among the wide familyof ‘Jesuits and friends’, it has pride ofplace, since its original inspiration wasthe groups of lay people that St Ignatiusfounded to maintain good works thathe himself had established. Today,this Ignatian lay associationoperates in 67 countries worldwide; 20 countries will berepresented at the CLC EuropeanAssembly in 2009.

CLC in Britain is growing. Acrossthe country, groups of six to tenpeople meet usually fortnightlyfor an hour or two to pray andshare their lives in an Ignatianway and to engage in Christianministry. Each group issupported by prayer and

reflection materials, and possibly by aguide, through which people are helpedto grow in their grasp of IgnatianSpirituality.

Barbara Hughes, an Anglican, wasintroduced to CLC four years ago. “Iwent to a first meeting, simplyobserving, as I thought,” she recalls. “Ileft that night knowing I had found whatI had been searching for: a safe place, aplace to deepen my faith, a place toshare and love others. I found myself the only Anglican in the

group of Catholics. But after a fewweeks I realised I had found a groupof companions to journey with.”

For some religious, belonging to aCLC group can helpacceptance of self, as well as

empowering a person to relatebetter to others. “CLC is veryprecious to me. It points me to thebigger world and takes me outsidemy religious community,” says SrFrances Crowe, of the Sisters of

Marie Auxiliatrice. “Because it isIgnatian, it broadens my horizons

and widens my vision of theworld. It takes me to places that I

might not go, for example,directing retreats and helpingpeople to pray.”

Kathleen Jones, a Young AdultCLC member in London since2006, says the experience hashelped her get to know Godand herself more deeply.“The insights I have had

through the sharing inour meetings become

part of my thoughts. IgnatianSpirituality is becoming a part of me,almost a framework for life.” BrianAustin, on the other hand, has been amember of CLC for 30 years: he sayshis CLC group keeps him “focused onJesus and His will”.

88-year-old Anna Browning wasintroduced to CLC in 1971 by a friendwho told her to 'come and see’. ”I didnot imagine until then that I needed thatkind of spirituality: finding God in myeveryday life and in the quiet times.”Her daughter, Maria, says she joinedCLC “reluctantly”, but graduallyrealised “that this was where Godwanted me - where I would grow andlearn to serve. I find the Examen themost useful tool for my everyday life -not always done well, but what a lot Ilearn!” And the third generation of thefamily is Stephen, Maria's son. “My firstknowledge of CLC was during my timeat secondary school, wondering whereon earth my mom was disappearing offto every Tuesday evening,” he recalls. “Ibecame involved in CLC as a memberabout nine years ago. The CLC methodof sharing encourages me to perseverewith daily life and re-fires me for prayerfor the next fortnight.”

These are just a selection ofresponses from current memberssharing what belonging to CLC meansto them. If you find yourself attracted bywhat they say, further information isavailable from [email protected] or www.cvx-clc.net; or you can write toCLC Office, 114 Mount Street, LondonW1K 3AH.

John Arnold (who pressed the button tolaunch Thinking Faith in January 2008),and renowned scripture scholars PeterEdmonds SJ and Nicholas King SJ. Thecoverage of the American elections alsoreceived a great deal of attention:Gregory Chisholm SJ’s ‘What scares meabout Obama’ was very widely-read atthe time of the new president’s election;and more recently ‘A Tale of TwoPresidents’ by American politicalcommentator, Michael Sean Winters,

was hugely popular. The currenteconomic situation has also been asmuch a topic for debate on ThinkingFaith as it has been in the rest of themedia: articles such as ‘The Scandal ofExtortion’, ‘Our Economic Problem –Greed or Ignorance?’ and ‘St ThomasAquinas and the Temple of Mammon’have explored the financial crisis fromthe perspectives of various thinkers inthe Christian tradition.

Over the coming months, Thinking

Faith readers can expect to see aseries of articles for Lent on thetheme of austerity; the continuationof the Pauline year; a series to markthe 100th anniversary of the death ofinfluential Jesuit, George Tyrell;articles on Charles Darwin and therelationship between religion andscience; more reflections on ethics,politics and the role of faith insociety; and much more.

www.thinkingfaith.org

www.jesuitsandfriends.org.uk Winter 2008 Jesuits & Friends 19

This May, representatives of theChristian Life Community from allover Europe will be meeting inSpain. High on their agenda will bethe question of collaboration,particularly in the light of theDecree at the 35th GeneralCongregation last year:Collaboration at the Heart ofMission. Una Buckley, Jen Schoolingand Brother Alan Harrison SJ havebeen talking to some of the peoplefor whom belonging to CLC is animportant and enriching part oftheir lives.

CLC: a safe place todeepen and share faith

Bits ‘n’ Pieces


Cardinal Keith O'Brien has announced heintends to visit El Salvador in November, tomark the 20th anniversary of the murder ofsix Jesuits at the University of CentralAmerica (UCA), along with their housekeeperand her daughter. The Cardinal made theannouncement at the annual Oscar RomeroMemorial Lecture, delivered by Father DeanBrackley SJ at the Lauriston Jesuit Centre inEdinburgh.

Fr Brackley, who is Professor of Theologyand Ethics at the UCA, was the guest of theRomero Trust. In his lecture, which he alsodelivered in York, Nottingham andWestminster, he spoke about the legacy ofthe Jesuit martyrs 20 years on from theirassassination, and the abiding place in thelife of the people of El Salvador that they andOscar Romero have.

“For us, the poor are the crucified vicars ofChrist,” he told his audience. “If we don’twalk with them, then we are not walking withhim. If the message is not good news for thepoor, then it is not the gospel of Jesus Christ.That vision and practice, sealed in blood,continues to shape the religious culture, thecountry and the wider region. It mustcontinue to leaven the whole Church, even asit evolves to face new circumstances andgenerational change.”

To listen to Fr Dean Buckley’s lecture, visitwww.lauriston.org.uk

For more information about the RomeroTrust, see www.romerotrust.org.uk

Cardinal to honour Jesuit martyrs

Seaside Retreats

London Irish lead Community Rugby Masterclass at St John’s Beaumont

Over 60 boys from StJohn’s Beaumont Schoolwere put through theirpaces by the London Irishcoaching team during theFebruary half-term. Overthree days, there was anemphasis on the individualcore skills of catching,passing, tackling, ruckingand kicking. “The boysmust be complimented ontheir attitude andprogression throughout the week,” said London Irish’s Community andSchools of Rugby Coach, David Williams, afterwards. “It’s now hopedthat the boys can transfer the skills learnt throughout the course intotheir play once they return to their schools and clubs.”

On day three, the boys – aged seven to 13 years – were treated to anappearance from premiership players Danie Coetzee and Tomas DeVedia, with the boys getting a chance to pit their skills against thegame’s best. “The visiting players were top class, getting involved withthe various groups, hosting a Q & A session, signing autographs andoffering advice and assistance to the young charges,” said Mr Williams.“The sight of Danie Coetzee being tackled by 25 rampaging under-8swill remain with me for a long time!”

Just over a year ago,the British Provinceestablished its first care-home for elderly and sickJesuits, in BoscombeBournemouth. The corevocation of thecommunity of 20 Jesuits(average age of 85) isessentially to pray, so ifyou have particularintentions needingprayer, please do not hesitate to contact them (address below).

When the care-home was being built on the site of the previouspresbytery, a temporary one was set up five minutes’ walk away. It isa lovely house less than ten minutes walk from the sea and the Societyis going to keep it, not only for visitors but for others who may want tocome on retreat.

Retreats can be booked at any time that is mutually convenient, but tostart with there are a number of individually-guided retreats planned:in Holy Week (April 3-12) and at Pentecost (May 22-31); also TouchingGod with My Fingertips (a group retreat using art as a form of prayer)July 24 – August 2. For more details or to discuss a booking, contactFr Michael Barrow SJ at CCJC, 757 Christchurch Road, BournmouthBH7 6AN or [email protected]

Photo credit: TG Photography


Most people writing aboutAIDS do so from a medicalor a sociological point ofview. They deal with issuesto do with the health of theperson infected or withsocial patterns of behaviourthat lead to infection. Suchtreatments lead those who are infectedwith the HIV virus and those who havedeveloped full blown AIDS to feel likeobjects of scientific enquiry and nothuman beings. Peter Knox, in hisrefreshing book AIDS, Ancestors andSalvation, places those affected by thepandemic into their social and religiouscontext and suggests thatacknowledging the rich culturalheritage of Africa may pave the way forall of those affected to experiencesalvation.

Ancestor veneration is an Africanreality that most mainline churcheswould prefer to ignore. The cultmaintains that the community of today

is intrinsically bound to thosewho have gone before.African society fragments andloses its focus when this vitalconnection is lost. Linkingsomeone with AIDS, who issoon to join the Ancestors,with those he or she is to join,

can give meaning to a life thatotherwise seems pointless. In this waypeople are seen in their total socialcontext – and not just as a collection ofsymptoms or behaviour patterns.

Knox asserts that a rightunderstanding of the cult of theancestors can lead to salvation atvarious levels: for the individual, whonow has a meaningful place in theircultural history and finds that they canbe esteemed and cared for by thosearound them; for the Church, whichcan find a positive response to asituation that was previously looked atin purely negative terms; and forsociety, which can now steer a course

whereby the incidence of infection willbe curtailed and the sexual rights ofwomen respected.

I found this to be a fascinating bookand a wonderful contribution to anAfrican understanding to the crisis ofAIDS in Africa, but one which we in theNorth can learn from.

The book is available from JM, 11Edge Hill, London SW19 4LR, priced£12 (inc postage and packing).

AIDS, Ancestors and SalvationLocal beliefs in Christian ministry to the sickBy Fr Peter Knox SJ reviewed by Fr Tim Curtis SJ

The Ages of Faith: PopularReligion in Late Medieval Englandand Western Europe collectstogether 20 articles published since1990 by Fr Norman Tanner SJ. FrTanner is Professor of ChurchHistory at the Gregorian Universityin Rome.

The essays are divided into foursections: Church councils, Norwich(city), England and Europe. Thenovelty of the work, according to thepublisher (I.B. Tauris), is in showingthat “Christianity in the later MiddleAges was flourishing, popular andvibrant and the institutional churchwas generally popular – in starkcontrast to the picture of corruptionand decline painted by the laterReformers and which persists eventoday. Weaving together key themes

of religious history – the Christianroots of Europe, the crusades, theproblematic question of theInquisition, the relationship betweenthe Church and secular state, thecentral role of monasticism, and theindependence of the English Church– The Ages of Faith brings together alifetime’s research into this period ofhistory. But to many readers thecentral fascination of the book will beits insights into popular andindividual spiritual experience: sin,piety, penance, heresy, the role of themystics, and even ‘making merry’.”

Also included are articles onIgnatius of Loyola and the Council ofTrent. The work contains anIntroduction by the author, threemaps and extensive indices.

The Ages of Faith: Popular Religion

in Late Medieval England andWestern Europe by Norman Tanneris published by I.B. Tauris, price£52.50, ISBN 978-1-84511-760-3.

More information fromwww.ibtauris.com

The Ages of Faith: Popular Religion in LateMedieval England and Western Europe by Fr Norman Tanner SJ

RECENTPUBLICATIONS

DEATHS &OBITUARIES


Fr Gerard Marsden SJ Father Alexander Welsh SJ

Alexander Welsh wasborn in Glasgow on 15 May1917 and was educated at Woodside SecondarySchool (which was in theJesuit parish of StAloysius) and St Joseph’sCollege, Dumfries. Heentered the Society ofJesus novitiate atRoehampton in 1936, and studied philosophy andtheology at Heythrop College in Oxfordshire. Afterhis ordination in 1945, he served for three years atSt Mary on the Quay parish in Bristol, and then atHoly Name in Manchester from 1950 to 1963.

Fr Welsh worked in St Mary’s parish and school inSt Helen’s in the mid-1960s, before moving toGlasgow where he served in St Aloysius parishfrom 1966 to 1970. He returned to Holy NameManchester in 1971, where he served for anothersix years. In 1977, he was appointed to St Wilfrid’sparish in Preston, where his duties includedConvent Chaplain. He remained at St Wilfrid’s untilhis death on 19 February 2009.

Mrs Joyce Crutchley

Mrs Nora Alan

Mrs Agnes Neilon

Mrs M Le Gallez

Mr David de Caires

Mr Patrick Gumbs

Sr Joan Sweetman RSCJ

Sr Mary Teresa Neylan

Mrs D Rorke

Mr R Brindley

Rev C House

Mrs Ruth Chasseaud

Mr Michael Morris

Mr Seamus O'Sullivan

Fr John Lane

Mrs M Fijalkowski

Mrs Jennie Roletto

Mrs Frances O’Farrell

Mr Edmund Purdom

Mr John Walker

Mrs Mary Morris

Mrs D Mamok

Miss Audrey Pereira

Mrs H Read

Mrs Margaret Lyons

Mrs Cecilia Lawrenson

Mr Paolo Da Silva

Sir Michael Quinlan

Mrs Margery Manners

– sister of the late Fr R Manners SJ

Mrs Evelyn Jessie Rowan

– mother of Fr D Rowan SJ

Mr Peter Forrester

– brother of the late Anthony and

William Forrester SJ

Mrs Mildred Eileen Latheron

– cousin of the late Vincent and

Peter McArdle SJ

Mrs Mary Criddle

– sister of Fr Denis Blackledge SJ

and Mr Bill Blackledge

Mrs Jean Crampsey

– mother of Fr James Crampsey SJ

Mr Michael Harris

– nephew of Fr Malcolm Rodrigues SJ

Fr Gerry Marsden SJ

Fr Charles Higham SJ

Fr Alexander Welsh SJ

Please pray for those who have died recently.May they rest in peace.

Gerard Marsden – known as Gerry – was born in StHelens in Lancashire on 29 May 1923. He attendedthe De La Salle Grammar School in the town, and atthe age of 18, entered the Royal Air Force. He workedas an Equipment Accounts clerk, and served in Indiafrom May 1942 until 1946.

At the end of the war, Gerry applied to enter theSociety of Jesus and studied for a year at CampionHouse Osterley before being admitted atRoehampton. After studying philosophy at HeythropCollege, Oxfordshire, he taught briefly at St Francis Xavier’s Prep School inLiverpool, then resumed his studies (in theology) at Heythrop. Following hisordination to the priesthood in 1955, he worked in St Ignatius parish, StamfordHill (north London) until 1962, when he was moved to Holy Name Church inManchester. He served as hospital chaplain in the city and was appointedSuperior to the Jesuit Community there in 1966.

From 1969 to 1975, Gerry guided retreatants in the Spiritual Exercises at StGabriel’s Retreat House in Birmingham. He was then appointed as Vicar forReligious in the Portsmouth Diocese, first at Cosham, and then at the Park Placecentre in Wickham. After undertaking a renewal course at Hawkstone Houseand St Beuno’s in north Wales, Gerry worked on the parish staff at St Aloysius,Glasgow (1980 – 85) and Sacred Heart, Blackpool (1985 – 90). In 1991, hebecame Spiritual Director at the English College, Valladolid in Spain, returningto Britain in 1995 to give the Spiritual Exercises at Loyola Hall in Rainhill.

In the mid-1990s, Gerry served at both Sacred Heart, Blackpool, and SacredHeart, Edinburgh, before retiring to Blackpool, and then finally to St Wilfrid’sparish, Preston. He died in Preston Royal Infirmary on 17 December 2008.

DEATHS &OBITUARIES

Fr Charles Higham SJ David de Caires RIP

David de Caires, editor in chief of the Stabroek Newsin Guyana, died on 1 November 2008, aged 70 years.He was a lifelong friend of the Jesuits of the region. Amemorial service was celebrated for him at FarmStreet Church, London, in January.

David spent his entire life, firstly as a lawyer, then asan editor, fighting for freedom of expression. Like hisuncle, Fr Herman de Caires, David was educated at StStanislaus in Georgetown and Stonyhurst College inthe UK, where he excelled both in the classroom andon the cricket field. The Jesuit character of theeducation he received stamped the rest of his life.

When the Catholic Standard in Guyana ran foul of thegovernment for printing the truth, it was the legal skillsof David, who sprung to the defence of its editor, Fr AndyMorrison, which kept it afloat. Along with Fr MalcolmRodrigues, fellow lawyer, Miles Fitzpatrick, David andAndy enjoyed notoriety as the “Putagee mafia”.

After restrictions on the press were lifted, Davidstarted his own newspaper, the Stabroek News, whichquickly established itself as an independent voice inthe country. The government of the day was soon tolearn that, for David, the truth could never besacrificed to political expediency.

Our sympathies go to his wife, Doreen and their twochildren Brendan and Isabelle.

Charles Ronald Lally Higham was born inManchester on 11 November 1923 in the Jesuitparish of Holy Name. He was the youngest of fivechildren and attended Mount St Mary’s School nearSheffield. He said he made up his mind to become aJesuit when he was 12 or 13 years old – followinghis two brothers, William and Richard, who hadentered the Society of Jesus in 1935 and ’39respectively. Charles entered in 1943 at St Beuno’s inNorth Wales.

After his novitiate, he studied philosophy at Heythrop College in Oxfordshire,returning there in 1952 for theology studies. Between these periods, he taughtat his old school – Mount St Mary’s. After ordination at Heythrop and tertianshipat St Beuno’s, Charles spent seven years teaching at Stonyhurst College inLancashire, three of them in charge of games.

Charles was appointed Minister at Heythrop College from 1964 to ’69, afterwhich he returned to Mount St Mary’s College and its preparatory school,Barlborough Hall, where he was Assistant Headmaster from 1970 to 1981.

In the early 1980s, Charles worked in Sacred Heart parish in Edinburgh, fromwhere he also served as Chaplain to St Thomas Aquinas School. He moved toStonyhurst in 1985 as both parish priest (until 1988) and a member of theMission Team. In 2000, he started to undertake supply work, before moving asparish priest to Our Lady Star of the Sea in Burry Port, Carmarthenshire.

Charles’ Jesuit brothers, Richard and William died in November 2005 andDecember 2005 respectively. In 2007, Charles retired to Preston, and died inSouthport Hospital on 18 February 2009.

ZIMBABWE: Thank you somuch for your generosity.Funds are providing foodand other vital suppliesfor those most in need.

GUYANA:Supporting andencouraging theAmerindians of theGuyanese Interior.Your generosityensures the Jesuits’work in the Regioncan continue andgrow.

All Benefactors are remembered in the Masses and prayers of every Jesuit in our Province.

You can send your donations to JM, 11 Edge Hill, London SW19 4LR, or log onto www.gbjm.org where you can increase your donation by 28% through theJust Giving scheme. Thank you!

SOUTH AFRICA:For those living onthe streets inJohannesburg, thefood, medicaltreatment andother provisionsprovide a life-line.

BRITAIN: Whether rough-sleepers or asylumseekers, the Jesuits’ work at home reaches

out to those who are most vulnerable.


Their bodies are perfectly laid away,But their names live on and on.At gatherings their wisdom is retoldAnd the assembly proclaims their praise.

Adapted from Ecclesiasticus 44, as quoted on the cover of AIDS,Ancestors and Salvation

The illustration of the Resurrection was speciallycommissioned for the re-built Redemptorist Chapel in

Chishawasha, Zimbabwe, after the previous building wasdestroyed by fire. It is one of a set of paintings

by Fr Tony Berridge SJ.

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