jesuits and friends issue 88

A faith that does justice

& friends

Issue 88 • Summer 2014 • jesuitsandfriends.org.uk

FREE: please take a copy

To give and not to count the costMissionaries who pay the ultimate price

Pope Francis in the Holy Land

Editor: Fr Dushan Croos SJAssistant Editor: Ged Clapson Editorial group: Fr Denis Blackledge SJ, Annabel Clarkson, Richard Greenwood, Jane Hellings, Jonathan Parr, James Potter, Sr Anouska Robinson-Biggin fcJ.

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To protect our environment, papers used in this publication are produced by mills that promote sustainably managed forests and utilise Elementary Chlorine Free process to produce fully recyclable material in accordance with an Environmental Management System conforming with BS EN ISO 14001:2004.

Address for correspondence:11 Edge Hill, London SW19 4LR T: 020 8946 0466 E: [email protected]


& friends

Issue 88 • Summer 2014 • jesuitsandfriends.org.uk

FREE: please take a copy

To give and not to count the costMissionaries who pay the ultimate price

Pope Francis in the Holy Land

Cover: Fr Frans van der Lugt SJ and friends in the al-Ard garden in Homs, Syria (see page 4); photo Daniel Silas Adamson.

Inset photo: CNS photo/ L’Osservatore Romano, pool

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CONTENTS

The murder of the Dutch Jesuit Fr Frans van der Lugt in Syria in April reminded us in a powerful and painful way that there are many dark and negative

forces abroad in our world; but also many people who believe that evil will not and cannot overcome goodness. In this edition of Jesuits and Friends, we celebrate the vision of Fr Frans and others who work tirelessly for God’s Kingdom and who are prepared to risk their lives for what is right.

War and conflict demand visionaries to proclaim a message of peace, justice

and reconciliation. Pope Francis’ recent pilgrimage to the Holy Land saw him appeal to Christians, Muslims and Christians to work and pray together for peace. And Jesuits and their co-workers are at the forefront of peace initiatives in many areas of Africa too, in countries such as South Sudan, where they are supporting refugees and are helping communities to equip themselves with skills for the future; or Kenya, where Jesuits in Nairobi are educating students in the peace process.

Having served the Society faithfully as its Superior General for the past eight years, Fr Adolfo Nicolás has announced that he intends to step down in 2016. We give thanks for

From the editor...

his ministry and dedication which have been deeply rooted in the Ignatian tradition that asks: What more can I do for God? What more can I give? St Ignatius summed up this spirit of generosity – of time and talents, of resources and indeed of money – in the phrase: To give and not to count the cost.

The work of the Jesuits in Britain and beyond is challenging and varied. It is sometimes dangerous but also rewarding. And it is work that relies upon the generosity of our friends, our co-workers and supporters to whom we say a sincere Thank you!

Fr Dushan Croos SJ

04 Ged Clapson pays tribute to those murdered in the service of the Gospel

06 Skills and education make a difference in South Sudan

08 Phil Harrison SJ previews MAGIS 2014 in Ireland

09 Oxford University Chaplaincy is a supportive community of faith, says Olivia McDermott

10 Rebecca Volk recalls two Jesuit chaplains of the First World War

11 Tom McCoog SJ introduces the Jesuit who brought gas to Preston

12 Building peace in East Africa, Peter Knox SJ

13 Pope Francis in the Holy Land

14 Bernie Aton with the latest from the Philippines

15 Eddy Bermingham SJ introduces Guyana’s online formation programme

16 Kate Monkhouse explains why photography can be such an encouragement to refugees

17 Michael Beattie SJ considers Pope Francis’ prayer themes for the coming months

18 Shaun Carls SJ considers what it means to be a Jesuit in South Africa today

19 Meet the new Regional Superior of South Africa: David Rowan SJ

20 Where do we find God? asks Tony Horan SJ

21 Moves and Appointments

22 Obituaries

23 Laura Howley reports on the Jesuit Missions London Marathon team

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In this issue...

4 Jesuits & Friends Summer 2014

FEATURE The Ultimate Sacrifice

‘No greater love...’

The murder of Fr Frans van der Lugt SJ in Syria in April was a stark reminder that the life of a missionary is often fraught with dangers, writes Ged Clapson.

WHEN FATHER GENERAL Adolfo Nicolás SJ paid a brief visit to Guyana shortly after Easter (see page 21), one of the first places that he stopped at was the memorial to Fr Bernard Darke SJ. Fr Darke was murdered by a group of pro-government thugs in 1979, as he took photos of a demonstration in Georgetown. Fr General’s host on this occasion was Fr Malcolm Rodrigues SJ, a close friend of Fr Darke, who later reflected in Jesuits and Friends: “His blood may have dried up on the spot where he was killed, but his spirit has led to a greater commitment of many Guyanese to the struggle for justice.”

More recently, the murder of the Dutch Jesuit Fr Frans van der Lugt SJ in Syria in April was a stark reminder that life in the mission field is not without its risks. A commitment to the Kingdom, to promoting an agenda of peace and justice, of opposing tyranny and inequalities, can demand extreme sacrifices – sometimes even the ultimate sacrifice. And many – like Fr Frans – accept their own suffering as a given for the Gospel. “If these people (in Syria) are suffering now I want to be in solidarity with them,” he told a reporter earlier this year. “As I was with these people

in their good times, I am with them in their pain.”

Bethlehem-based journalist Daniel Silas Adamson was deeply impressed by the Dutchman who had refused to leave the besieged city of Homs after almost 50 years in Syria. He recalled meeting Fr van der Lugt in his garden which he called al-Ard – the earth. With a vegetable bed at its heart, he had created a spiritual centre that had no precedent in Syria, where perhaps a dozen people, many of them children or teenagers with disabilities, were weeding and watering the red earth.

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Solidarity with the people: Fr Frans van der Lugt SJ


The Ultimate Sacrifice FEATURE

Fr Frans van der Lugt SJ 1938 – 2014

Carlos Mejia Orellana 1979 – 2014

Sr Valsa John 1958 – 2011

Fr Bernard Darke SJ 1925 – 1979

“In a culture where people with disabilities are often hidden away in shame,” wrote Dan in the BBC News Magazine, “Frans was creating a space where they could work together as part of ‘a community that values everybody’.” See www.bbc.co.uk/ news/magazine-27155474

Fr van der Lugt’s murder was swiftly followed by news days later from Honduras that a Jesuit partner had also been killed. Carlos Mejia Orellana was a 35-year-old lawyer who worked at ERIC-RP, the Jesuit-run radio and social action centre which strives to deliver human rights and water, improve people’s livelihoods and reduce the risk of disaster. It is believed his death was politically motivated.

Another Jesuit partner to have been martyred in recent years was Sr Valsa John of the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of Jesus and Mary. For over a decade, she had served the poor Santals, an agricultural tribal people of southern India, and had founded a forestry conservation movement. This greatly upset the stone mine and timber interests which operated in the region. In November 2011, the 52-year-old was attacked by a gang of thugs with weapons, dragged out of her home and hacked to death. According to Stephanie Nolan of the Globe and Mail of New Delhi, her murderers were “’goons’ hired by the mining companies she had helped the

community of Pachuwara fight. The ‘coal mafia’ told her on more than one occasion to get out of Pachuwara or they would kill her.”

Fr Varghese Puthussery SJ who is currently working in Aishalton, Guyana, got to know Sr Valsa when he gave a retreat for her novices before their first profession. “Her commitment to the poor and social justice was very evident at that time,” he says. She had been introduced to social action through Fr Philip Manthara SJ of Patna

Province and, subsequently, she went to work with Fr Tom Kavala SJ at Kodma. “From the time she came, she learned the language, culture and socio-politico-economic problems of the Santal tribals of the area. She was one with the people ... When she was transferred to Jiapani she got a chance to come to know that tribal land was going to be taken by mining companies and, in order to help the people, she knew that she needed to stay with them. So she opted to work at Pachuara.”

Fr van der Lugt totally identified with the Syrian people. It is claimed he knew

the country better and spoke the language better than many native Syrians. Similarly, Sr Valsa in India was one with the Santals. “She lived like a Santal,” according to Fr Varghese. “Though there were many tense moments, feelings of betrayals, accusations from various groups, she remained with the people … She was ready to sacrifice her life if it was needed.”

A Jesuit’s mission is to go ‘where the needs are greatest’, in obedience to his superior and to the Holy Father. Throughout the world and throughout history, there are many people – men and women, clergy, religious and laity – who believe in taking risks for what is right. That may take them into areas of physical danger, where they are in opposition to political or commercial bodies for whom human rights and justice are secondary to power or profit. They do not seek suffering or death, any more than they deliberately select areas of mission that have the highest risks. But their willingness to sacrifice their liberty, their comfort and – if necessary – their lives, is a testimony to the power of the Gospel. l

WHAT CAN YOU DO?Please pray for the safety of missionaries and please continue to support their work in the field by donating to Jesuit Missions.

“His spirit has led to a greater commitment...

to the struggle for justice”


JESUIT MISSIONS South Sudan

Skilled workers and students thrive in South Sudan war zone


South Sudan JESUIT MISSIONS

SINCE ITS PEOPLE voted for independence in 2011, South Sudan has suffered much internal conflict. Thousands have been killed in fighting since violence between government and rebel forces erupted last December. According to Fr Deogratias Rwezaura SJ, Regional Director of the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) in Eastern Africa, 1.2 million people so far have been displaced internally and across neighbouring borders into Ethiopia, Sudan (including in the contested region of Abyei), Uganda and Kenya.

“With impending rains, more and more areas will become inaccessible, rendering an already precarious situation more so,” says Fr Rwezaura. “Think of the many women, children and the extremely vulnerable elderly and sick. Moreover, when rains stop, paradoxical as this may sound, famine is expected to set in compounding the situation even further. This is because unless the displaced populations return to their farmlands in anticipation of the rainy season, the planting season will come and go. Hence people will continue to depend on hand-outs. The question is what becomes of those in areas that are not accessible?”

But alongside support for refugees and the relief efforts, Jesuits and their co-workers throughout South Sudan are striving to enable the people not only to survive but to flourish. During the civil war (1983 – 2005), Loyola Secondary School (LSS) in Wau, which had been established by the Jesuits the year before the conflict, was occupied by the Sudanese Army as a barracks. Classrooms were reportedly used as torture chambers for prisoners of war. It was reopened by the Eastern Africa Jesuit Province following the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and since then it has received some of the best exam results nationwide. Many of the students at the school are former child soldiers and ‘returnees’ (former

Internally Displaced Persons/Refugees) to Wau, and despite its minimal resources, LSS is a leading example of secondary education in Western Bahr el Ghazal state.

The Jesuits in East Africa are aiming to increase the school’s capacity from 450 to 800 with equal enrolment of male (currently 70%) and female (currently 30%) students. This increase will mean that new facilities such as science laboratories are needed. Once complete, the school plans to engage more closely with returnees through various community based (non-curricular) activities such as adult literacy classes, and the use of conference facilities for public health and social justice workshops.

The Comprehensive Peace Agreement of 2005 followed 22 years of civil war in South Sudan, during which many skilled workers in the construction, electricity, water, sanitation and information computer technology (ICT) sectors had been forced to migrate. So since 2005 there has been a need to build local skills and expertise whilst improving access to safe drinking water through

‘green’ technologies in a setting with limited resources.

The Jesuits are helping in this process through the St Peter Claver Ecological Training Centre (SPCETC) in Rumbek town, South Sudan. The centre is currently installing 20 solar computers and a solar system for ICT training so the school will continue to offer training in ICT, solar electricity, water and sanitation and basic construction to local NGO staff, civil servants and unemployed youths. The aim is that alumni from the centre will continue to offer important services to the local community through key stakeholders such as the Diocese of Rumbek and local NGOs, by providing boreholes, latrines, solar installations and basic construction services. l

WHAT CAN YOU DO?To support the work of the Jesuits in South Sudan please consider making a donation to Jesuit Missions by sending a cheque to 11 Edge Hill, Wimbledon, SW19 4LR. Thank you for your support.

After decades of war, the Jesuits in South Sudan are educating former soldiers and empowering the country’s workforce, as Ged Clapson explains.

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Left: A pupil heads to Kajo Keji Tipere School. Above: Nimule Iriya Primary School


YOUNG ADULTS MAGIS 2014

Strengthening the faith of young people

Jesuit in Formation Philip Harrison SJ previews what young adults might find when they gather for MAGIS in Ireland this summer.

THIS SUMMER the theme of MAGIS 2014 will be the words: ‘Many gifts, one Spirit’ (1 Corinthians 12:4). Paul writes to remind the Church in Corinth that a variety of gifts are manifested in different people, all proceeding from the same spirit. The theme was chosen to reflect the desire among many young people to celebrate their belonging in the Church. Going against the tide of much contemporary culture, they are discovering ways to strengthen their faith together and use their gifts for the greater glory of God.

When contemporary culture diminishes the importance of faith, it can be isolating to be a young Catholic. If friends, family and colleagues do not understand, or there are difficult questions to answer, then there can be an invisible pressure to hide faith. In contrast, events such as MAGIS, World Youth Day, the Pope’s visit to Britain and other youth gatherings make faith visible. When it is shared faith grows stronger. Young people gain confidence from knowing they are part of a very large extended family.

Journey of FaithAs part of this family, many young people want to use their gifts by taking on responsibilities in their workplace, chaplaincy or parish. They live their faith actively by volunteering at home or abroad. They become members of the Church who carry the message of the Gospel out into the world. MAGIS hopes to build on the visible and active faith of young people by giving them the tools of discernment, community building and reflection to be able to deepen their life of faith and reach out to others.

MAGIS can prove to be a significant waypoint on the journey of faith: “I came back a different person,” one young adult told me after a previous

event. “Definitely more adventurous, but changed on a deeper level too. I was more in tune with God. He felt so present; every moment of every day of


Chaplaincy HIGHER EDUCATION

ALMOST FOUR years ago, I arrived in Oxford as an excited teenager ready to be filled with knowledge of science, literature and politics. My A Level grades disguised an unquestioning Catholic who attended Mass every week, but spoke the words of the Creed dispassionately and without understanding.

My first year was a struggle academically, but I found consolation in my weekly trips to the Catholic Chaplaincy on Rose Place. There was something affirming about being surrounded by normal students, all saying the same responses as me. By my second year, I was becoming more settled, taking on the role of ‘college rep’ and helping to organise a Mass each term.

The advent of year three and finals led to a different relationship with the chaplaincy. I became a regular user of the library, and friendships were quickly forged in the fires of revision. In times of great trial, a trip to the ‘ensuite’ chapel balcony provided solace.

I applied to be a member of the residential community for my fourth year, and life as a resident catalysed my search for spiritual direction. A ‘Retreat in Daily Life’ provided me with my first exposure to the Examen, but several long chats over tea and washing up brought more inspiration than any book or lecture. Finally, I found the courage to seek answers to my questions and ask for guidance. I also discovered the wealth of opportunities I had missed over the previous three years. SVP, CAFOD and women’s group all required my full and immediate attention. Like St Ignatius in his early years, it took time to realise that I needed to find out which I would find most fulfilling, rather than trying to copy all the inspiring people around me.

Being part of the residential community has brought me wonderful new friends, and I can always rely on their company to brighten even the most difficult days. I leave Oxford older and a little wiser. Science, literature, politics and even a little theology may have filled my head, but no exams can measure how important the chaplaincy has been for me. In October, another set of bright-eyed freshers will meet the current chaplains: Fr Dushan Croos SJ, Alexandra Harrod and Fr Keith McMillan SJ. When they have the term card thrust into their hands, I hope they too will discover that the chaplaincy is about more than just the events and Mass, but about a community that offers support and understanding as we journey to better understand our faith. l

A journey of joy through Oxford

Olivia McDermott’s time at Oxford University was enriched by her association with the Catholic Chaplaincy.

that week, through the people around me, the work and the beautiful farm itself.” This realisation can lead to a new sense of vocation and purpose in life.

Others discover new realities among the poor and disadvantaged which they did not expect: “I learned through personal conversation with detainees that their little world is a hard and miserable caricature of the society I live in. ‘There is no friendship or companionship here’, they told me. Even the word freedom had no joy in it for the future: still so many years in prison and then an empty life outside.” This fresh perspective is one of the hallmarks of the change brought about by MAGIS.

PerspectivesMAGIS is a genuine expression of Jesuits and their friends working alongside and with each other. What they all share in common is their adherence to St Ignatius Loyola’s challenge when he asked: What more can I do for Christ? MAGIS is the Latin word for ‘more’. This spirit is shared by a broad range of religious congregations and orders known as the Ignatian ‘Family’; and MAGIS is a highly visible expression of different members of this family taking different initiatives to acknowledge the yearnings and faith journeys of young adults. Although coordinated by Jesuits in Formation with the blessing of the Provincials of North West Europe, it is a response to frontiers of Jesuit mission that were identified four years ago:• The service of faith as it confronts

secularism• In particular the work of evangelisation

among young people• Made credible by the witness of our

lives and our service of the poorest.

MAGIS will run from 6-17 August 2014 in Ireland. It is for young people aged 17-30. The ideal candidate will be open to experiencing God, willing to commit to the poor and to the planet, interested in international friendships and ready to live in simplicity. l

FIND OUT MORETo find out more about MAGIS for yourself or someone you know, visit www.magis14.org

Olivia McDermott (far right) with Oxford Chaplaincy friends

FEATURE The First World War


THE OUTBREAK OF the First World War was recorded by the British Province in 1914 in short telegram fashion. ‘August 2. Ordinations at Ore, Hastings. Of 38 newly ordained Priests SJ many left at once to join the army’, read a business-like article entitled ‘The Great War: as it affects religion and the Society’. Among the Jesuits who served as military chaplains was Fr Henry Day SJ (1865-1951). He had offered his service as a chaplain days before the outbreak of war and, given his experience of riding on the Zambezi Mission and more recently with the North Devonshire Stag Hunt, he was appointed to the cavalry division. As chaplain he witnessed the advance from Suvla Bay (Gallipoli), the fighting on the Salonika Front (Macedonia) and the last six months of the fighting in France. He was

awarded the Military Cross and the Order of the White Eagle of Serbia.

Despite having been in danger often during the years of the Great War, it was not until the week before Armistice that Fr Day was wounded. He was with a unit which was advancing too fast in pursuit of the retreating Germans; it came under fire from British guns and it was by a shell from ‘friendly fire’ that the chaplain was wounded. He was in hospital in London and then served for some time in the army of occupation in Germany. Later he wrote two volumes

By the end of 1914, seven Jesuits were serving as military chaplains: Fr William Heathcote was a Naval Chaplain, while Fathers Henry Day, William Fitzmaurice, Michael King,

Charles Raymond-Barker, Joseph Strickland and Francis Woodlock were Army Chaplains. As we mark the centenary of the start of the Great War, Rebecca Volk delved into the

Jesuits in Britain’s Archives to find out more about two of them…

of memoirs, A Cavalry Chaplain and Macedonia Memories, about his experience as a chaplain. Lieutenant-General Peyton paid him this tribute:

“Most gallant amongst that gallant body of men ‘the padres’ of all denominations, who in all theatres of war shared the dangers, and hardships of the trenches, and the open field; and ministered with such sympathy to both the spiritual and bodily wants of all ranks: Father Day stood out for his simplicity, bravery, and breadth of vision…”

Fr Michael King SJ (1853-1931), had been rejected as too old to be a Chaplain in the Boer War. But in September 1914, he was appointed as Chaplain to the 11th (Northern) Division of the New Army. He arrived in France on 13 November 1914 and Fr Bernard Rawlinson, Senior Catholic Chaplain in France 1916-1919, wrote the following about him:

“Practically the whole of that time he was at G.H.Q., where he did wonderful work and was highly esteemed and beloved by the ranks… He certainly contributed in no small degree in forming the high esteem in which Catholic chaplains were held in the army.”

On 6 February 1918, he went to Buckingham Palace to receive his Military Cross, which he had been awarded in June 1917. Fr King returned from France in November 1918, and was 65 years old when he was demobilised in April 1919. l

Chaplains held in high esteem

“The ‘padres’ … shared the dangers and hardships

of the trenches”

Fr Michael King SJ Fr Henry Day SJ


The Restoration of the Society FEATURE

ordained for two years. He served as chaplain to the Claverings in Northumberland, and then moved to St Mary’s in Preston where he served as assistant to another former Jesuit, Fr Nicholas Sewall.

When ‘No-Popery’ riots broke out in Preston, Dunn and fellow ex-Jesuit Richard Morgan played quite a significant role in improving relations between churches. Under their direction, St Wilfrid’s Church opened on 4 June 1793. A presbytery and St Wilfrid’s RC School in Fox Street followed.

Despite remaining on friendly terms with the Society of Jesus and with individual Jesuits, Daddy Dunn never re-entered. He pondered it; he discussed it with trusted friends; there were even occasional rumours that he had actually re-entered; but he never did so. He explained his decision by saying he did not want to risk being “sent adrift again on the demand of the Russian Constantine [Tsar Alexander I] or the Corsican usurper [Napoleon].”

A Jesuit presence in Preston dates back to 1701 but Daddy Dunn is often considered the second founder of the Preston mission. He died on 19 November 1827 and at his funeral, Prestonians of all persuasions paid their respects. l

FIND OUT MOREVisit sj2014.net to find out more about the Restoration of the Society of Jesus.

The Jesuit who brought gas to Preston

Our third article by Tom McCoog SJ on Jesuits who survived the Suppression of the Society of Jesus.

By the time it was restored in 1814, nearly 200 had died. Of those who remained, some re-entered the Society as soon as the English Province was restored in 1803; others hesitated

until there was a clear, written statement of papal approval. But about three dozen

former Jesuits decided not to re-enter at all, citing either

old age or simply feeling they would not be able to re-adjust to the routine of religious life after they had been a diocesan priest

for so long. And still others, especially

between 1803 and 1814, simply chose not to return.

Among these was Fr Dunn, a Yorkshireman, born in 1746.

Joseph Dunn studied at the English College at St Omers between 1758 and 1764, and moved with it to Bruges when the Society of Jesus was expelled from France. Having entered the Jesuits on 9 September 1764, he studied philosophy and theology at the Jesuit scholasticate (training college) in Liège – what is now Heythrop College. By the time the Society was suppressed in 1773, he had been

“Daddy Dunn was often considered the second founder of the

Preston mission”

JOSEPH ‘DADDY’ Dunn was one of Preston’s most prominent citizens in the early 19th century. He helped to develop the House of Recovery – a fever hospital – founded in the town in 1813, and to establish the Preston Gas Company (1815). It was through Dunn that Stonyhurst became the first public building in Britain to be illuminated by gas. In the 1820s, he did the same for the town of Preston and in so doing made it the first English town outside London to be lit by coal gas. And he was a Jesuit – at least for a time.

There were approximately 270 Jesuits in the English Province at the time of the Suppression of the Society of Jesus in 1773.

Joseph ‘Daddy’ Dunn is celebrated with a plaque outside the Catholic school in Fox Street, Preston; his portrait was painted around 1820 by an unknown artist.

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JESUIT MISSIONS Kenya

Building peace in Kenya

paralysed with fear. Rather, some Jesuits approach the social situation in a typically Ignatian manner – trying to find where God is in the mess. But what can the Jesuits contribute to this bewildering scenario?

Opened ten years ago to mark the 20th anniversary of Hekima College, the Institute of Peace Studies and International Relations (HIPSIR) helps people to analyse the conflict in Kenya and elsewhere in Africa.

KENYA’S IMAGE OF idyllic white-sanded beaches, expansive national parks, coffee and tea plantations, and challenging mountaineering under perfect tropical skies has been shattered in recent years. The pictures beamed worldwide of terrorism, violence and bloodshed mean that many now associate Kenya more with Al-Shabaab insurgents spilling over from Somalia. More and more tourists, fearful of terrorist attacks in marketplaces and shopping malls and grenade attacks on matatus (the ubiquitous minibus taxis), say they rank Kenya very near the bottom of their must-see holiday destinations.

For those of us missioned here, nothing is achieved by becoming

Peter Knox SJ in Nairobi considers a Jesuit response to the latest atrocities in East Africa.

Each student on the institute’s MA programme has to conduct original research in one area of conflict, so HIPSIR’s library has become a resource second to none in Kenya. The programme includes courses in human rights law, diplomacy, economics and international relations. It approaches conflict from various perspectives, including African culture, identity and the ethics of war. And it has a strong emphasis on conflict resolution and peacebuilding.

HIPSIR is actively involved with church and non-governmental organisations, academic partners and representatives of security forces in reflecting on the causes of violence in the region. Last year, it organised a programme of election monitoring and reporting for the Bishops’ Conference and monthly public conferences are held on issues relating to conflict and peace. The annual three-day interfaculty symposium offers an opportunity for theologians to learn about real-life issues affecting the security of their parishioners, and for the peace students to reflect on their own area of interest from the perspective of people of faith.

Fortuitously located in the capital, Nairobi, Hekima College was founded in 1984 as the Jesuit School of Theology, with a view to training Jesuit scholastics (priest-in-training) in an African context. But from the start its doors were open to religious from many other congregations and religious families. Our hope is that its Institute of Peace Studies and International Relations will help people to understand conflicts better so that we can all become more tolerant of differences. In this way, may we find ways of avoiding conflict in the future and steadily heal the wounds that afflict our continent. l

“Jesuits missioned here… try to find God

in the mess”

Dialogue between faith communities aids understanding and tolerance

Alain G

ourane SJ


The Pope in the Holy Land FEATURE

‘We must work together for peace...’

Embrace: Pope Francis with his long-time friends from Argentina, Rabbi Abraham Skorka and Iman Omar Abboud at the Western Wall in Jerusalem.

The primary purpose of Pope Francis’ pilgrimage to the Holy Land in May was religious: to meet and pray with the Orthodox Patriarch of Constantinople. But the Holy Father’s

trip increasingly became a high profile mission of peace and reconciliation. Without any overtly political agenda, it was filled with mutual warmth and respect. Here we recall some of the visual

highlights of the three days that Pope Francis spent in the region as an envoy of peace…

Unscheduled: Pope Francis touched and prayed at the wall that divides Israel from the West Bank, on the way to celebrate Mass in Manger Square, Bethlehem.

Invitation: When they met in Bethlehem, Pope Francis invited Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas to join him in the Vatican to pray for peace.

Memorial: In another deviation from the schedule, Pope Francis also visited the Mount Herzl cemetery in Jerusalem and stopped at the memorial to Israeli civilians killed in the conflict.

Welcome: Pope Francis was greeted at Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv by Israeli President Shimon Peres whom he also invited to pray for peace with him

at ‘his home’.

Remembrance: Pope Francis and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attended a memorial ceremony in the Hall of Remembrances in the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial.

Holocaust: Pope Francis kisses the hand of Jewish survivor Sonia Tunik-Geron during the ceremony at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial.

Unity: Pope Francis joined Patriarch Bartholomew I at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in a joint prayer for unity between the Eastern and Western branches of Christianity.

Pilgrim: Pope Francis inserts a prayer into a crack between stones in the Western Wall of the Temple in Jerusalem. It contained the ‘Our

Father’ in Spanish.

Together: After being shown round the Al Aqsa compound in Jerusalem, Pope Francis appealed to Jews, Muslims and Christians, saying: “May we work together for justice and peace.”

JESUIT MISSIONS The Philippines

More than 14 million people were affected when Typhoon Haiyan devastated the Philippines in November 2013. Since then, Jesuit partner agency SLB (Simbahang Lingkod ng Bayan)

has been helping communities rebuild their lives. Here is Bernie Aton’s latest update.

THANKS TO THE incredible support we have received, we are extending the areas in which we are offering assistance, no longer working just in Culion but also in Samar and Leyte.

The mood of the people varies from place to place. Our work in Culion continues, as we distribute fibreglass boats and boat repair materials in anticipation of people being able to resume fishing as a way of life. But in other areas, people still clamour for assistance to resume their livelihoods. In Samar and Leyte, other organisations have assisted in repairing shelters and constructing housing; but the people here have expressed their wish to have local chapels and churches rebuilt. It is impossible to underestimate the importance of this to the local people who have a great

deal of love for their churches and chapels and for whom it is important to have them re-established as places for the whole community.

At the moment the weather in the Philippines is kinder, but in a few months it will be typhoon season again. SLB is working hard to ensure that communities are better prepared to ensure their safety should another typhoon hit the area. We know that a great deal of good work has been completed already, but we must continue to look for other opportunities to help affected communities to ensure that everyone gets the help that they need.

We would like to thank you again for your support and ask that you continue to hold the people of the Philippines in prayer. l

Typhoon Haiyan – latest update


A church in Culion damaged by Typhoon Haiyan

Photo by: SLB/Xavier N

etwork


about how trainees with little secondary education might cope and how they would be able to sustain the five-week courses alongside their already busy lives; illness and migration have also had their affect. But we persevered!

Earlier this year, 11 catechists from Georgetown, the East Coast, New Amsterdam and Port Mourant took part in the ‘Introduction to Catechesis’ course – an important landmark because only people from the Diocese of Georgetown could participate. Through the VLCFF website, catechists who had never met before chatted away with each other; they posted their thoughts on the set texts and responded to each other’s posts on a dedicated message board; and they completed each week’s assignments and tests online.

My favourite story is of the woman who gets home from work around six

Guyana JESUIT MISSIONS

Empowering the laity through online learning

A LACK OF EDUCATION is a real struggle in many developing countries, including Guyana. It is a form of poverty and it means that there are endemic shortages of qualified people in all fields, including the Catholic Church. With an acute shortage of priests, we need to train an army of lay people to help with catechesis and sacramental preparation in parishes. But how?

Part of the answer lies in VLCFF, the ‘Virtual Learning Community for Faith Formation’ of the University of Dayton in Ohio. VLCFF offers 165 online courses to lay people – mainly across the USA and Caribbean but with outliers in Australia, Arabia and Britain. Sr Angela Ann Zukowski MHSH from Dayton introduced us to VLCFF at a meeting in Georgetown, Guyana. She told us how the course topics range from Catechesis to Scripture, from Liturgy to Catholic Social teaching and typically last for five weeks. Participants spend up to six hours a week following a text book and working through a topic via interactions on message-boards with a tutor and a community of learners.

Following a pilot two years ago, the Diocese of Georgetown formed a partnership with VLCFF, with the bishop particularly keen for people to sign up for the Certificate in Catechesis (Level 1) and the Certificate in Youth Ministry. Over 20 people were recruited in the first cohort and began studying alongside students around the world. The process has not been without its challenges: the vagaries of Guyanese internet connection and power supply have had their impact; we were anxious

Eddy Bermingham SJ explains how Guyana’s Catechesis and Youth services are benefitting from Adult Faith Formation online.

o’clock, spends a few hours with the family, then – in her shorts – heads for the hammock in the garden with her laptop and goes online to do her course! In the last 12 months, around 20 people have completed more than 100 five-week courses, which amounts to about 3,000 hours of adult formation, all done in the comfort of their home and at any hour of the day or night. Our hope is that we are sowing the seeds for a more competent and confident Catechetics and Youth Service here in Guyana, as those studying now hand on their knowledge and increasingly take responsibility for directing these two services. l

FIND OUT MORECheck out the two short videos on the VLCFF homepage at https://vlc.udayton.edu/ for a better understanding of the VLCFF process.

Online study can be done anywhere – even in your hammock!


SOCIAL ACTION Refugees

AFTER 16 YEARS, Refugee Week continues to provide a platform to promote positive images of refugees. And many of those images have been produced by nine would-be photographers who took part in a training course organised by the Jesuit Refugee Service UK with project partner Fotosynthesis Community.

Among the photographers whose work has been exhibited over the summer was ‘Muler’ who has since gone on to help lead the workshops. “When I started to go to JRS workshops with Fotosynthesis, my confidence was very low,” he says. “I was hopeless. But in the people on that workshop I saw how I could say something about myself or about others through photography. The project was about daily life for asylum seekers in the UK and it connected with my own struggles.”

‘Muler’ says that working on the project was a huge opportunity – to restore his confidence and to learn

A picture is more than just 1,000 words, according to Kate Monkhouse of JRS-UK.

more. Ingrid Guyon from Fotosynthesis agrees that it is very important that everyone on the course is engaged. “We do teach photography; but it’s more about the meaning of the pictures,” she says. “When you say things to people, it’s to really encourage them to believe that they can do it and that it doesn’t matter to us if they are refugees or not. We don’t treat them like that, but we understand their personal circumstances, so we always listen to what they have to say. We never ask them about their own stories. Sometimes they want to tell us, but it’s up to them.”

Photographic assignments can enable a group to bond, according to Ingrid. “We imagined publishing a story about the JRS centre in a newspaper: We asked what pictures we’d take and then the participants went off in pairs and worked as a team. You could see how they started to work together and help each other. What I really liked from that day was everyone was very dynamic and engaged.”

An exhibition not only provides a platform for refugees to show their work and express themselves; it also enables them to be part of a group and be trusted. “What I would like from the exhibition is for people to understand these without labelling or judging them,” says Ingrid. “I’d like the public to value the quality of the work that they have done in such a short time. It could just be the beginning of something. With more resources, we could do advanced photography. It will be very diverse and exciting because the group is diverse and bright and dynamic.”

WHAT CAN YOU DO?The Jesuit Refugee Service exhibition at the Lumen Gallery, 88 Tavistock Place, London WC1H runs until 10 July 2014. It will then be available for display this autumn in parishes, along with a speaker from JRS-UK. Contact Kate Monkhouse on 020 7488 7310.PLEASE SUPPORT JRS-UK: see back page.

Participants discuss photographic composition and techniques on the JRS-UK/Fotosynthesis Community course.

Positive photos restore confidence and promote engagement

Fotosynthesis/JRS-U

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Praying with the Pope PRAYER

MOTHER TERESA of Calcutta reportedly said that the greatest manifestation of poverty is loneliness. In his November intention, Pope Francis is concerned about those who are lonely and have no friends; but before that he also highlights refugees fleeing in terror from war zones (August) and the needs of those who are mentally disabled (September). In uniting our prayers with the Holy Father and the Universal Church in this way, we are able to pray not only for all these people but also those who have the potential to give a helping hand, including possibly ourselves. By taking a moment to reflect on the way Mother Teresa linked poverty with loneliness, we can be led down all sorts of avenues, many of which can impact on all the Pope’s prayer requests for the next few months.

I wonder how many lonely people will be glued to the television set during the World Cup, for instance; if we are a

‘They shall be comforted ...’

Michael Beattie SJ finds a common thread in the Pope’s prayer themes for the coming months.

JULY: That sports may always be occasions of human fraternity and growth.

That the Holy Spirit may support the work of the laity who proclaim the Gospel in the poorest countries.

AUGUST: That refugees, forced by violence to abandon their homes, may find a generous welcome and the protection of their rights.

That Christians in Oceania may joyfully announce the faith to all the people of that region.

SEPTEMBER: That the mentally disabled may receive the love and help they need for a dignified life.

That Christians, inspired by the Word of God, may serve the poor and suffering.

OCTOBER: That the Lord may grant peace to those parts of the world most battered by war and violence.

That World Mission Day may rekindle in every believer zeal for carrying the Gospel into all the world.

NOVEMBER: That all who suffer loneliness may experience the closeness of God and the support of others.

That young seminarians and religious may have wise and well-formed mentors.

MORNING PRAYERGod, our Father, I offer You my day. I offer You my prayers, thoughts, words, actions, joys and sufferings in union with the Heart of Jesus, who continues to offer Himself in the Eucharist for the salvation of the world. May the Holy Spirit, Who guided Jesus, be my guide and my strength today so that I may witness to your love. With Mary, the mother of our Lord and the Church, I pray for all Apostles of Prayer and for the prayer intentions proposed by the Holy Father this month. Amen.

football enthusiast, could we think of a lonely person who might like to share the match with us in our own home, on our own television? There must also be thousands of lonely people, anxious and frightened people in the parts of the world where there is upheaval, fighting, cruelty and injustice. Think of the loneliness of a war widow or of bereaved parents who have lost a child as a result of bombardment. We need to show our gratitude to the Lord and be ever mindful as to how we can do our bit, albeit small perhaps, to alleviate loneliness.

The lonely need to know of the omnipresence of God, made visible in Jesus Christ, that same Jesus who experienced loneliness at the moment of our redemption when from the cross he exclaimed: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”(Mt 27.47). One way or another all these random yet serious issues find a place in Pope Francis’ prayer intentions for the next few months. Could we link our daily offering with and find space in our busy lives for a few moments to alleviate some of these human needs? l

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We are a small Jesuit Region, so our ability to project ourselves over this large region is limited. However, the Jesuit Institute (JISA) has raised the profile. The age structure of the Region is holding pretty steady, with quite a good balance between young and old. Dramatic growth seems unlikely, but we must remain open to the possibility, of course: ‘the Spirit blows where it wills’.

Above all, and through all this, the Jesuit’s vocation is formed and nurtured by both praying and living the Spiritual Exercises where God is found in all things, from the centre of the Jesuit’s soul to his encounter with the other. In this age of glocalisation, where the local is global and the global is local through often instant mass communication, the vocation of a Jesuit is to both local (part of a Province or Region, part of a local community) and global – available to serve the global Society and universal Church.

South Africa’s Jesuits currently include men from South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Zimbabwe,

VOCATIONS South Africa

Have you or someone you know considered life as a Jesuit priest or brother? For more information, visit www.jesuitvocations.org.uk or contact: Vocations Director, Manresa House, 10 Albert Rd, Harborne, B17 0AN, [email protected]

Guyana: Fr Jerri Melwin Dias SJ Tel: + 592 22 67461 [email protected]

THE VOCATION OF A JESUIT is broader than we might imagine. To be a Jesuit today in South Africa, indeed anywhere, is to be someone who is at once at the centre of the Church and a person on faith’s frontiers.

As a pastor, he preaches and administers the sacraments to those within the Church; but he also reaches out to the frontiers – to those in the inner city or township who are poor or marginalised from the Church, the divorced and remarried, people in ‘irregular unions’ or same-sex relationships. As an advocate, the Jesuit in various social apostolates also reaches out to the frontiers of society – the homeless, the poor, refugees and forced migrants – often working with people outside the Church who share a common vision of justice.

There are other aspects to a vocation, however; and many Jesuits in South Africa feel called to be communicators, ecumenists, teachers or academics. It is a tough environment in which to foster vocations. There is a small Catholic population and the Church is still young. Society is very Westernised and materialistic, and the country is still traumatised and recovering from the past. Problems of race linger, as do questions about whether we can live and work together in our diversity, and whose culture calls the tune in community.

From the centre to the frontiersShaun Carls SJ considers what it means to be a Jesuit today in South Africa.

Britain, Tanzania and Zambia. South Africans in the Society can be found in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Kenya and Britain. We are, in our cross-country and cross-cultural travels often to be found, literally, at frontiers! l

“A Jesuit’s vocation is formed and nurtured

in prayer and the Spiritual Exercises”

Fr David Rowan SJ, Rector at St Francis Xavier Seminary in Cape Town, dons a blanket, part of the Sotho people’s distinctive clothing. Blankets are part of their culture because the winters, especially the nights, can be cold and crisp; each has a different design and cultural significance. Seminarians come from all over South Africa and cultural days at which each student presents some aspect of his culture help them to understand each other better. The Sotho seminarians come from the Free State and Johannesburg area.

South Africa: Fr Shaun Carls SJ Tel: (+27) 021 685 3465 [email protected]


South Africa JESUIT MISSIONS

THIS YEAR, SOUTH AFRICA celebrates 20 years of democracy and we have just had our fifth election as a democratic nation. Last year, we buried the father of that democracy: Nelson Mandela. There has been much to celebrate, but it has also been a time for us to reflect as to where we are going as a nation.

For the past eight years, I have been the Rector of a Seminary in Cape Town, training priests for the diocesan priesthood. The bishops of South Africa asked the Jesuits to run the first year of seminary training to ground their students so that they will be able to work at becoming future priests. Setting standards and accepting students, it has become evident that not much has been done to improve the level of education in the schools, so this is some cause for us to worry about our future. State school education – especially in the rural areas – has advanced very little.

As David Rowan SJ takes over as Regional Superior in South Africa, he assesses the work of the Jesuits in the nation.

I last lived in Johannesburg in 1992 and, having moved back to take up the job as Regional Superior, one thing I have noticed is the increased traffic on the roads. This is because there has been a tremendous growth in the middle class over the last 20 years in South Africa. This expanding class has great expectations and hopes for their future.

Since coming to Johannesburg, I have been acquainting myself with the work of the Jesuit Institute of South Africa and seeing how it responds to the needs of this aspiring society. The Institute runs programmes in spirituality and leadership that are in great demand to help us ask the questions as to where we are going

and want to go as a nation. Among these questions, we need to challenge why South Africa has one of the biggest differentials between the very rich and the very poor.

Two years ago, the police shot 32 miners at a platinum mine at Marikana and we still await the report into that tragedy. A strike there has lasted several months and every week there are new protests by people who are frustrated that not much has been done to improve the quality of their lives, in terms of basic amenities such as water and sanitation. Stories of corruption in government even at the level of the president fill our newspapers.

This is the context in which Jesuits continue to work in South Africa, and I pray that we will be able to help our fellow countrymen to find out what God is saying to us at this point in our history. This surely is what the spirituality of St Ignatius can help us to do. l

“We need to challenge the differential between the very

rich and the very poor”

The challenges ahead

Silent protest for justice at Marikana

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SPIRITUALITY St Ignatius Loyola

ONE OF IGNATIUS’ great gifts to us is the reminder that we don’t only find God in church or even in prayer, but also in everyday life. I find God acting in my life and I look back and think, ‘How did I ever think of that?’ or ‘How did I ever manage to do that?’

In gratitude, recognising what God has done and is doing for us.

In service for others, trying to do some small things for others to show our gratitude to God.

In recognising His help, knowing that we can do nothing by ourselves.

In union with His will, through discerning His desires for us.

In listening to ourselves, to others, to God.

In nature, recognising in its beauty the beauty of God, the power of God.

In acts of mercy or justice or kindness or love, all these descend from God as light descends from the sun.

In reading scripture, hearing the words that were addressed to others as now addressed to us.

In praying regularly, to reflect often on what is happening to us and recognise where God is in our life.

Where do you find God in your life?

Ways in which we might find God

Where do you find God?As we celebrate the feast of St Ignatius Loyola on 31 July,

Tony Horan SJ reflects on what it means to him to find God in everything.

He was on the board of advisors of the local Catholic Truth Society shop and started to lament that their shop in Liverpool was so distant from the main shopping area of Liverpool. ‘We need to have some sort of event to bring the CTS into the consciousness of people,’ said Fr Wilkin. I mentioned an empty shop I had seen in one of the main shopping streets and suggested we might ‘borrow’ it for a day.

It was October 1950 and the Assumption of Our Lady was about

to be defined as an infallible doctrine on 1 November. ‘It would be good if we could connect our event to the solemn definition,’ I suggested. So I negotiated with the owners of the shop, and with the Manager of a large store,

owned by a Catholic family to borrow his window dressers. And on Saturday, 4 November, we had a magnificent show in honour of Our Lady and a lot of CTS books and pamphlets changed hands. But how did I, 21years old at the time, think of these things and even more, bring them about? I was very timid in those days. Not only was I convinced that God was prompting me and giving me His enabling power; it also confirmed my vocation.

But we can find God in what others do, as well as in what we do. St Ignatius urges us ‘To consider all blessings and gifts as descending from above. Thus, my

“Consider all blessings and gifts as descending

from above”

A bookshop for Our Lady, Liverpool 1950

limited power comes from the supreme and infinite power above, and so too, justice, goodness, mercy …descend from above as the rays of light descend from the sun, and as the waters flow from their fountains.’(The Spiritual Exercises 237). l

In my nearly 51 years as a Priest, I have started many new projects in God’s service and I have been amazed how each has developed. Not by my doing, I’m sure, but by God using me. As we look back, can we see God at work in our lives? Perhaps in the people he put into our life as well as in the things he enabled us to do and say.

Let me give you an example. One evening I went to see a Jesuit priest about whether God might be calling me to be a Jesuit. As the conversation went on, it developed to other things.


MOVES and APPOINTMENTS

On the moveKeeping you up to date with appointments and missions …

Having reached the age of 78, Father General Adolfo Nicolás SJ has announced his intention to resign. In a letter to the Society of Jesus in May, he said that he had consulted his advisers and informed Pope Francis of his intention to convoke a General Congregation in 2016. This would be

the occasion when his successor would be elected. Father General is pictured here (middle row, fourth from left) with the Jesuits of Guyana. He paid a brief visit to the Region in April, en route to a meeting of the Provincials of Latin America and the Caribbean in Mexico.

Father General to step down in 2016

Fathers Roger Dawson and Fintan Creavan have moved to St Beuno’s Spirituality and Retreat Centre in North Wales; Fr Dermot O’Connor will join them in due course. Later this year, Fr David Birchall will take over as the Director of the Ignatian Spirituality Centre in Glasgow.

Fr Brendan Callaghan is now Director of Novices at the novitiate in Harborne, Birmingham; Brother Mick O’Connor and Fr Frans Chanterie will also be moving to Manresa House. Fr Paul Nicholson, newly appointed Assistant for

Formation, is based at the Hurtado Jesuit Centre, Wapping, London E1.

Fr Paul Fletcher is the new chaplain at Heythrop College, University of London and Fr Keith McMillan will be joining the Chaplaincy team at Oxford University. Fr James Campbell is joining the Campion Hall Community in Oxford.

Frs Matthew Power, Peter Randall and Stephen Patterson are due to move to St Wilfrid’s in Preston in the coming months and Fr Ron Darwen will join them after a period with the Corpus Christi Community in Boscombe. Fr

Nicholas Austin has been appointed as Superior of Copleston House (north west London) and Fr David Smolira will be the new parish priest at St Ignatius, Stamford Hill. Fr Anthony Symondson has returned to London and is now resident at Loyola House, Wimbledon; and Fr Gerard W. Hughes has joined the Boscombe Community.

Overseas, Fr Frank Turner has been appointed Visiting Professor at the University of San Francisco and Fr Nicholas King will spend a year at Boston University’s Department of Biblical Studies. l

OBITUARIES


Last year, Fr McKenna celebrated 70 years in the Society of Jesus, most of those spent in Zimbabwe. Born

in East London, Cape Province, South Africa, on 1 October 1922, he entered the Society at St Beuno’s in 1943, was ordained in July 1955 and returned to work at St Aidan’s College, South Africa in 1956. He went from there to Rhodesia / Zimbabwe in 1959 and worked in a great variety of ministries for almost the next 50 years.

Fr Tony Bex SJ in Zimbabwe described Fr McKenna as: “A gentle holy priest. Totally devoted to his work, to the Apostleship of Prayer, of which he was National Director, and to the Legion of Mary where he was always welcomed at their meetings.”

Fr McKenna returned to Britain in 2008 to join the community at St Wilfrid’s in Preston. He died on 14 April 2014 following a stroke.

David McGarry was born in Dublin in 1949. His family moved to England when he was 10 and they settled in London where David attended Cardinal

Pole School in Homerton. On leaving school, he worked for BP International and remained with that company for 23 years, working mainly in their laboratories, until he entered the Society of Jesus at Harborne in 1992.

David McGarry served as a brother in several Jesuit communities: Stamford Hill during his studies at Heythrop College from 1994 to 1997; Sunderland, from 1997 to 2000, where he worked in Social Ministry; and Mount Street, where he was Minister from 2000. While at Mount Street he went to Weston for his Tertianship in 2004, and returned to Mount Street for a further year, moving then to St Beuno’s in August 2005 to be Minister there.

After his health started to decline, Br McGarry moved to Corpus Christi Jesuit Community in Boscombe, Dorset, in 2012, where he died on 15 April 2014.

Manus Keane was born in Preston, attended Mount St Mary’s College, and entered the Society of Jesus at Roehampton in 1948. After studies at Heythrop, Regency at The Mount and Tertianship at Auriesville, he went to Guyana in 1963, working mainly in the Rupununi, but was expelled from there by the Guyana Government in 1969, when he moved to work in Georgetown.

A second spell in the Rupununi in 1975 saw Fr Keane once more expelled a year later, and then in 1977 he returned to Britain to study pastoral theology at Heythrop. Following that renewal,

ObituariesPRAY for those who have died recently. may they rest in peace.

• Rose Josephine Alleyne, mother of Bishop Francis Alleyne OSB of Georgetown, Guyana

• Fr Michael Brenninkmeijer SJ• Robert Catterall• Albert Conche• Gerard Conway, brother of

Fr Jim Conway SJ• Fr Joe Dargan SJ• Peter M. Dy, father of Fr Jason Dy SJ• Mrs Ella Haines (aunt of

Fr George Croft SJ)• Mrs Freda Haines (cousin of

Fr George Croft SJ) • Ms Margaret Angela Haines

(cousin of Fr George Croft SJ)• Fr Manus Keane SJ• John Martin, father of Fr Paul Martin SJ• Br David McGarry SJ• Fr Leslie McKenna SJ• Mrs Celicia Moffatt, mother of

Fr John Moffatt SJ• Carlos Mejia Orellana• Barbara Parkin, sister of the late

Fr Bernard Parkin SJ• Horace Hal Pearsall, father of

Fr William Pearsall SJ• Rose Thomas, grandmother

of Kensy Joseph SJ• Fr Frans van der Lugt SJ

Fr Leslie McKenna SJ Br David McGarry SJ

Fr Manus Keane SJhe worked variously in Wapping, Loyola Hall, Stamford Hill, Blackpool, Preston and Glasgow, returning finally to his home in Preston, firstly on the parish staff in 2008 but retiring due to ill health in 2012. At the time of his death on 4 April 2014, he was 84 years old and had been a Jesuit for 66 years.

Regional Superior in Guyana, Fr Paul Martin SJ, writes that Fr Keane will be remembered for his fluent Wapishana and closeness to the people he served. “He was one of the pioneers of our presence in the South Rupununi and we today reap the fruit of the seeds he planted.”

Pictured is “The Aishalton Team” – Fr Manus Keane (wearing glasses) with Fr Bernard McKenna (with beard) and Fr Stanley Maxwell.


London Marathon JESUIT MISSIONS

Training, determination, fatigue – but ultimately, elation

Laura Howley reports on the Jesuit Missions London Marathon team.

IT STARTS with a tentative email in the summer, gently enquiring whether there are any spaces left on the Jesuit Missions marathon team. It continues into the damp, cold winter with training schedules, injured knees, and thoughts of giving up. But the arrival of spring brings a change in attitude. The sun coming up makes the early morning runs seem a bit easier; that hill that daunted you over winter has now been conquered: you’ve run down the other side. Another year, another London Marathon...

With just 14 runners on our team this year, our motto was ‘small but powerful’. The usual mix of nerves and excitement filled the minibus as we dropped off our runners at the station, following the crowds of numbered people to Waterloo East and to their destiny.

If you’ve never been to the starting line, the atmosphere can only be described

Bulgaria and an Orinoco crossed the starting line with more than 30,000 other participants to begin their 26-mile journey across London.

The sun shone brightly, but not too hot, and the rain held off. Technology has enabled us to track our runners so our supporters can be in the right spots to cheer them on. By 1.30, the first of our runners began to filter through, led by marathon veteran John Marshall. By 5pm, we were proud to say that all our runners had crossed the finish line and were on their way back to the after-party where they were offered nourishment, a shower and a well-deserved massage.

And what about the atmosphere when it was all over? Well, certainly more reflective, quiet and exhausted but just as elated. A huge thank you to all of this year’s runners and their sponsors for raising £25,000 so far. l

Jesuit Missions has a number of places available for our London Marathon team in 2015. If you, or someone you know, would like to be part of this extraordinary day then please contact the JM office via email on [email protected] or by phone on 020 8946 0466. You don’t need to be Mo Farah to take part, just have the desire to raise money for important work around the world and a good pair of trainers!

An invitation to join #TEAMJESUIT“It has been an incredible and personally rewarding experience for me, where the time result was of secondary importance and the main takeaway was the team spirit I found there, the great cause we run, and great people I met” Nacho, JM Marathon Runner, 2014

Jesuit Missions’ marathon runners have raised approximately £1m since the first JM team took part in 1999. The money raised allows JM to

support life-changing work throughout the world. It has been used to support the work of JRS internationally, assisting refugees around the world, to improve schools, to help those living with HIV/Aids and to provide leadership and skills training for young people from some of the most marginalised societies in Africa. Thank you for your continued support.

To find out more visit www.jesuitmissions.org/londonmarathon

as carnival-esque. That alone was enough to convince one staff member that running a marathon was a good idea. At 10am, 12 runners, an Uncle

Thumbs up: runner Alain van West

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Please notify JRS if you want to cancel this declaration, have changed your name or home address, or no longer pay sufficient tax on your income and/or capital gains. If you pay Income Tax at the higher or additional rate and want to receive the additional tax relief due to you, you must include all your Gift Aid donations on your Self Assessment tax return or ask HM Revenue and Customs to adjust your tax code.

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RESPOND WITH GENEROSITY – make your gift today to rebuild lives through the Jesuit Refugee Service UK

“ To serve and to accompany means to place oneself on the side of the weakest. How often are we unable or unwilling to echo the voices of those who suffer, who have seen their rights trampled? The Lord calls us all to live with more courage and generosity.” Pope Francis

For more information about how we work go to www.jrsuk.net

Jesuit Refugee Service UK welcomes people who are seeking asylum and supports their search for hope, peace and security. The people we work with have no recourse to public benefits or accommodation and no permission to work. Forced to flee home and loved ones, they often face official and public hostility here.

In the UK, we help individuals by:• offering a safe and welcoming weekly day centre • enabling regular visits in detention centres• providing basic help with toiletries and travel • facilitating peer support groups & spiritual accompaniment • promoting justice within public policy

All donations go direct to projects with or practical support for destitute and detained asylum seekers. Our capacity to respond to emerging and changing needs of refugees in an increasingly hostile environment is very much dependent on voluntary donations from individuals.

Charity Number 230165

jesuits and friends issue 88

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