Archive for January, 2010

Two days after the powerful earthquake brought more devastation to the island of Haiti, eyewitness accounts from aid workers, Jesuits and others in the country are being shared.

…  just a quick note to let people know things are OK (here in Ounimanthe). Five minutes before the earthquake I was out on the street playing the fiddle for a group of kids that came and asked “if I could come out and play?”  I was in the house when the quake began and I ran outside when it happened. The aftershocks kept coming even into the evening. The power is out and we are currently getting power from the generator.

The capital, on the other side of the country, was hit hard. We have had no communication from the Jesuits in the capital because phones and cell phones are not working. I expect that the Fe y Alegria School, near the epicenter, probably was hit hard.

- Jesuit Brother Jim Boynton
January 13, 2010

The worst news I received is the death of Archbishop Joseph Serge Miot – an important man for the Church in Haiti.  I wrote to … (a colleague at) Radio Soleil, but didn’t get a response. … He must be very affected by the death of his bishop. I don’t know what to say.

- Jesuit Fr. Pierre Bélanger
Coordonnateur international – Réseau Étoile – Haïti
January 13, 2010

The situation is very serious.

Even though the Ouanaminthe and the Northeast area have not been greatly affected we still feel the aftershocks here. There are thousands of dead bodies currently on the streets of Port-au-Prince. More than 60 percent of the houses have collapsed in the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince. Read the rest of this entry »

A rarely viewed world map compiled in 1602 by Jesuit missionary to China, Matteo Ricci, has gone on display at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC.

The 400-year-old map, which will be on display from Jan. 12 to April 10, is being shown publicly for the first time in North America. Measuring 12 feet by 5 feet and printed on six rolls of rice paper, the map identifies Florida as “the Land of Flowers” and puts China at the center of the world. It also includes pictures and annotations describing different regions of the world; Africa is noted to have the world’s highest mountain and longest river. The description of North America is brief with mentions of “humped oxen” or bison, wild horses and a region named “Ka-na-ta.”

A Jesuit missionary from Italy, Ricci was the first Westerner to visit what is now Beijing in the late 1500s. Known for introducing Western science to China, Ricci created the map at the request of Emperor Wanli.

This map – one of only two in good condition – was purchased by the James Ford Bell Trust in October for $1 million, making it the second most expensive rare map ever sold.  After the three-month display, the Library of Congress Geography and Map Division will digitally scan the 1602 document and make the electronic image available to scholars and students for research.

To read the full story, please visit: On This Rare Map, China Is the Center of the World (ABC News)

Links:

Library of Congress

James Ford Bell Library

In response to yesterday’s devastating earthquake in Haiti, Jesuit Refugee Service is mounting an emergency relief effort to provide lifesaving aid, including food and other urgently needed items, to the Haitian people. Aid will be provided in partnership with the JRS – Latin America & Caribbean regional office, and distributed through JRS programs in the Dominican Republic, Jesuit parishes and other Jesuit programs in Haiti.

For many years Jesuit Refugee Service has had a grassroots presence in Haiti and has provided humanitarian assistance to displaced Haitians in both the Dominican Republic and along the Haitian border. In addition, JRS has responded to the needs of Haitians following successive natural disasters, a food crisis, and repeated hurricanes.

Speaking at the Vatican today, Pope Benedict XVI said “I appeal to the generosity of all people so that these brothers and sisters of ours who are experiencing a moment of need and suffering may not lack our concrete solidarity and the effective support of the international community. The Catholic Church will not fail to move immediately, through her charitable institutions, to meet the most immediate needs of the population.”

The mission of Jesuit Refugee Service/USA is to serve, accompany, and defend the rights of refugees and other forcibly displaced persons, witnessing to God’s presence in vulnerable and often forgotten people driven from their homes by conflict, natural disaster, economic injustice, or violation of their human rights.

As one of the ten geographic regions of the Jesuit Refugee Service, JRS/USA serves as the major refugee outreach arm of U.S. Jesuits and their institutional ministries, mobilizing their response to refugee situations in the U.S. and abroad. Through our advocacy and fund raising efforts, JRS/USA also provides support for the work of JRS throughout the world.

National Jesuit News is urging people to give to the Jesuit organization Jesuit Refugee Service to help those in Haiti.

To support JRS/USA’s humanitarian response to the emergency needs of the Haitian people, please click here to be directed to their secure website and choose “Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund.”

Or you may send a check to:

Jesuit Refugee Service/USA
1016 16th Street NW Suite 500
Washington, DC 20036

Checks should be made payable to “Jesuit Refugee Service/USA.”
Please clearly note “Haiti Earthquake Relief” in the memo field on the check.

The Ignatian Pro-Life Network invites you to save the date for the annual IPLN March for Life Mass!

St. Aloysius Church
19 I (“Eye”) St NW
Washington, DC 20001

9:30 am, Friday, January 22, 2010

Priests are welcome to concelebrate – please bring your own alb and red stole, and come to the sacristy by 9:10 am.

IPLN Rally will follow on the Mall at the SE corner of 7th and the National Mall. (Note this changed location!) See below for more rally info.

For more information, please contact
Fr. Phil Hurley, SJ, Apostleship of Prayer Youth and Young Adult Director:
phurleysj@apostleshipofprayer.org
414-486-1152

The IPLN Rally will be after Mass on the National Mall, in the grassy area near the SE corner of 7th Street and the Mall, for Jesuit-affiliated groups. Look for the “JESUIT” banner.

For a map of the walking route from the Mass to the IPLN Rally, click here. Read the rest of this entry »