Archive for February, 2011

Jesuit Father Anthony Kuzniewski will give a live online talk titled “Jesuits and the Development of Holy Cross” on Tuesday, Feb. 8 at 7 p.m. Eastern.

Fr. Kuzniewski, a professor of history and a renowned Holy Cross historian, will speak about the establishment of the college in 1843 and discuss how the Jesuits and their lay associates built upon that foundation — within the context of promoting educational excellence and service to Church and state.

Kuzniewski will answer questions submitted online at the end of the 15-minute talk.

Click this link to tune into the talk at 7 p.m. on Feb. 8.

Saturday marks the 20th anniversary of the death of Jesuit Father General Pedro Arrupe. Fr. Arrupe led the Society of Jesus through the tumultuous decades of the 1960s and 1970s when both society and the Church were experiencing a tremendous period change.

Arrupe’s legacy of social justice and working for the disenfranchised has resonance today,  almost three decades after he resigned as superior general of the Jesuits when he was debilitated by a stroke.  Considered one of the most profound leaders of the Jesuits since St. Ignatius of Loyola, Arrupe has been called “The Second Founder” of the Society of Jesus.

In the spirit of St. Ignatius, who 450 years earlier rejected a monastic lifestyle to follow a spirituality engaged in the world, Arrupe leaves a legacy that enriches not only Jesuits, but the Church, at large. It is a legacy of “men and women for others,” comitted to human dignity, the common good and the Jesuit mission defined as the service of faith and the promotion of justice.

Jesuit Father Vincent O’Keefe served as one of Arrupe’s assistants in Rome for the entire 18 years that Arrupe served as superior general of the Jesuits. Now 92, Fr. O’Keefe reflects on the mark that Arrupe left on the Society of Jesus in the video piece below.

Jesuit Father Andrew Whitman was awarded the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice Cross, one of the highest honors awarded to clergy and religious for distinguished service to the Holy Father and the Catholic Church. He received the award in a ceremony at St. Charles College in Grand Coteau, La., on January 26.

Fr. Whitman was given the award, which was established by Pope Leo XIII in 1888, for his many years of service as mathematician and administrator of the Vatican Observatory Research Group. Jesuit Father José Funes, present administrator of the observatory research group, presented the award to Whitman, who is a member of the New Orleans Province.

Egyptian Jesuit Father Samir Khalil Samir, a professor at Rome’s Pontifical Oriental Institute and an Islamic scholar, recently spoke to Vatican Radio about the current waves of protests that are sweeping Arab nations in North Africa and beyond.

“What we need first of all is justice, equality, social reform because the gap between rich and poor is far too wide, and this is the real cause of the Islamic fundamentalist movement,” he said.

“We need change, the Arab world must change. We need alternate parties but in our countries there is nothing.” When asked if the Western concept of democracy is applicable to Egypt and the wider Arab world, Fr. Samir said it is “applicable but not yet practicable.”

“If you have authoritarian regimes, they systematically destroy all the leadership so only people who are in agreement with the current system are in power.” In the case of Egypt, he said, “Mubarack nominated his second in command, Omar Suleiman who is a good diplomat, a military officer. But … is this good for the country?”

Listen to the interview with Fr. Samir on Vatican Radio.

Jesuit Father Michael Kennedy, executive director of the Jesuit Restorative Justice Initiative (JRJI), was given the 2010 Distinguished Service Award by the Chief Probation Officers of California in January.

Fr. Kennedy, who advocates for the transformation of the justice system to become more restorative than punitive, was honored for his work at Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall in Los Angeles, where he is co-chaplain. His focus is on juveniles who are facing life sentences for serious crimes.

Kennedy introduces the youth to contemplative prayer using the Spiritual Exercises and guides them in meditation, which enables them to lead each other in prayer and meditation. For more on Kennedy’s ministry, read The Tidings story.