FREE: please take a copy
A faith that does justice
& friends Our brother the Pope: Christ-centred humility and service
SPECIAL EDITION Celebrating the election of the first Jesuit Pope
Issue 85 • Summer 2013 • jesuitsandfriends.org.uk
Put your faith into action to tackle poverty and disadvantage • Do you want to make a difference to people in Britain whose lives are blighted by poverty and alienation? • Have you ever thought about volunteering but never been quite sure how to get started? • Could you take up the challenge to find God in all things? • Can you spare between 2 and 8 hours a week? Jesuit volunteers are adults who put their skills and talents at the service of marginalised people in our inner cities. Volunteers are placed in service alongside young people, ex-offenders, isolated elderly people, people in hospitals and hospices, people with disabilities, homeless people and refugees. Our volunteers spend time reflecting together on their experience with the support of fellow volunteers, and the guidance of a spiritual director. We have programmes in London, Glasgow and Manchester.
To find out more: London: Web msjc.org.uk/newsite/london-jesuit-volunteers Email andrea@mountstreet.info Glasgow: Web glasgowjesuitvolunteers.org Email secretary@glasgowjesuitvolunteers.org Manchester: Web jvcbritain.org Email admin@jvcbritain.org
Have you or someone you know considered life as a Jesuit priest or brother? For more information, visit www.jesuitvocations.org.uk or contact: Britain: Fr Matthew Power SJ Tel: (+44) 0151 426 4137 matthew.power@jesuits.net
South Africa: Fr Shaun Carls SJ Tel: (+27) 021 685 3465 shauncarls64@gmail.com
Guyana: Stefan Garcia SJ Tel: + 592 22 67461 guyjesuits@gmail.com
The Jesuits in Britain undertake a wide range of ministries in Britain and around the world. The Jesuit Missions Office exists to accompany members of the Society of Jesus in the UK, Guyana, South Africa, Zimbabwe and many other countries in their varied ministries. Its role is to help the British Province make real its mission to proclaim a Faith that does Justice.
FREE: please take a copy
A faith that does justice
& friends Our brother the Pope: Christ-centred humility and service
SPECIAL EDITION Celebrating the election of the first Jesuit Pope
Issue 85 • Summer 2013 • jesuitsandfriends.org.uk
Jesuits and Friends is published three times a year by the Jesuits in Britain in association with Jesuit Missions
Editor: Fr Dushan Croos SJ Assistant Editor: Ged Clapson
Cover photo: Press Association
Editorial group: Fr Denis Blackledge SJ, Annabel Clarkson, Richard Greenwood, Jane Hellings, Andrea Kelly, Jonathan Parr, James Potter, Sr Anouska Robinson-Biggin fcJ.
Registered Charity No. Cover photo by: 230165 England and Wales: James Broscombe Scotland: 40490
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2 Jesuits & Friends Summer 2013
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Contents
From the editor... In the three months since the election of Pope Francis, the first in so many ways, we have all been following where he is pointing: to the risen and crucified Christ whom we see through those on the margins of our world, whom the Good Shepherd seeks out and brings back to the centre of the flock. The invitation to friendship offered by this Bishop of Rome has been taken up by many who are not Catholic. And to those in the Church, he has called us,
as Fr Paul Martin SJ reminds us, “to go out of ourselves to proclaim the good news, nourished by the contemplation and adoration of Jesus Christ”. This issue of Jesuit and Friends begins to tease out some of what the ministry of Pope Francis will bring to the Church in the coming years. We look further at Ignatian Spirituality and at how we are sent out of ourselves in our care for refugees and for the people of Zimbabwe, on the eve of a new political future. We also meet the comedian Frank Skinner who, after years distanced from the Church, now challenges us to a fresher way of living the Gospel, as does his namesake the Pope.
In this issue... 04 COVER STORY: Fr Paul Martin SJ
explains why he finds Pope Francis’s vision of a missionary Church for the poor so encouraging
06 POPE FRANCIS: Jonathan Wright
asks what St Ignatius would have made of a Jesuit being elected Pope
08 SPIRITUALITY: Ignatian Spirituality will strongly influence the new papacy, writes Annemarie Paulin-Campbell
10 OVERSEAS: Fr Munyoro Gibson SJ looks ahead to life in Zimbabwe after this year’s elections
16 YOUTH: Stefan Garcia SJ talks to
06
18 VOCATIONS: The Jesuit novitiate lasts two years; but what does it involve? Fr Paul Nicholson SJ explains
19 EDUCATION: Chris McGrath
says that being a Jesuit school lies at the heart of Donhead’s ethos and curriculum
14
20 APOSTLESHIP OF PRAYER:
Fr Michael Beattie SJ reflects on the Pope’s prayer themes for the coming months
21 2013 london marathon report:
14 SOCIAL JUSTICE: Malan’s journey
22 obituaries 23 JUST ANOTHER THOUGHT…:
from fear to hope – with help from the Jesuit Refugee Service
Fr Dushan Croos SJ
young Guyanese who will be travelling to Brazil for World Youth Day
12 INTERVIEW: Comedian FRANK
SKINNER discusses his faith, fatherhood and his love of Farm Street Church in conversation with Ged Clapson
The difficult part of the Pope’s invitation is that each of us is called to conversion of life and we cannot leave it to someone else to do. How might we become the “people of service” to whom Fr General Nicolás referred – “men and women who are ready to give of [ourselves] in a spirit of generosity”? After listening to the Lord’s call in my heart, is my call to follow Christ through the path of the Jesuit novitiate and formation, as a lay person alongside refugees, or in seeking out those who have not yet seen the Lord’s face in the Church?
Putting faith into action over 26.2 miles.
Fr Dushan Croos SJ on the way that Pope Francis helps us to focus on our personal relationship with Jesus
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18 jesuitsandfriends.org.uk 3
POPE FRANCIS Jesuit Missons
In art: Ford Madox Brown (1821-93). Jesus Washing Peter’s Feet. Tate Gallery
Photo: Pope Francis washes the feet of inmates at the Casal del Marmo prison in Rome. Press Association
Francis – A Pope for the poor Fr Paul Martin SJ reflects on what Pope Francis’s call for a “poor Church for the poor” might mean for one of the poorest nations in the world.
When the Cardinals gathered in Rome to elect a successor to Benedict XVI, they set aside a number of days before the Conclave to reflect together on the needs of the Church at this time and the qualities required of the new Pope. One speech in particular seemed to catch the mood of the assembly. “When the Church does not come out of herself to evangelize, she becomes self-referential and then gets sick... Put simply, there are two images of 4 Jesuits & Friends Summer 2013
the Church: a Church which evangelizes and comes out of herself by hearing the word of God with reverence and proclaiming it with faith; and the worldly Church, living within herself, of herself, for herself... Thinking of the next Pope: he must be a man who, from the contemplation and adoration of Jesus Christ, helps the Church to go out to the existential peripheries, that helps her to be the fruitful mother, who gains life from ‘the sweet and comforting joy of evangelizing’.”
The Cardinal who spoke these words was Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the very man who, a few days later, would stand on the balcony of St Peter’s to begin his ministry as Pope Francis. As the Regional Superior of the Guyana Mission I find Pope Francis’s vision of a missionary Church enormously encouraging. Here, we are a Church engaged primarily in the work of evangelization. It is our task to announce the Gospel and participate in the
Jesuit Missions Pope francis formation of the Christian communities that sprout where the seed falls in good soil. In Europe perhaps it is the “weeds among the wheat” that are more visible. Christians find themselves worrying along with the farmers of Matthew 13,27: ‘Sir, it was good seed you sowed in your field; where did the weeds come from?” Newspaper editors will never be short of stories of scandals and failures to fill their front pages but once we start to be more concerned more about our “public image” than our primary purpose we have lost our way and got entangled with the values of this world. Pope Francis is inviting the whole Church to rediscover its confidence that it has Good News to proclaim. One of the graces of the Second Vatican Council for the Church especially in South America has been the rediscovery that the principal recipients of this Good News are “the poor”. When I first arrived here in 1989 Guyana was ranked the “second poorest country in the western hemisphere”. While things have improved considerably since those dark days, Guyana is still a “poor nation”. Having to wrestle with the question of how the gospel is “good news” for the people of Guyana has therefore given the Church here clarity in its understanding of the nature of evangelization. With Jesus in the desert the Church has had to resist the temptation to “buy” the people with handouts of food or clothing. Instead the invitation is to allow the Gospel to be a light that reveals the true nature of things. People are poor, not because God has made them so but because greed has hardened the hearts of men and women towards their brothers and sisters. The story of the people of Israel is testimony to God’s intervention in history on behalf of the poor. The God of Israel sends Moses to free His people from their slavery and lead them through the desert to the Promised Land. In Latin America in particular the story of the Exodus has become a rich source of inspiration for theological reflection. Just as God freed His people from slavery in Egypt so the same God is now on the side of all oppressed people who struggle for freedom from injustice. This “rediscovery” of Moses and the Exodus has brought God “down
from the clouds” to be discovered immersed in the very real and immanent problems of human life. Here is a God who is close to the broken hearted and hears the cry of the poor. In the 50 years since the Vatican Council there have been great changes in the world.Yet is the Kingdom any closer than it was? There is a disillusionment that many feel at the start of this 21st century. After all the struggles for freedom and justice in the latter half of the last century, after all the energy expended in liberation movements and campaigns for independence, what has been achieved? How often has one dictator been overthrown only to be replaced by a new regime equally oppressive of the common people?
Only when the thirst for power is replaced by love will true transformation take place If the years preceding the Second Vatican Council were a time to rediscover Moses and the Exodus, then perhaps the Pontificate of Pope Francis will mark a growing understanding of the mystery of Christ and the Cross. Jesus is not Moses. His Passover is not a parting of the Red Sea for the people to walk dry shod to freedom. He does not win great victories over “Pharaoh and all his chariots and all his horse men”. Rather, “harshly dealt with, he bore it humbly, he never opened his mouth, like a lamb that is led to the slaughterhouse, like a sheep that is dumb before its shearers, never opening its mouth”. (Isaiah 53:7). Yet it is precisely in the apparent defeat of the Cross that true victory is to be found.
To disconnect Christ from the history of the people of Israel and their salvation from slavery opens the door for a religion disconnected from life and the real struggles of people – to a perversion of the gospel into a message of passivity, waiting for some otherworldly “heavenly reward”.Yet on the other hand to look for a new Moses and a second Cross of Jesus exodus without remembering the cross of Jesus reduces faith to a mere ideology and a political programme. Yet when exodus and crucifixion are held together, the gospel of the death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth takes on a new power to transform the selfish hearts of men and women into the loving heart of Christ. Barriers of fear, prejudice and hate separating one people from another are broken down and bonds of love and fellowship are forged. Our world will never be transformed by the mere overthrow of those who hold power.We cannot project the problems of the world onto one group and call them “the enemy”. Only when we recognize the thirst for power and control that lie in our own hearts and allow this to be replaced by love for our brothers and sisters and even for our enemies will true transformation take place. This is the message that Pope Francis proclaimed in his first homily the day after his election: “When we walk without the cross, when we build without the cross and when we proclaim Christ without the cross, we are not disciples of the Lord. We are worldly ...We may be bishops, priests, cardinals, popes, all of this, but we are not disciples of the Lord.” Here in Guyana, Pope Francis’s election renews our resolve to proclaim God’s good news to the poor with confidence and hope. It is my desire that “the sweet and comforting joy of evangelizing” that we experience here might be of help to the whole Church. l
FACT FILE The Jesuits have been working in Guyana – the only English-speaking country in South America – since 1857. Three quarters of the Catholics in the country are of Amerindian origin and much of the Jesuits’ pastoral work is based in the interior – in Pakaraimas and Rupununi District. In addition to ministering to the spiritual needs of the people of Guyana, the Jesuits are also very active in education, healthcare and the media. Find out more at www.guyanajesuits.org jesuitsandfriends.org.uk 5
Pope FRANCIS A Personal View
Humbly answering the call of duty Jonathan Wright evaluates the surprise election of a Jesuit to the See of Peter
Main photo: Pope Francis after his inaugural Mass in St Peter’s Square. Credit: Alejandro Olayo SJ Below: When Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Pope Francis used the city’s subway to commute.
There are clear signs that Francis is going to be an unusual kind of pope — from where he lives and what he wears, to his modes of transport and how he chooses to be addressed. But he is still, for all the winning humility, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church. Some have grumbled about this unexpected turn of events and reminded us that the founder of the Society of Jesus, Ignatius of Loyola, was dead set against members of his order reaching for too many of the top jobs. To this day, newly-minted Jesuits promise not to “strive or ambition” for any high office within the Society or the broader Church. Has Francis betrayed this tradition? The quick but resounding answer is no: absolutely not. There have been, of course, occasions when Jesuits avoided having lofty ecclesiastical dignity thrust upon them. This is one reason (though there are many others) why there have been fewer Jesuit bishops than might be expected and only a few dozen Jesuit cardinals in the entire history of the Order. It is crucial to remember, however, that, when called 6 Jesuits & Friends Summer 2013
to high station, it has always been perfectly acceptable for Jesuits to bow to the needs of the Church at a given moment in history. In the right circumstances, perhaps this should be perceived as a sign of loyalty and obedience.
Far from being a sign of pride or self-aggrandisement, this was a selfless act of humility
After all, if one believes that popes are chosen through the urgings of the Holy Spirit then what, exactly, was Jorge Mario Bergoglio supposed to do? Wave his
hands in despair and announce that this is simply not the Jesuit way? Goodness knows what really goes on in papal conclaves (oh to be a fly on the wall!), but I suspect Bergoglio could have done precisely that and everyone (or most members of the College of Cardinals, at least) would have understood: but he didn’t, and I rather admire his pluck. I have a strong hunch that Francis wishes the ballots had been cast differently back in March but when duty called he felt obliged to accept the job offer. Far from being a sign of pride or self-aggrandisement, this was a selfless act of humility. It was no longer possible to take the first available flight back to Argentina. The Petrine succession had other ideas in mind. Not that this has prevented a great deal of silly commentary, especially in the more lunatic corners of the internet. Suddenly, we are back to stale, predictable talk of grand Jesuit conspiracies and the Society’s endless quest for power and influence. Such myths die hard but so far Francis is doing an excellent job of dispelling them. He has met with just about
A Personal View Pope FRANCIS
everyone he could in a short space of time and what better way to signal an inclusive papacy than to appoint the head of the Franciscans, José Rodríguez Carballo OFM, to help lead the Congregation for Religious? It would be foolish to deny that the Jesuit order has caused ructions and inspired rivalries during its 500 year history. Back in 1591, gangs of Paduan university students smashed the windows of the local Jesuit college, broke in, and started shouting obscenities at the priests. The college had been established for Jesuit novices but had steadily expanded its educational reach, offering instruction to externs who might otherwise have attended the university. Jesuit success (in education, in the mission fields, in a dozen other areas) was never going to please everyone, but we should not mistake dynamism for arrogance. Not that there haven’t been some power-hungry Jesuits through the centuries. Francesco Sacchini SJ explained this very well, just a year before that incident in Padua: “All
history, sacred or secular, has the same tale of imperfection to tell, so why should we want our history to be something special?” There have also been countless fine Jesuits, however – a vast majority, surely? – and if Francis has any sense he’ll take inspiration from that tradition. And he is still, despite his unusual canonical status, very much a Jesuit: dispensed from his vows of obedience and poverty but still a member of his institute, still SJ. This is not going to mean ‘jobs for the boys’, but it would be a great shame if Francis’s pontificate did not, in subtle ways, develop a Jesuit complexion. In recent weeks my mind has often turned to a motto deployed in the Imago Primi Saeculi Societatis Iesu, the 1640 work published to celebrate the Jesuits’ 100th birthday: unus non sufficit orbis. If translated as ‘one world is not enough’, this runs the risk of sounding a little like the title of a second-rate James Bond film but it neatly encapsulates the global perspective that has always characterised the Jesuit enterprise. Now, in the context of a fractured and uncertain Church, such
a perspective is more necessary than ever, though it might be changed to ‘one world is more than enough to be getting on with’. Who better than a man from South America to carry through this vision? And how wonderful if a member of an order so frequently, though not always accurately, accused of fostering division could do the healing? Would Ignatius be happy with the election of a Jesuit pope? I have no idea and it is half a millennium too late to ask him. All I know for certain is that his concerns were primarily about self-serving careerism, and I don’t think anyone could accuse Pope Francis of that. l
Read more Jonathan Wright, honorary fellow in the Department of Theology and Religion at Durham University, is the author of The Jesuits. Missions, Myths and Histories (2nd Edition, HarperCollins, 2010) and editor of The Jesuit Suppression: Causes, Events and Consequences (Cambridge University Press, forthcoming 2014). He invites comments and discussion at jonathanwright123@googlemail.com. jesuitsandfriends.org.uk 7
Pope Francis Spirituality
Pope Francis’s spiritual influences Annemarie Paulin-Campbell considers the impact that Ignatian Spirituality will have upon how Pope Francis sees the world and his leadership of the Church.
8
Spirituality Pope FRANCIS
Like other Christian spiritualities (such as Franciscan, Dominican, Carmelite and Benedictine), Ignatian Spirituality provides a distinctive way of helping people to connect with God. Ask most Jesuits and lay people who live Ignatian spirituality seriously for a one-liner on what it is and they are likely to answer with one of two phrases: ‘Finding God in all things’ or ‘Being a contemplative in action’. ‘Finding God in all things’ is the conviction that God is not remote, but actively and dynamically engaged with us. God is not only communicating with us when we are in church or at prayer but is to be found in every aspect of our human experience if we stop long enough to notice and reflect. This stance, which sees God as concerned with every aspect of our lives, may make it easier for Pope Francis to engage with secular society, not with fear or judgement, but with a real openness to seeing where and how God is at work beyond the Church itself. Ignatian spirituality invites him and us to engage with economics, politics, education, indeed with every aspect of our society that needs to be transformed. To be ‘a contemplative in action’ is also about a way of engaging that seeks to bring a depth of intimacy with God and a developed sense of sifting through the experiences of one’s daily life to discover God’s invitation in any particular situation. It is also an outward-looking focus of seeking to respond in generous and wholehearted service to the needs of our world. Fundamentally, it is action that flows from and is integrated with prayer. This quality
is developed in Jesuits in two ways. First, as all Jesuits do, Pope Francis will have made the Spiritual Exercises twice, once as a young man and later in mid-life. This is an intensive process given to us by St Ignatius. Jesuits who make this retreat usually do it over 30 days of silence with the help of a retreat director. The retreat helps the person to come to a deeper sense of what God is calling them to do and be in the world. This becomes an anchoring place of reference against which one may be helped in the making of daily decisions. The second way in which Jesuits are helped to be contemplative in action is through a process called the Examen of Consciousness. This is a powerful means of helping people discern the invitation of God through a prayerful reflection on their daily experience. This intensive practice of sensing the movement and invitation of the Holy Spirit is likely to enable Pope Francis to be keenly attuned to what God might be saying with regard to the challenges faced by our Church, but also within wider society. Inevitably there will be times when his actions or decisions might not lead to an increase in faith, hope and love; the daily Examen will help him to recognise this more quickly and so enable him to adjust course. l
Find out more Annemarie Paulin-Campbell provides spiritual direction and training in Ignatian Spirituality at the Jesuit Institute South Africa. To find out more visit: www.jesuitinstitute.org.za
Photo: The day after he was elected, Pope Francis visited the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore (St Mary Major) in Rome. He said he had come ‘as a pilgrim’ and he presented the Virgin with a bouquet of flowers before spending some time in prayer. St Ignatius himself celebrated his first Mass there in 1538 and all Jesuits have a special devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, addressing her as the ‘Mother of the Society of Jesus’ – a feast celebrated on 22 April each year.
jesuitsandfriends.org.uk 9
JESUIT MISSIONS Africa
Zimbabwe – elections of hope? Fr Munyoro Gibson SJ, Director of SILVEIRA HOUSE, Jesuit Social Justice and Development Centre in Harare, considers the Zimbabwean 2013 elections equation.
Morgan Tsvangirai and Robert Mugabe Photograph: Jekesai Njikizana/AFP/Getty Images after more than 30 years under the exclusive rule of Robert Mugabe and ZANU-PF, zimbabwe may finally have a chance to free itself through a democratic process. On 16 March, a peaceful referendum – the first ever electoral process conducted after the violent elections of June 2008 – produced a resounding YES for a new constitution. Many see this as a promising test run for the elections due to take place this summer. This will probably pit the 89-year-old president
All that Zimbabweans want is peace, stability and development against his Government of National Unity (GNU) under Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai. In a plain field, with fair referees and peaceful spectators and clear rules, Zimbabweans are most likely to retire the old man and try a different evil.
Silveira House is the main social apostolate centre for the Society of Jesus in Zimbabwe. Among its recent initiatives, it has encouraged young Zimbabweans from the three main political parties to engage in conflict/violence prevention and peace building, youth participation in political processes, civic education and community-based conflict transformation.
10 Jesuits & Friends Summer 2013
But we need to acknowledge that the subsequent agreement to form a coalition government in 2009 stopped a catastrophic economic meltdown. The Zimbabwean economy is now growing fast, thanks in part to the adoption of a multi-currency economic system whereby we now use the US dollar and the South African rand. Political stability is also growing although occasionally injured by some cases of intimidatory speeches or actions by some overzealous, careless political aspirants. Indisputably, the GNU brought some sanity to a country that was at the verge of total economic and political collapse. Through the GNU, Mugabe has learnt to work with politicians from the other parties and vice versa. Of course, not everything is rosy in that marriage of convenience! But it is now common knowledge that the president and the prime minister share a cup of tea behind closed doors every Monday and Tuesday. What do they talk about? What do they agree on in there on their own? The Constitutional Court in Zimbabwe has ruled that President Robert Mugabe should set a date for presidential and parliamentary elections “as soon as possible”, and certainly by 31 July 2013. Painful memories of the elections five years ago are still fresh. But what worries
Young Zimbabweans – like these pictured here with Fr Karl Hartmann SJ (third from left) – engage in the political process through Jesuit-led programmes.
Africa JESUIT MISSIONS
the minds of the voters this time round is whether or not the upcoming harmonised elections will be free of intimidation and violence; whether or not people will be allowed to vote for candidates of their choice in peace and freedom. Will sons and daughters of the beloved country living in diaspora be allowed to participate in choosing a leader to restore their country to a peaceful and economically viable place to which they can return? The June 2008 elections were marred by intimidation and political violence; but since a joint meeting in November 2011, the President, the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister have been preaching the gospel of peace and tolerance. The message still has to spread to the grassroots overzealous political faithful who continue to shout the language of insults, beating and even killing in the name of their political leaders. It would be best if our leaders address people at common political rallies, speak the same language of peace and tolerance before, during and after the elections. That is the challenge Silveira House and other Catholic social centres have to respond to, before we all march to the ballot boxes.
Enough is enough,
say Johannesburg parishioners
A Jesuit parish in the Johannesburg suburb of Braamfontein is spearheading a campaign against sexual abuse, brutality and rape in the community. Holy Trinity Church has teamed up with a local school to denounce violence – against women and children – to declare Kwanele Kwanele, translated as ‘Enough is Enough’. The campaign follows allegations that a lecturer at the University of the Witwatersrand – of which Holy Trinity is the Catholic Chaplaincy Church – had sexually assaulted students, as well as other recent high profile attacks. Holy Trinity’s pastor, Father Russell Pollitt SJ, spoke out at Sunday Masses against incidents of sexual violence and abuse and appealed for victims to contact him. In response, he received many emails, calls and visits from people who had been abused, assaulted or raped at home, work and university, with suggestions as to how such attacks could be prevented.
Whichever political party wins the elections, all that Zimbabweans want is peace, stability and development. My hope is in the new Constitution, through which the new government will facilitate the creation of jobs, availability of electricity, clean water, complete restoration of the collapsed education system, health and other social services. Through the new constitution we can have a non partisan security sector, president, ministers and house of assembly. We want a president who gives the new constitution LIFE! Let all voices join and pray for free and fair elections in Zimbabwe; let us pray that people are not intimidated or coerced to vote for what they do not want. l
Photo: Fr Russell Pollitt SJ addresses the congregation at Holy Trinity Church, Braamfontein. Credit: Associated Press Parishioners have subsequently signed a petition against all forms of abuse and are openly identifying themselves with the campaign by wearing Kwanele Kwanele t-shirts. In his homily, Fr Russell quoted frightening statistics pertaining to the incidence of rape in South Africa, often as the result of the belief that women should be submissive to men. He challenged cultures that perpetuate oppressive practices against women and children. “These crimes are not happening out there but also right here in our pews”, he said and called on men everywhere but especially in the parish to denounce these attitudes and practices. A pamphlet handed out after Masses encouraged parishioners to reflect on what the parish could do to fight sexual violence.
Support our work To find out more about Kwanele Kwanele, visit the Holy Trinity parish website http://trinityjhb.co.za. To support the parishioners in Braamfontein please see details on the back page. jesuitsandfriends.org.uk 11
INTERVIEW Frank Skinner
Frank Skinner – in conversation The Catholic comedian and broadcaster discusses his faith, fatherhood and his love of Farm Street Church with Ged Clapson.
Frank Skinner is best known as a television presenter and a radio host, as well as a comic performer. But he is openly Catholic and earlier this year brought his young son to Farm Street Jesuit Church to be baptised. His Catholic origins are deep-rooted in his Midlands family life.
recently and I felt that it helped me to understand it a bit more. Because I wonder if – whatever it was that God did, when Jesus came to earth and died – the best possible way of describing it was in the Father and Son way. Because, when you’ve got a child, the love that you feel is like nothing else you feel in the rest of your life. And I think for the believer – certainly the parent – it gives you the clearer view of what a big painful, awful sacrifice that was. When they become your primary concern, ahead of yourself – for me, it’s helped me to understand that sort of love of God, that selfless, forgiving love.”
“My dad was a cradle Catholic; my mum was a convert,” he explains. “And it was absolutely the thing in our house, that at the end of the night, we chucked a cushion on the floor and prayed before we went off to bed. My mum might just turn the telly down and kneel and pray, and my dad would kneel and pray and then we’d go off to bed. And it was absolutely the norm. And I loved that.” However, by the time he had reached his mid-teens, Frank was feeling uncomfortable with the Church and stopped worshipping for a period of 11 years. “I was very disillusioned. Not with God, but with the Church. I think everyone should do it. It was like years in the wilderness. You always imagine that Jesus went off into the wilderness for 40 days and cleared his head before he did the job; and it was a bit like that. I read loads of books about Catholicism and asked a lot of questions. You know, you grow up on ‘gentle Jesus’ and you keep that kind of level. I know we’re supposed to be like little children on one level; but when you’re operating in the world as a Roman Catholic, in this country certainly, you have to do a bit of arguing and discussion with people who aren’t Catholics and who aren’t religious. And you need some
12 Jesuits & Friends Summer 2013
Becoming a parent helped me to understand the selfless, forgiving love of God tools to be able to put up a case. You have to be able to talk it through a bit. So it set me off on reading about the faith and thinking about the faith.” Frank’s return to the Catholic Church at the age of 28 was facilitated by an Augustinian priest in his home parish in Edgbaston. And his exploration of the faith – combined with the birth of his son last year – have both helped, he believes, in his maturity as a believer: “The idea of Jesus as the Son of God is obviously some sort of metaphor. It doesn’t mean literally, he’s the Son of God, because he is God. So it’s complicated. I had a baby
Frank Skinner feels no contradiction or conflict between his professional life as a comedian and his personal life as a Catholic. He admits he might occasionally tell jokes at the expense of the Church (‘I’m of the Church so I can do jokes about it’, he says), because the Church is a human institution as well as a divine one. But he says he would never include humour against God in his act. And the research he has done earlier in his life stands him in good stead in the world of show business and celebrities: “It’s odd because I find that the people in my line of work who talk to me about religion are often very interested, rather than very disparaging. Atheists and agnostics are often more interested in religion that the religious people.” When Frank first visited Farm Street Jesuit Church in London, he says he found it inspiring and uplifting. “Aesthetically it’s one of the most
Frank Skinner INTERVIEW
beautiful churches I’ve ever been in – certainly in this country,” he explained. “When I first went there, it was astonishing to me. When you go into Farm Street, it’s very hard not to feel spiritual, because there is something about the beauty of the place. It’s about associating beauty and mystery with God.” But Frank also appreciates the homilies, which he finds brief, focussed and relevant (‘You want one thing that you can hold and take away’), and the opportunity that Ignatian Spirituality provides for quiet reflection and silence – something he got into initially through yoga. “We used to do meditation and sit in silence and try and stop thinking: that was the secret. So through short periods of time, I developed the ability to be able to stop thinking and just clear my mind. And I suppose afterwards you feel peace. You start to feel very centred and that starts to inform the rest of your life. I feel that God is in that – in everything – and it’s like that silence can make you feel it in yourself: you’re aware that it’s there. And when you remember and are aware that it’s there, it makes you behave in a certain way… I said to a friend of mine, when we were expecting the baby, what’s it like being a parent? He said: all you need with a kid is two things – love and boundaries. And that’s what you get with God: things that you should and shouldn’t do, and love. And if you feel that it’s inside you, it stops you from doing certain things but also – and maybe more importantly – it makes you feel very un-alone and very loved.” l
jesuitsandfriends.org.uk 13
SOCIAL JUSTICE Refugees
A journey in hope and faith Refugees in Britain can face lives of fear and hopelessness. But, as ‘Malan’ who fled persecution in West Africa explains, the Jesuit Refugee Service Day Centre in London can provide support and help.
Jesuit Refugee Service accompanies, serves and advocates for the rights of refugees and other forcibly displaced persons. JRS is committed to social action rooted in faith. As a Catholic organisation and a work of the Jesuits, JRS is inspired by the compassion and love of Jesus for the poor and excluded. At the weekly JRS UK Day Centre in Wapping, up to 150 refugees are offered a meal, free toiletries and above all a friendly welcome and listening ear. JRS UK also runs a detention visiting programme.
Life is not easy for an exile living in a foreign country. We are exposed to all kinds of danger: an accident, an illness. Here, life does not make sense. Our thoughts are always focused on the decisions that the immigration authorities will take against us. During this time, we live in fear and hope. Our faith becomes greater because we think that God can intervene. Our life is divided between fear and hope. Yes, we live in fear. The daily emails and phone calls are a constant fear. With no work and no money, we live in terrible situations. We have no choice. The day is an ordeal. Wherever we are, our
14 Jesuits & Friends Summer 2013
dignity is violated. Nobody respects us. We are exposed to begging and pity, obliged to rely every day on charity. Our heart is never at peace because we do not know what tomorrow will bring. The exile is like a chick without its mother hen, exposed to all predators. For exiles, our only hope is God, divine providence. No one chooses to be an asylum seeker. Being an asylum seeker is a very difficult way of life. Stress, melancholy, sadness, loneliness, depression and more are the package of asylum daily life.There is not a moment when those feelings don’t invade us. We are often very anxious, afraid; we
are upset. We wonder what tomorrow will be made of.We do not have the right to joy or happiness.We are human beings deprived of our humanity. No consideration is given to an asylum seeker who is like a wandering dog that nobody wants, always with begging hands outstretched. As it is said: “a hungry man is not a free man”. We do not have a choice because we must live. It is a struggle for survival, a struggle that leads us to marginalization. First from those who are close to us – parents and friends – and then from those we approach to ask for help. In all administrative and social structures, we are frowned upon, we are cumbersome. So the big question facing us in such situations is: should we give up or carry on hoping? For me an asylum seeker must never lose hope because, as it is said: “hope is life”. We must keep hope in the name of God, for He has created this world and all that it contains. That is why man has put his faith in God. He must pray to his God every day of this
Refugees SOCIAL JUSTICE
Support our work It costs £3000 each week to keep our Day Centre open so refugees can receive the practical help they need and receive the welcome and friendship they crave. We rely on donations from generous supporters to keep this vital service going. Express your commitment to the poor and marginalised by completing the donation form on the back cover of the magazine or go to www.jrsuk.net If you have time to spare we can offer many opportunities for volunteers to work alongside us. Please call Jonathan on 020 7488 7310.
All photos have been taken as part of the JRS and Fotosynthesis Community for destitute asylum seekers photography project.
life and God will watch over him. God will never give up, even in suffering. He is still there. As it says in the Bible: “Even if humans forsake you, I, the Lord, will never forsake you… Call me, I will listen and I will gather you from everywhere. God alone is our hope; keep faith in Him”. God alone is our hope; keep the faith in Him. It leads us to good pasture. His teaching leads us to wisdom and
temperance. It strengthens our minds and gives us joy and happiness. “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not lack anything” (Ps 23, i). So, dear asylum seekers, nothing is lost for us.We all have our chances to survive as long as we believe. Do not abandon hope or despair. Let us keep our hope in God, because He alone is the real truth that leads us to true love. Thank you. God bless us all. l
‘Malan’ (a pseudonym) recently took part in a photography project organised by JRS with Fotosynthesis Community for destitute asylum seekers. Photos give them a visual way of expressing powerfully their experiences as refugees. Malan’s photos were exhibited in My Life as a Refugee, staged with JRS Europe at the European Parliament in Brussels and in the Refuge in Films Festival at the British Film Institute in London. The exhibition is available online: www.jrseurope.org. JRS-UK can also arrange for your parish or community to host the exhibition with a speaker. Call 020 7488 7310 for more details. JRS-UK would love to make more photography training sessions available to destitute asylum seekers. Please consider making a donation of £25 to this programme via www.justgiving.com/jesuitrefugeeserviceuk or see back page.
jesuitsandfriends.org.uk 15
WORLD YOUTH DAY Guyana
Disciples of all nations Scholastic Stefan Garcia SJ previews the involvement of young Catholics from Guyana in this year’s World Youth Day in neighbouring Brazil.
THE 2013 World Youth Day is a special opportunity for the Guyanese youth. It is taking place in Brazil, a neighbouring country, so this is probably the closest to home it is going to get. It is probably also one of the most affordable WYDs for us here in Guyana. “It is the first time that a group from the interior of Guyana will be able to make World Youth Day,” explained 28-year-old Phelan Ramdatt, a teacher from Sacred Heart parish in Georgetown. “Nine of the young people will be coming from the villages of the Rupununi [in the Interior of Guyana], representing the indigenous peoples that have been so important to the history of the Catholic Church in the country. The Wapishana and Makushi nations of Guyana have a strong connection to Brazil, since a large proportion of their populations live across the border. Several of our young people speak Portuguese fluently,
“ I am looking forward to next July in Rio de Janeiro! I hope to see all of you in that great Brazilian city!” Pope Francis’s tweet 24 March 2013
although none of them will have previously been to Rio.” Gibion Moonsammy (25) is a librarian from St Pius X parish in Georgetown. He has been a leader of youth activities in the capital for many years and said he has always wanted to attend a WYD. “I’m expecting to gain a deeper appreciation of the universality of the Church and become aware of the customs of the different cultures and countries.” The theme of the 2013 World Youth Day is ‘Go and make disciples of all nations’, which Susan English, a regular volunteer for the Youth Office in Georgetown, found very inspiring. “I think it will strengthen my spirituality and deepen my faith, because I am very passionate about youth work and ministry,” she told me.
• World Youth Day 2013: the first in South America since Buenos Aires in 1987 • Pope Francis – the first Latin American Pontiff – will be welcomed there by more than two million young pilgrims • Nineteen young people between the ages of 18-30 will represent Guyana at this event in the Cidade Maravilhosa or ‘Marvellous City’
Stefan Garcia SJ (seated centre) with the Guyanese WYD pilgrims
16 Jesuits & Friends Summer 2013
• This is the first World Youth Day to which Guyana is sending a contingent since Toronto in 2002
Guyana WORLD YOUTH DAY
One of the highlights and main attractions for many of the WYD pilgrims will be the presence of Pope Francis – the first Pope from South America. “I find him inspiring and I think he is just what the Church needs,” said Phelan Ramdatt. “He is taking us back to the simple things, the basics and real meaning and essence of the faith. He is reminding us of what truly matters. The simple things like love and compassion, charity and mercy.” Susan agreed: “Just seeing him or being in his presence will be much appreciated.” But the scale of the event is also bound to cause excitement. “I want to meet a lot of other youths who are a part of my faith, people who share my ideals, my Church, my God, my Christianity,” explained Rose Ferreira, 22, a computer science student from Sacred Heart parish. “I think it’s an opportunity to start something new, something fresh. I’m hoping to get some new ideas for youth in the pastoral area. I hope the inspiration of the event will fuel renewed drive.”
As part of the Year of Faith, young Catholics in Guyana have been getting involved in church activities, such as faith days in the villages of the interior. The young adults planning to journey to Brazil this July have also taken on a lot of fundraising activities – such as selling food after Mass. Many of them
I think it’s an opportunity to start something new, something fresh say they intend to share what they learn at Rio after the pilgrimage. “My expectation is that – along with all the others attending WYD – I’ll come back to Guyana bursting with enthusiasm and zeal to do more for my local church,” said Gibion Moonsammy. “I hope that I’ll be more empowered to encourage other young people to be more active and responsible for their faith.” l
Photos: James Broscombe
Spiritual support for ‘Hero’ bike riders which many of the cyclists face some of the big questions – about life and death, war and suffering, human evil and human goodness, and the meaning and purpose of our lives.”
Photos: Gary Stone/The Sun The Jesuit priest known as the ‘Peddling Padre’ has accompanied the 300 riders on the Help for Heroes Battlefield Bike Ride through France. Fr Roger Dawson SJ – a British Army officer for nine years before joining the Jesuits – served as Chaplain and conducted ceremonies at memorials and war cemeteries on some of the major
battlefields of the First and Second World Wars on the 364-mile route. As the cyclists prepared to set off, they remembered Drummer Lee Rigby – the soldier murdered in Woolwich while wearing a Help for Heroes shirt. Fr Dawson reflected: “It is obviously a physical journey, but it is also an emotional and spiritual journey in
Help for Heroes (H4H) supports service personnel who have suffered life-changing injuries in conflicts and their families. “I hope you will laugh a lot on this ride,” Father Dawson told the riders. “I hope you’ll cry a little. I hope you’ll think hard; some of you, I think, will pray.There are some places where words collapse. The only proper response is silence – to listen to these men and to what they have to say to us.”
Support our work To sponsor Fr Roger Dawson SJ in support of H4H, see www.bmy charity.com/pedallingpadre2013
jesuitsandfriends.org.uk 17
VOCATIONS Life as a Jesuit
Experiencing the novitiate Fr Paul Nicholson SJ, explains what is expected of a man when he applies to become a Jesuit.
the novitiate has been described as preparation for the Exercises, making the Exercises, and then living out the Exercises. After this, five other experiences, in no particular order. The novice works in a hospital, tending the sick – although 16th-century hospitals were more like today’s shelters for homeless people. He teaches catechism to “children and unlettered persons”. He spends some weeks on pilgrimage, on foot and without money, wholly dependent on the kindness of those he encounters. He engages in ‘low and humble tasks’ around the house, such as cleaning and cooking. And he takes initial steps in preaching. Before the Eucharist: novices make their First Vows
Two years to the day after first entering the novitiate house, a man finds himself kneeling before the Eucharist in front of his family and friends and fellow-Jesuits, promising to live in poverty, chastity and obedience for the rest of his life. The novitiate can best be understood as the process that enables a man to take these vows responsibly, in reasonable hope of keeping them. Overall, it is a process of growing into this particular form of religious life, while checking that it truly corresponds to God’s call for that individual. He does this in company: of other novices, undergoing a similar experience; of those trained Jesuits living in the novitiate community; and of the director of novices, chiefly responsible for this stage of Jesuit formation. He in turn is helped by guidelines from recent major superiors, but ultimately deriving from St Ignatius himself. 18 Jesuits & Friends Summer 2013
“ My time in the novitiate so far… has been a time of self-discovery and self-knowledge. I’ve come to know this through prayer, through being placed in different situations and environments and through being given various challenges… Self-knowledge for me isn’t done on a purely mental level, but I try to allow God to enter and reveal things that are in the depths of my heart and personality. The Examen is a simple Ignatian prayer which helps a person develop a spiritual sensitivity to the way God approaches, invites, and calls them.” Joel Thompson, 2nd year novice
Ignatius recommended six testing experiences that each should undertake during his two-year novitiate. First, the month-long silent retreat, the Spiritual Exercises, under the direction of the novice master. These are so central that
Between these experiences, the novice learns how to live in community, studies subjects such as Jesuit history and the vows that he will take, and deepens his life of prayer, with regular spiritual direction from the novice master. After two years of this, the hope is that he has come to know Jesuit life as it is actually lived today, not seen through rose-tinted spectacles but “warts and all”. If, during this process, he discovers this is not his call, he moves on freely with our blessing. If he feels that this is the way of life to which God is truly inviting him, and those responsible for his training agree, he will find himself kneeling at that Vow Mass, offering his whole life to God in the Society of Jesus. l
Find out more Fr Paul Nicholson SJ is Director of Novices, north-west Europe novitiate. To read more from him and the novices based at Manresa House, Birmingham, visit manresaamigos.wordpress.com
Donhead Prep School EDUCATION
‘Fiercely proud’ to be a Jesuit school Donhead helps pupils become ‘men for others’, writes head teacher Chris McGrath.
Donhead’s Buddy System links each member of Year 6 with a boy in the Reception Year. The Year 6 boy befriends him, cares for him, helps him in his learning and, in so doing, makes a difference to his young buddy, taking his first steps into the world of school. As the Year 6 children leave, they are encouraged to make this same difference to people throughout their lives. Once former pupils reach the age of 16, they are encouraged to return to Donhead to join the HCPT Group (Handicapped Children’s Pilgrimage Trust) which accompanies disabled young children to Lourdes during Easter Week. In this way, and at this age, Donhead alumni help to make a difference to young people who can face very real difficulties in their lives.
“ Jesuit education is not a guarantee of privilege, but a term which cannot be used truthfully unless it refers always to people of service; men and women who are ready to give of themselves in a spirit of generosity.” Fr Adolfo Nicolás SJ, Father General of the Society of Jesus
• Donhead Preparatory School: named after Donhead Lodge, built in 1867 • Current number of pupils: 320 boys • Nine scholarship awards to senior independent schools in the last academic year • In the last three years, Donhead has been National Champions twice and Runner-Up three times in various age groups at the National Schools Rugby Tournament • A £4.5milion development programme in recent years ensures a wide range of purpose-built, modern facilities Donhead was founded in Wimbledon, south west London, in 1933; and it is fiercely proud to be a Jesuit school. Helping young people to find God and become the person they were born to be remains at the centre of this school. The daily practice of Examen and regular Days of Reflection encourage the boys to find God in all things, while the annual Day of Celebration on the final day of the school year celebrates the achievements of every boy in the school. Each receives a prize for his hard work and contribution over the year and for the steps he has made towards becoming the best that he can be, the person he was born to be.
Top: Donhead choir performs in Sacred Heart Church in London. Above: Performace of The Emperor’s New Clothes. Below: St Peter’s Mbare, Donhead’s Jesuit Companion school In Zimbabwe.
Donhead benefits from the hard work and dedication of its lay Chaplain. A major part of the Chaplain’s role is to coordinate the Companions Programme which has been hugely successful for all Jesuit schools in terms of cultural and educational exchange. One of Donhead’s companion schools in Zimbabwe is St Peter’s Mbare, a school in a Jesuit parish but where children live and work under altogether different circumstances to those in Wimbledon. Donhead pupils fundraise extensively for St Peter’s, developing true companionship and extensive communication from class to class and from child to child. The bond between the two schools is a strong one and grows ever stronger. Donhead today remains firmly rooted in its Jesuit tradition. Much has changed, and much has developed in the school over the last ten years, but its core purpose to educate ‘Men for Others’ remains undimmed. l jesuitsandfriends.org.uk 19
PRAYER The Pope’s monthly themes
Listening with Pope Francis In the Apostleship of Prayer, Christians unite their prayers and lives to the mission of the universal Church, through the Pope’s monthly prayer themes.
MORNING PRAYER God, 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.
October: That those feeling so crushed by life that they wish to end it may sense the nearness of God’s love. That the celebration of World Mission Day may help all Christians realize that we are not only receivers but proclaimers of God’s Word.
August: That parents and teachers may help the new generation to grow in upright conscience and life. That the local Church in Africa, faithfully proclaiming the Gospel, may promote peace and justice.
September: That people today, often
November: That priests who experience difficulties may find comfort in their suffering, support in their doubts, and confirmation in their fidelity. That as fruit of the continental mission, Latin American Churches may send missionaries to other Churches.
School Chaplain, Fr Michael Beattie SJ reflects on two of the prayer themes for this autumn.
as follows: “With Simeon and Anna in the temple whose wisdom allowed them to recognise Jesus (Luke 2, 22-38), let us give of ourselves with wisdom to the youth, like good wine that improves with age, let us give the youth the wisdom of our lives”. Part of that wisdom is to be silent, with electronic machinery switched off, to be able to listen not only in the classroom and at home but to have an open ear to the words of the Lord Jesus.
In a world that is saturated with noise, Pope Francis – in the very first instance of his pontificate on the balcony of St Peter’s – reminded us of the need for silence and prayer. Time and again in the Gospels, we are exhorted to listen to the Word of God: “This is my Son, the Chosen One, listen to him” (Luke 9, 36). Similarly, on the day of his election, Pope Francis spoke to the assembled cardinals
overwhelmed by noise, may rediscover the value of silence and listen to the voice of God and their brothers and sisters. That Christians suffering persecution in many parts of the world may by their witness be prophets of Christ’s love.
Pope Francis would totally identify himself with the thrust of our prayer for the month of September: “That people today often overwhelmed by noise, may discover the value of silence and listen to the voice of God and their brothers and sisters”. Can we really listen if we are continually surrounded by noise? Mobile phones, I-pads, television, car radios; they are all wonderful inventions of modern times, but they need to be used judiciously. Continuous
noise can act as an anaesthetic, as a dulling of one of the greatest human gifts we possess, the capacity to reflect, to think and to pray. I reside at Mount St Mary’s College, a Jesuit school full of young people who are all computer literate and for whom gadgets are seen as an essential part of daily living. Parents and teachers in their duty of formation must offer the young the wisdom of experience. Our prayer intention for August is directed to the formation of young people. In his inauguration homily, our new Pope described the role of St Joseph, guiding and protecting the Holy Family. “Discreetly, humbly and silently, but with an unfailing presence and utter fidelity, even when he finds it hard to understand”. Is there a lesson here for parents and teachers, religious brothers and sisters and all who are called upon to form the men and women of tomorrow? With listening ears and open hearts, we commend all these things to the Lord. l
Jesuit Missions Marathon
2013 London Marathon report Every year supporters take part in the London Marathon to raise funds for Jesuit Missions and JRS UK. This year 27 runners completed the 26.2 miles course. School teachers, pupils, parents, a priest, parishioners, a father and son duo, former Jesuit Missions Volunteers and of course two Wombles ran over 700 miles between them to support life changing work throughout the world. Thank you to our incredible 2013 Marathon team who so far have raised well over £30,000. These are just two examples of causes supported by their efforts.
Zimbabwe – Promoting justice and peace
Guyana – Empowering young people
Jesuit Missions has been working closely with the Zimbabwe Jesuit Province for decades providing financial support and logistical expertise. This year your donations will help provide leadership training that will promote political tolerance, responsibility and increase the involvement of marginalised communities in the political process.
On page 16, you will have seen how – for the first time ever – a group of young adults from the Interior of Guyana will attend World Youth Day.They worked hard to raise money locally but without a grant from Jesuit Missions this would not be possible.
The Jesuits at Silveira House promote peace and conflict resolution, provide technical skills for the unemployed and agricultural training to improve household food security.
Members of the 2013 Marathon team gather at Waterloo Station.
World Youth Day is a powerful occasion that inspires young people from around the world, igniting their faith and motivating all those who attend to take on a greater role in their local church community. It will cost £200 to assist giving a young person from Guyana the experience of a lifetime. The JM marathon team gave many hours over many months to help make this happen.
ANNABEL MAKES A DIFFERENCE Annabel Marshall, an eight-year-old from south west London, who made her First Holy Communion recently, decided that her special occasion should help others around the world so she asked her family and friends to donate to Jesuit Missions (JM), instead of giving her presents. Annabel’s Dad, John Marshall, who was part of the JM Marathon Team said “The Jesuits’ ethos of ‘making a difference for others’ really seems to have touched Annabel, we think it really is such a mature and considerate thought from an eight-year-old”.
How you can help To be part of this team please consider making a donation to the 2013 Marathon projects by sending a cheque to Jesuit Missions marked ‘Marathon’. See address on the back page.
Take part in 2014! If you would like to be part of the JM Marathon team in 2014 please contact Richard at the JM office on 0208 946 0466 or richard@gbjm.org jesuitsandfriends.org.uk 21
OBITUARIES
Obituaries Fr Hilary Thomas SJ Fr Hilary George Andrew Thomas SJ was one of four members of the same family who became Jesuits. His brother, Martin, was one of the “Musami martyrs” – three Jesuit missionaries and four nuns murdered by nationalist guerrillas in Rhodesia in 1977. Two of their cousins – Mick and Billy – also entered the Society of Jesus. Hilary himself was closely involved with Jesuit education for much of his 68 years as a Jesuit. Born in Sidcup, Kent, on 10 November 1925, he was a pupil at Wimbledon College before entering the Society of Jesus in September 1944. His novitiate was spent at Roehampton and Southwell House in London, after which he moved to Heythrop College in Oxfordshire for studies in philosophy. After qualifying for his Certificate in Education at Roehampton, he spent four years teaching preparatory school children
– first at St John’s Beaumont and then at Hodder Place, Stonyhurst. Fr Thomas was ordained in 1958 at Sacred Heart Church, Wimbledon, and completed his Licentiate in Sacred Theology the following year. After tertianship at St Beuno’s (1959-60), he began a period of more than two decades teaching RE, French and History at Stonyhurst College. He was awarded his MA in Theology at the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley, California, in 1982, after which he returned to Stonyhurst for a further 17 years and continued teaching RE and History, while also serving as chaplain and spiritual adviser to the pupils, until 1999. For the next six years, Fr Thomas continued to supply from Campion House in Osterley and at Farm Street Church in London, as well as at St Wilfrid’s Church in Preston, where he eventually retired in 2012. After suffering a stroke on Ash Wednesday he died three days later (16 February 2013) in the Royal Preston Hospital.
Brother James Harkess SJ James Wilson Harkess was born on 21 October 1931 in Edinburgh and went to school at St Cuthbert’s and Holy Cross Academy in the city. He gained a certificate at Skerry’s Commercial College and served a six-year apprenticeship as a compositor, working in the printing industry for some 13 years. Shortly after becoming a daily communicant in July 1958, he became interested in serving God by manual labour and applied to enter the Society of Jesus in 1961. After his noviceship at Roehampton in London, James took his first vows as a Jesuit Brother at Harlaxton, Lincolnshire and was assigned to St Beuno’s College 22 Jesuits & Friends Summer 2013
in North Wales as assistant infirmarian. Between 1966 and 1982, he served at Farm Street Church in central London – first as Secretary to the Superior and then as Minister, ensuring the smooth daily functioning of both the church and the Jesuit community there. In December 1982, he started to work as Administrator in the Curia of the British Province in Mount Street and, in this capacity, was elected to the Province Congregations of 1987, 1990 and 1999. Following a visit to Guyana in 1984, Br Harkess also was given the opportunity to meet staff at Jesuit Curias in the USA. In 2001, Br Harkess was appointed to the position of Assistant for Healthcare for the province, before retiring to Corpus Christi Jesuit Centre in Boscombe, Dorset in 2007. He died there on 18 April 2013.
pray for those who have died recently. may they rest in peace.
• William Lowe • Mrs J Glen • Christopher Reeves • Mr Denis Hurley • Miss B Green • Irene McCarthy • Mr H W Paris • Mr L H Haynes • Mr R Jones • Mr B E J Shiner • Hugh Boyd • Miss M M Milner • Maurice Ward • Mr F P Hart • John Byrnes • Felix Connolly • Mrs M. Piscaer • Mr William Rowan • Mr P J Crowley • Mrs E E Sorahan • Sadrudin Bhanji • Sue Howell • Thresiamma Philip • Vincent Rogers • Rae Carter • Anne Spence • Henry Jolliffe • Peter Hardwick • Peter Walsh • Mary Reynolds-Grey • Terry Cooper • Jan Smulders • Father Francis Tillotson • Dom Bernard Green OSB • Fr Tom Heneghan • Br James Harkess SJ • Br Andrew Atkinson SJ • Fr Hilary Thomas SJ • Fr Alvaro Ribeiro SJ • Fr Adrian Lyons SJ • Fr Liam ‘Bill’ McKenna SJ • Fr Senan Timoney SJ • Fr Peter Meiring SJ • Fr Clarence Gallagher SJ • Bishop Aloysius Jin Luxian SJ
JUST ANOTHER THOUGHT
It’s Jesus who makes you important Editor, Fr Dushan Croos SJ, offers some final reflections on the new pontificate
When the Catholic Truth Society contacted us, asking for someone to write a short biography on the newly-elected Pope Francis, my Superior convinced me that I should try. I spent more than a month reading everything time permitted and then attempting to portray something of this astonishing Jesuit and priest whom I encountered. I’ve been left with more than the usual Jesuit devotion to the Pope, not because he is a Jesuit but because in every way that any of us have got to know him, we have felt he is one of our family, he is our “Papa”, father or shepherd. Though he has not used it of himself, he has embodied the title St Ignatius used most of the Bishop of Rome: Vicar of Christ, the one who stands in the place of Christ for us, as we have seen him embracing the disabled, going to a prison to wash the feet of the inmates, speaking from the heart as he gazes on the Lord’s flock with mercy. Pope Francis centres his way of preaching the Lord’s Death and Resurrection on how the merciful Lord chooses us, and sums it up in his own motto as bishop. That is how his own vocation as a disciple and then as an apostle was born,
when, as 17-year-old Jorge Mario Bergoglio, he experienced the Lord’s mercy in the sacrament of Reconciliation on the feast of St Matthew in 1953. His motto is taken from St Bede’s commentary on Matthew’s Gospel: “He saw a tax collector, and since he looked at him in pity and choosing him as a disciple, he said ‘Follow me’”. I have been particularly struck by how Pope Francis’s ministry is
focussed by continually seeking out those who are lost, on the margins, and bringing them to the centre, the heart of the community. He tells the story of a widow, working hard as a maid, who confided to him her anguish that she had not baptised her seven children, because she could not afford to gather the godparents for the ceremony. So he suggested that they have only two godparents and gathered them all for some catechesis at the Archbishop’s house before baptising them in the house chapel. Afterwards, he says, while they continued the celebration with some Coca-Cola and sandwiches, she told him: “Father, I can’t believe it, you make me feel important.”. Fr Borgoglio replied: “But señora, where do I come in? It’s Jesus who makes you important.” Pope Francis is allowing us to discover how Jesus makes each one of us important, even those we would rather forget. l
TO BUY THE BOOK Pope Francis by Dushan Croos SJ is available from www.ctsbooks.org, ISBN 9781860828706, price £1.95
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Put your faith into action – help JRS befriend a refugee in exile Refugees who come to JRS are often isolated, hungry and need a safe space to talk or get practical help.Your gift will enable refugees like ‘Malan’ to access the support he needs and find resources to continue his journey out of exile in community with others.Your gift will ensure that JRS UK provides a welcome and activities that build confidence and provide hope. For more information go to www.jrsuk.net Yes, I would like to make a gift to support the work of JRS UK £15 could pay for one person to attend our Day Centre and receive a welcome, lunch and bus pass
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First name
Surname Address
£40 could support participation for one person in a creative workshop like our photography project, to build skills and self-esteem
Postcode
£120 could help pay for food and hot drinks for those who have not eaten that day
Phone number
£500 could support Day Centre volunteers’ travel and training to accompany refugees
Email address
Other £_________ I am a UK taxpayer and would like JRS to treat all donations I have made in the past four years and all future donations that I make from the date of this declaration as gift aid donations. I confirm I pay in income tax and/or capital gains tax to an amount at least equal to the amount reclaimed in the tax year by the charities I support. I understand that VAT and Council tax do not count. Please send me the quarterly JRS newsletter to keep up to date with JRS-UK’s work
Please make your cheque payable to “Jesuit Refugee Service” and send it to JRS-UK, The Hurtado Jesuit Centre, 2 Chandler Street, London E1W 2QT. You can also give on-line through www.justgiving. com/jesuitrefugeeservice Charity Number 230165 Telephone 020 7488 7310 www.jrsuk.net
✂ Our grateful thanks to all our generous supporters.Your service to faith and justice is remembered in the Masses and prayers of all our Jesuits. SOUTH AFRICA Give to help the Jesuits in South Africa campaign to stop violence against women and children See page 11
GUYANA
ZIMBABWE Provide young people in Guyana with the opportunity to attend World Youth Day in Rio See pages 16
Support our work with the people of Zimbabwe at a major moment in the country’s history See page 10
Please make cheques payable to JM and send to JM, 11 Edge Hill, London SW19 4LR You can donate online with gift aid at www.gbjm.org
A faith that does justice