Jesuit Bulletin - Spring-Summer 2014 by Jesuits Central and Southern

jesuit B u l l e t i n Spring-Summer 2014

Growing the Mission New Province Launches in July

Hurtado Scholars â&#x20AC;˘ New Provincial â&#x20AC;˘ Ordinations

message from the provincial Dear Friends,

Douglas W. Marcouiller, SJ Missouri Provincial

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Not long ago, I pulled from the bookcase the Missouri Jesuit catalog of 1863. The slender pamphlet listed all the members and works of the Society of Jesus in our region, a Jesuit vice-province that would be raised to the status of a province on Dec. 3 of that year, the feast of St. Francis Xavier. In 1863, 151 years ago, the province had 194 members, fewer than half of them priests. We had houses in Bardstown, Chicago, Cincinnati, Milwaukee, St. Louis, and along the Missouri River, and we also worked with the Potawatomi and Osage in eastern Kansas. British Honduras (now Belize) and Colorado would be added to the Missouri Province over the years, and the houses in Chicago, Cincinnati, and Milwaukee would disappear from our catalog as new provinces were created to better serve the people of those areas. To better serve … that’s the key! The Jesuit Superior General established the Missouri Province on the American frontier at a time of civil war and massive migration so that the Society might more effectively serve the Lord and the Church in the 19th-century Midwest. The same desire for greater service drives us today. On July 31, 2014, the feast of St. Ignatius Loyola, the new U.S. Central and Southern Province will come into being. Its first provincial, Fr. Ronald Mercier, is profiled on page 18. This new structure is intended to help us to respond more flexibly, more agilely, and more effectively to the opportunities of our time. Stretching from Colorado to Florida and south to Belize, the new province will have 400 members and a remarkable network of partners and friends.We will be associated with dozens of works including 13 parishes, six spirituality centers, five universities, a junior college, 11 high schools, several initiatives in pre-secondary education, and a variety of social ministries. Apostolic opportunities continue to change, of course, and we will change, too, as we seek the more universal good and respond to the greater need. We are sinners, as we know all too well, but we are also loved and called into companionship with Jesus as St. Ignatius was, and we will continue this journey together as “missionary disciples,” in the words of Pope Francis. As our new province takes shape, may Jesuits and all our partners and friends be drawn more deeply into the joy of the Gospel, and when the Jesuit catalog for this region is printed 151 years from now – if books are still printed then – may it show the fruit of continued apostolic creativity and zeal!

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contents

24 | Jubilarians Milestones of service 26 | 200th Anniversary The Society's Restoration

Editor Thomas Rochford SJ Associate Editor Cheryl Wittenauer

Designer Tracy Gramm Advancement Director John Fitzpatrick

4 | Jesuit News Cover photo: A parishioner enjoys the Fr. Carlos Pinto Plaza, outside the Jesuits' Sacred Heart Church, in El Paso, Texas. (By Thomas Rochford SJ)

21 | Profile Advancement Team

28 | In Memoriam

jesuit news

Changes at De Smet Jesuit

Trevor Bonat starts July 1 as principal of De Smet Jesuit High School in suburban St. Louis. He succeeds Greg Densberger, who retired last year as principal for 31 years. The news came on the heels of Fr. Wally Sidney’s announcement in February that he will step down as the school’s sixth president in June 2015. The changes come as De Smet approaches its 50th anniversary as a school in 2017. Bonat comes to De Smet from Bishop Brady High School in Concord, N.H. He previously taught religion and theology before moving into leadership positions at Catholic high schools. Bonat has degrees from College of the Holy Cross, Catholic University of America and The Johns Hopkins University.

Province Staffing

New lay staff members recently have joined the provincial office in St. Louis. John Fitzpatrick is the new provincial assistant for advancement for the Missouri and New Orleans provinces; he replaces Thom Digman who Vicki Simon began a new career as a full-time non-profit consultant. Ana Casey, R.N., is the new provincial assistant for health care for the Missouri and New Orleans provinces. Vicki Simon, a former Maryknoll Lay Missioner, is the new director of the Ignatian Volunteer Corps, a Jesuit-sponsored organization of retired women and men who serve St. Louis-area social service agencies and schools.

Tr a n s i t i o n s

New Orleans and Missouri Jesuits on the Move the first treasurer and Fr. Kevin Cullen the first formation director for the new Central and Southern

Fr. John Armstrong

Fr. John Armstrong will be the first socius (or executive assistant to the provincial), Fr. Dan Daly

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Fr. Dan Daly

Province. All three are currently serving on the province staff under different titles. Fr. Ron Mercier, provincial-elect, has been transcribed from the New England Province to the Missouri Province. Fr. Brian Christopher will be entering tertianship after helping start a center for economic development in Belize; he also served as the province’s delegate for international and social ministry.

SLU Gets a New President

Fred P. Pestello will start July 1 as the first permanent lay president in Saint Louis University’s 196-year history. He succeeds Fr. Lawrence Biondi who retired in September 2013. Pestello comes from Le Moyne College, a Jesuit liberal arts institution in Syracuse, N.Y. He was appointed in 2008 as Le Moyne’s first permanent lay president. A native of Cleveland, Pestello spent nearly 25 years as a faculty member and provost at the University of Dayton, a Catholic, Marianist research institution in Ohio. He is a graduate of John Carroll University, a Jesuit institution in Cleveland. He has three degrees in sociology, including a doctorate through a joint program of the University of Akron and Kent State University.

Fr. Thomas Greene is Bellarmine House of Studies' new rector, coming from the staff of the Jesuit Conference in Washington. Fr. Jim Burshek

Fr. Jim Burshek will leave White House Retreat Center as director to become superior of the St. Louis University High and De Smet Jesuit High community. Fr. Thomas Greene

Building the Future

With the recent renovation of its kitchen and dining areas, Rockhurst High School in Kansas City, Mo., completed the final phase of a master plan developed nearly 20 years Architectural rendering of new addition at Arrupe Jesuit High ago. The school now is working on a plan to accommodate 21st-century learners with such things as a reconfigured library and a science-technologyengineering-math building. Regis Jesuit High School in Denver recently completed its new performing arts center and student commons. Rockhurst University in Kansas City, Mo., in March broke ground on Pedro Arrupe Hall, a new academic building. Arrupe Jesuit High School in Denver will break ground in June on an $8 million expansion and renovation project. That’s in addition to a campaign to raise $3 million to add to the school’s endowment. The grade school at St. Martin de Porres parish in Belize City has playground equipment for the first time in its 48 years, thanks to Rotary of Belize and Rotary of Edmonton, Ontario.

Fr. John Vowells is Bellarmine’s new minister, in charge of practical details of running the community. Beginning this fall, some men from Bellarmine will live and work at the Jesuit parish in north St. Louis, St. Matthew the Apostle. Fr. Pat Quinn is the new pastor of St. Matthew the Apostle parish in St. Louis, succeeding Fr. Mark McKenzie, assigned temporarily

Jesuits John Padberg and Mark McKenzie as well as the Ignatian Volunteer Corps in St. Louis have been recognized for their efforts and ministry. Padberg, an expert on Jesuit history and spirituality and director of the Institute of Jesuit Sources in St. Louis, received honorary degrees from Fairfield University and College of the Holy Cross at their commencement ceremonies in May. McKenzie and the IVC were honored in May for their role in the success of De La Salle Middle School in St. Louis. McKenzie, former long-time pastor of St. Matthew the Fr. Mark McKenzie Apostle parish in St. Louis, helped launch the Christian Brotherssponsored school that has been housed since 2001 on parish property. IVC volunteers serve as tutors.

and help set up a community health clinic. Fr. Jim Guyer retired from the history department at Regis College to start a new career as pastoral minister to young alumni.

Fr. Ian Gibbons will begin serving in July as assistant principal of Regis High School in New York City. Fr. Dirk Dunfee is leaving Fr. John Vowells

Fr. Dirk Dunfee

to assist New Orleans Provincial Mark Lewis. Fr. Rafael Garcia is the new pastor of St. Francis Xavier Parish, Kansas City, Mo. Fr. Ian Gibbons

his position as nurse practitioner at a clinic in Kansas City, Kan., to teach in the graduate level at the College of Nursing at Regis University. He’ll also do pastoral work in the College for Health Professions

Fr. Jim Guyer

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jesuit life

Called to Final Vows

ather General Adolfo Nicolás has called five Missouri Jesuits to pronounce their final vows. The simplicity of the ceremony, which takes place during Mass, can obscure the importance of the moment. After two years of novitiate, a man asks to pronounce his first vows, which make him a member of the Society of Jesus, but with the caveat that further experience may show he should be following a different path. Many years later, the Society of Jesus invites a Jesuit to final vows that convey the message that what was initially promised in first vows has come to fruition. By demonstrating his commitment to the Society's mission, a Jesuit shows that he should be called to full incorporation into the Society. There are important milestones along the way – such as doing ministry, finishing advanced degrees and, for many Jesuits, being ordained a priest — but final vows makes a public statement about a Jesuit fully belonging in the company of his brothers. Just before communion, the provincial holds the chalice and consecrated host, as the Jesuit pronouncing his vows kneels and reads a hand-written copy of the vow formula, which he will sign after Mass. That paper then goes to the Jesuit headquarters in Rome as a permanent record. There are no fireworks, no change of religious habit, just a simple ceremony that has been repeated over and over since the beginning of the Society. Fr. Bart Geger pronounced his vows April 6 at Regis University where he teaches theology and serves as rector of the Jesuit community.

Fr. Mark Bosco 6 Jesuit

Fr. Michael Caruso

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Fr. Steve Schoenig pronounces final vows in St. Louis.

Fr. Hung Pham took vows April 29 in Berkeley, Calif., at the Jesuit School of Theology where he teaches the theology of Ignatian Spirituality. Fr. Steve Schoenig pronounced his vows May 4 at the student Mass at Saint Louis University where he teaches history and serves as superior of the Sacred Heart Jesuit Community. Fr. Mark Bosco will take final vows Aug. 30 at Madonna della Strada Chapel on the campus of Loyola University Chicago, where he is a joint professor of English and theology. Fr. Michael Caruso will take final vows Oct. 19 at Holy Family Church in Chicago. He is president of St. Ignatius College Prep in that city.

Fr. Bart Geger

Fr. Hung Pham

Fr. Steve Schoenig

jesuit formation

Six Will Be Ordained Priests

he Jesuits of the Missouri and New Orleans provinces are blessed to have six young Jesuits who soon will be ordained as priests. Archbishop Robert Carlson will preside at the June 14 liturgy at St. Francis Xavier (College) Church in St. Louis where he will ordain Robert E. Murphy, Nathan W. O’Halloran, Michael D. Rozier, Christopher J. Schroeder and Dong (Derek) Phuong Hong Vo. On July 19, Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller will ordain Eric Ramirez to the priesthood at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in San Antonio, Texas.

Eric R. Ramirez New Orleans Province

Eric R. Ramirez, 34, grew up in San Angelo, Texas, and earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Angelo State University and worked at the Newman Center. His correspondence with Jesuit vocation director, Fr. Marvin Kitten, was delivered by the family’s mail carrier, who, by coincidence, was the nephew of “Uncle Marvin.” With that extra sign, Ramirez entered the Society in 2002. Ramirez studied philosophy and earned a master’s degree in English at Loyola University Chicago, where he was chaplain for the men’s volleyball team. For regency, he taught English and theology at Jesuit High School of

Tampa while helping with the school’s retreat program, the hockey team and fathers club. He studied theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, although he arrived in Rome in 2011, not knowing a word of Italian. He learned the language and culture and earned a bachelor’s degree in sacred theology while contributing to The Jesuit Post. A deacon at the Church of the Gesù in Rome, Ramirez served as the Gesù’s master of ceremonies for special feast day Masses celebrated by Pope Francis.

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irez Eric Ram

Robert E. Murphy New Orleans Province

urphy Robert M

Robert E. Murphy, 37, was born and raised in Metairie, La., just outside of New Orleans. He attended Jesuit High School of New Orleans and earned a bachelor’s degree in physical therapy at the University of South Alabama in Mobile. He pursued a career in physical therapy in Laurel, Miss., and later, certification as an athletic trainer at the University of Southern Mississippi, where he helped start a youth ministry. Murphy entered the Jesuits in 2003 at the novitiate in Grand Coteau, La. He earned a doctorate in physical therapy at Saint Louis University and spent a semester at the Jesuit university in El Salvador, honing his Spanish skills and working in a medical clinic. He spent his regency from 2008 to 2011 at Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas, as director of campus ministry, theology and Spanish teacher, freshman soccer coach and assistant to the athletic training staff. He earned both a master of divinity degree and a licentiate in sacred theology at Boston College School of Theology and Ministry while training Boston College athletes and serving as a parish deacon in Medford, Mass.

'Halloran Nathan O Rozier Michael

Nathan W. O’Halloran New Orleans Province

eder her Schro Christop Dong (D erek) Vo

Nathan W. O’Halloran, 32, grew up on The Lord’s Ranch, a Catholic lay community founded in 1975 in southern New Mexico. The son of Catholic missionaries who met and married at The Lord’s Ranch, O’Halloran and his seven siblings were home-schooled and worked at the ranch. He frequently entered Juarez, Mexico to distribute produce and work with prisoners. Profoundly influenced by the work of Jesuit Fr. Richard Thomas, founder of The Lord’s Ranch, O’Halloran began considering a vocation to the priesthood at an early age. After earning bachelor’s degrees in philosophy and theology from Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio, he entered the Jesuits in 2003 at the novitiate in Grand Coteau, La. He earned a master’s degree in philosophy from Fordham University in New York City, then spent his regency teaching Greek and theology at Jesuit High School of New Orleans and coaching its Ultimate

Frisbee team to the state finals. He earned a master of divinity degree and a licentiate in sacred theology at the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University in Berkeley, Calif., while also serving as an AIDS hospice chaplain and parish deacon. He hopes to continue pro-life work.

Michael D. Rozier Missouri Province

Michael D. Rozier, 32, grew up in historic Ste. Genevieve, Mo., and met the Jesuits while studying at Saint Louis University, where he was active in campus liturgies, studied pre-med, contributed to public health research projects and played French horn. After graduating in 2003 with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry, Rozier entered the Jesuit novitiate in St. Paul, Minn. He earned a diploma in philosophical studies at Regis College at the University of Toronto, and spent a semester in El Salvador. He received a master’s degree in public health at The Johns Hopkins University in 2008 and did a five-month fellowship at the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland. He spent his regency teaching global health and public health ethics at Saint Louis University and helped design its first undergraduate curriculum in public health. He earned both a master of divinity degree and a licentiate in sacred theology from the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry, while serving as a parish deacon in Winchester, Mass. He contributed to The Jesuit Post, and was a fellow for the study of professional ethics in Auschwitz. He will begin doctoral studies this fall at the University of Michigan’s School of Public Health.

Christopher J. Schroeder Missouri Province

Christopher J. Schroeder, 32, the nephew of a Jesuit brother and two diocesan priests, was born and raised in St. Louis. He came to know the Jesuits at De Smet Jesuit High School. He began studies at Saint Louis University, but left after sophomore year to enter the Jesuits in 2002 at the novitiate in St. Paul, Minn. He earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and humanities and a master’s degree in philosophy from

Saint Louis University. He spent five months in El Salvador for intensive Spanish–language study and to work for Fe y Alegría, a Jesuit network in education, training and development in Latin America. He spent his regency teaching theology at Arrupe Jesuit High School in Denver, and directed its Kairos retreat program. He earned a master of divinity degree at the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University in Berkeley, Calif., and was a deacon at San Quentin State Prison. This summer, he will serve at St. Martin de Porres Parish in Belize before returning in the fall to Berkeley to finish his licentiate in sacred theology.

Dong (Derek) Phuong Hong Vo Missouri Province

Dong (Derek) Phuong Hong Vo, 49, left his native Vietnam at age 21 and spent three years in a refugee camp. In 1988, he joined family in the U.S. and earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the University of Oklahoma in 1994. He worked outside of Dallas, where he learned about Ignatian spirituality from a Christian Life Community. The events of September 11, 2001 led him to resolve to live a more meaningful life of faith and service. He joined the Jesuits in 2003 and studied philosophy at Saint Louis University. He spent his regency teaching math and computer science at Regis Jesuit High School, and supervised the school’s photography club. He has returned three times to Vietnam to teach English and philosophy, work with the poor and offer retreats. He earned a master of divinity degree at the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University in Berkeley, Calif., while serving as a chaplain at San Quentin State Prison. He said the work at San Quentin has allowed him to encounter “Christ the prisoner” in the men who help him strip away judgment, prejudice and fear to discover gentle forgiveness. He will become assistant pastor at St. Peter Claver Parish in Punta Gorda, Belize.

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Hurtado Scholars

Helping Urban Boys Achieve Academic Success By Thomas Rochford SJ

hen June arrives, many fifth-grade boys at three Catholic urban schools in Kansas City, Mo., head for playgrounds or computer games. Last summer, 10 lucky ones rose early in anticipation of a new routine they’ve come to love – a special summer program at Rockhurst High School. The 10 pioneers of the Jesuit school’s new Hurtado Scholars Program have fond memories of last summer’s six-week session of classes, personal development and outings that emphasized language, math and basic study skills. Ruby de Leon, from the Philippines, recalled her son’s initial reaction. “When Rev found out he was going to have to go to school for six weeks, he was not happy,” she said. “But he told me he had more fun last summer than any other summer of his life.” The summer program, modeled after one at Regis High School in New York City, is designed to help urban boys of limited means improve academic and study skills, expand artistic and cultural awareness, develop leadership skills, participate in sports and activities, grow in Christian faith and prepare for high school admission. Classes have a reasonable but clear sense 10 Jesuit

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of discipline, and teachers expect the students to pay attention and stay on task. Before the Hurtado Scholars program, only a handful of students from three diocesan urban grade schools moved on to Rockhurst. It’s hoped that boys from Holy Cross, Our Lady of Guadalupe and Our Lady of the Angels will attend the century-old Jesuit high school in greater numbers and give it more ethnic and cultural diversity.

Fr. Bill Sheahan, director of the Hurtado Scholars Program, talks with Rev Touch (left) and Salvador Walton-Nuñez (right).

education The idea for Hurtado Scholars grew out of a conversation between Principal Gregory Harkness and theology teacher, Fr. Bill Sheahan, as the two shared a four-hour road trip from St. Louis to Kansas City. “And so it started, as most good Ignatian things do, with a conversation,” Harkness recalled. “Should we be doing something more?” They talked about establishing a Nativity-style school, like St. Louis’ Loyola Academy, but that could be expensive. Harkness knew of another model, called Reach, from his time at Regis High in New York City. It did not replace the final three years of parish grade schools but helped students prepare for entering collegeprep high schools. Harkness asked Sheahan to research the viability of such a model at Rockhurst. Sheahan spent 18 months at the task, observing successful programs in New York and Cleveland and meeting with administrators of the three remaining Catholic schools in Kansas City’s urban core. Many of the students from those schools are first- or second-generation immigrants from Mexico and Latin America, Sudan and the Philippines. “It has been very interesting to see how this program is not only helping prepare boys who are not as advantaged economically, but we are touching into the growing immigrant part of Kansas City,” Sheahan said. Rockhurt English teacher Brandon Jones, who helped create the Hurtado Scholars’ English curriculum, praised Sheahan for being very intentional about designing a program centered on the whole person, not just on academics. “The opportunity to develop our own programming, our own curriculum, to decide what we think are the goals, how to assess them . . . was one of the best professional development activities that I could have done,” he said. Frank Lyngar, a veteran Rockhurst math teacher, thinks that mathematics is a language God provided to help us understand the world. So he created a curriculum for the Hurtado Scholars that uses concepts such as infinite series and sequences to make higher math accessible. “The mathematics of loading weights on a weight bar as they watch junior and senior football players prepare to bench, squat, and clean in the weight room is a ‘mini’ algebraic system,” he said. Lyngar took the Hurtado scholars bowling and had them keep score on paper. “The rules for strikes and spares hint at the algebraic systems they will learn at the high school level,”

Rockhurst High School veteran English teacher Mike Wickenhauser teaches Hurtado Scholars.

he explained. “We challenge these young scholars beyond their normal grade school mathematics curriculum to see the wonders of our very mathematical world.” Twice-weekly tutoring sessions during the regular school year helped the boys deepen the study skills they learned last summer. Two afternoons a week, Jones and Sheahan met Hurtado Scholars at their grade schools and took them on public buses to diocesan offices downtown for their sessions. The arrangement reduced travel time across town to Rockhurst, and exposed the kids to public transportation and places outside of their comfort zone, and gave them a sense of independence. Key to the program is the setting of high expectations so that the boys gain self-confidence, learn to stay focused and develop their natural talent. Rockhurst teachers and students serve as role models. And the friendships the boys form make spending extra time studying fun.

AJ Lopez (left) and Acien Ajing Spring-Summer 2014

Jesuit

The program is not all work. The scholars played sports and learned to juggle, under the tutelage of Rockhurst students. They visited museums, went horseback riding, and took a tour of Rockhurst University. “It’s fun,” said Anthony Jacob Lopez, who just finished his first year as a Hurtado Scholar. “We talk, and we sometimes help each other on our work. We don’t get enough time to talk at school usually. So here, on the bus ride or at snack time, we get to talk more often.” Stephen Garcia teaches fifth grade at Our Lady of the Angels as well as math in the Hurtado Scholars summer program. Garcia, who keeps a close eye on his students, has noticed that academic achievement in boys – even among the strongest students – typically drops after fifth grade. That’s one reason the final three +years at a parish grade school are critical. But after one year in the Hurtado Program, the four boys from Our Lady of the Angels have not slipped academically. “Their attention level is higher, their academics are higher. I am seeing more success,” he said. “If we keep that level, by the time they get to high school, they are going to be ready for success.”

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De Leon, Rev’s mother, said she “could talk all night about all the wonderful things I have noticed in him since he started the Hurtado program.” In her estimation, the most important development in her son is his newfound self-confidence and ability to manage his time. “He is surrounded by all these good role models at Rockhurst, and he’s learning how they move and how they talk,” she said. He also is exposed to activities she could not have afforded to give him. “It’s so wonderful that all these generous people are willing to offer, and to donate their time and their money for him, for all these 10 boys to experience these things.” Harkness says he remains touched by the vision of faith, justice and service set by the late Jesuit leader, Fr. Pedro Arrupe. “I am moved by the desire not to create a parallel church, but to be of service of church we are,” he said. “One area where I sensed we were lacking was the growing Latino community, particularly since the majority of Latinos are Catholic and participate in parish life and many are making commitments to inner city schools.” “Is Rockhurst a beacon or a blinding light on the hill?” he asked. Fr. Terry Baum, Rockhurst’s president, said the school’s board several years ago signed off on a “really aggressive” diversity program. “We want to make our school as diverse as is possible,” he said. “We also want to ensure the success of these young men who come to us. So we thought that rather than opening a middle school, we would begin this program of enrichment and skills-building by designating a cohort of rising sixth-graders that would follow us until which time they could apply to be students here.”

Frank Lyngar uses bowling to teach math.

While the program prepares students to attend any Kansas City-area Catholic high school, it also commits Rockhurst to provide the financial assistance that Hurtado Scholar graduates might need if they choose to attend Rockhurst. Angie Ajing said her son, Acien, told her he wanted to attend Rockhurst even before he began the Scholars program. Ajing, a refugee from South Sudan who lived in Egypt before settling in Kansas City where she works full time, studies nursing and cares for her children, asked how she could afford Rockhurst. “That was the first thing that came to my mind,” she recalled. “I asked other people who said, ‘Oh, that school is really expensive.’ I said, ‘We are going to put it in God’s hands,’” she said.

Rockhurst already helps almost 40 percent of its students with financial aid, based on family need. But the Scholars Program boys would receive about $4,000 more per year than the maximum a family needing assistance would normally get. That extra boost is needed to ensure that kids from the central city get into Rockhurst, Baum said. In a few years, as many as 40 students from the Hurtado Scholars Program could be attending Rockhurst at the same time. “We will find benefactors that will support them, I am confident of that,” Baum said. “I am a little bit concerned … but I really feel that what we are doing is the right thing, and God will provide. The Spirit will not desert us.” Sheahan said that after a century of educating youth in Kansas City, starting with immigrant communities, Jesuits “tried to do the Magis, the more, rather than rest on our laurels.” Harkness credits Baum for the idea of naming the program after St. Alberto Hurtado, a Jesuit canonized in 2005 who started educational programs for the poor in his native Chile. “We honor St. Alberto Hurtado as the inspiration for what we are trying to do for boys in Kansas City,” Harkness said.

Fr. Bill Sheahan meets parents who want to enroll their sons in the second year of the Hurtado program. Spring-Summer 2014

Jesuit

Ready to Respond Forming a New Jesuit Province By Thomas Rochford SJ

issouri Province boundaries have changed over time. Louisiana was included in 1837, but transferred to another province by 1848. The province extended west to the Rocky Mountain Missions for awhile and east to Detroit. Denver did not even appear in a Missouri Province catalogue until 1919. History shows that Jesuit governance structures are flexible. Boundaries and names change. Schools open and close or move across town. We found parishes and turn them over to a diocese. And that is the way it should be; Jesuits aim to respond to the needs of the Church and the world, so we don't try to preserve our structures forever. On July 31, Jesuits from the Missouri and New Orleans provinces will gather at Jesuit High School in New Orleans for a Mass and celebration to mark the beginning of yet another governance structure, a new province with the long name, “Jesuits USA Central and Southern Province.” That sounds like a mouthful, but if you look at the map on the next page, you’ll see the length of the name is proportionate to the size of the new province, more than a million square 14 Jesuit

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miles, with many schools, parishes and retreat houses. We are flexible, but I am not sure whether a businessperson would call us “nimble.” Missouri and New Orleans will be the first provinces to come together in a national process of reorganization, but they have moved in a measured, deliberate way over the last five years. Young Jesuits wonder what the fuss is about. They have been in a common formation program, with Fr. John Armstrong caring for young Jesuits of both provinces. They think in terms of their future work together and have adapted readily to crossprovince assignments. Older Jesuits feel more challenged because they have deeper roots stretching back through decades of shared history. They know the same stories and can anticipate the punch lines for tales told over and over at Missouri or New Orleans province gatherings. Although a “province” can be thought of as just an internal aspect of how Jesuits work, it is also a very real and important network of relationships. When a Jesuit returns to his home province after serving some-

where else in the world, he finds old friends from the novitiate or companions that he taught with. A province is not a family, but it touches feelings of belonging. You can feel comfortable in your own province and enjoy a sense of being known. The friendships between Jesuits and parishioners, former students and retreatants form another part of the network. Friends turn to the Jesuit Bulletin to see what is happening with people and places they know well. They soon will see new names and faces in a new magazine. After 93 years, the Jesuit Bulletin will retire with this issue. A province is also a culture. The hard-working Belgian Jesuits who founded Missouri are famous for an early incident when the mission’s first novice master, Fr. Charles Felix Van Quickenborne, refused to accept the gift of a pie St. Philippine Rose Duchesne had baked for the novices; he did not think they needed it. It is hard to imagine a Jesuit who grew up in New Orleans making a similar move if someone showed up with a plate of fresh beignets. The culture of New Orleans will shine this summer when the jubilar-

ian celebrations of the new Central and Southern Province are held in that city famous for good food and festive spirit. No more stale cookies and diced cheese for a big celebration. I think of Fr. Frank Coco, a New Orleans Jesuit renowned as a jazz clarinetist, who was welcomed to play with top bands in the city during the years he did pastoral work. Missouri Province had Fr. Felix Ziccardi, a grade school bandleader in Trinidad, Colo., during the 1920s, but we never had a musician of Coco’s stature. Of course, the high schools of both provinces work on much the same basis, each one known for academic excellence and sports success. That formula doesn’t seem to change much. I don’t think a Jesuit who has taught in Kansas City will find it difficult to teach in Houston. Jesuit High in Tampa is as renowned for its success in baseball as Rockhurst High is known for football. Both St. Louis U. High and Jesuit High New Orleans have a wealth of National Merit Semifinalists to brag about. One of the main things that will make the new province distinctive is the strong presence of Hispanics. The Missouri Province has focused on the center of the country, but now Jesuits who know every mile of Interstate 70 across the high plains will have to grow accustomed to a province that shares a border with Mexico. The tower of Sacred Heart Parish in El Paso, Texas, is one of the first things visible to those stepping foot on the U.S. side of the border. We always

joked that getting warm-water beaches was one of Missouri’s priorities in the reorganization process. Now we have them, but we’ll need to care for the workers who clean the hotels and educate their children. Spanish is becoming more and more important as the population balance shifts. The Missouri Province has looked south for a long time with its presence in Belize and a special relationship with the Central America Jesuits, so the expansion marks more of a new emphasis than a real change of direction.

Jesuits aim to respond to the needs of the Church and the world. The growing Hispanic population in the new province will challenge us to respond to needs that are not fundamentally different than those of the German and Italian immigrants we served in the 19th century. We are going to have to get better at Spanish and become more knowledgeable about immigration issues. Both New Orleans and Missouri provinces have Cristo Reytype high schools that serve a strongly Hispanic immigrant population, so that is a good start. We will have experts like Fr. Eduardo Fernández, a New Orleans

Province pastoral theologian at the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University, who is in demand across the country for lectures and workshops on Hispanic ministry. A native of El Paso, Fernández represents an enrichment of our pastoral ability to serve a changing Church. New Orleans also has a strong social apostolate tradition. Today, Fr. Fred Kammer heads the Jesuit Social Research Institute at Loyola University New Orleans, which publishes a journal called “Just South” that analyzes social issues including immigration. While many Americans want to close down the borders, the JSRI is trying to enlighten Catholics about the importance of treating immigrants with fairness and justice. Some things don’t change. We established St. Elizabeth parish in St. Louis to serve the African-American community back in 1873 and continue that tradition at St. Matthew the Apostle Parish in north St. Louis. The most important things don’t change at all: the rich experience during two years of novitiate, the long process of learning Ignatian spirituality, the readiness to go wherever needed, the willingness to share what we have and make sacrifices. Jesuit life is consistent all over the world, similar in Tampa and Denver. One is humid, the other dry, but the relationships based on education and prayer form the basis for moving forward, once again.

Spring-Summer 2014

Jesuit

Jesuits USA Central an

Arrupe Jesuit High School Denver

Rockhurst High School

Regis Jesuit High School

Kansas City

Denver

St. Francis Xavier Parish

St. Ignatius Loyola Parish

Kansas City

Denver

Regis University Denver

Immaculate Conception Parish Albuquerque

Sacred Heart Jesuit Retreat House

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Denver

Oklahoma New Mexico St. Martin de Porres Parish Belize City

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St. Peter Claver Parish Punta Gorda

Montserrat Retreat House Lake Dallas

Jesuit College Prep Dallas

Sacred Heart Parish El Paso

Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish San Antonio

Strake Jesuit College Prep Houston

St. Matthew Parish

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St. Louis

De Smet Jesuit High School St. Louis

White House Retreat St. Louis

Ignatian Spirituality Center Kansas City

Saint Louis University

St. Louis

St. Francis Xavier (College) Church

Rockhurst University

St. Louis

Kansas City

Loyola Academy St. Louis

St. Louis University High School

Manresa House of Retreats

St. Louis

Convent

Missouri

Spring Hill College Mobile

Tennessee Arkansas

Alabama Mississippi Immaculate Conception Parish

Louisiana

Baton Rouge

Jesuit High School Tampa

Florida

Immaculate Conception Parish New Orleans

Cristo Rey Jesuit College Prep Houston

Jesuit Spirituality Center St. Charles College Grand Coteau

Jesuit Social Research Institute New Orleans

Jesuit High School

New Orleans

Holy Name of Jesus Parish

New Orleans

Our Lady of the Oaks Retreat

Loyola University

Grand Coteau

St. Charles Borromeo Parish Grand Coteau

Christ the King Mission Church

Grand Coteau

New Orleans

Good Shepherd Nativity School

New Orleans

provincial profile

‘A Real Jesuit’ for a New, Large and Diverse Province By Cheryl Wittenauer

s Ron Mercier talks about his life, a pattern emerges. The 60-year-old Jesuit, a product of working-class Holyoke, Mass., keeps getting asked to do things, and he always says yes, even when he’d rather say no, not now. He agreed, as a young Jesuit graduate student of Russian history at Harvard University, to help out at a Ukrainian Catholic church in Boston. Years later, he said yes to similar requests from churches of the same Byzantine Rite in Toronto and St. Louis. Nearly a decade ago, he accepted an invitation to be the first executive director of the Jesuit Collaborative, 18 Jesuit

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a three-province network linking ministries in Ignatian spirituality from North Carolina to Maine. And when Missouri Provincial Doug Marcouiller asked him four years ago to run a house of formation in St. Louis – where he had just accepted a teaching job at Saint Louis University – he responded with the same spirit of obedience and availability that’s in the Jesuit DNA. A little over a year ago, Marcouiller asked the tall, lanky Mercier to facilitate a meeting of Jesuit superiors at Lake Dallas, Texas. They gathered in March 2013 to discuss, reflect and pray about the necessary qualities of the man who would lead one of the nation’s largest Jesuit provinces, more than 1 million square miles, when the Missouri and New Orleans provinces combine their men, ministries, institutions, assets and cultures in late July. “He said, ‘you should know your name has been mentioned as a possible candidate,’” Mercier recalled Marcouiller saying. He laughed and didn’t think much about it. But his name kept coming up, and eventually, he was one of three men recommended for the post to the Society of Jesus’ leader in Rome, Father General Adolfo Nicolás. “I kept hoping it would pass, but it didn’t,” Mercier later recalled. One day, as he was driving between home and Saint Louis University where he taught ethics, his cell phone rang. He pulled over, picked up the call from Marcouiller and heard the words that he’d been chosen to lead the Jesuits of the new U.S. Central and Southern Province, starting on July 31, the Feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus. “My first reaction was simply shock,” he said. “‘Oh, dear God, with everything that that entails,’” he remembers thinking. “That lasted a little while.” But over time, he’s made peace with it, trusting in the grace that he’ll be provided companions to help him. “It is daunting in a very real way,” he said. “There is a lot to do. At the same time, I really do get a sense that I have extraordinarily good support. … I’m hearing that echoed throughout the province. Daunting as it might be, it certainly is going to be a burden shared with others.” Not least among his challenges is the sheer vastness of the new province, which stretches eastward from Colorado and New Mexico to Florida, and south from Kansas and Missouri to the Mexican border and Gulf

Coast, and along the Mississippi River from St. Louis to New Orleans and beyond, to Belize, in Central America, each place with its own distinctive culture, dialect, tradition and natural resistance to let go of the past to make way for the new. “It’s a killing job and takes a real skill,” said Clare Walsh, a Catholic sister of the Mission Helpers of the Sacred Heart, a friend and colleague from his Jesuit Collaborative days. “… But he’s a Jesuit, a real Jesuit, and he will embrace it. He would not have looked for this. Jesuits don’t aspire to this, but I think he will embrace it.” Walsh noted that the new provincial for the consolidating New York and New England provinces is from neither. “It does in some ways help when merging to have an outsider,” she said. “In Ron’s favor, he has crossed many borders. He speaks numerous languages, lived in the United States and Canada. He’s from Roman and Ukrainian traditions, been in academia and pastoral work. Crossing boundaries is something he does with fluidity. That might be one of the reasons he was chosen as provincial.” Mercier grew up in a place with lots of borders. The Holyoke he knew in the 1950s and ‘60s was an old industrial city made up of ethnic enclaves of Irish, Italians, Poles and French Canadians drawn to work in its paper mills. Everyone knew each other in his small section of the city, where English and French were spoken

at his Catholic grade school, and where sisters from French-speaking Quebec taught. As working-class families aspired to middle-class life in the suburbs, their ethnic identities were diluted and lost. The immigration issues of today are in many ways, his family’s history, he said. “All four of my grandparents (and mother) were from Quebec and had to migrate to the U.S. for economic reasons,” he said. French was the only language spoken in the Mercier home for a time. His parents placed a high value on education for its own sake and as the ticket out of Holyoke, and he and his two siblings made it their life’s work. Young Ron, a stellar student, attended Yale University, where he briefly pursued pre-med until a roommate suggested offhand that he study Russian to meet an elective requirement, which surprisingly lit a love of the Russian language, history, and culture and led to a degree in Russian and East European studies. Mercier assumed he would teach Russian history and language or work in diplomacy or international law during what was then the height of the Cold War and detente, but a chance meeting and friendship with Jesuit doctoral students at Yale provided an alluring image of priesthood that he had not experienced before. “I was used to a traditional type of Catholicism,” he said. “This was a very different way of being a priest, in my way of thinking.” Further exposure to Jesuits during graduate studies in East European history at Columbia University led him

Fr. Mercier leads the Bellarmine House community in prayer. Spring-Summer 2014

Jesuit

to enter the New England he was dean and professor Province at age 22, and he of ethics at Regis College, served as its delegate to a the Jesuit theology school 2008 Jesuit world assembly in of the University of Rome that selected Nicolás as Toronto, where he earned superior general. A relative a doctorate in theology. newcomer to the Midwest, At SLU, he taught ethMercier officially has transics, healthcare ethics, and a ferred to the Missouri course in public health and Province and is on his way social justice. His area to seeing a whole lot more of of expertise was access and the country. justice in health care as Mercier’s father, who was well as informed consent, a truck driver, hated to drive, especially at the end of life. Fr. Wayne Hellmann, O.F.M. Conv. greets Fr. Mercier but his son loves the open A Jesuit friend who as Fr. Pat Quinn looks on. road. “Growing up in a small worked with Mercier at area made me want to see the rest of the world,” he said. Regis College described him as insightful, discreet, His visits to Jesuit communities in the province prudent and kind with a dry sense of humor. will start right after the simple Mass on July 31 in New “He lives an authentic Jesuit life in tune with the Orleans marking the transition to a new provincial. First Spiritual Exercises and Constitutions and is well aware stop: a drive to St. Charles College in Grand Coteau, La. of the complexities of the contemporary world,” said Mercier has a better sense of the Missouri Province Fr. Geoffrey “Monty” Williams. from having lived and worked in St. Louis, visited He added: “I trust his judgment.” Rockhurst University in Kansas City, Mo., and served on Mercier knows his new job will leave little time for the board of Regis University in Denver. “But,” he said, “I retreat work, spiritual direction and parish sacramental have a lot to learn.” ministry, which he loves. Still, he said, “the work of a His top priority is meeting the province’s men and provincial is very much pastoral.” visiting its institutions, and to “listen and give people a But it also requires strong administrative skills, and sense of being cared for,” he said. He also wants to learn Mercier is gifted both pastorally and administratively, how Jesuits might respond to the changing dynamics of Walsh said. the church within the province. So far, he’s been struck “He has an uncanny ability to see the big picture by the number of men who are willing to cross old provand attend to detail,” she said. “He’s a good listener. … ince lines and take on new challenges. He’s very, very prayerful, approachable and humble. His outsider status is not a question of neutrality, he “You are very blessed to have him as the next said, but of being committed to the new province. provincial. He has a strong sense of mission.” Mercier will miss the formation house, the classroom and an academic career in ethics. For 15 years,

What type of music might he play on long road trips across the new province? Mercier enjoys jazz, classical, world music and rock and roll. “I came of age listening to the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.” How does he relax? He loves film, especially movies portraying human struggle. His integration of film in homilies earned him a reputation as “the movie priest.” He also loves long drives. “Driving allows me to listen to good music or a book on tape. It’s like a mini-retreat. I turn the cell phone off.” How has he prepared for his new role? In April, he did a pilgrimage to places that are at the heart of Ignatius’ journey: Loyola, site of his conversion; Montserrat, where he gave up his sword; and Manresa, where he had mystical experiences.

20 Jesuit

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advancement

New Advancement Team at Work By Cheryl Wittenauer

new team of advancement professionals is at work raising resources for Jesuit works of the Central and Southern Province that starts July 31. John Fitzpatrick, tapped last fall as provincial assistant for advancement, reconfigured staff in St. Louis and New Orleans to maximize their talents. New Orleans Province staff members Amy Levidis, Katy Quigley and Brooke Iglesias will collaborate on writing and supporting grant applications. Each will work from home offices in New Orleans. In St. Louis, office administrator Pat Rubenstein works closely with Ana Ramirez on data entry and donor communications. Vincent Orlando, who moved from New Orleans to St. Louis, manages the database. Associate Director Fr. Robert Weiss signs thank you letters to donors. A major gifts officer likely will be added to the team this fall or winter to help Fitzpatrick cultivate and connect with prospective donors in the 14-state province that exceeds 1 million square miles. “It’s an awfully big province, but we have to make it warm and inviting for donors,” Fitzpatrick said. That means acknowledging donors’ gifts promptly, spelling their names correctly and honoring their gift designation. Many of the Jesuits’ most loyal, major donors are approaching the end of their philanthropic life. Social media could aid in reaching younger prospective donors. But unlike earlier generations of donors, fewer of today’s prospects have relationships with Jesuits. Another challenge is reconnecting with lapsed donors and reminding them why their support is so critical, Fitzpatrick said. In February, the Missouri-New Orleans team produced a fundraising mailing that raised more than $50,000 to support men in formation. For the first time, donors from both provinces were asked to send their gifts to the St. Louis office.

Fitzpatrick, who turns 57 this month, grew up in Massapequa, N.Y., and graduated in 1979 from St. John’s University in Queens, N.Y., with a degree in communication arts. His track coach steered him to the 72nd floor of the Empire State Building to talk to John Foerst, a St. John’s alum who headed one of the nation’s oldest fundraising firms, Community Counseling Service. “Thank God he didn’t ask me to spell ‘philanthropy,’ because I wouldn’t have been able to,” Fitzpatrick said. “I cut my teeth there, learned how to do consulting. They did mostly Catholic work. I was assigned the ‘second man,’ which meant I went for coffee and sat and watched.” Over the next 11 years, he conducted capital campaigns for the Catholic dioceses of New York and El Paso, Texas; the Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin, Ireland; Rotary International in Evanston, Ill., and other clients. In 1985-86, while working on a national account with Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod in St. Louis, Fitzpatrick met his future wife, Melanie. In 1990, the couple settled in St. Louis where Fitzpatrick went to work for 11 years at St. John’s Mercy Hospital as its first development director. He did development work for a teen outreach program in Eureka, Mo., for the next five years, and later, private consulting until 2013. When Fitzpatrick learned of the advancement position, he jumped at the opportunity. “I said, ‘travel has been a theme for me. I have experience building relationships in other cities,’” he recalled. Fitzpatrick had come to know and appreciate Jesuits through his son Tim, a De Smet Jesuit High School graduate now attending Marquette University. “I knew of Jesuits, but I hadn’t worked with them,” he said. “I participated in the men’s club and got to know (De Smet president) Fr. Wally Sidney. “All through high school, Tim would come home and talk about his great teachers and the great Jesuits he encountered. I knew that if I ever had the opportunity to work for the Jesuits, I’d grab it.” Spring-Summer 2014

Jesuit

ignatian spirituality

A Special Place for the Poor By Pope Francis

od’s heart has a special place for the poor, so much so that he himself “became poor” (2 Cor 8:9). The entire history of our redemption is marked by the presence of the poor. Salvation came to us from the “yes” uttered by a lowly maiden from a small town on the fringes of a great empire. The Savior was born in a manger, in the midst of animals, like children of poor families; he was presented at the Temple along with two turtledoves, the offering made by those who could not afford a lamb (cf. Lk 2:24; Lev 5:7); he was raised in a home of ordinary workers and worked with his own hands to earn his bread. When he began to preach the Kingdom, crowds of the dispossessed followed him, illustrating his words: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor” (Lk 4:18). He assured those burdened by sorrow and crushed by poverty that God has a special place for them in his heart: “Blessed are you poor, yours is the kingdom of God” (Lk 6:20); he made himself one of them: “I was hungry and you gave me food to eat,” and he taught them that mercy toward all of these is the key to heaven (cf. Mt 25:5ff.). For the Church, the option for the poor is primarily a theological category rather than a cultural, sociological, political or philosophical one. God shows the poor “his first mercy.” This divine preference has consequences for the faith life of all Christians, since we are called to have “this mind … which was in Jesus Christ” (Phil 2:5). Inspired by this, the Church has made an option for the poor that is understood as a “special form of primacy in the exercise of Christian charity, to which the whole tradition of the Church bears witness. This option – as Benedict XVI has taught – “is implicit in our Christian faith in a God who became poor for us, so as to enrich us with his poverty.” This is why I want a Church which is poor and for the poor. They have much to teach us. Not only do they share in the sensus fidei, but in their difficulties they know the suffering Christ. 22 Jesuit

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We need to let ourselves be evangelized by the poor. The new evangelization is an invitation to acknowledge the saving power at work in their lives and to put them at the center of the Church’s pilgrim way. We are called to find Christ in them, to lend our voice to their causes, but also to be their friends, to listen to them, to speak for them and to embrace the mysterious wisdom which God wishes to share with us through them. Our commitment does not consist exclusively in activities or programs of promotion and assistance; what the Holy Spirit mobilizes is not an unruly activism, but above all an attentiveness which considers the other “in a certain sense as one with ourselves.” This loving attentiveness is the beginning of a true concern for their person which inspires me effectively to seek their good. This entails appreciating the poor in their goodness, in their experience of life, in their culture, and in their ways of living the faith. True love is always contemplative, and permits us to serve the other not out of necessity or vanity, but rather because he or she is beautiful above and beyond mere appearances: “The love by which we find the other pleasing leads us to offer him something freely.” The poor person, when loved, “is esteemed as of great value,” and this is what makes the authentic option for the poor differ from any other ideology, from any attempt to exploit the poor for one’s own personal or political interest. Only on the basis of this real and sincere closeness can we properly accompany the poor on their path of liberation. Only this will ensure that “in every Christian community the poor feel at home. Would not this approach be the greatest and most effective presentation of the good news of the kingdom?” Without the preferential option for the poor, “the proclamation of the Gospel, which is itself the prime form of charity, risks being misunderstood or submerged by the ocean of words which daily engulfs us in today’s society of mass communications.” From "Evangelii Gaudium," Pope Francis' first Apostolic Exhortation, Ch. 4

Photo: Thomas Rochford SJ

jubilarians 2014

50Years

in the Society

Michael French, 68, of the Maryland Province, worked at St. Joseph’s Prep in Philadelphia as a math teacher, vice superior, and disciplinarian. He was an assistant chaplain at St. Joseph’s University, also in Philadelphia, and taught at Loyola High and Loyola College in Baltimore. He has taught math and computer science at Saint Louis University since 2009.

Richard May, 70, a Jesuit brother, has been a painter, gardener, custodian and builder and performed other works throughout the province including maintenance and bookkeeping for Sacred Heart Jesuit Retreat House in Sedalia, Colo., where he’s been since 1991.

Thomas Rochford, 67, has taught in Belize and Denver, but primarily has worked in communications, as director of Missouri Province publications, as communication secretary for the Jesuit Conference in Washington, D.C. and the Society of Jesus in Rome, and since 2009, as assistant for communication for the Missouri Province. Stephen Yavorsky, 67, has taught, pastored a parish, and led retreats and directed novices in the U.S., and done pastoral and retreat work in Kigali, Rwanda. He has directed or helped direct Ignatian spirituality programs in Denver and Kansas City, Mo., since 2012.

Lawrence Moore, 67, has been a professor of law at Loyola UniversityNew Orleans since 1982 and was a visiting professor of law at Fordham University. He served as rector of the university community and has degrees in urban affairs, theology and law.

Hernando Ramírez, 70, has been a missionary and teacher in Honduras and has taught, and provided pastoral care and retreat work in the U.S. He has been a retreat and spiritual director at Jesuit Spirituality Center in Grand Coteau, La., since 2008. 24 Jesuit

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Thomas Kelly, 75, was director of pastoral care at Saint Louis University Hospital, and worked in human resources and enrollment management at Saint Louis University. He is currently a pastoral counselor at Jesuit Hall in St. Louis.

70 Years in the Society of Jesus John W. Padberg 60 Years in the Society of Jesus Michael A. Marchlewski Robert F. O’Toole William J. Snyders Robert L. Sullivan John J. Bergin Michael N. Smith John H. Zupez 25 Years in the Society of Jesus Tuan Q. Le

Eugene Grollmes, 82, taught history at Rockhurst High School, was dean of studies at Regis College, and held several positions with Saint Louis University including assistant dean of studies at the College of Arts and Sciences, director of the 1818 program, and assistant to vice president for emergency planning. Beginning in the 1990s, he was pastoral minister and chaplain for student athletes.

50Years

in the Priesthood

Donald Cunningham, 81, has had broad experience in Jesuit ministries including teaching, counseling, chaplaincy, pastoral and retreat work, and academic and administrative work at Loyola UniversityChicago, Saint Louis University and other higher-education institutions.

Denis Daly, 84, is the former long-time director of the Sacred Heart Radio Program and director of White House Retreat. He also has held several positions at Saint Louis University including in admissions, mission and ministry, and development, where he has been assistant vice president of development since 2001.

David Koesterer, 85, taught English, German and French at the two Jesuit high schools in St. Louis and studied music at Washington University and Ball State University. He worked in parishes in Oklahoma, Colorado and Missouri, and led retreats at White House Retreat center in St. Louis. He is a pastoral minister at Jesuit Hall.

60 Years in the Priesthood Robert R. DeRouen John J. Stochl James D. Wheeler 25 Years in the Priesthood Joseph Tuoc T. Nguyen Godehard Bruntrup (GER)

John Waters, 81, is a pastoral minister and hospital chaplain in Denver after having worked as a teacher, pastor and missionary in Belize and Honduras, secretary to the U.S. assistant in Rome and pastor and Hispanic minister in the U.S.

Louis Oldani, 81, is professor emeritus of English at Rockhurst University after a career of teaching at Rockhurst and the University of Kansas. The St. Louis native earned a doctorate in American literature from the University of Pennsylvania.

Spring-Summer 2014

Jesuit

200th anniversary

The Society Restored By Thomas Rochford SJ

n January, Pope Francis, the first Jesuit pontiff, celebrated Mass at the Church of the Gesù in Rome, beginning a yearlong commemoration of the 200th anniversary of Pope Pius VII’s restoration of the Society of Jesus on Aug. 7, 1814. The story of the Society’s suppression and restoration is not well known as Jesuits were reluctant to revive this painful memory. Father General Adolfo Nicolás, however, has encouraged the Society to learn from its history. “I pray that our grateful commemoration of this 200th anniversary of the Society’s reestablishment might be blessed with a deeper appropriation of our way of life and a more creative, generous and joyful commitment to give our lives in service for the greater glory of God,” he said in a letter to Jesuits. “We wish to understand and appreciate our past better so that we may go forward into the future with ‘renewed fervor and zeal’ for our life and mission today.” The Missouri Province has its roots in the restoration. The first group of novices arrived in Missouri in 1823, only nine years after Pius VII decreed that the Society could once again accept members and take on apostolic work. David Miros, director of the Midwest Jesuit Archives in St. Louis, has loaned artifacts from the archives and the Collection of the Western Jesuit Missions at Saint Louis University, to an exhibit accompanying the conference, “Crossings and Dwellings: Restored Jesuits, Women Religious and the American Experience,” that Loyola University Chicago is sponsoring Oct. 16-19. Multiple factors led up to the papal decree suppressing the Society. Some enemies of the Jesuits criticized them for being too lax in the confessional and too respectful of cultures in mission lands. Philosophers 26 Jesuit

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of the 18th-century French Enlightenment disdained Jesuits as defenders of a Catholic Church opposed to progress. Portuguese leaders resented the Jesuits for defending indigenous people in South America against their efforts to make them slaves. The government in Portugal struck first in 1758, deporting Jesuits from all Portuguese territory to the Papal States. In 1762, the parliament of Paris dissolved the Society. Five years later, more than 5,000 Jesuits were expelled from Spain and its possessions in Latin America. They were awakened in the middle of the night and forced to leave everything and walk to port cities to be shipped in exile to the Papal States. When Pope Clement XIII, a staunch defender of the Society, died in February 1769, the governments of Spain, France and Portugal mounted a steady campaign to force Clement to suppress the Jesuits. Finally the pope gave into the pressure. On the evening of Aug. 16, 1773, a papal representative accompanied by a small group of soldiers arrived at the Jesuit Curia in Rome, summoned Father General Lorenzo Ricci and his assistants and presented him with a document, “Dominus ac Redemptor” (“Our Lord and Redeemer”) that abolished the Society’s Constitutions and the authority of its superiors and closed all Jesuit schools, parishes and apostolic works. The devastation was immediate. More than 700 Jesuit schools were closed, their libraries seized and their churches surrendered. Overseas missions were ruined, and more than 22,000 Jesuits lost their identity and legal standing in the eyes of the Church. Those who survived being deported had to fend for themselves. Soldiers returned to Ricci’s residence a few days later and led him away to Castel Sant’Angelo, the

Fr. John Carroll

Fr. Lorenzo Ricci

Catherine the Great

Vatican fortress and prison, where he was placed in a dank cell, forbidden to celebrate Mass and subjected to harsh conditions that led to his death Nov. 24, 1775. The enemies of the Society of Jesus were not completely successful, however. For the suppression to take effect according to Church law, “Dominus ac Redemptor” had to be promulgated by the bishop of each diocese where Jesuits lived and worked. Catherine the Great of Russia valued the Jesuit schools in her lands and would not permit that to happen. The Jesuits in Russia were in a quandary because they thought they were bound to obey the pope, but Catherine insisted they obey the law that said, “No promulgation, no suppression.” From his headquarters at the college in Polotsk, Belarusia, the only surviving Jesuit superior, Fr. Stanislaus Czerniewicz, oversaw the ongoing life of a small band of Jesuits who survived the total destruction the Society’s enemies had planned. The Jesuits’ legal position was precarious, but the pope did not press compliance and pressure let up. In 1782, a general congregation met in Polotsk and elected Czerniewicz vicar-general. Over time, three more general congregations met there, and a novitiate was opened. Recruits from Western Europe made their way to Polotsk. Not long after he himself was freed in 1814 from a lengthy imprisonment by Napoleon, Pope Pius VII restored the Jesuits by issuing “Solicitudo Omnium Ecclesiarum,” a papal bull that formally reauthorized the Society of Jesus. Four decades after most of its enemies thought it dead and buried, the Society of Jesus rose again.

Fr. Stanislaus Czerniewicz

Pope Pius VII

By then, few “suppressed” Jesuits had survived. Some became diocesan priests while others formed new orders or pursued secular careers. In the U.S., former Jesuit John Carroll became the first American bishop and was heading the diocese of Baltimore in 1814. Before the suppression, most Jesuits were French, Spanish, Portuguese or German. After the restoration, Jesuits found a more tolerant welcome in the expanding British Empire and the growing United States than in many countries with a Catholic heritage. Slowly, the Society of Jesus grew in numbers as new provinces developed. Most of the property that was lost in Europe was never returned, but Jesuit schools and institutions in the United States flourished. The Missouri Mission became a province and gave birth to three other provinces. In a letter to the Society of Jesus announcing the 200th anniversary, Father General suggests “Faith in Providence” as one of the themes of this celebration. “As we look to this milestone in our history as a Society, let us humbly thank God that our least Society continues to exist today: that in the Society, we continue to find a path to God in the spirituality of St. Ignatius; that we continue to grow from the support and challenge of our brothers in community; that we still experience the privilege and joy of serving the Church and the world, especially those most in need, through our ministries.”

M O R E we b ON THE

Look for the story on the Society Restored at

jesuitsmissouri.org

Spring-Summer 2014

Jesuit

in memoriam

Fr. Richard F. Costigan

Fr. Ralph C. Renner

Ralph Renner died June 23, 2013, in St. Louis after nearly 57 years as a Jesuit. He was 74. The St. Louis native entered the Society in 1956 and was ordained in 1970. He had a great love for music, directing the jazz band at Regis Jesuit High School in Denver, and teaching music and directing the concert and jazz bands at St. Louis University High School. He also chaired the music department, and developed choral and instrumental music programs. He earned a master’s degree in music theory at Washington University and a master’s in counseling from Creighton University. He counseled international students at Saint Louis University from 1986 to 2001, while completing a doctorate in education focused on counseling. He also was an assistant editor at the Institute of Jesuit Sources in St. Louis from 2004 to 2013.

Richard F. Costigan died Aug. 29, 2013, in St. Louis after 62 years as a Jesuit. He was 82. The Ottawa, Kan., native entered the Society in 1951 and was ordained in 1964. He earned a master’s degree in political science from Yale University and a doctorate in theology from the University of Ottawa in Canada. He taught at Regis University in Denver in the early 1970s, then joined the theology faculty at Loyola University-Chicago, and stayed for 34 years. He studied and wrote extensively about the history of ecclesiology and served on the faculty of Loyola University’s John Felice Rome Center.

Fr. Francis J. Guentner

Francis Guentner died Sept. 20, 2013, in St. Louis after 79 years as a Jesuit. He was 96. The La Crosse, Wis., native entered the Society in 1934 and was ordained in 1947. A gifted musician, he directed novices and scholastics in choral and liturgical music at St. Stanislaus Seminary in Florissant. He taught music at Saint Louis University while completing a master’s degree in music at Washington University in St. Louis, then taught full time in the music department from 1967 to 1991, becoming its chair and directing the Saint Louis University Chorale. A scholarship fund for music majors was established in his honor. His choral compositions still are sung today.

Fr. Edward T. Oakes

Edward "Ed" Oakes died Dec. 6, 2013 in St. Louis after 47 years as a Jesuit. He was 65. The Kansas City, Mo., native entered the Society in 1966 and was ordained in 1979. In the mid-1970s, he taught English, theater and drama at St. Louis University High School. He also had been a scholar in residence at Cambridge University. In the late 1980s and early ‘90s, after earning a doctorate in systematic theology at Union Theological Seminary in New York, he taught theology and the history of Christianity at New York University. He later taught religious studies at Regis University in Denver and did his tertianship in Berlin. From 2002 until October 2013, he taught theology at University of Saint Mary of the Lake (Mundelein Seminary) in Mundelein, Ill. He loved studies and the intellectual life, and was a prolific writer.

Fr. Thomas Hogan

Thomas Hogan died Dec. 19, 2013 in St. Louis after 59 years as a Jesuit. He was 81. The St. Louis native entered the Society in August 1954 and was ordained 11 years later. He taught at St. Stephen’s Mission in Wyoming, and was a chaplain for hospitals in St. Louis, Denver and Kansas City, and for the Sisters of St. Francis of the Martyr St. George in Alton, Ill. He was an associate pastor in Trinidad, Colo., and campus minister at the University of Albuquerque and Rockhurst University in Kansas City, Mo. His simple and insightful homilies and welcoming presence prompted students and staff in Albuquerque to seek an extension of his contract.

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Fr. Charles Shelton

Charles Shelton died Jan. 20, 2014, in Denver after 41 years as a Jesuit. He was 63. The Berea, Ky., native entered the Society in 1972 in Kansas City, Mo., and was ordained 10 years later. He taught at Regis Jesuit High School in Denver, then, with a doctorate in psychology, taught at Regis University in Denver for 26 years. He maintained a private practice in clinical psychology from 1988 to 2005. He was an engaging and demanding teacher, a regular presider at student liturgies, a thoughtful homilist and chaplain to the Regis men’s soccer and baseball teams. He published several books and was a popular presenter on spirituality and adolescent psychology.

Fr. William Udick

William “Bill” Udick died Feb. 16, 2014 in St. Louis after 71 years as a Jesuit. He was 89. The Denver native entered the Society in 1943 and was ordained in 1955. He taught at Rockhurst High School in Kansas City, Mo., assisted the novice master at St. Stanislaus Seminary from 1957 to 1962, then returned to Rockhurst for eight years while earning a master’s degree in religious education from Fordham University in New York. He earned a doctorate in psychology in the 1970s from Boston College and joined the psychology faculty at Regis University where he taught for 18 years. He also had a clinical practice. After retirement from teaching, he worked in pastoral and sacramental ministry at parishes in the Denver area.

Fr. Francis Murphy

Francis “Frank” Murphy died March 21, 2014, in St. Louis after 67 years as a Jesuit. He was 93. The Kansas City, Mo., native graduated from Rockhurst University in 1942, then served in World War II as commander of landing craft infantry for the U.S. Navy. He entered the Society in August 1946 and was ordained 10 years later. With a master’s degree in industrial labor relations from Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., he taught in the Industrial Relations Department at Rockhurst University from 1960 to 1991. For years, he arbitrated labor disputes in the Kansas City area as a respected, knowledgeable and neutral third party.

Fr. David Wayne

David Wayne died May 8, 2014, in Parker, Colo., after 58 years as a Jesuit. He was 76. The Decatur, Ill., native entered the Society in 1955 and was ordained in 1968. He taught English at St. Louis University High School and at St. John’s College in Belize while completing a master’s degree in education and studying theology. He also taught religion at SLUH and was building superintendent both for the school and Jesuit Hall. He was assistant academic principal at Regis Jesuit High and director of a high school certificate program at St. John’s College in Belize. For 14 years, he was facilities manager of Regis Jesuit High School.

Fr. Walter G. Nesbit

Walter Nesbit died May 12, 2014 in St. Louis after nearly 68 years as a Jesuit. He was 85. The Belleville, Ill., native entered the Society in August 1946 and was ordained 13 years later. He earned degrees from Saint Louis University in Greek, philosophy, Latin and theology, and earned a doctorate in theology from Marquette University in 1968. He taught Latin at Rockhurst High School and theology at Rockhurst University in Kansas City, Mo. He was a writer in the 1960s for America Press in New York and at Jesuit Hall later in life. He was involved in priest renewal at SLU and was a hospital chaplain, pastoral minister and data manager for the province. More on the web at jesuitsmissouri.org\news

Spring-Summer 2014

Jesuit

Jesuit Association

The following people have been permanently enrolled in the Jesuit Association and are remembered in the prayers and works of the Jesuits of the Missouri Province. Richard A. Abel Verna S. Agnew Felicia B. Amantea Robert C. Anderson Family Anthony Aubuchon Maggie Backus Margaret Barmann August Bauer John Bauer William Corsa Beggs James E. Becker Doris Beckham Bernice Bialczak Paul Billings Brian Blaney Catherine Blattner Mary Ellen Blind George Blumster John Boice Zygmunt Bombalski George Bousselaire Mary “Cherokee” Boyer William E. Brandt Earl G. Burke, Sr. Hazel Burrichter Jerome Butler Kenneth E. Butler David Capo Michael Anthony Caronna Julian Carrico Michael Caruso Mary Casey Robert “Bob” Casey Antonio Ciccarelli Francesca Clark Joseph Conjerti Joseph Colant Vincent Colant Juliet Connole Duke Cook, his wife & family Silas Coonrod Mary Alice Corbett Richard Costigan, SJ William Coughlin George Craig Mike Craven

Dominic Cronin James Barrett Crowley Susan Cummings Mary Ann Daues Justin Frances Deedy Joyce De Jardin, SSND Anthony Delia, Jr. Philippe A. “Boomer” Denis Joseph Devereux, Jr. Neil J. Devine Al Dickhaus Stella Ann Diemke Alice Dolan Alex G. Dooley Flo Downey Forest J. Doyle Gus Drake Mary Kay Drees Rose Mary Dreyer Mary Kay Eifert Estelle Elliot Donald R. Embree Francis Estevez, SJ Billee Fasnacht Donald J. Feldmeier Clarence J. (Joe) Fetsch May Fitzsimmons Manuchehr Fotouhi John Flynn Nancy Fraioli Martha Frein Louis J. Fusz, Sr. Jack Galanis Bill Galey Michael Garavaglia Louis Garramone Kate Gartin Frank Gascich Connor Gawaluck Joni Gentry Robert John Gillotti Cora Gioglio Muriel Grace Glick John Christian Goeke, Sr. Nick Grbcich George Gregar

Bernard H. Griesedieck Mary Frances Patricia Ann Griesedieck Christopher J. Grimaud Francis J. Guentner, SJ George Gutenecht William John Hadel Blake Hanger Margaret Hannon Kevin Hart Caroline C. Hasser Maureen Hastings Diane Hecker Mary Jean Hemann Carol L. Hibbeler Loretta Hoernschemeyer Thomas J. Hogan, SJ Joan S. Hood Dolores Hope William Human Norma Jean Humprey Margaret Hunker Dolores Hurley Intentions of “Inmaculate Heart of Mary” Intentions of “the Sacred Heart of Jesus” Richard W. Irvine Thomas Jacobs Karen Jaggie Clara Jameson Frank & Elizabeth Jasen Butler Jones Viola May Jones Laina Johns Eileen Johnson Audrey Johnston Walter R. Jordan Ted Kapala Ruth Gratten Karl John Kavanaugh, SJ Margaret Kelly Betty Tiehen Keyes Jacqueline Kilfoyle James Kittleson Virginia Fox Kittleson Marianne Knaup Mary A. Koeger June Konrad Donnie Kraus Hattie Ora Krieger Allan R. Kroupa Cornelius T. Lane, Jr. Ruth Langman Larry E. LaPresta Harriet Larson John L. Laughlin Kim Lawyer Charles H. Lee Dorothy J. Long

Jesuit Bulletin XCIII • Number 1 • Spring-Summer 2014 The Jesuit Bulletin is published and distributed by the Jesuits of the Missouri Province. All communications about editorial matter should be addressed to the editor at: 4511 West Pine Boulevard, St. Louis, Missouri 63108-2191. All communications about change of address, memberships, burses, and requests should be addressed to John Fitzpatrick, Advancement Office of the Jesuits of the Missouri Province, 4511 West Pine Boulevard, St. Louis, Missouri 63108-2191. Email: moprov@jesuits-mis.org

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John Luckhaupt George MacDonald Keith Martin Jim Matarese Bill May Anna Mazzi Scott S. McCann Joseph McCluskey Juanita McGaldrick Larry McGinnis Margaret McLaughlin Richard Jay Mehan, Sr. Henry Mennen Robert C. Meyer John Michael Meyers Carl Migliazzo Kathleen F. Miller Jude Miller Mary A. Moha Kristen Ann Monger Mary Ann Morrissey Cindy Mudd David Mueller Robert Mueller Richard Mulligan Richard J. Mulligan, Sr. Francis J. Murphy, SJ John Murphy Louis E. Murphy Mary Sylvaine Natale Robert Nelson Richard Nixon Audrey Noennig Edward T. Oakes, SJ John O’Brien Pat Ohmer John Olson James E. O’Malley Christopher Paganini Eva Palmer Angelo J. Pariani James C. Parrott Ruth Peterman Ronald Nicholas Pflumm Timothy Robert Powers Mary Quealy Jeanette Quist Lawrence A. Raab Milo Radovich John A. Rafter, Sr. Tracy Rafter Jean Rankin Jean L. Rankin William Reardon Ralph C. Renner, SJ Andrew Ries Ester Ringenbach Jack Rionda James Rogan Alfred J. Roche

James Rosche Georgia Marie Talken Rudroff Rift Rournier, M.F.A. James Rygelski Percival Salanga Estella M. Sanchez Helen C Schasch Rick Schuler Robert C. Scott James Seitz Carlos Sequeira David Shailer Richard M. Sharp John F. Sheehan, SJ Marie Seiler Lisa Sevart William Sigman, SJ Camille Smetana Larry Smith Robby Smith Thomas Martin Smith Erna Sinovcic Gene E. Steinke Raymond Stroup Mabel Strub Barbara Ann Sudholt Marge Sullivan Michael (Mickey) Sullivan Trudeen Dempsey Swain James Sweeney Branca Taylor John Thompson Margaret Thurmer Joyce Tremblay Germaine Turner Joe VanDyke Florence Vierdag Various Individuals Florence Waier James Walls Ben A. Wano, Sr. Andrew J. Wappelhorst John A. Warmbold Lynn Watson Walter L. Watson, SJ Kelvin Wayne Frank A Weber Bernard Welsh Paul Welsh Joseph & Martha Whelan Michael Anthony White Colleen Williams Lula Wilson Marilyn Winterton Josept P. Wimsatt Laura K. Witte Richard Wooley Jacob Zeller Geraldine Zeikle Fred Ziska

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You can connect to the Jesuits every day. Visit www.jesuitsmissouri.org for news, profiles of your friends, media and back issues of the Jesuit Bulletin.

www.jesuitsmissouri.org • 1.800.325.9924

Our future depends on them

Their formation depends on you The Missouri Province developed in its early years because it was blessed with young men who wanted to share the mission of the Society of Jesus in a new frontier. We are still blessed with men eager to serve the Church as Jesuits of the new Southern and Central Province. They can devote years to studying at a deep level because of the generosity of friends like you. Their formation comes at a high cost that we cannot sustain without your help. Consider including the Jesuits in your estate plan through a charitable bequest. For more information, go to www.jesuitsmissouri.org/support

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