A P U B L I C AT I O N O F T H E M I D W E S T J E S U I T S
S P R I N G 2 01 4
Together We Carry On the Dream of St. Ignatius Dear Friends, Saint Ignatius Loyola and his friends who started the Society of Jesus had big dreams to preach the Gospel and “make disciples of all the nations” (Matthew 28:19). They wanted to “help souls” and placed themselves at the service of the Pope, who knew the most urgent needs in the world. Ignatius always emphasized availability for the Church’s universal mission. It is always eye-opening to visit Jesuit ministries around the world. In northeast India, for example, the Jesuits have established schools, parishes, and vocational training programs for the people—many of whom are Catholic—in the seven-state region that borders China, Tibet, and Myanmar in the foothills of the Himalayan Mountains. While the conditions are very basic—water is available, but electricity is sporadic—the schools are filled with children eager to learn and mature. Many of them aspire to be women and men for others as doctors, lawyers, teachers, and social workers. To assist these ministries, the Midwest Jesuits have been collaborating in special partnerships we call “twinning”—agreements to share resources and host Jesuits from each other’s regions for studies and assignments. In this issue of Partners, we invite you to learn more about our twinning relationships with the northeast area of India, as well as with the Eastern Africa and Peru Provinces. Chris Staab, a Midwest Jesuit who
Father Tom Lawler, SJ, provincial of the
was missioned to teach at one of the Fe y Alegria schools in Peru, offers valuable insight on his immersion in a new culture and its impact on his Jesuit formation. Michael Ochieng, a Jesuit from the Eastern Africa Province, shares his perspective of coming to the United States last year to shadow the Midwest Jesuit Advancement Offices in both Milwaukee and Chicago and returning home to continue to oversee the Eastern Africa Advancement office. These Jesuits have been deeply enriched by their international experiences. Thank you for your support of the Jesuits in our mission. Together, we carry on the dream of St. Ignatius to reach the ends of the earth.
Wisconsin Province, visits a parish school in the state of Arunachal Pradesh on the border of Tibet. Sister Caroline Angami encourages her students to follow their dreams.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Timothy P. Kesicki, SJ Provincial, Chicago-Detroit Province
Thomas A. Lawler, SJ Provincial, Wisconsin Province For more information about the Jesuits and Jesuit works, please visit our website at www.jesuitsmidwest.org.
Midwest Jesuits
NEWS
Loyola Press Publishes First Book by Pope Francis Pope Francis has captured the world’s attention with his seemingly counterintuitive approach to leadership. In The Church of Mercy, readers get a first-hand look at Pope Francis’s vision of the good news of Christian hope and mercy. Designed for a broad readership, The Church of Mercy collects for the first time the pope’s views on being a church that exists among and for the people, solidarity with the poor, and the need to demolish the idols of power and money. The book will be available in April 2014 at www.loyolapress.com. n
By the Numbers 48
refugees completed an innovative online education program offered by Jesuit Commons: Higher Education at the Margins (JCHEM) and Jesuit Refugee Services. Members of this first graduating class are inspiring other refugees to enroll.
2/3
Celebrating Anniversaries 95th–Jesuit Spiritual Center at Milford 105th–Loyola Academy 165th–Gesu Parish, Milwaukee 200th–Restoration of the Society of Jesus 225th–Georgetown University, oldest Jesuit school in the United States Jesuit John Carroll (1735–1815), the first bishop of Baltimore and founder of Georgetown University, was ordained in 1790 during the suppression of the Jesuits, but lived to see his beloved Society restored in 1814. Portraitist Gilbert Stuart painted this image of Bishop Carroll, which hangs in the president’s office at Georgetown University.
340th–Pere Jacques Marquette wintering at what is now the intersection of Damen Avenue and the South Branch of the Chicago River in present-day Chicago n
I N M E M O R I A M — I N T E R N AT I O N A L
of Jesuits in formation worldwide are from Africa and India.
466
years since the first Jesuits arrived in Peru (1548).
80,000
trees have been planted on the 98.5-acre campus of Ocer Campion Jesuit College in Gulu, Northern Uganda. The school runs an agricultural program to teach and feed students.
3
female AIDS orphans at St. Aloysius Gonzaga High School in Nairobi, Kenya, are enrolled this year thanks to a $3,600 gift from 17-year-old entrepreneur Mary Grace Henry and her “reversible” hair ribbon business, Reverse the Course. www.reversethecourse.org
2
July 30, 1934, to December 31, 2013
May 4, 1931, to February 20, 2014
August 15, 1931, to January 30, 2014
Fr. Martin P. Coyne, SJ, served as principal at both St. Xavier’s Godavari School and St. Xavier’s Jawalakhel in Nepal. He is remembered for his service to the poor, discipline, and compassion. He joined the Chicago Province Jesuits in 1953 and became an official member of the Nepal Province in 1961.
Fr. Gerald A. Drinane, SJ, was known for his gentle charm, teaching, and communications skills. He joined the Chicago Province Jesuits in 1949 and became a member of the Patna Province in 1966, where he served as a teacher and eventually as editor of the Patna Jesuit newsletter (1985–2013). He also compiled the book, We Band of Brothers: 41 Sketches of Patna Jesuits (Vol. 3, 2004).
Archbishop Benedict John Osta, SJ, the first archbishop of Patna, died on January 30, 2014. Archbishop Osta was Patna’s first native-born prelate and served the diocese of Patna for 27 years (19 years as bishop and 8 years as archbishop). He has ordained men of the former Chicago Province.
ASSIGNMENTS
Fr. Mark Carr, SJ, assistant principal for academics at Marquette University High School in Milwaukee, will become the socius of the Wisconsin Province on July 1, 2014. He replaces Fr. Patrick Burns, SJ, who will work in finance and advancement at Holy Rosary Mission/Red Cloud Indian School on the Pine Ridge Reservation, South Dakota. Fr. Fran Daly, SJ, will become executive director of the Manresa Jesuit Retreat House in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, starting summer 2014. He has served as rector and director of religious development at St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati and as director of the Chicago Province Tertianship Program. Fr. Albert DiUlio, SJ, has been appointed treasurer of the Chicago-Detroit and Wisconsin Provinces, beginning July 1, 2014. He is currently president and treasurer of the Vatican Observatory Foundation in Tucson, Arizona, and has served as president of Xavier University and Marquette University, as well as secretary for finance at the Jesuit Conference in Washington, DC. Fr. Greg Hyde, SJ, has been appointed superior of the Jesuit Novitiate of St. Alberto Hurtado in St. Paul, Minnesota. Currently he is superior of the Manresa Jesuit Retreat House in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Fr. Chris Manahan, SJ, superior at the Jesuit Novitiate of St. Alberto Hurtado in St. Paul, Minnesota, has been named director of the Jesuit Retreat House (JRH) in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. He joins the staff this fall and assumes leadership on January 1, 2015. Fr. John Schwantes, SJ, current director, will stay on to oversee fundraising efforts for JRH’s new building. Fr. Jim Prehn, SJ, will become rector of the Jesuit Community at Loyola University Chicago in June 2014. Until then he will continue as the vocations director of the ChicagoDetroit Province and superior of Canisius House in Evanston, Illinois.
Missioned to Serve at: Colombiere
IN MEMORIAM
We give thanks for the following Jesuits who have gone home to God. CDT=Chicago-Detroit Province, please visit www.jesuitsmidwest.org for more information. WIS=Wisconsin Province, please visit www.jesuitpartners.org/SJtribute for more information
Fr. William L. Mugan, SJ (WIS) January 28, 1923, to January 30, 2014
Fr. George B. Murray, SJ (CDT) April 17, 1931, to November 18, 2013
Fr. M. Delmar Skillingstad, SJ (WIS) October 11, 1926, to November 12, 2013
Fr. Robert C. Dressman, SJ (CDT) June 11, 1922, to October 22, 2013
Fr. Herbert J. Raterman, SJ (CDT) July 6, 1924, to October 9, 2013
Fr. Richard F. Sherburne, SJ (WIS) March 29, 1926, to September 28, 2013
Fr. John E. Naus, SJ (WIS) August 28, 1924, to September 22, 2013
Fr. Francis J. Guentner, SJ (WIS) March 10, 1917, to September 20, 2013
Fr. Carl A. Bonk, SJ Fr. Frederick J. Deters, SJ
St. Camillus
Fr. Louis E. Busemeyer, SJ Fr. James J. King, SJ Fr. Thomas S. McShane, SJ Fr. M. John Wymelenberg, SJ 3
I N T E R N AT I O N A L M I N I S T R I E S
Called to the Frontiers
By John Sealey
T
Wisconsin Province Jesuit Frs. Jim Strzok and Tony Wach celebrate Mass with high school students at Ocer Campion school in Gulu, Uganda.
Lessons from Peru T
he sun was high up in the sky and it was warm. Karen, Kelvin, Jhordy, Johanna, and I were returning from a small village on the outskirts of JaĂŠn, a small city in northern Peru. We were visiting a struggling classmate of theirs from Fe y Alegria 22, a school run by the Jesuits in Peru. As a Jesuit scholastic missioned to the school, I was accompanying them, intent on assist-
4
By Christopher Staab, SJ
ing the students discover ways to help a classmate in need. As I reflect on my year of regency in Peru, I remember this very simple scene of walking with these four students, returning to the city, listening to their very animated conversation about the difficult family situation they had just witnessed. They were full of questions: Why did their classmate evade them? What is he afraid of? How can we help the mother obtain a better paying job? It was heartening for me to see these young people confront such real, concrete, and difficult questions. Though they were frustrated with me for not having answers, I knew that our return to the city was opening up for them a kind of journey. I also was on a journey. My growing discovery of a Jesus who invites us to walk with him
Chris Staab, a Jesuit in formation, with students from Fe y Alegria 22 hiking back from helping a fellow student.
he Society’s commitment to international service is an enduring characteristic of its mission. The work of early Jesuits such as St. Francis Xavier (d. 1552) in India and Matteo Ricci (d. 1610) in China continues through the six Spanish Jesuits martyred for their work on behalf of the poor in El Salvador (1989) and exemplifies that Jesuits both then and
in his mission led me to express a desire to be formed in this international Society, specifically in Peru. My superiors confirmed this desire, and there I was, walking with a group of young people in their search for greater justice in their city. It is hard to put a value on what this experience serves for us, Jesuits in formation, to have an experience of the international Society. Certainly it was for me a rich experience to live with my peers and elderly Jesuits from Peru. We learn to listen to a new culture, speak its language, as well as to experience all of the disorientation that accompanies being in a new place. But it is a mission like all of our missions in the Society of Jesus, one where we are invited to walk deeply, humanly, and lovingly with the Lord and his people. n Christopher Staab, SJ, spent part of his regency in Peru. He is currently studying Theology in Brazil.
To learn more about the Peru Province, visit www.jesuitas.pe.
I N T E R N AT I O N A L M I N I S T R I E S
now respond to the universal call to serve and accompany those in need. One way that Midwest Jesuits and their colleagues pursue this global mission is through “twinning” partnerships with Jesuits in Eastern Africa, Northeast India, and Peru. Former Jesuit Superior General, Pedro Arrupe, encouraged the concept of
“twinning” between Jesuit provinces to foster relationships built on equality across international contexts. These sharing agreements, known as convenios, typically link a North American or European Jesuit province with a partner province from the global south. Today’s theology of mission moves beyond the export dynamic of the past to a relationship built on reciprocity and mutuality. Due to global economic disparities, such relationships do include some elements of financial sharing, but these agreements also enact other dimensions of giving and receiving when new apostolic opportunities are imagined. The US Jesuit provincials recently described these dynamic new contours of
Lessons from the United States I
felt God’s call from a very young age. We always prayed together in my family and the roots of my vocation are there. Today I am in the regency phase of Jesuit formation. Regency follows the novitiate
and philosophy studies, and involves working in a ministry. I work as the director of development for the Eastern Africa Province. Through our twinning arrangement with the Midwest Jesuits, I was able to come to the United States last year and learn about the American style of advancement. I observed how the offices of the Wisconsin and Chicago-Detroit Provinces are organized, how each position functions, and how events are organized. As I returned to Kenya with fresh
Michael Ochieng, SJ, visits with Justice Janine Geske at a Jesuit Nation event in Milwaukee in April 2013.
Jesuit international ministry and partnerships: ■■ From one-way giving to reciprocity ■■ From philanthropy to solidarity ■■ From Jesuit-only to partnering with others ■■ From “men and money” to sustainability ■■ From help to self-help Through such international contact, we are discovering how much our Midwest Jesuits and colleagues are inspired by the heroic work and witness of Jesuits and people of good will in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Reflecting on his international service, Michael Rossmann, a Midwest Jesuit in formation at Loyola High School in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, puts it this way: “I have found my vocation within my Jesuit vocation.” n John Sealey is the Provincial Assistant for Social and International Ministries for the Midwest Jesuits.
By Michael Ochieng, SJ
ideas, the Eastern Africa Province hosted a retreat to engage new partners last April. About 100 laypeople from various parishes in the Nairobi Archdiocese came together at the Mwangaza Spirituality Centre to learn about the ministries in the Province. Participants were impressed by the diversity of our apostolates. I was encouraged by the number of Catholics from different parishes who are interested in the spirituality and works of the Jesuits. A Province priority this year is to rebuild Loyola Secondary School in Wau, South Sudan. My time in the US continues to give me hope that we will be able to engage donors locally to help us with this ministry, and other works in our Province. n Michael Ochieng, SJ, is a Jesuit scholastic and serves as advancement director for the Eastern Africa Province.
To learn more about the Eastern Africa Province, visit www.easternafricajesuits.org.
5
I G N AT I A N S P I R I T U A L I T Y
God’s Chance to Speak I have a hard time with people who always knew what they wanted to do with their lives. Like Isaiah crowing how God made it clear to him what he was to do. Who hasn’t longed for that kind of clarity, prayed novenas, and put out angel alerts? But for most of us God is like the tour guide who enjoys keeping our itinerary a secret; or like the spiritual director I once had who listened to my struggles and responded (with relish), “Great stuff.” Yeah, buddy, thanks a lot. Many days we feel like we’re out here on our own, having missed the fine print: A Life of Faith may cause regular and considerable discomfort. Or as Isaiah puts it,
JesuitPrayer.org
By Fr. Jim McDermott, SJ
“I thought I had toiled in vain, for nothing and for naught spent my strength.” We can fight that discomfort all we want, try to figure things out or poke God into
Many days we feel like we’re out here on our own, having missed the fine print: A Life of Faith may cause regular and considerable discomfort.
our complaints, until we’re just standing there vulnerable and alone in the presence of God. That can be scary: I want you to see me, God, but don’t look too close! But with our eyes finally on God (rather than ourselves), and our voices finally stilled, maybe in that moment God finally gets a chance to speak. n Fr. Jim McDermott, SJ, a Wisconsin Province Jesuit, is a screenwriter living at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, CA.
action with our ranting; but in the end we usually have to surrender—surrender our plans, surrender our expectations, surrender
He also blogs about spirituality, liturgy and life at jimmcdermott.blogspot.com. This reflection was originally published on www.JesuitPrayer.org.
Jesuitprayer.org offers Ignatian Spirituality through daily scripture, reflection, and prayer. Visitors can submit a prayer, download Jesuit prayer cards, and access a variety of resources for Ignatian Spirituality. To read the prayer content on a mobile device, download the free App for Apple and Android devices.
Jesuit Alumni Network Expands to Detroit
T
he Jesuit Alumni and Friends of Detroit hosted their inaugural luncheon on February 11, 2014, at the Detroit Athletic Club with over 230 attendees. Father Mark Luedtke, SJ, president of Loyola High School in Detroit, spoke about the exciting potential for Jesuit-lay partnerships and how much students, including Loyola’s, benefit from the Cristo Rey model for secondary education. Father Gary Wright, SJ, Mary Gresens (Georgetown University alum), and Frank Brady, Jr. (John Carroll University alum) are founders of the group, which joins similar Jesuit Alumni groups in other cities including Cleveland, Chicago, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, and Washington, DC. Alums, and their friends, who attended any of the 28 Jesuit universities or 60 high schools enjoyed the opportunity to network and share stories of their Jesuit education. n 6
Speaker Fr. Mark Luedtke, SJ, (left) at the inaugural luncheon with Jesuit Alumni and Friends of Detroit founder, Fr. Gary Wright, SJ and Chris Kerr (Ignatian Solidarity Network).
To find a Jesuit Alumni Club near you, contact Ann Greene at agreene@jesuits.org or 773-975-6924. Chicago | Jesuit Alumni and Friends of Chicago Cleveland | The Loyola Club of Cleveland Detroit | Jesuit Alumni and Friends of Detroit Milwaukee | Jesuit Nation Pittsburgh | The Loyola Club of Pittsburgh Twin Cities | Jesuit Alumni and Friends of Minneapolis/St. Paul Washington, DC | Loyola Club of Washington, DC
I N PA R T N E R S H I P
A Family for Others
By Dr. John Dowdle, Jr., MD
T
he Jesuits have made a profound impact on our family for four generations and counting. Among the gifts of education and a deeper understanding of our faith, our family has been animated by the Jesuit ideals of character formation, commitment to community, and service. It all began with my paternal grandfather, Raymond, who so treasured his Jesuit education from Saint Ignatius College Prep in Chicago that he sent all four of his boys to Catholic high schools: My father, John, and two of his siblings, Ray and James, went to Loyola Academy, and their brother, Jerry, attended Mount Carmel. When my father first took the Elevated train from his home on the city’s South Side to the Academy, then located on the campus of Loyola University to the north, his world expanded. His training in academic excellence, the Catholic tradition, and proper social behavior began a long Jesuit connection for him and eventually his family. Following graduation in 1941, my father attended Loyola University for one year before the war disrupted his life plan. He spent the next three years stationed in Europe, where he learned much about life, death, and suffering. He arrived in Paris six days after liberation and spent the next three months serving Mass at the Madeleine Church in Paris before coming home to marry his sweetheart, Julia McGuire, and begin a family. John and Julie moved to Wilmette and raised 11 children—7 boys (all of whom graduated from Loyola Academy) and 4
John and Julia Dowdle
Eleven children of John and Julia Dowdle (pictured from left) are John, Julie Rogers, Stephen, Mary Levine, Julie Mahowald, Carey, Sheila Steger, Kevin, Rick, Denis, and Michael.
girls. While the Academy did not become coeducational until 1994, the Jesuit influence in our home and all of our lives was strong. At the request of Fr. John Reinke, SJ, my father helped form the Academy’s first lay board of trustees and was elected its first chairman. He later was honored to receive the Fr. Daniel A. Lord, SJ, Award for his service. In addition to their formal roles with the Academy, my parents often hosted Jesuit scholastics from the school, including Fr. James Arimond, SJ, who has remained a close friend and has celebrated family weddings and baptisms, and concelebrated my father’s funeral in 2004. Ours was a bustling home that revolved around church, school, sports, and conver-
sation. In my own experience, Jesuit training in high school and at Loyola Medical School taught me to go beyond the books and to care for others and the world. I have always tried to practice this with my patients and pass these ideals along to my medical students. The family devotion to the Church and the Jesuits has continued. My mother, Julie, continues her support of the Archdiocese of Chicago, Saints Faith Hope and Charity, Misericordia, and the Big Shoulders Fund to support Catholic schools in need. My Uncle James served on the board of trustees of Loyola University and its Stritch School of Medicine, and my brother Kevin is currently a member of the board of trustees at the Academy. Today John and Julie’s grandchildren, more than 20, have attended Loyola Academy. The Jesuits have instilled in four generations of our family the importance of being women and men for others. For us all Jesuit education has become a life-changing gift, and we are honored to support the Jesuits and do what we can to carry out their mission of making a positive difference in the world. n 7
SPRING 2 014
LO O K I N G A H E A D : M E E T T H E 2 01 4 O R D I N A N D S
Fr. Timothy P. Kesicki, SJ
PROVINCIAL, CHICAGO-DETROIT PROVINCE
Fr. Thomas A. Lawler, SJ PROVINCIAL, WISCONSIN PROVINCE
Jeremy Langford
DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS, CHICAGO-DETROIT PROVINCE
David K. McNulty
PROVINCIAL ASSISTANT FOR ADVANCEMENT, CHICAGO-DETROIT PROVINCE
Dan O’Brien
DIRECTOR OF ADVANCEMENT AND COMMUNICATIONS, WISCONSIN PROVINCE
Ann Greene, Nancy Kolar, and Quentin Maguire COMMUNICATIONS TEAM
Christopher P. Johnson, SJ
John F. Shea, SJ
Born: March 7, 1964 Parents: Fredric and Barbara (Moroni) Johnson Siblings: Benjamin Johnson
Born: October 13, 1974 Parents: Rita (Ricci) Shea and the late Francis Shea Siblings: Angela Shea, James Shea
Paul J. Shelton, SJ
Eric M. Sundrup, SJ
Born: March 19, 1981 Parents: Sandra (Frebault) Rains Siblings: Ronald Shelton, Jr.
Born: May 26, 1981 Parents: Mark and Diane (McHargue) Sundrup Siblings: Michael Sundrup, Timothy Sundrup
Stay Connected with the Jesuits Visit our website, www.jesuitsmidwest.org or find us on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube by searching “Midwest Jesuits” Join us on our new prayer site, www.JesuitPrayer.org, and get the App for your mobile device.
Chicago-Detroit Province 2050 N. Clark St. Chicago, IL 60614 (800) 922-5327 | (773) 975-6363 Regional Staff Bill Burke (Chicago/Cleveland) bburke@jesuits.org | (773) 975-6909 Jeff Smart (Chicago) jsmart@jesuits.org | (773) 975-6920 Mark Maxwell (Cincinnati/IN/KY) mmaxwell@jesuits.org | (513) 751-6688 607 Sycamore St. Cincinnati, OH 45202 Rachel Brennan (Detroit/Cleveland) rbrennan@jesuits.org | (248) 496-6129 Mail c/o Chicago Office Nora Dabrowski (Detroit) ndabrowski@jesuits.org | (773) 368-6399 Mail c/o Chicago Office Wisconsin Province 3400 W. Wisconsin Ave. Milwaukee, WI 53208 (800) 537-3736 | (414) 937-6955 Regional Staff Dan O’Brien (Milwaukee) dobrien@jesuits.org | (414) 727-1955 Al Bill (Minneapolis/St. Paul) abill@jesuits.org | (952) 715-0770
Nathan C. Wendt, SJ Born: October 17, 1978 Parents: Chuck and Andrea (Sikora) Wendt
Ordination will take place at 10 a.m. on Saturday, June 7, 2014, at Gesu Church in Milwaukee, Wisconsin