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March 03, 2006 |
The pope met February 17 with the staff of the Jesuit magazine La Civilta Cattolicà and said that the Catholic Church must participate in modern cultural debates, finding ways to present enduring truths in a serious, yet accessible way.
By writing about cultural, social, and political issues, the pope said, the magazine helps the Church in its dialogue with the modern world, identifying positive trends and offering the guidance of the Gospel.
Increasingly, modern culture is "closed to God and to his moral law, even if it is not always prejudicially adverse to Christianity," the pope said.
At the same time, he said, there are many signs of hope, including "the new sensitivity to religious values on the part of many men and women; renewed attention to sacred Scripture; respect for human rights to a greater degree than occurred even in the recent past; [and] the desire to dialogue with other religions."
The pope asked the magazine's staff to devote special energy to explaining and promoting the social teaching of the Catholic Church.
Father General Peter-Hans Kolvenbach told the pope that La Civilta Cattolicà wants its work to be marked by fidelity to the Holy See as well as love for the Church. [Source: CNS. Do not repost electronically]
On February 22, Pope Benedict XVI announced the names of 15 prelates who will be made cardinals on March 24, including French Jesuit Albert Vanhoye, 82, former rector of the Pontifical Biblical Institute and secretary of the Pontifical Biblical Commission. Along with Fr Vanhoye, two others are also over 80 years old and will not participate in an eventual conclave.
The pope said he decided to elevate "three prelates over the age of 80 in consideration of the service they have rendered to the Church with exemplary faithfulness and admirable dedication." [Source: Jesuits in Europe]
In the Jesuit community of Bruges, Belgium, an unknown painting by the Flemish artist Cornelis Schut (1597-1655) has been discovered, showing "Francis Xavier baptizing the Indians."
The colorful oil painting on linen, measuring 104 x 82 cm, turns out to be the bozzetto, or preparatory study, of an altar piece from 1648 that Jesuits in Spain had ordered for their Francis Xavier Church in Madrid (now the cathedral of San Isidro), to be opened in 1651.
The famous flower painter Br Daniel Seghers SJ (1590-1661), with whom Schut had collaborated on many paintings, acted as intermediary for the payment and transport. The painting was later moved to the stairwell of the Colegio Imperial next to the church. After the suppression of the Society the painting ended up in the Church of Santa Cruz del Retamar, a village on the outskirts of Madrid; there the painting was destroyed during the Spanish civil war.
Schut, possibly a disciple of Peter Paul Rubens, was much favored by the Jesuits as a painter. His work was in Jesuit churches in Antwerp, Ghent, Ieper, Lier, and Cologne. Schut admired the Jesuits and had his third son baptized Ignatius. How the bozzetto ended up in Bruges is not known. [Source: SJ Europe News]
The ninth Ignatian Spirituality Institute, sponsored by the Oregon Province, will be held at Seattle University July 16-19, 2006, and will celebrate the worldwide Jubilee year by focusing the keynote talks on Ignatius, Francis Xavier, and Peter Faber. Workshop speakers will present a variety of subjects pertinent to the ministry of the Spiritual Exercises.
Spiritual directors, theology teachers in universities and high schools, campus ministers, parish ministers, students, and those wanting to deepen their knowledge and experience of Ignatian spirituality are encouraged to attend.
For a list of workshops and speakers, a schedule, and registration information, go to www.nwjesuits.org/JesuitSpirituality/IgnatianInstitute/IgnatianInstitute2006.html [Source: Oregon Province]
Sponsored by the Maryland Province Jesuits, a new Cristo Rey Catholic high school, which incorporates college prep academics with a corporate work-study program, is set to open in 2007 in the Archdiocese of Baltimore.
The coeducational school will focus on the needs of teens from low-income, Baltimore families. It will partner with corporations and local businesses to allow students to work at least one day a week, where they will earn more than 70 percent of their tuition.
The first new high school to open in the archdiocese in 40 years, it will have a freshman class of 100, adding one class a year and reaching a maximum enrollment of 500 by 2012, according to Fr William Watters SJ, board chair for the project.
"The Jesuits are 100 percent committed to supporting this project," said Fr Watters, noting that a Jesuit priest will be president of the school and that the religious order will make a "significant" financial contribution.
Admission will be based on financial need and a desire to learn, with the families' share of tuition expected to be set at about $2,000. [Source: CNS. Do not repost electronically]
The new House majority leader, Rep John Boehner, R-Ohio, is a 1977 graduate of Xavier University. Replacing indicted Rep Tom DeLay of Texas, it makes Boehner the number two man in the House, second only to Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill. Boehner will oversee every piece of legislation that comes before the House.
Boehner was featured in the Winter 2003 edition of Xavier Magazine: magazine.xu.edu/archives/read_article.cfm?art_id=450&CFID=6192320&CFTOKEN=58366400. [Source: Xavier University]
A new Jesuit ministry focused on bringing Ignatian spirituality to lay leaders has been established in Pittsburgh. Maryland Province Provincial Timothy Brown SJ submitted a proposal to Bishop Donald Wuerl of the Diocese of Pittsburgh to start the Ignatian Spiritual Resource Ministry (ISRM). Bishop Wuerl accepted the proposal, saying, "The efforts of the Ignatian Spiritual Resource Ministry to strengthen the role of the lay faithful in the work of the Church and to deepen their personal spiritual development are most welcome."
The new ministry, which will be led by Fr James Conroy SJ, will provide opportunities for lay men and women to experience Ignatian Spirituality so that their own leadership within the Church and community may be more effective. Special emphasis will be placed on supporting the efforts of lay men and women in issues of justice and poverty.
Currently, no Jesuit institution operates in Pittsburgh. Fr Conroy said the first steps include conducting a needs assessment and identifying networking opportunities.
"Our Ignatian charism could become the means by which lay leaders foster the continuation of the Catholic tradition as they more effectively grow into an enriched relationship with God," he said. [Source: Electronic Maryland Province News]
"Despite the pain, I also find powerful signs of hope and courage," says Fr George Williams SJ who founded Jesuit Prison Ministries (JPM) as a result of his prison chaplain work in Boston. Fr Williams says of his ministry, "As a prison chaplain I face directly the theological problems of human suffering with people whose lives are filled with extraordinary sadness and deprivation."
JPM accompanies inmates with religious programming, including the celebration of liturgies and the preparation for the receipt of sacraments.
JPM also recently launched a new program, Magis, with a plan to establish a Jesuit school within the Suffolk County Jail to provide basic educational services for the inmates, including adult basic education, English as a second language, life-skills training, and GED studies.
The program's idea is that ministry can't end when the inmate leaves the facility. To this end, there are plans to open a drop-in center or halfway house for inmates upon their release.
JPM also provides professional ministerial training for lay men and women seeking to be involved in prison ministry. [Source: Jesuit Prison Ministries]
Jesuit Prison Ministries can be found on the web at www.jpminc.org/index.html
Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragan recently visited the Jesuits' Sevenhill Winery in Clare Valley, Australia, to pay tribute to the work of winemaker Br John May SJ.
Cardinal Barragan presented Br May with a special Vatican medal blessed by the pope in recognition of his work for the Church.
The medal, number 432 of only 6000 minted for presentation throughout the world, was issued by the Vatican City Secretariat of State to commemorate the first year of the pontificate of Pope Benedict XVI.
Sevenhill has produced sacramental wine since 1848, and it also produces an award-winning range of whites, reds, and fortified wines. [Source: www.cathnews.com]
Sevenhill Winery is on the web at: www.sevenhillcellars.com.au/
A discovery by Canisius College professor of animal behavior Michael Noonan has found killer whales to be among those animal species that demonstrate "cultural learning," a phenomenon in which animals of the same species learn from other members of their group.
Noonan's study began five years ago at Marineland in Ontario, Canada, when he observed an orca luring gulls into his tank by spitting fish onto the water's surface. The mammal then sank below the water and waited for a gull to come down for the bait. When it did, the orca lunged at the gull with open jaws. 'his tank by spitting fish onto the water's surface. The mammal then sank below the water and waited for a gull to come down for the bait. When it did, the orca lunged at the gull with open jaws.
Within a couple months, Noonan observed the whale's younger brother adopt the gull-catching trick. "It looked like one was watching while the other tried," Noonan said. Eventually the behavior spread through the killer whale population.
"It was once believed that most animal behavior, from the food they ate to the places they slept, was based on instinct," says Noonan, who has spent the past eight years investigating marine mammal behavior at Marineland. "This new discovery supports the growing view that animals like killer whales are very prone to learning by imitation, and that they are 'cultural' by nature."
Noonan has presented his findings at the Animal Behavior Society conference in Snowbird, Utah, and his research has been reported in the New Scientist magazine (London) and Science News (Washington, DC). [Source: Canisius College]
A Wheeling Jesuit University (WJU) study found that sports and fighting video games produce a dramatic level of pain distraction.
"These gaming distractions may be most helpful in children and young adults undergoing painful procedures or suffering from chronic pain, as these individuals comprise the largest gamer demographics," says Dr Bryan Raudenbush, director of undergraduate research and associate professor of psychology at WJU.
In the study, Dr Raudenbush and a group of undergrads assessed whether certain genres of video games will significantly distract participants from painful stimuli more than others.
In general, the researchers found that participants in the sports and fighting game conditions were able to tolerate pain for a longer period when compared to the other game types and the baseline control.
"There are implications here for children, adolescents, and young adults, all of whom are the primary users of such video games. Physicians could possibly implement this in their office to aid in distraction during a painful procedure such as injection or dental work," says Dr Raudenbush. "Video games could also be used in waiting rooms to distract patients from upcoming surgical procedures." [Source: Wheeling Jesuit University]
Over the past five years, 48 Saint Louis University students have experienced the reality of church ministry through the VOICES Project's congregational and liturgical internship program. Their work has spanned from teaching, program development, and youth ministry to liturgical planning and refugee outreach.
Evaluation of the program has shown that interns have unique experiences of community, spiritual growth, vocation and career exploration, and increased personal confidence and direction.
Some interns have taken the initiative to help their communities. While working with a parish in a refugee community, one intern spearheaded a Sewing Machine Project for Afghan women. She learned that sewing and socializing were old pastimes from Afghanistan that the women missed. The project helped reestablish an important tradition for refugees as they adjusted to life in the United States.
The VOICES Project at Saint Louis University creates programs that promote the exploration of vocation through a generous grant from the Lilly Endowment. All of its programs, and especially the internships, are designed to foster community and service. [Source: Saint Louis University]
Georgetown University, Boston College, and Marquette University were all in the top 25 medium-sized colleges and universities for the number of alumni volunteers each had in the Peace Corps in 2005. Gonzaga University was number 4 on the list for small colleges and universities. To view the "Top Producing Colleges and Universities" list, visit www.peacecorps.gov/news/resources/stats/pdf/schools2006.pdf
With public interest in forensic chemistry soaring -- a by-product of popular TV shows and news coverage of high-profile crimes -- the University of Scranton will offer a new major in forensic chemistry beginning in fall 2006.
The new major takes an interdisciplinary approach to the field with criminal justice course work supplementing primary courses in chemistry. Students will take courses in organic and inorganic chemistry, biochemistry, physics, biology, and instrumental analysis, as well as classes in criminal law, the investigative process, and principles of evidence.
Georgetown University will host the 2006 Prayer for Peace on April 26-27. The gathering marks the 20th anniversary of Pope John Paul II's historic interfaith gathering for peace in Assisi and is the first time the Community of Sant' Egidio, a movement of over 50,000 Catholic lay people throughout the world, will hold a major event in the United States.
The program will include 80-100 speakers and panelists representing all the major faiths and discussing issues ranging from "Religions and the Fight Against Global Poverty" to "Mass Media and the Portrayal of Religion as a Source of Conflict." [Sources: Peace Corps, University of Scranton, AJCU Connections]
Jesuit Fr Vincent Capuano's article "Bad Habits: Can we correct liturgical abuse in religious communities?" was published in the February 2006 issue of Adoremus Bulletin: Society for the Renewal of the Sacred Liturgy and is available online at www.adoremus.org/0206LiturgicalAbuse.html
Br Rick Curry SJ, founder of The National Theatre Workshop of the Handicapped, was featured in one of ABC World News Tonight's Person of the Week segments last year; the story and video are at www.abcnews.go.com/WNT/PersonOfWeek/story?id=1012860&page=1
A new web site, www.miradaglobal.com was created as the result of collaboration among several Jesuit reviews in different countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Chile, Mexico, Spain, and Venezuela. The site intends to foster discussion and reflection on the challenges of today's world.
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