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December 23, 2005 |
May your Christmas be blessed
With His Hope and His Peace.
May His Love go with you
Every day of the New Year.
The Staff of Company Magazine
Loyola Jesuit College Students Killed in Plane Crash in Nigeria
Sixty students from Loyola Jesuit College in Nigeria died in the December 10 plan crash in the country. Here are excerpts from a letter written by the school’s president, Fr Peter Schineller SJ, on December 15:
We have suffered an enormous tragedy, the death of 60 of our children in the plane crash on December 10, here in Port Harcourt. Many of the parents of our children, and their brothers and sisters were at the airport to welcome the children home for the Christmas holidays. Their pain must be doubled.
One of the few survivors is one of our students, and she is now in South Africa, receiving treatment for severe burns. The parents from Port Harcourt, those whose children were not directly involved, mobilized to assist those whose children died. A group of staff of LJC traveled on Monday from Abuja to assist. I was able to return from Ghana and arrive that day. Our provincial superior, Fr George Quickley, with Br OT Jonah arrived on Monday.
Since then we have been doing our best to be with the families who have suffered the loss of their children.
Today is Thursday [December 15], and we spent hours at the mortuary and with the Minister of Health, trying to finally bring closure to the situation of the six families who have not recovered the bodies of their dear children. We are planning a common burial on Friday and praying that the government assists and helps us in bringing this part of the tragedy to a conclusion.
Our hope is that these children would be the future leaders of Nigeria. Now 60 of them, innocent, wonderful children are gone. Our hope is that their death will awaken the leaders and people of Nigeria to the failures and weaknesses of so many systems and aspects of life in Nigeria. The educational system, the air transport system, safety on roads and in the air, health care systems, emergency response systems. Something must be done, NOW, and so many of the parents and friends and staff of LJC see this as a critical moment for Nigeria. We cannot let things go on—business as usual. We are pledging to do our best—with the help of our parents, with leaders who share our vision to assure that these children do not die in vain.
We have a difficult road ahead, but we journey together and with the help of the Spirit. Thank you for your prayers and support, and keep them coming
Fr James Stormes SJ, secretary for social and international ministries at the Jesuit Conference in Washington, DC, made the following remarks during a PICO Network Press Conference on December 15, 2005:
As we stand here today, thousands of families remain without a permanent home in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. No doubt the solutions are complicated, but make no mistake, extending the debate only extends the suffering and uncertainty of our fellow citizens along the Gulf coast. The message that I bring in the name of the Jesuit Conference and those who share our ministry is simple—Congress must act now and in solidarity with the poorest, most vulnerable of Katrina’s survivors.
Fr Fred Kammer, provincial of the New Orleans Jesuits, along with those who share in his ministry have accompanied the people of the region on their trying journey. I share with you his message to me yesterday:
"For years, political leaders and pundits have talked about what would happen when the big one hit, especially in a city with so much poverty and substandard housing. Yet, little was done by any of us to change what inevitably happened. Instead, our nation has engaged in years of spending priorities that have ignored the state of our infrastructure. The images of those left behind by Hurricane Katrina and those who are now being left behind by our government cannot be ignored."
We are here to say to everyone caught in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, we will not allow your plight to be forgotten. The work of PICO and the leadership of Senator Mary Landrieu must be multiplied by people of goodwill across the country. Congress has not done enough to address the true needs of the Gulf coast. The time for meaningful action and real results is long overdue. We ask Congress to assume its rightful responsibility to help the people it represents build a permanent home and a foundation for the future.
In this Christmas season—-a time to celebrate a new birth of hope-—we hear, even more poignantly, the call of Christ to love and serve the most vulnerable among us. Let us and you who we elect to represent our values choose to stand with New Orleans. [Source: www.jesuit.org]
Loyola University New Orleans announced that it planned to lay off 28 staff employees December 31; the number represents 5 percent of its total staff. In addition to these cuts, 27 staff positions currently vacant have been eliminated.
It was also recently announced that the university will receive a $430,000 grant from a national Katrina relief fund headed by former Presidents George HW Bush and Bill Clinton.
The spring semester at Loyola will begin January 9. The campus experienced only minor damage from the hurricane, and about 73 percent of Loyola's students have pre-registered for the spring semester.
Athletics will also resume at the school. Loyola plans to compete in men's and women's basketball and baseball this spring. [Source: CNS. Do not repost electronically]
The Cristo Rey Network has developed a strategic plan that calls for 12,000 students attending Cristo Rey schools by 2012. The plan identifies 47 cities with a metropolitan population greater than 750,000, significant poverty levels, and sufficient clerical jobs to support a Cristo Rey school, where students work one day a week, which helps pay for their tuition.
"We realize this is ambitious, but we have a unique educational model that can be successful in large US cities," explained Fr John Foley SJ, the network's president.
The network has plans to launch three new schools in 2006 and four in 2007, including a school in Baltimore sponsored by the Maryland Province Jesuits and one in Minneapolis sponsored by the Wisconsin Province Jesuits. [Source: Cristo Rey Network][Web version of this newsletter has an accompanying image.]
Cristo Rey Network web site:
www.cristoreynetwork.org/
Company magazine stories on Cristo Rey schools:
www.companymagazine.org/v203/phaseii.htm
www.companymagazine.org/v161/education.html
CBS News story on Cristo Rey Jesuit High in Chicago:
www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/10/27/60II/main651804.shtml?CMP=ILC-SearchStories
Marquette Signs Formal Collaboration Agreement with Leading Chinese University
Officials from the Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT) met with leaders at Marquette University on December 13 and signed a memorandum of understanding formalizing educational collaborations between the two universities.
The agreement declares that both universities agree to promote faculty exchanges, student exchanges, the sharing of information and academic resources that are of mutual interest, and activities such as collaborative research, joint symposia, and exchange lectures.
President of St Ignatius College Prep in San Francisco Announces Resignation
Fr Anthony Sauer SJ, who has led St Ignatius as president since 1979--nearly a sixth of the school’s 150-year history-—recently announced his retirement. In his announcement, Fr Sauer noted that "to be in the world, but not of it as Ignatius would say, a Jesuit must not stay too long in one place, lest it become too comfortable. For this Jesuit, a new horizon is overdue. After 27 years at the helm, it’s time for my journey to commence once again."
A search committee, with representatives from the faculty, regents, parent community, development office, and trustees, will start a search for his replacement and conclude their search by March. The new president will work with Fr Sauer to ensure a smooth transition and take over July 1, 2006.
Marquette High Announces New President
Marquette University High School has announced that Fr Warren Sazama SJ has been appointed president to replace interim president Fr Edward Mathie SJ. Fr Sazama will take office before the beginning of the 2006-2007 school year. Fr Sazama currently serves as the director of vocations for the Wisconsin Province Jesuits.
[Sources: Marquette University, St Ignatius College Prep, Marquette University High]
New Orleans Province Update on Katrina: www.norprov.org/news/katrinanewsletter.pdf
The New Orleans Province web site has posted details and photographs of the devastation from Hurricane Katrina and its impact on the city.
Jesuitica: www.jesuitica.be
This site is part of a project at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium to stimulate research into the spirituality and history of the Society of Jesus, on the basis of the existing collection of books. The site hopes to help scholars trace that very volume they've always had an eye on. Read more about the project at www.jesuits-europe.info/features/nf05/jesuitica-en.html
AMDG Newsletter: newsletter.jesuit.ie/
An electronic review of the Irish Province for Jesuits, their families, and friends.
Jesuit Jubilee 2006: www.jesuitjubilee.org
The Jesuit Jubilee Year, which marks the 450 anniversary of the death of Ignatius Loyola and the 500th anniversary of the births of rancis Xavier and Peter Faber, began on December 3. The site has a listing of various tours, conferences, books, exhibits, and events being planned for the year.
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