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January 11, 2006 |
An exhibition of camellias will open in Brno, Czech Republic, in March to mark the 300th anniversary of the death of George Joseph Kamel, a Brno-born Jesuit priest and nature explorer after whom Swedish botanist Carl Linne named the camellia flower. UNESCO has entered Kamel's anniversary among the world's important anniversaries in 2006.
Another exhibition will focus on the life of Kamel (1661- 1706), who as a missionary in the Philippines also devoted himself to exploring local nature and discovered a number of plants for Europe. He explored the local fauna and flora, kept observation results, and sent them to England, where his notes are still kept by the Royal Museum in London.
An international conference in Brno plans to discuss Kamel's achievements as a botanist, and Public Czech Television is shooting a documentary film about him. Some label Kamel the most significant pharmacist of the 17th century. [Source: www.praguemonitor.com]
For a week in December, a crew of ten from Regis University's physical plant department visited Gulfport, Mississippi, to do what they do for their everyday jobs -- fix, maintain, and repair. As a result of their trip, the group has formulated a model of instruction to inspire other university groups to do the same.
The group, headed by maintenance mechanic Paul Turco, decided to visit Gulfport because it was devastated by Katrina, but received less publicity than New Orleans.
Many victims in Gulfport have to reconstruct their homes with little or no money from insurance. The volunteers spent most of their time removing debris and damaged items from homes and stripping them down to the studs.
The group decided to take part in what started as a project for one of Turco's classes and developed into an instruction manual that will help others working in areas devastated by the hurricane.
"The manual will give a better understanding of what needs to happen to organize a trip similar to this one. It will include inoculations, tool lists, and other useful information . . . It also is a way to keep track of each trip and help improve missions in the future," said Turco, who recently completed the manual with input from other volunteers.
Groups are encouraged to utilize the expertise from the manual by contacting Paul Turco at Regis University at (303) 458-4944. [Source: Regis University]
The rehabilitation of Aceh, Indonesia, will be more effective if the survivors can become real participants, according to Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) Indonesia, which is active in Banda Aceh, Lamno, Lamsenia, West Aceh, Langsa, and South Aceh.
For instance, fishermen received material from JRS to build a house for boiling fish and boards for drying fish. Now they sell fish, and the sooner they sail, the sooner they will recover from the tsunami.
December 26 marked a year since the tragedy, which cost the lives of almost 240,000 people across Southeast Asia.
"Over the year JRS teams in the region have witnessed the many challenges faced by the tsunami-affected populations and are impressed by the achievements of the survivors. But so much more remains to be done, and there have been enormous challenges and inevitably some mistakes made," said Ms Els Coolen, advocacy manager of JRS Indonesia.
JRS has built 74 houses, with 53 more in progress, out of 545 planned. Material for 285 shelters was provided to allow people more comfortable housing while they wait for permanent houses.
"We hope that now that the reconstruction process is speeding up, we will be able to carry out our commitments in good time," said Coolen.
JRS also employed 179 assistant teachers, provided 427 students with scholarships, and delivered more than 16,000 school packages to schools. The JRS health team treated around 15,000 patients and provided material for 15 public health centers and a mobile clinic serving 23 villages. [Source: JRS]
The Vatican Congregation for Catholic Education's document published in November said that the Church "cannot admit to the seminary or to holy orders those who practice homosexuality, present deep-seated homosexual tendencies or support the so-called 'gay culture'"; Fr Gerard McGlone SJ, who has been doing psychological screening for seminaries for 15 years, said there is no standard profile for homosexuals or heterosexuals.
"What you are looking for is stability in the person," said Fr McGlone, assistant professor of clinical psychology at Saint Joseph's University.
"Do they have the ability to be open, trustworthy, and self-assured? Do they make the grade? We know what makes a successful priest," he said.
Another important question, said Fr McGlone, is how long has the candidate lived a celibate life before deciding to enter the seminary. "You don't decide you want to be a celibate overnight," he said.
The Vatican document said that a person who overcomes "transitory" tendencies could become a priest.
Fr McGlone said that he did not know what "deep-seated homosexual tendencies" meant.
"If a person cannot control his fantasies and attractions, then he is clearly unsuitable for the priesthood," he said. "But what happens if a person does not want to change his homosexual orientation but can control it," asked Fr McGlone. [Source: CNS. Do not repost electronically]
Bellarmine Prep San Jose Welcomes New President
Fr Paul Sheridan SJ has joined Bellarmine College Prep in San Jose as president, following nine years as president of St Louis University High School. Fr Sheridan succeeds Fr Gerald Wade SJ who was chancellor and interim president for the past 2 and ½ years.
More than a dozen Wheeling Jesuit University students and administrators spent the first week of January in New Orleans to help with Katrina recovery. Their goal was to help with the rebuilding efforts in the Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans. The volunteers kept a daily diary at www.wju.edu/about/adm_news_story.asp?iNewsID=1853&strBack=%2Fabout%2Fadm%5Fnews%2Easp.
Last month when Michael Wendt, an English teacher at Jesuit High in Portland, collapsed during class, Carrie Dunn, a junior who had completed CPR training to become a lifeguard, took the teacher's pulse and performed CPR.
Dunn's quick response, along with the help of others, saved Wendt's life, said Andy Van Pelt, Jesuit High's director of communications. "He essentially went into cardiac arrest," Van Pelt said, adding that the paramedics credited the people in the classroom for saving the teacher's life.
Board members Andrew Ferguson and Gregory Specht, who were observing the class, helped perform chest compressions and rescue breathing. Classmate Kohle Kreitzberg retrieved a defibrillator, which health teacher Tim Massey used on Wendt.
The school has had two defibrillators on campus since 2004.
[Sources: Bellarmine Prep, Wheeling Jesuit University, Jesuit High in Portland]
The Maryland Province has launched a new web page that offers users everything they ever wanted to know about the Spiritual Exercises. H Cornell Bradley SJ, province coordinator of the Spiritual Exercises, created the content for the page and says it is useful for those who are familiar with the Exercises, as well as for newcomers.
Fr Mark Link SJ spent the first semester of the year at Rockhurst High in Kansas City, where he developed this web site for adolescents with the assistance of Rockhurst students.
Xavier University kicked off a yearlong celebration of its 175th anniversary on January 9. What started as a small downtown college with less than 200 students has grown to an urban university with more than 6,600 students.
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