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April 10, 2008 |
The Jesuit's 35th General Congregation concluded two months of work by approving five decrees, including one on obedience, and a separate document reaffirming the Jesuits' allegiance to the pope and fidelity to church teaching.
When the delegates met with Pope Benedict XVI in late February, he asked the Jesuits to continue to be pioneers in dialogue, theological research, and work for justice, but insisted that they also must make clear their faith and their acceptance of the teachings of the Catholic Church.
The congregation approved formal decrees focused on the Jesuit mission in the modern world, Jesuit identity, collaboration with those outside the Jesuits, internal governance, and obedience to superiors as well as to the pope.
In addition to the five decrees, the congregation approved a formal declaration titled "With New Fervor and Dynamism, the Society of Jesus Responds to the Call of Benedict XVI." Said new superior general Adolfo Nicolįs, SJ, "The Society of Jesus was born within the church, we live in the church, we were approved by the church and we serve the church. This is our vocation." [Source: CNS 3/07/08]
Jesuit Research Scholars from all over India held their biennial meeting at St Aloysius College in Mangalore, India, this February. Twenty Jesuits from various Indian colleges were gathered for the meeting, which was inaugurated by Prof. Patrick Tauro, an eminent scientist and director of Mangalore Biotech Company. The theme of the meeting was "Science and Students."
Dr. Tauro praised the Jesuit scholars for their commitment to research and teaching, and at the same time said that much more has to be done to enthuse young boys and girls to take up science degree programs and thus prepare young scientists to do fundamental research. [Source: The Mangalorean, 2/25/08]
Br. Jerry Pryor, SJ, recently completed a portrait of opera singer Salvatore Licitra. Licitra replaced Luciano Pavarotti when the late tenor cancelled at the Metropolitan Opera, and after that replaced him a number of other times all over the world. Licitra's brother took the painting to the family home in Switzerland, since it was the singer's first portrait. Pryor then received word that the painting was well received and that it "went very well with the furniture!!" Jerry also has a permanent exhibit of his artwork in a hallway of the Colombiere Center Jesuit Community residence. [Source: John Moriconi, SJ]
On March 31, LeMoyne College in Syracuse, New York, introduced Fred Pestello as its 13th president. He will be the school's first non-Jesuit president in its 62-year history.
Pestello will assume the presidency on July 1, taking over from John Smarrelli Jr., LeMoyne's interim president since last May. Pestello's selection followed a nine-month national search. The 55-year-old Pestello has been provost at the University of Dayton in Ohio since 2001. [Source: AP, 3/31/08]
This spring, Saint Joseph's University food marketing students in Marty Meloche's service learning course are developing a business plan for Philabundance, the second-largest food bank in the United States. Serving 100,000 people weekly, Philabundance is struggling to keep up with community demand.
Meloche, associate professor of food marketing, has worked with Philabundance over the past year to brainstorm solutions to the food bank's mounting needs. Together they developed a business model that the students will expand upon and implement through their course work.
Their model will have the feel of a mobile retail site and will be placed strategically throughout Philadelphia. Students will be responsible for establishing sites where the hungry can redeem credits and food stamps, and have a declining balance to buy food and other essentials. They hope to take the plan to investors for funding by fall 2008.
Students and faculty members were evacuated from the campus of St. Peter's College in Jersey City for about two hours on Wednesday, February 20, after officials discovered a handwritten note taped to a hallway wall. A spokesperson said the note referred to the massacre at Virginia Tech.
It frightened school officials enough to close down the campus immediately, said Lorraine McConnell, the spokesperson for the college, which has about 3,000 students. The police declared the buildings safe to re-enter around 3 o'clock the same day.
Thomas Comey, the Jersey City police chief, said that they chose to "err on the side of caution" and ordered an evacuation of all the buildings on campus.
The threat came at a time of heightened security on college campuses in the wake of a series of school shootings, including the one earlier in February on the campus at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois. [Source: New York Times, 2/21/08]
Xavier University accounting students are helping tax returns for low income and elderly taxpayers as well as students on Monday evenings through April 14.
The students are offering free basic Federal and State income tax assistance to the Xavier, Norwood, Evanston, and Avondale communities through the IRS sponsored Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA). For information or to set up an appointment, call (513) 745-3236.
Le Moyne College dedicated a commissioned sculpture of St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus, this March.
The sculpture, titled "St. Ignatius Loyola: Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted," was commissioned by the Class of 2006 through their senior class gift campaign, by Fred Picardi '51 who matched the dollars raised by the seniors, and by the Le Moyne Jesuit Community.
Artist John Collier, who created the piece, is an award-winning sculptor who created the Catholic Memorial at Ground Zero in New York City. [Source: Le Moyne College]
Father Robert J. Spitzer, SJ, president of Gonzaga University, announced March 17 that he plans to leave his position in July 2009. Fr Spitzer, a graduate of Gonzaga, has been its president for the past 10 years, overseeing growth in the university's facilities, enrollment, fundraising, technology and mission programs.
"The university has made considerable progress during the past 10 years and now enjoys a momentum which will catalyze even further progress," Spitzer said. "I believe that transitions are best made during times of real advance rather than times of crisis or neutrality, and so I believe that this is an ideal time to begin the transition process." [Source: CNS]
Apr 2, 1767. Charles III orders the arrest of all the Jesuits in Spain and the confiscation of all their property.
Apr 6, 1850. The first edition of La Civiltą Cattolica appears. It is the first journal of the restored Society.
Apr 8, 1762. The French Parliament issues a decree of expulsion of the Jesuits from all their colleges and houses.
Apr 10,1585. At Rome, the death of Pope Gregory XIII, founder of the Gregorian University and the German College and one of the Society's greatest benefactors.
Apr 11,1573. Pope Gregory XIII suggests to the Jesuits who were assembling for the Third General Congregation that it might be well for them to choose a General of some nationality other than Spanish. Later he expressed his satisfaction that they had elected Everard Mercurian, a Belgian.
Apr 15, 1610. The death of Fr Robert Parsons, the most active and indefatigable of all the leaders of the English Catholics during the reign of Elizabeth I.
Apr 20, 1864. Father Peter de Smet leaves St Louis to evangelize the Sioux Indians.
Apr 22, 1541. Ignatius and his first companions make their solemn profession of vows in the basilica of St Paul Outside-the-Walls.
Apr 26, 1935. Lumen Vitae, center for catechetics and religious formation founded in Brussels.
Apr 27, 1880. On the occasion of the visit of Jules Ferry, French minister of education, to Amiens, France, shouts were raised under the Jesuit College windows: "Les Jesuites a la guillotine."
Apr 29, 1933. Thomas Ewing Sherman, SJ dies in New Orleans. An orator on the mission band, he was the son of Civil War General William Tecumseh Sherman. He suffered a breakdown, and wanted to leave the Society, but was refused because of his ill health. Before his death he renewed his vows in the Society.
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