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February 9, 2009 |
The Writings of Saint Ignatius Loyola is now available on CD from the Institute of Jesuit Sources. The CD contains all of Ignatius’s writings, including almost 7,000 letters in their original languages. Also included are English translations of major works, including the Spiritual Exercises, the Consitutions, the Spiritual Diary, and the Directives Concerning the Spiritual Exercises.
The CD, compatible with Windows or Macintosh, is searchable and also comes with Ars Jesuitica, a collection of 239 Ignatian and Jesuit images. To purchase a copy, visit the Institute of Jesuit Sources website: www.jesuitresources.com. [Institute of Jesuit Sources]
The faculty of the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry has produced A Living Faith, a catechetical series for the CatholicTV network. Each episode features a different theme and is hosted by a different speaker. Titles of the series’s nine episodes include “The Sacramental Life of the Church,” “Foundations of Morality,” “Catholic Social Ethics,” and “Prayer: Finding God in Our Lives.”
Episodes will air Tuesdays at 8:30 a.m., Thursdays at 12:00 p.m., and Fridays at 1:30 a.m.; they can also be viewed at www.CatholicTV.com. [EMPN]
Almost twenty years after the 1989 killings of six Jesuit priests, their housekeeper, and her daughter in El Salvador, Spain’s National Court has opened an official investigation into the murders.
The National Court accepted a petition from human rights groups that claimed justice had not been done in El Salvador. Under international law, if justice for a human rights violation is not served in the country where the crime occurred, the crime can be tried in another country.
The court will investigate fourteen former Salvadoran military officers accused of the murders. The fourteen have not yet officially been charged in Spain, but if they are charged an extradition treaty between Spain and El Salvador could send the officers to Spain to stand trial. [CNN International]
Fr. George Lundy SJ, head of the Moratorium Campaign against the death penalty, is appealing to physician licensing boards and medical societies in an effort to end capital punishment.
If the boards declare doctor participation in executions unethical, states will be unable to carry out their protocols for capital punishment. “A lot of death penalty work in recent years has focused on governors and legislatures,” said Lundy. “We wanted to make it a professional issue instead of a political one.”
The new tactic focuses on Southern states, where 95 percent of executions in 2008 took place and where the death penalty has the most political backing.
The Moratorium Campaign was founded in 2000 by Sr. Helen Prejean to collect signatures for an international moratorium on capital punishment. Fr. Lundy’s new approach represents a revival of the campaign, which was inactive since 2004. [Catholic News Service]
More plaintiffs and another defendant have been added to a lawsuit filed by Alaskan natives against the Society of Jesus. In the original lawsuit, filed on January 13, 43 Alaskans said they had been abused between 1960 and 2001 and accused Jesuits of sending known abusers to work in Alaska.
More information about the lawsuit can be found in the Seattle Times. [Seattle Times]
Fr. Clem Metzger SJ has created a nine-week online Lenten retreat, offering structured prayer and reflection from February 16 through April 18. The retreat draws from Lenten liturgies and the Spiritual Exercises to provide daily material for prayer and reflection.
The retreat and additional resources can be found at www.jrh-cleveland.org. [Detroit Province]
Josh McDaniels, a 1999 graduate of John Carroll University, was named head coach of the National Football League’s Denver Broncos in January. He is the second alumnus of the school to become a head coach in the NFL; Don Shula, the Hall of Fame coach who led the Miami Dolphins to two Super Bowl victories, was the first.
At age 33, McDaniels will be the third youngest to become an NFL head coach. He takes over as head coach of the Broncos after eight years as an assistant coach for the New England Patriots, where he helped the team win three Super Bowls. [John Carroll University]
More than 120 dentists, dental students, and volunteers will participate in Creighton University’s ninth annual “Give Kids a Smile Day” on February 7. Creighton’s School of Dentistry expects to provide free dental exams, x-rays, cleaning, fluoride, and dental education to over 100 children between the ages of 3 and 14.
“As a University, Creighton instills in its students, faculty and staff the importance of service to others,” says professor Gary Westerman DDS. “Many community groups are helping us get the word out and make sure those who may not have access to dental care get it and know how important it is.” [Creighton University]
Fordham University in the Bronx and Loyola College in Maryland were among the Jesuit institutions celebrating their Ignatian Identity January 26-30.
Fordham University’s Ignatian Awareness Week featured talks and discussions led by Jesuits on topics such as “Why are Jesuits in schools?” and the Jesuit mission on interreligious dialogue, as well as on films The Mission and Black Robe. Daily masses addressed themes of the Spiritual Exercises, and a panel of Jesuit Volunteers spoke about their experiences at a mid-week dinner.
At Loyola College in Maryland, organizers of Jesuit Identity Week invited students to attend an open house the college’s Jesuit residence, listen to a panel discussion titled “Where in the World are the Jesuits?,” and participate in an “Examen” of their time at Loyola. [Fordham University, Loyola College in Maryland]
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