January 2010
- Jesuit Refugee Service Establishes Centers to Coordinate Relief Efforts in Haiti
- Rare World Map by Matteo Ricci on Display at Library of Congress
- Jesuits Assist Students, Teachers in Afghanistan
- American Astronomical Society Honors Former Vatican Observatory Head
- AIDS Remains a Priority for Jesuit in Zambia
- Book Aims to Reframe Migration Discussion
- Around Campus
- From the Editors
Jesuit Refugee Service Establishes Centers to Coordinate Relief Efforts in Haiti
Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) in the Dominican Republic—working in coordination with JRS Haiti and other Jesuit relief efforts there—has established three centers in the Dominican Republic to coordinate the transfer of food, medicine, and other emergency supplies to the people of Haiti.
The three operations centers are located in Santo Domingo, at the JRS Bono Center; Jimani, on the southern border between the Dominican Republic and Haiti, the main port of entry because of its proximity to Port-au-Prince; and Puerto Tabar Principe, on the premises of the Jesuit novitiate.
Fr. Mario Serrano, SJ, is helping to organize and process the supplies from the Dominican Republic into Haiti, and he has made several trips into Haiti to assess needs there.
"We're still in the process of responding to the emergency, offering a supportive presence, food, and medicine. Little by little we are building the most effective methods for supplying timely and beneficial aid to the people," said Fr. Serrano.
"Emergency needs are many," added Fr. Serrano. "We need bathrooms, tents, and vehicles to transport the aid. In the long-term we must think of where to concentrate our efforts. This should be education—we must help all the children of Haiti have good schools with good teachers," said Fr. Serrano.
To support JRS/USA's humanitarian response to the emergency needs of the Haitian people, go the JRS secure website and choose "Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund." [Jesuit Refugee Service; UN photo by Logan Abassi]
Rare World Map by Matteo Ricci on Display at Library of Congress
A portion of Ricci's map (Source: University of Minnesota)
The Matteo Ricci World Map—nicknamed the "Impossible Black Tulip" because it was so hard to find—was the first in Chinese to show the Americas and the first printed map to incorporate both Eastern and Western cartography. It measures 5.5 feet tall by 12.5 feet wide and is printed on rice paper from six wood blocks and is designed to be mounted on a folding screen.
After the display, the Library of Congress will digitally scan the 1602 document and make the electronic image available to scholars and students for research. The map will then head to its home at the James Ford Bell Library at the University of Minnesota.
The map was created at the request of Emperor Wanli and was designed to incorporate as much Jesuit knowledge as possible, in combination with some of the great works of Chinese scholars, demonstrated both graphically and in Chinese characters surrounding the map. The map is the second most expensive printed rare map ever sold; the first was the Waldseemuller world map, the first to name America. [Library of Congress & James Ford Bell Library]
Jesuits Assist Students, Teachers in Afghanistan
Women learning computer skills in Bamyan, Afghanistan. (courtesy Maria Joseph, SJ)
"Apart from teaching students technical subjects and English, we are also running training programs for teachers. On completion of their course, they will fan out across the country so that education can flourish in Afghanistan," said Fr. Joseph, who has been appointed senior adviser for technical education to the Afghan government's Ministry of Education.
In collaboration with the ministry, Fr. Joseph is working on a plan to produce 1,000 trained technical teachers in the next five years. He is also restructuring the training modules and supervising their implementation.
The Society's first attempt at boosting education in Afghanistan was in May 2002, but the project had to be abandoned because the situation there was too volatile.
The efforts resumed in 2005, when Jesuits started teaching technical subjects to a group of 65 students at Herat University, near the Iranian border.
"The number has now soared to 400. For the past couple of years, we have been teaching at the universities in Bamiyan and Kabul as well," said Fr. Joseph.The Jesuits' efforts resulted in the commissioning of the National Institute of Management in Kabul last March.
"Education in Afghanistan has suffered because of the many wars and continuous internal strife the country has seen and there is a shortage of trained teachers—a gap that the Jesuits are trying to fill," said Fr George Pattery SJ, provincial of the Madurai Province. [www.telegraphindia.com]
American Astronomical Society Honors Former Vatican Observatory Head
Veteran astronomer Fr. George Coyne, SJ, was honored by the American Astronomical Society on January 4 for his work in building a Vatican-sponsored summer school for young astronomers and promoting discussions on the intersection of religion and science.
Fr. Coyne, retired director of the Vatican Observatory, received the George Van Biesbroeck Prize—which included a citation and a cash prize—at the opening of the society's 215th general meeting in Washington.
Society president John Huchra cited Fr. Coyne's work with the Vatican Observatory Summer School, which brings 25 graduate students to the observatory's headquarters in Castel Gandolfo, Italy, every two years for a month of research.
Since beginning in 1986, the school has welcomed students from 60 nations, with nearly two-thirds of them from developing countries, Fr. Coyne said. Nearly half—46 percent—have been women, he said.
Fr. Coyne continues to shape the work of the observatory as president of the Vatican Observatory Foundation (www.vofoundation.org), which raises funds and develops awareness of the research undertaken by the church's team of a dozen astronomers.
Fr. Coyne was not sure what he will do with the cash from the prize, but he said it's a good bet that it will end up supporting the summer school.
An interview with Fr. Coyne is at http://tiny.cc/coyne. [Catholic News Service]
AIDS Remains a Priority for Jesuit in Zambia
Connected as it is to the fight against poverty and unfairness, AIDS remains a high priority for the Jesuit Province of Zambia-Malawi, said Fr. Alex Muyebe, SJ, chairman of the Social Apostolate Committee.
According to Fr. Muyebe the parish is a privileged place to fight HIV and AIDS and other problems confronting society.
"The work of the parish is not only administering sacraments and celebrating the Eucharist," he said. "Parishes are increasingly becoming the focal point of the social apostolate. As time passed, we have seen a shift in parish AIDS ministry from helping those infected to die honorably, to helping them to live a dignified life, giving priority to women and children, the first victims of the pandemia."
To do this, many parishes involve groups of volunteers in programs of income-generating activities for the education and care of orphans. [Electronic News Service SJ]
Book Aims to Reframe Migration Discussion
An initiative of Fairfield University's Center for Faith and Public Life, the Woodstock Theological Center at Georgetown University, and the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc., is using the recent book, And You Welcomed Me: Migration and Catholic Social Teaching, as the centerpiece of a larger, public education project on migrants and Catholic teaching.
The book represents "the fruit of a collaboration" by Catholic theologians, lawyers, social scientists, and a variety of experts on migration, including Fr. Richard Ryscavage, SJ, director of Fairfield's Center for Faith and Public Life and professor of sociology and International Studies. Fr. Ryscavage co-wrote the introduction to the book with Fr. Gasper Lo Biondo, SJ, director of the Woodstock Theological Center.
The book seeks to understand the human beings cast off as "illegal aliens" and "strangers," and it explains their challenges in the context of the legal, social, economic and political realities with which they contend.
And You Welcomed Me is available at www.lexingtonbooks.com. [Fairfield University]
Around Campus
Student volunteers prepare meals SLU's Campus Kitchen.
The Campus Kitchens Project (CKP), a national outreach program started at Saint Louis University that partners with high schools, colleges, and universities to share on-campus kitchen space, recover unused food from cafeterias, and prepare and deliver meals to the community reached its millionth-meal milestone in late 2009.
Started in 2001, the CKP now operates on 20 college and high school campuses, providing meals to individuals and families in their communities.
Other Jesuit institutions that participate are Gonzaga College High (Washington, DC), Gonzaga University (Spokane), and Marquette University (Milwaukee).
Campus Kitchens is on the web at www.campuskitchens.org. [Saint Louis University]
Creighton University Starts Program to Supply Needed Religion Teachers
Creighton University has initiated a new program to help meet the need U.S. Catholic schools say they have for qualified religion teachers.
The university now offers a two-year master's degree in theology with a teaching certificate and a combined five-year bachelor's and master's degree in theology with a teaching certificate. Creighton believes it is the first program whose sole purpose is to train students to teach religion in Catholic elementary and secondary schools.
A recent national survey about religion teacher preparation conducted by Creighton, "The Next Generation: A Study of Catholic High School Religion Teachers," found that Catholic high school religion teachers are less qualified than other public and private school teachers in terms of academic preparation, pedagogical training, and teaching experience.
The study also found that today 40 percent of full-time religion teachers had a master's degree in theology/religious studies/religious education, compared to 57 percent in 1985.
The difference probably corresponds with the decline in vowed religious teaching theology, said Creighton's Timothy Cook, the education professor who conducted the study. "This shortage of religion teachers often results in school principals asking teachers of other subjects to teach religion," Cook said. [Catholic News Service]
The first class at Rockhurst.
Rockhurst University Celebrates 100 Years
Rockhurst University is celebrating the 100-year anniversary of its charter in 2010.
It kicks off on February 3 with a reception featuring a talk by Fr. Greg Boyle, SJ, on "Tattoos on the Heart: A Theology of Compassion and Kinship."
The university has a centennial website, which features a weekly mission reflection, a timeline of the school's history, and a photo gallery. [Rockhurst University]
Xavier Dorms Home to Students, Priests
Since the 1940s, a priest—including Xavier president, Fr. Michael Graham, SJ—has resided in each of Xavier University's five student residences.
"The students know they can turn to them for anything," said Lisa Brown, associate director of residence life.
Fr. Kent Beausoleil, SJ, who is one of the priests currently living in a Xavier dorm, said living with the students reminds him of his own undergraduate experience—the search for meaning, the desire to belong, and succeed academically.
The priests have no specific duties in the residence halls, which are staffed by hall directors and resident assistants.
"We just appreciate that they're living in community with our students," said Brown. "When you talk to the students living in the halls, they'll talk about the friendships they've made, but the defining experience is often the opportunity to develop relationships with the Jesuits."
Priests live among students at 24 of the nation's 28 Jesuit colleges and universities, according to the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities. At some, the practice has been in place for more than 100 years. [news.cincinnati.com]