Red Beans and Rice

Fr. George Wiltz, SJ, associate pastor at St. Rita's Parish in Dallas, picked up cooking while at the Jesuits' St. Mary's Seminary in Kansas. When the cooks went home for holidays, he'd take his turn at the stove for 200 of his fellow Jesuits in theology studies. He's gained skill and repute since then: at an auction at St. Rita's two dinners for 10 that Fr. Wiltz will prepare brought in $1,400 each. He's also done dinners for 50 at Montserrat Retreat House in Lake Dallas.

He and his primarily Cajun recipes have made appearances on TV across the South: in Atlanta, when Fr. Wiltz was working at Ignatius Retreat Center; in New Orleans, where he worked in administration at Loyola University, and in Tampa, when he was president of Jesuit High.

Fr. Wiltz and Fr. Hacker Fagot, SJ, at Manresa Retreat House outside New Orleans, are currently coauthoring a cookbook, but Fr. Wiltz is battling the problem of converting his "a dash of this, a bit of that" recipes to the more-exact format cookbook editors prefer. His recipes range from an elegant New Orleans Barbecue Shrimp to a humble but filling Red Beans and Rice.

Run the Press

The presses at Boston College and Saint Louis University are among the ten charter members of the Association of Jesuit University Presses, a consortium founded in 1994. The fact that they are all presses at Jesuit institutions unites them, but their offerings are as distinct as can be. Among the titles that appear in the organization's third catalog are Fordham University's Under the Sidewalks of New York: The Story of the Greatest Subway System in the World, the University of Scranton's Wales in America: Scranton and the Welsh 1860-1920, and Marquette University's Convents Confront the Reformation: Catholic and Protestant Nuns in Germany.

"AJUP offers smaller university presses a way to give a national scope to their books, and this attracts authors. The presses simply make a much bigger splash by working and advertising together," says Fr. Richard Rousseau, SJ, AJUP's president and director of the University of Scranton Press.

For a copy of AJUP's latest catalog, which contains these and many more books, write to: Saint Joseph's University Press, 5600 City Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19131, or e-mail: ccroce@sju.edu

On the Road

Imagine the scene. The year is 1553. You've come to Rome on pilgrimage. After praying at the church of Santa Maria della Strada (which will later become the Jesuits' Gesú Church), you and your fellow pilgrims make your way to the rectory. Desk, chair, and bench are all that furnish the room. Then in he walks: Ignatius Loyola.

So begins "The Story of the Pilgrim," a one-man show about the saint, written and performed by Michael Bellafiore, SJ, who has an MFA in play writing from Catholic University. The show is based primarily on Ignatius's autobiography, letters, and the Spiritual Excercises, but "it's more than just a soliloquy or a history lesson," says author/actor Bellafiore. "It's something of a dialogue with the audience. Ignatius welcomes the pilgrims to the church and speaks to them about his conversion, gathering the first companions in Paris, and the founding of the Society in Rome."

Bellafiore's show, directed by Fr. Michael Sparough, SJ (see Company, Winter 1996), previewed at Loyola University Chicago last October. Bellafiore will take it on the road for a year starting next fall, offering performances at Jesuit high schools and colleges, among other venues. For more information, call (773) 508-3216.

Best-seller

"I can say in all sincerity that I am at peace. I consider this as God's special gift to me."

Personal reflections of the late Joseph Cardinal Bernardin are brought together beautifully in The Gift of Peace, published by the Jesuits' Loyola Press in Chicago. The book started making nationwide bestseller lists literally days after its debut in late January, reaching #2 on the New York Times bestseller list. Its initial print run of 50,000 sold out in just two days. The book is in its third printing; to date, more than 350,000 have been sold. USA Today called the book "A gentle, personal voice."

The Mystery Continues

If you enjoyed Fr. Brad Reynolds's mystery The Story Knife (see Company, Winter '96), there's another mystery just out that also involves a Jesuit: The Eagle Catcher, by Margaret Coel (Berkeley Prime Crime, 1996). It is set on Wyoming's Wind River Reservation, where an Arapaho tribal chairman is murdered. Evidence points toward a young nephew, but Fr. John O'Malley, SJ, believes he is innocent. This fictional O'Malley, pastor of the Jesuits' St. Francis Mission on the reservation, is a Boston College grad and former pro baseball pitcher whose appreciation for Native Americans and their customs and culture grows apace with his pastoral style. (Contributed by Fr. Matt Roche, SJ)