An Historic Moment in Time - The New Orleans Province of the ...

The S O U T H E R N 

An Historic 

Moment in Time 

Kolvenbach’s visit to the Jesuit Novitiate in Grand Coteau

c 

TheJesuit 

o n t e n t s 

The Southern Jesuit is a publication of the 

Jesuits of the New Orleans Province. 

Alfred C. Kammer, S.J., Provincial 

Paul Deutsch, S.J., Socius 

Lawrence J. Lundin, S.J., Treasurer 

Marvin C. Kitten, S.J., Director of Vocations 

Michael S. Bourg, Executive Director of Development 

Jesuit Seminary and Mission Bureau 

Send inquiries and article submissions to: 

Michael Bourg 

The Jesuits 

500 S. Jefferson Davis Pkwy. 

New Orleans, LA 70119 

p. 504.827.4043 

1.800.788.1719 

f. 504.827.9931 

e. Jesuits@norprov.org 

Mike Bourg, Editor 

Vince Liberto, Assistant Editor 

For donations, bequests, wills and trusts our legal title is 

Jesuit Seminary and Mission Fund, New Orleans. 

2 Provincial’s Message 

3 Message from The Executive Director 

cover story 

2 

SOUTHERN 

The SouthernJesuit 

New Web Address 

4 A Gentle & Humble Giant 

Visits the Province 

7 Brief Biography of 

Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, S.J. 

A Different Christmas Present 

Jesuit Connection 

8 Jesuit Jubilarian Celebration 

9 Jesuit Vow Day 

10 Celebrating the Eternal Life 

13 Jesuit Burses 

Jesuit Companions 

Jesuit Prayer Circle 

14 The Jesuits are looking for a 

few good (and diverse) Men! 

16 In giving you receive… 

18 Honor with Books 

19 Miami’s Oldest Parish Still Gets Jesuits 

20 A Special Remebrance: Daundra Joseph 

21 Help Us Meet Fr. General’s Challenge 

“What have you been up to?” 

22 Delving into the Past to Better 

Understand Today 

24 In and Around the Province 

27 Leave a Legacy of Hope 

FROM OUR PROVINCIAL 

Dear Friends, 

Peace of Christ. God blesses all of us in 

so many ways! 

As we approach the Feasts of All Saints, 

Holy Souls and Christ the King, we are 

reminded of God’s goodness, love and 

forgiveness – for all humanity whether Jew, 

Muslim, Christian or Hindu. 

In this full issue of The Southern Jesuit 

you will witness the head of the Society of 

Jesus – Fr. Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, S.J., 

Superior General – sharing his vision for the role of laity working 

alongside Jesuits to proclaim and live the Gospel of Christ Jesus. 

What a blessing and inspiration Fr. General’s visit was to our 

Province. 

Also in this issue you will see the blessings of two of our 

newest novices – where you can gain a true sense of the diversity 

of culture, age and experience that these men are bringing to the 

order. At the other end of the spectrum you will be able to read 

about the Jubilarians whose near millennium of service to God’s 

people is yet another sign of God gracing our world. 

In the following pages you will be able to see the diligent 

work of Fr. Donald Bahlinger, S.J. Padre Bahlinger works to bring 

hope to the people of Arcatao, El Salvador. And as Padre always 

notes, it is the people of Arcatao who bring him such hope and 

sustain him in ministry. 

It is in his ministry alongside his parishioners at San 

Bartolome that we see the words of St. Ignatius come alive. “…it 

is for your greater service and praise, to imitate you in bearing all 

injuries and affronts, and any poverty actual as well as spiritual, if 

your Most Holy Majesty desires to choose me.” 

Following in St. Ignatius’ desire to reach people wherever they 

are, we have several references throughout the magazine about 

ways you can access more information about vocations, our 

history, prayer circles and more via the Internet at our new website 

www.norprov.org. We are very excited by this new communication 

tool. 

Within these pages I find hope for our world, service to our 

Church and love through the works of the Society of Jesus. God is 

good. We are blessed. And we add our thankful voices to the 

Communion of Saints with whom we celebrate. 

Please know that you will be in our prayers throughout 

November. Let me be one of the first to wish you an Advent 

Season rich in the expectation of Christ breaking into our world 

and our hearts. 

Yours in Christ, 

Rev. Alfred C. Kammer, S.J.

FROM OUR 

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR 

As the air gets 

more crisp and the 

temperatures cool, I 

am energized by the 

Superior General’s 

recent visit, by the 

works of Jesuits 

across the New Orleans Province and 

by meeting many of the Province’s 

lay colleagues and benefactors. 

In my brief time here I have been 

heartened by the breadth and depth of 

support for the Jesuits through many 

people’s time, talent and treasure. As 

Father General noted in his visit – 

Ignatius knew that the Jesuits could 

only succeed with the help of the 

laity. 

He went as far as to say that the 

power of lay collaboration has a 

strong multiplier effect upon Jesuit 

Ministries. These powerful words are 

bolstered by action – in our schools, 

parishes and retreat centers. 

Lay colleagues, board members, 

advisors, administrators and teachers 

stand shoulder to shoulder with the 

Jesuit priests and brothers in working 

to create a world where the Gospel is 

proclaimed and people come to know, 

love and serve God. 

For the Jesuits to reap the 

plentiful harvest, they need the 

support of the Provincial Offices and 

of their lay colleagues and 

benefactors. 

We at the Provincial Offices have 

written a Mission Statement to keep 

ourselves mindful of this cooperative 

spirit and what impact that has on the 

Province at large. We wish to share 

this Mission Statement of the 

Provincial Offices with all of you. I 

hope that you take the time to read it. 

Thank you for being the 

“multiplier” behind much of the work 

of the New Orleans Province of 

Jesuits. 

Peace, 

Michael S. Bourg 

THE JESUITS OF THE NEW ORLEANS PROVINCE 

M i s s i o n S t a t e m e n t 

The mission of the New Orleans Province Office is to care for Jesuits and lay 

colleagues and support and direct the ministries of the Province. We labor 

as companions of Jesus to… 

CARE for the personal, formational, and spiritual needs of Jesuits 

and their lay colleagues. 

DEVELOP & STEWARD resources that will nurture and 

sustain the people and apostolates of the Province. 

FOSTER COMMUNICATION within the Province and with 

the Society and church-at-large. 

CELEBRATE the ministries, accomplishments and lives of the 

members of the Province. 

PROMOTE awareness of Jesuits in their domestic and 

international missions. 

DIRECT Province efforts for the promotion of social justice. 

The harvest of these efforts is that: 

the Gospel is proclaimed; 

people come to know, love, and follow Christ; 

and we serve the faith that promotes justice, engages other traditions, 

and evangelizes culture. 

The Jesuits have a new address 

… a new WEB Address anyway 

Mark it down because we are 

trying to reach out to our friends in a new way! 

www.norprov.org 

This is the exciting new website for the New Orleans Province of the Society 

of Jesus. You can: 

• gain information on Jesuit Spirituality 

• locate a retreat center 

• meet Provincial Staff 

• discover our insightful Vocations area 

• learn more about our various apostolates 

• and find ways to join into a closer union with the Jesuits 

So log on to the internet today and take a look. You will be glad that you did. 


3

A Gentle & 

Humble Giant 

Visits the 

Province 

4 The SouthernJesuit 

The Very Rev. Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, S.J., 

Superior General of the Society of Jesus, made an 

historic visit to the New Orleans Province from 

October 4 – 6, 2004. He allowed the Province to 

schedule several events in his honor. He, in turn, 

used these events to share a profound message of 

hope for the future. 

Fr. General, as he is referred to in Jesuit circles, 

sees hope in the expansion of Jesuit works through 

the “exponential effect” that the laity will have. He 

also understands God’s blessings through the huge 

Novice classes for the New Orleans Province over 

the past few years. It is through the active 

collaboration between religious and the laity that 

the Gospel will be proclaimed and others will come 

to know, love and serve the Lord. 

This consistent message which began with his 

acceptance speech for the Fons Sapientiae Award at 

Spring Hill College through his remarks at Jesuit 

High School New Orleans and ending at St. 

Charles College in Grand Coteau, Louisiana. 

Fr. Fred Kammer, S.J., Provincial, stated, “The 

Fr. General’s visit will be remembered as a high 

mark in the hundred year history of the Province. 

His impact and presence will be felt for years to 

come on the Jesuits and our colleagues.” 

Wisdom in Mobile 

From the Latin phrase on Spring Hill College’s 

seal “In colle exaltatus fons sapientiae,” or “a 

spring of wisdom lifted up on the hill,” the Fons 

Sapientiae Award was created to honor individuals 

who have been examples of practical wisdom 

inspired by living faith. 

“As Superior General of the Society of Jesus, 

the Very Rev. Peter-Hans Kolvenbach has provided 

consistent and determined leadership to Jesuits 

throughout the world, in their efforts to live more 

effectively and courageously the Gospel vision of 

the service of faith and promotion of justice,” said 

Spring Hill President Rev. Gregory F. Lucey, S.J. as 

he presented Fr. Kolvenbach the award.

At the end of his acceptance 

speech, Fr. General summarized his 

challenging vision: 

All of us, including our students 

in the course of their formation, 

must allow the gritty reality of 

this world into our lives, so that 

we can learn to feel it, think about 

it critically, respond to its 

suffering and engage it 

constructively. We all need to 

perceive, think, judge, choose and 

act for the rights of others, 

especially the disadvantaged and 

the oppressed. That is wisdom. 

… This does not make the 

university a training camp for 

social activists. Rather, our 

students need close involvement 

with the poor and the marginal 

now, in order to learn about 

reality and become adults of 

solidarity in the future. 

(W)e ask, “What is the wisdom 

for today that will help each of us 

in our roles of leadership and in 

formation of the leaders of 

tomorrow?” As people of faith, we 

profess with St. Paul, “There is 

one Body, one Spirit, just as you 

were all called into one and the 

same hope when you were called. 

There is one Lord, one faith, one 

baptism, and one God who is 

Father of all, over all, through all 

and within all.” … As you allow 

the Spring of Wisdom to write 

that truth in your heart, to “order 

all things mightily and sweetly ... 

and teach [you] the way of 

wisdom,” may you find within 

yourselves the hope and the 

courage to face the challenges of 

your daily efforts to be a spring of 

wisdom in the world in which you 

will find God. Let it be! Let it be! 

Let it be! 

Hope in New Orleans 

Fr. Kolvenbach spent his time in 

New Orleans on the grounds of Jesuit 

High School. There was a brunch for 

benefactors, friends and colleagues of 

the Jesuits. At the brunch Fr. 

Kolvenbach gave a talk on his gratitude 

for God’s blessings of the laity who are 

partners in Jesuit works around the 

globe. 

In recounting St. Ignatius’ words 

Father General affirmed that Jesuits 

could not go forward without the laity 

at their side. 

“ 

Ignatius knew that the few 

Jesuits of the earliest Society 

of Jesus could only carry out 

their dreams of worldwide 

ministry in service to the 

Gospel and to the Church if 

their own work and prayer 

and generosity were 

multiplied many times over 

by the work and prayer and 

generosity of men and 

” 

women 

of faith of his times. 


Fr. Kammer notes “Fr. Kolvenbach 

reinforced this message by personally 

greeting each and every one of the 

people present. He clearly gave us all 

an example to follow.” 

It was followed by Mass featuring 

Fr. Kolvenbach as main celebrant and 

homilist. The Jesuits of the province 

had a private lunch and then a town hall 

meeting with Father Kolvenbach. 

Blessings in Grand Coteau 

Father General then wanted to visit 

historic Grand Coteau for two reasons: 

1) the success of the New Orleans 

Province novitiate in gaining vocations 

and 2) to visit the historic site of the 

miraculous cure of Mary Wilson in 

1866. Wilson’s cure was used in the 

canonization case of St. John 

Berchmans – a Jesuit Belgian 

seminarian who died young while 

studying for the priesthood. 

In making the connection between 

the importance of Fr. Kolvenbach’s visit 

to the import of Grand Coteau, Fr. 

Warren Broussard, S.J., Director of The 

Spirituality Center, observed “Grand 

Coteau has been so important and 

central to local Jesuits throughout the 

entire history of the Province. Fr. 

Kolvenbach’s visit acknowledges the 

historical presence and, in so doing, he 

has become a part of our history in a 

very special way.” 

While in Grand Coteau on the 

evening of the 5th, board members, 

colleagues in ministry, benefactors, 

family members of Jesuits and friends 


5

came together to enjoy a reception, 

dinner, and a brief talk in which 

Kolvenbach shared his vision of the 

dynamic and changing needs of the 

Society of Jesus and of the diverse 

people they serve. 

Fr. Kolvenbach stated that St. 

Ignatius realized early on that in order 

to reach the ends of the Earth with their 

ministry the Jesuits’ efforts must be 

multiplied “many times over by the 

work and prayer and generosity of men 

and women of faith.” 

Fr. Kolvenbach went on “God gives 

the grace of generous service, but it is 

your hands and hearts and minds that 

make these ministries possible…It is in 

the light of the importance of our work 

and prayer together that I thank you 

today for your friendship and support in 

the name of all the members of the 

Society of Jesus.” 


After the guests went home Fr. 

General secluded himself with the 

Novices. He spent a great deal of time 

sharing his own calling and experience, 

listening to their questions and 

concerns, challenging them to be “men 

for others,” and reassuring our newest 

men. 

Fr. Billy Huete, S.J., Novice 

Master, remarked “What we are 

currently studying with the Novices is 

the Constitutions of the Society. In 

particular we are studying the part on 

the novitiate – while also reading Fr. 

Kolvenbach’s Instruction on the 

Novitiate. So in meeting and getting to 

know him personally, the Novices’ 

studies have been thrown into an 

entirely new light with a deeper 

understanding of the person behind 

their studies.” 

On Wednesday, the 6th, Fr. General 

completed his inspiring visit by touring 

the grounds of the novitiate, Spirituality 

Center, Our Lady of the Oaks Retreat 

Center and St. Charles Borromeo 

Parish. He was able to visit the site 

credited to the canonization of the 

young Jesuit, St. John Berchmans. The 

visits provided a moment of reflection 

and prayer for the Society and its many 

works. 

An unassuming man filled with 

humility, living in simplicity, and 

focused on the spread of the Good 

News of Christ Jesus, Fr. Peter-Hans 

Kolvenbach has left a mark on the 

memory of many with his visit. By his 

daily living, we are given direction. 

Through his example of simplicity, we 

draw strength. In his presence, we gain 

succor. Thank you Fr. General, thank 

you.

BRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF 

VERY REV. 

PETER-HANS 

KOLVENBACH, S.J. 

Fr. Kolvenbach was born Nov. 30, 

1928, in Druten, a village northwest of 

Nijmegen, Holland. 

On Sept. 7, 1948, he entered the 

Jesuit novitiate at Mariendaal, Holland. 

He was ordained a priest in 1961. 

After completing his doctoral 

studies in Armenian Studies in 1967, Fr. 

Kolvenbach served as minister of Jesuit 

students at the University of Saint Joseph 

in Beirut, Lebanon. 

In 1969 he took his final vows 

and worked in Beirut for the next five 

years in several capacities. 

In 1971 Fr. Kolvenbach was 

transferred to the Vice-Province of the 

Middle East—an area of the world where 

he would serve for the next decade. 

In 1974 he became provincial of 

the Vice Province of the Middle East and 

concurrently taught general linguistics 

and Armenian while conducting refugee 

work in Lebanon. 

He was appointed to the faculty of 

the Gregorian University in Rome in 

1981 and also served as rector of the 

Pontifical Oriental Institute. 

He became the 29th Superior 

General of the Society of Jesus in 1983. 

In 1984 Fr. Kolvenbach led the 

Society in its 33rd General 

Congregation. It is at the Congregation 

that the entire Society, through 

representatives, discerns, evaluates and 

legislates the apostolic thrusts of the 

Society and the internal life of its 

members. 

In 1990, Fr. Kolvenbach’s tenure 

as superior general has witnessed the 

first meeting in Jesuit history of all the 

heads of provinces when the inaugural 

Congregation of Provincials met to 

discuss the work of the Jesuits around 

the world. 

1995, Fr. Kolvenbach presided 

over the 34th Congregation in the 

Society’s 450+ year history. Here he 

reinforced the idea of solidarity with the 

poor and marginalized. 

In 2004 Fr. General made his 

historic visit to the New Orleans 

Province. 


A Different Christmas Present 

If you are looking for a Christmas gift for those loved ones “who have 

everything” – why not give them prayer? The Jesuit Seminary and Mission 

Bureau is offering special Christmas Enrollment Cards – that offer a gift of 

prayer while helping educate and form young Jesuits. 

Inside sentiment reads: 

May the gift of His love 

bring you joy 

this Christmas Season 

and throughout the New Year 

_________________________ (name) 

will be enrolled 

from Christmas Day to Christmas Day 

in the 

Jesuit Seminary Association 

and will share throughout the New Year 

in the Masses, Prayers and Apostolic Labors 

of the Jesuits of the New Orleans Province 

and in a 

Novena of Masses 

to begin on Christmas Day 

From ____________________________ 

To order your cards please go online at 

www.norprov.org/thejesuits/masscards.htm or call us at 1-800-788-1718. The 

suggested offering for the enrollment is $10. The money raised goes towards the 

education of young Jesuit Seminarians and Brothers in training. 

The next night you look up into space, maybe you will think of the 

Jesuits. Long before those happy, carefree days of your grade school 

science class, when perhaps you first learned such things, the Jesuits 

were on the moon—at least their names were. 

A few years ago the International Astronomical Union took a new 

look at what was what on the earth’s only known natural satellite. They 

took a look at all the names of the moon’s craters, and eliminated 

controversies and duplications. The new list has 35 lunar craters named 

after Jesuits from all over Europe. The old list had 

40. 

Among the Jesuits listed include Athanasius 

Kircher, whose contributions played such 

a significant role in the early scientific 

revolution that he is widely considered 

among the fathers of modern science, 

and Christopher Clavius who replaced 

the Julian calendar with the Gregorian 

calendar, and numbered among his admirers 

the scientists Kepler and Galileo. 


7

8 

Concelebrants Frs. Tom Stahel, Fred Kammer, and Ed 

Romagosa. 

This year’s Jubilarians 

are the following: 

CELEBRATING 70 YEARS IN THE SOCIETY OF JESUS 

Fr. John J. Capelle, S.J. 

Fr. Roy W. Vollenweider, S.J. 


Fr. Hacker J. Fagot, S.J. 

Fr. Patrick H. Koch, S.J. 

Fr. Thomas J. Madden, S.J. 

Fr. Charles E. O’Neill, S.J. 

Fr. Nicholas T. Schiro, S.J. 

Fr. John L. Vessels, S.J. 


Br. A. Joseph Martin, S.J. 

Fr. Robert M. McCown, S.J. 


CELEBRATING 50 YEARS IN THE PRIESTHOOD 

Fr. John H. Edwards, S.J. 

Fr. Hilton L. Rivet, S.J. 

Fr. Edward J. Romagosa, S.J.. 

CELEBRATING 25 YEARS IN THE PRIESTHOOD 

Fr. David L. Andrus, S.J. 

Fr. Anthony F. McGinn, S.J. 

CELEBRATING 25 YEARS IN FINAL VOWS 

Br. Robert E. Hollingsworth, S.J. 

Jesuit Jubilarian 

Family and friends 

assist with liturgy. 

Historic Jesuits’ 

Church filled to 

capacity. 

Jubilarian priests 

on the altar at 

consecration. 

Celebration 

On Sunday, August 1, 2004, the Jesuits of the New 

Orleans Province proudly honored the priests and brothers 

celebrating 70, 60, 50, and 25 years of service at a special 

Mass and celebration at Immaculate Conception Church, 

the birthplace of the New Orleans Province. A reception 

followed at The Fairmont Hotel. 

Seminarian choir (led by Fr. Jim Caime) 

provided music. 

Fellow priests and Jesuits in 

attendance for support.

2004 Vow Class (from left to right: Novice Director Fr. Billy Huete, Luis Blanco-Doring, 

Assistant to the Provincial Fr. Paul Deutsch, Casey Metcalf, J. Patrick Hough, Quang Tran, 

Eric Ramirez, Raul Navarro, Jeremy Zipple, Dominic Nguyen, Provincial Fr. Fred Kammer, 

Peter Zagone, Assistant Director of Novices Fr. Michael Dooley. 


Concelebrant Jesuits came from across the 

province to witness vows. 

Jesuit Vow Day 

After two years of prayer, study, and work, the novice makes formal commitment to the Society 

of Jesus and takes vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience for the first time. Because of an 

uncommonly plentiful vow class, and an overflow congregation, this year’s ceremony had to be 

moved off the novitiate grounds and over to neighboring St. Charles Borromeo Parish. The Mass 

was celebrated in three languages: Vietnamese, Spanish, and English. These are the primary 

languages represented in this special vow class. 

Novice Director Fr. Billy Huete and 

Provincial Fr. Fred Kammer in front of the 

altar at St. Charles Borromeo. Provincial Fr. Fred Kammer receives vows. 


9

10 

CE L E B R AT I N G T H E ET E R N A L LI F E 

Eugene T. Bannin, S.J. 

Father Eugene T. Bannin, 89, died 

peacefully in New Orleans at Ignatius 

Residence. A native of Brooklyn, New 

York, and a 1934 graduate of Brooklyn 

Prep, Gene entered the Society at Grand 

Coteau in 1937, after two years of 

college at St. Peter’s, New Jersey, and 

one year at Spring Hill College in 

Mobile. In 1970, Gene would earn his 

M.A. in education at Fairfield 

University. 

During his years of regency, Gene taught at Jesuit High 

School, New Orleans. On June 14, 1950, Fr. Bannin received 

holy orders at St. Mary’s, Kansas, having completed his 

philosophy studies at Spring Hill and theology at St. Mary’s. 

In 1951 he went to Our Lady of the Martyrs Shrine in 

Auriesville, New York, for tertianship. 

His years of priestly ministry began in 1952 at St. Joseph 

Church in Macon, Georgia, which the famous Br. Cornelius 

Otten, S.J. had built. Four years later he was in high school 

ministry as a student counselor, first in Tampa (1956-66), 

then in Shreveport (1966-75). 

After three years of pastoral ministry at St. Ignatius 

Church in Mobile (1975-78), Gene began a 16-year stretch as 

a hospital chaplain in Lafayette, Louisiana, where he 

developed a friendship with Fr. Ignatius Fabacher, a fellow 

Jesuit who was diocesan director of hospital ministries. For 

four of those years Gene found the time to help with the 

prison ministry. 

From 1994-96 Gene was resident chaplain at the 

Marianites of Holy Cross convent in Algiers, not far from 

Ignatius Residence, but when the sisters moved to their 

original foundation in New Orleans, Gene went to West Palm 

Beach and worked for three more years at St. Ann’s and at 

the Noreen McKeon nursing home. In 1999, Father Bannin, 

now 84, was back in Algiers at Ignatius Residence. 

Gene Bannin was the kindest and gentlest of Jesuits in 

New Orleans. The white hair of his senior years only 

enhanced his distinguished appearance. His death on May 30, 

2004, was as peaceful and holy as his life had been. Every 

day at Ignatius Residence, at the intercessory prayers during 

Mass, Gene prayed for Father Fabacher, his old friend. 

Friends reunited again in the embrace of the Triune God. 


By Louis A. Poché, S.J. 

Joseph E. Browning, S.J. 

Fr. Joseph E. Browning died of heart 

failure at Our Lady of Wisdom Health 

Care Center, New Orleans, following a 

ten year slow descent into a disoriented 

mental state. 

Joe Browning was by nature a 

conservative in every way. He never 

gave offense and was always the 

gentleman. As a scholastic Joe was the 

one most likely to be nominated for the 

“Mr. Nice Guy Award.” Later, as a pastor who was famous 

for arriving late for every appointment or meeting, he was 

lovingly referred to as “the late Fr. Browning.” But his 

simple kindness and sincerity more than made up for any of 

his flaws. 

A native of Little Rock and an alumnus of the city’s only 

Catholic high school, Joe was the second of five sons born to 

Dr. and Mrs. Harry Wynn Browning. In 1937 he enrolled at 

Spring Hill College but transferred to Loyola University in 

New Orleans the following year. On August 4, 1941, in the 

summer of his graduation from Loyola, his brothers drove 

him from Little Rock to the Jesuit novitiate in Grand Coteau. 

Joe traveled with his classmates throughout his years of 

formation, doing his philosophy studies at Spring Hill, 

theology at St. Mary’s, and tertianship in Cleveland. He was 

ordained at Spring Hill in 1954. But his three years of 

regency at Jesuit High School in Dallas defined his future in 

pastoral ministry. Joe was much liked in Dallas, but 

maintaining order and discipline in the classroom was 

definitely his challenge. Headaches were common to Joe at 

the end of a school day and he often had to take to his bed. 

Fr. Browning’s 35 exemplary years in pastoral ministry 

can be described as a tour of almost every English-speaking 

parish in the province. While he served mostly as an 

The Ignatius Residence is looking 

for a few good men and women… 

The senior Jesuit retirement community is looking for 

people to volunteer their time with the residents by 

• Taking a resident for a cup of coffee and a chat 

• Playing cards or a board game 

• Helping them write letters to loved ones 

• Reading a book to a resident 

• Having a meal with them 

• Or simply being present visiting for an hour 

If you are interested in bringing a ray of joy to an elder 

Jesuit brother or priest, please contact Fr. George Wiltz, S.J., 

Ignatius Residence Superior, at 504.394.2411, ext. 101.

assistant, Joe was the pastor of St. John’s parish, Shreveport, 

for 12 years (1968-80), and of St. Ann’s, West Palm Beach, 

for three (1980-83). In 1992 he went from the parish in 

Grand Coteau to become the resident chaplain at Village du 

Lac, a facility for senior residents in Lafayette, but increasing 

signs of dementia in 1994 necessitated his prompt retirement 

to Ignatius Residence. In 2000, he had to be moved to the 

more protective environment of Our Lady of Wisdom. Joe 

was 84 years old when he died on May 3, 2004. Yet there 

was something entirely characteristic about the timing. 

Friends who truly knew Joe’s habits could only have smiled 

to note that it had taken him so long to depart. 

J. Fillmore Elliot, S.J. 

Br. Fillmore Elliot, 73, a native of New 

Orleans and an alumnus of Jesuit High 

School, died of an apparent heart attack 

on June 26, 2004. Since October 2003, 

Our Lady of Wisdom was his last place 

of residence. 

Fillmore was the next to youngest 

member of a large and well-known 

Catholic family in New Orleans. Two of 

his brothers, Clyde and Larion, became 

Jesuit priests, and two sisters, Oenone and Dehra, joined the 

Sisters of St. Joseph of Medaille. In 1954 their mother, Enola 

Hannemann Elliot, was honored by the Archdiocese of New 

Orleans with the Regina Matrum award. Enola Elliot is one 

of two women whose portraits hang in the Hall of Honors at 

Jesuit High School for her work in founding the Blue Jay 

Parents Club. 

Fillmore entered the Society at Grand Coteau in 1948. 

On Christmas Day two years later he knelt before his newly 

ordained brother, Larion, and pronounced his first Jesuit 

vows. Cheerful, extroverted, and helpful by nature, Br. Elliot 

served as community infirmarian for more than 20 years in 

Grand Coteau and Spring Hill. He knew how to bring 

comfort to all, and the only problems he created were usually 

the result of his running in many directions trying to do 

everything for others. As a friend put it, “Fillmore could 

often be frustrating, but one could never dislike him. He 

would do anything for you.” 

Fillmore also served as community minister at the Jesuit 

schools in El Paso and Houston, and for 3 years (1974-77) he 

labored in Campinas, Brazil, as a sacristan and nurse. After 

Campinas, for 6 years (1978-84) he undertook a similar 

ministry at the Jesuit parish in Albuquerque where he visited 

the hospitals regularly. It was during his years there that he 

suffered a heart attack that nearly claimed his life. 

Limitations brought on by diabetes and serious 

cardiovascular problems did little to hinder his 7 years of 

ministry in the infirmary at Ignatius Residence. He drove 

senior Jesuits to their medical appointments and collected 

their medicines, and he frequently crossed the fence to help 

the neighboring pastor with Communion and other services. 

THE THE JESUITS JESUITS OF THE NEW NEW ORLEANS ORLEANS PROVINCE PROVINCE 

He was a well-known and popular presence in Algiers. 

In 1993, after one year of training in Baton Rouge, 

Fillmore received certification in hospital pastoral ministry 

and took his skills to Tampa, Florida where he ministered for 

ten years at Tampa General Hospital. He continued there 

even after his condition required his use of a motorized wheel 

chair. But in 2003 he had to move to Our Lady of Wisdom 

Health Care Center in New Orleans. 

On February 24, 2004, four months before he died, 

Fillmore was crowned King of the Mardi Gras at Our Lady 

of Wisdom. No other resident that day could have matched 

his reign over the chaos and mirth. 

Richard G. Hartnett, SJ 

Late in the evening of August 4, 

2004, Fr. Richard G. “Dick” Hartnett, 

92, settled his 6’3” frame in a New 

Orleans hospital chair and closed his 

eyes. Friends smiled to think that Dick 

may have finally found his way back to 

Jesuit High School in Tampa where he 

had lived and taught for most of the 20th 

century. 

A native of Fort Wayne, Indiana, 

Dick Hartnett did his high school studies in Tampa, and 

entered the Society at Grand Coteau upon his graduation in 

1930. Seven years later, after his philosophy studies in St. 

Louis, Dick made his first trip back to Tampa for regency, 

then traveled with his classmates for theology studies at St. 

Mary’s where he was ordained in 1943. Tertianship followed 

in Auriesville, New York. 

Dick’s first priestly assignment to Tampa in 1945 was as 

community minister, but one year later he was in the 

classroom teaching. His Tampa high school ministry would 

go on for an additional 55 years, though his record string of 

years in Tampa was broken in 1967 when he was asked to 

teach in Dallas for one year. He was a true Jesuit. In his 

religious community as well as in the school he was an 

energetic and much appreciated presence. Always ready to do 

what was asked of him, Dick taught mostly Latin and English 

subjects to the younger students. He would claim later that no 

student left his English courses without the ability to write a 

“decent” paragraph. 

In 1981 he was named Alumni Chaplain. The school’s 

annual Richard G. Hartnett Annual Golf Classic is testimony 

to the esteem in which Dick was held throughout the wider 

community. But perhaps his more endearing claim to the 

affection of students and faculty in Tampa was Dick’s 

contribution to the school’s annual Mission Drive. He 

conducted a special collection of pennies only, and the 

students who brought pennies received New Orleans Mardi 

Gras beads from Dick’s store. 

Fr. Hartnett’s move to Ignatius Residence in 2000 was 

made with characteristic grace and Jesuit readiness. He was a 

model member and gift to his fellow retirees. On August 3, 

Eternal rest grant 


11

12 

2004, Dick was quietly ushered into a New Orleans hospital 

for testing, but on the following day, knowing that he had 

passed all tests, he knocked for admittance at the door above. 

Dick Hartnett was a true man of God and disciple of St. 

Ignatius. 

Francis J. Riedinger, S.J. 

It could be said that Br. Frank 

Riedinger, a victim of Parkinson’s 

disease, and at a frail age of 89, died a 

victim of Ivan, the category four 

hurricane that devastated the coastal 

regions near Pensacola, Florida, on 

September 15, 2004. On the eve of the 

storm the entire community of Ignatius 

Residence departed for the safety of 

Grand Coteau, but the 150 mile trip on 

Interstate 10, which is normally 3 hours, took a staggering 15 

hours on this frightening day. The hospitality and cheer of 

Our Lady of the Oaks Retreat House did much to restore the 

spirits and energies of the shaken evacuees. But on 

September 17, shortly after the return trip home, Br. 

Riedinger drew the final breath of his remarkable and saintly 

life. He had been a Jesuit for 58 years. 

In 1927, at the age of 12, Frank emigrated with his 

parents from their small village near Baden-Baden, Germany, 

and settled in Chicago. Frank’s parents detected his 

mechanical skills and enrolled him in a technical public high 

school. Though his father hoped that his son would become 

an architect, Frank attended the RCA Institute with the goal 

of obtaining FCC Radiotelegraph and Radiotelephone 

licenses. He became an expert in radio electronics. 

For five years (1936-41) Frank sailed the high seas as a 

radio operator, officer, and inspector aboard U.S. merchant 

ships. He remembered delivering a cargo of scrap iron to 

Japan before Pearl Harbor. He was in London when WWII 

erupted and the British seized a German cargo. Frank lived a 

devout Catholic life through it all. The thought of a religious 

life was never far from his mind, and in 1946, and after his 

last 5 years of inspecting the radio installation in New 

Orleans shipyards, Frank presented himself in Grand Coteau 

as a brother postulant. 

A Jesuit who was always available, Br. Riedinger worked 

in general maintenance in Grand Coteau, at Xavier Hall in 

Pass Christian, and at Jesuit High School, New Orleans, but 

he is most remembered at Loyola for the years he worked in 

the physics department. Encouraged by Fr. Benedetto, 

department chair, Frank went to Cambridge, Massachusetts 

for training in cryogenics, a branch of physics that deals with 

the production and effects of very low temperatures. This, 

plus a visit to the University of Illinois, resulted in Loyola’s 

physics lab becoming the first facility in the state to 

manufacture liquid helium. 

Frank’s 33 years at Loyola were interrupted twice by 

calls to bring his skills to the missions. In 1974 he went for 

five years to the Caroline Islands where his main task was the 

restoration and maintenance of an island-hopping mission 

boat, Star of the Sea; and in 1984 he was in Fremont, 

California repairing and developing radio equipment for uses 

in the missions. He spent six years in California, but home 

for Frank was always the Loyola physics department. 

Br. Riedinger’s last difficult months were marked an 

inability to rest and a state of confusion that found him trying 

to communicate with his caregivers in German. At his funeral 

held on the Loyola campus Brother Terry Todd, Frank’s 

friend and co-worker at Loyola and in the Pacific, and in 

whose arms Frank expired, told of Brother’s gentle and kind 

nature, and of Frank’s quiet and extremely profitable habit of 

converting every scrap of leftover metal into funds for the 

missions. 

E. Matthew Turk, S.J. 

Fr. Mat Turk, a veteran hospital 

chaplain and holder of a Masters degree 

in clinical psychology, died in Miami, 

Florida, on June 27, after a brief hospital 

stay. While investigating a growth on his 

pancreas the doctors discovered that Mat 

also had bone cancer. He was one of 10 

children of a fervently Catholic family. 

He was 77 years old at the time of his 

death and had been a Jesuit for 55 years. 

Born in Mobile, Alabama in 1927, Mat entered the 

Society at Grand Coteau in 1948 after graduating from a 

Catholic high school in Memphis, and serving briefly in the 

U.S. Navy Reserve, and studying for one year at Loyola in 

New Orleans. 

During his philosophy studies from1952-55, Mat spent 

his Sunday afternoons teaching catechism in Crighton, a 

challenging mission station in Mobile that Spring Hill Jesuits 

served. In 1959, after his regency in Shreveport and New 

Orleans, he went to St. Mary’s in Kansas for theology. He 

was ordained at Spring Hill in 1962, and completed his 

tertianship in Cleveland in 1966. 

After three years of special studies in psychology and 

serving as a resident chaplain at the University of Detroit, 

Mat spent 16 years as a staff psychologist at Michigan mental 

health clinics in Dearborn and Detroit. In 1986-87 he took 

one year of sabbatical leave in Jerusalem. From 1987 until 

his death in 2004, he served as chaplain at three VA hospitals, 

ministering to veterans in Dayton, Ohio, and in St. Petersburg 

and Miami, Florida. In Miami he was also assigned to the 

pastoral staff at the Jesuit parish, Gesu. 

Mat enjoyed playing his clarinet, and he was quite 

proficient in the French, Spanish, and classical Hebrew and 

Latin languages. He looked forward to the infrequent times 

when he could be with a community of fellow Jesuits, and he 

would arrange his summer vacations to join other Jesuits at 

the Perdido Bay villa. 

onto them, O Lord 

The SouthernJesuit

Please keep the message 

of these men alive 

through burses and 

memorials in their names. 

Call 1-800-788-1719 

or email - 

jesuits@norprov.org. 

A Seminary Burse is a way to 

honor a friend, celebrate a special 

event or remember someone who 

has had a profound effect on your 

life – while helping to further the 

education of brothers and 

seminarians in training. 

A Seminary Burse is a 

restricted fund where the interest 

from the fund goes to help 

educate a “new crop” of Jesuits. 

The goal of a Seminary Burse is 

$20,000 – which can be donated 

to over any amount of time from 

one payment to three decades or 

more! 

The Seminary Burses listed 

below are a small selection of 

those available. Please contact 

the JSMB Office for a full list of 

Seminary Burses. 

Fr. Michael Alchediak, S.J., 

Burse 

Fr. Joseph A. Butt, S.J., Burse 

Fr. Harold F. 

Cohen, S.J., Burse 

Br. Henry T. 

Donnellon, S.J., Burse 

Frs. John and Ross 

Druhan, S.J., Burse 

Fr. Richard T. Gaul, S.J., Burse 

Fr. John W. Hynes, S.J., Burse 

Fr. E.J. Jacques, S.J., Burse 

Fr. John F. Keller, S.J., Burse 

Fr. James “Hooty” 

McCown, S.J., Burse 

Fr. Harry W. 

Tompson, S.J., Burse 

Fr. H. James 

Yamauchi, S.J., Burse 

Fr. Patrick Yancey, S.J., Burse 

Connect with missionaries, seminarians, 

and elder Jesuits in an innovative way. 

BECOME PART OF 

500 S. Jefferson Davis Parkway 


504-827-4043 

1-800-788-1719 

504-827-9931 (FAX) 

e-mail: jesuits@norprov.org 

Mr. Greg and Mrs. Michelle Abry 

Mr. Henry and Mrs. Carol Ackels 

Ms. Shawn Adams 

Mr. John Bellau 

Mr. Greg Brown 

Mrs. Kristine David-Lelong 

Mrs. Carmel Duran 

Mr. Mike Giambelluca 

Mr. P.J. Goodwine 

Mr. Lee Ray Guillory 

Mr. David Landry 

Mr. Gerald and Mrs. Marie Landry 

Hon. Ivan Lemelle 

Mrs. Irene Mackenroth 

Ms. Lou Ann Madison 

Mr. Martin McCauley 

Mr. Don McKay 


Since the last issue of THE SOUTHERN JESUIT, 

the following have joined Jesuit Companions, a special close association 

of lay people who join Jesuits in mutual prayer and financial support. 

This list is through October 15, 2004. 

Judge Sal and Mrs. Margaret Mulé 

Mr. Buddy Noel 

Mr. Leon Prestia 

Ms. Ruby Roberts 

Dr. Gary Sander 

Mr. Evans Schmidt 

Mrs. Mary Scott 

Mr. Ray Shore 

Dr. Charles and Mrs.Lorraine 

Shropshire 

Ms. Catherine Simoneaux 

Mr. Gerald Slattery 

Mr. John Smestad 

Mr. Jeff Teague 

Mr. Kurt and Mrs. Renee Werling 

Mr. Gerald Durr Woods 

Mr. Joseph Youngkamp 

The Jesuit Prayer Circle is an online 

community where members are invited to post 

prayer intentions and are encouraged to 

support one another by praying for the 

intentions that others have posted. To join: 

You must first sign up for a free user 

account on EZboard which hosts the Jesuit 

Prayer Circle; The address for EZBoard 

website is: http://www.ezboard.com 

Once you have your EZboard user name 

and password, you can login and then, in the 

box labelled Quick Jump, type in the WebID: 

jesuitprayercircle and press the jump button. This 

will take you to the Jesuit Prayer Circle web page. The address for the Jesuit 

Prayer Circle is: http://p196.ezboard.com/bjesuitprayercircle 

The Jesuit Prayer Circle is one more way that we can come together and 

support one another through daily prayer. Join today! 


13

The Jesuits are looking for 

a few good (and diverse) Men! 

By Fr. Marvin Kitten, S.J., 

Director of Vocations 

Fa ther General Pete r- H a n s 

Ko lve n b a ch has commente d 

on more than one occasion 

that he sees that we must 

a t t ract a dive rse group of 

young men to the Society of 

Jesus if we are to remain vital. If we 

j u st clone our own kind, we will soon 

run out of steam and we a ken as a 

fo rce in the Church and in the wo rl d . 

The Jesuits of the New Orl e a n s 

P rovince have been tru ly blessed with 

great dive rsity – something that Fa th e r 

G e n e ral has noticed and liked! This 

was a major reason for his recent visit 

to Grand Coteau and our nov i t i a te 

th e re. Fr. Ko lve n b a ch wa n ted to be 

p resent to and learn from these new 

and energetic Nov i c e s . 

I would like to share with you two 

exa mples of the dive rsity in our 

c u rrent group of novices. Ro b e rt Leal 

is an American citizen and at 41 is th e 

o l d e st novice at Grand Coteau. José 

( Pepe) Ruiz is a Mexican citizen and at 

22 is the yo u n ge st. They will each te l l 

their own inte re sting vocation sto ry, 

again exa mples of great dive rs i t y ! 

Robert Leal, nSJ 

A 20 Year Journey comes to 

Fruition 

The seeds of my vocation were 

actually planted more than twenty years 

ago in the library of Texas Southmost 


College in Brownsville, Texas. This is 

the same city where I was born and 

where I have spent the majority of my 

life. 

I can still remember quite vividly 

the book that started my journey to the 

Jesuit novitiate. “A Report on the 

American Jesuits”, was written by John 

LaFarge, S.J. and illustrated by 

Margaret Bourke-White. The 

photographs of Jesuits working in 

universities, on the docks and in the 

tropics filled me with a desire to serve 

Christ in a similar way. 

My “official” contact with the 

Society began that same year, and while 

I did not apply for another 20 years, the 

idea of becoming a Jesuit was firmly 

planted in my mind and soul. 

The tug of emptiness – 

yearning for more. 

How can I describe those 20 years? 

They were years of work and education, 

years of personal trials and victories 

that shaped me such that I began to hear 

the “call” of my vocation more clearly 

and more urgently. 

Quietly, and over time, I began to 

realize that many of the things in the 

world that were supposed to bring me 

joy actually left me with an empty 

feeling that would not leave me alone. 

During these 20 years the idea of the 

Jesuits never really left me. 

Three years ago I became the 

Regional Director of a foster care and 

adoption agency in Texas. This job 

represented the pinnacle of my career as 

a social worker, but I also began to 

realize that maybe the time had come to 

re-visit the idea of joining the Society. 

Once again, in spite of my personal 

and vocational success, I still had the 

nagging feeling that I needed to do 

more with my life. I still had the idea 

that I could be one of those Jesuits in 

the book, giving my life to Christ and 

serving my fellow man. As a result of 

prayer and deep reflection I finally 

made the decision that the time had 

come to apply. 

Making the right choice at the 

right time 

The experience of being an “older” 

novice is certainly interesting and 

sometimes challenging. Yet, it can also 

be said that every one of my novice 

brothers brings something that is

uniquely his own to this experience. 

Taken in that context, my age is 

really not an issue. Each day I draw 

strength from the fact that my life and 

work experiences are my unique 

contributions to the novitiate. 

I have been a Jesuit novice for 

about seven weeks, and in that time I 

have learned many new and wonderful 

things about the Church, the Society 

and myself. In many ways I feel that I 

have been re-born into a life that is both 

fulfilling and meaningful not only to 

me, but to the people I have already 

served, and will serve, as I continue this 

journey. 

I have also realized that the 

novitiate is the only place where a 

vocation to the Society can be tested 

and nurtured. To become a Jesuit priest 

I had to become a Jesuit novice. I 

needed to give myself the necessary 

time with God to explore my vocation 

completely. 

Today I can report that this journey 

has not been in vain. The vocation 

seeds that were planted more than 20 

years ago have begun to reap, what I 

hope will be, an abundant harvest of 

love and service. — AMDG 

José “Pepe” Ruiz, nSJ 

Consecrated to a Life of Service 

My vocation story started when I 

was born, in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, 

México – a border city with Texas. The 

first thing my parents did after my 

birth, even before going home from the 

hospital, was to consecrate me to Jesus. 

They went to a church and offered 

my life to God. Of course I didn’t know 

a thing about this throughout my life; 

they actually told me a few days after I 

came to the novitiate. They met in a 

Catholic Youth Group and ever since 

they’ve been very close to God. 

They drew us close to Him too but 

they never suggested anything about the 

priesthood. When they asked me what I 

wanted to be when I grew up I 

answered, “I want to be a priest,” but I 

also said I wanted to be a firefighter 

and policeman. 

Praying for God’s Will 

As I look back I can see how God 

was guiding me. Every time I was 

about to start an exclusive relationship 

with a girl I would fast and pray for two 

days, asking God if it was the right 

thing. During these days I would realize 

that she wasn’t for me, or she would 

realize that I wasn’t for her, or big 

problems would happen. Each time, 

after those two days it was hard to keep 

the relationship, so I would move on. 

This happened throughout my 

high-school years, and I 

continued to think about the 

priesthood. I even went for a 

retreat of discernment where I 

prayed to the Lord something 

that maybe I wasn’t supposed to, I said, 

“Lord, if you want me to be your priest, 

just let me have one serious relationship 

and afterwards I will be able to see both 

sides.” 

I think it was okay with God 

because it happened that way, and for a 

while I didn’t feel called. I had one long 

serious relationship and two very short 

ones. The long one is actually the 

reason why I speak fluent English, the 

main reason I am able to study in a 

seminary in the U.S. She couldn’t speak 

any Spanish so I was motivated to 

improve my English…fast. I didn’t 

even notice that God was giving me an 

English teacher! 

After that time I started feeling the 

calling to the priesthood again, almost 

immediately. I went for a retreat in a 

place called The Lord’s Ranch, in New 

Mexico, run by a Jesuit, asking the 

Lord to speak clearly to me. He did. 

Confirming God’s Call 

So, I took a semester off from 

college to pray about this big decision 

and asked the Lord for confirmation. 


During this time I saw God acting 

powerfully. In Mexico and in the U.S. 

He gave, through my and other people’s 

hands, food to the hungry, comfort to 

the sick, His word to the people in jail, 

clothing for the naked, and shoes for 

many in Mexico. 

I saw God saving babies from 

abortion and helping their moms in 

many ways. I saw Him heal the sick 

through a free clinic -The Lord’s Clinic 

-and through prayer. He showed me that 

He is the same Jesus from the Bible, 

healing the sick and expelling the 

demons with His strong hand (Acts 

10:37-38) and that He wants to do the 

same through me (Mt 10:8). He showed 

me that there is a different way of life 

than what the world offers. 

After seeing all these things, I had 

no doubts about the priesthood. Before 

I knew God wanted me to be a priest; 

now I badly wanted it as well. God had 

inclined my desires to His will (Ps 

119:36). I long to be His hands. 

I can’t wait for the moment of 

experiencing through my own sinful 

flesh the miracle of turning bread into 

the Body of Christ. I can’t wait for the 

privilege of forgiving the sins of God’s 

people. I want God to use me as He 

wishes, under his commands, under His 

service. Before I had bosses telling me 

what to do, but now my boss is 

Yahweh, the God of my fathers, the 

God of Ignatius, and the God of the 

people of Israel. I can only say that 

God has been graceful to me in every 

way. Blessed be His name. 

■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ 

Among our fi fteen novices, we 

h ave fi ve dive rse ethnic backgro u n d s . 

Some even sugge st that we have six, if 

you count Texas as one of th e s e 

d i ve rse backgrounds! 

We have been tru ly blessed to 

h ave such outstanding young men in 

our nov i t i a te. God is an equ a l - 

o p p o rtunity inv i ter! Thank you, God, 

and th a n ks to you for your gre a t 

s u p p o rt of these young men. Do 

continue to also be an inv i ter of th e 

young men you know. Sometimes all 

th ey are waiting for is an inv i tation to 

consider life as a Jesuit from someone 

like you! 


15

16 


In 

giving 

you 

receive… 

The rewards of compassion are not 

things to wait for. They are hidden in 

compassion itself. 

– Fr. Henri Nouwen 

Those two brief sentences of Fr. 

Henri Nouwen capture the work of Fr. 

Donald Bahlinger, S.J. in El Salvador. 

While he offers much to those he serves 

in this mountainous region, Fr. 

Bahlinger will be the first to tell of the 

many graces and blessings he receives 

from his work with the people of St. 

Bartholomew, i.e. San Bartolomé, 

Parish. 

Hope, Jesuit Style 

San Bartolomé parishioners have 

witnessed great strife with the Civil War 

of the 1980’s and early 90’s. The walls 

of their worship space are lined with the 

photos of those who died or are still 

missing from this horrendous conflict. 

Fr. Bahlinger notes that among all of 

this there is still great hope based on the 

promise of the Gospel. 

Padre Donald, as he is referred to, 

offers that hope from his uniquely 

“Jesuit” perspective. Whether it is 

building the first paved road in the town

or rebuilding the crumbling Parish 

House, he seeks to be a “man for 

others” so that all may give “greater 

glory to God” for their many blessings. 

In rebuilding the Parish House two 

miracles happened. First, many family 

and friends in the United States 

responded to a plea from Fr. Bahlinger 

to assist with funding the renovations. 

Their response was more than he ever 

dreamt of – but in the end God knew 

how much he would ultimately need. 

When the renovation started, it was 

found that there was rot in the beams 

and the walls had no real foundation. 

The entire building had to be torn 

down. The project turned out to be 

much more complex and costly than 

anticipated. 

The second miracle: Through 

putting in their “offering” of sweat, 

craftsmanship, and hard work, the 

parish has come closer together as they 

work toward a common goal. Not only 

did the parish gain a new and improved 

Parish House, they also gained a deeper 

sense of community. 

Where the many make one 

community 

San Bartolomé Parish actually 

encompasses the two municipalities of 

Arcatão and Nueva Trinidad – a rural 

region of northern El Salvador. Each of 

these municipalities is made up of eight 

to ten smaller villages. 

The main parish church and facility 

is in Arcatão. The “little church” is in 

Nueva Trinidad where Fr. Bahlinger can 

be found every Friday worshiping with 

the local community. 

The parish is a beehive of social, 

economic, and spiritual activity. With 

Padre Donald’s leadership and guidance 

the parish has started micro-businesses, 

worked closely with the government to 

bring civil improvements, and has 

worked hard to bring up the educational 

capacity of his parishioners. 

Micro Businesses Lead to 

Independence and Success 

San Bartolomé has fostered a 

number of small businesses to help with 

the depressed economy. There is an 

embroidery shop, a mercado (market) 

and a panaderia (bake shop). These 

projects provide a much-needed inflow 

of hard capital to the region. 

It is through these small projects 

that dreams turn to reality for the local 

communities. The palpable change is 

the sense of being in charge of one’s 

own destiny through a real opportunity 

– and not charity. 

Cooperation is Key 

These types of ventures need more 

help and coordination than the parish 

can provide on its own. Fr. Bahlinger 

states, “In an area where there is such 

great need, the key to success in solving 

local problems, is sharing resources 

between the church and local 

governments.” 

So, Fr. Bahlinger meets regularly 

with the mayors of the municipalities to 

ensure that limited resources are 

stretched as far as possible. In joining 

together the greater good is served. 

Education – an avenue to make 

the Salvadoran Dream a Reality 

San Bartolomé helps to educate the 

children of the parish but there are no 

local high schools and colleges for them 

to attend. So, with his “can-do” pluck, 

Padre Donald mobilizes families, 

friends and foundations for assistance 

and starts “Desarollo Humano Popular” 

(Popular Human Development). It’s a 

scholarship program with a twist. 

The program works like this. The 

parish offers scholarship assistance to 

parishioners for high school and 

university education, which the great 

majority could 

never afford to 

attend. But it 

also provides a 

support structure, 

utilizing Jesuit 

seminarians in 

the larger cities, 

to help with the 

transition from 

the rural 

mountain 

community to an 

urban center. 

High school 

students are 


required to perform weekly community 

service hours. “A majority of the high 

school students contribute to their 

communities through participating in 

parish ministries as catechists or choir 

members or serving as leaders of the 

youth groups in their communities,” 

reports Fr. Bahlinger. 

And the University students are 

asked to bring their new expertise and 

learning back to Arcatão and Nueva 

Trinidad. “Our students are counseled 

to return to the area and dedicate back 

to the communities what they received. 

In this way they promote the betterment 

of their families and of the entire area,” 

shares an ever hope-filled Fr. Bahlinger. 

Families are required to make huge 

sacrifices above and beyond the 

scholarship assistance. For families of 

little means it is tough to support your 

own home while providing for the 

needs of a child studying far away. But 

they do it willingly! 

The goal of the program is to have 

the graduates identify new opportunities 

of employment in the local area. In this 

way they can pursue their dreams here 

and not feel like they need to live in the 

capital, San Salvador, or migrate to the 

United States. 

Padre puts it so well when he says, 

“this beautiful dream of the future for 

these young people, children of 

subsistence farmers, is to create in these 

rugged mountains new possibilities of a 

better life and a better world in which 

the good Lord wants us all to share.” 


17

18 The SouthernJesuit

Miami’s Oldest Parish 

Still Gets Jesuits 

In 1896 greater Miami was officially incorporated as a city with a population of 

just over 300. Today, more than a century later, Miami-Dade County has over 2.2 

million inhabitants. From the city’s very beginnings, the Jesuits of the New 

Orleans Province have served there. Miami soil will continue to have Jesuit 

priests, brothers, and seminarians tread upon it for many years to come. 

In late August The Gesu Parish, Miami’s oldest parish, was transferred from the 

Jesuits of the New Orleans Province to the Jesuits of the Antilles Province. New 

Orleans Jesuits have staffed The Gesu since its inception in 1896. The Antilles 

Province Jesuits arrived in Miami in 1961 after being expelled from Cuba. 

Fr. Tom Griffin, S.J., who has served for many years in Miami and is from the 

New Orleans Province, will remain on the parish staff. New Orleans Provincial Fr. Fred 

Kammer, S.J. visited the loyal parishioners to greet and thank them the week before the 

announcement was made. 

This changeover builds upon the collaboration between the two provinces, which 

goes back to the arrival of the Antilles Jesuits from Cuba and their initial location in 

the early 1960’s of Belen Prep on The Gesu’s property. The assistance of the Antilles 

Province reflects their local 

strengths meeting the diverse 

needs of the New Orleans 

Province, a geographical area 

that extends from Miami all 

the way to Albuquerque. 

Additionally, this 

changeover responds to recent 

strong sentiments held by 

joint meetings of Jesuit 

leaders in the USA and Latin 

America: that together we 

must find more ways of 

helping one another with the 

amazing challenges of our one 

America. 

Young adults had an opportunity to meet with Fr. Billy Kidwell and 

Fr. Kammer. 


Mrs. Elisa García of Miami, together 

with son Emilio, present a painting of 

Jesus to Fr. Fred Kammer. Mrs. García is 

the mother of Jesuit Fr. Rafael García 

and an artist of many religious themes. 

Provincial Fr. Kammer visits with the Roen Family. Frs. Mayer and Griffin with the 

Galarneau family. 

Frs. Kammer and Kidwell share a moment with 

friends. 


19

A Special Remembrance: 

DAUNDRA JACKSON JOSEPH 

Every now and then a few people 

reach a fullness early on in life’s 

journey. They seem to achieve a 

completion before the rest of us do. 

They embrace all that life offers and 

simply know who they are and what life 

is supposed to be. Their lives have a 

compelling and uncommon purpose. 

Their living is complete, free from 

the necessity of spending more time 

trying to “get it right.” God calls them 

home early and their very lives become 

stars for the rest of us to set our sails 

upon in the adventurous journey of life. 

In the end, it is these folks who, in their 

dying, show us how to live. 

For the last twenty-four years when 

you called or came into our office, 

Daundra Jackson Joseph probably was 

the first person you came across. She 

managed the front office and was the 

official data administrator for the 

Jesuit Seminary and Mission Bureau. 

After a four-year battle with cancer 

she entered her heavenly reward on 

July 8, 2004. 

She loved all the Jesuits and she 

loved the demands of every aspect of 

her job. Provincial Father Fred 

Kammer quickly points out, “The 

Province has lost a great friend in 

Daundra. The good news, however, 

is that we are assured of a new and 

very close friend in heaven.” 

Daundra’s mere presence, along 

with her ability to keep a devoted 

24-year JSMB co-worker Al Brenes 

in check, will be sorely missed. “We 

worked closely together for so long, 

I still can’t believe she’s gone,” says 

Al, “I’ll be doing something, leave it 

undone and think to myself ‘Daundra 

will do the rest.’” Al adds, “She 

loved this place so much. She’ll be 

back.” 

Having worked with Daundra 

from 1989 until 2003, past executive 

director Brian Berrigan tried to 

articulate the loss saying, “Losing 


Daundra leaves a void for the office 

that will be hard to fill. She never 

wavered in her dedication to the office 

– even while going through an 

incredible battle with her illness.” 

To callers seeking encouragement 

and prayers from across the South and 

beyond, Daundra would always offer 

hope–firm in the knowledge of God’s 

saving grace. Executive Director 

Michael Bourg explains: “In so many 

ways Daundra was the backbone of the 

JSMB Office. She was able to take the 

time to ‘be there’ for so many visitors 

and callers while doing her own work 

in an efficient and thorough manner. 

She was a true gift of God.” 

According to Director of Programs 

Vince Liberto, “At this time, there is 

lots of talk about lay collaboration. Our 

office was truly fortunate and blessed to 

have Daundra, because for me she was 

a model of lay collaboration.” 

An active parishioner at Our Lady 

of Lourdes Parish in uptown New 

Orleans, Daundra served on the 

parish council and with CYO/Youth 

Ministry. She headed up various 

other ministries that spanned 

decades. In 1996 she was recognized 

as giving extraordinary service to her 

parish and to the Archdiocese of 

New Orleans. Archbishop Francis 

Schulte inducted Daundra into the 

Order of St. Louis and awarded her 

the Medal of St. Louis. Liberto 

emphasizes, “For recreation, some 

people play tennis or read books. 

Daundra’s recreation was putting 

together programs for her Church. 

And those were effective programs 

that really engaged, moved, and 

connected people.” 

Daundra leaves behind her 

husband, Alfred, and her 8-year old 

son, Alfred, III. An educational fund 

has been established for “little” 

Alfred. 

Alfred II and Alfred III at the plaque 

ceremony in the JSMB front office.

Help Us Meet 

Fr. General’s Challenge 

Fr. Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, S.J., 

Superior General, calls upon the New 

Orleans Province to pay close attention 

to the needs of immigrants and the poor. 

The Jesuit parish of the Sacred Heart, 

only a few blocks from the border 

between Mexico and the United States, 

works diligently with both populations. 

In honor of Fr. Kolvenbach’s visit, 

this “Needs List” highlights a true sign 

of Christ’s mercy. Sacred Heart is a 

vibrant parish teeming with life, hope 

and activity. When asked to list his 

needs for the Border Ministry at Sacred 

Heart Church in El Paso, Texas, Fr. 

Rafael García, S.J. was hard pressed to 

limit himself because the need is so 

great. 

Fr. García asks for your help with 

their needs as much as you are able: 

1. Desks for the students for 

adults, youth & children thus a 

variety of sizes are needed. 

2. Our computer lab has Pentium 

II or equivalent computers (14 

total) and needs upgrading. Our 

adult students are learning 

computer skills/programs for 

better jobs. 

3. A “heavy duty” printer for the 

computer lab. All students use 

the same printer. 

4. English-Spanish dictionaries 

for our ESL adult students. 

This program is on-going. 

5. Moveable, large chalk 

board/marker board (on 

casters) – We could use two. 

6. A commercial, single gas 

burner for a large pot (e.g., for 

crawfish boil) to use in our 

tortilla factory-restaurant 

(micro-business of Sacred Heart 

that employs area women). 

7. A cash register for our 

tortilleria-restaurant, the type 

that keeps the records in 

memory, prints out receipts, etc. 

8. Blankets to give out to persons, 

mainly farm workers, who sleep 

on the street. This is on-going 

throughout the Winter. 

9. 8-10 lounge chairs for the 

Jesuit Community living room 

(chairs that, although 

comfortable, help posture, 

especially for the elderly). 

“We can always use a financial 

donation (check to Sacred Heart 

Church) to purchase what we need 

here,” Fr. García goes on “Also, this 

cash donation could be used to support 

our programs – people can select, i.e., 

youth-at-risk recreation program, 

literacy, primary, secondary and GED 

classes for adults, ESL, citizenship 

classes, computer lab, food baskets for 

the poor, St. Vincent de Paul to assist 

with rent and utility bills, books for 

Religious Education of Children; or the 

Parish’s high cost of utilities. A 

monthly donation towards a program or 

regular expense would be an excellent 

way to have an impact.” We hope that 

you’ll agree with Fr. García. 

CONTACT PERSON: 

Fr. Rafael García, S.J., Pastor 

SHIPPING INFORMATION: 

Sacred Heart Church 

602 S. Oregon St. 

El Paso, TX 79901 

Tel. (915) 532-5447 

Fax 533-0013 


“What have you 

been up to?” 

The Southern Jesuit caught up 

with Fr. Michael 

Bouzigard, S.J. in 

Oxford England to 

find our “What 

have you been up 

to?” As you will 

see in what follows 

– this is one busy 

Jesuit! 

Following my ordination to the 

priesthood in June 2001, the 

provincial missioned me to pursue a 

doctorate at the University of Oxford. 

Matriculating as a student of 

Campion Hall, the Jesuit college at 

Oxford, I enrolled in the Master of 

Philosophy course in International 

Development Studies. 

This two-year taught course 

allowed me to build upon my 

previous studies in economics, yet 

now, within a multidisciplinary 

(history, sociology, political science, 

social anthropology, and economics) 

approach to the poverty and social 

needs of the two-thirds world. This 

course, which I completed last 

summer, also granted me access to 

resources of the Forced Migration 

(Refugee Studies) programme. 

Indeed, the combination of 

extensive academic resources and 

firsthand experience of my various 

tutors have provided an excellent 

preparation for future missions in the 

area of the social apostolate and higher 

education in the Society of Jesus. 

Having transferred this year to the 

Faculty of T h e o l o g y, I continue toward 

the Doctor of Philosophy degree— 

writing my thesis on the interface 

between missionaries and economic 

development in the Caribbean— 

through an interdisciplinary approach 

focussing on sociology of religion. 

In addition to my academic 

pursuits, I have had the opportunity 

for pastoral ministry at a local 

Catholic school for girls and at the 

only Royal Air Force training base for 

cadets in England. 


21


Delving into the 

Past to Better 

Understand Today: 

The Center for the Study of 

Catholics in the South 

By Angela Anthony 

At a recent gathering of the Jesuit “Companions” a fascinating display of documents and 

items from the New Orleans Province Archives prompted interest in the collection and its role in 

Loyola’s Center for the Study of Catholics in the South. The Jesuit Archives are the foundation 

of the Center, providing a look into the role of the Society of Jesus in the South and a close-up 

view of daily Catholic life in bygone eras. 

The journals, reports, correspondence, photographs and personal items that find their way to 

the archives from the parishes, schools, programs, and individual Jesuits bring the story of 

Catholicism in the South to life. 

Based in the J. Edgar and Louise S. Monroe Library, CSCS is the only Catholic studies 

center in the nation that focuses on religious life in the South. The center encourages an 

interdisciplinary approach to the study of southern Catholicism. Its mission is to make Loyola’s 

valuable resources on southern Catholicism publicly available and to preserve this collection of 

knowledge for future generations. 

The center examines the private and public culture of those southerners, past and present, 

who are Catholics themselves or whose heritage is Catholic. Catholic cultures in the South 

include the diverse traditions of Cajuns, Creoles, African-Americans, and a variety of immigrant 

groups from the 19th century to present-day refugees from Southeast Asia, Latin America and 

Eastern Europe. 

“In a region dominated by 

Protestants, southern Catholicism 

has often been unrecognized. There 

is an urgent need to document the 

lives of Catholics and to share their 

stories in order to reach a more 

complete understanding of both 

southern culture and American 

Catholicism,” says David C. Estes, 

Ph. D., director of the Center for 

the Study of Catholics in the 

South. 

Already, Loyola’s archives 

are a treasure trove for 

researchers interested in the

diverse 

impact of Catholics 

on southern culture. Holdings 

include archives of the ten-state New 

Orleans Province of the Society of 

Jesus. These materials are letters, 

diaries, financial records, and 

photographs documenting the work of 

every Jesuit priest in the South since 

1837. 

The Jesuits have made important 

contributions to education, labor 

relations, and civil rights in the South, 

in addition to their history of building 

parishes and tending to the spiritual and 

temporal needs of believers. Other 

archival holdings in the library 

document the involvement of Catholics 

in literature and the arts, 

environmental issues, and 

politics in the twentieth 

century. 

The National 

Endowment for the 

Humanities has 

characterized the holdings 

as “vital to the study of 

Southern religion, politics, 

cultural history, and to the 

history of 

ideas in the United 

States.” These archival 

collections form the basis 

for the Center for the Study 

of Catholics in the South. 

The center places 

considerable emphasis on its 

public role and plans to 

sponsor lectures, symposia, 

and exhibitions. Additionally, the 

center serves as a curricular resource 

for other academic programs at 

Loyola. 

The Center for the Study of 

Catholics in the South celebrates the 

spiritual and intellectual identity of 

Loyola, while significantly enhancing 

Catholic scholarship in the United 

States. The center has been funded, in 

part, through a highly competitive 

Challenge Grant from the National 

Endowment for the Humanities. 


A Quiet Place, A Reflective Time, 

A Jesuit Retreat 

April 1-3, 2005 

Led by Fr. Don Driscoll, S.J. 

FOR MEN, WOMEN, AND COUPLES 

This Jesuit retreat is based on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. Fr. 

Driscoll teaches at Creighton University in Omaha, has been chaplain of 

Wisconsin Catholic physicians for 17 years; and is recognized as one of the 

most outstanding teachers and retreat directors in the United States. 

The retreat will be at Ave Maria Retreat Center, across the river from 

downtown New Orleans. For more information, contact 504-827-4043. 


23

In & around the 

p rov i n c e 

Mr. Anthony 

Borrow, S.J. who 

had been working as 

a counselor - training 

in San Antonio, 

Texas will continue 

his regency, teaching 

at Jesuit College 

Preparatory in Dallas. 

Fr. George 

Lundy, S.J., moves 

from Wheeling Jesuit 

University in West 

Virginia to 

Immaculate 

Conception Church in 

Baton Rouge, 

Louisiana, where he will serve in a 

threefold capacity: as assistant for 

higher education for the New Orleans 

Province; as a Catholic campus 

minister at Southern University; and as 

associate pastor. At Wheeling, Fr. 

Lundy was the university’s sixth 

president from 2000 to 2003. 

Louisiana. 

Fr. Kevin 

Wildes, S.J. comes 

from Georgetown 

University to begin 

his tenure as the 

sixteenth president of 

Loyola University in 



Br. Joe Martin, S.J. 

departs Strake Jesuit 

College Preparatory 

in Houston to serve 

as guestmaster and 

house assistant at St. 

Charles College in 

Grand Coteau, 

Fr. Brian 

Zinnamon, S.J., 

heads to Grand 

Coteau, Louisiana 

to direct retreats. 

Fr. Paul Patin, S.J. 

will serve as a 

pastoral minister at 

St. Charles College 

in Grand Coteau, 

Louisiana. 

Fr. Joe Tetlow, S.J. 

is the new program 

director at Montserrat 

Retreat House in 

Lake Dallas, Texas, 

after working in 

Rome as Director of 

Secretariat for 

Ignatian Spirituality in the Curia of the 

Society of Jesus. 

Br. Terry 

Todd, S.J. will 

hold two jobs, one 

at the Loyola 

University 

Physics laboratory 

and the other at 

Ignatius 

Residence for elder Jesuits. 

Fr. Jack Vessels, S.J. 

is the new retreat 

director at Montserrat 

Retreat House in 

Lake Dallas, Texas, 

after serving as the 

Catholic campus 

minister at Southern 

University in Baton Rouge. 

Fr. Jessie 

Rodriguez, S.J. will 

begin teaching at 

Spring Hill College 

in Mobile, Alabama 

since finishing 

studies in Tuscaloosa. 

Grand Coteau. 

Fr. William 

Mayer, S.J. begins 

as minister and 

guestmaster for the 

Loyola Jesuit 

Community after 

being a pastor at 

Gesu Parish in 

Miami, Florida. 

Fr. Bert Mead, S.J. 

will serve in various 

pastoral roles as 

needed in parishes 

throughout the 

Archdiocese of New 

Orleans. 

Br. George 

Murphy, S.J. prays 

for the Church and 

Society at Ignatius 

Residence, after 

loving service as 

guestmaster at St. 

Charles College in 

Fr. Leo Leise, S.J. 

will teach theology 

and lead retreats at 

Jesuit High School in 


Mr. Derrick 

Weingartner, S.J. 

will begin his regency 

period of Jesuit 

formation, teaching at 

Jesuit High School in 

Tampa, Florida.

Fr. Louis 

Lambert, S.J. returns 

to his native Tampa as 

associate pastor of 

Sacred Heart Church. 

Fr. Jerry Hughes, 

S.J. prays for the 

Church and Society at 

Ignatius Residence, 

after pastoral work in 

Mobile, AL. 

Fr. Edward 

Arroyo, S.J. begins a 

term as academic 

dean and associate 

professor of religion 

and society at the 

Jesuit School of 

Theology at Berkeley. 

E V E N T S 

I M M A C U L ATE CONCEPTION TO U R 

On April 24, Fr. Donald Hawkins, 

S.J. gave a tour of Immaculate 

Conception Church, the birthplace of 

the New Orleans Province. Joining him 

were friends and benefactors, coworkers 

and extended Jesuit family. 

This short tour of one of North 

America’s most historic churches 

revealed the treasures that have played 

A SPECIAL THANKS TO A 

SPECIAL MAN 

On June 18, 2004, Br. J. Joseph Remich, 

S.J. retired after serving the Jesuit Seminary and 

Mission Bureau as treasurer for 14 years. 

Since entering the Jesuits, Br. Joe’s entire 

apostolate was situated in the finance divisions 

of the province offices. He began as Assistant 

Treasurer for the entire province for the first 

ten years of his active life as a Jesuit. He 

became Treasurer for close to twenty years 

until he came over to the Jesuit Seminary and 

Mission Bureau in 1990. 

Countless missionaries and seminarians 

have gotten to know Br. Remich in a personal 

way through their dealings with him. Br. Joe was a main conduit of 

information and support to these 

Jesuits. 

Now at Ignatius Residence 

for elder Jesuits in New Orleans, 

B r. Remich enjoys the company 

of regular visitors and praying for 

the Church and Society. 


Fr. Hawkins led participants all over the 

Church and used a laser light to point to 

items up high and far away. 

At left: The stained glass windows of Jesuit 

saints were among the most interesting 

objects on the tour. 

Fr. Anthony McGinn, president of Jesuit 

High School in New Orleans, in attendance 

and listening attentively. 

an integral part of the faith-life of the 

New Orleans’ Catholic community for 

generations. Reminiscent of the early 

Jesuits, Fr. Hawkins wore a cassock and 

biretta. 

BREAKFASTS 

FR. GERRY FAGIN, S.J. spoke at 

Southern Jesuit Breakfast #12 on the 

topic “St. Ignatius Loyola’s Way To 

Find God in All 

Things” Fr. 

Fagin’s is a sought 

out spiritual 

director, retreat 

master, and a 

noted specialist on 

the life of St. 

Ignatius Loyola. 

This presentation 


25

26 

showed how Ignatian spirituality could 

be understandable, practical, and useful. 

FR. KEVIN 

WILDES, S.J. 

spoke at Southern 

Jesuit Breakfast 

#13 on the topic 

“The Catholic 

Idea of a 

University”, 

where he reflected 

on and shared 

some of the 

distinctive and differentiating features 

of Catholic education. 

MAY CROWNING at Ignatius 

Residence in New Orleans 

On Saturday, May 8 friends and 

benefactors came together with Jesuits 

for the annual May Crowning at 

Ignatius Residence in New Orleans. In 


Fr. Bob Ratchford led benefactors and 

friends in prayer and reflection on the place 

of Mary in the lives of Jesuits and all the 

faithful. 

the packed-to-capacity chapel, Fr. Bob 

Ratchford, S.J. led the prayer, preached, 

and headed the procession out to the 

statue of Mary, Queen of the Society of 

Jesus. Mrs. Charlotte Todd, mother of 

Br. Terry Todd, S.J., crowned Our Lady. 

After the service there was an 

Forget the Rock – How about 

Owning a Piece of the Province? 

Want to get that special someone something a bit different? Get them a 

New Orleans Province shirt and show your support for the Jesuits at the same 

time. 

The 100% cotton polo-style shirt is of a Natural 

color with a Navy collar with Bimini Blue accents. 

The shirt is offered in adult sizes from Small to 

XXX-Large. The prices for the shirts are as 

follows: 

Small, Medium, Large and X-Large..$23.00 

XX-Large ..............................................$25.00 

XXX-Large ............................................$27.00 

Please add $4 for shipping and handling. To 

order, please fill out the order form below and mail it in 

– or – if you prefer to use a credit card call 1-800-788-1719 or in New Orleans 

(504) 827-4043. 

Quantity______ Shirt Size______ Cost Per shirt______ Total_______ 

Add $4 for shipping and handling $4.00 

Grand Total for Order $_________ 

Name: ________________________________________________________ 

Address: ______________________________________________________ 

(Shirt will be sent to this address unless you notify us otherwise.) 

Phone:__________________________email __________________________ 

Payment method: ■ check ■ money order ■ credit card 

■ Visa ■ Mastercard ■ American Express 

Account # ____________________________________________________ 

Mrs. Charlotte Todd crowned Our Lady in 

the garden at Ignatius Residence. 

appetizing spread of Jesuit “preprandials” 

followed by a delicious 

lunch. 

Labor Day Gathering 

Frs. Mark Lewis, George Wiltz, and Tony 

Corcoran 

Also held at Ignatius Residence in 

September 2004 was the annual Jesuit 

Labor Day Picnic. Jesuits from around 

the province joined their elder brethren 

for food, fellowship and fun. 

This is also a time when the JVC 

South Volunteers first get a chance to 

meet many of the Province’s members. 

Jesuits and JVC’ers enjoy picnic

Ms. Mary Ann Griffin 

died in early 1990 – but her 

passion for her beloved Jesuits 

is still alive today. She 

planned ahead so that she 

could positively impact the 

Society of Jesus and the 

Church for scores and scores 

of years to come. 

Her love for the Jesuits 

had a family connection – her 

brother Tom. Fr. Thomas 

Griffin, S.J. entered the 

Society in 1947 and was 

ordained in 1958. He still 

serves the Church through his 

work at Gesu Parish in Miami. 

Ms. Griffin made 

arrangements to leave a 

substantial gift through a 

bequest in her will. In 

contacting our office she let us 

know that she was doing this 

and asked if there was a way 

to guide her donation to 

support the education of young Jesuits. 

We informed her of the Ignatian Trust Burse for 

the education of Jesuits. 

In her desire to help more “Toms” be able to 

prepare for ministry in the Church, Ms. Griffin left the 

Society of Jesus a bequest that came to us in 1991. 


L e ave a Legacy of Hope 

Thoughtful Planning Opens the Doors for Many 

This is Fr Tom Griffin’s favorite photo of his 

beloved sister Mary Ann. 

I am interested in joining THE IGNATIAN HERITAGE SOCIETY. 

Please send more information on the following gift and estate planning ideas: 

The money was placed in The 

Mary Ann Griffin Ignatian 

Trust Burse. 

In 1991 David Brown 

entered the Society of Jesus. 

The Ignatian Trust Burse, 

which Ms. Griffin started, 

began to benefit David 

immediately – helping to 

provide for his novitiate 

experience. Ms. Griffin, 

though long departed, has 

been there with him at each 

step of his journey through 

philosophy, theology and now 

graduate studies in Oxford, 

England. It was her 

forethought that allowed the 

Jesuits to be able to afford a 

plan for Fr. David Brown, S.J. 

Once completed with his 

studies, Fr. Brown will most 

probably be working with the 

Vatican Observatory in Rome. 

Mary Ann Griffin has enabled 

this very possibility with her generous bequest. 

The really good news is that, once David is 

finished with his studies, the Ms. Mary Ann Griffin 

Ignatian Trust Burse will help in the formation of 

more Jesuits. Truly, her gift will continue giving new 

promise and hope to the Church for decades to come. 

❑ Bequests ❑ Charitable Trusts 

❑ Gift Annuities ❑ Retirement plan assets 

❑ Charitable Life insurance ❑ Appreciated assets/stocks 

Name: ______________________________________________________________________________________________ 

Address: ____________________________________________________________________________________________ 

City, State, Zip: ______________________________________________________________________________________ 

Phone: ______________________________________Email:__________________________________________________ 

If you have already made a planned gift to the Jesuits, please inform the office so that you can be enrolled in The Ignatian 

Heritage Society. Please send the completed form to: The Jesuits • 500 S. Jefferson Davis Pkwy. • New Orleans, Louisiana 70119 


27

God calling? 

take time out 

to listen. 

Discernment Retreats are offered for any man considering a vocation to 

ministry in the Church – especially anyone considering the Jesuit way 

of life as a possible choice. 

Dates: Nov. 24-28 & Dec. 17-21, 2004 

Place: Grand Coteau, Louisiana 

Cost: $0 – No costs other than travel 

For Further Information: 

Fr. Marvin Kitten, S.J., Director of Vocations 

Tel. (504) 821-0334 

Email mkitten@norprov.org 

Web www.norprov.org/vocations/ 

Please join us for this reflective time of 

prayer and fellowship! 


Office of Development 

500 S. Jefferson Davis Pkwy. 


ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED 

The End of 

the Year is 

Coming!! 

The End of the 

Year is Coming!! 

As you make your year-end 

charitable giving plans, please remember the 

Jesuits of the New Orleans Province. Year 

end tax-deductible gifts can be made to: 


500 S. Jefferson Davis Parkway 

New Orleans, Louisiana 70119 

We are always grateful for your help in 

bringing the Good News around the corner 

and around the Globe! Thank you for 

thinking of us. 

Is the man in the 

Moon a Jesuit? 

Turn to page seven to find out. 

J Je 

s u i t 

U.S. Postage 

PAID 

New Orleans, LA 

Permit No. 137 

Non-Profit 

Organization 

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