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Jesuits - World Efforts to re-create Apostleship of Prayer The Apostleship of Prayer, the Jesuit-run outreach that has brought Catholics the Pope’s monthly prayer intentions since 1890, is in the midst of a serious effort to re-create itself and broaden its outreach. The revamping is focused on three areas: making the apostleship a digital prayer network; working with dioceses and parishes to introduce the apostleship to more people; and developing the Eucharistic Youth Movement, which is the branch for children and teens. A working document outlining the history of the Apostleship of Prayer, its current status and specific goals and methods for re-creating the movement was posted online in the summer and publicized by the Jesuit’s press office in early September. Too many people, including Jesuits, view the apostleship as “an obsolete ministry that belongs to the past” or one that is “just ‘a devotion for old ladies’ that doesn’t speak to younger generations,” says the document. At the same time, it says that millions of people around the world see the Pope’s monthly prayer intentions, share them online and make them part of their prayer lives. Through the apostleship, it said, the Church can “reach the masses with a simple and profound spiritual message,” which encourages them to open their hearts to the needs of the Church and the world. Reflecting the Apostleship of Prayer’s early connection with devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the document says it should be “a path that has its origins in the human heart, which becomes united to the heart of Christ and is sent out to the heart of the world.” Membership in the Apostleship of Prayer involves a commitment to beginning each day with a prayer offering one’s life to God and praying for the needs of the universal Church and the intentions of the Pope. Members promise to end each day prayerfully reviewing their blessings and failings. The morning offering and prayers are the basic membership requirements, and in many countries the apostleship has no registration, no groups, no fees, and no special meetings. The Jesuits estimate that about 50 million people fulfill the membership requirements in the apostleship and its youth wing, the Eucharistic Youth Movement. The plan for re-configuring the Apostleship of Prayer encourages adaptation to local cultures and needs; emphasizes the connection between praying and working for justice; promotes spiritual formation based on Scripture and the sacraments; suggests developing prayer intentions that can be shared by other Christians and members of other religions; offering the new apostleship as a means for the new evangelization. The proposals for the apostleship include some modifications in the papal prayer intentions “to address matters of interest to everyone, not just Catholics. The general intentions would challenge humanity, aimed at themes of universal justice,” it said. The “missionary prayer intentions,” prepared by the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, would keep their general focus on special concerns of the Catholic Church. In current practice, national Apostleship of Prayer directors send ideas to the international office in Rome. The international director and the Superior General of the Jesuits choose 12 themes and send them to the Vatican Secretariat of State where they may be modified in light of suggestions from Vatican offices. The final list - along with the missionary intentions - is returned to the Jesuits for distribution. The plan to re-launch the Apostleship of Prayer emphasizes the use of websites and social networks to share the Pope’s prayer intentions, notify people about emergency prayer intentions and create connections among people around the world, who are trying to follow Christ and serve the Church. - CNS Xavier relic in Australia A significant relic of St Francis Xavier - the arm with which he baptized so many thousands of people and which has long been enshrined in the Gesù, the Jesuit church in Rome - is visiting Australia. This pilgrimage is one important part of the Year of Grace Australia is celebrating this year. Jesuits have been invited to be actively involved, and the Provincial, Fr Steve Curtin, has strongly encouraged this, saying, “The pilgrimage provides a timely opportunity for presenting our Jesuit story and spirituality and for fostering vocations.” Fr Robin Koning, SJ has been busy preparing liturgical, catechetical and prayer material for the pilgrimage. Mgr Peter Andrew Comensoli, one of the auxiliary bishops of Sydney, is the main organizer of the visit. In his letter to his fellow bishops, he noted his hopes for the visit of the relic: “Given the missionary significance of St Francis Xavier for the Church in Australia, as well as his importance for the Jesuits, and the obvious spiritual link to the Year of Grace, my hope is that the relic will be generously received.” The relic arrived in Sydney on 16 Sept, and has begun a journey through almost all the dioceses in the country, spending about three days in each. It will return to Sydney in time for the Feast Day Mass in St Mary’s Cathedral on Monday, 3 Dec, before being brought back to Rome. - SJ Web Jesuit university to buy Philadelphia Archbishop’s residence Jesuit-run St Joseph’s University, Philadelphia, U.S. has signed a letter of intent to buy the Archbishop of Philadelphia’s residence from the financially troubled archdiocese at an expected cost of $10 million. The residence and its 8.9-acre property are adjacent to the Jesuit university’s 48-acre Philadelphia campus. The property’s main building is three stories tall and hosts 23,250 square feet of space. It includes a gardener’s cottage and a six-car garage. Both the university and the archdiocese are expected to sign a purchase agreement in the next several weeks. Funding for the purchase is coming from both the university’s internal resources and from donors. Cardinal Dennis Dougherty bought the residence in the 1930s for $115,000 and Philadelphia’s archbishops have lived at the residence since 1935. The Archdiocese of Philadelphia faces an operating debt of $6 million for the 2012 fiscal year and over $11 million in estimated legal costs for sex abuse cases. It is seeking to sell other properties such as a summer vacation home for retired priests and the Holy Family Center in Philadelphia. - CNA JIVAN: News and Views of Jesuits in India OCTOBER 2012 20
Interview In response to the needs of today, Fr General has restructured the Secretariats at the Curia in Rome. An important step has been the creation of the ‘Secretariat for Collaboration with Others’. Fr Anthony da Silva of the Goa Province is the first Secretary to take on this new mission. In a conversation with Luke Rodrigues, he shares his vision and dreams with Jivan: Tony, please share with the readers of JIVAN about your life and work before taking up this new assignment in Rome in 2012. As many of the readers in South Asia probably know, I spent more than 20 years of my Jesuit life teaching at JDV Pune. My specialization is in Psychology and I taught generations of Indian Jesuits in the Faculties “No future without collaboration” Interview with Anthony da Silva SJ, Secretary for Collaboration with Jesuits and Others You have been travelling widely since starting your work in March 2012. What are your observations about collaboration in the Society? In my travels I am delighted to find that collaboration is already taking place widely in the Society, though I must hasten to add, rather unevenly. At the risk of sounding too simplistic, I feel that in areas where the Society is growing, in Africa and Asia, there seems to be less appreciation for the need to invite others to collaborate in our mission. May be there is a smug feeling that since Jesuit numbers are large and adequate for the mission at hand, we do not see at present the need for lay collaborators. Some Jesuits in the “growth prone areas” may even see collaboration as a strategy for Jesuit collaboration, since the concept could mean many things to many people. A second priority is to do a “mapping” of collaboration projects and practices in the various Assistancies of the Society. Thus, it would then be possible to support and encourage a culture of collaboration in places where this may be weak; likewise the prevalent “best practices” in collaboration of some Provinces could be offered as possible models for others. A third priority is to encourage Provinces to develop shortterm “formation modules” for collaborators based on Ignatian spirituality but in keeping with their cultures and religious traditions. A fourth priority is to explore ways of possibly increasing the participation of our collaborators in decision-making bodies of theology and philosophy. In 2005 I was appointed the Provincial of Goa Province and on completion of my term in 2011, Father General asked me to take up this new mission at the Curia in Rome. The Secretariat for Collaboration has been newly set up by Fr General. You are the first Secretary. How do you see your role? I see my role principally as one of animating and inspiring Jesuit Provinces and Conferences to facilitate as well as strengthen this important dimension of collaboration in their various apostolic works. In the globalized world of today there is no future without collaboration. The pay back on “stand alone” style of functioning is sorely limited itoday. Instead, a new culture of collaboration, networking, and team work can be a more effective way of the realization of the kingdom of God among the people of the 21st century. Working in partnership with fellow Jesuits, with lay people, with Religious women and men inspired by Ignatian spirituality, as well as with others of different faiths and cultures can be a challenging new way of being Jesuit. evolved to suit the needs of the diminishing Society in the West. While diminishment may have initially driven some Provinces to greater collaboration with lay partners, General Congregations 34 (1995) and 35 (2008), have urged all Jesuits to embrace collaboration as part of the vision of Vatican II which emphasizes strongly the role of the people of God in the mission of the Church. Collaboration is, therefore, not to be seen as a strategic response to diminishment, nor a way of maintaining existing works, but an invitation to all to share in what Fr General Nicolàs calls, the missio Dei (the mission of God). The missio Dei is simply too large for individual Jesuits! What are some of the immediate priorities of your Secretariat? After many meetings and discussions here at the Curia and also during visits in some parts of the Society, many thought it would be most helpful to first have a clear and well-articulated concept of collaboration; this means, focusing on the theological, spiritual, cultural and social science underpinnings of collaboration. In this context there is also a felt need for a well-worked out “taxonomy” at various levels of the government of the Society. Do you have any special message for the Jesuits of South Asia? Since the South Asian Assistancy is now the largest in the Society with a total of 4036 Jesuits, the Society looks to these Jesuits to vigorously encourage and support collaboration in its apostolic Works. The challenge in South Asia is to package the Ignatian vision and mission of the Society in terms of its multi-cultural and multireligious environment, so that collaborators find these meaningful and inspiring. Also, a second challenge for South Asian Jesuits is to foster greater collaboration between the various ministries both within a Province and between Provinces of South Asia as well as East Asia. After reading this interview, if our readers want to get in touch with you, how could they contact you? My email address is: collab@sjcuria. org I would be happy to respond to your readers. Thank you for this opportunity to share my vision with Jivan. • JIVAN: News and Views of Jesuits in India OCTOBER 2012 21
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