MARYLAND • NEW ENGLAND • NEW YORK PROVINCES SPRING 2011 SOCIETY OF JESUS V. Rev. James M. Shea, SJ V. Rev. Myles N. Sheehan, SJ V. Rev. David S. Ciancimino, SJ Provincial of Maryland Provincial of New England Provincial of New York Sharing Our Jesuit Mission Sharing means St. Ignatius Loyola sent St. Francis Xavier to the East with the command, “Go and set the whole world on fire.” That fire of God’s love fills and moves the listening hearts of Jesuits today just as it did for those first Jesuits. And it is through the and learning gift of the Spiritual Exercises that we seek to enkindle a passion for God in the I really hope that Jesuits hearts of all those with whom we share our mission and ministries today. working with people can Dr. Edward Peck, executive director of the Ignatian Colleagues Program (ICP), relate so deeply with them (see page 12 for story on ICP), captured this effort well when he stated quite that there is a real dialogue simply, “Part of the Jesuits’ gift to the world is sharing their mission with lay of hearts between our men people.” The ICP, featured in this issue of Jesuits, is an excellent example of and the people we serve. collaboration between Jesuits and our colleagues to achieve a common goal: Dialogue helps us discover hidden meanings in our enriching the personal spirituality of administrators, teachers and students alike tradition and opens up pos- in a way that motivates them to pursue the establishment of a more just society sibilities of purification and in every part of our world. growth that would remain In our three provinces, similar efforts are meeting with great success through unnoticed otherwise. The the work of Fr. James Conroy, SJ, and his colleagues in The Jesuit Collaborative. main thrust of our dialogue The Ignatian Leadership for Mission retreats, the Contemporary Leaders in Action should not be with ideas or two-year program of Ignatian leadership formation, and the Magis Program for lay systems, but with people. What really matters is men and women who work in Jesuit ministries are a few examples of how women people, and in dialogue and men across many Jesuit apostolates are being invited into the experience of with them we come in Ignatian spirituality. touch with old and new In the area of health care, the spirit of shared mission rooted in the love of God fears, old and new ritual is reflected in our three provinces’ health care administrators and the care that they needs, old and new inner ensure for our older Jesuits and those among us who are not well. liberations. And if this Finally, we rejoice and give thanks to God for the Jesuits who have most recently is the case, then we will need a far greater depth in professed final vows in the Society of Jesus. Their public profession of a lifelong our faith and a very wide commitment to the vowed life of poverty, chastity and obedience in service to the training so that we can be Church is testimony to their hearts on fire with the love of God. of help to those with whom As you receive this issue of Jesuits, the celebration of Easter will soon be upon we dialogue. us. May the fire of God’s love enliven your minds and hearts with deep faith, hope and love for God and God’s people. — V. Rev. Adolfo Nicolás, SJ General of the Society of Jesus Be assured of our prayers and best wishes for you and your families. Thank you December 21, 2010 for the many ways that you support the Jesuits and our ministries. MARYLAND NEW ENGLAND About Our Cover Fr. Robert Reiser, SJ, NEW YORK president of Saint Peter’s Prep, Jersey City, walks with students PROVINCES outside one of the Prep buildings. Features Looking to Our Future ...............................................................6 A Lifelong Commitment ...........................................................8 An Immersion in Jesuit Spirituality ........................................12 The Earth: A New Frontier ......................................................16 Jesuit On a Mission .................................................................18 Editors Rev. John F. Garvey, SJ Alice M. Poltorick Mary K. Tilghman Advancement Directors Rev. James F. Keenan, SJ Edward F. Plocha Grace Cotter Regan Please address all correspondence to Jesuits magazine at: Maryland Province Jesuits 8600 LaSalle Road, Suite 620 Towson, MD 21286 443-921-1310 [email protected] New England Province of Jesuits P.O. Box 9199 Watertown, MA 02471-9199 617-607-2890 [email protected] New York Province of the Society of Jesus Page 10 Page 6 39 East 83rd Street New York, NY 10028-0810 212-774-5500 [email protected] Jesuits is published three times per In Every Issue Look for this symbol to find year by the Maryland, New England more information online. and New York Provinces of the Society Province News.......................................2 of Jesus. The opinions expressed are Visit our websites at: those of the individual writers and do Across Our Provinces..........................14 not necessarily constitute the official Wisdom of Years..................................20 MARYLAND: www.mdsj.org policy of the Society of Jesus. Focus on Faith......................................22 NEW ENGLAND: www.sjnen.org ©2011 All rights reserved. Advancing Our Mission.......................26i NEW YORK: www.nysj.org Printed in the USA. Printed on recycled paper. 1 In the News Forming a Community of Believers and Leaders New England and New York Provinces offered their high school teachers, administrators and staffs an opportunity to share their hopes and experiences of Jesuit secondary education. The New England colloquium brought more than 350 colleagues to the College of the Holy Cross in September, — Edward Cardinal Egan and over 500 attended the New York gathering at Fordham Prep in October. Fr. Vincent Biagi, SJ, assistant to the New York provincial for middle and secondary schools and lay formation, summarized the goal of the New York colloquium in his opening remarks: “Forty years ago a group of 20 Jesuits gathered to establish the Jesuit Fr. Vincent Biagi, SJ, assistant to the New York Secondary Education Association. They Provincial for middle and secondary schools put forward its essential nature in the and lay formation now famous Preamble that still rings true to our experiences and beliefs: This colloquium witnesses to We believe that Jesuit secondary the veracity of these prophetic words Top photo: Regents Mario Powell, SJ, education can become a dynamic means and the power of the vision of Ignatius (Cheverus High School), and of forming a community of believers in and the Preamble to inspire us still.” Bret Stockdale, SJ, (Fairfield Prep) Jesus Christ and leaders in society. If At Holy Cross, Jesuit Provincial the faculty at a Jesuit school are men Bottom photo: Nativity School Fr. Myles Sheehan opened the day and women whose lives are inspired by Presidents Fr. John Wronski, SJ, with prayer. Fr. Joseph O’Keefe, SJ, (Boston), and Matt Brunell (Worcester) the Ignatian vision, then the question dean of BC’s Lynch School of about the percentage of Jesuits on the Education, gave the opening keynote, faculty is not an overriding issue. The “The Mission and Future Challenges school will be Jesuit if the lives of its of Jesuit Catholic Education,” and teachers exemplify and communicate Fr. Edward Fassett, SJ, secretary to its students the vision of Ignatius. for secondary and pre-secondary education and partnership formation at the Jesuit Conference, celebrated “This colloquium witnesses to the power the closing liturgy. Meg Florentine, of the vision of Ignatius and the Preamble New England provincial assistant for secondary education, described the day to inspire us still.” as “a venue for the province to thank — Fr. Vincent Biagi, SJ those who minister in our schools and to provide a platform to share best practices.” 2 ew Leadership N at Jesuit Schools Wheeling Jesuit University named Richard Beyer of Reston, Virginia, On October 16, 2010, John Hurley its first lay president. Beyer has spent was inaugurated as the first lay president 23 years in business and has served of Canisius College in Buffalo, New York. on university boards for 16 years. In his inaugural remarks, Dr. Hurley He took office January 2 and succeeds spoke of his vision for the college: Sr. Francis Marie Thrailkill, OSU, who “We embark on a journey, hoping for a served as interim president during the new and deeper collaboration between search for a new president. the Society of Jesus and their lay Tony Oroszlany will begin colleagues in their work here in Buffalo. his responsibilities as the first It is when we take seriously our responsi- lay president of Loyola School in bility for the service of the faith and the New York City on July 1. A 1987 promotion of justice that we become the graduate of Loyola, Oroszlany leaders that our world needs. Together, has been the vice president for we will pursue the magis, not just for the advancement and institutional sake of the prestige or high rankings or planning at Loyola since 2004. recognition it will bring our college, He earned his BA, cum laude, but because our success will ultimately in history from Georgetown glorify God: ad majorem Dei gloriam!” Fr. Kevin Quinn, SJ, has been named University in 1991 and his MBA, the next president of the University of magna cum laude, in finance & Scranton. He succeeds Fr. Scott Pilarz, management in 2000 from Fordham SJ, who will become the next president University. He succeeds Fr. Stephen of Marquette University in the summer Katsouros, SJ, who will become of 2011. Fr. Quinn is currently executive the director of the Institute of director of the Ignatian Center for Jesuit Catholic Educational Leadership Education and a professor of law at Santa in the School of Education at the Clara University in California.