(For Private Circulation) Fr. Louis Marie Léveil Fr. Pedro Arrupe Happy New Year! Happy Pongal!! JANUARY 2020 MNLMadurai Jesuits’ Newsletter CEN PROVINCIAL’S PROGRAMME JANUARY 2020 04-11 Retreat 12 Veethi Viruthu Vizha, Loyola, Chennai 17-18 JAAI Congress, SJC, Tiruchi 19 Convocation, Loyola College, Vettavalam 21 Mass for the Loyola Campus, Chennai 22-23 Visitation: LAV, Vadamelpakkam 23-24 Visitation: PAATHAI, Vallam 25 CEN-MDU Joint Consult (Forenoon), Maduralaya 28-30 Visitation: Kuppayanallur FEBRUARY 2020 02 Mass, Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, SJC, Tiruchi 03 Meeting with German visitors, LAV, Vadamelpakkam 06-07 Visitation: LCV, Vettavalam 08-09 Meeting of Ordination companions 10-11 Visitation: Harur 12-13 Visitation: LCM, Mettala 15 Pilgrimage to Konankuppam (all CEN Jesuits with Co-workers & Collaborators) 18 CEN- MDU Joint Consult – Maduralaya 23-1 Mar JCSA Meeting, Kathmandu In February 2020, Chennai Province will come out with its own Newsletter. MNL will continue to be available to our CEN brethren in social media (WhatsApp), in email soft copy as well as hard copy. Editor. Province Assembly: Text of Fr. General’s Video Address Dear brothers and friends in the Lord, I am delighted to address you all gathered in Chennai for a very special Province Assembly. Today, you formally inaugurate the Province of Chennai which I have created through a decree dated 3rd December 2019. It may be good to look at a bit of history. Madurai Province traces its origins to St. Francis Xavier himself and has had a long succession of Jesuit pioneers such as the Society’s Proto-martyr Antonio Criminali, Robert de Nobili, St. John de Britto, Constantine Joseph Beschi who laboured tirelessly for the spread of the gospel adopting and advocating a thoroughly inculturated approach to life and mission. The transition from the Old Madurai Mission to the New Madurai Mission was swift, spontaneous and smooth. After the Restoration of the Society of Jesus, with renewed vigour, Jesuit pioneers resumed their work, establishing and consolidating mission stations, parishes and dioceses. Educational institutions and other works were started one after the other to empower the people. For greater apostolic effectiveness and administrative convenience, new entities had to come into existence -- the dependent Jesuit Malabar Region in 1956 which became Kerala Vice-Province in 1960 and Province in 1983 and the dependent Jesuit Andhra Region established in 1972 which became Andhra Province in 1988. After GC 32, there were consensus efforts in Madurai Province to work for the liberation of the poor, especially the Dalits, the Tribals, and other marginalised to live in dignity. Establishing a new Chennai entity to further enhance our mission, was a long cherished dream of the Madurai Province, repeated in the Postulates of successive Province Congregations. Immediately after GC 36, I responded positively to your request and asked for a discernment process to get underway. I am extremely happy with the discernment process that happened here through Spiritual Conversation, involving the entire Province. In the context of the restructuring that has been going on in the South Asian Assistancy and in the light of the UAPs, I am very happy to establish the new Jesuit Chennai Province and appoint Fr. Jebamalai Irudayaraj as its first Provincial, to further sharpen our mission for greater apostolic effectiveness. Please remember the Chennai Province needs to: • Ensure the sustainability of the existing and proposed new initiatives; • Promote quality vocations to meet the Jesuit personnel needs in Chennai itself and the universal Society; • Strengthen union of hearts and minds to work together as companions of Jesus; • Train our men for a wide variety of ministries with competence, commitment, and spiritual depth. I encourage the two Provinces to develop collaboration and engage in joint apostolic planning and sharing of personnel and material resources in areas that are or may become apostolically fruitful. May God, through the intercession of our Lady of the Way, and that of St. Ignatius, St. Francis Xavier and St. John de Britto abundantly bless all the members of both the Provinces, especially the new Chennai Province that is being established, their partners in Mission and the people they serve. The motto of the Loyola Chennai Campus where this Province Assembly is held is Luceat Lux Vestra. Let your light shine. Let each one be the “fire that kindles other fires.” Let me conclude my video address by repeating the Theme of this Province Assembly: “Rooted in Mission, Rejoice and Shine!” God bless you all! CEN Provincial’s Mailing Address Fr. L. Jebamalai Irudayaraj, S.J., Provincial, Jesuit Chennai Provincialate, Loyola College Campus, Nungambakkam, Chennai - 600 034, Tamil Nadu (India) Fax: 91-44 28173411 / Email: [email protected], Tel: 91-44 28178411, Official Email : [email protected], Personal Email : [email protected] 2 Rooted in Mission, Rejoice and Shine Province Assembly and Inauguration of Chennai (CEN) Province (28 – 29 December) 2019 On December 28th, about 350 Jesuits assembled in front of the Main Block of Loyola College, Chennai, to offer a floral tribute to the statue of St. Ignatius before going in a procession, with Paraiyattam and folk dance, to the college church for the inauguration of the Jesuit Chennai (CEN) Province. Fr. Danis Ponniah, Provincial (MDU) was the main celebrant of the concelebrated Eucharist and with him were Fr. Jebamalai Irudayaraj, Provincial Designate (CEN), Fr. George Pattery, POSA, Fr. Jerome Stanislaus D’Souza (KAR), Fr. Amalraj Paramasivam (AND), Fr. Mathew Elanjipuram (KER), Fr. Dexter Gray (SRI) and Fr. Abraham Stanislaus Koppala, Provincial Designate (AND). During his homily, Fr. Danis retraced the labour pains of the past years which resulted in the happy delivery of the newborn Chennai Province. He drew a beautiful analogy of M & C (Mother-Madurai) and C (Child-Chennai). After the two Decrees of Fr. General establishing the new Chennai Province (CEN) and appointing Fr. Jebamalai Irudayaraj L. as its first Provincial, were read, Fr. Jebamalai Irudayaraj switched roles with Fr. Danis Ponniah and, as the Main Celebrant, continued with the Mass after washing the feet of two lay collaborators to symbolically represent our service for the marginalized. At the start of the formal sessions of the Province Assembly in Betram Hall, Fr. P. Francis Xavier, Rector of Loyola, Chennai, and Convener of the Province Assembly PrepCo, welcomed the gathering and spelled out the dynamics of the day. A video address of Fr. Arturo Sosa, our Superior General, was screened (see p.2 for the full text of the address). Fr. L. Yesumarian who had been the first Chengai Mission Animator spoke on the initial work of animation and coordination of the Mission work. Fr. Jebamalai Irudayaraj gave a detailed account of how the dream of Chennai Province was realized with the starting of many apostolic ventures. He recalled important milestones in Chennai Mission history and gratefully remembered how the previous Chennai Mission Assemblies contributed to the growth and development of this independent Province. He listed the various apostolic activities through which we reach out to the most marginalized people: Dalits, Tribals, Migrants, Youth, Children and Women. He also presented the future plans and new initiatives for further development and expansion of the new Province. The JCSA South Zone Provincials were honored by both the CEN and MDU Provincials. Each of them, in turn, offered their felicitations and prayers for the development of the new Chennai Province. After a delicious meal in the Loyola Hostel, all those present gathered once again in Betram Hall to listen to the lay collaborators and beneficiaries from various Mission Stations of the Chennai Province. All those who shared about the contributions of the Jesuits remembered with gratitude the significant works done by Jesuits in their respective places. It was an informal sharing but the sentiments of gratitude they expressed came from the depths of their hearts. 3 NEWS DIGEST Fr. C. Amalraj shared on the contributions of Madurai Jesuits to Myanmar and he extended a warm welcome to missionaries from the newborn Chennai Province. In the evening, Fr. A. Irudayaraj coordinated a tasteful cultural programme from various mission centers of the Chennai Province. Cultural troupes from JESIM, PAATHAI, AHAL, Harur and the Dream Team of Loyola staged colorful and meaningful performances thoroughly enjoyed by all the Jesuits and lay collaborators present in the hall. On the second day, the official group photo of the Province Assembly was taken in the college football ground before the formal sessions began in Betram Hall with a short prayer service conducted by the Arul Kadal scholastics. By way of recognizing the apostolic achievements within Chennai Province area, all the former Provincials of Madurai Province and the Animators, Superiors and Treasurers of Chennai Mission were honored with mementos. Jesuits have been working in Chennai Mission but, some having gone to their eternal reward, are not with us at the dawn of the new Chennai Province. Their portraits were prominently displayed on the stage and floral tributes were offered to them by both the Provincials. Also, two trees were planted in their memory by the two Provincials and watered by senior Jesuits in front of Betram Hall. The Province Assembly came to a grand finale with a concelebrated Mass of Thanksgiving presided over by Fr. Danis. In his homily, Fr. Jebamalai Irudayaraj shared his expectations and dreams for the future of the new Chennai Province. Fr. Darwin, Superior of Dhyana Ashram, wholeheartedly thanked all those who made this two-day Province Assembly a grand success. After a sumptuous LOHO (Loyola Hostel) meal, the participants of the Assembly departed as members of two Provinces talking lightheartedly about “ours and yours,” the reason being that the list of members of MDU and CEN were out in digital form on the first day evening.