JESUITS Central and Southern Fall 2018 Jesuit Brothers: Companions in Jesus Ordination in P.R. | Lessonsxxx from | xxx Angola | xxx | Working for Racial Justice Dear friends in the Lord, Queridos amigos en el Señor, Headlines often capture the Los titulares a menudo capturan los eventos significant events of the moment. significativos del momento. Mientras escribo esto, la crisis As I write this, the abuse crisis and de abusos y su legado exigen merecidamente nuestra its legacy rightfully demand our atención. El santo padre y el padre general han hecho un attention. The Holy Father and llamado a la Compañía de Jesús y a la Iglesia entera para Father General call the Society of atender esta situación crucial, cuidando a quienes han Jesus and the whole Church to attend experimentado abusos y tomando los pasos necesarios to this critical situation, caring for para garantizar la seguridad de todos los niños de Dios. those who have experienced abuse and taking steps Tras los titulares, sin embargo, continúa el trabajo to ensure the safety of all God’s little ones. silencioso y estable de Dios en y a través de la Compañía Beneath the headlines, though, the quiet steady de Jesús. Esta revista recalca esa realidad y nos brinda una work of God in and through the Society of Jesus fe renovada que Él que nos ha bendecido con hombres tan continues. This magazine highlights that reality and maravillosos como los hermanos Markoe y el padre Fichter gives us renewed faith that the One who has blessed continúa llamando nuevos apóstoles para servir al Señor. us with such wonderful men as the Markoe brothers Leerán sobre la ordenación del padre Fernando Luis and Fr. Fichter continues to raise up new apostles to Barreto Mercado, una ceremonia conmovedora en la serve the Lord. parroquia San Ignacio de Loyola y un momento de You will read of the ordination of Fr. Fernando Luis consolación para la Compañía y la Iglesia mientras Puerto Barreto Mercado, a moving ceremony at St. Ignatius Rico se recupera del huracán María. Se encontrarán con Loyola Parish and a moment of consolation for the novicios según ellos enfrentan los desafíos de la prisión Society and the Church as Puerto Rico recovers from Angola. La historia larga de nuestros ministerios en El Hurricane Maria. You will encounter novices as they Paso, Albuquerque y en Our Lady of the Oaks les brinda faced the challenges of Angola Prison. The long history un vistazo de la variedad profunda de tareas que los of our ministries in El Paso, Albuquerque and at Our jesuitas y nuestros colegas realizan. Verán rastros de la Lady of the Oaks gives you a glimpse of the rich variety obra de Dios en las vidas de Chris Farrell y de John Fava. of works that Jesuits and our colleagues perform. You Mucho de esto se encuentra bajo la superficie, pero will see the traces of God’s work in the lives of Chris testifica a un Dios laborando entre nosotros. Farrell and John Fava. So much of this lies beneath the Sin embargo, nuestro ministerio depende de nuestros surface but testifies to God laboring among us. compañeros laicos. La generosidad extraordinaria de Yet, our ministry depends on our lay partners. tiempo y espíritu de la señora Joan Gaulene recalca eso. The extraordinary generosity of time and spirit of Ms. Sabemos también que dependemos de ustedes para Joan Gaulene highlights that. We know, too, that we ayudarnos a continuar el trabajo hecho por tantos de rely upon you to help us continue the work done by so nuestros predecesores, y que continúa hoy en tantos many of our predecessors, continued today in so many lugares. Gracias por su generosidad. places. Thank you for your generosity. Tengan por seguras nuestras oraciones por ustedes Please be assured of our prayers for you and all y por todos los que aman. Por favor, recen por nosotros, whom you love. Do pray for us, that we may respond para que respondamos cada vez más completamente a la ever more fully to the call of Christ. llamada de Cristo. Sincerely yours in the Lord, Sinceramente suyo en el Señor, Ronald A. Mercier, SJ Provincial, Provincia USA Central y Meridional Ronald A. Mercier, SJ Provincial, USA Central and Southern Province 4 | Jesuit News 8 | Ordination in Puerto Rico First for this Province 10 | Jesuit Brothers: Companions in Jesus The Vocation to the Brotherhood 14 | Novices Visit State Penitentiary 8 Focus on Catholic Social Teaching 10 10 Jesuits Central and Southern Volume V • Number 3 14 Fall 2018 16 | Golden Jubilarians 50 Years of Service Editor Therese Fink Meyerhoff 18 | Jesuits and Racial Justice Contributor Responding to Call Claire Peterson Designer 22 | Albuquerque, El Paso, Tracy Gramm 22 Our Lady of the Oaks Advancement Director Celebrating Milestone Anniversaries John Fitzpatrick Jesuits is published and distributed by 26 | Joan Gaulene the Jesuits of the Central and Southern Volunteer Extraordinaire Province of the Society of Jesus. 4511 West Pine Boulevard 28 | Man in Formation: St. Louis, Missouri 63108-2191 Chris Farrell, SJ 314-361-7765 jesuitscentralsouthern.org 29 | Man at Work: Please address all correspondence John Fava, SJ about stories to the editor: [email protected] 30 | In Memoriam Send all correspondence about addresses, memberships, and bequests to the Advancement Office: [email protected] Cover: As police chaplain, Br. John Fava provides emotional and spiritual support 26 to officers in St. Louis. news briefs Province Responds to Clergy Sexual Abuse Scandal Referring to letters from Pope Francis and Jesuit Superior General Arturo Sosa, Provincial Ronald A. Mercier called on all Jesuits of the USA Central and Southern Province to observe a day of prayer and penance in solidarity with the victims of sexual abuse. His call came in the wake of the Pennsylvania grand jury report and the downfall of former-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick. He also asked the directors of the various Society of Jesus Begins Beatification province works to choose a date for a Process for Pedro Arrupe, SJ similar observance. “After discussion with my Consultors, Jesuit Superior General Arturo Sosa announced in July that the I ask all Jesuit communities to take Society of Jesus has initiated the process of beatification for former Saturday, Sept. 15, the Feast of Our Lady Superior General Pedro Arrupe, SJ. of Sorrows, as a day of fasting and prayer,” As required by the Catholic Church, the diocese of Rome Fr. Mercier wrote. “The road ahead will approved the opening of the process. It is the first step on the path involve all of us in responding to this to canonization, in which the Church formally declares a person a crisis and so it is right that we pray and saint. Father Arrupe is already considered a “Servant of God.” fast in union with one another, seeking This announcement indicates the Society of Jesus is willing to forgiveness of the sins that have been, commit resources to advance Fr. Arrupe’s cause for sainthood. This but also moving us to hunger and thirst may include work such as cataloging his letters and gathering for justice in solidarity with victims testimony from people who knew him. of abuse and all those who remain Father Arrupe was born in 1907 and entered the Jesuits at the age vulnerable.” of 20. He was ordained in 1936 and moved to Japan in 1938 to work Father Mercier noted that this day as a missionary. He was near Hiroshima when the U.S. dropped an of prayer and penance is just one step in atomic bomb on the city. addressing the crisis, but one which will He was elected the 28th superior general in 1965, while the serve to prepare the Church for what Second Vatican Council was underway. He proceeded to steer the lies ahead. focus of the worldwide Society to include more social justice issues. MORE webON THE For instance, he is responsible for the founding of Jesuit Refugee Services, which today provides education to refugees in more than The letters from Fr. Mercier and Fr. General Sosa 50 countries. are available on the province website, www.JesuitsCentralSouthern.org. He served as superior general until 1983 and died Feb. 5, 1991. 4 JESUITS | FALL 2018 MilestonesMilestones Seven Enter the Novitiate; Six Pronounce First Vows A Jesuit’s formation begins in the novitiate, Peter Gadalla, SJ, (center) was ordained to the diaconate in the Coptic Rite on July 17 in Cairo, Egypt, by His Beatitude, where he spends two years learning about Patriarch Ibrahim Issac Sidrak. He was joined by the Society of Jesus. This August, seven William Manaker, SJ and Provincial Ronald Mercier, SJ. men entered the Novitiate of St. Stanislaus Kostka in Grand Coteau, La.: Reynaldo Belfort, Timothy Bishop, Travis Crowe, Brent Gordon, Joseph Nolla, Nicholas Reed and Sonny Vo. The following day, Aug. 11, six second- year novices pronounced First Vows, bringing their own novice experience to an end and sending them forth to begin the next stage of Jesuit training as scholastics. Ángel Flores, Joshua Hinchie, Marco Machado, Jeff Miraflor, Jorge Roque and Connor Smith pronounced perpetual vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, Father Andrew Kirschman, SJ, Father Jeffrey Johnson, SJ, committing themselves for life to follow pronounced final vows on pronounced final vows Christ and to participate in his ministry Aug. 5 in Grand Coteau, La. on Aug. 31 at Strake Jesuit as Jesuits. College Preparatory Novices spend their time learning about in Houston. the Society of Jesus, how to pray and live in community and how to serve; in short, a novice learns what it means to be a companion of Jesus in the Church and the world today.