Jesuit and Friends Winter 09/10

www.jesuitsandfriends.org.uk Winter 2009 Jesuits & Friends 1

Jesuits and FriendsA faith that does justice

Winter 2009 Issue 74

Jesuits and FriendsJesuits and FriendsA faith that A faith that does does justicejustice



Winter 2009 Issue 74Winter 2009 Issue 74



Royal Opening of the Dermot Gogarty Sports CentreZimbabwe: Our Lady of the Wayside celebrates

Guyana: remembering the ‘Little Padre’

South Africa: World Cup 2010PLE

ASE TA

KE A C

OPY

All don

ations

grate

fully

rece

ived

BRITAIN – Fr Matthew Power SJ

Loyola Hall, Warrington Road,

Prescot L35 6NZ Tel: + 44 (0)151 426 4137,[email protected]

GUYANA – Fr Joaquim de Melo SJ

Jesuit Residence, PO Box 10720,

Georgetown, GuyanaTel: + 592 22 67461,[email protected]

SOUTH AFRICA – Fr Russell Pollitt SJ

Holy Trinity, PO Box 31087,

Johannesburg 2017, South Africa,

Tel: + 27 (0)11 339 2826,[email protected]

Or visit

www.jesuit.org.uk/becomingajesuit

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life as a Jesuit priest or brother?

For more information, contact:“You and I know that theknowledge (of Christ Jesus) of

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and women, it’s a knowledgethat fills our hearts entirely, it’s aknowledge that is rooted in loveand explored in love and makesus say at those key moments…‘I

do it for you Lord’”.

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installation as Archbishop ofWestminster, 21 May 2009

“I had some problems and you listened to me andhelped me. I like JRS because when I was sick yougave me a bus pass for my hospital appointmentand you gave me some food”. An Ethiopian woman

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ContentsWinter 2009 Issue 74

Editorial

Tim Curtis SJOur Lady of the Wayside celebrates:

parishioner, Mike Hamilton, shares somegolden moments from the jubilee in Zimbabwe

4

The World Cup 2010

Welcome to Soccer City - Thomas Plastow SJforesees local benefits from the internationalsporting event taking place next year in South AfricaOn the ball – But Anthony Egan SJ warns thatthere may be an unsavoury side to the occasionAnd the parishioners and High School studentsof Soweto say ‘thank you’ 6

The beginnings of ‘community’

Cristina (Potty) Connolly reflects on theBaptism programme at Sacred Heart parish insouth west London 8

St John's Beaumont welcomes the Queen

as she officially opens the school’s new SportsCentre 9

Take time to discover life’s little miracles

Kyra Noblet explains why she now leaves herwatch at home, after working as a volunteer inDodoma 10

The Everest of Open Air Swimming

The parent of a pupil at St Ignatius College,Enfield, attempts to swim the English Channelin support of its sister school in Tanzania. ByTim Byron SJ 11

The remarkable story of the ‘Little Padre’

Ged Clapson marks the centenary of the startof Fr Cuthbert Cary-Elwes’ missionary work inthe Interior of Guyana.Plus - Jesuits are honoured at Guyanese Massin New York 12

Desperately seeking God in central London

Dr Paul O’Reilly SJ of the Mount Street Jesuit

Centre, on making the Incarnation a reality in

Westminster 14

Faith School brings harmony to West Everton

How music is having an impact on a community

in Liverpool and upon the children of St Francis

Xavier’s primary school in particular.

From Debbie Reynolds, Zoe Armfield and

Ged Clapson 15

St Aloysius Gonzaga School: a testament to

faith in action

Ashleigh Callow visits two schools in Kenya

which are partnered with St Aloysius’ College

in Glasgow 16

Skills and shelter for young Zimbawians

Emilia James, Director of Zambuko House,

explains how they are helping young

Zimbabweans experience a better tomorrow

17

Obituaries 18-19

Bits n pieces

News in brief from around the province 20

Their voice has gone out

Michael Beattie SJ, the Promoter of the

Apostleship of Prayer, reflects on the Holy

Father’s intentions 22

How can I help? 23

The Directors of European Jesuit Mission

Offices during their meeting at Loyola

Hall on Merseyside. They are pictured

here with Frank Turner SJ (front row,

centre), the Director of OCIPE, the Jesuit

European Office. See page 21.

Jesuits and Friends is published

three times a year by the British

Province of the Society of Jesus

(Jesuits), in association with JM.

Tim Curtis SJ

Executive Editor

Ged Clapson

Editor

Editorial group:

Denis Blackledge SJ

Dushan Croos SJ

Alan Fernandes

Jane King

Siobhan Totman

Graphic Design:

Ian Curtis

www.firstsightgraphics.com

Printed in the UK by

The Magazine Printing Company

www.magprint.co.uk

To protect our environment papers

used in this publication are

produced by mills that promote

sustainably managed forests and

utilise Elementary Chlorine Free

process to produce fully recyclable

material in accordance with an

Environmental Management

System conforming with BS EN

ISO 14001:2004.

Editorial office:

11 Edge Hill

London SW19 4LR

Tel: 020 8946 0466

Email: [email protected]

Cover photo credit: Arthur Edwards

4 Jesuits & Friends Winter 2009 www.jesuitsandfriends.org.uk4 Jesuits & Friends Winter 2009 www.jesuitsandfriends.org.uk

The Parish of Our Lady of the Wayside is unique in being a

Jesuit parish - not just in the sense of being served by

Jesuit priests but because the church is owned by the

Society of Jesus. It has within it Arrupe College, which is a

Jesuit School of Studies for Jesuit scholastics from

throughout Africa, as well as the apostolic nunciature and

the provincial Jesuit headquarters. There is also an

establishment, Richartz House, for Jesuits who are elderly

or infirm. There are a number of convents of different

religious orders within the parish too.

The parish is a vibrant one. Its character has changed over

the years, reflecting changes within the community of

which the parish is a part. The organ has been replaced by

the African drum as the main instrument accompanying

hymns in the parish church. Attendance at weekday Masses

in the morning and evening would probably be the envy of

many parishes. The number of active organisations has

multiplied. There are several active women's groups, and

We are approaching the “season of

goodwill to all” where many people,

moved by the mystery of the

Incarnation, seek to go out of their

way to do some good deed for

others. It is wonderful to see people

who are normally so busy with their

own lives looking out for the needs

of others.

Jesuits, indeed all who are

touched by the spirituality of St

Ignatius, are privileged to be able to

make this an all year round activity. It is our calling to

seek out and help those most in need, most neglected

by others where the most good can be done.

But this means that we don’t just help the first needy

person we come across. Members of the Ignatian family

are constantly asking themselves questions: Why am I

doing this work? Could I be doing this work in a better

way? Could what I do be more effective? Could more

people be helped if I did what I do in a different way?

Through a constant process of reflection and review,

we can make sure that we are attuned to the promptings

of the Spirit who helps us make “the greater glory of

God” a reality in the particular circumstances of the

world of today.

Anniversaries are a precious moment for doing this.

Various works of the British Province of the Society of

Jesus are celebrating important milestones, 100 years

of the Amerindian Apostolate in Guyana and 150 years of

St Aloysius in Glasgow are two important ones that

occur this year. Obviously, these celebrations involve a

lot of looking back with gratitude. We give thanks to

God for the heroic work of those who have laboured

before us.

However, anniversaries are also a time to look to the

future. Our work needs to be constantly renewed. We

know that outstanding Jesuits in the past have

discerned how best to reap a rich harvest from their

labours, but it is up to us today, in honouring their

memory, to engage in the same process to make their

work ours and take it into the future.

As you read through the various articles that we have

collected together for this issue, I hope that, like me, you

are struck by the great generosity of many people.

However, behind each story lies the deeper question of

why this work was chosen and a prayerful reflection on

how it can be continued.

It is reported that when Jerónimo Nadal, one of

Ignatius’ first Companions, was asked who the Spiritual

Exercises were for, he replied: “They are for Catholics,

for Protestants, for Muslims, for everyone”. So this gift

of being able to choose what good we should be doing is

the gift we can share with the world.

From the Editor...Jesuit parish inZimbabwecelebratesgolden jubilee

Fifty years ago, in December 1959, the Parish of

Our Lady of the Wayside in Harare's Mount

Pleasant, Zimbabwe, was founded and

celebrations to mark their Golden Jubilee have

been ongoing through the year. Parishioner, Mike

Hamilton, has been assessing how the parish has

developed over the past 50 years and what

makes it so vibrant.

more than one association

predominantly for men. Throughout

the week there are activities being

conducted by a variety of groups. In

addition to having an active Society of

St Vincent de Paul, the parish has its

own outreach group to assist the poor

of the parish.

The parish has been divided into

zones, in an effort to promote

small neighbourhood Christian

communities. This has met with

varying success, with some zones

having well attended meetings and

others attracting few participants.

Within the parish there is a Catholic

secondary school, St John's High

School, which also serves as a Mass

centre, an orphanage and school for

the deaf run by the Dominican

sisters at Emerald Hill and St Anne's

Hospital, which was founded by

sisters of the Little Company of Mary.

The country's largest university, the

University of Zimbabwe, which has

its own chaplain, is close to the

parish church.

One of the events at the golden

jubilee celebrations was an inter-

zone choir competition. This was the

first time the parish had attempted to

have an all-day fun day for

parishioners and it proved so popular

that it was clearly an event worth

repeating.

Last year, the parish decided to

make its harvest festival an occasion

not only for bringing foodstuffs for

donation to the poor, to be brought up

during the offertory procession at

Mass, but also an opportunity for

bringing the parish family together.

We repeated it as part of the golden

jubilee celebration.

One of the biggest challenges the

parish faces is one that confronts

many parishes, namely how to pass

onto the younger generation a love for

the Mass and appreciation of their

Catholic faith, in a world where they

are continually bombarded with

messages that undermine Christian

values. Another is the lure for young

people of some evangelistic non-

Catholic churches offering what may

seem to them more attractive

services than the Mass, particularly if

they have never learnt to appreciate

what Mass is all about.

There are two active youth groups

within the parish, both of which are

doing a good job. Keeping such

groups going has proved a challenge

in the past, as the dynamism of some

groups can be lost when some of its

keenest members become adults and

move out of them. Encouraging

children to talk to the priests of the

parish is another challenge, given

that the priests are over 70 years of

age and the young people are

conscious of the generation gap.

The parish has for a long time been

noted for the generosity of its

parishioners, many of whom are

among the more affluent members of

society. That generosity, even during

the difficult economic times the

country has gone through, was once

more demonstrated at both the

harvest festival last year and at the

golden jubilee celebrations. A whole

cow and whole pigs were donated to

ensure there was plenty of meat for

parishioners to share together. Such

donations made it possible to make

meals affordable and helped raise

money for the parish.

All in all, the priests and

parishioners of Our Lady of the

Wayside parish have a great deal to

give thanks and praise to God for. May

He continue to bless this parish and

help it to do better still in carrying out

His work in Mount Pleasant.


Preparing for the Parish feast

6 Jesuits & Friends Winter 2009 www.jesuitsandfriends.org.uk

You cannot move around any major

city in South Africa without being

affected by the FIFA World Cup 2010

soccer tournament, whether you like

football or not. Not only are there

billboards announcing it on the streets,

the streets themselves proclaim it in

the almost infinite number of

roadworks we are forced to negotiate

as we head to and from work.

None of us who works at the Jesuit

Institute (JISA) or at Holy Trinity Parish,

both in Braamfontein (Johannesburg),

have been left unaffected. Down the hill

to the north of us Empire Road is being

revamped. South of us the Rea Vaya

rapid bus transport system has altered

the face of the inner city, swallowing

the middle chunk of one of the major

roads. To the east of city centre, near

my community in Belgravia, not only do

we have Rea Vaya but the impressively

rebuilt Ellis Park stadium. To the south

west our colleague, Puleng Matsaneng,

must pass massive roadworks, the Rea

Vaya again, or two thoroughly upgraded

stadia – Orlando Stadium and FNB

Stadium – from her home in Soweto to

the office in Braamfontein.

The Southern African Catholic

Bishops Conference (SACBC) has

dedicated a section of their website to

2010, posting items of news that may

be of interest – possible pastoral

strategies for parishes which will

(hopefully) receive a significant influx of

visitors. I expect, nearer the time, to see

folk writing about the ‘spirituality of

sport’ or of ethics of sportsmanship; if

not, perhaps the JISA crew should do

this.

On a more ominous note, there is a

section on the SACBC site expressing

the fear that three million tourists may

well ‘encourage’ the less savoury parts

of our society – organised human

traffickers – to increase their business

to meet the ‘need’ for prostitution. A

coalition of NGOs, including JISA, has

made written interventions to

encourage the government not to

legalise prostitution in anticipation of

2010. JISA member Fr Chris Chatteris

SJ produced a thought-provoking

article for our website

(http://www.jesuitinstitute.org.za) in

which, citing Sweden as an example, he

argued that the focus should be on

prosecuting those who solicit rather

than the prostitutes themselves. A

human trafficking activist friend of

mine used Chris’ piece as part of her

intervention in the recent NGO meeting

with the government.

Meanwhile we wait to see what will

happen, not so much whether Bafana

Bafana (the South African team) will

surprise us all and win – a cynic like me

would say that even miracles have

limits! – but how the World Cup will

affect us during and after 2010. Billions

have been invested in infrastructure;

will it pay off? There is much

speculation that 2010 may have a long

term boost effect for tourism. But will it

happen? What if there is another major

economic meltdown in the meantime?

What if the tournament is marred by a

terrorist attack? As the political

analysts say: there are many

‘independent variables’. In other words,

we have no idea what to expect!


South Africa is gearing itself

up for the 2010 World Cup.

While the occasion is

probably going to mean good

news for the country’s

economy and infrastructure,

there could be more sinister

results from the influx of

visitors. Fr Anthony Egan SJ

from the Jesuit Institute of

South Africa writes.

JM

ON THE BALLTHE WORLD CUP 2010

A view of the new stadium as seen fromSt Martin de Porres Church


St Martin de Porres, the Jesuit-run

parish in Soweto, is eagerly

anticipating the 2010 World Cup.

The opening match and final will be

played at the new ‘Soccer City’ on the

outskirts of Soweto. This is a newly

built stadium on the site of a

complex that was erected between

Johannesburg and Soweto, before the

fall of Apartheid, in an attempt to bring

people of different races together for

sporting activities.

Our parish had a much older stadium

made of wood and iron, and this was the

original home ground of Orlando

Pirates, one of the most popular clubs

in the country. In fact, their greatest

rivals, Kaizer Chiefs, also began in the

township of Orlando. When these two

clubs clash there is more interest

expressed than for an international

game. The din of the vuvuzelas (long

plastic trumpets) is so great during

these matches that I do not have to have

the TV on to know who has scored – I

can tell depending on which side of the

church property erupts at that time!

Orlando Stadium was rebuilt last

year. Since it seats only 40,000, it will

be but a practice venue during the

World Cup, but it is a valuable new

asset in this part of Soweto. During

night games, the sky is ablaze,

enabling one to walk about outside

without a torch. The parishioners love

it, except for those who cannot get in

and out of their houses during a match

because of the way fans park

across the entrance to the

neighbouring houses.

Fr Thomas Plastow SJ is parish

priest of St Martin de Porres Church.

Both the parish and the High School

of St Martin de Porres in Soweto have

benefited from the generosity of Jesuit

Missions donors and those who ran in

the 2009 London Marathon.

“Thanks to you we have received

financial support which is already

being put to good use in the

improvement of the grounds and

facilities at the school,” writes Fr

Thomas Plastow SJ. “In August, some

unemployed men of the parish spent a

few hours each day clearing the empty

lot below the school which the late

Father Xolile Keteyi had bought as a

sports ground back in the 1980s. In

this way, they were able to take home a

wage packet each week and do some

lasting good for the school.

The St Martin de Porres

parish hall has also been

refurbished, using donations

from Jesuits and Friends

readers. This building,

originally from the 1950s when

people were forcibly relocated to this

area, was in a bit of a state. They have

now been able to patch up the existing

structure, remove all the old asbestos

ceilings, and equip the hall with ceiling

fans, a small kitchen, additional

security and wheelchair access.

“Since the hall was officially

reopened we have held several large

church functions, a ‘health day’ on

which we provided free testing for

diabetes, high blood pressure and

HIV/AIDS, and the South African Blood

National Blood Service has begun to

hold bi-monthly blood drives for those

who are able to donate,” Fr Plastow

informs us.

Thanks from St Martin de Porres

JM

Welcome to Soccer CityThomas Plastow SJ

The new fences which some local men have been erecting in order to provide bettersecurity around the school, which has sadly become necessary in order to discouragetruancy and to prevent drug trafficking – a growing problem in high schools acrossgreater Johannesburg.

And the refurbished parish hall, packed with the Ladies’ Sodality


The Rite of Baptism suggests starting

at the church door as it is the sacrament

of “Entry into the Church”. At Sacred

Heart, we have a big open space so,

weather permitting, we start outside

with the initial welcome. A mini survey in

the parish in which we asked what made

baptisms here so memorable resulted in

“welcome” being the most popular

word. This is the sort of scene Jesus

himself would have been familiar with –

an outdoor setting with parents bringing

their children to him to be blessed. Fr

Kevin Donovan was often thought of as

the Pied Piper as he led the

congregation into the church playing

his flute.

Fr Kevin also stressed how

important preparation was for the

families, so preparation courses are

held on the first Sunday of each

month attended by parents of

children being baptised that month.

This makes for the beginnings of

“community”. Each family is visited at

home the week before the baptism to

ensure that the ceremony becomes

personal.

Baptism is a community sacrament

but due to the size of the parish,

baptisms during Sunday Mass do not

prove practical. Joint baptisms of three

or four babies take place on most

Sunday afternoons. Every two months,

the recently baptised babies and their

parents are invited onto the sanctuary at

the 9.45am Family Mass to be presented

to the congregation and afterwards to

share refreshments.

Music is an important part of the

ceremony and we have had grandfathers

playing oboes, guitarists, violinists,

pianists, solo singers and a godfather

from Galicia in North West Spain playing

the Gaita Gallega (the equivalent of the

Scottish bagpipes).

The ceremony is lively and participative

based on the Directory for Masses with

Children. Children are encouraged to

take an active part by composing bidding

prayers, playing instruments and

preparing pictures connected with water.

Many non-church goers have

commented how much they have felt

involved on the day and not threatened

by something incomprehensible or

stuffy. Appropriate scripture readings

and bidding prayers are read by

members of each family, often in

different languages. Over 20 different

languages have been spoken over the

years, including Cornish and Manx.

When parents are of mixed faiths, the

emphasis is “what do we share in

common?” Children can grow up to be

bridge builders and experience the

richness of different cultures and

traditions. One letter of appreciation

said: “I was amazed at the way you

bridged the gap between our two faiths –

it was very moving. I was used to such a

rigid view of the Catholic Church; my

faith is entirely restored.”

Follow-up pastoral visits encourage

families to build community in their

respective neighbourhoods. Families

who have had their children baptised on

the same day often continue their

friendship and go on to share the

sacraments of reconciliation, first

communion and confirmation.

In addition to Infant Baptism, Sacred

Heart parish also runs an active RCIA

programme for adults and a “Minicat”

(Mini Catechumens) group. Minicats

provides an opportunity for children of

catechetical age and their families to be

introduced/re-introduced to the parish

through the sacrament of baptism.

More details are available on

www.sacredheartwimbledon.org.uk


Sacred Heart parish in Wimbledon,

south west London, is currently

raising funds to replace part of the

floor of the church near the

baptistery. The plan is to dedicate it

to the late Father Kevin Donovan SJ,

who established a comprehensive

programme in the parish for the

families of those preparing for

baptism. Parishioner Cristina (Potty)

Connolly continues to coordinate Fr

Kevin’s legacy and reflects here on

why the occasions are so special.

‘community’The beginnings of

Her Majesty The Queen received an

enthusiastic welcome when she visited

St John's Beaumont in Berkshire, and

officially opened the school's new

Sports Centre. On her arrival at the

Jesuit school, Her Majesty was greeted

by the British Jesuit Provincial, Fr

Michael Holman SJ, the Chair of

Governors, Fr Kevin Fox SJ, and

Headmaster, Mr Giles Delaney, who

proceeded to escort the Queen on a

tour of the school.

Their first stop was the new Sports

Hall, where boys were demonstrating

the school's state-of-the-art cricket

nets which are helping them improve

their sporting skills. The Queen then

inspected an impressive art exhibition,

before moving onto the fitness suite and

performance studio. She then returned

to the foyer where there is an indoor 30'

rock climbing wall, which the boys

demonstrated for her with much energy.

Mr Delaney then escorted the Queen

around other areas of the school, and

she engaged enthusiastically in

conversations with the pupils and staff.

On her return to the Sports Hall, the

school orchestra played Land of Hope

and Glory, after which pupil Joshua

Steeds gave a virtuoso performance on

the violin.

It was Her Majesty's first visit to the

Jesuit preparatory school, although

she had visited its Senior School,

Beaumont College, in 1961, on the

occasion of the centenary of its

foundation. A painting of that event

still hangs in the entrance to St

John's Beaumont. The new block,

which cost £2.8m to build, is

dedicated to the memory of Dermot

Gogarty, Headmaster of St John's

Beaumont from 1987 until his

untimely death in a car accident

in 2005.

Mr Delaney, who succeeded Dermot

Gogarty, recalled the passion that his

predecessor had for the Jesuit

education principles of both producing

'men for others' and also for ensuring

the development of the whole person,

spiritually as well as academically. He

also reminded the audience, made up of

parents and supporters of the school,

and members of Mr Gogarty’s family, as

well as pupils and staff, of Dermot’s

energetic support of sporting activities

among the boys and his ambition to

provide St John's Beaumont with

excellent facilities. This, Mr Delaney

said, had now been achieved in his

name. He then invited Her Majesty

The Queen to unveil a wooden

plaque commemorating the official

opening of the Dermot Gogarty

Sports Centre.

Ged Clapson


St John's Beaumontwelcomes the Queen

HM The Queen encourages the pupils on the rowingsimulators at St John’s Beaumont. Credit: Arthur Edwards


There is an old Swahili proverb,

‘Mambo mazuri hayataki haraka’,

‘Good things should not be

hastened’, which beautifully

encapsulates one of the many things

I learned earlier this year from my

six month experience in Dodoma. I

discovered that Africa overwhelms

the senses, and I shared many

incredible sights, smells and tastes

with the local people. In fact, I had

the opportunity to share many

things: my faith with other young

people, languages and dialogues

with my students, my rucksack with

a scorpion, and most importantly,

time. I shared a lot of time with the

community there and I learned that

the Tanzanians are remarkably

practiced in making time to greet

people, to listen, to understand, to

learn and to empathize. Greetings in

African culture are especially

important and in Airport Parish

where I worked, members of the

community happily and freely

relinquished their minutes to take

time to greet one another, ask about

each others’ families, and stayed

long enough to hear the reply.

We don’t tend to be as selfless with

our time here in the UK, and I think

we miss far more than we realise. A

lot of life’s small miracles are often

overlooked and fade into a frenzied,

hectic day. For the Tanzanians, even

the small things are sincerely

appreciated; a warm conversation, a

breathtaking view. The disabled

children I worked with in the

Cheshire Home in Miyuji had very

little to treasure but for them an old

bucket was a new hat and a tired

blanket could very quickly become a

magic cloak!

The pace of life in Africa is very

different from that in our cities and

during my stay I didn’t always cross

off my to-do list or finish all my

ironing; but when I climbed into bed

at the end of each day, I knew that I

had been listened to, I had

understood and I had shared. I got

up the next day and went into work

(with rather creased clothes) but

with a sense of integrity and value,

knowing that I mattered to the

community, that I belonged, and that

the relationships which had been

attentively developed over my

months there had such depth that I

found myself unable to feel alone in

any problem or crisis.

It is this investment of time that

leads to solid networks between

parishes and families. All the

ribbons of community life become

wonderfully bound together and in

time this steadfast web is able to

support each individual.

Communities are supposed to be

eclectic and colourful and when

people from very different

generations and lifestyles come

together, it will not be without its

problems; but as I’ve seen first-

hand, strong relationships and

bonds help to nourish a healthy

environment where respect and

appreciation of one another can

flourish.

The act of listening seems to have

been lost somewhere in our hectic

lifestyles. Relationships and

communities can’t be expected to

develop or endure on their own, they

need a generous helping of time.

Benjamin Disraeli once said “But what

minutes! Count them by sensation,

and not by calendars, and each

moment is a day.” We all have plenty

of moments to cherish and plenty of

moments to give. Since my trip, I have

learnt to appreciate the ordinary as

extraordinary and to leave my watch at

home every once in a while.

For more information about

becoming a volunteer with JM, please

see www.gbjm.org.uk


JM

Kyra Noblet has recently

returned from Dodoma in

Tanzania, where she worked in

the local school, youth centre and

Cheshire Home, as part of the JM

Volunteers programme. Here she

reflects upon one timely effect of

her experience.

Take time to discoverlife’s small miracles


Mark Sexton (47) is a former pupil

of St Ignatius College in Enfield, and

his sons, Luke and Daniel, are

presently students there. Mark was

so inspired by their commitment to

raising money for their sister school

in Africa that in mid 2008 he decided

to swim the English Channel to raise

money to allow AIDS orphans to

attend the Jesuit school in Dodoma,

Tanzania. Mark used to swim every

day in the school pool.

As the crow flies (or the dolphin

swims) the channel is 21.7 miles

across; however, due to the

movement of the body of water in the

channel, the distance covered is

likely to be 30 miles. As well as local

currents, the narrowness of the

channel exaggerates the tidal effects

– so on occasions you could drift up

to 10 miles north or south. The

major hazards in attempting such an

open cold water swim are

hypothermia and ensuring that you

have enough energy to continue

swimming. Other dangers are jelly

fish stings – although Mark was

stung more often in training. The

good news is that cold salt water has

a healing effect, but the scars still

lasted for over three weeks.

There is a whole subculture to the

intrepid breed we call channel

swimmers. There are strict rules

that mark any channel swim which

reflect the first crossing by Captain

Matthew Webb in 1875. Men must

only wear swimming trunks a hat

and goggles.... no wet suits allowed,

and contrary to popular myth no-one

wears goose fat. Although a bit of

extra fat is necessary to keep you

warm – as Mark points out you never

see thin seals!

The temperature of the water is 2.5

degrees centigrade, which is

swimming in water that is colder

than a can of Coke in the fridge.

Because of the cold water you are

using more energy to keep your body

warm – so you need to feed regularly;

that is where the back-up crew

comes in. You need to drink hot

carbohydrate drinks frequently,

refuelling every half an hour.

However, this refuelling is closely

monitored, the swimmer is not

allowed to touch the boat so their

food is thrown to them in a bottle on

a string and they have to consume it

lying on their back in the water. The

cost of hiring a boat and a pilot, as

well as the medicals you need to

undergo, and joining the Channels

Swimmers and Pilots Federation

(CSPF) is roughly £6,000.

The strangest visual experience

crossing the channel is the

phosphorescence, according to Mark.

“Just before dawn you get

these little sparkles of

light from the tiny

microorganisms in the water. This

gives a very beautiful effect,

swimming in the dark and seeing

these sparks as your hand breaks the

water.”

After 15 months of training – on

average 20-25 miles a week, some

weeks up to 60 miles - Mark had

already swum the distance of the

Channel 38 times. On Friday, 25

September, he embarked upon his

epic swim. He swam for 9.5 hours –

and had just 5.8 miles to go to the

French coast – when a shoulder

injury lead to him swimming with one

arm for the last half hour. He

couldn’t get his arm out of the water

so kept swimming into the boat. The

attempt was aborted, but it was a

heroic effort nevertheless.

Mark’s first feelings at not finishing

was that he had let everyone down;

but these feelings soon disappeared

when he got home and realised how

much support he had received from

everyone . Now he realises that it is

unfinished business. His bravery and

commitment have inspired many in

north London and beyond. The

money he has raised will go to pay

for the education of orphans in

Tanzania, at St Ignatius primary

school in Dodoma. Please join in by

contributing at www.justgiving.com

/channelswimfordodoma/

But that’s not all: at a recent dinner

at St Ignatius College, the next

challenge was revealed – a team of

parents swimming a relay from

Europe to Africa. If you are

interested in joining in contact

[email protected].

Follow Mark Sexton’s adventure on

www.marksswimsthechannel.blogspot.com


Swimming the channel between

England and France is considered

to be ‘The Everest of open water

swimming’. Considering the

numerous challenges - freezing

cold water, the long distance,

swarms of jellyfish, one of the

busiest shipping lanes in the

world, tides, currents – you

either have to be mad, stupid or

very, very dedicated to even

consider attempting the feat. Fr

Tim Byron SJ, Chaplain at St

Ignatius College, Enfield, writes

here about one parent’s attempt

to swim the Channel in support of

their sister school in Tanzania.

The Everest of OpenWater Swimming


The remarkable storyof the ‘Little Padre’

Fr Cuthbert Cary-Elwes’

first missionary ambition was

to be sent to China or among

“the very wild Indians” of Brazil.

In June 1902, he wrote to the Jesuit

General, Father Luis Martin SJ:

“From my earliest childhood I have

had a great desire to work among

savages who know nothing of Jesus

Christ, and this has always been

coupled with an ardent desire of

dying for Him who died for me – a

grace I have never failed to ask for

every day at Mass. It was this desire,

together with an admiration for St

Francis Xavier, which made me seek

admission into the Society and to

ask during my noviceship to go to

the mission.” Such references to the

non-Christians of the Far East and

South America obviously pre-date

political correctness!

The General left the decision in the

hands of the Provincial of the

English Province who eventually

agreed, in 1904, to send him to

British Guiana (now Guyana). After

three years in Georgetown, Fr Cary-

Elwes was stationed at

Morawhanna, offering the Mass and

teaching the catechism to the

children. The biggest event of the

year was the Assumption Day

procession on the river, with the

boats lit up with Chinese lanterns

and the people united in prayers and

singing hymns.

At that time, the Bishop of British

Guiana, Compton Galton SJ, decided

to open up new missions in the

interior of the country. He

commissioned Fr Cary-Elwes for the

work and, at the end of 1909,

accompanied him as far as the

Takutu River. For the next two years,

Cary-Elwes had to rely on

interpreters – a particular

frustration when dealing with issues

of faith. But the priest diligently

practised and learnt the Makushi

and Wapishana languages until he

became fluent and was able to

travel extensively among the

Patamona Indians, instructing,

baptising, preaching and building

churches and mission houses.

The missionary’s pastoral area

extended almost 300 miles and he

In the latter part of 1879, a 12-

year-old boy by the name of

Cuthbert wrote to his uncle in South

Africa, informing him that he wished

to pursue the same vocation as him,

as a missionary priest. He also

wished to become a Jesuit like his

uncle – Father Augustus Law SJ, one

of the great missionary pioneers of

the Zambesi. Cuthbert followed his

uncle both into the Society of Jesus

and to the missions, though to South

America not Africa. And this year,

the British Jesuits have been

celebrating the centenary of Father

Cuthbert Cary-Elwes establishing

the first missionary post in the

Interior of Guyana in 1909. As Ged

Clapson recalls.


Guyanese Catholics in New Yorkcelebrated their 20th annual Massrecently at the Church of St GerardMajella in New York; the church wasfull to over-flowing.

The Guyanese Mass was thebrainchild of Monsignor Paul Jervis,who was born in Guyana and served asan altar boy of St Pius X parish inGeorgetown. The Mass has, andcontinues to be, the occasion whenGuyanese Catholics in New York andbeyond, worship together, pray for theircountry, make generous donations toprojects back home and socialize forabout two hours.

Part of the tradition is to invite apriest from Guyana to travel to NewYork to be the chief celebrant of theMass. This year it was Fr MalcolmRodrigues SJ, the Superior of theGeorgetown Jesuit Community. Heinformed the congregation of the

planned pilgrimage from Georgetownto St Ignatius in the Rupununi, toobserve the centenary of Jesuit work inthe Guyana hinterland.

Certain individuals or groups whohave made a special contribution to theChurch in Guyana are regularlyhonoured at this annual Mass: theJesuits of Guyana were one of the fourhonoured on this occasion. Inaccepting the award on behalf of thescores of Jesuits, both Guyanese andnon-Guyanese, alive and dead, whohave worked tirelessly in British Guianaand later Guyana, for well over acentury, Fr Rodrigues stated that hewas also accepting the award "for theChurch in Guyana".

In his homily, Fr Rodrigues focused onthe role of technology, in particular thecomputer, in modern-day education. Heimplored his listeners to take theknowledge they have in their heads

down into their hearts and into theiractions.

During the reception which followedthe Mass, many took the opportunity togreet Fr Rodrigues and sharememories of Guyana. One of the guestshad brought a photo taken at hiswedding and took great pleasure inshowing it to the others. In that photowere youthful Jesuits Fathers FredRigby (d. 2001), Andrew Morrison (d.2004) and Harold Wong, who is still amember of the GeorgetownCommunity.

JESUITS HONOURED AT GUYANESE NEW YORK MASS

preferred to make his journeys on

foot, rather than by boat or on

horseback, saying that he found it

more helpful to prayer: “And without

a real spirit of prayer my life as a

missionary would be impossible.”

Indeed, it was Cary-Elwes’

prayerfulness that attracted people

– alongside his gentleness, his zeal

for souls and love for the Indians. He

mastered Makushi – one of the most

difficult languages of the region –

after eight or nine years in the

Interior, and used to sit late into the

night surrounded by men, women

and children instructing them, or

talking or singing with them. “He

had a deep-rooted respect for

them,” wrote one of his

contemporaries, “and was very

careful to observe and fall in with

their peculiar customs and points of

etiquette. All this made him loved

and revered and most heartily

welcomed wherever he went.”

The Indians’ name for Fr Cary-

Elwes was the ‘Little Padre’ – a term

of endearment and deep affection.

It was in January 1923, after 23

years in the Interior of British Guiana,

that Fr Cary-Elwes was struck down

by sickness. He was on his way to the

Wapishanas and became

serious ill and

disorientated, wandering

around the forest for

several weeks. He was

taken back to Georgetown

and from there to England,

where he gradually started

to recover. But back in

British Guiana, his

congregation sought news

of him, enquiring when

their ‘Little Padre’ would be

returning to them. He never did. He

remained in Britain for the next 20

years, giving lectures, missions and

retreats. He also spent a great deal of

time writing up his notes about the

Makushi, Aroak and Carib languages,

and writing hymns for the

Wapishanas. His affection for the

Indians was undiminished, and Bishop

George Weld SJ, who had succeeded

Bishop Galton, commented that this

incapacitation and his separation from

his people in British Guiana was “a

kind of martyrdom harder to endure

than that which he had prayed for

among ‘the cannibals of Brazil’”.

A friend of his wrote after the death

of Fr Cuthbert Cary-Elwes in

August 1945:

“His missionary exploits were

known widely, and had almost cost

him his life; yet because they had

not been crowned by martyrdom, for

which he ardently longed, he

considered them worthless. When

he talked of his beloved Indians, one

gathered that he felt he had been

more privileged to live among them

than they to have him there. He

fulfilled the injunction of St Ignatius

to ‘see God, Our Lord, in every

creature’, but I think he found it

easiest to do this in the case of

those whose simplicity had been

least tarnished … children,

unlettered folk and the so-called

backward races. His courtesy to

them was unfailing and exquisite.”


Mayfair in the City of Westminster is the

country’s largest single confluence of

power, influence, money and debt, coach

- and train-stations, drugs and

prostitution, hope and fear in the United

Kingdom. All of those things are obviously

inter-related. It is a place of transience -

Westminster has a resident population of

222,000 and a day-time population of 1.2

million. It is what people of my age used

to call a ‘happening place’.

And in this place, five years ago,

something happened that, with

hindsight, we think of as a very small,

but rather special Incarnation. At the

Provincial’s inspiration, a group of lay

people and Jesuits came together to

form the Mount Street Jesuit Centre on

the model of ‘cluster-working’ already

pioneered in other Jesuit centres in

Edinburgh and Preston.

He told us that “an apostolic cluster is

a grouping of Jesuits engaged in

characteristic missions of the society,

coming together in an apostolic team

and networking beyond that to

maximise their impact, influence and

effectiveness”. He hoped that it could

be a new way of responding to the

needs of the emerging Church –

building a praying, worshiping, learning

and working community out of an

inchoate and hyper-diverse group of

shifting, transient urban people, mostly

adrift from any real fixed points in their

lives and desperately seeking personal

experience of God.

And now, after five

years of trying, prayer,

discussion (and even a

little fasting), I believe

we have now come to

be a place of Faith –

Faith of many kinds.

It is a place of Faith

in Christian Truth, that

by thought and

reflection, reason and

revelation, we may

come to understand

something of who God

is in the world and

what God’s Presence

can achieve in our

lives. We learn

together the word of

God revealed in

Scripture and the

Church's teaching.

It is a place of Faith

in Christian Prayer –

that by coming to

know God’s presence

in the depths of our own hearts,

explored in the richness of many

spiritual traditions, we can come to

appreciate how God lives in and through

our own lives. So, we spread the

benefits of the Spiritual Exercises of St

Ignatius in all of their usual adaptations

and a few new ones. We have a

burgeoning network of spiritual

directors and a near insatiable demand

for their services. We pray together with

the God who inhabits us.

It is a place of Faith in Christian

celebration – that by celebrating the

sacraments of the Church we may

know the power of God’s grace within

us. We have a lively, active and growing

parish with a well-deserved reputation

of liturgical excellence and Christian

welcome. We celebrate together the

God who unites and inspires us.

It is a place of Faith in Christian action

– that being inspired by God’s presence

in us, we may find ourselves drawn to

God’s work in the world. We earth all we

pray, learn and talk about in the real

experience of the poor and

marginalized in Westminster –

especially that of the largest population

of homeless people in the country.

Like the people of Faith who come to

us, our programme is rich, diverse

and multi-faceted. We hope that there

is something for every person, no

matter where they are on the journey

of Faith. And we hope that it will

inspire in our participants and in

ourselves a constant growth of the

Faith that we profess.

One of my favourite poems is John

Betjeman's Christmas 1954. He

speaks of an Incarnation that touches

the hearts and lives of the greatest

and the least – from the “oafish louts”

who “remember Mum” to the ‘shining

ones who dwell, safe in the

Dorchester Hotel’. He believed that no

one is so rich or so poor as to be

entirely immune to the Incarnation –

the presence of God in a particular

time and place. And we happen to

think he was right.


Location! Location! Location!

The true story of an institution is

often more its geography that its

history, according to Dr Paul

O’Reilly SJ, the Director of the

Mount Street Jesuit Centre.

JM

Desperately seekingGod in central London

Photo credit: MSJC


The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic

Orchestra is helping to make major

social changes in one of the poorest

parts of the city, hoping that the

initiative will help residents feel a

greater pride in their community and

more importantly, increase

confidence and self-esteem among its

young children. In the five months that

it has been running, it is already

helping to nurture the aspirations,

self-esteem, creativity and teamwork

of the pupils of Faith School – the

primary school of St Francis Xavier’s

parish in West Everton. It has also

involved their families and the wider

community.

In Harmony was launched over the

summer and aims to make music an

integral part of the children’s everyday

lives. Almost 100 musical instruments

were provided for 81 pupils and 11

teachers, ranging from violins and

violas, to cellos and double basses. In

less than three months, they were

performing with world-renowned

cellist, Julian Lloyd Webber at

Liverpool’s Philharmonic Hall as the

West Everton Children’s Orchestra.

This was followed by an Open Day for

local residents at the West Everton

Community Centre. The day was

hugely successful, and included an

impromptu performance by some

children from Faith School, which is a

joint Anglican/RC primary school. The

In Harmony team also offered local

parents and children the chance to

have a concert in their own homes in

the school holidays, with each child

playing their own instrument for

family and friends. Over 20 homes

were visited in three days, and in some

of them, the audience was made up of

four generations!

The RLP have a long history of taking

their musicians into schools, but on

this project they are also working with

musicians from the Liverpool Music

Support Service and with staff and

students of Liverpool Hope University,

as well as the resident-led West

Everton Community Council, Faith

Primary School and the Jesuit parish

of St Francis Xavier.

“The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic

is absolutely committed to more

music making for children and young

people in Liverpool and Merseyside,

and this provides a massive

opportunity to get more children

learning instruments,” says Peter

Garden from the RLP.

Earlier this year, they opened a new

centre for the orchestra at what was

the Friary Church, which they have

transformed into a rehearsal room,

recording centre and community and

education venue. “We had been

talking to West Everton council and

local schools about what programmes

we could run, so In Harmony came

along at a perfect time,” says Peter.

“The rehearsal centre is right next

door to the schools where all of the

children are going to be drawn from,

so we’re literally side by side.”

Peter concedes that the plan is an

ambitious one, to get every one of the

93 children at Faith Primary playing

an instrument. “If this is going to work

we felt we had to have a really

intensive programme, with every child

in the school, linking to early years,

and a programme of

working with adults.

Then, we feel, we

could have a real

impact. We believe

In Harmony could

lead to real social

change. We hope to

see a shift and a

change in the

confidence of the

children and young

people, and the

way families are

viewing their whole

community.”


JM

FAITH SCHOOL BRINGSHARMONY TO WEST EVERTONFrom Debbie Reynolds, Zoe Armfield and Ged Clapson

Photo credit: RLPO

16 Jesuits & Friends Winter 2009 www.jesuitsandfriends.org.uk16 Jesuits & Friends Winter 2009 www.jesuitsandfriends.org.uk

I have been to several townships in

Southern Africa, but nothing prepared

me for Kibera. All my senses were

engaged on arrival! Tiny dusty

alleyways are the pathways not only for

human traffic, but they are the sewage

system and the rubbish dump.

In order to get to the different parts of

the school I had to hop, skip and jump to

dodge puddles and get from rock to

rock in the narrow alleyways that wend

their way between the mass of shanty

dwellings that approximately one

million people call home.

What impressed me more than

anything is the hop, skip and leap of

faith the community at St Al’s (as it’s

affectionally known) has taken to

provide quality education for children

who have nothing and who come from

very difficult home environments:

children who have lost one or both

parents to HIV/AIDS; children adjusting

to living with their extended family

where, in many instances, they are very

aware of being an additional burden to

the family or are exposed to abusive

situations.

The classes have limited resources

and are dark and hot, with tin roofing,

and the only natural light coming from

the narrow corridors. Despite the

haphazard nature of the school

structure and surrounds, classes

happen in a quiet and orderly fashion.

From the labs, which are precariously

balanced on the roof of classrooms

below, the site for the new school

building can be seen. Most pupils don’t

believe that the promises that they’ve

heard of a “new school” will bear fruit,

but when I was there earlier this year

building contractors were submitting

their bids. Soon after, foundations were

being laid, and in August the external

walls were up to the level of the ceiling

of the ground floor. Seeing dreams

becoming reality is always inspiring and

even more so when the obstacles of

getting there have been seemingly

insurmountable. St Al’s is certainly a

testament to “faith in action”.

The pupils at St Al’s, with their smart

green and white uniforms, stand out in

the community as they move from class

to class in between people’s homes. In

true Jesuit fashion the school has an

active community service project which

involves most of the graduates from the

school. These pupils are positive role

models for a community struggling

from decades of government neglect.

St Aloysius Junior School in Glasgow

and Laini Saba Primary School in

Kibera have recently joined the

Companions' Programme. We wanted

to have pupils of a similar age in

communication and so Laini Saba

Primary, which is one of the feeder

schools to St Al’s in Kibera, was decided

upon.

Laini Saba Primary School is in the

heart of Kibera; to get there, three St

Al’s graduates accompanied me on our

50 minute walk. En route we passed

numerous hairdressers and butchers

all colourfully adorned to lure

passersby. We mainly walked along the

railway line that intersects Kibera.

“Laini Saba” means “line seven” and

this is the closest station stop to the

school.

Laini Saba is next door to Christ the

King parish where an enormous church

is being built to accommodate the

burgeoning number of parishioners.

Sister Margaret, the headmistress of

Laini Saba, told me about the dramatic

happenings early last year when they

found themselves in the epicentre of

the political conflict in Kibera. She

recounted how worried they were

because buildings around them were

being set ablaze and the school

building is made of wood. She spoke of

the groups that came in to counsel the

children after the conflict. A number of

children were very traumatised, but the

fact that they were able to receive some

kind of counselling certainly helped.

The heads at both schools are very

keen to see the partnership developing

and Mr Kiambi the headmaster of St

Al’s said, “We are excited about our

partnership. It is very mind-opening

and it is good for the students to explore

new possibilities. We hope that the

partnership goes from strength to

strength so that it will be of mutual

benefit to our students in Glasgow, and

here in Kibera.”

St Aloysius Gonzaga School: a testament to faith in actionAs part of the Companions’

Programme, St Aloysius’ College in

Glasgow is partnered with St Aloysius

Gonzaga Secondary School in Kibera,

Kenya. Earlier this year, Ashleigh

Callow of JM visited Kibera and the

programme’s two partner schools to

discuss the Companions’ programme,

which sees the exchange of culture

and ideas and the sharing of a

common Ignatian ethos.

The children of Laimi Saba school. Photo credit: Ashleigh Callow


Most of the youths we work with at

Zambuko House are drawn from the

streets, although many of them are

now coming via other child welfare

institutions. Services offered include

a ‘home’ environment which

accommodates an average of 16 to 20

homeless teenage boys and/or young

adults at any given time, and a ‘drop

in’ facility for a maximum 30 to 35 boys

per month for their personal and

hygiene needs. We have a ‘jewel box’

approach whose aim is to be practical

in a small but very effective way. The

driving force in the achievement of our

objectives is guided by our passion to

instill in the beneficiaries the sense of

family living and belonging, and the

dignity they lost as a result of their

harsh background (street life).

Through our comprehensive

Outreach programme, we manage to

visit most of the homes and

communities or social support

systems of all the boys on our

programme. Outreach is an ongoing

activity as well as the cornerstone and

an important aspect of our work. For

example, two brothers were referred

to us from a government institution

which had ‘expelled’ them because of

their ages. They were reported as

having no relatives but some relatives

were traced as a result of our

intensive Outreach efforts. They now

have a social support system to fall

back on, even after they finish their

individual intervention programmes.

Another achievement is that we no

longer have school-going youngsters

resident at Zambuko House. Those

who are academically gifted are being

assisted with fees, and they are

encouraged to stay with their

identified support systems so as to

avoid the boys making Zambuko

House their permanent home. After

observing that the majority of the boys

were always spending holidays at

Zambuko House, we began

encouraging them to spend weekends

and holidays with their families and

communities; this re-integration is

yielding positive results.

Challenges and Future Plans

Most of the activities within our

Skills Training Department are being

managed mainly by volunteer and

part-time staff. Funding in this regard

is important and has to be considered

by funding agencies, if the project is to

have a professional approach in its

activities and be able to retain

professional staff as well: most

donors are not keen to fund staff

salaries.

There is a need to upgrade our metal

workshop, which is not well equipped

and some major items need

replacing. We also need money to

help our Skills ‘Graduates’ start up

their own projects within their chosen

line of training. For example, we have

one young man named Shepherd who

was trained in metal work.

Unfortunately, we are not able to buy

him a welding machine because of

limited financial resources on our

part; hence the need to have funds

available as starter capital for any

projects the youngsters may wish to

embark upon.

The gardening project is being

affected by the erratic water supply

which is a major setback for us.

Though we have a small well, we

believe that it would be better for a

place like Zambuko House to have its

own borehole sunk so as to boost our

gardening project, which promises to

be our major income earner in our

endeavors to be self-reliant. Some of

our worn-out household items were

replaced with a grant we got from

Jesuit Missions, UK, but a lot still

needs to be done, including new beds

and linen for the boys’ dormitories

and some shelving for storing their

clothes.

We are very grateful to our friends

who help us financially through our

account at Jesuit Missions UK.


Shepherd, the young man in desperate need for a welding machine and ‘starter’ capital sothat he can be more independent. Photo credit: Zambuko House

Skills and Shelter for

Zambuko House in Zimbabwe is a

Jesuit initiative which started

operating in 1994. The focus is on

providing rehabilitative services

and skills training to young people

within the Greater Harare urban

areas. Emilia James, Director of

Zamuko House, explains how the

provision of shelter and spiritual,

moral, personal and skills

development to the less fortunate

young males of Zimbabwean

society can lead to them

becoming self-reliant responsible

citizens with a “better

tomorrow”.

Young Zimbabweans

DEATHS &OBITUARIES

Franz Gabriel was in his quiet, smiling way a man of

great charism and the perfect example of a brother

who lived his Jesuit vocation to the full.

Born on 7 October 1919 near the German/Polish

border, Franz was called up for service with the

German Navy in Norway, only to be dismissed from the

armed forces in October 1941, because, as a Jesuit he

was not “worthy to defend the fatherland”.

He was trained as a tailor, but he was also an

excellent cook. In the aftermath of the war, Br Franz

was indispensible in rebuilding many shattered Jesuit

communities. In 1951 he was sent to help build a

separate community for the East German province. He

worked in both noviciates for a while and many German

novices regarded him as their “second novice master”.

At the age of 52, Franz’s dream to be a missionary was

realised and he was sent to learn English in London so

that he could go out to what was then the Rhodesia

mission, serving mainly in the Chinhoyi diocese. In

1990, he was moved to Arrupe House as Minister of a

new community of young Jesuits, which became the

origin of Arrupe College. He found it very easy to

engage with the young Zimbabweans who were in

training to be Jesuits.

After two years, Franz returned to a very different

unified Germany where he served in the retreat house

in Biesfeld. However, he was recalled to Zimbabwe on

two further occasions to help at Arrupe and Canisius.

On 1 December 2006, he finally retired to Peter-

Faber-House in Berlin, which he had helped build as a

house of formation many years earlier. He would have

celebrated his 90th birthday (and 72 years in the

Society) in October 2009, but he died on 16 August

2009. Masses of thanksgiving were celebrated for him

in both Germany and Zimbabwe.

Brother Franz Gabriel SJ

John Francis Grumitt was born in

Penang in the Malai Straits and

spent much of his childhood in

Australia, attending Riverside Jesuit

College in Sydney, before his family

moved to the UK. He then completed

his secondary education at

Stonyhurst College. In September

1947, at the age of 17, John entered

the Jesuit novitiate at Roehampton,

studied philosophy and theology at

Heythrop College, Oxfordshire, and

qualified for his Teacher’s Certificate

in 1955.

As a scholastic, John taught for three years in St Mary’s Hall

preparatory school, Stonyhurst. He was ordained priest in 1961

and made his tertianship at St Beuno’s, north Wales. In 1963, he

was assigned to St George’s College in what was then Rhodesia.

He was based at Hartmann House and Prestage House in

Salisbury (Harare) and was awarded a BA by the University

College of Rhodesia in 1969. He taught at St George’s College for

a further two years until he returned to the UK.

Between 1972 and 1976, John taught at St Aloysius’ College,

Glasgow, before being appointed headmaster at Mount St

Mary’s College, Spinkhill, a post he held for 15 years. He then

moved to Enfield, Middlesex, and served as chaplain at St

Ignatius’ College, before assuming responsibility for the alumni

of the Society’s schools in Britain and establishing the YBJA

(Young British Jesuit Alumni). In the mid-1990s, John undertook

a series of trips overseas to coordinate GAP year assignments

for alumni.

On moving to Wimbledon in 2004, John was appointed chaplain

to Donhead, the preparatory school of Wimbledon College. He

moved to the Corpus Christi Jesuit Community in 2007 in

Boscombe, Bournemouth, where he died on 19 October 2009.

Stanley Thomas Maxwell was born on 1 April 1922 in Cumberland and was educated by the

Society of Jesus at Preston Catholic College. He entered the Society at St Beuno’s in 1942, and

studied for degrees in philosophy and theology at Heythrop College in Oxfordshire, where he

was also ordained in 1955.

During his formation, Stanley taught at Mount St Mary’s College near Sheffield, St Michael’s

College in Leeds, and St Francis Xavier’s preparatory school in Liverpool. After his ordination,

he was assigned to British Guiana (now Guyana), where he worked for the next 18 years. He

served four years at Sacred Heart parish in Georgetown, seven years at the cathedral – during

which he also taught at St Stanislaus College – and a further two years at the St Ignatius

Mission in Lethem, in the Rupununi.

Between 1969 and 1972, Stanley taught at St Paul’s Seminary at Better Hope, and then spent

a further two years serving at the Catholic church in Victoria, before returning to the UK in

1974 for medical reasons. He then spent 33 years at St John’s Beaumont in Old Windsor, as a

teacher from 1974 to 1987, and thereafter as Spiritual Father to the boys.

Stanley Maxwell moved to Boscombe, Dorset, in December 2007 and was a member of the

Corpus Christi Jesuit Community, until his death in Poole Hospital on 29 June 2009.

Fr Stanley Maxwell SJ

Fr John Grumitt SJ


DEATHS &OBITUARIES

Thomas Geoffrey Holt (known as Geoffrey) was a historian, a writer and a Jesuit

priest. He died at the Corpus Christi Jesuit Community in Boscombe, Dorset, on 28

September 2009, having recently marked 79 years as a member of the Society of

Jesus.

Born in Hereford in 1912, Geoffrey was a pupil at Stonyhurst College and entered

the Jesuit Juniorate at Roehampton at the age of 20. He studied philosophy at

Heythrop College in Oxfordshire and achieved his BA in history at Campion Hall in

Oxford. During the war years, he taught at Corby School in Sunderland and

Stonyhurst College, before being awarded a Licentiate in Theology at Heythrop.

After three years of teaching at Mount St Mary’s College, Spinkhill, Geoffrey did

his tertianship at St Beuno’s in North Wales in 1949 and then spent the next 16

years teaching at Stonyhurst College.

In 1966, he was appointed Assistant Archivist for the British Province, based in

Mount Street in London, a position he held for the next 20 years until he became

the Provincial Archivist in his own right. During this time, he wrote extensively

about the history of the British Jesuits and became a Fellow of the Society of

Antiquaries in London (1973) and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society (1985). He

also lectured in Church History at St John’s Seminary, Wonersh, from 1974 to 1979.

Geoffrey Holt’s articles covered many aspects of English Catholic history – from

biographies of such celebrated figures at Cardinal Vaughan and St Thomas More,

to recusant history and the suppression of the Society of Jesus. He moved to the

Corpus Christi Jesuit Centre in Dorset when it opened in 2007, but his funeral was

celebrated at Farm Street Church in London, a church with which he had been

associated as a Jesuit for over 40 years.

Fr Geoffrey Holt SJ

Mr Victor Charan

Mr Alexander Carlton

Mr Derek Brookshaw

Sir Michael Quinlan OW

Sr Christina SSA

Mr John O’Brien

Mr John Scullion

Mrs M L Pearson

Mrs Geraldine MacFarlane

Mr Ambrose Remedios

Mr Peter Rennison

Dr E B Butler

Sr Mary Joseph OCD

Mrs M Mendonca

Mrs Annie Smith

Mrs Mary O’Connell

Sr Bryan D'Arbreu RSM

Mr Peter McCarthy

Mr Philip O’Brien

Mr L Porter

Sr Theresa La Rose RSM

Mr Richard Nute

Mr Francis Clark

Mr Roland MacIntosh

Mr Tadeusz Filochowski

Mr John O. Persaud Snr

Mrs Lucille Yip

Mr John Gillham

Brother-in-law of Fr Kevin Fox SJ

Mr Felix Britt-Compton

Brother of Fr Peter Britt-Compton SJ

Mrs Elizabeth Howard Madigan

Mother of Fr Patrick Madigan SJ

Mr Sylvester Kerketta

Brother-in-law of Gabriel Xess SJ

Mr Paul Smulders

Brother of the late Fr W Smulders SJ

Mr Nero Singh

Brother-in-law of Godfrey Veerasammy SJ

Mr Peter Anthony

Brother-in-law of Godfrey Veerasammy SJ

Mr Donald Knott

Brother of Fr Peter Knott SJ

Miss Nora Lavery

Aunt of Fr Andrew Cameron-Mowat SJ

Mr George Plowman

Cousin of Fr Tom Jackson SJ

Mrs May Burscough

Sister of Fr Ted Rogers SJ

Br Franz Gabriel SJ

Fr Stanley Maxwell SJ

Fr Fabian Sitolo Masina SJ

Fr Charles Edwards SJ

Fr Geoffrey Holt SJ

Fr John Grumitt SJ

Fr Jim Henderson SJ

Please pray for those who have died recently.May they rest in peace.



Bits ‘n’ Pieces


The celebrations in

Glasgow to mark the 150th

anniversary of St Aloysius’

College have continued

throughout the autumn.

The beginning of term was

marked by Masses for the

Junior and Senior Schools,

celebrated by the Most

Reverend Mario Conti,

Archbishop of Glasgow,

and His Eminence Keith

Patrick Cardinal O’Brien respectively. At both Masses Fr Michael Holman

SJ, the British Provincial, spoke of the College not merely as a good and a

fine school, but as an outstanding school. He acknowledged the energy,

enterprise and foresight of the Society of Jesus in establishing St Aloysius’

which has contributed to society in the West of Scotland.

As Guest of Honour at this year’s Prize Giving, the Right Honourable Lord

Gill, Lord Justice Clerk (a former student of St Aloysius) said that although

the College enjoys an outstanding academic reputation, there is more to St

Aloysius’ than academic success. He particularly commended the way that

pupils are urged to dedicate their talents to the welfare of others. In the

same week, a Civic Reception was held at Glasgow City Chambers.

One of the highlights of the Sesquicentennial celebrations was a concert at

Glasgow’s Royal Concert Hall, at which the College Orchestra and Choirs,

joined by an enlarged Junior School Choir, took part in spectacular programme

that include Carl Orff's Carmina Burana, and the first performance of a new

work by Howard Goodall, Classic FM's Composer of the Year.

GLASGOW CELEBRATIONS

INTERNATIONAL FORMATION

MARION'S COMMITMENT NEW OFFICERS FOR CLC BRITAIN

Una Buckley has been elected President of

Christian Life Community Britain and Eamonn

Hamilton has been elected Treasurer. Una

replaces Evelyne Maloret who now becomes

Convenor of the European Team of CLC. At the

National Assembly of CLC, gratitude was

expressed by Evelyne for all the support she

has been given during her term of office from

the Province and both she and Una looked

forward to increasing cooperation between the

Society and CLC.

The British Province in September welcomed 46 Jesuits in formation from

24 provinces of the Society of Jesus. The Jesuits come from as far afield as

Lithuania, Korea, Zambia and Chile. Most men will be pursuing courses in

the traditional subjects of philosophy and theology at Heythrop College in

London and at Campion Hall in Oxford, while others will be studying in

specialized programmes at the School of Oriental and African Studies, the

London College of Communication, Roehampton University, the Institute of

Education and the London School of Economics. The British Province was

recently named a formation centre for Jesuits in studies.

Marion Morgan, a

parishioner of the

former Jesuit parish of

St-Mary-on-the-Quay

in Bristol chose the

Feast of St Ignatius

Loyola for a very

special occasion.

During Mass, Marion

was consecrated to

celibate life by Bishop

Declan Lang of Clifton, and is now a member

of the Order of Consecrated Virgins (OCV).

There are currently about 200 Consecrated

Virgins (usually known as consecrated

women) in the UK. It is a way of leading a

dedicated and vowed life for those who do not

feel called to life in a specific religious

community or who are not free to join one -

perhaps because, like Marion, they are full-

time carers.

“The community of an OCV is her parish and

Diocese,” she says. “There is no common

spirituality, apart from the common

commitment. OCVs express their ministry in

many different lifestyles. For me, it will

always be Ignatian spirituality which attracts

me. I revel in the freedom to go out and about,

to meet different people and to engage in

conversation.”

At the final count, this year’s London

Marathon team of 21 runners raised a total of

£65,350 for JM and JRS (UK) projects. In

Africa, orphans are being supported in

Zimbabwe, parishes are being refurbished in

Zambia, funds are helping feeding

programmes in South Africa, and support is

also being given for a number of educational

developments across southern Africa. In

Guyana, a number of pastoral projects have

received vital support, while at JRS they have

been able to fund a number of their works in

the UK. All places have been taken for the

2010 Virgin London Marathon, but the list for

2011 is open already, so if you would like to

register your interest, please call JM.

BOOK EARLY

IF YOU WANT TO RUN!


Bits ‘n’ Pieces


Wimbledon College has launched a ‘Pound for Pannur’

campaign, following serious flooding in the state of

Karnataka in India. Their aim is to raise a pound from

every pupil - and to expand the appeal to their parents

and friends outside the college. The Jesuit

comprehensive boys’ school in south west London has

been supporting Pannur Mission in this poor rural region

of Southern India since 2002. Meanwhile, JM has set up

a designated link for donations.

Jesuits working in the village of Pannur and

surrounding hamlets have sought to empower the people

of the downtrodden Dalit caste, the so called

‘untouchables’ of Indian society. Their work has

concentrated on raising the status of women through the

establishment of women’s groups and credit unions; and

the building of a school for bonded labourers and

children condemned to a life in the fields as goatherds

and cowherds. The Wimbledon College project

(www.projectmanvi.co.uk) centres around providing

education for Dalit children in Manvi. For the past five

years students and teachers from the college have

travelled to India to spend a month working on the

project and in particular building a primary school, for

which they have raised £125,000.

www.justgiving.com/Emergencyappealforfloodinginmanvi

Six novices who completed their two years’ novitiate this

summer pronounced their first vows as Jesuits on 5

September. The Mass at St Mary’s Church, Harborne,

Birmingham, was celebrated by dozens of Jesuits,

among them, the Provincials of Ireland, Britain,

Netherlands and North Belgium, the Novice Director

from Manresa House and others involved in the men’s

formation.

Lithuanian Mindaugas Dijokas is now continuing his

studies in Munich; and Kensy Joseph is studying in India.

The remaining four scholastics - Eddie Cosgrove from

the Irish Province, Ricardo DaSilva and Grant Tungay

from South Africa, and British novice, Philip Harrison -

are studying for their philosophy degrees at Heythrop

College, University of London.

Directors of the European Jesuit Mission Offices and Non-

Governmental Organisations gathered at Loyola Hall this autumn

to assess their work over the last year and identify areas for mutual

cooperation. They discussed several key issues, including the fact

that during the recession, though the numbers of donors has fallen,

income has remained steady; new links have been established with

China and other Asian countries; Irish Aid has funded a JRS project

in its own right for the first time; and many new superiors and

directors in African countries are taking over projects from ex-

patriots. The offices of Europe have spent approximately 73 million

euro over the past year, of which 35% went to Africa, 37% to South

America, and 20% to Asia. The Mission Offices have sponsored

projects submitted by Jesuit Refugee Service, Fe y Alegria, African

Jesuit AIDS Network, and individual Jesuit provinces.

POUNDS FOR PANNUR

FIRST VOWS

A WORLDWIDE MISSION

Leonard Michael SJ from the

Sri Lankan Province has been

ordained deacon at St

Anselm’s Church in Southall,

Middlesex. Throughout his

schooling at St Joseph’s

college in Colombo, he felt he

was being called to the

priesthood, and this was

confirmed when he

encountered a Jesuit Italian priest, whose missionary zeal and

passion to love and serve the Lord so touched Leonard that he

applied to join – and was accepted by – the Society of Jesus in

1997. As part of his formation, Leonard worked as a Chaplain in a

technical school run by Jesuits in Sri Lanka; and since 2005, he

has been studying at Heythrop College in London. He is now

continuing his studies – in Psychotherapy and Counselling – as

well as working in St Anselm’s parish, where he was ordained

deacon by Bishop Alan Hopes, Auxiliary Bishop of Westminster,

pictured above, being assisted by Leonard.

LEONARD ORDAINED DEACON

The second book of poems by Fr PatrickPurnell SJ is now available. The Book ofFurrows follows the pattern of the four weeksof the Spiritual Exercises with some verymoving expressions of Scripture and of thetext of the Exercises - with his own “empathy,intuition, insights and personal wisdom”, asthe late Fr Michael Ivens SJ would have said. This could be theperfect Christmas present for some of your friends. Copies may behad from Patrick himself or from Fr Michael Barrow SJ at 757Christchurch Toad, Bournemouth BH7 6AN Price £8.50 + £1 p & p).

The Book of Furrows by Patrick Purnell SJ

We live in a world that can boast of a

whole range of instant methods of

communication. Just think how the

history books would have to be re-

written if information technology had

been available, for instance, in the 16th

century, when the Church had to cope

with the problems of the Reformation in

Europe. It is interesting to speculate

what would have happened if, for

example, the Pope in Rome, Martin

Luther in Germany and Henry VIII in

England had possessed laptops, email

facilities and the availability of fast

travel offered by modern aviation. The

world in which we live today could

indeed be very different.

It may come as a surprise to many but

thanks to the wonderful work of our

redemption wrought by Jesus Christ

and the Church that he founded we

have always had a most marvellous

means of communication available to

us, not electronic but powered by the

divine initiative of God made visible in

Jesus Christ. December is the month

most looked forward to by our children

with the feast of Christmas getting

closer and closer. We celebrate his

birth on December 25 and shortly

afterwards, the Feast of the Holy

Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph.

Jesus, as a child, and indeed all

children are so central to the

Christmas story. We are asked at this

time to unite our daily offering with the

prayers of the Holy Father that children

will be loved and respected

everywhere, and that Jesus will be

seen to be our true light and theirs,

shining in our darkened world. May

they all grow in wisdom and grace to be

good stewards of God’s creation!

The papal intention for January

brings us right into our modern world

of electronic communication. The Holy

Father ask us to pray that all these

electronic means that are at the finger

tips of the young will be mastered and

used wisely and, indeed, will be used as

powerful means for communicating the

Good News of Jesus Christ to the world.

St Paul, I am sure, would have revelled

in the world of electronic

communication if it had existed in his

era. Remember his words in the tenth

chapter of the letter to the Romans and

immortalised for many by Handel in

The Messiah: “Is it possible they did not

hear? Indeed they did; in the words of

the psalm, their voice has gone out

through all the earth, and their

message to the ends of the world”.

“Fides quaerens intellectum, Faith

seeking understanding” is a hallowed

phrase in academic theological circles.

Looking ahead to February, the Holy

Father asks us to pray for all who are

engaged in the intellectual apostolate.

And finally for this quarter, it is

appropriate that our daily prayer in

March is directed towards a just and

honest management of the economy,

especially at this time of worldwide

financial crisis. The Holy Father also

asks that we focus our prayers on

poorer nations and pray that they may

be truly helped.

Michael Beattie SJ

Their voice has gone outApostleship of Prayer Papal Intentions

For respect for children everywhere.That people may come to realisethat Jesus is the Light of the World.

That young people may grow ingrace as they use wisely the modern means of electronic communication.That Christian men and women maybe truly united and more effectivelyproclaim the Good News of JesusChrist.

For academics: that their researchmay bring them to know, love andserve Almighty God. That every Christian may have a senseof responsibility for the spreading ofthe Gospel of Jesus Christ.

For just and honest management ofthe world economy, especiallywith regards to poor nations.That the Church in Africa be aninstrument of justice andreconciliation.

December

January

February

March


The Youth Choir of St Martinde Porres Church inSoweto sing their gratitude,but they still need oursupport – see page 6

The children ofLaini Saba PrimarySchool, in theheart of Kibera,Kenya,desperately needbetter resourcesand classrooms –see page 16

You can send your donations to the address below, or log on to our websitewhere you can increase your donation by 28% through the Just Givingscheme. Thank you!

Your donations enablethe work begun 100years ago by FrCuthbert Cary-Elwes SJin the Guyanese Interiorto continue and grow –see page 12

Your generoussupport for peoplelike Shepherd atZambuko Houseensures youngZimbabweans learna trade and becomemore self-sufficient.See page 17

The JESUIT DEVELOPMENT

FUND helps to establish and

maintain churches, schools,

retreat centres and apostolic

works of all kinds at home and

overseas. At present the

trustees are assisting the

development of our work in

South Africa, and providing

nursing care and attention for

the elderly Jesuits of

the Province.

YOUR GIFTS in response to any appeals, or

for any of our Missions overseas, should be

sent to JM, which is the central mission

office. Please make all cheques and postal

orders payable to JM.

GIFT AID

For every pound you donate we can reclaim

28p, thanks to the government scheme. If

you need further details contact the JM

office.

www.gbjm.orgJM · 11 Edge Hill · London · SW19 4LRT: + 44 (0) 20 8946 0466 F: + 44 (0) 20 8946 2292 E: [email protected]

Why not senda donation tosupport us?

All Benefactors are remembered in the Masses and prayers of every Jesuit in our Province.Thank you for your generosity

A BEQUEST

We would be delighted if you remember JM

or the appeals mentioned here in your Will.

We shall be happy to send you details of the

official wording.

How Can I ? HelpThe JESUIT SEMINARY ASSOCIATION

helps to defray the expensive cost of

training Jesuit priests and brothers.



A reflection on the birth of ChristBased on Isaiah 11, 1

A shoot sproutsA bud opensA scarlet roseEnchanting scents

A shoot sproutsA tree growsIts foliage changing From green to red

Leaves fallLike drops of bloodInto rivers of pain

Bare branchesBearing death

The wind blowsThe spirit moves

Oceans of blood, pain and deathWash seeds into rock-dark graves

A shoot sproutsBuds open, trees growPain and death are no moreLove reigns

JESUS is born at last

Photo: © Aniszewski

Jesuit and Friends Winter 09/10

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Transcript of Jesuit and Friends Winter 09/10