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Jesuit Journeys
Spring/Summer 2001
Province News
Change in leadership:
New provincial, socius set to take office
 
Fr. James E. Grummer (left) is the new provincial of the Wisconsin Province.
His socius is Fr. John Paul, SJ (right).
Fr. James E. Grummer, SJ has been named the new provincial of the Wisconsin Province of the Society of Jesus, a seven-state region that includes Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa, Wyoming, Wisconsin, and North and South Dakota.
The 50-year-old Fr. Grummer begins his new assignment in June. He most recently served as socius under the current provincial, Fr. D. Edward Mathie, SJ, whose six-year term of office expires this year.
"Ed has been an excellent provincial and teacher," Fr. Grummer says. "Working closely with him afforded me the chance to learn through observation the devotion and discipline it will take to serve well the men of this province."
The provincial is responsible for province operations as a whole, including the assignment of Jesuits to province-sponsored institutions, ministries, and other posts, as well as the general well-being of the individual men.
Much of a provincial's time is spent visiting Jesuit houses and residences and meeting with the men living there. As a result, a broad range of administrative duties falls to his assistant, called the socius - the Latin translation of which means helper.
Fr. John Paul, SJ will be the new socius under Fr. Grummer. "I'm looking forward to working with Jim and assisting him as much as possible with his new responsibilities," Fr. Paul says.
The relationship between provincial and socius is somewhat like that of the U.S. president and his chief of staff. The socius is essentially the provincial's top advisor and consultant whose daily tasks include guiding general office operations.
Fr. Grummer earned a bachelor's degree in history from Iowa State University and a master's in history from St. Louis University. He also holds master's degrees in divinity and theology from The Weston School of Theology and a doctorate from the University of Notre Dame.
He taught history at Creighton University from 1989-95, where he also served as rector and minister of the Jesuit Community. He became province socius in 1995 and was named provincial in December 2000. He also serves on the Marquette University Board of Directors.
Fr. Paul, 51, was assigned to Pine Ridge, South Dakota from 1974-95 where he served in a variety of positions, most recently as Holy Rosary Mission director and superintendent of the Red Cloud School. He has been novice director at the Jesuit Novitiate in St. Paul, Minnesota since 1996.
Jesuit, Ignatian associate open Health Advocacy Center
Fr. Jim Ewens, SJ and Ignatian Associate Mary Jo Layden have established the Health Advocacy Center, a pilot program designed to help people deal with the maze of issues connected with contemporary health care options.
The non-profit, non-denominational center, situated in a largely Hispanic neighborhood in the former convent at St. Patrick's parish on Milwaukee's South Side, offers independent, confidential assistance to individuals and families seeking information and support as they face health care decisions.
Fr. Ewens co-founded Milwaukee Hospice in the late 1970s and left there a year ago after 21 years of service. Layden is a social worker with extensive experience in working with the elderly and handling insurance issues.
Lorraine DePons, a registered nurse, is also part of the team, along with trained volunteers who provide assistance on the phone and serve as mentors for people undergoing surgery or seeking alternative living accommodations.
"We hope to attract a wide array of volunteers - especially those who have retired from full-time employment but have time and energy to share with others," Fr. Ewens says.
Lorraine DePons (left), Fr. Jim Ewens, SJ (middle), and Mary Jo Layden (right) will manage services at the news health Advocacy Center on milwaukee's South Side.
For all the advances in medical knowledge, the interests of health care providers often conflict with the best interests of patients. Rules and obstacles to good health care can be intimidating. Agency services fall into five general categories: patient care, living options, insurance and billing, end of life care, and legal concerns.
"We want to help people understand the rules and cope with the obstacles, while learning what private, state, and federal services are available to them, " Layden says. Adds DePons: "That might include accompanying someone to a doctor's appointment, or finding a mentor who has experienced the same illness or surgery. How we might respond will depend on each individual's circumstances."
Other forms of help might involve: discussing alternative living arrangements; assessing safety concerns in the home; sorting out and submitting doctors' bills; completing health care power of attorney forms; providing spiritual support for people of various faith backgrounds; and answering questions on health insurance policies. There will be no fees or charges for the first year of the pilot program.
You can learn more by phone (414-649-8100), e-mail info@healthadvocacycenter.org, and on the web healthadvocacycenter.org.
Fr. Mike Morrison, SJ brings talents to Oshkosh
OSHKOSH - Fr. Mike Morrison, SJ is returning to the part of Wisconsin where he was born and raised and will be the new director at the Oshkosh Jesuit Retreat House. The move follows a 19-year tenure as president of Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska.
He succeeds Fr. Dick McCaslin, SJ, who leaves the retreat house after more than 12 years to be the new superior of the Jesuit community at Creighton Prep in Omaha, where he graduated from high school in 1952, the same year he joined the Jesuits.
"For me, this is a new challenge and a new kind of work, a new mission," says Fr. McCaslin, whose decade-plus at the retreat house followed assignments in such radically different places as Seoul, Korea and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. "I go as I came, with a glad and positive heart, and knowing the retreat house will be well taken care of."
Fr. Morrison is looking forward to his new assignment even though he has not directed a retreat in years.
"I gave one right after I was ordained. I can't even remember what I talked about," he says. "This will be a challenging and exciting change," he adds with a relaxed smile. "All the praying I've done over the years is very much related and has prepared me for what I will be doing."
"This kind of program is a proven thing. I'm very much at ease coming into something with a proven tradition," Fr. Morrison says.
Adds Fr. McCaslin: "The tradition was here before I came. We have been faithful to it, and I know it will continue to flourish under Mike."
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