Jesuit Journeys
fall 2004
The Jesuit Partnership: Connecting
with each other and working for God
FR. Dick McGarrity,
SJ
President, the Jesuit Partnership
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| FR. Dick McGarrity, SJ |
As I write this column,
the Wisconsin
Province
of the Society of Jesus
is preparing for a visit
from Fr. General Peter-
Hans Kolvenbach, SJ. As
superior for the entire
Jesuit order worldwide,
Fr. Kolvenbach is not
only our administrative
and spiritual leader, but a
marvelous visionary and a
wonderful human being.
He was invited by Wisconsin
Fr. Provincial James
Grummer, SJ to visit Omaha
in early October to help us celebrate the 125th anniversary
of the first Jesuit arriving there and, coincidentally,
the start of our Jubilee celebration of 50 years as
a Province. Fr. Kolvenbach was born Nov. 30, 1928, in
Druten, Holland. After studying modern languages, he
entered the Society in September 1948 at the novitiate
in Mariendaal, Holland. Following philosophy studies,
he earned a doctorate in theology at St. Joseph’s University
in Beirut, Lebanon and was ordained in 1961. From
1963-76, he studied and taught general and Oriental
linguistics in La Haye (Holland), Paris, and Beirut. He
also worked in the theology of spirituality in the U.S.
at Pomfret, Conn. More recently, he was professor of
general linguistics at St. Joseph’s University in Beirut
and was the provincial (1974-81) of the vice-province
of the Middle East.
Fluent in many languages, he went to Rome in 1981
to become the rector of the Pontifical Oriental Institute.
He was elected 29th superior general of the Society
of Jesus Sept. 13, 1983.
Working out of the Jesuit Curia in Rome, Fr. Kolvenbach
normally visits the U.S. every other year to meet
with the provincials of the 10 American provinces,
which he plans to do on this trip later in Portland, Ore.
Such meetings generally help provide provincials here
with a world view of the Society of Jesus while at the
same time giving Fr. Kolvenbach an up-close review of
happenings of Jesuits in the U.S.
There are more than 80 provinces worldwide, including
those in the U.S. This makes our province part of
an international collaboration, evidenced by our special relationships with Jesuits and ministries in places such
as eastern Africa, northeast India, and Latin America.
Fr. General scheduled two major public appearances
in Omaha: an address at 7 p.m. Oct. 7 titled “Jesuits and
Lay Partners: Cooperating with Each Other in Mission;”
and a 4 p.m. Eucharist Friday, Oct. 8 at St. John’s
Parish with Jesuits, our lay partners, and friends. As
Fr. Kolvenbach’s itinerary reflects, the vision I spoke of
earlier includes being a strong proponent of Jesuit collaboration
with the laity.
Collaboration with our lay colleagues occurs in a variety
of ways. We collaborate directly in apostolic works
such as Creighton University and our other educational
institutions and social ministries. Second, we participate
in the spiritual formation of our lay partners
through our retreat centers and other activities that
focus on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius.
Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, inspired by
the Exercises and the Holy Spirit, our lay colleagues
initiate apostolic ventures on their own through such
enterprises as Ignatian Associates, Christian Life Communities,
the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, and other activities
including Computers for Africa and Marquette
University’s Train the Trainer Program, which helps
fight the African AIDS pandemic, to name a few.
As these works indicate, creating men and women
for others to work for the greater glory of God is not
merely sloganeering, but basic principles of action
motivated by the love of Christ and inflamed by the
Holy Spirit.
From the start, as Fr. Kolvenbach is so aware, the
Society has relied on our benefactors to support Jesuit
works. From Ignatius forward the rapid expansion of
Jesuit colleges in Europe and later in other parts of the
world occurred only with the generosity of others.
St. Ignatius understood the special relationship between
the Jesuits and their friends and benefactors, and
insisted it be rooted in prayer. To this day, every Jesuit
is required to offer at least one Mass a month for the
intention of our benefactors.
Our desire is to create a true partnership of mutual
prayer and support in which we depend on others to
help build a better world while increasing vocations
and caring for our elder priests and Brothers.
Thank you for joining in these pursuits and our
spiritual journey, especially as together we celebrate
Fr. Kolvenbach’s visit and our 50-year history as a
province.
Return
to fall 2004 issue
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