Jesuit Journeys
winter 2005

Fr. Dick McGarrity, SJ
President, the Jesuit Partnership

As you may recall from my last column, Fr. General Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, SJ came to the Wisconsin Province last fall to help us celebrate the 125th anniversary of the Jesuits coming to Omaha and our upcoming 50th anniversary as a Province.

While in Omaha Fr. Kolvenbach, the head of the worldwide Society of Jesus, took time to speak to the Jesuit community. His remarks stressed the fact that all Jesuits are on a mission – not only those serving in foreign countries, but those who serve closer to home in places like Creighton and Marquette Universities, our high schools and middle schools, in parishes, and other places.

Fr. Kolvenbach reminded us that we are not only assigned to a community or work, but that we are all actually missioned to carry out a specific assignment wherever we’re sent.

This spirit of being sent is very much in keeping with the Gospel readings where Jesus sends out his disciples to proclaim the Good News to the various towns and villages in the region, and later to his apostles to go out to the entire world. It also reflects that the Society as a whole is on a mission to basically and fundamentally go where the need is the greatest.

While most of our men do serve in the seven-state Wisconsin Province and other places in the U.S., we also have a long tradition of serving overseas and collaborating with our Jesuit brothers in far flung parts of the world.

Wisconsin Province Jesuits were instrumental in establishing a Jesuit university in South Korea. We sent a talented group of men to Seoul in the mid 1950s. Construction began in 1957 and the doors to Sogang College opened in 1960 with 6 departments and 166 students. Today Sogang University comprises 12 colleges and more than 8,000 students.

During this period we also sent men to South America. Some remain active there to this day, including Fr. Phil Pick, SJ in Honduras and Fr. John Schak, SJ in Argentina.

Eastern Africa is another place our Province has made its presence felt for more than 15 years. We presently have four men missioned there. Fr. Tony Wach, SJ and Fr. Jim Egan, SJ live and work at Xavier House, a residence we built in Kampala, Uganda years ago. It has become a truly international residence that Jesuits from several continents, including Africa, Europe, and North America, call home. Two other men have been involved with recently completed special projects in other African countries. Fr. Jim Strzok, SJ managed construction of the Pedro Arrupe Center, a facility for retired and infirm Jesuits near Nairobi, Kenya; and a new church was constructed in Mwanza, Tanzania under the supervision of Fr. Jonathan Haschka, SJ. These four men have more than 40 years of service in Africa among them.

Global enterprises like these often pay interesting dividends back home. For example, Fr. Bob Dundon, SJ lived in Africa for over 20 years and was recently assigned to Omaha where he is pastor of the state’s only African American parish, St. Benedict the Moor.

Then there’s northeast India where Kohima Region Jesuits have concentrated much of their efforts on building mission stations in a number of far-reaching locations throughout several states in the area. These stations generally include a church, a school, a medical center, as well as other community facilities. They serve as a base of operations for spreading the Good News to a wide range of marginalized people.

Unfortunately we can’t send men to northeast India long-term because of political constraints. But several have gone there on shorter visits to work for brief periods while getting to know the people and their aspirations. In return, the Kohima Jesuits sent one of their best men to South Dakota. Fr. Paul Coelho, SJ, who has a doctorate degree from Marquette, is the new principal at the Red Cloud Indian School on the Pine Ridge Reservation. Paul brings years of experience working with tribal cultures in India. He was astounded on his first visit to Pine Ridge by the similarities in the spirituality and customs of the Lakota people and the tribal people in northeast India. His fresh perspectives and new ideas are certain to help our ministries in South Dakota.

All these efforts would not be possible without the ongoing prayers and financial support of you, our Jesuit Partners, to whom we are deeply grateful. Thank you for all you do to help sustain our mission.

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