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Any Woman

I am the fire upon the hearth,I am the light of the good sun,I am the heat that warms the earth,Which else, were colder than a stone. [auth] At me the children warm their hands;I…

Do you have your own tower?

As I was returning from my visit to Sri Lanka province recently, I hit upon a book, Deep Work by Cal Newport. Attracted by the title, I picked it up from my co-passenger to have…

Learning to laugh

What do you think a young man will do, when he sees a young woman sitting in front of him in the train compartment? But what does he actually see? He sees her meticulously painted…

Magis 2024 award to Fr Felix Raj

Fr John Felix Raj, SJ, Vice-Chancellor of St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) was honoured with the JHEASA Magis 2024 award on 27 January 2024 at St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata at the National Jesuit Higher Education…

HES sows seeds of peace in Jamshedpur

Human Ecology Society (HES), Jamshedpur established by Fr. Joseph Kalathil, SJ organized an Interfaith gathering and prayer on 30 January 2024 on the martyrdom day of the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi. The ‘Human…

West Zone’s seminar draws 40 participants

The West Zone’s Service of Faith Commission, led by Fr James Vaz, SJ (GUJ), Fr Joe Monteiro, SJ (GOA), Fr Joe Gaikwad, SJ (PUNE), and Fr Wesley D’Costa, SJ (BOM), organized a 3-day seminar at…

Jesuits and St Joseph

The close bonding between the Society of Jesus and St Joseph is deep-rooted. In the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius of Loyola there are six explicit references (SE 111, 114, 264, 265, 269, 270) to…

Where has all the JESUIT HUMOUR gone?

There exists, among Jesuits, a folklore of humour, handed down to them and others alike from time immemorial. In fact, what is available in the public domain may just be the tip of the iceberg…

Jivan Short Story Contest – 2023: Results

Here are the results of the Jivan Creative Writing Contest - 2023. The contest elicited short stories from 22 young writers, from all the different regions of India. Jivan thanks all the Rectors or Superiors…

The letters that Jesuits wrote and their significance

Introduction [auth] Right from the beginning of the Society, the pioneers, starting from Ignatius of Loyola, saw correspondence as a means of uniting the members for effective governance. Given the difficulties of communication and travel…

Looking at the World (Short Story – 1st…

“Tintintin, Yatrigan kripya dhyan dijiye, Gaadi number 16576 Mangalore ko jaane wale” [auth] He found himself running as the train’s departure was just two minutes away. As usual, the typical Indian mother’s farewell was a…

In Search of a Lost Shepherd

Recently I had a unique experience of searching and finding a ‘lost shepherd’ in the faraway land of Australia. My friends and I had not imagined it would really happen one day. It was a…

#OMGIts100Years!

Initially, it was just a small group of a few college-going students and a Jesuit in a college. They called themselves a ‘guild.’ They came together, studied, informed themselves of the societal injustice and grappled…

Jesuit Education: Can we really nurture values?

Are Jesuit institutions still committed to provide quality education infused with Jesuit values? While some of our institutions have excelled in forming individuals who are convinced it is their mission to serve others, the pervasive…

She becomes Moses to the enslaved

Film: Harriet (2019). Director: Kasi Lemmons. Cast: Cynthia Erivo ,Leslie Odom Jr, Joe Alwyn, Clarke Peters, Vanessa Bell, Calloway, Omar J. Dorsey. Runtime: 125 minutes. This Academy award winner recaps the heroic life of the…

Good Friday

It was not good for the treeWhose only guilt was to grow tall,To grow strong, To grow straight. [auth]It was not good for the soldierWhose duty was already stained redAnd now whose heart was black.…

Benedict Rosario, SJ (KAR) 1948-2024

Br Benedict Rosario SJ, fondly known as Br. Benna, passed away at the age of 76, leaving behind a legacy of unwavering dedication and service to the Jesuit community and beyond. Born on 2 January…

George Hilarion Thakur, SJ (PAT) 1955-2023

Fr. George Hilarion Thakur, SJ was born on 23 July 1955, in Bettiah, Bihar. He died at Asha Deep Community, Muzaffarpur, Bihar, on 16 December, 2023. The funeral Mass on 18 December at the XTTI…

Ignatius Fernandes, SJ (BOM) 1948-2023

Ignatius Fernandes was my classmate in school. In fact, in our last year in school we sat on the same bench. But we did not know that we were planning to join the Society. We…

Jose Panadan, SJ (GUJ) 1969-2024

Fr. Jose Panadan was an extraordinary human: a compassionate priest, an excellent teacher and a great Jesuit companion! He was called to his eternal reward on 13 January 2024 in Ahmedabad, at the fairly young…

Leo Florent Tirkey, SJ (MAP) 1942-2024

Fr. Leo Florent Tirkey, S.J., passed away on 13 January 2024, at Holy Cross Hospital, Ambikapur. The Funeral Mass, held on 14 January at the chapel of Christ Milan Ashram, Namna, Ambikapur, was presided over…

Lourduraj Arokiasamy, SJ (CEN) 1945-2003

Fr. Lourduraj Arokiasamy was born on 12 June 1945 in Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu. While he was studying at St. Joseph’s, inspired by the life and works of the Jesuits, he entered the Society of Jesus…

Shall we make a difference?

There is a story about emperor Akbar and his minister, Birbal. One day, when Birbal came to the court of Akbar, he found the king lost in deep thought. Birbal asked the king, ‘Your Majesty,…

Harnessing for God the energies of love

Is it true that we live unloved and die unmourned? Intelligent and educated though we are, do we fail to grasp something that psychologists and psychiatrists repeatedly affirm today? We choose to live single lives,…

Our institutions and houses are to be Models…

“‘Destruction of our environment is an offence on God and His Creation,’ says Pope Francis in his recent encyclical on ‘Laudate Deum’. Hence we have to work resolutely and unitedly for the protection of our…

Can we really fall in love with God?

Several people these days, ask, perhaps implicitly, whether it is possible to fall in love with God who is beyond our senses?’ In other words, ‘Is it meaningful to have an intimate relationship with God…

Sri Lanka: Navigating a Rocky Road to Recovery

Sri Lanka, nestled in the cerulean embrace of the Indian Ocean, prepares to celebrate its 76th independence day on 4 February 2024. Yet, the festive air is choked by the lingering stench of its worst…

PATHWAYS TO HEALTH AND HAPPINESS

What is it that contributes to health and happiness in the later years of life? The answer to this question is something that psychology has been searching for years. The answer is now clear, with…

Lourdes: a byword for healing and hope

Thousands of apparitions of the Virgin Mary have been reported by Christians across the world, from fourth-century Asia Minor, which is now Turkey, to contemporary California. Of all of these, the most renowned are the visions of Our Lady…

IGNATIUS – THE GOD SEEKER

What moves the Jesuits at their core? The classical answer to this question is: “The Spiritual Exercises” of St Ignatius. But what are they about? What happens in the Spiritual Exercises? The film Ignatius -…

Did your heart leap for joy?

Something unprecedented will take place on International Women’s Day this year, 8 March 2024. The Commission on the Role and Responsibilities of Women in the Society of Jesus will complete three years of discernment and…

What did COP 28 achieve?

The context: For the past three decades, the discussion on climate change and global warming has taken center stage on the world’s platform. Ever since the 2015 Paris Agreement, limiting global temperature rise to within…

All of them became her children

Film: Lena: My 100 Children (1987) Director: Edwin Sherin This docudrama is adapted from the memoir of Lena Kuchler-Silberman (1910- 1987), the underground Jewish resistance volunteer during the Nazi Holocaust. Her efforts helped to save…

2000 years of Christianity in India in 800…

John Chathanatt, SJ talks of a volume on Christianity which he edited for an Encyclopaedia on Indian Religions Christianity Ed. by John Chathanatt, SJSpringer Link Fr. John, is the book you edited part of a…

St. Paul completes the four Gospels

Fr Fio Mascarenhas, SJ talks about the new book he has co-authored with Dr. Renu Rita Silvano, OCV. The Full GospelFr Fio Mascarenhas, SJ & Dr. Renu Rita Silvano, OCV St. Paul’s, Mumbai128 ; ₹…

Joseph Chittooparambil, SJ (KER) 1928-2023

Born on 8 Dec 1928, at Cheranalloor, in the diocese of Ernakulam–Angamaly, Fr Joseph Chittooparambil, SJ was ordained a priest on 11 March 1958. A year after his Ordination, he joined the Jesuit Novitiate at…

Joseph Karunaidass, SJ (AND) 1946-2023

Fr. Joseph Karunaidass Durairaj was born on 29 May 1946. He entered the Novitiate on 20 May 1963; was ordained a Priest on 2 May 1976 and took his Final Vows on 3 Dec 1981.…

Mathew Kannadan, SJ (KER) 1938 – 2023

Fr Mathew Kannadan was born on 16 December 1938, in Nedumgapara, Ernakulam District. Joining the Society of Jesus on 17 May 1958, he did his Novitiate at Beschi College, Dindigul and pronounced the First Vows…

Peter Marandi, SJ (DUM) 1946 – 2023

Fr Peter Marandi was born at Dumria near Bounsi in Bhagalpur Diocese on 22 June 1946. He entered the Society of Jesus on 02 February 1970 at St Stanislaus, Sitagarha, Hazaribagh, to be a Jesuit…

Vijay Kumar Ekka, SJ (MAP) 1962 – 2023

Fr. Vijay Kumar Ekka, SJ was born on 24 November 1962, in Khijurbahar, and he grew up with two brothers and a sister. Fr. Ekka dedicated the major portion of his life to the educational…

Xavier S. Arockiasamy, SJ (MDU) 1931-2023

Br. Xavier S. Arockiasamy (92), the oldest member of the Jesuit Community of St. Joseph’s College, Trichy, was his usual self at supper on 2 December 2023. However, the next morning, the cook who went…

Spirituality demands selflessness

Kiran is just 29. But he is a very different young man. He looks forward to a challenge. He is ready to explore closely other religious traditions. He has discovered a sense of transcendence through…

We can live if we have love

Henry Drummond once wrote a celebrated essay on love which he titled ‘The Greatest Thing in the World’. I have never met anyone who disagreed with the axiom that love is the greatest thing in…

Out to dance

[auth] - By Christine Evangelou And that’s the thing about hopeShe springs out of nowhereAt the glimpse of possibilityOn the breeze of a beliefThe faint chatter of faith…‘Cause hope is far mightierThan a passing pauseAnd…

Coordinators of school education meet in Ahmedabad

The annual meet of the Province Coordinators for school Education (PCEs) was held at St. Xavier’s High school, Loyola Hall, Ahmedabad 0n 22-25 October ’23. All the coordinators, including the one from Sri Lanka, participated…

An old psalm for a new year

Psalm 23 is the world’s favourite psalm. With just 6 short verses it is simple and beautiful.  It has won hearts for two and a half millennia. It has found its way into century upon…

My experiences at the Synod

Jim, thanks for talking to Jivan about your experiences at the Synod. We were happy to hear you were invited by Pope Francis to attend the Synod. How did it begin? [auth] We began with…

Jesuit Communicators meet in Chennai

The JESCOM Annual Meet 2023, a gathering of Jesuit communicators, took place on 23-25 October ’23 at Dhyana Ashram, Chennai. Delegates from 15 provinces/regions participated in the three-day event, delving into the profound intersection of…

His warm smile and kind eyes…

Since I happen to be the President of the Xavier Board of Higher Education, the Vatican Dicastery of Education and Culture invited me to join their conference on ‘Time for Listening”. I was one of…

Democracy Dreams for 2024

It is widely accepted that it was the Greek city-states, particularly Athens, which gave to the world, as early as the 5th Century BC, a political system which is the forerunner of modern-day democracy. [auth]…

#XplodUrCreativity

Ms. Candice says, “It was back in 2000 that I met Fr Cyril Desbruslais, SJ, a charismatic yet simple Jesuit. Little did I know that he would become a friend, philosopher and guide to me…

Jesuit office publishes book on Pastoral planning in…

The Office of Discernment and Apostolic Planning of the Society of Jesus has published a new book on pastoral planning authored by Dr Christina Kheng, a Singaporean laywoman and planning consultant of the Jesuit Conference…

The only Jesuit institution in China celebrates 25…

To mark the 25th anniversary of the only Jesuit institution in mainland China, the Beijing Center for Chinese Studies (TBC) gathered friends and alumni on the evening of 28 November ’23 to cherish the sweet…

‘The Face of the Faceless’ – a powerful…

The way the film opens is intriguing. It highlights the water crisis faced by the villagers. The director’s deliberate choice to start the film with this scene is a clever way to emphasize the context…

The Shrine of St. John de Britto is…

The shrine of St. John de Britto, erected at the spot where he was martyred, at Oriyur, Tamil Nadu, India has been declared a Minor Basilica by the Church. Bishop Lourdu Anand of Sivagangai read…

Joe Velinkar, SJ (BOM) 1930-2023

For me, Fr. Joe Velinkar’s, life had three strong dimensions. Dr. Joseph Velinkar the Scholar, Prof. Velinkar the teacher, and Fr. Joe the pastor. He was 93 years old and 77 years a Jesuit. Quite…

Vijay K. Kachhap, SJ (JAM) 1956-2023

Fr. Vijay k. Kachhap was born at Sindri in Dhanbad District, Jharkhand on 4 September 1956. He joined the Jamshedpur Province and went for his Novitiate to Newman Hall, Ahmedabad in 1976. He did his…

Living simply so that others can simply live

Madam Ibu Gedong Bagoes Oka was a prominent Indonesian intellectual, who established the Ashram Gandhi Canti Dasa in 1976. Internationally acknowledged as a devotee of Mahatma Gandhi's philosophy, she dedicated herself to finding ways by…

Beginning Anew

Eight years ago I organized a retreat for American veterans of the Vietnam War. Many of the men and women at that retreat felt very guilty for what they had done and witnessed, and I…

Shall we begin a renewed journey?

Have you had the experience I had recently? I was taken aback when I heard the word ‘sexy’ while flying on the Indigo Airlines for the first time. [auth] After the initial uneasiness I realized…

For hope when it is hard to hope

Have you come across people who seriously think that these are the end times? But why would they think so? If you ask them, they will be ready with a long list of recent catastrophes,…

To whom do God’s angels sing?

[auth] These are ‘the shepherds’ in His sightWho keep watch over ‘flocks’ by night;The milkman, watchman, paper-boys,Who forego many of life’s joysTo stay on watch beside their ‘sheep’,And to their tasks devotion keepThe nurses, mothers,…

A pioneer of Christian art in the Indian…

Delio Mendonca talks about his book on the pioneering Indian artist, Fonseca Délio Mendonça, Fonseca, Goa, Architecture Autonomous,2022, pp. 252, images 126. (www.angelofonseca.com) What made you write this book? A good, complete book on this…

A model of fraternity and friendship

Joseph Victor Edwin talks about a book he edited on a saint who lived among Muslims Edited by Joseph Victor Edwin, Orbis Books,2022, pp. 128. Congratulations! Your book has won an award from the Catholic…

To script a new beginning

Christmas is upon us once again at a time when “the still sad music of humanity,” that William Wordsworth talked about has become a screeching scream. This is so obvious in the context of the…

What will I do for Mary’s babe?

His unfathomable love gently flowedAmong the least, the last and the lostThe shepherds and the Magi bowedBefore Mary’s babe, the Lord of hostsWhat have I done for the One who is born? [auth] From heavenly…

Christmas reveals God’s disponibility

By choosing the Incarnation as the way to involve themselves in the world, the three divine persons - the Father, Son and Spirit - placed themselves at the mercy of human beings. Of the many…

To empower rural school teachers

In order to address the challenges faced by teachers in rural schools, CSSE (Conference Secretariat for School Education) came up with a new initiative, called TEEP (Teacher Effectiveness Enhancement Program). These teachers play a crucial…

JCSA meets at De Nobili, Pune

The biannual meeting of the major superiors of Jesuit Conference of South Asia held on 22 to 27 October ‘23 was hosted by the Pune province, and accommodation was provided by De Nobili College, Pune.…

Vocation Promoters & Prenovitiate Directors meet in Goa

The annual meeting of the Jesuit Vocation Promoters and Prenovitiate Directors (VPND), was held in Pedro Arrupe Institute (PAI), Raia, Goa, on 5-8 October 2023. Besides Fr Somy Mannoor (JAM), the new Secretary of the…

Did the Synod succeed?

Although everyone understood the historical importance of the Synod on synodality that began in Rome on 04 Oct 2023, many wondered if it will succeed. [auth] Well, the first Session ended on 29 October. Did…

Opened: VJ’s renovated library

Archbishop Anil Joseph Thomas Couto, Archbishop of Delhi and Fr. Stan  D’Souza SJ, the President of the Jesuit Conference of South Asia blessed the renovated library of Vidyajyoti Institute of Religious Studies, Delhi on 18…

Juniorate Staff meet in Mumbai

The annual Juniorate Staff meeting of the South Asian Jesuit Conference was held from Sept 19 to 21 at Vinayalaya in Mumbai. Twelve participants were present. The newly appointed CSIF, Fr Somy Mannoor, unfortunately could…

“The Christmas I still cherish”

The star was hung and candle lit - M.K. George, SJ [auth] This is an old memory. To be precise, five decades old. The setting was a village in central Kerala, where life was still…

#BelieveInUs!

“See, I can simply say Jesuits inspire me. But I don’t feel comfortable with it because what I am in love with is your ‘mission - the service of faith and promotion of justice.’ I…

Christmas in a world of war, death and…

As I write this, the media are full of the sad, shocking, sickening news of the Hamas-Israeli war in the very land Jesus was born. The Ukraine war is still going on, with no hope…

Jesuits organize Conference to protect the rights of…

A Jesuit organization took the initiative to organize a Conference to demand that the State government of Tamil Nadu, India extend to the minority schools special schemes it offers to the government schools. JCERT (Jesuit…

Relishing theOrdinary

I have a vivid memory of the annual Christmas plays at my school, where I often found myself cast as one of the shepherds. On one occasion, I confided in my mother, expressing my desire…

“Tell me a Christmas story!”

Once upon a time, as all good stories begin, a young man, displaced from his village, found himself in a strange town with nowhere to stay. He was anxious, and rightly so. He was from…

Messengers and messages of peace

We are entering into the Christmas season again. The Christmas narrative tells us that the Lord was born in the darkness of a silent night, with animals for company. Was it only because his parents…

Christmas ironies

Can you think of a sadder tragic irony than this? He is hailed as ‘the Prince of Peace’. But the land, where he was born and brought up, where he wandered preaching God’s fatherly love,…

Avellino Remedios, SJ (BOM) 1930-2023

Remedios was a ‘People’s Person’: friendly; one who enjoyed meeting and talking with people. He would always begin any conversation with ‘What’s Up?’. These two words had a beautiful alchemy of endearing him to others.…

Dionysius Lobo, SJ (BOM) 1945-2023

Dion died as he lived - peacefully on the morning of Sunday 24 September 2023. Dion was 78 years old and 62 years in the Society. His entire priestly ministry of 48 years was in…

John Britto Bonaventure, SJ (MDU) 1946-2023

Fr. John Britto Bonaventure’s’s association with Higher Education, first as a student and then as professor, research scholar and administrator, began and ended at St. Joseph’s College, Tiruchirappalli. His years of active ministry were mostly…

Joy John Arackal, SJ (DEL) 1944-2023

 Fr. Joy John Arackal breathed his last at 5.00 pm on 7 October 2023, at Jivodaya Hospital, Delhi. Hailing from Thuruthy, Changanassery, Kerala, as a teenager, he had an intense desire to become a priest…

Mani V. Nedumattam, SJ (DEL) 1935-2023

Fr. Mani V. Nedumattam, SJ was born on 18 February 1935 in a devout Catholic family. Wanting to be a missionary in North India, he joined the Patna Province in 1955. At Bettiah,northern Bihar, he…

A garden can bring you God’s messages

Once I turned for guidance to the late Dom Bede Griffiths, a British Benedictine monk, who lived for many years and died at Shantivanam, also called Saccidananda Ashram, near Kulithalai in Tamil Nadu, India. As…

In the inn of the world

I arrived in Bali, Indonesia on the day before Christmas. December was a good month for Bali, with hot days, balmy nights, and long afternoons ending in spectacular sunsets. The palace of the Agung was…

Things hard to understand

Did you notice it? If you did, you deserve a pat on your back, because it shows you are a careful reader of Jivan. [auth]             The first one to alert me to the mix-up…

Re-imagining the Society in South Asia

When TV Narendran, the global CEO and Managing Director of Tata Steel, was asked how big Tata Steel expected to be by the end of this decade, he said: ‘…We have doubled our production in the…

50 Golden years of the Sadhana Institute

- Interview with Fr. Vincent Crasta, SJ, Superior, Sadhana Institute, Lonavla [auth] What exactly do you celebrate in October 2023? We had planned to celebrate 50 years of the Sadhana Institute in October this year. Due…

Jivan Short Story Contest – 2023

We are happy to announce the Jivan Short Story Contest for this year. The cash prizes to the winners come from a generous grant offered in 1997 by the family of Fio Mascarenhas, SJ and…

Life and vision of Tony de Mello, SJ

- The Founder of Sadhana Institute [auth] Mario Correia, SJ I had the privilege of meeting Fr Anthony de Mello, SJ (fondly called ‘Tony’) first as a novice in 1967, at Vinayalaya, Andheri, Mumbai. He…

Novice Masters meet at CIS, go on a…

The annual meet of Jesuit Novice Masters of South Asian Assistancy (JeNMaSA) was held at the Centre for Ignatian Spirituality (CIS), Beschi Illam, Dindigul, Tamil Nadu, on 20 -28 August, 2023. All 14 Novice Masters…

MAGIS 2023 & World Youth Day 2023 in…

Lisbon, Portugal became the youth hub of 2023, as it held two grand events, MAGIS 2023 and World Youth Day 2023. Youth from across the world huddled together to express their faith in Christ and…

Jyoti Kumari inspires Jerry

– how a 15-year-old girl from Bihar influenced a Jesuit [auth] You may recall reading this last year. Jyoti Kumari was just a 15 year-old girl from a remote village in Bihar, studying seventh standard.…

India yearns for a Mahatma!

India and the world will observe 2 October as ‘Gandhi Jayanti’, the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, who was born in 1869, in Porbandar, Gujarat. [auth] Gandhiji’s contribution to the world and its relevance can…

If you respect women and give them a…

Perhaps I was lucky to be born in a family where my parents encouraged us to make our own decisions. My father’s unique philosophy was that we make our own choices about our specializations, our…

At this age what do I expect from…

[auth] Much still abides James Rodrigues, SJ (CEN) Loyola College, Chennai  The Society has given me more than what I expected in my long journey. The superiors have been very kind and generous to me…

#PrayMore!

“Do I like a Jesuit? Or do I like the ‘Jesuits?’ Hmm, that’s a tough one… But is there a difference? Hmmm! I am not sure… Forget it. I have been associated with the Jesuits…

Jesuits banned, their assets confiscatedin El Salvador

On 23 August ’23 Nicaraguan authorities banned the entire Society of Jesus from the country and ordered the confiscation of all its assets, claiming they failed to comply with tax reporting. After shutting down the Central American…

His mission was to fight slavery

Film: Amazing Grace (2006) Director: Michael Apted. Cast: Ioan Gruffudd, Romola Garai, Benedict Cumberbatch, Albert Finney and others Run time: 120 minutes. Modern colonialism brought back the ancient practice of slavery in Christendom long after…

A Jesuit among Muslims

The fact I was trained and ordained and sent among Muslims nourishes my heart with joy and gratitude and gives me energy and consolation. I am grateful to God for the unmerited gift of life…

“I want to see this new world”

As a twelve-year-old boy I stared at my grandfather, who lay on his back on a thin carpet in his house in New Delhi, his eyes closed, his arms resting peacefully across his chest. My…

Alexander John Robinson, SJ (DUM) 1968-2023

Fr John Robinson was admitted to Paramount Nursing Home, Kolkata for appendicitis. Unfortunately, he suffered a massive heart attack in the hospital and breathed his last. Robinson was born in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, on 24…

Francis Mathias, SJ (HAZ) 1940-2023

Br. Francis Mathias came from a devoutly religious family. After having worked for some time as a welder, Br. Francis Mathias took a big life decision. Instead of working with metals, he decided to work…

Joseph Thadavanal, SJ (PAT) 1943-2023

Fr. Joe Thadavanal was born on 10 April 1943 in Teekoy, Kerala. He was ordained in 1975. He was Rector of XTTI, Patna, Papal Seminary, Pune, Khrist Raja High School, Bettiah and St. Xavier’s College…

Patrick Tirkey, SJ (HAZ) 1992 – 2023

The sudden loss of Sch. Patrick Tirkey, S.J. has brought pain and tears to many, including children. Patrick was born in a loving Oraon tribal family with two younger brothers. His father is a daily…

Susai Raj, SJ (PAT) 1955-2023

Fr. Susai Raj remained quite active till the end of his life. Though he had a heart problem, none of us thought that he would say goodbye to us so suddenly. So, his death on…

Beneath Your Blue Veil

[auth] Beneath Thy protracted blue veil52 euphoric saints call thee ‘Hail’Diverse ethos, stories, all kneeling as oneWith the triumph of Thy heavenly mission doneOnce sinners, none spurned and punishedSins and history now chiefly erasedA dream…

Your Attention Please!

Jivan is our magazine. It is your magazine. So feel free to write for it. Number of words: Please keep in mind that it is the magazine of the entire South Asian Assistancy and so…

A Gift that can be Snatched Away

It looks like the coming months are going to be crucial. [auth] All who truly love this great nation, - woman or man, whatever may be their religion, region, caste, race or economic status, -…

JCSA Socii Meet – 2023 in Bengaluru

The JCSA Socii meeting, which was scheduled for July 2020 but postponed because of COVID-19, took place after three years on 7 - 9 July 2023 in Ashirvad, Bengaluru. Except Fr. Devadoss M. (MDU) who…

From an Elected Democracy Topopulist Autocracy

Introduction: How capitalism has eroded democracy [auth] In 2007 The UN General Assembly resolved to celebrate International Day of Democracy on 15 September, inviting member states to commemorate the day so as “to raise public…

Saying Yes to Life

Things we can do to prevent suicide. [auth] A young man, after walking quite a few kilometres through villages, met me on a Saturday evening at the presbytery where I had been staying. I asked…

Protest March in Raipur for Manipur

On Sunday, 6 August ‘23 Sarva Astha Manch, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, organized a silent protest march in which more than 1000 participants from different religions - Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, Jains, Tribal and Dalit representatives participated.…

Joys and Challenges of Being a Teacher

As the dawn of Teachers’ Day approaches in India, the nation pauses to honour those who have dedicated their lives to shaping the minds and hearts of future generations. For me, this day carries a…

Jesus laughed! A Fresh Look at the Human…

Many Catholic Christians imagine that Jesus was a chronically grim person. This is perhaps because they mostly look at him one-sidedly as a divine Person, forgetting that he was at the same time a truly…

Embracing the Wisdomof Women

It has taken so many centuries for a woman to play an important role in a Synod of Bishops. For this to happen we needed a Pope like Pope Francis, who appointed in 2021 Nathalie…

This Retreat Transformed Me!

What Ignatian Psycho-Spiritual Process did for a Jesuit [auth] I used to harbor a lot of anger. I was an introvert, and a very closed person. Therefore I had a lot of problems in my…

#SerHumane (Be Human)

“You go with all the excitement in the world to ‘Magis’ and are placed in an experiment you dread the most. How do you feel? Hmm… Tell Me…Ughhh! I was assigned a group that participated…

All or Nothing: Sr Clare Crockett (2021)

(Documentary) Runtime: 96 Minutes Producer:  H M Television. The story of the Irish nun, Sr. Clare Theresa Crockett, is the tale of a dramatic faith journey. Born in a lukewarm Catholic family, in Londonderry, North…

Aloysius Vanderwall , SJ (SRI) 1944-2023

Fr. Aloysius Vanderwall, SJ, affectionately known as Fr. Aloy, lived a life devoted to serving God and humanity. From his early days in the novitiate to his final years as the Spiritual Guide at Sneha…

Augustine Fernandes, SJ (GOA) 1968-2023

The parishioners loved Augustine; he was their Pastor who built their church and the community. He was born on 15 July 1968 in Sangargalli. He did his novitiate at XTC-Desur (1992-1994), Juniorate in Kathmandu, Philosophy…

Chettiyathara John M, SJ (DUM) 1952-2023

Fr Chettiyathara John M., popularly known as Fr C.M. John or Johnny was born on 29 December, 1952 at Vazhoor, Kottayam, Kerala. He entered the Society of Jesus on 09 July 1978 at Jisu Jaher,…

Edward D’ Souza, SJ (JAM) 1936 – 2023

Fr Edward D’ Souza was a zealous, dedicated Jesuit priest who opted to work in the newly-established Jamshedpur mission. Born in Parel, Mumbai in a deeply religious family on 29 September 1936, he entered the…

Guy Rajendram, SJ (SRI) 1934-2023

Fr. Guy. F. Rajendram, (affectionately known as Fr. Guy, was a highly esteemed member of the Jesuit community in Sri Lanka. Born in 1934, he joined the Society of Jesus in 1951 and underwent religious…

Irudayasamy Sebastian (MDU) 1941-2023

Br. Irudayasamy entered the Jesuit Novitiate on 1 February 1961 at Beschi College, Dindigul. His first appointment was to maintain the House and Hostel at Loyola Public School, Guntur (1965-1967). When he was transferred to…

Joseph M. Gauci Sacco, SJ (DUM) 1937-2023

Fr Joseph M. Gauci Sacco was born at Hamrun, Malta, on 20 January 1937. He joined the Jesuit Novitiate on 02 October 1953. After his initial formation in Malta, he volunteered for the Santal mission…

Leslie Francis, SJ (GOA) 1931-2023

Leslie was born on 10 February 1931 and spent his childhood in Pune. At 20, after graduating in Economics, he joined the Society of Jesus in 1951. He studied philosophy at Berchmans Kolleg in Munich-Germany.…

Joy Follows Like a Shadow

I landed on a small, dusty bush airfield in the middle of Western Australia. Nearby was the construction site of the world’s largest nickel refinery plant. Over 4,000 men lived and worked here as construction…

He would say, “Well done!”

If the young Arturo Sosa met you today, do you think he would be satisfied? I think he would say “Well done” to me because I have done what I have enjoyed and that has…

The Moon and Its Creator

I saw the full Moon a few nights ago. Now, obviously, this is nothing new. There’s a full Moon every month. In the seventy years I’ve walked the Earth I might have seen more than…

A Conspiracy of Grace

I had three novice masters in two years; one did not die as a Jesuit. He was asked to leave the Society.  The man who succeeded him, touted as a very holy person, told me…

My Dear Motherland

Burning fires shout the secretIt’s hate and cunning that birthed this strifeThose who laugh with hateful gleeForget that hate doesn’t win, they’ll see [auth] Wombs fear the fire and hate,Wondering if they should procreateShould we…

Snake-Charming Jesuits

In March 2023, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) named three asteroids after Jesuit astronomers, bringing the total number of asteroids named in honour of Jesuits to more than thirty. The Jesuit encounter with astronomy is…

Roots & Wings 2023

Roots and Wings - 2023 was held at Sacred Heart College (SHC), Shembaganur, Tamil Nadu from 12 April to 12 May 2023. We were 27 participants, including two Ursuline Sisters. On 12 morning Fr. Devadhas…

Adipoli (From CMI with Love)

I have the privilege of having a CMI priest as a community member and a sojourner in my Ph.D journey. One evening, as we were involved in a friendly banter, I asked him, “How did…

Celebrating Brotherhood

I lost two of my elder brothers in a span of three years. They were in the prime of their lives. It was then that a sense of void and vulnerability became a tangible experience…

India@76: Challenges and Concerns

On 25 November 1949,  the eve of the enactment of the Constitution, in a passionate speech to the Constituent Assembly, Dr B.R. Ambedkar, gave three unambiguous warnings: the need to give up the grammar of…

A Board Game on Ignatius & the Questions…

On this freezing winter morning, Fr Mariusz Han, SJ has woken to his alarm at 4 a.m. But his eyes light up instantly when he talks about his creation – his board game. Called ‘Ignatius…

What Fr. General Has Done regarding GC 36’s…

Part 2 of the interview with Fr Vernon D’Cunha, Assistant ad Providentiam Why did GC 36 ask Fr. General to evaluate the restructuring of Provinces and Regions that had already taken place? [auth] The idea…

Blessed Mother and Mother India

Dichotomy to Intrinsic Unity Ancient philosophers Socrates and Plato considered the body as a prison for the soul, while Aristotle taught that they function in a state of unity. Self-flagellation was recommended down the centuries…

Will AI Lead to the Death of Democracies

Introduction The term 'Artificial Intelligence' was first coined in 1956 by John McCarthy, a pioneering cognitive and computer scientist. But it was the advancements in cyber technology and increased data availability in the 2000s that…

Your attention please!

Jivan is our magazine. It is your magazine. So feel free to write for it. Number of words: Please keep in mind that it is the magazine of the entire South Asian Assistancy and so…

Rejoice or panic?

I should tell you about something strange and slightly scary that happened a few days ago. All through the morning chores like brushing, bathing, shaving etc, I keep listening to music. A bluetooth speaker brings…

Dare to Dream of a Beautiful India!

Dream, dream!Dream, even if the politicians say not to;Dream, even if the religious fanatics say never to;Dream, even if your own family doesn’t want to;Dream, dare to dream of a beautiful India! [auth] Dream until our…

Back Again

Are you surprised that the guy who edited Jivan for 17 long years – from 2000 to 2017 – is back again after a gap of six years? Well, it was a huge surprise for…

Showing us the way to go

Ignatius truly wasA man of great discernmentWhose faith and courage led himTo inspire a mighty movement [auth] Through his trials and his strugglesHe found a path to lightAnd in the service of his LordHe showed…

Your Attention Please

Jivan is our magazine. It is your magazine. So feel free to write for it. Please keep in mind that it is the magazine of the entire South Asian Assistancy and so if your report…

Many Branches, but One Root

Interview with Fr. Pavulraj Michael, SJ, on CP 71, Loyola, Spain [auth] Dear Fr. Pavul, thanks for the interview to Jivan. You attended the recent Congregation of Procurators in Spain. What was the atmosphere?  Fr.…

300 Jesuit School Leaders attend LEAP

LEAP (Leadership Enhancement and Animation Program) programs were conducted in Calcutta, Pune, Pathalgoan, Patna, Ranchi, Chennai, Bangalore, Mumbai, Jamshedpur and Hazaribagh. About 330 Jesuit School Leaders from all over the Conference participated in the programmes.…

Ignatius,lead us on,even today!

Since his birth 532 years ago, the influence of St Ignatius of Loyola on the world and the Church has been truly phenomenal, both directly through his own writings, especially The Spiritual Exercises, and indirectly…

Burning houses, repeating lies

I was at ground zero. I saw the houses burning and the ‘homeless’ in the camps. Our own jeep was torched by miscreants on the highway for no reason and we were beaten by an…

Manipur: Ethnic Conflict Communalised

“Attacks on Christians” is one of the headlines about the recent clashes in Manipur. It is not surprising, because many churches and chapels were attacked and there are allegations of some Meitei sacred places being…

The Culture that Enables Sexual Harassment

Two recent events have parallels that are so stark that they are almost surreal. [auth] On 28 May 2023 the Delhi police dragged, arrested and charged with rioting and disorder, some of India's top women…

Fraternity Forum established in two T.N. towns

Franciscan Missionaries of Mary (Coimbatore) and Islamic Studies Association (Delhi) jointly organized two one-day seminars on “Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together” at Ooty (26 May 2023) and Coimbatore (27 May 2023). At…

FOJET meet in Tamil Nadu

The Ignatian Year (2022-23) brought forth many an initiative across the South Asian Assistancy. One ofthem was FOJET, (the Former Jesuits in Tamil Nadu). The concept invites the Former Jesuits to come together for a…

Ekdumjhakaas (Super fine)!!!!

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Rejoice always and give thanks!

Is it easy to do what St. Paul asks – to rejoice always and to give thanks in all circumstances? [auth] ‘Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in…

Ignatian Roots of Daughters of the Cross

We, Daughters of the Cross, are required to make a month’s retreat based on the Ignatian Exercises before the final vows. The value of this directive was brought home to me powerfully in my month’s…

The Graham Staines Story

Film: The Least of These: The Graham Staines Story (2019) Director: Aneesh Daniel                                            Running time: 112 minutes Cast:   Stephen Baldwin, Shari Rigby, Sharman Joshy, Aditi Chengappa. In 1999 the violent death of the Australian missionary…

Fr. Braz Faleiro, SJ (GOA)

Fr. Braz Conceicao Faleiro was born on 8 December 1936, in Navelim-Goa. He did his Novitiate in Andheri-Mumbai, licentiate in Philosophy in Braga-Portugal and Theology in Innsbruck-Austria. He was ordained a priest in Zug-Switzerland. He…

Fr. John Misquitta, SJ (BOM)

Fr. John Misquitta was a multi-faceted personality - an educationist, theologian, pastor, socius to novice master, and dministrator. In losing Fr Misquitta, the Bombay Province has lost a great stalwart. Fr. John was a jogger.…

Being Kind, Even When Everyone Else Is Not

A few days ago, I was visiting my mother in the nursing home where she lives.  She has been suffering from thyroid cancer and is “immune compromised,” which means that she is highly susceptible to…

Journeying with the Youth of South Asia

On 27th October 2018, the XV Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops promulgated a path-breaking document ‘Young People, The Faith and Vocational Discernment’ at the end of a historic Synod on youth! The…

Thank you, JIVAN!

This will be my last editorial as Jivan editor. I am to take over another mission, requested by the Society. Being human, I feel emotional about leaving Jivan, as I enjoyed the job immensely. [auth]…

Formators Must Focus on Building Character

A major part of the Spirit’s activity in Jesus was the fashioning of his character. As a human being, Jesus had to grow spiritually, psychologically and physically, and he truly “increased in wisdom, and in…

The Magic of Magis

A Story: In a small village, a widowed mother and her son lived together. The mother worked as a gardener to support their family, and her son often watched her tend to the plants. One…

Channelising the Energy and Potential of Youth

A new age will be created by the passion and power of young people. Generations after generations, young people have always been a core population of our society, on whom we shoulder our present and…

Antonio Moscheni, World Class Jesuit Painter

The Jesuit Brother, Antonio Moscheni was born in the village Stezzano near Bergamo in Italy, in 1854. His natural talent for art was recognized and encouraged by his father, by sending him to the Academia…

Five Chilies and One Lemon

The first prize winning short story of the JIVAN Creative Writing Contest (Short Story) 2022. [auth] Sunita gave a yellow polythene bag to Suman with three chapattis and potato ‘bhaji’ and said, “Come back on…

Three Classes of “Superior”

St. Ignatius wrote of the three classes of human beings with different levels of responses to God. This essay explores the role of “Superior” in terms of 3 classes of leadership: Forward, Status Quo, Regressive…

Transfers, Tears and Laughter

May is known not only for the summer heat. There is also the heat of transfers. Heat and sweat occasion grins and gloom, tears and laughter. Transfers remind me of a beautiful experience. Once, as…

South Asian Jesuit Artists Forum

The Jesuit artists of the South Asian Conference - dancers, painters, musicians, theatre, media men - came together to share and discuss on art ministries in the Conference. The annual meeting of the South Asian…

SXUK Organises AICUF Workshop

St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) organised a three-day workshop for All India Catholic University Federation (AICUF) State Advisers from 14th to 16th April 2023, on the university campus.   Twenty five Jesuit state advisers from…

Listen, Observe, Learn

Re-imagining who one is, who one wants to be…what an exciting idea, what a courageous and radical process to undertake!  That was my first thought when I read the theme of this issue of Jivan. …

Forgiveness and Love is Her Hallmark

Gladys Staines is one of India's most celebrated peacemakers. Her life came out purer by the test of fire. Her husband Graham Stuart Staines, her children Timothy Harold Staines and Philip Graham Staines were consumed…

#YehDilMaangeMore

(This Heart Desires For More) Who said youth are only inspired in your Jesuit Educational Institutions? Take me, for example, I was drawn to Jesuits who were in social and youth work. The first time…

A War Beneath the Vestment

When the darkness prevailed,A ghost like man sailedDeep into the deep sea.Blood like sweatFrom head to toe,Caught neither fish nor flesh. [auth] Then the sun arises from the slumberLike a lamp in a dungeon.“Cast your…

The Journey of the South Asian Team for…

In his letter dated 18th February 2023, keeping in mind the felt need of the church - namely safeguarding of minors and vulnerable adults (VA), the President of the Jesuit Conference of South Asia (POSA)…

Clergy Sexual Offending: Formative Considerations

Understanding clergy sexual offending is real and relevant today. No single cause has been identified. It is often varied, and includes victims of both genders. Susceptibility could be because of psychological, situational and organizational factors.…

Consistent Protection: An Antidote to Abuse

The three-year Jesuit project of promoting a consistent culture of protection (PCCP) for minors and vulnerable adults is a relevant and much needed plan of action, given the increase in the varied forms of abuses…

Child Right Laws

It was in 1989, United Nations declared Child Rights in the UN Convention on Rights of the Child known as UNCRC. According to UNCRC, Child Rights are entitlements that should be afforded to all persons…

The Jesuit influence on the Society of the…

The formation of the Constitutions of the Society of the Sacred Heart for women, and the influence of the Jesuits on its development, is cradled in the dreadful turbulence that characterized France during the late…

Calvary is not the end of our Lenten…

Calvary is not the end of our Lenten journey, our goal should lead us to the resurrected Christ, and we should strive to live our daily life in the footsteps of the resurrected Christ. [auth]…

Life during the pandemic and after

The book, ‘Religiously Political and Politically Religious’, is a series of thoughtful essays. There are 23 of them about life during the pandemic and after. The topics include the post-pandemic challenge to Christian churches, the…

The Image of a Jesuit School

Fr. John Moore SJ, was one of the first 6 Australian Jesuits to come to Hazaribag in February 1951. He was studying Hindi in Ranchi when suddenly in September 1951 he got a letter from…

Why Pray or Go for Mass?

As a lay and busy professional, I was captivated and awed at the incredible insights provided here about Christian prayer and the Eucharist. The dynamic role of personal prayer, and the need for active personal…

JAAI Milan, Patna 2023

The 10th National Congress of the JAAI commenced on the evening of 10th Feb. 2023, hosted by the Jesuits Alumni Associations of Patna, in the prestigious and iconic St Xavier’s High School, St Michael’s High…

TATA’s Torture Tests

You have certainly heard about the ‘torture chambers’, but have you heard about the ‘torture tracks’? When the major superiors visited the Tata Motors in Jamshedpur - as part of the outing during the recent…

They can kill me, but they will never…

Óscar Arnulfo Romero (1917 -1980), a pastor, prophet, martyr, is now . . . “Saint of the Americas.” In his own words, a priest’s role is not just to celebrate Mass, administer sacraments, organize catechism…

Pilgrimage to the Shrine of Martyr, Servant of…

The students of the Jesuit Formation Center for Theology (JFCT), Ranchi made a pilgrimage to the shrine of the Servant of God and martyr, Fr. Herman Rasschaert, SJ to Kutungia in Simdega Diocese of Jharkhand,…

Workshop on Creating Counter Narratives

The Communication commission and Youth commission of Jesuit Chennai Province jointly organised a three-day (Feb 24th-26th) workshop on “Creating Counter Narratives” for young students, animators and teachers in Loyola College campus, Chennai. There were 30…

“Khushhall Bachpan” for children by Caritas India

CARITAS AUSTRALIA launched a Project called “Khushhall Bachpan”, promoting Happy Childhood in collaboration with Caritas India, Delhi, at XISA - Xavier Institute of Social Action, Raipur, Chhattisgarh on 1st March, 2023. In his keynote address,…

Fr. S. Arulanandam, SJ (NEP) 1960-2022

Fr. S. Arulanandam, S.J., passed away on 12/12/2022 at Sumeru Hospital, Kathmandu, Nepal. He had been diagnosed with cancer and was under treatment for the past few months. Fr. Arulanandam, S.J. (Fr. Arul) joined the…

Fr. Francis Britto, SJ (MDU>JPN) 1947-2023

Fr. Francis Britto was born in Chinna Dharapuram, Tamil Nadu, in 1947. He entered the Society for the Madurai Province at Beschi College, Dindigul, in 1964. After his First Vows and Juniorate studies there, he…

Fr. Arun Kumar Bara, SJ (MAP) 1989-2023

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Tim 4:7). The late Fr. Arun Kumar Bara was born on 9th November 1989 in Chhoti Anni village…

Fr. Paul Vaz, SJ (BOM) 1946-2023

The Beatitudes are full of meaning affecting different aspects of life. Fr. Paul attempted to live them courageously. Fr. Paul Vaz came from a very religious, God-fearing family in a simple South Mumbai neighbourhood. The…

Fr. Robert (Bob) Menezes, SJ (BOM) 1947-2023

Fr. Robert (Bob) Menezes, S.J. was a multi-talented man with no gas about any of his gifts. He shared his giftedness generously in every way possible with no airs about it. No matter who was…

Fr. Mathew J. Moolel, SJ (MDU) 1932-2023

Born on 2nd August 1932 in Changanacherry, Kerala, Fr. Moolel had his schooling and completed his Intermediate studies as a university rank holder in Thiruvananthapuram. He entered the Novitiate in 1951. Years of formation followed.…

Fr. Fernandes Jesuadimai, SJ (MDU) 1946-2023

Born in a small village called Velliavilai in Kanyakumari District, Tamil Nadu, Fr. Fernandes did his primary and high school studies in a nearby town of his native place, and went on to finish his…

Fr. Dominic Fernandes, SJ (BOM) 1953-2023

Fr. Dominic was born in Nagpur on 22nd July 1953. He joined the Society on 20th June 1973. He joined as a Brother and later on discerned to be a Priest in the Society. He was ordained…

Go thou and follow Him, who gave His…

Sister Nivedita (1867–1911), “the offered one to God”, is a personification of empathy and spirituality who eternally lives in the soul of India. As Margaret Elizabeth Noble, she responded to Swami Vivekananda's call, travelled to…

#MoAddaMoGuru (my conversation || my guru)

Who would have thought that a naïve, humble girl from an indigenous community could become the lead HR of Caritas, India? “Oops! Let’s chuck these clichéd beginnings.” “I have always dreamed of pursuing management studies…

A Journey of Hope-filled Pastors

Jamshedpur Jesuit Province has been a missionary province where the Jesuits, sent on a mission, have realized the command of the Lord to preach the Good News to the people of the land. This brief…

XLRI and XIM: Brands of their own

The impact of business on culture, the environment and stewardship of God's creation, has been recognised by Jesuit institutions for almost 500 years. From a Jesuit perspective, a business education is directed not merely toward…

Stalwarts of Social Apostolate in Jamshedpur Province

Jesuit social apostolate encompasses a wide spectrum of activities and engagements - ranging from works of charity to taking sides in solidarity with historically marginalised peoples and their struggles to bring structural and systemic change…

The De Nobili School Cluster: A model of…

Since the General Congregation (GC) 31, the Society of Jesus recognised the need for active Lay collaboration in promoting the educational mission of the Society, inviting lay people to be partners in the mission. Some…

Collaboration with the Diocese: A Cutting Edge

Jamshedpur Jesuit Province and Jamshedpur Diocese have had a unique relationship for a long time. The uniqueness comes from the First Mission Superior, Fr Carroll Fasy's "strong belief in the Community.” He wished to keep…

Give what you have!

The Path before the Province [auth] Legend has it that St. Ignatius of Loyola sent off Francis Xavier with the words “ite inflammate omnia,” and I guess the founder would tell us the same today…

Jesuit Institutions: Strength or User Value?

“Our institutions are our strength”, I heard a Jesuit companion say at one of our meetings. On another occasion, I also heard a beneficiary of one of our city institutions saying: “Father, your institutions are…

JYOTI – A Flame burning for fifty years

It is exciting to look back on the 50 years of JYOTI (Jamshedpur Youth Organization for Tomorrow's India), a remarkable Youth Movement, and celebrate the extraordinary impact it has had on the lives of young…

The Social Organization of the Tribals

India has two key social formations, the castes and the tribes. Both groups can be studied from the perspective of society (Samaj) and culture (Sanskriti). However, studies on castes largely deal with social structure and…

What Tickles about the Jesuit life

As a religious order in the Church, the Jesuits are a puzzle. Yet despite rapid growth, papal suppression, later revival and present flourishing, Jesuits have always been controversial to the outsider - Christian and non-Christian.…

A dream envisioning a change never dies

An immortal dream, unflagging dogged determination to be the change and ray of hope for millions of eyes, an unsung warrior who created an inevitable part of history: Sr. Rani Maria-The Face of the Faceless.…

Little Daughters of Saint Francis Xavier (LDFX)

Jesuits supported the inception, development, expansion of a Congregation LDFX in the Ahmedabad Diocese of Gujarat. To express gratitude to God and to all who were instrumental in the birth and growth of LDFX, this…

Leadership Model of Jesus

As Jesus began his public ministry, he had three popular models of leadership to choose from – Patron Model, Pontiff Model and Politico Model. His temptations show his dilemma of making the right choice. As…

SXUK confers D.Litt on Mamata Banerjee

In a historic move, Father John Felix Raj, Vice-Chancellor of St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) conferred the D.Litt (Honoris Causa) on Mamata Banerjee, Chief Minister of West Bengal, in the fourth Convocation ceremony on 6th…

Orienting towards MAGIS – Portugal

Magis - a word known to every Jesuit - has a unique aura when it is heard in the evergreen youth circles. It brings to mind “MAGIS” - the programme designed to give youth a…

Fr. Francis D’Souza, SJ (DAR) 1953-2023

Moved by the loving and inviting gaze of the Lord on him, Francis D’Souza left everything and followed the Lord for the unknown land of Darjeeling. He entered the Society in 1971 and after going…

Fr. John Santos, SJ (PUN) 1928-2023

Fr. John Santos was a zealous, dedicated Jesuit, ready to be sent anywhere on mission. Born in Pune on 6th May 1928, in a deeply religious family, he entered the Society on 21st June 1951.…

Fr. Peter Raj Chinnappan, SJ (AND) 1946-2023

Fr. Peter Raj Chinnappan, the esteemed companion, friend and well-wisher of all, who made the lives of a few thousands academically bright, breathed his last at 4.00 p.m. on 28th December 2022, in Kauvery hospital, Chennai.…

Fr. Benjamin Tigga, SJ (DUM) 1952-2023

Fr Benjamin Tigga was born at Sarbahala, Dhumadanr, in Chattisgarh, on 18th August 1952. He joined the Society of Jesus on 3rd December 1971 and was ordained a priest on 15th May 1984. Fr Benji…

Br. Michael Lopes, SJ (GUJ) 1944-2023

“The answers to life’s most complex problems are simple ones; think simple and you will not complicate your life.” This quote describes succinctly ‘simple brother’ Michael Lopes’ life. He enjoyed claiming “I am a simple…

Women – Nation’s Pride

Women of India, strong and bold,With grace and beauty, their stories untold.Their struggles immense, yet they rise,With courage and perseverance in their eyes. [auth] They bear the burden of home and work,With dignity and strength,…

Lent: A time for Soul Gardening

Our soul is a garden, our thoughts are the seedsWe can grow flowers, or we can sprout weeds [auth] In this crazy busy world, many have taken to gardening as a relaxing and recreational hobby,…

Becoming Ambassadors of Environment

You travel to any part of our country and you hear this unusual news: ‘it rained here recently’. ‘This time the winter was acute’. In fact, 2022 saw some of India’s wettest and warmest months…

Vidyajyoti at the Service of Theological Formation

According to the Statutes of Vidyajyoti, Art. 1, “Initiatives and activities of Vidyajyoti… are intended to promote the values of Christian tradition, and in particular, values of our time most in need – the dignity…

A Woman’s Journey through Lent

As Secretary of the Archdiocesan Women’s Commission of Bombay, one of my duties was to plan and organise the Women’s Day celebrations. Lent invariably coinciding with 8th March was a kind of spoiler. In time…

When Covid-19 was at its worst

The book 'O God, Where Are you?' is a precious collection of short articles by M.J. Thomas, S.J., written during the course of the last five years. In it he shares his insights and convictions…

Exploring Rationality and Animality

Jeevan Mendonsa’s work is very helpful in bringing together the perspective of a contemporary Aristotelian, Alasdair MacIntyre, noted in this respect for his Dependent Rational Animals, and the positions debated in evolutionary ethics. From his reading…

A scholarly walk through Jesuit Education

“The quality of Jesuit Education depends entirely on the quality of the educators in our schools”. The book by Fr. (Dr.) Vinod Fernandes SJ is truly aimed at enhancing the quality of Jesuit educationists. The…

Anne De Xainctonge of the Society of St.…

The year 8th June 2021 marked the fourth Centenary of the  death of Our Foundress, Anne de Xainctonge, born in Dijon, France (1567-1621) which coincided with the first “Cannonball” moment of St. Ignatius of Loyola…

An Uncommon Jesuit

The Spanish Jesuits I know who worked and are still working in the Bombay and Gujarat Provinces have come, as far as my knowledge goes, from the Spanish regions of Castile, Aragon, Catalonia, Valencia, and…

JCSA at Shembaganur

The Major Superiors of the Jesuit Conference of South Asia, in their bi-annual meeting held from 23rd to 30th October 2022 at Shembaganur, took several decisions on School Education, some of which are: paying special…

International Symposium on AI, Robotics and Humanoids

Ever since its inception 25 years ago, IISR (Indian Institute of Science and Religion) Delhi, has been organizing much-appreciated international symposiums on the latest developments in science and technology and their impact on common people.…

Pre-Novitiate Directors and Vocation Promoters Meet

The annual meeting of the Vocation Promoters and the Pre-Novitiate Directors of the Jesuit Conference of South Asia was held at Matigara. Thirty-eight Jesuit Vocation Promoters and Pre-Novitiate Directors took an active part in the…

Fr. Abraham Adappur, SJ (KER) 1926-2022

Fr. Adappur engaged in constant dialogue with the secular world.  Aged 96, he died in Christ Hall, Kozhikode.  His convictions, opposition to communism, and sense of justice, made him a philosopher-ascetic. He presented Christian doctrines in a secular style.…

Fr. Ekka Marcel, SJ (MAP) 1952-2022

Fr. Ekka Marcel SJ, participated in a fellowship programme in Social Management in Ahmedabad in 1985, and in 1986 involved himself in training the Balwadi Activists, organizing protest rallies against the Semarsot Wildlife Sanctuary project…

Fr. Victor D’Silva, SJ (KAR) 1942-2022

Fr. Victor Eugene D’Silva was born at Bondel, Mangaluru, on 23rd August, 1942. He was the fourth among five children. He did his initial schooling at St. Lawrence Higher Primary School, Bondel. He completed his…

Fr. Ornellas Coutinho, SJ (GUJ) 1942-2022

Fr. Ornellas Coutinho (GUJ), affectionately called ‘Orny’, was born on 6th August 1942, in Goa; joined the Jesuits on 20th June 1961, pronounced his first vows on 21st June 1963 at Vinayalaya, Bombay; ordained a…

Fr. George Nedungatt, SJ (KER) 1932-2022

Fr. George Nedungatt passed away on 26th October 2022 at Christ Hall, Kozhikode. Born in Peringuzha near Muvattupuzha, Fr Nedungatt began exhibiting his talents already in his school-days by organising the Marian Sodality in his…

A Lay Society of Jesus!

As the context for the reflections stated ahead, at the outset let me state that I have spent 22 years as an ex-Jesuit after being in formation for 15 years. The context I want to…

Lord, Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace

Desmond Mpilo Tutu (1931-2021), “Africa’s Peace Bishop,” was a man of God and of letters. A long, eventful life of this Nobel Laureate can best be summarised as an idea whose time was ripe. He…

#BeingSeekers

“I think I was six years old when Fr Melchi Tigga took me to a substation where he was to preside over the Holy Eucharist. It was 13 km away from the parish. We were…

To NEP or Not to NEP

The New Education Policy (NEP) 2020 is at our doorstep in India with a pressing mandate for its implementation. We in the school and higher education, need to prepare ourselves to make the best of…

Double Trouble Engine

Double Engine Government, is a good puzzleIt’s in fact a decoy for double troubleFirst trouble is democratic autocracySecond is mono-religious supremacyDestroying all the political opponentsWith state’s power for enforcementsDouble patronage for chosen religionGovernment money splurged…

Vidyajyoti Turns Golden

Spontaneous memories of the students of the last fifty years of Vidyajyoti would vary: some may recall the buildings and the neighbourhood places like the landmark Gujarati Samaj while others remember their visits to historic…

#IduNammaVeedu (It’s our home)

Meet Naleena Prasheetha, the first transperson to get a graduate degree in VISCOM from Loyola College, Chennai. She has come a long way in challenging the accepted binary classification of gender. When asked about Loyola,…

Education in Afghanistan: Only a Nostalgic Look Back?

The Jesuit pioneers, who entered war-torn Afghanistan in 2005, considered education to be their greatest contribution to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and returnees, after peace had been (formally) re-established in 2001. [auth] Among these…

A Broken Pencil in God’s Hands

She was born as Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu on 26th August, 1910, but her real birth, many believe, was forty years later in 1950, when she founded the Missionaries of Charity, among the poor, the ailing…

Human God, Lead Me On

Seconds, minutes, hours and days,Weeks, months and years as always,Begins neither with rectitude nor gratitude.I’m a vagabond amidst thy multitude.O God with humanity, lead me on. [auth] You draw straight with crooked lines.Unfathomable might, thy…

Novice Masters Meet in Meghalaya

The Directors of Novices of JCSA had our annual meeting, after two years of COVID break, from August 21st - 30th 2022, at Arrupe Renewal Centre - Jesuit Novitiate, Meghalaya. All fourteen novitiates were represented.…

New Appointment – Fr Arturo Sosa

Rev. Fr. Arturo Sosa SJ - Superior General, has appointed Fr. Vincent Hansdak (49) as the New Provincial of Hazaribag, through his letter dated 17th November, 2022. He was born in Giridih district of Jharkhand…

Mission with Rohingyas in Bangladesh

“We too escaped on boat like the Vietnamese people in the video.  It also made me feel sad that people have been suffering like this down the history. But there are others like the JRS…

JRS: Advocacy as Mission

14th November 1980, was a historic day in the annals of the Society of Jesus! Traditionally, it was the Feast of St Joseph Pignatelli – regarded as the second Founder of the Jesuits. [auth] On…

JRS and Burmese Refugees

Just as the cry of the boat people of Vietnam in 1979 shocked Pedro Arrupe to initiate the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) in the Society, the plight of People of Concern (PoC) fleeing away from…

The Christmas Challenge: Making The Word Flesh in…

Every year when Christmas comes along, I go through an almost allergic reaction of frustration and incredulity, to the narrative that is repeated, emphasised and swallowed unquestioningly by everyone. It is so different from what…

Unsettled and Unresolved

Stories of people towards dignity In December 2019, T. Yanadhan, aged 28, born to a Sri Lankan parent living in a refugee camp in Pavalathanur, implored the district collector’s permission to kill himself due to…

New Strategies for New Challenges

St. Ignatius founded the Jesuit Order to face the challenges raised by the Reformation. Today we have to face totally new challenges with new strategies suitable to the times. I am suggesting four important points:…

Fr. John D’Mello, SJ (PAT) 1932-2022

Fr. John D’Mello was known as ‘Gamcha Father’ as he used to go around with a towel around his neck. He was also known as “Happy Birthday Father” as he used to wish everyone “Happy…

Fr. Vijayanand Marialayam, SJ (GOA) 1943-2022

The affectionate, loving, and hard-working Vijay was born in Kerala – Mutholy, in 1943. Though baptised as Mathew, he changed his name to Vijayanand Marialayam in solidarity with the people he intended to work with.…

Fr. Lancelot Pinto, SJ (BOM) 1933 – 2022

For the last several years, Fr. Lancy resided at St. Xavier’s High School Community, Fort, Mumbai.   On Thursday, 24th March 2022 he celebrated his 50th sacerdotal anniversary. He vested in his ordination cassock which fitted…

Communication: Our DNA

If I were to ask you, ‘have you seen or heard of LENS?’ I’m sure you would say “Yes!” thinking of lenses related to the eyes and camera. But the LENS I’m referring to is…

Jesuit Brothers and Fathers: One Society, Same Vocation,…

The universal Society of Jesus was gearing up to give recognition to the contributions made by the Brothers in its various apostolates. Therefore numerous deliberations took place worldwide.  Brothers’ commissions were formed in every Conference…

Formation and Ongoing Formation of Jesuit Brothers

A few months ago I pronounced my final vows, concluding a twenty-year period of formation as a Jesuit Brother. This formation would have been difficult to distinguish from that of a priestly scholastic, with a…

A Visible Witness to Invisible Realities

“Brothers, in the same way as Priests, are integrated into the Society by reason of the ‘one common call’ of the Lord to follow Him in living out the evangelical radicality of religious life. But…

Five Flies in My Cup of Tea

[auth] I completed sixty years in the Society of Jesus. As I stand at the crossroads of time, my mind takes a nostalgic trip down memory lane. I retrieved in time, events and people, especially…

Does no one read anymore?

How digital technology has changed the way we read and write [auth] One of my Jesuit colleagues bemoaned the fact that the libraries in Jesuit houses are now just empty rooms with musty cupboards filled…

Dear Brothers!

We would like to say something personal to you, dear Coadjutor Brothers of the Society of Jesus. Let it be our confession, our tribute and an accolade to you and your unique vocation. [auth] History…

#EdenGarden

In 2003, she was a simple girl, the eldest among seven, from a rural village—Kezoma. When children her age were dreaming of education, she specialised in sibling management. She couldn’t afford to dream, given her…

Brothers Down History Lane

“Without Brothers, the Society of Jesus would not be the Society of Jesus. Brothers embody the Jesuit call to the vowed life in an especially clear way, and they model for us ways of participating…

3 Ds for our Refounding

‘Have Roots first and Wings then’ is indeed a catchy concept. While we proceed to reimagining and re-founding the Jesuits, we must refuse to be the prisoners of the past, without pooh-poohing the roots of…

An Order of Women Jesuits!

Pope Francis calls for a SYNOD, for all people who are active participants on the journey to the Kingdom, helping each other, as they go on. What would this mean for Jesuits? [auth] 1. ALL - concerned…

I Have Come to Thee, To Take Thy…

Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941), Asia’s first Noble laureate in literature was a polymath – a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer and painter. He was the one of the greatest poets in India. Tagore believed that…

Gratefully in the Society of Jesus

God has been so great in accompanying me all these years. I have felt His constant guidance in making me what I am today. I thank everyone who has played his or her part in…

Soul’s Terminus

[auth] Eternal rest they got and desirously sought,The Heaven’s Lamb along with the celestial lotGone they are to be the omniscient OneLeaving loving memories and paths under the sun. Beneath the stones they reside for…

Stories that portray a Rainbow of Life

After a grand success of ‘Waves – Story Bank’, Fr. Felix Raj’s another literary creation ‘Tides – Story Bank’ narrating different experiences of life was released. Dr. Shashi Tharoor, MP from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala has written…

The Letter: A Message for Our Earth

The documentary, "The Letter: A Message for Our Earth" had its premiere at the Vatican on 4th Oct., the feast of St. Francis of Assisi. It’s been released via YouTube Originals, for anyone anywhere and…

Mother Teresa: No Greater Love

Twenty-five years after her death Mother Teresa continues to inspire. No Greater Love, an American documentary on her remarkable life, is produced by Tim Moriarty for the Knights of Columbus, and directed by David Naglieri,…

The Best Practices of Poverty in the Society…

The inimitable Jesuit practice of poverty has two entwined threads ‘spiritual’ and ‘actual’ (Sp. Ex. 98, 146), the attainment for which Grace every Jesuit intentionally and actively prays and deliberately chooses. Actual poverty is relinquishing…

“You have been with the Galilean”

Archbishop Fulton J Sheen was a true instrument of the Holy Spirit in touching the hearts of countless people through his night-time radio program ‘The Catholic Hour’ on NBC (1930–1950), before moving to television and…

The Chosen

“There is no prevention; there is no cure. It is getting worse…. They brought in a holy man… but he ran away in terror,” says Lilly to the bartender, narrating her exorcism episode. Lilly, a…

Vow of Poverty from the Lens of the…

I had the privilege of getting educated in a Salesian School, and was closely associated with the Salesian Sisters and Fathers right from my childhood, and have worked in close collaboration with them. Moreover, I’m…

Higher Education towards Environmental Protection

The dawn has come for the Society of Jesus in South Asia with the venturing of a school of Environmental Science at SJU, Bengaluru. The new university has established PG and Research Programs in Environmental…

How did our Jesuit Saints Pray?

Have we ever wondered, ‘How did Francis Xavier, and his saint-confreres (Faber, Canisius, Kostka, etc.,) pray?’ or ‘Who was responsible, under God, for training them in holiness and prayerfulness?’ The answer, of course, is that…

Caring for Our Common Home

The world is lovely, nice and sweet;Joyful frowns, yet a painful treat.Rivers flow and flowers bloom:God made earth’s very womb. [auth] Hills and mounts, plains and valleys,Full of wonder are His alleys!Milky seas and silky…

Jesuit Poverty and its Challenges

The proper understanding and prudent practice of religious poverty has probably never been easy in any age. Therefore, the Church in general and the Society in particular, has seen a sea change in the articulations…

Pedro Arrupe: A Steward of the Poor and…

(1907, 14th November, born at Bilbao in Spain)  Joyous, you deserve, basking in Heaven sure, we revere;Noble Basque the Family you come from, we adhere;Born for higher things, Greater Glory of God held you sway,Poised to…

One Step Enough for Me

Years ago, when I was studying at St. Joseph’s College, Bangalore, I heard a lovely hymn being sung. It was sung in a melodious voice by no less a person than the late Fr. Cecil…

The Coat of an Autocrat

Have you read the book, ‘Revenge of Power’ by Moisés Naím? It is a must-read book. In case you have not, you may at least watch his interview on the Internet. Moisés Naím examines the…

Multiple Perspectives on Synodality

Vidyajyoti, Institute of Religious Studies and Faculty of Theology, Delhi, has come out with a book on “No Synodality Without…” The book is the fruit of a three-day national symposium on "Journeying Together in the…

Strengthening Jesuit International Education

A Conference titled, “Strengthening Jesuit International Education in Times of Global Challenge” was held from 19th-21st September 2022, at Loyola University in Seville, Spain. The Conference was mainly for those responsible in promoting international student…

Second Thoughts and First Impressions

This is a brief review of an e-book, meant to be read on one’s computer or tablet, as millions of readers are doing today. This little volume [30 articles, 123 pages] consists of the selected…

An Excellent Introduction

This slim book is yet another attempt to bridge the large gap in understanding and cooperation between Christians and Muslims. It is a helpful guide to getting to know the Qur’an through thirty brief reflections…

Numbers, Algorithms and Margins

Re-imagining the Jesuits is a discernment that has to come from the ones involved. In that sense, I am a complete outsider: a Latin American Jesuit who has never been in South Asia, who works…

Jesuits always in the making

Jesuits across the globe had recently been engaged in celebrations: The Universal Apostolic Preferences, the Ignatian Year of Conversion and Canonization, and the Review of the Statutes on Poverty. That was a lot to chew,…

Another Church is Possible!

Ever since the World Social Forum started in 2001, its slogan Another World is Possible has caught global attention. This slogan found an alluring echo across the world as it gave expression to a radical…

Synodal churning must go on (in India)!

“The purpose of this synod is not to produce more documents. Rather, it is intended to inspire people to dream about the church we are called to be, to make people’s hopes flourish, to stimulate…

Role of Clergy in the Synodal Process

Pope Francis declared that synodality is what God expects of the Church in the 21st century. He has put his own transformative stamp on the meaning and conduct of synods, saying that a synod ought…

Indian Religious Journeying Together

It was in May 2022, that I was in a synodal meeting held at the laity center of the Diocese of Berhampur, in the eastern Indian State of Odisha. More than 70 representatives from 26…

Youth and the Synod on Synodality

“This journey, which follows in the wake of the Church’s ‘renewal’ proposed by the Second Vatican Council, is both a gift and a task: by journeying together and reflecting together on the journey that has…

A Synod that Inspires Us to Care and…

The launch of the Synod on Synodality in October 2021, came as a big surprise to many of us! Who would have expected Pope Francis to throw such an extraordinary invitation asking ‘all of the…

Long Live the Jesuit Library!

Recently, while looking for some books in our house library, I was told that all our libraries have been shifted upstairs, and some books have been donated to other libraries in the Province. So, I…

Gender Sensitivity: Our Mission

Recently, Fr. Konrad Noronha SJ, the director of the Centre for Safeguarding and Human Formation, organized a Conference on gender sensitization. It was an opportunity to listen to and learn from a wide spectrum of…

Becoming Persons of Synodality

The Society of Jesus has been continuously ‘reimagining the Jesuits’ throughout its history, because Ignatius wanted us to always see all things new in Christ, and hence, to be ever open to change and growth,…

Developing a Spirituality of Communion

When one lives in a culture of contradiction, conflict and confusion, one would surely ask: Is it possible to reimagine, recast, or be and act differently? [auth] The theme, ‘Reimagining the Jesuits’, took me to…

Biography of a Life Extraordinaire

On his 97th birthday 27th June, Father Kunnunkal was wheeled to India International Centre, New Delhi for the celebration of his birthday by over a hundred of his former students of St. Xavier’s School, Delhi,…

Reconstructing Mysore History

In these annual letters, the Jesuits have recorded how they found the local social practices to be offensive.  Indeed, these letters show some evidence to the ‘civilising mission’ undertaken by the European missionaries. However, they…

Chennai to Elakurichi: Ignatian Pilgrimage

Celebrating the grand finale of the Ignatian Year, the Chennai Province along with some Jesuit collaborators, walked as co-pilgrims towards the Shrine of Adaikala Annai (Our Lady of Refuge), Elakurichi, Kumbakonam Diocese. This historic event…

Dr. Abdul Kalam Award to Fr. Dr. S.…

Fr. Dr. S. Ignacimuthu SJ, the Director of Xavier Research Foundation at St. Xavier’s College, Palayamkottai, Tirunelveli Dt., and former Vice Chancellor of Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, and University of Madras, Chennai, received the Dr. A.P.J.…

Have You Not Heard The Jungle Cry?

Most of you must be watching the Commonwealth Games. You should listen to this story, a story of an uncommon game played in 2007 by very common tribal boys from Odisha. That victory happened also…

From Wastage to Wattage

Clean energy and waste management are two of the biggest challenges that we need solutions to, for protecting the planet. Every ton of vegetable waste has the potential to generate about 20 kilowatts of electricity.…

Fr. Mark Kulandai Raj, SJ (AND) 1948-2022

Fr. Kulandairaj was fully conscious, listening and speaking till the end.  On 3rd July 2022, around 8.30 pm, Fr. Anand was feeding him guava juice with a tea spoon. Fr. Kulandairaj was talking to him and others.…

Fr. Albert D’Silva, SJ (KHM) 1937-2022

The presence of more than 500 persons at his funeral, and hundreds who followed it online, are a testimony to the impact the quiet and humble Fr. Albert D’Silva had on the lives of priests,…

Fr. Anthony Samy Annaraj, SJ (MDU to EOF)…

Fr. Anthony Samy (EOF 78/59, originally from MDU) was born in Valanthur, Tamil Nadu, on 15th August 1943. Inspired by the Jesuits of St. Xavier’s College, Palayamkottai, where he did his PUC studies, he joined…

Fr. Manuel Diaz Garriz, SJ (GUJ) 1932-2022

For me and my Jesuits friends and those who knew him, Garriz Bapu will always be a wonderful human being and an incomparable icon for inculturation. He told me cultures and religions in India were scarcely in conflict with each other, and that the one who influenced him…

Fr. Gregory Xaxa, SJ (JAM) 1957 – 2022

His sudden demise on 7th August 2022 saddened all Jamshedpur Jesuits and his family members. He was born on 24th May 1957, to Joseph and Angela Xaxa at Kesramal, Rourkela diocese, Odisha. He had six…

Fr. Rufino Coutinho, SJ (GOA) 1932-2022

Fr. Rufino passed away peacefully on 9th August 2022, at Xavier Residence, Porvorim, Goa. He would have been 90 years old on 4th September 2022. He served people in Goa, Patna and Nepal, for a…

Agnipath

[auth] It was the Rathyatra decades agoIgnited a flame for the foot soldiers to go,When their fortunes were nose-diving,United them against a humanity living;Destroyed their place of worship,Shattered the beautiful friendship,Galvanized them to brute power,To…

The Ragpicker’s Choice

The first prize winning short story of the competition of common Jesuit Juniorates. [auth] The Sun had already set and the freezing winter made the entire slum shut in and shivering. Men dared to warm…

Are We Giving Up Our Indian Dream?

“Eternal vigilance is the price of freedom”: A cliché has come alive for us in India! What a dream our Founding Mothers and Fathers had for our country at Independence! And we made it almost…

Reimagining Jesuit Higher Education Institutions

Alfred Lord Tennyson in his book, The Passing of Arthur, had rightly said, “The old order changeth, yielding place to new; and God fulfills himself in many ways, lest one good custom shall corrupt the…

The Beautiful Revolution

If the intention is good; if the goal is the Common Good; if the means are good; if there is group camaraderie, loyalty and joy in the struggle; if there is determination to overcome any…

Institutional Leadership of Jesuit Organizations

This small article is written based on my experience of engaging with Jesuit institutions - mainly social centers. I have also worked with Jesuit institutions to promote and strengthen collaboration between Jesuits and lay leaders.…

Digital Leadership: The Need of the Hour

The June 2020 white paper, “An Inspirational Paradigm for Jesuit Business Education,” presents a vision for the future of business education, and the transformative effect it should have on our students and on society. [auth]…

Contemplation – Compassion – Creativity

Through a discernment process world-wide, we Jesuits have located four priorities for the future of Jesuit presence in the changing world. They do form the orientations for our apostolic involvement and in envisaging new structures.…

Engineering Unleashed at IAJES Summit in Boston

The International Association of Jesuit Engineering Schools (IAJES) was formed four years ago, in response to a call from Pope Francis and Fr General to foster communication and cooperation among Jesuit engineering schools. From 13th-15th…

Jesuit Brothers from World Over Meet in Rome

During the week of July 3-10, nearly forty Jesuit brothers from different continents came to the Curia to share their experience of religious life as brothers. What does it mean today to be a Jesuit…

Fr. Ignacimuthu, SJ, as the Chief Editor of…

It was a proud moment for the entire Madurai Jesuit Province when Fr. Ignacimuthu, SJ, was appointed as the chief editor of “Indian Journal of Products and Resources” (IJNPR). It is a quarterly publication which…

Flood fury: Response of the Kohima Jesuits

Assam and the other states of the North-East are battered regularly by rains. Mawsynram in Megahalaya has replaced Cherapunji as the ‘wettest place on earth’. Floods and landslides are a common occurrence, leading to loss…

Vidyajyoti@50 in Delhi- Inaugural Jubilee Eucharist

Vidyajyoti (VJ), Institute of Religious Studies - Faculty of Theology (1972-2022), formerly St. Mary’s College, Kurseong (1879-1971), is celebrating its fifty years - it’s golden jubilee. On 11th July 2022, the inaugural jubilee Eucharist was…

Jesuit Leadership: Legacy and Derailments

Recently, as a research scholar, I visited one of the prestigious Jesuit institutions in India and met one of the senior faculty with more than 19 years of teaching experience. (He also taught me when…

The Inner Side of Leadership and Management

Leadership and Management (LM) are increasingly becoming interdependent, and so pose a challenge to the Church and the Society of Jesus, especially in the changing context. We are called to remodel our LM constantly. [auth]…

Follow Stan!

Recently we celebrated the first death anniversary of Fr Stan Swamy. Many paid rich tributes. The UN Special Rapporteur Mary Lawlor said: “…Father Stan’s life represents the best tradition of human rights defence and social…

The Samaritan: A Different Ranking

Mamoon Akhtar in his 7th grade was once told, ‘If you cannot pay the fee, you cannot sit for the examination.’ But 48-year-old Mamoon today has a franchise of four schools in West Bengal, with…

Fr. Joseph Alexander, SJ (CCU) 1949 – 2022

Fr. Joseph Alexander – known as Joe - was born in Bettiah in a simple, devout family. Joe always lived that simplicity, led a deeply religious life - spending time with the Lord, devoted to…

Fr. Edwin L. D’Souza, SJ (GOA) 1925 –…

Many outstanding qualities and a simple, disciplined lifestyle enabled Fr Edwin to be an exemplary figure to all of us in the Province.  He was a gentleman, kind and considerate in all his dealings, a…

Fr. Susai Thomas, SJ (DUM) 1955 – 2022

Fr. Susai Thomas was born on 20th December 1955, in Satharasan Patty in Sivagangai Diocese of Tamil Nadu. He was the youngest of six siblings. He joined the Society of Jesus on 21st November 1974…

Br. Joseph Ullattil, SJ (PAT)

Br. Joseph Ullattil was born on 10th April 1941, the second eldest among 12 children. His elder brother who was a religious priest went to his eternal reward before Br. Joseph. He has two religious…

Fr. Anthony Ryan, SJ (HAZ) 1939-2022

Fr. Anthony Ryan, always called Tony, was born in Gisborne, New Zealand on 27th October, 1939, and entered the Jesuit novitiate at Loyola College, Watsonia, Melbourne, Australia, on 17th February, 1958. After completing Philosophy studies,…

Fr. Suman Minj SJ (HAZ) 1971 -2022

Fr. Suman Minj, SJ was born to Mr Boniface Minj and Mrs Regina Kujur on 16th July, 1971, in Timkitanr village, Sale Parish, in Daltonganj Diocese. He did his Primary and High School studies at…

Where do we go from here?

The Luther Moment and the Cannonball Moment [auth] Year 2021 marked 500th anniversary of two unforgettable, epoch-making moments in the Church, the first holding a special significance for the Jesuits and the members of Ignatian…

Ignatius the Visionary to Xavier the Missionary

Four Centuries Ago As we look at the world today, dictatorial governments, totalitarian regimes with absolute apathy and political vendetta are mushrooming day after day, causing an irreparable loss to the labyrinth of human love.…

Fr. Christopher Kerketta, SJ (HAZ) 1953-2021

Fr. Christopher Kerketta was born in Champa Village, Mahuadanr, on 13th May, 1953. He did his matriculation from St. Joseph’s Mahuadanr, when I was headmaster.  The one thing that struck me about Christopher was his…

Fr. Peter Jones, SJ (HAZ) 1931-2021

Peter joined the Australian Province in 1955, having completed a degree in Electrical Engineering and Mathematics from Melbourne University. After his Philosophy he volunteered for the Hazaribag Province (then Region) where he spent the rest…

Fr. Thomas Joseph, SJ (HAZ) 1947-2021

Fr. Thomas Joseph, SJwas born on 4th April 1947, to Mr. Devasia Joseph and Mrs. Thresiamma Joseph in Edathua, Kerala. He joined the Novitiate in Sitagarha on 5th July 1965.  He was ordained on 24th April…

JYOTI – A Unique Youth Movement Completes Fifty…

JYOTI (Jamshedpur Youth Organization for Tomorrow’s India), a youth platform of High School and Collegestudents, operating under the patronage of the Jamshedpur Jesuit Mission, completed 50 years (1971—2021) in the formation of youth, besides engaging them in humanitarian services.…

Street Play Campaign by AICUF, Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu AICUF State Team with 10 energetic and socially motivated young AICUFers and 9 Deacons of CEN and MDU Jesuit Provinces (from 22nd April onwards) travelled all over Tamil Nadu from Chennai to Kanyakumari,…

Fr. Francis Kurien, SJ (HAZ) 1953-2021

Fr. Francis Kurien was born on 24th April 1953, at Karimanoor, Kerala. After completing his higher secondary education from St. Xavier’s Junior College, Trivandrum, he entered on 20th November 1970, the novitiate in St. Stanislaus…

Br. Anthony Stevens, SJ (JAM) 1936-2022

Br. Anthony Stevens SJ was born on 18th March 1936 in Bombay to Mr. George Stevens and Ms. Mary Gonzalves. Father and Mother died when he was very small. He was then brought up in…

Fr. Ignace Canis Macwan, SJ (GUJ) 1957-2022

A life full of vitality, joy and above all, goodness, ended a little too early, just in 64 years. Kathakar Ignace departed in the wee hours of Sunday 6th March, 2022. Ignace grew like Samuel…

Online Workshop by Digital Jesuits

The Digital Jesuits have been organizing and inviting many renowned individuals for online webinars, talks and testimonies during the past two years. However, this particular online workshop ‘Learning to lead’ was a first, as it…

Transformation of a Boys’ Home into a Girls’…

St. Aloysius College in Mangalore started the Aloysian Boys’ Home in 1980 as a memorial of its centenary year. It was meant as a rehabilitation home for delinquents and destitute found on the street. The…

A Tool in the Hands of God

The cannonball experience helped Ignatius take a 180-degree turn in his life. St. Ignatius in his early life looked for success and glory. After the cannonball experience he lived only for the Greater Glory of…

Re-inventing Ourselves

In the name of ‘re-structuring’ or ‘re-configuring’ itself, the Society of Jesus is ‘re-inventing’ or ‘re-imagining’ itself. As ageing and shrinking in numbers catch up with us, and diminishing vocations and increasing deaths bring us…

A Man called Inigo

At Pamplona, the battle was raging,When a cannonball hit brave Captain Inigo,As he led his men and kept on fighting,For king and honour, ready life to forego. [/auth] The enemy troops, awe-struck by one so…

Collaboration: Our Way of Being and Doing

I am just back from the CONSIGLIO ALLARGATO (CA), the extended consult of Fr General. Incidentally, the theme that we discerned in the CA was collaboration. [auth] Collaboration is an integral part of our Institute.…

Fr. Philip Thayil, SJ (KER) 1935-2022

On 18th March 2022, we lost Rev. Fr. Philip Thayil, a true son of Saint Ignatius of Loyola. He hailed from Kiliroor in Kottayam Dist. He joined the Society on 31st July 1956. He studied…

Fr. Anthony Kadookunnel, SJ (JAM) 1928-2022

Fr. Anthony Kadookunnel SJ, fondly known as Fr. K C, was born on 8th September 1928, at Erumely, Kanjirappaly Diocese, Kerala, to Mr. Chandy Cherian and Ms. Aliamma. He was fifth among the seven siblings.…

Fr. Joseph Prabhu, SJ (BOM) 1934-2022

Jesus told Martha that He is the Resurrection and the Life, and the Preface of the Mass for the Dead reminds us that, “For your faithful people life is changed not taken away.” So though…

Fr. Poulose Mangai, SJ (CCU) 1957-2022

Poulose Mangai was born on 15th September 1957, at Kalady, Kerala. After serving 7 years as a lecturer in Engineering Colleges, he joined the Society on 21st June 1987. He was a man of simplicity…

Fr. Fredrick Leon, SJ (SRI) 1933-2022

Fr. Joseph Frederic Leon was born at Kotahena, Sri Lanka, in 1933; he entered the Society in 1951 in Calicut, Kerala, sailed through Shembaganur for Philosophy, and Galle, Sri Lanka, for Regency, to Louvain in…

Fr. Felix Tellis, SJ (JAM) 1943-2022

Fr. Felix was born on 2nd July 1943, to Isidore Tellis and Elizabeth Mathias at Belman, Mangalore diocese. He was the fifth among seven siblings. Parents and one brother are already in a heavenly abode.…

Fr. Andrew Silveira, SJ (GUJ) 1949-2022

Fr. Andrew left us for his heavenly abode on 21st May 2022, at Jeevan Darshan, Vadodara.He was born on 11th October 1949 at Vasai. After completing his high school studies, he joined the Gujarat Jesuit…

Fr. Colman de Souza SJ (GOA) 1946-2022

It is not an easy task for anyone to write a tribute of a Jesuit priest with a multi-coloured personality like that of Fr. Colman de Souza. With his simplicity of life wearing a khadi…

Fr. Ephrem Thomas Manikompel, SJ (KER) 1942-2022

Fr. Ephrem was working as a psychological animator and therapist in ICTA, Kalamassery, Ernakulam, since 2015. A few months ago, he had published a book titled “OK, Not OK, Still OK!” which may be considered…

Fr. Charles Michael, SJ (MDU) 1947-2022

With serious cardiac and renal problems complicated by diabetes, Fr. Charles Michael passed away on 25th May 2022 after having spent about seven weeks at Beschi Infirmary, with frequent hospitalizations at St. Joseph and Vadamalyan…

Fr. Andrews Thekkekara, SJ (MDU) 1932-2022

Fr. Andrews Thekkekara was born on 1st July 1932, at Karanchira, Thrissur Dt., Kerala. His parents were Mr. Kochumatthew, farmer, and Mariamma, homemaker. He had mentioned in a recent video recording, that his parents as…

Fr. Joseph Mattam, SJ (GUJ) 1936-2022

Joe Mattam joined the Jesuit novitiate at Vinayalaya, Bombay, and took his first vows on 20th June, 1957. After studying theology at Kurseong, he was ordained a priest at Baroda, on 17th March, 1967. After…

What we are Really Looking for is a…

This year 2022 is the 75th year of our Independence, and everywhere the talk is about “re-imagining” or “re-inventing” India. [auth] Foremost among those who want a different idea of India are the BJP-RSS. They…

Ignatian Year: An Invitation to Re-imagine

The meaning of reimagining one's dream as a Jesuit is to discover one's movements of the spirit in prayer, to which the spirit is calling to serve the Church and its Majesty. St. Ignatius wanted…

What has Modern Business to do with Ignatian…

It is becoming fashionable to link business concepts with Ignatian spirituality in general and discernment in particular. In the recent past it began with Chris Lowney, and has gained currency with some Jesuits. It is…

Two Worldly Saints: Ignatius of Loyola and a…

John O’Malley, a noted Jesuit historian, observes, “Ignatius redefined the traditional basis of saintliness which usually involved a degree of unworldliness.” For Ignatius, reality is more important than the ideal of any kind. Yes, O'Malley…

Blessed Johann Philipp Jeningen, SJ

(Venerable Johann Philipp Jeningen will be beatified on 16th July 2022, in Ellwangen, Germany. His feast day will be 2ndJuly.) [auth] Johann Philipp Jeningen (1642-1704) was a Home Missionary in Germany. He was revered as…

Prayer Dynamics in the Spiritual Exercises

The Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius of Loyola is broadly referred to as a ‘school of prayer’. It provides a number of formal ways of approaching God: Meditation, Imaginative Contemplation, Application of the Senses, Repetition, Triple Colloquy,…

A Novel Handbook for Ignatian Retreat

This book, TO SEE ALL THINGS NEW IN CHRIST, is prepared keeping in mind the Ignatian Year and its theme. It is a collection of thirteen eight-day Ignatian retreats for various groups: religious men, religious…

Ignatian Insights in Ignatian Year

St. Ignatius of Loyola underwent a deep conversion following the battle of Pamplona in 1521. To commemorate this event Fr. Arturo Sosa, Superior General of the Society of Jesus, has asked Jesuits all over the…

Vandana Shiva: The “Gandhi of Grain”

On 5th November 1952, India received an erudite scholar, environmental activist, food sovereignty advocate, seed conservationist, ecofeminist and anti-globalisation author, namely, Dr. Vandana Shiva. Her brain-child Navdanya, is an India-based non-governmental organisation which promotes biodiversity…

Chilling Story of Siliguri

She has received rape threats. Her parents are stalked constantly. When she walks on the street, miscreants pelt stones at her. Simply because she works for her community to end child marriages. Nineteen-year-old Koyel Sarkar…

Fr. Mathew Pichalakattu, SJ (GUJ) 1940-2022

Like the rich young man of the gospel, young Mathew felt the loving and inviting gaze of the Lord on him. Mathew Picha also left everything and followed the Lord for the unknown land of…

Fr. James Xalxo, SJ (MAP) 1944-2022

James was born on 7th October, 1944. His parents Mr Martin Somra and Mrs Seraphina Xalxo were simple but staunch Catholics who imparted a sound Catholic faith in him. He was the second among three…

Fr. Vijayanand Shidonkar, SJ (GUJ) 1947-2022

Fr. Vijayanand Shidonkar (Nicephero Rodrigues) SJ, was born on 19th December, 1947, in Vasco a Da Gama, Goa. He was the third of five siblings. He did his primary schooling at Mount Carmel, and High…

Fr. Conrad Mascarenhas, SJ (BOM) 1938-2022

Fr. Conrad went to his eternal reward on 17th February 2022, at the age of 84 years, 63 of which were spent as a Jesuit. Fr. Conrad’s journey was linked to St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai.…

Fr. Mathew Pullattu, SJ (KER) 1935-2022

Fr. Mathew Pullattu was born in Poovarani, Kottayam, in the diocese of Palai, on 29th April, 1935. He was a man of surprises. Even his joining the Society was a big surprise. After his B.Sc.…

Mother of Trees

As per a phrase in Kannada, Thanu-Mana-Dhana (one can help with one’s body, mind or wealth, but always only with good intention), a centurion named Saalumarada Thimmakka started the mission of planting trees along with…

Divine Drama

A sense of the divine prevailsIn human thinking everywhere;It gets expressed in many ways -As diverse as the mind will dare! [auth] Beginning from the humble stone -To mountains, rivers, trees and shrubs;From little shrines…

What do they say about NEP 2020

How is the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 being felt at the implementation spaces of the faculty members of Jesuit higher education in India? Do they agree with its higher education discourses? Are they critical…

Exploring New Frontiers of the Universe

Richard D’Souza SJ (GOA) featured in the international news when he discovered that the Milky Way had a sibling galaxy. [auth] After graduating from St. Xavier’s college, Mumbai, and presently a staff member at the…

Our Rights, Our Fights

The phrase “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam" summarizes the Indians’ general attitude towards humanity, nature and the Divine – in both Vedic and non-Vedic cultures. Prudent use of the resources and proactive participation in the environmental conservation is,…

Protecting Environment and People

Covid-19 has made us all realize that we are all in a global climate emergency now. The deplorable neglect we have shown to the environment has resulted not only in environmental degradation but also irreparable…

How Late Have I Loved You – Caring…

It is an enlightening claim made by some of the mystics, that creation is a voluminous book whose author is God. Nevertheless, creation is the mirror image of the Creator’s presence. The Jesuit Poet, Gerard…

The Commandments of Nature

The book highlights in 17 chapters, some of the basic tenets of environment management, enumerated as the “Commandments of the Nature” in the first chapter itself. Table 1 in Chapter 1 provides an ecologically sound…

Voices of Justice for all

The book is about bringing justice for all, especially the vulnerable – women, LGBTQIA++, tribals, scheduled castes, migrants - by capturing their voices, creating knowledge out of these voices, empowering them to challenge unfair structures…

The Priest as God’s Suffering Servant

“Father Stu” is the story of a beloved priest from Montana (USA), who served in the city of Helena for seven years before he died. The movie charts his journey from self-destruction to redemption through…

Jesuit elected as President of Indian Theological Association

The members of the Indian Theological Association (ITA) gathered at the National Biblical Catechetical and Liturgical Centre (NBCLC), Bangalore,  for their 44th Annual  Meet and conference from 26th - 29th April, 2022.  The theme of the conference being ‘The Pandemic…

Raipur Deanery Synodal Church meeting

The Raipur Deanery Synodal Church meeting was held at St. Joseph’s Cathedral Church, Byron Bazar, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, on 28th March, 2022, where more than 30 priests were present, including about 10 laity and 30 nuns.…

‘Bullet’ Moments

For Ignatius, the cannonball gave him time to be by himself. As for me, I see moments of ‘bullets’ which awaken me to my call. It was in 2004 when I was at Sacred Heart…

Making the Extinct become Distinct

In our digitalised world, where everybody is busy with social media, he has taken a road not taken by preserving folk art forms. He is a professor in a college, but he spends his time…

Sri Lanka – Paradise at a Loss |…

The Context: Hunger for Survival   [auth] The Vesak festival (or Vesākha Day), also known as Buddha Jayanti or Vaisakhi Buddha Purnima, the most important religious event on Sri Lanka's calendar, which venerates Buddha's birth,…

Did we miss the Synodality Train?

Pope Francis, out of the sheer goodness of his heart, reversed the age-old trend of organizing synods. This time it’s not voices from the top dictating to the lower ranks. Rather, LISTENING to the raw…

Participating in the Public Discourse

Recently the veteran journalist, Mr. John Dayal, made a strange observation, saying that all religious congregations have charisms, and asked if we have a charism for our times, and opined that we need to discern…

Pascha’s Coming: A Plea to Cease Conflicts

Dust you are and to dust, you return,Proclaim Christ in your short sojourn.Exodus from the desert of despairing disgrace,Lent shall quench you at the oasis of grace. [auth] Prayer shall reach you to the Supreme…

Being Close to the Poor

As part of the ongoing reflection on our ministries in the Conference, the February JCSA took up the Social Action Ministry for discernment, came out with specific proposals and initiated a process to prepare guidelines…

From Gethsemane to Galilee

A ‘4G’ Path to the Fullness of Life As we prepare ourselves to commemorate the passion, death and resurrection of our Lord in a world torn asunder by the Russia-Ukraine war, feeling ourselves the victims…

Do Jesuits Neglect their Health?

The scenario: Pandemic, both the first wave and the second wave, created fear and the recurring death news of our brethren gave us jitters. The statistics proved that in South Asia the highest number of…

The Healing Touch

Remembering Fr. Britto Joseph, SJ who brought health to thousands of patients across the country. [auth] John Britto Joseph was born near Madurai, Tamilnadu, into a large Catholic family. His mother, a traditional healer, was greatly respected…

Alternative Medical Care – A Holistic Approach

The word ‘Alternative Medical Care’ brings to our minds the idea of one or more choices available to restore health or wellness that is alternative to the existing conventional system of medicine. Dr. Samuel Hahnemann…

Healthy Ageing

Because I spent my entire professional life as a geriatric internist and psychiatrist, I chose to add the question of aging and old age to the suggested title "A Healthy Mind in a Healthy Body." …

Love-Giving and Life-Gifting

It was a Lenten Sunday that year. Manjula had lent her voluntary service at a blood donation camp organised at her parish belonging to Coimbatore diocese. Along with several others, she donated blood and also…

The Green Medicines

Herbal medicine has its origin in every home. The book of Wisdom says, “The Lord created the medicinal herbs which grow on the earth, and these a sensible person will not despise. The physician uses…

Every Area Starts to Enter Renewal

Doubt and disillusionment, discouragement and despair, dread and fear are emotions that are common to all of us at some point or other in our lives. When we are confronted with the death of a…

Palliative Care in Life-Limiting Condition

When suddenly faced with a diagnosis of a life-limiting condition, many would be completely devastated; "How could this happen; I have done nothing wrong!" they cry. Others are made of sterner stuff; "One has to…

The Commission on the Role of Women

The Commission on the Role of Women in Jesuit Apostolate observed its first anniversary on 8th March 2022, expressing its resolve to facilitate the worldwide Jesuits and their collaborators in their efforts to align themselves…

A Tale of One Township – Bandra

The book is a tribute to the author’s birthplace Bandra, a suburb of Mumbai. Its title is Bandra Boy, and it’s a historical novel -- or better, four short stories about Bandra’s past, starting in…

How Anthropology Developed in India

Indian Anthropology: Anthropological Discourse in Bombay 1886–1936 is an important contribution to the history of Indian anthropology, focusing on its formative period. It looks at the political economy of knowledge production and the anthropological discourse…

Recollections of a Jester

Rudi Heredia’s memoir, A Clown for God, a Clown for Others - a take on P. Kolvenbach’s Men of God, Men for Others - is a collection of personal anecdotes and reflections on various aspects…

The Platinum Year of Jamshedpur Jesuit Province

On 12th March, all roads led to Loyola School, Jamshedpur wherein Jesuits, Collaborators and well-wishers, gathered together for the Inaugural Eucharist at 10.30 a.m in Loyola School, Jamshedpur, to ‘REMEMBER, REJOICE AND REIMAGINE”, as the…

Jesuits in Science meet in Bengaluru

The biannual meeting of Jesuits in the Science Forum of the South Asian Assistancy, took place on 5th and 6th March 2022, in St Joseph’s Arts and Science College, Bengaluru (soon to be University). Twenty-seven…

Islamic Studies Association marks 40th Anniversary

“A Call to Dialogue: Christians in Dialogue with Muslims” edited by Prof. Ambrogio Bongiovanni and Joseph Victor Edwin SJ was presented at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome on 23rd February 2022 by Prof. Bryan…

Autism Sunday at JAICARE Hospital, Madurai

JAICARE is an acronym for Jesuit Antonyraj memorial Inter-disciplinary Centre for Advanced Rehabilitation and Education. It is the only hospital run by Madurai Jesuits. The hospital has not only a long acronym but also a…

Fr. Jose Luis Arana, SJ (GUJ) 1930-2022

Whenon 8 January 2022, Fr. Jose Luis Arana, was called, at the age of 91(73 years in the Society) to his eternal reward, it was not only the Gujarat province but the Universal Society who…

Fr. Viaguladasan Manickam, SJ (MDU) 1938-2022

Fr. Viaguladasan Manickam, fondly called Fr. Vima Dasan, was born in Michaelpattinam on 23rd January 1938. He joined the Society of Jesus on 1st July 1957, and was ordained a priest on 15th March 1970. After teaching…

What is your Goal and Purpose in Life?

We are all aware of the trauma Ignatius went through after the “cannonball incident,” the shattering of his knee in the battle of Pamplona against the French. Though more in a purely physical form at…

Solar Energy on Wheels

Solar Panels in the field attract the attention of miscreants, panels are stolen or damaged. This issue was identified by Pradeep Kumar (35) who was running a solar panel installation business. [auth] Generate electricity anywhere…

A Drive for Humanity

Is it safe for a woman to walk in a city after 10 pm? You will say, no. But what about driving an autorickshaw at night? I know, you will say, that is dangerous. You…

‘Her’ Story

Though unable to hold the expanse of the mystery,This work is a microscopic view of her Calvary.This puny effort to narrate her story,I know, won’t even at least be a summary. [auth] Sorrow fills her…

Restructuring

I am sure you remember the famous letter of former Fr General, Adolfo Nicolás, ‘Renewal of Province Structures in the Service of Universal Mission’. Do you know that this letter is now ten years old?…

A Synodal Lent

A synod is not merely an ecclesial event but a celebration of a new charism in the Church. [auth] The synod on Synodality is an even greater occasion for the renewal of the Spirit within…

Challenges to Religious Life Today

That there is a ‘crisis’ in consecrated religious life is there for everyone to see. Look at the drop in entrees. Those who leave religious life are plenty. ‘Disobedience’, and ‘calls for justice’, are becoming…

Losing God in the Religious Life

A Personal Reflection [auth] This may sound like an oxymoron – losing God in the religious life. One joins the religious life thinking one can come closer to God and dedicate one’s life to what…

Being an Astronomer Brother

[auth] “How were you inspired to give up a prestigious career in astronomy, supported by NASA, to enter the Jesuits?” In fact, the assumptions behind the question are mostly wrong. It didn’t happen like people…

The Relevance of Religious Vows

“I don’t feel the need of vows” Margaret Rossi (name changed), an Italian laywoman, is one of the finest human beings I have ever met.  She was also deeply God-centred—but not in the “traditional” ways.…

Called To Be Women Of The Resurrection

Musings On Religious Life Today [auth] I have been pilgrimaging from the self to the selfless, while working for an NGO in Mumbai for the past 25 years. Because of this particular setting, mine is…

Catholic Religious and Mainstream Politics in India

Religious life faces serious challenges Changes in society emanate from three basic sources: State, Market and Civil Society. All three are deeply interrelated and are in a constant state of flux.  A deep understanding of…

The ICT-friendly Religious

It was a hot summer noon in Bangalore. Sr Nirmala and Sr Jyothi sat with their mugs in a popular café, sipping their favorite beverages. They were discussing the prohibition of mobiles, laptops, and the…

JCSA Meeting Online

The first JCSA meeting of the year was held online from 20th to 25th February 2022. Fr General addressed the Major Superiors of the Conference online. In his address, he stressed the importance of integration…

Jesuits Celebrate Human Fraternity Day

The Islamic Studies Association, Delhi, and the Jesuit Secretariat for Service of Faith in South Asia, jointly organized a series of webinars to celebrate Human Fraternity Day. The Human Fraternity day is celebrated on 4th…

Fr. Lucas Rayappan, SJ (GUJ) (1662-2022)

Lucas had consistency and commitment right from his childhood till he breathed last on 27th January 2022. He was an excellent student, effective teacher, energetic principal, efficient administrator and a hard worker in the vineyard…

Fr. Lawrence Pinto, SJ (KAR)

Fr. Lawrence Pinto was born on 20th April, 1933, the youngest among six children. After graduating from St Aloysius College, he joined the Society of Jesus on 1st July 1955; he did his novitiate at…

Peace Rally of 2008

The Ignatian spirituality is dynamic and we are recipients of many gratuitous graces.  These graces do not commence from our novitiate.  When we are directed in the one month of the Spiritual Exercises, we recall…

Not Child’s Play

Do you know that in India 27 per cent of children are married off at an early age and live through violent and abusive lives? Can you imagine that this happens in digital India? It…

A Conversation for Conversion

[auth] When I’m full of me and none of thee,When I’m mindless to miss thy graceful glee,When I’m crippled to reach out to my near,When I’m blind to the plight of thy dear,When I’m deaf…

The Four Pillars of Meaning

We have entered the New Year 2022. All of us know that the New Year does not come with a change of a page in the Calendar. It is the result of a discovery of…

World Interfaith Harmony Week

More Relevant now than ever [auth] The first week of February every year usually passes by without our taking any particular note. It is the World Interfaith Harmony Week originally proposed by King Abdullah of…

Keeping Stan Alive

The unforgettable legacy of Bhima Koregaon [auth] “No words would suffice to thank these powerful people's lawyers Vrinda Grover, Sudha Bharadwaj and Mihir Desai who continue to remain steadfast to democratic rights, civil liberties, constitutional…

We are Our Ancestors

How does one describe a soul like Fr. Stan Swamy or even grasp or make sense of his life lived in its entirety? It is a mammoth challenge to integrate the essence of this larger…

Come out of your Comfort Zones: Call to…

The month of December 2021 for me saw Indian democracy reaching a new low, perhaps unparalleled in recent times. Just a month earlier, we were celebrating in a year that was otherwise difficult the withdrawal…

The Stan Saga: Retelling it is an Imperative

The arrest and incarceration of Stan Swamy, and his death in a Mumbai hospital while in custody during a raging pandemic, had triggered shock, outrage and sorrow singeing the conscience of those who believe in…

Rekindling the Stan Spirit

How does the story of Stan Swamy (1937-2021) affect our lives as Jesuits, our involvement with the civil society and the marginalized poor in a new and surprising way? Stan lived his Jesuit life true…

The Enviable Stan

I am very jealous of youYou stood tall in frailtyDeath cannot hold youCoz you were always life-giving. They wished you were deadA message of intimidation to the worldThe banner of victory is unfurledNow you are…

Need More Swamies like Stan

I want to begin with lines about Father Stan Swamy which I read in the journal Vasudha sent to me by my comrade Vineet from Indore. Written by Megha, these lines defy translation. [auth] Aaj…

Entrepreneurship and Higher Education

JHEASA Meeting, 26-29 November, 2021, XIM University, Bhubaneswar [auth] For most, the long journey to Bhubaneswar for a JHEASA Meeting on matters, naturally, of Higher Education, meant that there would be a heady roam through…

Inauguration of LIBA’s New Building by Chief Minister…

LIBA’s efforts of re-strategizing its future, gained further strength in the formal inauguration of the state-of-the-art LIBA building by the Honourable Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu - Thiru M.K. Stalin on October 15th, 2021, in…

COP 26 – A Renewed Call to Solidarity

South Sudan is a precarious place to live. For Deborah and her seven children, it has become a dangerous one because of climate change. To feed her family, she grows groundnuts, kale and pumpkins. While…

Handbook on Community Mobilisation in 10 languages!

Indian Social Institute, Bangalore, in collaboration with Caritas India, sponsored by Caritas Germany, has come out with a handbook on Community Mobilisation, titled “Development Anchored in Community Intelligence”. The handbook - published in English and…

Inauguration of the Consortium of Minority Schools in…

The Consortium of minority schools in Tamil Nadu was inaugurated on 28th November in Loyola College, Chennai. About 170 leaders, consisting of diocesan education managers of the CSI dioceses, superintendents of schools of the RC…

Do Cannonballs Boomerang?

The carrying of a Faith-propelled love in our conscious awareness, lies at the heart of our ability to coolly and courageously handle the effects of one cannonball after another, thereby growing evermore steadier as we…

Mir of Kashmir: Wildlife Rescuer

Aaliya Mir, a resident of Srinagar, spends her days rescuing deadly vipers from Kashmiri homes, saving bear cubs and reuniting them with their mothers. [auth] The 42 year old former Maths teacher, with sports shoes,…

AIDed Transformation

In 2005, a transwoman, Noori, who ran an NGO, called Solomon to say "I have an abandoned child, he is HIV+". Solomon was hesitant initially. Later he contacted many organisations only to get a negative…

gift boxes on brown wooden board

The Greatest Christmas Gift of All

Year after year, Christmas comes and goes, and we busy ourselves in the merry festivities that come with it. I once saw a hoarding on a busy freeway in New Jersey: Bring Christ back into…

Synod and COP 26: Reading Signs of Time

Two historic events are taking place simultaneously on the world stage: the first is the Synod, and the second, the Glasgow ‘COP 26. Both are historic in the sense that all – leaders and commoners…

PM Modi meets Pope Francis

On the possibilities for Catholic politics in India [auth] Prime Minister Modi’s recent meeting with Pope Francis in Rome, prior to the former’s participation at the G-20 meet in the same city, generated huge amount…

Christmas from the Lens of St Joseph and…

[auth] St. Joseph is not mentioned in the Gospel of Mark. In the Gospel of John, Joseph is mentioned twice and both times only with reference to Jesus (Jn 1:45; 6:42). In the Gospel of…

See With the Eyes of Christ – Blessed…

Note: The beatification ceremony of Blessed Grande will be held on 22 January 2022, in El Salvador. [auth] On the solemnity of the Transfiguration of Our Lord, 6th August 1970, Father Rutilio Grande concluded his…

Christmas With Migrants

[auth] As students of  Vidya Jyoti College of Theological studies, we annually organized Christmas and New Year Masses for the domestic workers, popularly known as Ayaa Bahnen in  Delhi. They came for Christmas and New…

From Jesus Christ to Pope Francis

A lesson in effective preaching of the word of God. [auth] Looking back at our years of training for priesthood, there were three things that were not much discussed, or touched upon only in passing.…

Bombay’s Utterly Brotherly Lot from Spain

“Lay Religious life … is … complete in itself” – (Renewal of Religious Life, 10). It didn’t take long for Jesuit General Arrupe himself to confirm that, when he said, “The Brother’s Vocation is a…

A Jesuit Christmas

A Jesuit Christmas is profoundly simpleExtraordinary happens in an ordinary wayGod becomes Man!Heaven and Earth are now holy!(Incarnation)[auth]A Jesuit Christmas is here and nowLocked in libraries or in open oceanHe finds Him everywhere and in…

Obscure Guest at Christmas

At a Christmas party he would not be missedHe was of common stock to be noticedSilent was his ways and deliberately obscureYet for two thousand years he continues to allure [auth] Nothing good came from…

No Christmas Please

(on hearing children are sold in Afghanistan) [auth]Christmas is about the CHILDTo be cuddled and treated mild.Today they are sold for foodHeartless can it get so crudeChristmas is about the ChildAngels gathered and smiledNow demons…

Towards Him All Time

Waited and waited for thousand years,Yet, sought Him only in the king’s palace.Blind to look down to the lowTo see Him who came down from above. [auth] Be not, the men, closed and stubborn,But to…

The WORD in the World

O Mother! Wasn’t the incarnation a privilege?For your womb became the holy carriage. [auth] O Heavens! Wasn’t the incarnation a time to rejoice?As the Lord came down to give a surprise. O Earth! Wasn’t the…

Your Goal was to Save Souls

Francis, Go set the world on fire.The only mission you did aspire,Nothing could urge you to retire,For only Christ was your life entire. [auth] Without conditions, no ifs, no buts, you left.Only your companions’ names…

A Thought-Provoking Collection

Khichdi, as is well known, is a cheap and nutritious dish, a favourite in South Asian cuisine. Khichdi is also Jesuit Father Myron J. Pereira's fourth collection of essays on sacred and secular topics, and…

More than Soul-Searching

The human soul is still an enigma, especially its genesis, nature and evolution. Most religions, particularly Christianity, still follow essentially the Platonic view, or a variant of it. Following Platonic dualism, the traditional Christian view…

Know the Indian Jesuit Scientists

The Jesuits have been known for their intellectual contribution to the world, specifically through science. This book ‘Contribution of Jesuits to Science in India’ by S. Ignacimuthu, SJ, summarises the scientific output of 68 Jesuits…

Jesuits and Higher Education

St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai, celebrated its 150 years in 2019. To commemorate this occasion, the College had organized a conference on “Jesuit Initiatives in Indian Higher Education”. This book is the outcome of this effort.…

When Faith Meets Reason

Many youth today, and thinking adults too, find the Bible ‘weird,’ since several discoveries of science apparently make more sense to the modern mind. A fundamentalist version of Creation, Adam and Eve, etc., is no…

JCSA Meeting in Secunderabad

The bi-annual JCSA meeting was held from 24th to 29th October 2021, at Satyodayam in Secunderabad.  The in-person meeting was held after two consecutive online JCSA meetings. Both Fr Vernon and Fr M.K. George were…

JCSA AT COP26 – CARING FOR OUR COMMON…

At a time when the world is looking to recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on lives, livelihoods and economies, heads of governments, people’s movements and policymakers explored the opportunity to ‘build back…

Three-day Workshop on Green Journalism

As part of implementation of the second PAP - preserving and protecting environment - the Communication Commission and Youth commission jointly organised a three-day intensive workshop on environmental writings. Around 25 Students from three Jesuit…

Fr. Amritlal Thomas Xalxo, SJ (MAP) 1959-2021

Fr. Amritlal Thomas Xalxo S.J., son of Tokle Joseph Xalxo and Sunita Xalxo from Shahpur village of Dharamjaigarh parish was born on 16th August, 1959. He entered the Society of Jesus in 1982 at Khrist…

Fr. Hermann Bacher, SJ (ECE) 1924-2021

Fr. Hermann Bacher entered the novitiate of the Swiss Vice-Province in 1946 and was missioned to the Pune Province in 1948, together with three co-novices, Hans Belser, Henry Volken and Dominik Zemp. After ordination, he…

Fr. Lalit Kumar Ekka (MAP) 1971-2021

Fr. Lalit Kumar Ekka, S.J. [MAP] was born in a remote village called Kendapani, surrounded by hillocks. He was among five brothers and a sister. After his primary education, he went to Loyola School, Kunkuri,…

Fr. Marianus Kullu, SJ (DAR) 1960-2021

Fr Marianus Kullu entered the heavenly abode peacefully at 11.00 a.m., on 11th October 2021, in the Palliative Care Centre, Hatighisa. His funeral Mass was held the next day at St Peter’s Church, Gayaganga, presided…

Fr. Pablo Gil, SJ (GUJ) 1926 – 2021

Fr. Pablo Gil was the quintessential Jesuit. When he was called to his eternal reward on 20th October 2021 at the ripe age of ninety-five, he left behind a rich legacy. Pablo’s family was closely…

Br. Bernard Singh, SJ (PAT) 1932 – 2021

Br. Bernard Singh, SJ was an ‘exceptional Jesuit’ in many ways: though hailing from a Hindu family of Bihar that considers religious and caste identity as of supreme value, Baijnath Singh defied his family and…

Fr. Sebastian Thengumpallil, SJ (KER) 1962-2021

Fr. Sebastian Thengumpallil, left for his eternal reward on 27th October, 2021. During a 35-year long ‘calvary experience’, that followed a severe attack of Guillain Barre Syndrome in 1985 at the early years of college…

Fr. Aemilianus Lakra, SJ (MAP) 1936-2021

After his Tertianship, Aemilianus was appointed Parish Priest of Jhingo in 1972. He wanted to be with the people. From Monday to Saturday he moved from village to village meeting people, staying with them. This…

The Sun of Abba

My cannonball moment happened on a local train in Mumbai, on my way to St. Xavier’s school community. It was almost around midnight in the summer of 1982. [auth] After my tertianship in Hazaribagh, I…

Farmer’s Unique Marketing Idea

By switching to organic farming, Purushottam Sidhpara from Junagadh, Gujarat, cut down his input costs by 40% and water usage by 20% while earning export orders from 10 countries. He invites potential dealers/customers to his…

From Labour Pain to Saviour’s Gain

Dhamodharan was a dalit child labourer who worked in a brick kiln to support his family who struggled to have three square meals a day. Today he holds a PhD degree in anthropology. [auth] Although…

MAGIC MAGIS

(MAGIS in Latin mean ‘More and More’-one of the Ignatian values) [auth] I want ‘more and more’, ask me, ‘Why?’To try and try and reach the sky,To fall and rise until I fly,To search and…

Wear Glasses, Feel Pulses

Do you know that Gandhiji was attached to three of his material possessions — a pocket watch, a pair of spectacles and a pair of two-strap slippers? Yes, he was. Each one had a special…

In Gratitude- En Agradecimiento

When the first group of 18 Gujaratis was baptized on 11th December 1893, the Spanish Jesuits had not yet arrived in Gujarat.  The first Spanish Jesuit, Fr. Grau, reached Gujarat in 1921, exactly 28 years…

From a Foreign Mission to a Local Church

The universal Church is composed of local churches. In the history of the Christian revelation, the local church is not born by spontaneous generation. It is born, as Saint Paul says, “ex auditu”, by the…

Spanish Jesuits and their Education Ministry

Evangelization ministry among the local Gujarati population did not begin in Gujarat nor was it initiated by priests. The work was begun by the Daughters of the Cross in St. Joseph’s Convent, Bandra, Mumbai. Towards…

Up Until the First Spanish Missionary Arrived

In the year 1893 the Propaganda Fide had issued an instruction urging the Bishops to activate evangelization work in their territories, and asked them to report in six months. This urgent request rang a bell at the…

They Came: To Serve With Love

The ‘Man of La Mancha’ is a 1965  Broadway musical  adapted from a  1959 teleplay ‘I, Don Quixote’; this in turn, was  inspired by the 17th-century novel Don Quixote by the Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes. It is the story…

Viva La Espana Misionera

The Spanish Jesuits of Gujarat are celebrating the centenary of their missionary endeavors in Gujarat. I wish to contribute my grain of sand to felicitate them. I find myself in a unique position to do…

Spanish Jesuits, the Early Communicators

The Bombay Mission was entrusted to the Spanish Province of Aragon, by the Jesuit Superior General, Fr. Ledokowski, on March 4th, 1921. The first Spanish Missionary, Father Ramon Grau, landed in Anand, which was part…

The Band of Brothers, the Unsung Heroes

This year is the 100th year of the Spanish Jesuits coming to Gujarat, a landmark year in the history of service to mankind by the Society of Jesus. Of the 95 Jesuits, 18 were Brothers.…

Lighting Small Lamps to Lessen the Darkness

The journey of the Spanish Women Missionaries [auth] "Who does not dream of doing great things in life?Of leaving a blazing trail across the heavens?Like everybody else, we too had our hopes and dreamsTo make…

Etched in my Memories

The first time I met Fr. Isudas Cueli was way back in 1973, when I joined the Jesuit pre-novitiate in Ahmedabad. When the pre-novitiate in charge, Fr. Castiella, asked me who my ‘spiritual father’ was,…

As I Knew Them

As we celebrate 100 years of the arrival of Spanish Jesuit missionaries in Gujarat, I recall memories from fifty years ago. I was studying at St. Xavier’s School, Mirzapur, and Fr Pablo Gil was the…

The Spanish Humour

Gujarat state is ever grateful to its enthusiastic, committed and hardworking Spanish missionaries. They were\are a bundle of joy too. They lived their life joyfully and went about spreading that joy through their jokes and…

Follow Which Leader? A Rethink of Leadership

THE STORY OF FORMAL LEADERSIn both secular and religious organisations leadership is expected from one or other member who has assumed formal office. The person assuming office is greeted with accolades about her qualities from…

Grow Environmentally Sustainable

Environment is given greater attention in the world today due to the realization that climate change and pollution are affecting our lives. The Jesuits have chosen the decennial (2019-2029) Universal Apostolic Preferences (UAPs) in which…

Finding God in Day to Day Life

This book on prayer has something for everyone; children, teenagers, and adults. It addresses the spiritual needs of a wide variety of people who find themselves in a variety of situations in life. Fr. Learoy…

Fr. Rosario Rocha, SJ (GOA) 1952 – 2021

A Jesuit Polyglot and Scholar of Buddhism Fr. Rosario Rocha SJ, a Jesuit polyglot, scholar of Buddhism and former Provincial of Goa Province, left this world in the evening of 18th October 2021, at Rubi Hall…

Fr. Jerry Sequeira, SJ (GUJ) 1947 – 2021

Fr. Jerry Sequeira was the 5th Gujarat Jesuit victim of the dreaded coronavirus. He was an exceptionally talented person, a leader, an educationist, a formator, a sensitive care-taker and a publisher. As Pre-Novitiate Director, he…

Fr. Jean Englebert, SJ (CCU) 1929-2021

In January 2017, for health reasons, Fr Englebert decided to return to Belgium. There were several farewell functions at the Prabhu Gisur Girja where he had spent the largest part of his apostolic life. Above…

Fr. Gregory Naik, SJ (GOA) 1933-2021

The long life of Fr. Greg Naik of 88 years, is best captured with the metaphor of a pilgrim - Greg the pilgrim. That is who Greg was from birth until the end of his…

Fr. Andrew Francis, SJ (CEN) 1961-2021

The Lord called Fr. Andrew unto Himself on 10th Sep 2021, when he was in Jalandhar as a member of the NAAC Committee visiting Hans Raj Mahila Maha Vidyalaya. He died in his sleep. He…

Keeper of Kerala’s Silent Valley

The Silent Valley National Park in Palakkad is one of the most well-known tropical forests in India, with a wide variety of rare species of flora and fauna including the endangered lion-tailed macaque. [auth] In…

Enrolling Model

Is it possible for a few village girls to transform a backward region? You will believe it, if you meet Rinku Kumari, Nisha, Puneeta and Pinky from the villages of Shahpur Khalwapatti and Mishroli, in…

The Floral Trail

At the edge of the palm-fringed fields she stoodGazing at the flowers in gold arrayWhile the children of the neighbourhoodRomped in the stream, all beginning to play. Stooping she culled the jasmines brightAs her son,…

Our Common Houses and Works

Common Houses of Formation, Common Apostolic Works… Do they ring a bell? That’s it. They are De Nobili College, Satya Nilayam, Vidyajyoti, ISI, Sadhana … [auth] Well, at times, we forget not only these houses…

Synodality in the Church : Both a Gift…

The Holy Father Pope Francis convoked the Synod 2023 on the theme of “Synodality”. What did he mean? The popular meaning of synod is an “assembly or council of Church officials”, but the etymological meaning…

Synodal Spirit, lead us on!

Let’s Listen while ‘Journeying Together’: Thanks to Pope Francis, the Catholic Church is in synodal mode. Many ask: What does ‘synod’ mean? Synod comes from two Greek words: ‘syn’ + ‘hodos’, literally ‘with’ + ‘path’…

The Spanish Jesuits in Bombay (1921-2021)

A Quick Look at their Enormous Contribution to the Local Church The Jesuits of three different countries planted and nurtured the Faith in Bombay and along India’s west coast. The first were the Portuguese in…

Go, Set the World on Fire

It is said that “the most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire”. The Pamplona event where the flames of the cannon ball turned St. Ignatius from the “Knight” in Loyola to…

Psalm and Ignatius

Conversion of St. Ignatius In the light of Psalm 23 [auth] At the stroke of a cannonballAttuned to the vocation callShedding honor, pride and all - inShepherding Lord, ‘I shall not want!’Precious castle costs nothingPasturing…

Our Master, St. Ignatius!

May your vision illuminate our mission of reconciliationwith your tears of pain, of conversion and of consolation,by accompanying our impulses mostly impatient,by purifying our souls swiftly penitent,[auth]by rebuilding our minds often negligent,by healing our wounds…

ST. IGNATIUS OF LOYOLA

On God’s chosen journey he never looked backFor God’s greater glory strive bravely he didThe spirits discerning the while learned and taughtSeeking always to do the Lord’s bidAs he saw God’s love working along all…

Inigo, Canonball, Crossroads and the Jesuits

Speaking about the Ignatian Year, Arturo Sosa, the General of the Society of Jesus stated “We desire that the inspiration of the process of personal conversion that led Ignatius to share his spiritual experience and…

Musings on the Conversions of Saint Ignatius of…

In an interview with Pope Francis in August 2013, Jesuit Father Antonio Spadaro, editor of Civilta Cattolica, began with an unscripted question, asking the Pontiff point-blank: “Who is Jorge Mario Bergoglio?” Spadaro notes: “The pope…

Ignatian Heritage and Ashram Ministry

Jesuits have always been pioneers in meeting new challenges of the times. When science challenged religion, they met that challenge as scientists, and so also in the social fields as lawyers and social workers. In…

Waves from the Sea of the Heart

Waves – Story Bank, is Father Felix Raj’s tenth book, published by the St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata Alumni Association. The book contains 75 inspirational stories. In his Foreword Prof. Suranjan Das, Vice-Chancellor of Jadavpur University,…

Who was Stan Swamy really?

The death of the 84-year-old Tribal rights activist, Fr. Stan Swamy in the judicial custody on July 5th, 2021, is considered by millions in India and abroad an institutional murder orchestrated by the Indian State.…

Webinar on ‘Dialogue of Life’

The Secretariat for the Service of Faith [SoF] organized a webinar on Dialogue of Life: Challenges and Opportunities in Our Troubled Times on 23rd August, 2021, with Joseph Victor Edwin SJ as the resource person.  Fr. Arun Kumar SJ,…

Inauguration of Jesuit Media Centre – JEMCEN

The long-awaited dream of starting a media centre came true in July 2021, when Fr. Jebamalai Irudayaraj SJ, the first Provincial of the Chennai Province, formally blessed and inaugurated the centre in the Viscom Block…

From Storm to Stillness

My childhood days peppered with mischievous pranks were a pleasant memorable experience with the privileges of being the single darling son amidst five girls, to my parents. Even with their minimum income as middle school…

Urban Jungle on Terrace

A retired Engineer from Bengaluru, Nataraja Upadhya has created an urban jungle on his terrace with many trees, and lots of butterflies and birds. Bengaluru is a concrete jungle now. Waiting for a hot summer,…

Teaching the Unreachable

The school, Agasthya Ega Adhyapaka Vidyalaya, is located atop the hills within the area of the Agasthyarkoodam, which is a 1,868-metre (6,129 ft)-tall peak in the Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary of Kerala. You can’t reach the…

Fr. Placido Fonseca, SJ (BOM) 1937-2021

Fr. Placido Fonseca (Placie) has truly been a pioneer of child rights in India. He received the National Award for Child Welfare from the Government of India in 1985.  He was also Chairperson of the…

Fr. Stanislaus Miranda, SJ (KAR) 1930 – 2021

On 19th July, 2021, Fr Stany moved on to his Creator and Lord. Born in Mangalore, after his college studies he entered the Jesuit Novitiate in Calicut. Ordained priest, and later trained in Rome for…

Fr. Varghese Paul Chollamadam, SJ (GUJ) 1943-2021

On April 10th, 2021, when COVID-19 snatched away Father Varghese Paul Chollamadam SJ, in Baroda, Gujarat, he joined the luminous galaxy of Jesuits who wielded the pen with a missionary zeal in another tongue. Gujarati…

Fr. Arputham Jesuraj, SJ (GUJ) 1960-2021

In June 1978, Jesuraj and I arrived at Ahmedabad around the same time, as pre-novices. Introducing himself, he said, “I am Jesuraj.” I asked, “What does the name mean?” He replied, “Jesus, King!” True to…

Fr. Maxim Crasta, SJ (GUJ) 1966 – 2021

Maxim was born on 27th December, 1966, at Loretto Parish in Mangalore Diocese. His parents, Ligoury and Christine, were devout Catholics. Maxim was the younger of their two sons. He came to Gujarat in 1984…

The Jesuit Principal

The task of a Jesuit Principal is monumental because he has to ensure the integral formation of the students under his care. He has to see that the institution is functioning according to the Ignatian…

The Mindful Education

Let me note a few remarks on Jesuit education. It is mostly on Tamilnadu Jesuit education—though it can apply to all of India--and it is not about all grades of education, only about the University…

Covid Beckons New Teaching Perspectives

“Everyone who remembers his own education, remembers teachers, not methods or techniques.  The teacher is the heart of the education system.” - Sidney Hook. [auth] Read More

Protecting our Educational Rights

The National Education Policy (NEP) – 2020, was released by the Central Government on 29th July with the cabinet’s approval. We immediately plunged into action and formed the National Federation for the Protection of Educational…

Speaking Truth to Power

An 86-page book titled ‘It's High Time: Women Religious Speak Up on Gender Justice in the Indian Church’ is set to create a storm in the Indian Church. [auth] Read More

Women in Islamic Religious Thinking

The cover story in the March 2020 issue of Jivan entitled 'Will Women's Struggle for Dignity Ever End?' by Professor Shalini, focusing on the place of women in Christian faith and practice, made an interesting…

Exploring New Frontiers in Interreligious Dialogue

“To be religious is to be interreligious.” This inclusive, integral insight of General Congregation 34 (130) served to widen the frontiers of interreligious dialogue in Jesuit circles. While GCs 32 and 33 focused on the…

Zoom Masses Unite a Faith Community

“We all lost our hope as the fear of Corona surrounded us. I was the front-line caregiver in the Emergency Room of North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset. I am the breadwinner of the family. Everyday awful thoughts, fearful…

O God, Where are You? – A Post-pandemic…

This pandemic has been a testing time for all. Every aspect of life is challenged. We are learning from experience that to live is to make many adjustments. No permanency for anything. Nothing as before!…

Covid Trekking

She is a healthcare worker. Yes, of course, she is paid by the government. But she has gone beyond the normal duty to save five villages from COVID-19. Please meet Suman Dhebe, in Pune Zilla…

My Manresa Experience!

At the age of 28, during a crisis of faith caused by unexplainable failures three times in a chemistry examination at the University of Bombay, God entered my life in a special way. One morning…

Fr. Paul Valappila, SJ (GUJ) (1943 – 2021)

Fr. Paul Valappila was born in Kerala. Fr Miguel Urrutia, who was vocation promoter for the Gujarat Jesuits, recruited Paul for the Gujarat Province. Paul joined the apostolic school at Loyola Hall, Ahmedabad, in 1956.…

A Conference Webbing together the Ignatian Spirituality and…

JaMiA [Jesuits among Muslims in Asia] organized a web-conference on August 11th and 18th with the theme "The Ignatian Spirituality and Islamic Teachings/Muslim Communities in Asian Contexts". Twelve papers that were presented by Jesuits and their collaborators in…

People of All Faiths Pledge to Pursue Stan’s…

On 28th July 2021, the progressive denizens of Jamshedpur City and its vicinity observed National Justice Day with a unique gusto and grandeur. Avidly reminiscing the incredible legacy and contributions of Fr. Stan Swamy, people…

Nashik based Jesuit NGOCares for the Covid Affected…

Maharashtra Prabodhan Seva Mandal (MPSM), a Jesuit NGO, working in the Nashik district of Maharashtra, arose to the needs of the tribal communities who were badly affected by the second wave of COVID-19. Though medical…

The Eucharist that Really Was

The book, Seven Baskets Full: The All-Embracing Lord’s Supper, my study of the Christian texts of the first three centuries was a real surprise. The Lord’s Supper was different in so many ways from the…

Gender Justice for Women Religious

This slim volume packs a powerful punch. Released in June 2021, it is a report of a survey commissioned by the women's section of the Conference of Religious India (CRI), to ascertain the truth of…

Dare to be on the Move

The 12th century poet-saint of Karnataka, Basavanna, in his popular Kannada poem says: “The rich will make temples for Siva. What shall I, a poor man, do?My legs are pillars, the body the shrine, the…

Not a Silent Spectator…

They (the people) were in painand it pierced your flesh…There were tears in their eyesand the agony was yours… [auth] They were not yours, yetyou pitched your tent among them…You stood with them, the oppressed,so…

The Prophet of Our Time

Boundaries ne’er deterred youLanguage was ne’er a bar for youFragile body despite, ne’er weakened youThe Almighty ne’er abandoned you! [auth] You stood up to the powerfulYou questioned the mightyYou protected the weak, helped the needyYou…

NOBLE STAN (Modeled on St Ignatius’ March)

Noble StanLeader of a jailed arrayLead us on O lead us onWe protested your jailingevery day [auth] Though the powersmenaced so nearYou did not fear,never did fearYou didn’t hide,you did not quitThis was your pledge…

Exploring Shia-Catholic Dialogue

Iran Culture House, New Delhi organized a luncheon to explore Shia and Catholic dialogue in Delhi. Joseph Victor Edwin SJ, Secretary, Islamic Studies Association, Delhi was invited to participate in the meeting in which Ayatollah…

Renaming Xavier University as ‘XIM’ University

Xavier University is now renamed as XIM University. On 3rd April, 2021, the Xavier University, Odisha (Amendment) Act 2021 was passed in the Odisha Legislative Assembly, renaming Xavier University as XIM University. Thus, the Gazette…

The Three Jesuits who Bridged Christianity and Islam

The three Jesuits pioneers of Christian-Muslim dialogue in India presented by Joseph Victor Edwin are: Victor Courtois from Belgium, Christian W. Troll from Germany and Paul Jackson from Australia. He describes their high caliber academic…

Meet the Joyful Jesus

Fr. Fio is well known as a writer and preacher of biblical and charismatic spirituality. Here he writes as a ‘happy son of St. Ignatius’, to invite us to enter deeply into gospel scenes by…

Democracy to Defend, Not to Destroy

Democracy is rightly defined as “the government of the people, by the people and for the people.” Real power in a democracy is vested in the hands of its citizens by the exercise of their…

THEOLOGY ONLINE – Encountering God in Cyberspace

The year-long curfew imposed due to Corona, turned out to be a dark period for all the educational institutions, students and those interested in learning. However, the saying ‘Not all the classrooms have four walls’…

Vows in the time of the Pandemic (aka…

Our world has been traumatically transformed over the last few months. On the one hand due to the Covid pandemic, we have faced an unpredictable illness, death, fear, uncertainty, loss of livelihood, and mental health…

Father Stan Swamy and the Bagaicha Movement

Bagaicha means a garden in which all kinds of flora and fauna flourish. Jharkhand’s Adivasi lands are sprinkled with such gardens, the mango orchards being the prominent and distinct feature of its landscape. According to…

For Stan, the Secular was the Sacred

18th July 2021 was a landmark day for thousands of Adivasis of Jharkhand. In a statement tweeted earlier, the Jharkhand Janadhikar Mahasabha (a coalition of progressive organisations, formed to facilitate efforts to defend peoples’ rights…

Stan: An Icon of Adivasi Articulation

Stan’s death: A loss for AdivasisIn the death of Father Fr. Stanislaus Lourduswamy, popularly known as Stan Swamy, the Adivasis of India in general and those of Jharkhand in particular, have lost their friend, philosopher…

Johar Stan!

On 6th July 2021, as I blessed the mortal remains and said, “Stan, Rest in Peace”, I asked myself, what do I carry with me? I approached him with a sense of reverence. He inspired…

Introduction to the Mass in memory of Fr…

Introduction to the Mass celebrated on 10 July 2021 by Fr. General at the General Curia, Rome in memory of Fr. Stan Swamy, SJ [auth] On behalf of the South Asian Jesuits here in Rome,…

Instruments for Liberation

Is it possible to give the marginalised children a future by musical instruments? If you happen to listen to Dr Luis Dias, Goa, you will realise that it is possible.  He is an obstetrician and…

A Chapel with a Cosmic Countenance

When we, the Good Shepherd Sisters, decided to build our new Provincialate in 2018, in Nagpur, I dreamt of a chapel which would reflect emerging spirituality. I wanted it to embrace the Universe and its…

When Tribal Land Matters and their Lives do…

It happened in 1921…. ‘Traders from other parts of India, knowing the improvidence of these simple aboriginals, have settled among them to exploit it and trade upon it. Their stocks are always well provided with…

The Spiritual Exercises – A Handbook for Lay…

Fr. Arturo Sosa, SJ, the Jesuit General, has called this year, 2021-2022, “the Ignatian Year”, as it marks the 500th anniversary of the conversion of St. Ignatius of Loyola. Fr. General invites us ‘to see…

A Service Truly Auto

A Bhopal auto-driver has turned his three-wheeler into an ambulance. That too, free of cost. Javed Khan from Bhopal has put his livelihood on hold, but the lives of many on an oxygen cylinder. Before…

The Pandemic and the Big Challenges

Are we equal to the tasks? The Pandemic is not primarily about a virus, or a family of mutating deadly viruses. It is fundamentally about us! [auth] The first wave of the Pandemic (2020) wreaked…

IGNATIAN YEAR: A Call to be Partners in…

Does God have a dream for our world?  God certainly has one.  [auth] “Let us work the redemption of the human race.” [SE 107] This statement of the Holy Trinity clearly indicates God’s dream for…

The Conversions of Ignatius of Loyola

On the third floor of the Loyola family mansion –La Santa Casa- there is a room now known as the “Chapel of the Conversion”. It is believed that in those scarcely 30 square meters, Ignatius…

An Ignatian Moment of Conversion

The Society of Jesus plans to observe the year 2021 – 2022 as Ignatian Year during which she would relive the conversion experience of St. Ignatius. [auth] The Society traces her origin, charism and spirituality…

The Divine in the Face of the Other

As a young girl I remember the catechism class teacher asking me “Where is God?” I responded in faith by saying that God is everywhere.  Back then, I didn’t fully comprehend the full implication of…

The Mysticism of St. Ignatius

“The Christian of the future will be a mystic or not a Christian at all” - (Karl Rahner). That future has already arrived but not fully yet. Ignatian spirituality properly comprehended has a critical place…

Hope in the Valley of Tears : The…

Every pastor is called to walk alongside the people of God, guiding them, learning from them, journeying with them in struggles and successes. [auth] Pope Francis through his life, writings and concrete initiatives, shows how…

ARMY OF HELP

He failed to quality for defence exams. But Silu Nayak from Arakhadu village of Odisha trains so many youth that aspire to qualify for the defence service examinations. [auth] His height was 1cm less than…

The Face of the Face-less

When attacked with acid she had just turned 19. The reason was that she was beautiful. A man in her village forced her for months and stalked on her. She has now a disfigured face…

JCSA Meeting

February 2021 [auth] The JCSA had an online meeting from 22nd- 26th February 2021. It was the second JCSA meeting in a row in the online mode. The Major Superiors of the Conference along with…

Centenary Celebration Jiffies

The concluding commemoration of the Patna Jesuit Mission Centenary was held on March 3, 2021, at XTTI, Patna.  Though, the pandemic situation did not permit any kind of elaborate celebration, it was a year-long spiritual…

Christian Faith as a Co-pilgrim in Bihar: A…

During his apostolic journey to India in 1964, the first ever by a Pope, addressing the representatives of different religions on December 3, 1964, Paul VI had said “Yours is a land of ancient culture,…

Dreaming into the Future

Interview with Fr. Provincial, Donald Miranda, SJ [auth] Father Provincial, how do you feel as Patna province celebrates its centenary year?  The fact that Patna Jesuit Mission is celebrating One Hundred Years is a joyful…

Social Action: Glorious Past yet Searching for a…

The development of social action in the Patna Jesuit Province was spectacular. The beginnings qualify as a case study for understanding the meaning of three terms which Jesuits consider as defining characteristics of their mission:…

Patna Jesuits on the National Frontiers

Patna Mission, later to become the Patna Jesuit Mission, was entrusted to the Society of Jesus by Pope Benedict XV in 1919. The then General Vladimir Ledochowski commissioned the Missouri Province of the USA in…

Educating for a Stronger Bihar

It was 1921, and history will change for the better in Bihar. Five American Jesuits had arrived in Patna and they would make immense contribution to the life and education of the people of Patna…

Our Province, Our Vision

We Jesuits, motivated by the deep personal love of Jesus, have a strong desire to imitate our Creator and the Lord Jesus Christ as He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. [auth] The…

Patna Jesuits: as I saw them

I am glad to share my experiences and impressions of the Jesuits down the years. I limit my sharing to the Jesuits who came to Patna during or after the 1960s.  [auth] They were given…

Collaborating with Jesuits of Patna

As the invitation to share my experience of collaboration with the Jesuits in their varied ministries of Patna Diocese came to me, the image that flashed in my mind was that of the gospel image…

Recalling my Jesuit associations

Ever since I gained my senses, I have been associated with the Jesuit missionaries for my upbringing. The first Jesuit priest I had encountered was Fr. Vervaraken, who was from Belgium. Further, I had the…

They have shaped my Life

I am Prem Manjhi. My father is Mr. Suresh Manjhi and mother is Mrs. Tileshwaridevi. I hail from Jamsaut, a village in the outskirts of Patna. I belong to the Musahar community, the most backward…

In Love with the Mission

I  can never sum up in such a short article what the entire Patna Mission means to me, nor the incredible growth that has occurred in the past 100 years. Here are a few of…

Easter: from Despair to Hope

Easter is the ultimate Solemnity and greatest Feast and is the longest among the liturgical seasons. It celebrates the crowning, central truth of our faith in Jesus Christ. Easter is the most important day of…

A Century of Patna Jesuit Mission: 1921-2021

Christian mission in Bihar is 400 years old, first begun by Jesuit missionaries in 1620, a short-lived mission, later by Capuchins from 1706-1919. In 1919, Patna Diocese was created and entrusted to the management of…

Man of Letters

In the world of social networking, there is a postman still delivering posts to the poor people who live in inaccessible terrains. Plantation workers who live in difficult terrains in the Nilgiri Hills do not…

Smashing Gender Norms

Kerala Woman Climbs Coconut Trees to Support Her Family [auth] The lockdown forced Sreedevi Gopalan, 25, a final year B.Ed student to return home in Malappuram, Kerala. Her father has been a coconut tree climber…

Theology Emerging from Below

South Asian Jesuit Contribution to Contextual Methodology [auth] I. First Stirrings of Indigenization: After Vatican Council II, especially after the emergence of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC) in 1974, the topic of indigenization…

Jesuit Response to Feminist Concerns in South Asia

South Asia remains a global hotspot where women are still considered second-class citizens: educationally backward, culturally suppressed, economically dependent and politically powerless. Discrimination against girls and women results in a high rate of female foeticide,…

Building Bridges across Religions

South Asian Jesuit Pioneers in Interfaith Dialogue [auth] Dialogue is an indispensable ingredient of Asian Theology. Hence, I present a glimpse of South Asian Jesuit engagement with Hinduism and Islam, briefly discussing contributions of Jesuits…

Echoing the Cries of the Cosmos

South Asian Jesuit Influences in Tribal Theology [auth] Tribal theology is contextual and incarnational by nature—born out of the experience of various forms of injustice and exploitation of tribal peoples and their worldview (God-nature-human relationship)…

Wrestling with Indian Casteism

Jesuit Contribution to Dalit Theologies [auth] The Jesuit contribution to Dalit Theologies must be seen against the backdrop of their wrestling with Indian casteism. The endless struggles of one-fifth of the Indian population reduced to…

Jesuit Mission in the field of Ethnophilosophy

In the context of post-colonialism, the concept of ‘ethno’/ ‘ethnic’ is becoming popular. Especially in ‘third’ world countries, researches are done on ‘ethno-medicine’, ‘ethno-chemistry’, ‘ethno-botany’, ‘ethno-history’, ‘ethno-economics’ and so on. But unfortunately, ‘ethno-philosophy’ is an…

St. Joseph: model of faith, hope and love

St. Joseph is one of the very few Saints who has two feast days to honour him. The scriptures don’t say much about this silent saint. In fact, St. Joseph does not speak in the…

Transforming Ashes into Fire

Age old symbols and practices characterise the season of Lent.  Among the symbols ash, desert and fire stand out and the triad of practices drawn from the Gospels that the church recommends are prayer, penance-fasting…

From Desk-Bound to Deshi Theology

Assessing the South Asian Jesuit Role in Theologizing [auth] Sab-Jannewalla—Hindi, meaning, know-all—is an epithet jokingly used for Jesuits. Overstated though the label be, there’s some truth about Jesuit wisdom in the intellectual arena, theology being…

In a Different Farm

What comes to your mind when you think of a government official? Bribes for a sign on your certificate? Delay in registering your sale deed? Meet Taslima Mohammed, 34, a sub-registrar working in Mulugu and…

Digital Jesuits: The #Hashtag Ministry

Fr. Stan Swamy, an octogenarian Jesuit priest, hailing from Jamshedpur Province, was arrested by the National Investigating Agency (NIA) on 8 October 2020. 15 January 2021 marks 100 days since his illegal arrest.  [auth] The…

Wiring the Universal Apostolic Body

Jesuit Strategic communications and networking in the COVID era. [auth] W e may be experiencing one of the key global turning points of our time. This juncture, despite the serious impact it has on so…

Jesuit communications during Covid-19

An overnight nationwide lockdown announced on the 24th day of March, 2019 set off a series of events that confused, confounded, and challenged each one of us. That night, a maverick virus that flew into…

Farmers on the Roads: An Opportunity for the…

As the world’s attention is riveted on the ‘largest protest in history’ that is being played out on the streets leading to the political Capital of India, there is a churning happening.  Indian democracy is…

Assessing Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)

Articles 48A and 51A (g) in the Constitution of India spell out the imperatives for the state and its citizens, namely, protection and improvement of the environment. Article 48A states, “The State shall endeavour to…

Go! Set the Web on Fire!

Historians of science regard the 15th and 16th centuries as an age of reason that steered science and art to great heights. It was driven by a vision to create a new world! [auth] Moreover,…

Online JCSA | Oct, 2020

Online JCSA: JCSA meetings take their name from the place they are held in. This JCSA held in cyberspace, was baptized, as ‘Online JCSA’. [auth] Being an online meeting, members had to familiarize themselves with…

From Babri Mosque to Ram Temple

This 5th August (2020), the Prime Minister of India did the ground-breaking ceremony (Bhumi Pujan) for Ram Temple in Ayodhya. The Prime Minster compared the 15th August when India got freedom, to the 5th August…

Christmas in the time of COVID-19

Can we celebrate the feast of Christmas this year in the midst of a pandemic and the scourge of COVID-19?  [auth] If our idea of celebration is restricted to physical participation at various events, then…

The Birth of Hope to Heal the World

Stanley Weintraub in his “Silent Night: The Story of the World War-I Christmas Truce,” illustrates an extraordinary moment in the history of the world.  [auth] During the first World War, British soldiers and German soldiers…

NEP 2020 Structural Changes in School Education

On the 29th July 2020, the Union Cabinet approved the third National Education Policy (NEP), 2020, which is aligned to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and hopes to address the many growing development priorities…

Challenges Raised by the Jail Custody of Fr.…

Fr. Stan Lourduswamy SJ, aged 83, who was working for the Adivasis of Jharkhand for more than three decades, was taken into custody and imprisoned on October 9th in the Taloja prison in Mumbai. Along…

Infirmary in the Pandemic

Ireturned from visiting the hospital, dog-tired and ravenously hungry.  I collected my dinner from the hot box in the kitchen and ate in the reading room. The T. V. streamed news of the Corona situation…

Fratelli Tutti in the light of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam

The hallmark of the papacy of Pope Francis has been his persistent efforts and inexorable courage to address the issues that touch the grass-root realities of the contemporary human life, dignity, full-flowering of inter-dependent relationships,…

Yamraj: The God of Life

Yam Raj, aged 49, is a farmer by profession, and dedicates two months during the monsoons every year, to help people cross flooded rivulets in Uttarakhand, India. He literally carries travellers on his shoulders to…

Kiran Nidhi Yojana

Piplantri was a Rajasthan village of barren and dusty hills. From 2005, Marble mining completed its desolation. Heat and dust, water scarcity and droughts made young people migrate. Girl children were considered a curse, many…

Silent Crackers

When Diwali comes, crackers will fill the sky. But for decades, two Tamil Nadu villages - Kollukudipatti and Singampunari - in the Sivaganga district of Tamil Nadu have not burst crackers during Diwali festival. The…

Organic Fruits from Drought-Prone Beed Dt.

This farmer of Beed Dt. switched to organic fruit farming after attending a seminar. He made a fortune growing organic papaya and watermelon. [auth] Marginal small farmers do not easily experiment with alternative crops or…

Martyrdom and Jesuits of South Asia

A few years ago, just after I had given a quick rundown of the many international honours the Jesuit scientists have achieved for their accomplishments – 35 lunar craters, 11 asteroids, the first credited scientific…

Let us together make a difference

In Conversation with the Newly appointed President of JCSA. [auth] Hearty Congratulations, Fr. Stany, on being appointed the President of JCSA. As you assume this important responsibility, what are your first feelings, rather your consolations…

Contemplation in Political Action

We live today in cataclysmic times! If one goes by the experience of the last couple of years, and particularly since the pandemic COVID-19 gripped the world, one realises there is not much positive happening…

JRS-South Asia: 40 years of Accompaniment

As Jesuit Refugee Service enters into 40 years of existence in November 14, 2020, it is not a time to triumphantly celebrate its achievements but to trace out God’s footprints and His providential accompaniment with…

The Heaven I Imagine

What is heaven like, is a question whose answer we do not know but are keen to know. Based on the following 4 faith-linked premises, I make the following imaginative presentation of heaven [auth] Heaven…

Blessed Emilio Moscoso, SJ: First Martyr of Ecuador

Emilio Moscoso (1846-1897) was beatified in his birthplace Riobamba, Ecuador, on November 16, 2019. His feast-day is on 21st November, together with Blessed Miguel Agustin Pro. [auth] Emilio Moscoso was born in Cuenca, Ecuador, on…

Moves and Halts in South Asia: 2014-2020

It is always a welcome Ignatian Exercise to review our life-mission as it unfolds before us. How did the last six years unfold before the Conference of South Asia? What are the ‘moves and halts’…

Of a different Kind-ness

Do you want to know what it means to be kind to others? You should talk to Manisha (22), a lecturer at the Nandha College of Nursing in Erode District, Tamil Nadu. She has made…

Unique Bamboo Houses Survive 7 Assam Floods in…

Almost every Monsoon, the Brahmaputra floods Assam, sweeping away everything they encounter — human settlements and paddy fields. In 2016, the soil erosion due to floods in Golaghat district wrecked more than 40 residential shelters and schools.…

Gandhian and Christian Martyrs

In the year 1965, war was going on between India and Pakistan. India was dropping bombs on various targets. We were about sixty five seminarians doing theology in Kurseong on the Himalayan hills. With the…

The NEP 2020: Reforms tilted towards the Rich…

“Education is a dynamic reality; it is a movement that brings people to light.” - Pope Francis  [auth] The vision of the new National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 envisions “creating the education system holistic, flexible,…

Facing Corona with Meditation

It is already eight months! Corona is still ruling the nations! So much suffering, death, and uncertainty. Many scientists, doctors, social workers, government and private agencies and individuals are trying their best to cope up…

Rohingya: fast becoming a lost tribe?

Unlike the 2019 peace rally at Kutupalong Mega camp, when over 200,000 Rohingya refugees converged together to mark the second anniversary of their exodus from Rakhine state, the third anniversary on 25th August 2020 was…

Can our forerunners inspire us?

Education has been an important tool in the hands of Jesuits almost from its very inception in 1542.  Within a few years of the founding of the Society of Jesus, it became clear that one…

Humour as a Way to Face the Vicissitudes…

Three aspects of humour are highlighted here: 1. Humour softens the existential suffering and also acts as protest against injustice and discrimination; 2. It’s an antidote to what cannot be changed in life; 3. Humour…

‘Lockdown’ student cultivation

Teacher Saritha Vijaykumar found Covid-19 lockdown a perfect opportunity to explore ways to engage children in more creative and healthy pursuits than just sitting at home and getting bored! “When the lockdown was implemented, children…

Thinking Out of the Gender Box: Challenges to…

Moving into the 21st century, gender is a familiar expression in ordinary parlance besides becoming a tool of critical inquiry in key analytical questions. Though gender concerns are generally seen as synonym for women’s concerns,…

Jesuits and Gender Equality

For thousands of years patriarchal attitudes persisted in human society wherein the male was considered the norm and the female as created to be at his service. Women were accorded an inferior position and were…

Women Religious and Ignatian Spirituality

Ignatian spirituality is a significant source and motivation for many women religious Congregations as well as lay associations. Many Congregations include the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola with their particular practice of spirituality.…

Showing the Way to God : Spiritual accompaniment…

In her book, Women at the Well: Feminist Perspectives in Spiritual Direction, Kathleen Fisher writes, “It is often said of women’s spirituality that ‘we do not yet know what it looks like’.” The same could…

Rewriting the Jesuit Narrative on Women

This year marks a quarter of a century since the Society of Jesus issued the ground-breaking official document titled ‘Jesuits and the Situation of Women in Church and Civil Society’. The Jesuits committed themselves to…

Go to the Frontier Mission

It was in April 2017 my Provincial Fr. Sebastian Jeerakassery showed me a letter from Fr. George Pattery that Port Blair Diocese needs a Spiritual Director. He asked me whether I was ready to go…

Jesuit Community among the Planets

Pope Benedict XVI, addressing the 35th General Congregation in 2008, praised Jesuits as those who reach “those physical and spiritual places which others do not reach or have difficulty in reaching.” This is best illustrated by…

Loretos turn green

The Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary (IBVM), known as Loreto Sisters, was founded by Mary Ward in 1609. She was a resilient person of great faith and strength of character.  She was labelled a heretic in her…

Baptism by Covid-19 Has it changed the Church?

I don’t know whether Covid-19 will change our theology or our churches, but it has certainly changed our homes. Today we are thinking of God and the Church differently, and expressing our thoughts differently.  [auth]…

A Psychological perspective on the Pandemic

The Covid-19 pandemic may be best described as a disaster which began in Wuhan China and has now spread to many countries in the world. A disaster is a sudden, calamitous event that seriously disrupts…

The Virus of Hate

In his recent message calling for “responsibility and solidarity”, Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary-General, said that we all face one common threat – the Corona virus. However, he said that together we can change the…

Violence against the Dalits in Nepal

On 23rd May in Nepal, reports broke out about the lynching of Navaraj BK and five of his friends. According to journalistic accounts, Navaraj, a 21-year-old Dalit man, along with his companions had gone to…

‘Thatha Sami’ Fr. Louis Lèveil

Born on 6th April 1884 at Laille, France, Louis Marie Lèveil was the youngest of ten children. Next to his mother, Julianee Lebine, Lèveil was very close to his sister Victoire, who sowed the seed…

Marching with the Migrants

Best for the Least The Bible, as the history of liberation from repression, crystallizes that the rights of the poor  are the rights of God. It has now dawned on the Jesuits the realization that…

Transforming Education after Covid-19

Defining moments strike us when we least expect them, especially during times of uncertainties and crises. They trigger our imagination and propel us into action. [auth] On a casual evening walk a few days back,…

Love Bomb

Albert Einstein, who we all know as a great genius, wrote some letters to his daughter Lieserl back in 1938. He said, “Please hold on to these letters because I’m not sure that humanity is…

Jesuit Resource and Response Hub (JRH)

The Covid-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented waves of devastation across the globe. Apart from being a threat to lives, the lockdown that followed brought misery and despair to millions of people, especially the poor. Migrant…

The SWAN Girls: Prophetic Witness of the Youth

Then the LORD said, “I have certainly seen the oppression of my people...I have heard their cries of distress... Yes, I am aware of their suffering.” (Ex. 3:7) [auth] These words that set Moses on…

The Rights of Stateless Citizens

The plight of migrant workers walking thousands of kilometres to their homes carrying their children on the shoulders and their meagre possession on their back, braving heat and hunger will haunt us for many years.…

Pandemic: A call to Indigenous way of life

“We don’t want sympathy, we want dignity; we work hard to earn our living, and we don’t beg, borrow or steal. We may be poor but we are also citizens of this country with equal…

Migrant Solidarity Centre, Bagaicha

Soon after the sudden and shocking announcement of the lockdown, and in the absence of Government help, worried and frustrated migrants began to leave for their distant homes. Images of thousands of men, women and…

“I can’t breathe” in India too

Breathing is such a natural activity that we do not even pay attention to it most of the time, unless of course, we are practising pranayama or yoga. What is more, breath is free! For…

The Person of Ignatius

There are many ways to approach the life of St. Ignatius. [auth] One could focus on his writings, his vision, or his leadership qualities. One could trace the path of his life in chronological order,…

A Prelate not too late

On April 24, the call centre of the Municipal Corporation of Kannur in Kerala had a Catholic Bishop attend the calls. Bishop Alex Vadakkumthala of Kannur was seen noting down a list of essentials requested by…

Beyond the peripheries – among the Transgenders

Corona virus has destabilized millions of people in our country. The most affected are the daily wage earners and the migrants. Of these, the ‘blacklisted’ and the ostracized from society are the ‘secluded minority’ -…

Reaching out to distressed migrants

India’s nationwide lockdown exposed the vulnerabilities of over 4 crore distressed internal migrants. The lockdown left hundreds of thousands of migrant workers stranded far from home without employment, shelter, food and social security. The disturbing…

First Jesuit Brothers

May 1—The Memorial of Saint Joseph ‘the Worker’ has been observed as ‘Religious Brothers’ Day annually in the U.S. since its inauguration in 2017 in recognition of the life and ministry of brothers. [auth] A…

Living in solidarity with the environment

When the Government asked all educational institutions and other establishments to close down, one of our KG girls went back home happily. Her mother asked her why she was so delighted to come home before…

Online Retreat: A Lifeline experience

We consider the present COVID-19 pandemic as the ‘Cross of Christ’, which to humankind is folly but to God is wisdom. Amidst such an unprecedented crisis when the entire world is reeling under the spell…

Coping Apostolically with COVID-19

Pondering over the uncertain interval between two regimes of ancient Rome, Antonio Gramsci wrote from a Fascist prison in 1929, “The old world is dying and the new world struggles are yet to be born.…

Slumdog hero of slab school

Parents in Delhi slums work in the fields and their children remain uneducated since they have no time to drop and pick up the children from school. But an informal school started by Satyendra Pal responded…

Toilets with plastic bottles

Inspired by the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Rashmii Tiwarii, an architect from Hyderabad, reuses PET bottles to construct public restrooms. [auth] Did you know the Indian cricket team’s jerseys are made from recycled PET bottles? To…

Easter in the time of COVID-19

Easter celebrates the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Jesus was willing to go to his passion and death despite being afraid, only because he believed it was the will of his Father. [auth] The…

A story of Hope: Educating the rural poor…

Looking back now, the story of the Jesuit schools in Northeast India has been one of unsolicited hope. Things happened unexpectedly; certainly not as the village folks had anticipated or, for that matter, even the…

Our Growing Numbers

In Kohima Region, the growing number of local vocations must surely be reckoned as a sign of God’s singular favour. God confirms our mission in Northeast India by calling young men, and he invests in…

Whither the next fifty years of the Kohima…

Fifty years are gone and the next fifty are beckoning the Kohima Jesuits. Where do they stand today as they ‘Read the Past to Write the Future’? They have ventured confidently into multiple areas of…

The vision of Kohima scholastics

When I asked the Kohima Region scholastics about their vision for our future, their responses endorsed my sense that the UAPs are constitutive of the next ten years. As described in the UAPs, our Region…

Post-Jubilee Musings

Celebrations are like binding knots of a community that is alive and animated, sensitive and thriving. It builds strength, invigorates a process, and enriches its potential. The Golden Jubilee celebration of Kohima Jesuit Region was…

The Easter Egg

Many symbols are part of our traditional ways of celebrating feasts. Thus we have the Christmas tree and the Easter egg. Many of our modern Easter eggs have become as barren as the unfertilized eggs…

Missionary in our streets

Murukan was once an orphan left in the streets. But now he runs Theruvora Pravarthaka Association. He has rescued thousands of homeless children, elderly, and ailing people from various cities in Kerala and has given them…

The Core of Christianity

We have received in our Christian Spirituality that the foundation of our relationship with God is based on, ‘Love God with your whole being and love your neighbour as yourself.’ Pope Francis through his Encyclical…

9th National Congress of JAAI- Trichy

The 9th National Congress of the Federation of Jesuit Alumni/ae Associations of India (JAAI) was held from January 17-19, 2020, at St. Joseph’s College, Tiruchirapalli and was jointly hosted by St. Joseph’s College and St.…

Are women not givers and mediators of life?

Every step forward for women is a step forward for humanity as a whole - Pope Francis. [auth] On a sunny summer’s day in 2014 I boarded the Duranto Express at the Howrah railway station…

A Lenten Roadmap

Somehow, the Lenten season always makes a big appeal, even though it is an annual and familiar feature. People get into its spirit and sense rather effortlessly. So much so, practically every parish community anywhere…

The First Woman: Cursed forever

Isn’t it paradoxical that the joys of parenthood, the blessing of motherhood, cherished by most societies and psyches, are in orthodox biblical perspective, curse and punishment? What kind of neurosis could have stigmatized the most…

Integral Proclamation of the Word of God

The ‘Word of God’ Sunday on January 26, 2020, coincided with our Republic Day, the day on which our Indian Constitution was promulgated in 1950. Given the present scenario of the promotion of Hindutva in…

A balance of Ecology and Ecosophy

The question that I keep asking myself is ‘how can we do justice to our ecology and make our world fit for others to live in?’ We all live in one world and in one…

Will Women’s Struggle for Dignity Ever End?

A few years ago five of my Jesuit students prepared and presented an assignment during the course on Feminist Theology. They began their power point presentation with the following words:  Woman cries and says,“Why did you…

Jyoti breaks through

The First Prize Winning Story of JIVAN creative writing contest-2019 [auth] Jyoti walked down the road in a pair of heeled slippers modern in design and matching a chic, ethnic salwar kameez set. She looked…

Ekta Chappal Ghar

You definitely remember the above two images from the 2002 Gujarat riots; one of Qutubuddin Ansari with a sobbing face and folded hands begging for mercy from an attacking mob, and the other of Ashok…

International Year of Plant Health, 2020

On December 20, 2018, the General Assembly of the United Nations passed a Resolution to declare 2020 as the International Year of Plant Health. One may ask, “Are plants so unwell that they need global concern…

Should we not ‘Walk the Talk’?

India is in a mess; the economy is in shambles! On January 20, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) lowered the growth estimate for India to 4.8 per cent for 2019, citing stress in the non-bank…

The Citizenship Bill and the Northeast

The anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) fire lit in Assam spread to the rest of the Northeast and to Peninsular India but with different priorities. Its focus for the protesters in Peninsular India is discrimination based…

CAA and its implication on refugee communities

The passing of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in 2019, have stoked the embers of the identity of people and their future existence. The scale and intensity of…

Protest and Resistance

Youth are challenging the iniquitous Citizenship Amendment Act. What about us, Jesuits? [auth] As persons committed to journeying with the youth, we should take part in this ongoing debate on inclusion and exclusion. As Jesuits…

Christian love is neither deaf nor blind

Imagine a plot written by George Orwell, the India-born author of the novel 1984. This time it is 2025. It has no meaning other than two minor ones. The simpler one is that it marks…

Are we short of “vocations”?

Our Provinces work earnestly at the task of getting ‘vocations’. Among routine activities vocation promoters travel far and near to meet possible candidates, subsidise exposures to varied apostolic works, foster prayer and spirituality, try to…

Begged Life

In 1992, he had just failed his class 10 examinations, and had decided to take his life. Twenty-seven years later, Murugan runs an organisation that takes care of the homeless and provides them with meals…

Expanding Eco Education Network

God’s Creation is a web: everything in Creation is linked. It is this Creation Web that sustains the Universe. [auth] Last month, GJEM (Gujarat Jesuit Ecology Mission) began creating a web of Eco Education across…

JCSA STATEMENT ON THE EMERGING SITUATION IN JHARKHAND

The recent developments in the state of Jharkhand are a cause of concern for every citizen of India. The democratic institutions and rule of law have collapsed in Jharkhand, resulting in efforts to amend Chotanagpur/Santal…

Expressive Club: Philosophical Implication of Language

“With globalization, the so called less important traditions, cultures, languages, and even species,” said Mrs. Sofie as introduction to the gathering of the Expressive Club in a building she owned. [auth] Her husband, a social…

A Language that could not be Written |…

A Foundational Grace The desire to learn, promote and empower languages is a foundational grace that the Society of Jesus has enjoyed from its very inception. Throughout the history of the Society of Jesus, Jesuits…

A ‘Labour of Love’ in Indigenous Languages

The UN General Assembly’s declaration of 2019 as the ‘International Year of Indigenous Languages’ echoed joyfully in the tribal heartland of Gujarat on 21 February 2019, when the Hon. Governor of Gujarat, Shri O. P.…

God’s Presence, God’s Present

For some years now I have received Christmas cards from some friends that have no reference to Jesus. On the outer page you see a bouquet of flowers, or a tree covered with buntings; on…

The Dawn of a New Life

A spiritual journey is a unique experience. Christmas inherently promotes spiritual growth and development, and is a time for spiritual rebirth and the dawn of a new Life. [auth] Jesus was born, and His birth…

Jesus: A name St. Ignatius Carried in His…

The titular feast of the Society of Jesus, celebrated on 3rd January, is one of three solemnities in the Society; the other two are the feasts of St Ignatius and St Joseph. The importance the…

Responding to REGAE II and Looking at the…

To, All Jesuits of the Conference of South Asia    15 Nov, 2019                                                                   POSA Circular 2019/06                                                                                                                                   Dear Friends in the Lord, Greetings of Peace! This circular brings you the responses of JCSA to the long process of…

The Synod of the Amazon

Personally, I believe that for those who are born or live in the Amazon, the Pan-Amazon Synod was a time of kairos, for all our communities to see how much the Church, led by Pope…

Delivering goodness

Twenty one children who once begged for food and money on Kolkata’s roads now study in government schools. This is not the work of an NGO or a Government scheme. It is the initiative of…

Jesuit contribution towards Tribal Identity and Culture

Fr. John Baptist Hoffmann started the Chotanagpur Catholic Mission Co-operative Society which helped the Adivasis stand on their feet economically. They were saved from the clutches of money lenders and profiteers through this well managed…

Caring for our common home

Jesuit ministry for environment protection [auth] Across countries we see humankind (young and old) entering into a paradigm of promoting and embracing an environmentally friendly lifestyle and spirituality. Green activism, research on climate issues, eco-friendly…

Inter-State Migrants (ISMs) in Kerala

Social integration has been recognized the world over as the key issue affecting the life of migrants. Social protection measures of both central and state governments and social support from host communities could become more…

Society of Jesus on its global mission

Two interventions of 2019 invite the Church and the Jesuits to serious personal and collective deliberation, action and assessment. The first is Pope Francis’ declaration of October 2019 as an Extraordinary Missionary Month. The second…

Arrupe helps us ride the waves

To mark the 200th anniversary of the Restoration of the Society of Jesus in 1814, Pope Francis presided over Vespers on 27th Sept., 2014, in the Church of the Gesù in Rome. “The ship of…

Social Justice and Ecology Secretariat

A Journey of Justice and Reconciliation: 50 Years and Beyond… [auth] In 1968 Fr. Pedro Arrupe on an official visit to Chotanagpur, India, entered an office in Ranchi and met Fr. Francisco Ivern, SJ, from…

Ecumenism and the Society of Jesus today

Every two years since 1969, the International Congresses of Jesuit Ecumenists have provided a forum for encouraging exchange among Jesuits drawn to the ecumenical dimension of the Ignatian charism. The ecumenical dimension was evident in…

Receptive Ecumenism

The communiqué from ARCIC III’s (the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission, Phase 3) first plenary meeting in 2011 declared the Commission’s intent to use the method of receptive ecumenism which it described as seeking “to make…

Promoting Christian Unity in the Divided World

The World Evangelical Alliance General Assembly to be held in Jakarta in November 2019 has the theme “Your Kingdom Come! Our heart’s Cry - Advancing God’s Kingdom Together.” For the eleventh Assembly of World Council…

Women and Ecumenism in India

The ecumenical movement has its origin in Jesus’ poignant prayer on the eve of his death, his yearning for the unity of all - “that they may all be one as I am in you”…

REGAE II – a destination already and not…

In October-November 2014 the Major Superiors of the Jesuit Conference of South Asia (JCSA) met in Phesama, Nagaland, and moved by “a palpable experience of the Spirit at work among us”1 , responded boldly and…

Two years on: ‘No light at the end…

Second repatriation attempt failed As the second and latest repatriation attempt failed to take off on 22nd August, there is now cause for more gloom and despair among the 1.1 million Rohingyas currently sheltered in…

Mahatma and Saint

Come October 2019 and the world will be celebrating the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi (2nd Oct.) and the canonization (13th Oct.) of Cardinal Newman. [auth] What is little known, however, is the connection…

Ageless value

A first-aid kit containing all the emergency requirements - bandages, antiseptic lotion, cream for burns and paracetamol; with basic knowledge of administering first aid having gone through formal training, this is no ambulance or an…

One man’s Eco dream – lived!

Purushothaman was a technician in the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Bangalore. He saw the rapid growth of industry, population, and the consequent explosion of filth in the ‘garden’ city of India! He dreamt of living…

Spring Offensive

 Note: The term ‘Spring Offensive’ refers to the attacks by insurgents on the government in Afghanistan. The poem deals with the hope that the children of a conflict-ridden country place in education. More precisely, in a land where there is…

Interview with Fr. Markus Schmidt, SJ

President of the International Society of Jesuit Ecumenists (Fr Markus Schmidt, the President of the International Society of Jesuit Ecumenists was interviewed on behalf of JIVAN by Fr. Cedric Prakash. Fr. Schmidt is an Assistant…

Not All Crap! – Selling waste Online

Hyderabadis, listen! Want to earn from your household scrap while helping the environment? This start-up not only offers a free pick-up service, it also uses part of the profits to educate underprivileged children. [auth] Making…

Sacral Interculturality: a visit to a Sufi Dargah

Cultural diversity has emerged as a key concern in the pluralistic context of our county. Culture embraces the totality of people’s life - language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music, art, etc. Homogenization of cultures has…

The changing face of Inter-religious dialogue

I have been interested, if not actually engaged, in interreligious dialogue for the last 65 years. Looking back, I am amazed at the manner in which it has changed over the years. Sharing that story…

Promotion or Denial of Education? – a critical…

The Government of India released the Draft New Education Policy (DNEP) – 2019 on 31st May for public response. India has a population of 1.3 billion and the Constitution recognises 22 official languages. The DNEP…

A journey into the heart of the ‘religious…

My Superiors missioned me to ‘Apostolate among Muslims’. This mission placed on me a twofold responsibility: explore, find and establish contacts with Muslims in order to help them understand the Church and her love for…

Everyone is a victim – therein lies our…

Fundamentalism and Inter-faith dialogue in South Asia [auth] The persecution of the Christian community is the single most noxious common factor among the eight states of South Asia – in Pakistan, Bhutan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri…

Dialogue with Sikhs

Guru Nanak Dev, born in 1469, moved by compassion for his suffering people started Sikhism, to liberate his people from socio-religio-cultural oppressive systems and divisions based on caste, social hierarchy, and economic inequality in society.…

The Zen faith

Yamada KounRoshi, one of the renowned Japanese Zen masters of our times once said, if a Christian practices Zen, he/she will become a better Christian; deep in Christianity as well as in Zen. Zen is…

Christians and Yoga

This year International Yoga Day was celebrated on 21st June in many countries led by India. But there was a hiccup among Christians caused by a controversy with regard to the legitimacy of celebrating this…

Inter-religious couples: A new Inter-faith dialogue

This article is restricted to marriages between a Catholic person and a partner belonging to another faith. These are known as ‘Inter-religious’ or ‘Disparity of cult’ marriages. The focus of the article is on couples…

Fr. Angelo Benedetti, SJ Swami Shubhananda

Swami Shubhananda was born in Barcelona, Spain, in 1928 and named after an Austrian Jesuit priest, Fr. Angelo Barbaria, who was his father’s spiritual guide. Angelo attended a flourishing Jesuit school in Barcelona in 1938.…

Ministry of fostering integrity and integration

Nowadays the ministry of inter-religious dialogue is referred to as the ministry of promoting inter-religious relations which enhance mutual understanding, co-operation, peaceful co-existence and communal harmony among people of different religions living side by side…

The Dragon King of Bhutan

My first encounter with my King who is admiringly called the Great Fourth was on the basketball court. He was an avid basketball player and we were privileged to play with him on a regular…

Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam an Eminent…

Popularly known as the “Missile Man of India”, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam is one of the most distinguished and rarest jewels among Jesuit Alumni in India, especially St. Joseph’s College, Trichy. He was born on…

Nothing beyond those years

Forty years on, the morning is as crisp as it was then: a 17 year old youngster, full of trepidation and nervousness, quietly slipped into the hallowed portals of St. Xavier’s College, Calcutta, as a…

The Xaverian ethos

My years at St Xavier’s (1969-71) were among the happiest in my life and helped shape me definitively for the challenges that followed in adulthood. On this auspicious occasion, I join my fellow Xaverians in…

Confession by Mr. Lakshmi Narayan Mittal

In 2013 I met Mr. Lakshmi Mittal, the Steel Baron, in London. We conferred the “Global Xaverian” award on him at a public function in the British Museum. Our interaction began with Mr. Mittal’s spontaneous,…

Where I fell in love with sport

Walking into St. Joseph’s Boys’ High School for the first time was a bit overwhelming. It was different from the small St. Antony’s where I studied till 4th standard. I was so excited to discover…

My golden decade

Childhood memories are the most precious possessions of a person. Recollection and retrospection fill one’s present with valuable lessons learnt, and with the joy of contentment. [auth] The years in school were crowded with relentless…

I look on all Jesuit priests with respect…

My children and my grand children studied in various schools, but I was a student of just one – St Xavier’s School, Fort, for decades the best known Jesuit school in South Mumbai. I am…

He believed I had the ability to do…

While I was at St. Xavier’s, Mumbai, I started Akanksha. One of our first centres was located at St. Xavier’s in the boys’ hostel. We had a tiny office right under the staircase there. [auth]…

My years at St. Xavier’s College

I would like to say a few words that I have long wanted to about my association with St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai. I entered the College as a science student in 1950 at the young age…

From XLRI to Mozambique

‘ Mozambique’ may invoke in many minds the thought of some prehistoric monster! Far from it! It is a scenic African nation with a 2,400 kilometre stretch off the Indian Ocean on its eastern border.…

To be a Xavierite is to be a…

St Xavier’s High School changed me forever. From a shy, reticent, awkward young boy I metamorphosed into a bold, confident, vibrant young man. This transformation was, in large part, due to the ethos of the…

Loyola legend Vijay Amritraj

Vijay Amritraj, the tennis legend who played outstanding tennis at the international level during 1970s and 1980s is truly an epitome of the education, training and discipline imparted at Loyola College, Chennai. He attributes all…

Murali – the Missionary

He is not a missionary. But he has done more than any missionary could have done. In his two decade long journey of bringing education to one of the most remote tribal regions in Kerala,…

Shedding Light on Clerical Closets

Musings on Pope Francis’s Motu Proprio [auth] Need to relight our lives “In the Light of the Master” is the title of chapter three of Pope Francis’s March 2018 ‘Gaudete et Exsultate’– Rejoice and Be…

Innovative Interreligious Initiatives Fulfil UAPs

The Universal Apostolic Preferences (UAPs) promulgated by Fr. Arturo Sosa, the Superior General of the Jesuits, on 19th February 2019 can be summarized as follows: [auth] 1. Spirituality 2. Walk with the Excluded 3. Accompany…

A Walk to Remember

“Are you blind? Do you need spectacles? The ball just went above your head!” I shouted at Vincent, the goalkeeper, who refused to admit that the penalty shot was a goal. The argument became more…

Towards becoming Transformative Leaders

The training programme for Vice Principals of Jesuit Colleges of South Asia was held from 4th to 6th May, 2019 at JMJ Residence, Sirumalai Hills, Dindigul. The programme aimed at empowering the participants holding important…

A Call to appreciate a Call

Fr. Pedro Arrupe in his letter ‘On the Preparation for Ordination’ initiating the Pre-Ordination Programme (POP) in the Society of Jesus, terms the entire month as a time of “an appropriate spiritual preparation before the…

Drawing from Nature – Art and Mother Earth

An Art Workshop was organized by CARP (Company of Artists for Radiance of Peace), LIPI (Loyola Institute of Peace and International relations, Kerala), and GJEM (Gujarat Jesuit Ecology Mission). Nineteen professional artists from India and…

Jesuit South Asian Assembly (JESAA), Pune

The Jesuits of South Asia, two hundred plus, gathered in Pune from 25th to 28th April for a South Asian Jesuit Assembly (JESAA 2019) to explore ways to make their life and mission intercultural, viewing…

Easter Sunday Horror

It is with sadness and helplessness caused by the tragedy on Easter Sunday in Sri Lanka, that brought mourning and pain to those who went to church for Easter services and to other places to…

Jesuits and Geographical Exploration

Geographical exploration is a process that investigates the physical, terrestrial properties of a region so that one gets correct and reliable knowledge of the area. Perhaps many may be surprised to know that the Jesuits…

In the Spirit, from the Heart, to Practice:…

More than capturing our imaginations and awakening our desires, the Universal Apostolic Preferences (UAPs), in my view, redefine and reconstruct Jesuit identity - who we are, and what we do; our being and our doing.…

Ensuring ‘No One is Left Behind’: The Call…

On 25th September 2015, the United Nations (UN) declared the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as the ‘global agenda’ to be achieved by 2030. On 19th February 2019, the Society of Jesus adopted the Universal Apostolic…

Religion: Peace, Fraternity, Dialogue

Pope Francis said, “Religions cannot renounce the urgent task of building bridges between peoples and cultures” (Speech in Abu Dhabi on 4th Feb). And this urgency was experienced as the Holy Father sent a video…

Two Thesauruses by a Jesuit ‘wordsmith’

The abundance of synonyms and near synonyms in a language offers wondrous possibilities for the precise expression of diverse shades of meaning. It also reveals and makes available to the user, the word-wealth of a…

Let him become what he desires to become

His flippant answers infuriated them. They smacked him, repeatedly punched him on the face causing him to lose consciousness, suffer a fractured cheek-bone, laceration on his cheek and bleed profusely. He ran for his life,…

No Odds Unbeatable

The perception persists that the scientific world is alien territory for religious leaders and scholars, particularly for women. But this is fast changing, especially in the Indian Catholic Church. In this “Road Not Taken” episode…

A ‘Green Parish’

In a city mainly known for noise and air pollution, the Parish Pastoral Council of Holy Family Church has taken a stand for ecological awareness. [auth] Fr. Vincent Vaz, the Parish Priest, has taken inspiration…

JCSA at Pedro Arrupe Institute, Raia, Goa

After three momentous events: the cause for the beatification and canonization of Fr. Pedro Arrupe, introduced in Rome on 5th Feb; the promulgation the UAPs to the whole Society on 19th Feb; and the meeting…

UAPs: Possibilities and Challenges to Formation

UAPs Echoing the Dynamism of the Society The Society of Jesus has been dynamic and has endeavoured to respond creatively to the signs of the times from the very beginning. The four Universal Apostolic Preferences…

India’s elections: Learning the hard way

Utopia? The 2019 massive exercise elections in India will peak in May with the casting and counting of votes, and the declaration of the results. This exercise flows from democracy which struggles to make sure…

An Indian Christian response to emerging India

Emerging India provides the Church an opportunity to understand the socio-economic, political, cultural, religious, etc. possibilities and challenges around. The Church in India can play a major role in upholding the constitutional and Gospel values…

The Resurrection: A message of Hope in a…

The Resurrection is a unique event. It is not the resuscitation of a dead body as in the case of Lazarus (Jn. 11.43) or the widow’s son (Lk. 7.11-14). It is a total transformation of…

A Vote for Good Governance

The Indian General Elections 2019 have been announced and on 23rd May the nation will know who will rule for the next five years! After more than seventy years of independence, the coming elections have…

Em-PAWAR-ed Village

It is Pawar that empowers a village. When Popatrao Pawar was elected the Sarpanch of the village in 1990,his family was upset as it wanted him to stay in the city. “But I felt that…

The Cause for Pedro Arrupe

The cause of Pedro Arrupe (1907-1991) to be canonised has been introduced recently in Rome. This is an occasion to recall his inspiring life and work. [auth] He has been credited with re-founding the Society…

Jyoti of the Musahar community

When her parents left her in a residential school for poor children, she was just five. [auth] But Jyoti, one of seven siblings, didn’t cry over being ‘abandoned’. Even when many other girls her age…

The non-Christian initiatives for inter-religious dialogue

Soon after the Second Vatican Council (Vat. II) inter-religious dialogue reached its peak. Church documents kept encouraging Christians to enter into religious dialogue with the non-Christians. Theological periodicals published numerous articles in praise of this…

The Lenten Triangle

The liturgy is not simply worship but also catechesis. It instructs us not only through words, but more specifically through symbols, symbolic space and time, symbolic actions and narratives. Hence, it is very important that…

Mary Magdalene: Re-reading a ‘sinful’ woman

Arguably, the one most misrepresented woman in the Bible is Mary Magdalene. Her characterisation in the Gospel narratives is fuzzy, and if one only went by her legendary confused, suppressed identity, she could well be…

Do Women Count? A Teilhardian Perspective

Teilhard de Chardin proposes a dynamic evolutionary theory in which the universe is evolving towards a final point – the Omega Point. He identifies Christ as the Omega Point in whom and towards whom the…

Counterculture Education

One could call the way of Jesus Christ, a counter-culture movement because in many ways it contrasts with what the world considers human advance or fulfilment. The opponents of Jesus who tried almost successfully to…

Udaybhai: an Auto-matically Great Man

Udaybhai, as everyone calls him, is a unique auto rickshaw driver in Ahmedabad. The auto has facilities that are not even found in cabs. You find newspapers, magazines and other literature to read, and two…

Plastic Man

Prof. R Vasudevan is a retired chemistry professor of a Madurai Engineering college. He has spent the last two decades researching and implementing the reuse of waste plastic. [auth] “Plastic is my resource,” he says. Eighteen years…

Fr. Benjamin Henry Miller, SJ (SRI) (1925-2019)

Rev. Fr. Benjamin Henry MILLER of the Society of Jesus arrived in Sri Lanka, then Ceylon, on 4th September, 1948 just eight months after Sri Lanka celebrated its independence fromcolonial rule. He is an American…

Nation at Peril

On 19th December 2018, over 80 ex-bureaucrats wrote an open letter to Adityanath Yogi asking him to resign as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh for the following reasons: the killing of a police officer by…

Displacement Studies and Social Research

It began one morning in May 1982 when we read in the newspapers that the Supreme Court (SC) had appointed three ombudsmen to study the working conditions of the 1982 Asian Games construction workers. [auth]…

Social Sciences in Bombay Province – A Brief…

Bombay Province has had Jesuit intellectuals who taught the social sciences, chiefly in St Xavier’s College, Mumbai. They encouraged their students to go beyond the classroom and do ‘action-research’ that familiarised them ‘social analysis’. This…

Reiterating our perspective on Adivasi studies

For several decades academic studies on Adivasis in India were clouded by a perspective promoted by a prominent right-wing nationalist and academician G.S. Ghurey who, motivated by his Hindu nationalist sentiments, had stated that the…

Papal Seminary: Home of Love

Last year Papal Seminary, Pune, India, entered the 125th year of its service in forming and moulding priests for the Universal Church, especially the Church in India. It is the formation house for about 190…

Stephen Hawking’s Missed Love-God Linkage

Stephen Hawking, the Wheelchair Scientific Genius, who is almost universally acclaimed as the Second Einstein of our times, is most noted for his brilliant intellectual rationality and incredible scientific acumen. [auth] Among other contributions to…

CHRISTMAS with a difference

It is indeed the ‘Christmas’ story of 2018. While India was celebrating Independence Day on 15th August, a new-born baby was found in a Chennai gutter, wailing loudly. The umbilical cord was around his tiny…

Dhartari, Kansari and the Warli Woman

“I am a firm believer that the way women of colour are treated within society is a reflection of the way we treat our precious home, the earth.”1 [auth] The Warli tribes of Palghar District…

Eco-Spirituality and Novitiate Formation

Till the age of twenty one I lived in a village and enjoyed everything rural life in Kerala could provide. Fresh water, clean air, vegetables, fruits, rice and other cereals, coconut oil, milk from cows/goats…

Gujarat Jesuit Ecology Mission (GJEM)

‘Concern for the Environment’ was one of the five themes identified by Gujarat Province as a result of the Strategic Apostolic Planning (SAP) process. The Province document, “Vision, Mission and the Action Plan” of May…

Drawing from Nature

Fr. Pedro Arrupe, in his inspiring talk on ‘Art and the spirit of the Society of Jesus’ (1972), succinctly articulates the role of artists and works of art: “What was the purpose of art in…

Green Ignatius of Loyola

Ignatius was born in the green, mountainous Basque country. He grew up next to the perennial stream Urola, in the shadow of the rocky mountains - El Izarraitz. The Basque shepherds spend much of the…

A Christmas after Christmas

It was a week after Christmas; nothing more than an ordinary winter afternoon. The sky was ocean blue. I could feel a slight touch of the cool breeze on my cheeks. I felt lucky wearing…