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…
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…
International Migrants Day and Distressed Migrants
Madhesh Manjhi hailed from Masaurhi which is just 30 km from Patna - the state capital of Bihar. Finding no gainful employment, he left with some of the villagers in the first week of November…
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…
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…