J ESUI T S O F T H E C A L IF OR N I A P ROV IN CE
spring 2012
NEW Provincial
Sustainability for a Shared World – It’s Our Duty
Student Reflections on World Youth Day
Loyola Academy Offers Opportunity in Phoenix
Collaboration Builds a Stronger Province
On Complaining, Devotion, and Love
T
Mission
Michael F. Weiler, S.J.
Provincial
Advancement Office
Joseph B. Naylor
Provincial Assistant for Advancement
and Communications
Jim Muyo
Director of Communications
Editor, Mission Magazine
John P. Mossi, S.J.
Manager and Benefactor Relations
Samuel P. Bellino, S.J.
Director of Planned Giving
Grace Melendrez
Associate Director of Database and Gifts
William C. Farrington, S.J.
Advancement Associate
Andrew F. Maginnis, S.J.
Benefactor Relations
Julie Han
Jesuit Mass Cards Administrator
DESIGN
Mixed Palette
Mission is published two times a year by the
California Province of the Society of Jesus
P.O. Box 68, Los Gatos, CA, 95031-0068
Phone: (408) 884-1630
E-mail: missioneditor@calprov.org
www.jesuitscalifornia.org
©2012 California Province of the
Society of Jesus. All rights reserved.
The comments and opinions expressed
in Mission magazine are those of the authors
and editors and do not necessarily reflect
official positions of the California Province
of the Society of Jesus.
here certainly have been
moments these past nine months
when I complained to God,
“Couldn’t you have found someone more
able, someone with more wisdom and
insight, someone like the great provincials
under whose leadership I grew up in the
Society, men like Terry Mahan, Jack Clark,
Tom McCormick, or Bob St. Claire?” God
doesn’t have much to say about such
complaints. Instead, the Lord turns my
attention to the generosity and devotion
of others.
Devotion is easy to see in the young
and the elderly. As director of our novitiate, I witnessed young Jesuits in their
first fervor to serve the Lord, willing to
go anywhere and do anything in God’s
service. This year, from my office adjacent
to Sacred Heart Jesuit Center, I see Jesuits
daily whose health has required their
retirement from active ministry. In them I
see the same devotion, still lived out and
fulfilled as it has been for decades of
faithful service.
An unexpected gift to me as Provincial
has been to witness the same devotion,
sometimes hidden, among Jesuits in their
middle work years. We Jesuits can look
a bit “scruffy” at times. Preferring a more
casual and practical style, our eyes are
fixed on the work, we shy away from
wearing our devotion on our sleeves for
public view. But in the intimate and confidential setting of the annual Account of
Conscience, the conversation about each
man’s relationship to God and experience
of his work, two qualities have stood out
dramatically among these working Jesuits:
they are men of deep prayer, and they
work very hard.
When love in any form inspires a
person to say that big “Yes,” whether in
religious vows, marriage or other similar
commitments, there often lies buried in
the back of one’s heart the expectation
that someday love will make a demand,
will test the devotion that on the wedding
day or ordination day is covered over
by the excitement and celebration. Love
eventually asks something of each of us.
I have seen such testing in my own
family. When my uncle suffered a severe
stroke, his daughter found a way to be
at his bedside daily, not for days, but for
years. My niece, shortly after the birth of
her son, was diagnosed with cancer. Her
young husband immediately centered his
whole world on her care and comfort. For
both my cousin and my niece’s husband,
the sudden illnesses came as blows, but not
as burdens. Love welcomes being tested.
When I hear a Jesuit’s Account of
Conscience, usually the conversation
begins with his saying, “I’ll go wherever
you need me.” Then typically, he goes on
to say how fulfilled and needed he is in
his present work and should stay there
indefinitely. Then, just as he’s about to
walk out the door, he says again, “But,
wherever you need me, I’ll go.”
Whether it’s attending to an aging
parent, caring for one’s spouse or child
through serious illness, or receiving a
phone call from the Province office informing you that you’re needed to pastor
a parish, teach Algebra to freshmen, or
serve a term as Provincial of the California
Province—to be asked to do a difficult
work in the name of love is ultimately a
privilege and a joy—without denying at
all the real hardship which it may entail.
As you enjoy this issue of Mission, I
invite you to look under the surface to
find the love that motivates both in the
works of the Province and the movements
in your own life.
Gratefully in the Lord,
Fr. Michael F. Weiler, S.J.
Provincial
JESUITS OF THE CALIFORNIA PROVINCE SPRING 2012
10
A STRONGER PROVINCE
CESAR MANSO/AFP/Getty Images
Jesuits and lay apostolic partners gathered
for the first capacity building conference for the
needs of the California Province.
Pope Benedict XVI arrives for Mass at World Youth Day in Spain
to the joy of multitudes of Christians. See story on page 16.
In every issue
From The Provincial
On Complaining, Devotion, and Love
By Michael F. Weiler, S.J.
2PROVINCE NEWS
Fr. Greg Boyle Lauded
New Director of Health Care
New Director of Communications
Joint Entrance Day
6
IN REMEMBRANCE
8GOOD STEWARDS
All in the (Jesuit) Family
26ON POINT
31
A Shared Duty by Fr. Bill Watson, S.J.
JESUIT PROFILE
Fr. Andy Dachauer, S.J.
2 MEDITATIONS
3
Easter in Us by Fr. Michael Moynahan, S.J.
12
NEW PROVINCIAL SETTLES IN
Get to know new Provincial Fr. Michael F. Weiler, S.J.,
and learn why he feels privileged to be in his
new—and unexpected—role.
16
WORLD YOUTH DAY
Students from the Province’s three
universities were moved by their experiences
as they retraced the footsteps of St. Ignatius.
22
BLAZING A TRAIL
Sustainability programs are in full swing
at LMU, SCU, and USF, where the call to
protect our environment now and for future
generations is being answered.
28
On the cover
SUCCESS STORY IN PHOENIX
Fr. Michael F. Weiler, S.J., at the Sacred
Heart Jesuit Center in Los Gatos, California.
Loyola Academy at Brophy Prep is giving
deserving students something they haven’t had
before—opportunity.
Photo by Barbara Ries
Environmental Benefits Statement
Since 2010, California Province of the Society of Jesus has saved the following resources by using paper made with 55% recycled fiber and 30% postconsumer waste: 98 fully grown trees / 45,039 gallons of water / 35 million BTU of energy / 2,977 lbs of solid waste / 9,401 lbs of greenhouse gases
Calculations based on research by Environmental Defense Fund and other members of the Paper Task Force.
Fr. Greg Boyle Honored
F
In November, Homeboy Industries was awarded a $100,000
r. Greg Boyle, S.J., and Homeboy Industries have recently
Opus Prize grant. The Opus Prize annually honors faith-based
been lauded for their exceptional efforts on behalf of
humanitarians and their organizations that have worked to solve
former gang members trying to turn their lives around.
persistent social problems in their
Fr. Boyle was inducted into the California
communities. Homeboy Industries was
Hall of Fame in a Sacramento ceremony
amongst three finalists for the $1 million
December 8. Selected by Governor Jerry
Opus grand prize. The $100,000 grant will
Brown and First Lady Anne Brown for
be used by Homeboy Industries to
his work as a community activist helping
support job training. HEAL Africa, a
former gang members and at-risk youth
humanitarian organization that battles
throughout Los Angeles, Fr. Boyle became
gender violence in the Democratic
the first religious to be inducted.
Republic of the Congo won the $1 million
On January 30, Fr. Boyle received the first
Opus Prize.
Nancy Daly Advocacy Award at a ceremony
Fr. Boyle was also recently appointed
in New York. The award is one of the Lewis
to
the United States Attorney General’s
Hine awards bestowed by the National
Grand Opening: Fr. Greg Boyle, S.J., (center) at the
Child Labor Committee in honor of Hine, an bread-cutting ceremony of the new Homeboy Industries Defending Childhood Task Force, a group
facility with Los Angeles City Councilmembers Jose
that will raise awareness about the
acclaimed photographer who documented
Huizar (left) and Ed Reyes (right), and a Homeboy baker.
causes and characteristics of children’s
early twentieth century exploitation of child
exposure to violence while developing strategies for countering
labor. The Hine awards are bestowed annually to men and women
its negative impact.
for their efforts on behalf of the health, education, and welfare of
children and youth, particularly those at risk. Award recipients are
To see a video of Fr. Boyle and the work of Homeboy Industries,
selected by a panel of distinguished judges from nominations
visit http://vimeo.com/31467748.
submitted by elected officials and community leaders.
First joint class of novices
Photo BY TBD
Anyone ever tell you
you’d make a great Jesuit?
For the first time, the California and Oregon provinces have welcomed a new class into
a joint novitiate program based at Ignatius House in Culver City. (L to R) Carlos Aubain,
Daniel Nevares, Edin Barrera, Luis Xavier Benavides, Marcos Gonzales, San Mai, and
Chris Kepler (not pictured) have joined their secundi (second-year) brothers for a two-year
experience of prayer, community living, and apostolic service as first-year Jesuit novices.
To learn more about each of the new novices, visit www.jesuitscalifornia.org/novices.
2 MISSION spring 2012
“The Church needs you,
counts on you, and continues
to turn to you with confidence.”
– Pope Benedict XVI, address to the Society of Jesus, 2008
For more information
please visit www.jesuitscalifornia.org/vocations
LMU, USF Making an Impact on Teaching
leaders per year by partnering with 10 public and charter schools
throughout Los Angeles. For the past three years, CMAST has been
at the forefront of a national movement to train, inspire, and retain
highly effective STEM teachers for a new career path, the teacherleader. The goal of the program is to build a team of expert scholar/
practitioners who increase student engagement and achievement in
K-12 math and science classrooms. Through a capacity-building model,
each CMAST teacher-leader will ultimately reach 13,500 students.
Teachers trained by CMAST have seen significant increases in
student scores on state achievement tests. From 2009 to 2011,
the five school sites that implemented CMAST increased the
percentage of students who were proficient or advanced on high
school math California Standards Tests by an average of 16 percent.
Photo BY TBD
T
he University of San Francisco and Loyola Marymount
University—two of the California Province’s three
universities—are making significant strides to train teachers
who can have a positive impact in and out of the classroom.
USF’s School of Education and its partners in the San Francisco
Teacher Residency (SFTR) program recently received a $2.2 million
grant from the U.S. Department of Education to prepare San
Francisco teachers for hard-to-staff schools and high-needs
subjects—including math, science, and bilingual education. Loyola
Marymount University’s School of Education has joined more than
80 partners in the “100K in 10” movement, a growing coalition
committed to recruiting, developing, and retaining 100,000 STEM—
science, technology, engineering and math teachers—in the next
10 years.
The $2.2 million Department of Education grant, to be spread
over five years, will pay for mentor teachers, help cover the SFTR
program’s administrative costs, and fund research on the program’s
effectiveness and best practices. The aim of the SFTR program is to
offer professionals pursuing a career change and recent college
graduates who do not have a teaching credential a faster, lessexpensive road to becoming educators through a combination of
classroom experience and coursework.
LMU, by joining the “100K in 10” movement, becomes one of a
handful of university partners in the initiative, including Stanford,
UC Berkeley, USC Rossier School of Education, and the University
of Chicago.
The LMU School of Education’s Center for Math and Science
Teaching (CMAST) has committed to train at least 15 STEM teacher
Teachers for the Next Generation: LMU students conducting Alzheimer’s
Disease research.
Santa Clara University Opens Free Clinic for Low-Income Taxpayers
S
anta Clara University’s School of Law has established the
South Bay’s first clinic providing free assistance to lowincome taxpayers who have disputes with the Internal
Revenue Service.
Headed by Caroline Tso Chen, previously a senior attorney with
the Office of Chief Counsel of the Internal Revenue Service in
San Jose, the clinic provides counsel and advice to clients, and
represents the clients’ cases before the IRS and in Tax Court
through SCU law students. The IRS and the Tax Court allow such
student-attorney representation from law school-affiliated clinics
led by a qualified supervising attorney.
“I’m very excited to be part of this clinic, both for the students
and for the community we serve,” Chen said. “The IRS is a very big
bureaucracy, and can be very daunting to most taxpayers. I hope
we can make the process far less intimidating for our clients.”
Qualifying clients generally must not earn more than certain
amounts (currently about $27,000 for a single person or $56,000
for a family of four). Also, the amount of tax in dispute generally
will not exceed $50,000. Chen expects the clinic’s clients to need
assistance with a wide range of issues, including proving eligibility
for the Earned Income Tax Credit, “innocent spouse” tax issues,
and negotiating a tax-reduction and/or payment plan.
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MISSION spring 2012 3 Province Welcomes New
Healthcare Director
F
or Arnie Shafer, coming to work for the California Province
has allowed him to get back into the personal side of nursing.
Hired in July 2011 as provincial assistant for healthcare,
Shafer’s role is to ensure that Jesuits living at Sacred Heart Jesuit
Center in Los Gatos as well as throughout the Province’s five-state
territory receive needed care.
“Here, I’m very blessed in that the
care comes first. I’m able to focus on
the Jesuits and their particular needs to
ensure that they are getting the care they
need,” Shafer said. That’s in contrast to
his previous role as executive director for a
regional health care organization in Nevada,
where he says 75 percent of his time was
looking at budgets and spreadsheets.
Arnie Shafer
Shafer’s responsibilities include oversight
of the Regis Infirmary at the Sacred Heart Jesuit Center. The
facility includes 17 beds and has RNs or LVNs on site 24 hours a
day, supported by CNAs. Physical therapy as well as occupational
and speech therapy are available for Jesuits living at SHJC. A
registered dietician and recreational services are also available
for residents.
A native of Yerington, Nev., Shafer received his B.A. at Assumption
College, attended nursing school in Massachusetts, and attended
graduate school at Spalding University in Louisville, Ky.
New Communications Director
Joins Province
J
im Muyo has joined the California
Province of the Society of Jesus
as director of communications. On
board since June 2011, Muyo brings
with him 22 years of experience at the
University of San Francisco, where he
served as director of publications, web
coordinator, and executive editor of the
award-winning USF Magazine. While at
Jim Muyo
USF, Muyo managed the university’s
design staff, a group that collectively earned nearly 100 national
design awards.
Well imbued with the Jesuit mission from his time at USF, Muyo’s
responsibilities with the Province include coordinating printed
materials as well as managing the Province’s electronic outreach
efforts through the web, including enhancing the Province’s social
media presence through vehicles such as Facebook.
“I look forward to broadening our outreach efforts to spread
the word about the great works that the Jesuits are doing within
and outside the boundaries of the Province,” Muyo said.
Muyo earned a BA in journalism from San Francisco State
University before earning his MBA with an emphasis in marketing
from USF. His previous experience includes stints as a reporter
for Bay Area newspapers, and communications experience with
Bank of America, the Oakland Athletics, and two Bay Area hospitals.
Kino Border Initiative Receives Award for Humanitarian Work
T
he Kino Border Initiative (KBI) received a humanitarian award
for its work at the border town of Nogales, Ariz. The Ohtli
Recognition Award was presented to Fr. Sean Carroll, S.J.,
KBI executive director, and KBI staff members by the Mexican
Consulate. “Ohtli” is a Nahuatl word that means “pathway.”
The Kino Border Initiative, a ministry of the California Province
of the Society of Jesus, was founded in January 2009 and since
then has served thousands of migrants that have been deported
to Nogales, Mexico by providing food, shelter, first aid, and
pastoral support.
The Secretaria de Relaciones Exteriores (SRE) and the Instituto
de los Mexicanos en el Exterior (IME) present the award to individuals
and organizations who devote their lives to helping the Mexican
community abroad. The Mexican Consulate in Nogales, Ariz., hosted
a ceremony and reception to honor KBI.
4 MISSION spring 2012
Well Done: Kino Border Initiative Executive Director Fr. Sean Carroll, S.J., and
staffers enjoy the Ohtli Award they received from the Mexican Consulate.
Experience the Wonders of China
on a 13-day Ignatian Pilgrimage
October 26 - November 7, 2012
P
lease join us on an exciting tour of historical Jesuit sites
in China, where you’ll come to experience the wonders of
this fascinating part of the world. We’ll be staying in
five-star hotels in several cities, including Beijing, Xi’an, Xiamen,
and Shanghai.
Co-leading the tour will be Fr. Jerry Martinson, S.J., Jenny Go, and
Fr. Albert DiUlio, S.J. The vice president of Kuangchi Program
Services, Fr. Martinson has spent years in Asia creating and
producing videos and articles on the culture and history of the
region. Go is the former secretary of education for the Jesuit
Conference of East Asia and the Pacific. Fr. DiUlio is the newly
appointed president of the Vatican Observatory Foundation.
Historical places of
interest include:
• The Forbidden City
• Tiananmen Square
• North Cathedral of Beijing
• Tomb of Jesuit Matteo Ricci
• Great Wall of China
• Terra Cotta Army
• She Shan Basilica
• Many other places of historical,
cultural, and religious significance.
For information or to reserve
your spot, please visit:
www.jesuitscalifornia.org/chinatrip
www.vaticanobservatory.org/VOF
In Remembrance
Father Ernesto Arbeláez, S.J., 86
March 20, 2011 in Regis Infirmary, Sacred Heart Jesuit Center, Los Gatos. Fr. Arbeláez was a Jesuit
for 70 years, and a priest for 54 years. Born on March 3, 1925 in Pereira, Colombia, he entered the
novitiate in 1940 and was ordained on Dec. 3, 1956. In 1983, Fr. Arbeláez came to the California
Province from the Colombian Province and worked in parish ministry in the Stockton Diocese for 25
years. He also spent two years as chaplain at Santa Teresita Medical Center, Duarte.
Father Francis Xavier Wang Chu Hua, S.J., 90
April 23, 2011 in Regis Infirmary, Sacred Heart Jesuit Center, Los Gatos. A member of the China
Province, he was a Jesuit for 70 years, an ordained priest for 59 years, and a prisoner for the faith for
33 years. Born in Shanghai in 1921, he entered the Jesuit novitiate at Zikawei in 1941. The Communists
put Fr. Wang, along with the other Chinese Jesuits, under house arrest in the Zikawei theologate.
He was arrested in 1954, accused of being a counter-revolutionary, and was sentenced to 12 years
imprisonment. Upon completion of his sentence, he remained in forced labor for refusing to denounce
his Catholic faith. Re-arrested in November 1981 for his apostolic work, he was sentenced to six more
years in a labor camp. In 1988, through the work of his sister, Mary, he was able to get a visa to come
to the United States. In 1991, he came to Sacred Heart Jesuit Center, Los Gatos, where he ministered to
the Chinese community in the San Jose area.
Father Richard J. Blinn, S.J., 77
May 11, 2011 in Regis Infirmary, Sacred Heart Jesuit Center, Los Gatos. Born in Nampa, Idaho on Oct.
23, 1933, he had been a Jesuit for 53 years and an ordained priest for 41 years. He graduated from
the University of Idaho with a degree in education in 1955, pursued graduate studies at the University
of Southern California, and was awarded a doctorate in education in 1973 before serving as assistant
principal (1973-74) and principal (1974-77) at Jesuit High School, Sacramento, and assistant director
of religious education at the University of San Francisco (1978-79). In 1984 he became assistant to the
president of the Jesuit Secondary Educational Association in Washington, D.C., and in 1987, served a
year as an assistant editor at America magazine in New York.
Father Theodore T. Taheny, S.J., 86
August 12, 2011 at Regis Infirmary, Sacred Heart Jesuit Center, Los Gatos. He had been a Jesuit for 68
years, a priest for 55. Born in San Francisco in 1925, he attended St. Ignatius High School, and after
wartime accelerated graduation, entered the Novitiate at Los Gatos in 1943. He taught Greek and Latin
at St. Ignatius, 1950-51, and Latin, logic, and English at Santa Clara University, 1951-53. Theological
studies were taken at Alma College, and he was ordained to the priesthood in 1956. In 1960, he began
a 21-year association with the University of San Francisco as assistant professor of theology, assistant
dean of arts and sciences, and dean of the evening college. He also served as president of the advisory
board of the St. Ignatius Institute. In 1981, he took over the direction of the California Jesuit Missions
office in San Francisco, a post he held for 22 years.
Father Robert James “Jim” Arenz, S.J., 87
November 15, 2011 in Regis Infirmary, Sacred Heart Jesuit Center, Los Gatos after a brief battle with
pancreatic cancer. He was a Jesuit for 61 years, a priest for 46 years. Born in Primghar, Iowa, in 1924, he
graduated from Oregon State University with a degree in aeronautical engineering in 1945 and worked
for Douglas Aircraft Company in Santa Monica as an engineer. He entered the Society at Sacred Heart
Novitiate in 1950 and obtained a doctorate in Aeronautics at California Institute of Technology in 1964.
He was ordained to the priesthood in 1965. Upon completion of his formation, he taught mechanical
engineering at LMU from 1967-1978, published more than 50 scientific papers, and was involved with
solid rocket propellants and their development for NASA during the space race.
6 MISSION SPRING 2012
In Remembrance
Father David W. Johnson, S.J., 73
November 24, 2011 in Regis Infirmary at Sacred Heart Jesuit Center, Los Gatos. He had been a Jesuit
for 55 years, a priest for 42. Born in San Francisco in 1938, he graduated from Bellarmine College
Preparatory in 1956 and entered Sacred Heart Novitiate. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1969. He
received his Ph.D. in Semitic and Egyptian languages and literature at the Catholic University of America,
Washington, D.C. From 1978 until his retirement in 2002, he served as professor of Coptic and Syriac
literature at Catholic University. His deep spirituality was in evidence in the peaceful way he approached
his death. His funeral was packed with many Jesuits, his three brothers and their families, and former
classmates, including California Governor Jerry Brown.
Father Raymond A. Devlin, S.J., 87
December 6, 2011 in Regis Infirmary, Sacred Heart Jesuit Center, Los Gatos, after a brief illness. He
was a Jesuit for 69 years, a priest for 56. Fr. Devlin graduated from St. Ignatius High School in 1942,
then entered Sacred Heart Novitiate. He was ordained a priest in 1955. “Rocket Ray” taught religion and
math and was a very successful football, track, and cross country coach at St. Ignatius, 1958-65. He then
served in the capacities of religion teacher and coach at Bellarmine College Preparatory, 1966-71. Ray
was devoted to his elder brother, Fr. J. Joseph Devlin, S.J. (1916-1998) who worked for many years with
the Vietnamese boat people in refugee camps. Ray sent needed supplies and monetary aid to his brother,
frequently travelled to Asia to assist him, and published a biography, Cha: a Biography of Father “Joe”
Devlin, S.J. (2001), based on letters and memoirs of the refugees he served.
Reflections
Father William J. Maring, S.J., 97
June 18, 2011 in Regis Infirmary, Sacred Heart Jesuit Center, Los Gatos. He was a Jesuit for 79 years, a priest for 66 years, and, at
the time of his death, the oldest man in the Province.
F
r. Maring was born in San Francisco on November 9,
1913. He graduated from St. James High School, San
Francisco, and attended the University of San Francisco
for a year before joining the Jesuits
at Los Gatos in 1932. He taught
mathematics and Latin at Bellarmine
College Prep, San Jose, 1939-42.
Theology studies were made at Alma
College and he was ordained a priest
in 1945.
His ministry was devoted to the
financial management of the California
Province. Fr. Maring served a brief
period as treasurer of the Novitiate and
was “temporarily” assigned as Province Treasurer in 1948 to
assist the ailing treasurer at the time. Fr. Maring had to learn
on the job and proved to be a good student. With the help of
knowledgeable assistants, he worked to put the Province on
a good financial footing with modern accounting practices.
During his tenure, the Province embarked on many new
To GIVE
ventures (e.g., Jesuit High School, Sacramento, Montecito
Novitiate) and Fr. Maring was responsible for finding and
acquiring the properties, and, importantly, eventually paying
off the debt.
He relinquished the post in 1976 and embarked on a very
successful fund raising career. He devoted his efforts to the
development of the Province Arca, especially the funds for the
care of the retired and infirm priests and brothers.
In addition to his work as treasurer, Fr. Maring was devoted
to his parish calls, especially the 25 years at Epiphany Parish
in San Francisco and the 31 years at All Souls Parish in South
San Francisco. Upon his “retirement” in 2006 there was an
outpouring of affection toward him. In his retirement at Los
Gatos, Fr. Maring helped at the local parish and was chaplain
to a prayer group.
Fr. Maring was not the only Jesuit in the family. A 1973
article in the National Jesuit News reported that 15 members of
the extended clan had by that time given more than 700 years
of service to the Society’s work in provinces in Germany, the
United States, and Sri Lanka.
For more information on how you can contribute to a memorial fund in the name of a deceased
Jesuit, please go to www.jesuitscalifornia.org/donation
MISSION SPRING 2012 7 good stewards
All in the (Jesuit) Family
Dr. Eugene and Anne Bleck
P
Superior General of the Society of Jesus. It was through that
eople need to look no further than Dr. Eugene E. Bleck’s
relationship that the Blecks came to know and admire Fr. Arrupe.
license plate to understand the scope of influence the
Because of their experiences at Marquette, the exposure of
Jesuits have had on his life.
their children and grandchildren to Jesuit
Dr. Bleck’s personalized plate, EEBAMDG,
schools, and their relationship with Fr.
represents a source of pride and a testament
Arrupe, the Blecks have a deep appreciation
to the impact Jesuits have had on the retired
for Jesuit education. That appreciation has
orthopedic surgeon and four generations of
led to financial support the Blecks have
his family.
offered to Jesuit causes, particularly
Strangers approach Dr. Bleck in parking
education, over the years.
lots or engage in conversations at stop lights
“We support the Jesuits because they
about the “AMDG,” either asking what it
are preservers of the Catholic faith,” Dr.
means or confirming that it stands for the
Bleck said. “Also, the money they get, they
Jesuit axiom, Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (for
use primarily for educational purposes. The
the greater glory of God). Having his initials
Jesuits are efficient. They support worldat the beginning of the plate proclaims that wide education. Their international work is
Dr. Bleck’s focus is on God’s greater glory.
extraordinary.”
Dr. Bleck has seen first-hand, Jesuit
Dr. Bleck also has first-hand knowledge of
contributions to education and service.
that international component. His brother-inDr. Bleck received his undergraduate and
law, Fr. Blewett, worked with Fr. Arrupe,
medical degrees from Marquette University
Family Matters: Anne and Dr. Eugene E. Bleck are part
setting up the first endowment for the
and completed his post-doctoral education
of four family generations to be educated by Jesuits.
Gregorian University in Rome.
in orthopedic surgery as a
Through their support of the
fellow at Duke University.
Gregorian University, the
Jesuit education for the
Blecks traveled to Rome and
Blecks has truly been a family
spent time at events with Fr.
affair. Dr. Bleck met his wife,
– Dr. Eugene E. Bleck
Arrupe.
Anne, while they both attendGiven his position on the
ed Marquette. His father and
board of a major U.S. foundauncle also attended Marquette,
and several of the five Bleck children attended Jesuit high schools tion that issues grants to non-profit organizations, Dr. Bleck’s
decision to support the California Province through his charitable
or universities. Recently, grandson Miles graduated from Santa
giving is even more impressive. It’s a clear message that Jesuit
Clara University.
The Jesuit connection does not end there. Anne Bleck’s brother, education and the Jesuit connections he and his wife have made
over the years are meaningful and impactful.
John Blewett, was a Jesuit priest, and was a contemporary of
and collaborator with the late Fr. Pedro Arrupe, S.J., former
“The Jesuits are efficient. They support
worldwide education. Their international
work is extraordinary.”
If you would like to make a gift in support of the California Province of the Society of Jesus and its many ministries in education, the
recruitment of new Jesuits, and/or the care of retired or infirm Jesuits, please use the enclosed reply envelope.
8 MISSION spring 2012
Make a Lasting Gift by Joining the
Ignatian Heritage Society
I
f you look back on your life, you may see that your
relationships with Jesuits have influenced your personal
and professional development, brought greater fulfillment
and purpose to your life, and provided inspiration and support
when you needed it most.
The Ignatian Heritage Society (IHS) provides an opportunity
for you to honor and support the Jesuits who have played a
key role in your life. Your gifts will help provide the education
and training of future Jesuit priests and brothers, support
ministries and educational programs here and abroad, and
provide care of the elderly and infirm Jesuits who have
dedicated their lives in service to others.
A number of estate gifts qualify you for membership. These
include: Charitable Gift Annuities, Bequests, Retirement Plans,
Insurance Policies, or Charitable Trusts.
IHS Benefits Include:
• A handsome St. Ignatius medallion
• Invitation to an annual appreciation luncheon
• Updates and news about Jesuits in our Province
• Provide and Protect, an in-depth estate planning tool
For information about joining the Ignatian Heritage Society,
please visit:
www.jesuitsgiving.org
or contact:
Rev. Samuel P. Bellino, S.J.
Director of Planned Giving
(408) 884-1639 • sbellino@calprov.org
To find out more about joining the Ignatian Heritage
Society or to make a donation by check or credit card,
please use the accompanying envelope.
Or, you may make a gift online with our secure Online
Giving form at www.jesuitscalifornia.org/donation
Capacity Building for a
By Anne Hansen
M
inistry and money – a relationship sometimes
misunderstood. How would we keep the lights on,
the desks clean, and the website current as well as
provide salaries for principals, teachers, and pastoral
associates without adequate funding? The call to teach, preach, feed
the hungry, console the sorrowful, and work for peace and justice
manifests itself every day. Constructively addressing these issues
and caring for the people they impact requires a commitment to
creative and sustainable fundraising.
10 MISSION sPRING 2012
Recognizing this, Collaboration at the Heart of Mission, the
first capacity building conference developed specifically for the
needs and interests of the California Province of the Society of
Jesus, was held in San Jose in 2011. More than 110 Jesuits and lay
apostolic partners from 38 California Province ministries attended
the conference, organized by Provincial Assistant for Advancement
and Communications Joe Naylor and Provincial Assistant for
Social Ministries Mark Potter. The event was made possible by the
generosity of a number of people, foundations, benefactors, and
vendors who underwrote most of the event’s expenses.
r a Stronger Province
University of San Francisco President Fr. Stephen A. Privett, S.J.,
delivered the keynote address, setting the tone and easing the
fears of those who shy away from “money talk.” He focused on the
mission of the Society of Jesus in the California Province and how
each attendee played a part in that mission, keeping attention on
the overall goal of building the kingdom of God. He offered a story
about unexpected fundraising at USF and explained that “it was
not about raising money as such, it is about opening up people’s
minds and hearts to the tremendous potential of this USF program
to educate leaders who are fashioning a more humane and just
world for all.” His point was well taken and easily transferable to the
ministries of those in the room. “Our challenge is to present people
with an exciting vision and offer them the opportunity to advance
the mission that makes the vision a reality,” Fr. Privett said. He
challenged the participants to “believe in what you are about” and
“remember that you are not simply raising money, you are promoting
the reign of God in our midst.”
in many practices and welcomed those that were new. Bridget
Tarzwell, a board member from Jesuit High School in Sacramento,
said, “The relationships I can now cultivate, the knowledge that was
gained, the validation of the strengths of our organization and the
highlighting of our areas for growth were very valuable.”
As the conference ended, attendees seemed energized and
returned home ready to serve others with a greater sense of
confidence that together they could raise the funds needed for their
respective ministries.
In September, follow-up gatherings were held at Santa Clara
University and Loyola Marymount University to offer conference
participants the opportunity to re-connect and share success stories
at the local level as well as learn new strategies on engaging donors.
Kevin Delaney, director of annual giving at LMU, and Mike Wallace,
assistant vice president for development at SCU, along with Butch
Erbst, an active Santa Clara alum from the class of 1960, challenged
those in attendance to look carefully at their donor bases and stressed
“Our challenge is to present people with an exciting vision and
the mission that makes the vision a reality.”
The first day’s workshops were facilitated by individuals
connected with agencies and works either of the California Province
or familiar with the Province. Representatives from USF, Loyola
Marymount University, Santa Clara University, Proyecto Pastoral,
Dolores Mission, Verbum Dei High School, Homeboy Industries,
and the Ahmanson and William H. Hannon foundations shared their
insights and expertise.
The conference included two days of rigorous workshops provided
by professional consultants from the fundraising school at Indiana
University. Presentations included: Developing Sustainability,
Purposeful Boards—Powerful Fundraising, and Building Donor
Relationships for Major Gifts, with a special discussion of women’s
philanthropy. Presenters Deborah Eschenbacher, Dave Sternberg,
and Angela White were sharp, witty, and proficient communicators
who engaged their listeners with workshops that were interactive
and fast-paced. “You could feel the excitement and energy in
the room. The whole experience was incredible,” said Fr. Michael
Moynahan, S.J., pastor of St. Ignatius Loyola Parish in Sacramento.
Evaluations of the event were positive. Fr. Wayne Negrete, S.J.,
chair of the Los Angeles Ignatian Volunteer Corps Advisory Council,
was anxious to implement some of what he learned. He felt affirmed
Fr. Stephen A. Privett, S.J.,
president, University of San Francisco
the importance of letting donors know how vital they are to the
success of the mission of each ministry.
Once again the evaluations were enthusiastic. Paul McMahon of
the Jesuit Restorative Justice Initiative in Culver City thanked
organizers for the information as well as the chance to connect with
others in the Province. Kathleen Kelly of Loyola Productions in Los
Angeles enjoyed hearing the experiences of others about fundraising,
and Kay Mascoli from the Center for Jesuit Education said, “It’s good
to know you’re not alone out there.”
It’s also good to know that the capacity building effort is continuing.
To date, approximately $90,000 has been raised from foundations,
including the William H. Hannon Foundation and The Rose Hills
Foundation. In addition, several corporate sponsors have contributed
funds or in-kind gifts to the effort.
As a result of the initial conference and follow-up sessions, plans
are underway for many of the Province’s ministries to engage in longrange planning exercises and activities to strengthen their boards.
Anne Hansen is the Los Angeles Regional Director of the Ignatian
Volunteer Corps.
MISSION spring 2012 11 New
Provincial
Settles in
PHOTO BY Barbara Ries
By Jim Muyo
12 MISSION spring 2012
Through the Years: (clockwise from upper right) Fr. Weiler after
his ordination Mass surrounded by his parents and family; as a first
grader at Our Lady of the Rosary School in Palo Alto (center); saying
Mass at the Jesuit Novitiate in Culver City.
W
hen Fr. Michael Weiler, S.J., first learned that he
was being considered as the next Provincial for
the California Province of the Society of Jesus, he
did what he says most Jesuits would do.
“I tried my best to get out of it,” Fr. Weiler said with a subtle
smile, the ease of which offers a striking contrast to his initial
apprehension about taking the job.
In office since July 31, 2011, Fr. Weiler, 57, has tackled the
demanding duties of Provincial by focusing on the needs of the
people of the California Province. With 38 ministries that
include universities, high schools, parishes, spirituality centers,
foreign missions, and high profile social outreach, it’s a
daunting responsibility.
Fr. Weiler’s six-year term promises to be complex and
relentless, much more so than previous positions he has held as
a Jesuit. His duties include overseeing—with the help of several
key provincial assistants—the many ministries of the Province,
meeting individually and privately with each of the Province’s
355 Jesuits spread throughout several western states annually,
and making personnel decisions that assign (or “mission,” as the
Jesuits say) Jesuits to new, often challenging, and sometimes
unpopular positions. The travel demands keep him out of the
office for all but a handful of days a month.
On those days when he is in the office, though, Fr. Weiler
might be found conferring with several provincial assistants who
coordinate and oversee the Province’s many ministries. Whether
it’s meeting with Fr. Bill Kelley, S.J., provincial assistant for
pastoral ministries, or Fr. Chi Ngo, S.J., provincial assistant for
formation and vocations, Fr. Weiler’s schedule is filled with
meetings about how the Province can best meet the needs of the
thousands of people it serves. In all, the Province has eight
provincial assistants who coordinate everything from the recruitment and training of new Jesuits to social ministries, and programs
are always in need of review, adjustment, and/or funding.
It’s a demanding job and now that he’s been into it for nine
months, Fr. Weiler is feeling more at ease with his responsibilities.
That wasn’t the case early on. “Since actually doing the job, I
wouldn’t say it’s manageable because I’m always behind, but it
feels like an enormous privilege,” Fr. Weiler said.
The job entails tough decisions, and so many of them that
there’s little time for reconsideration. “In this position, pretty much
every 45 minutes a decision is made and then it’s done, it’s gone,
and it probably can’t be revisited. I thought that would be a
problem at first, but it’s been OK so far,” Fr. Weiler said.
“Sometimes I have to ask people to do difficult things, things
that don’t benefit them personally but are needed for the welfare
of the Province. I wish I didn’t have to do that. Sometimes it has
to do with an assignment that they really want or leaving an
assignment they have.”
MISSION spring 2012 13
F
r. Weiler didn’t come into his new position with a
particular agenda other than continuing to carry out the
strategic plan of the Jesuits in the U.S., which includes
the future consolidation of the current nine provinces as
well as a more profoundly integrated partnership with non-Jesuits.
Rather, he wants to continue to advance and strengthen the
partnership the Jesuits have with other religious and lay persons
who are involved with the Province’s parishes, schools, and
social ministries as the number of Jesuits in the U.S. has fallen.
He also wants to keep people focused on the big picture
beyond the day-to-day work of the various Province ministries,
something that Jesuit Superior General Fr. Adolfo Nicolás, S.J., is
concerned about.
“If you’re working in a school or a parish, it’s all consuming
and you may not look beyond the boundaries of the parish or
beyond the campus of the school,” Fr. Weiler said. “At the west
coast of the U.S. we sit in a real crossroads between European
culture, Asian culture, and Latin American culture, and it’s a
very important place for us to be in dialogue with all of those
people and find a place where the Church can most be itself.
A lot of our exciting works have done that. Take a look at
something like Homeboy.”
Not only does Fr. Weiler have to deal with ministries that tackle
some of society’s greatest problems, he must do so at a time of
dwindling ranks among Jesuits. Still the largest of the men’s
religious orders in the world, Jesuits in the U.S. number 2,650.
The California Province numbered approximately 800 Jesuits when
Fr. Weiler entered the Society in 1975, compared to today’s 355.
M
ichael Weiler is a local boy, born in Santa Cruz on
May 20, 1954, 20 miles down the road from the
Provincial offices in Los Gatos. After attending Our
Lady of the Rosary School, the natural choice was to
go to the Diocesan high school, St. Francis, and he was about do
to just that when his older brother, John, 10 years his senior and
who had attended St. Francis, suggested that he go to Bellarmine
Prep in San Jose.
“So, I went to a Bellarmine open house and immediately loved
it. I’m not even sure why,” Fr. Weiler said. “During that time I
thought a lot about being a Jesuit. But, I had been in a Catholic
world and Catholic school my whole life. I didn’t even know that
there were any people who weren’t Catholic until about the fourth
grade. I decided I needed a new perspective, so I attended UC Santa
Cruz for three years and enjoyed it before I entered the Society.”
“I think it’s a great time to be a priest but not an easy time
because there is much more polarization in our world...”
Homeboy Industries, a non-profit in Los Angeles founded by
Fr. Greg Boyle, S.J., provides jobs and job training to former gang
members. The organization is renowned for the contributions it
has made to society and the opportunities provided to former
gang members. “Homeboy has provided a bridge between
mainstream American society and gang living and not too long
ago mainstream American society wanted them all to go away and
die and vice versa,” Fr. Weiler said. “Homeboy, in one perspective,
is this desire to bridge these two very different life experiences and
allow each of them to see the humanity in the other.”
Fr. Weiler also cited the Province’s Kino Border Initiative, which
sits at the border town of Nogales, Arizona, and Nogales, Mexico.
“Most of the people I think who want to make the southern
border resemble the border of the Soviet Union during the
Cold War are just fearful and don’t understand the people
crossing into the U.S.,” Fr. Weiler said. “I think as soon as a
human face is placed on those people and others see, ‘Wow,
these are people just like me that are worried about their
families. They want to get a better paying job. They want their
kids to live well,’ the fear goes away. It doesn’t make the
problem go away, but there can be a much more human
answer to the problem.”
14 MISSION SPRING 2012
Once he entered the Society of Jesus in 1975, young Michael
followed the typical formation course of his day: two years of
English study at Loyola Marymount University, two years at Gonzaga
University studying philosophy and completing a master’s in English
literature, then teaching English at Jesuit High School in Sacramento
where he was chair of the English department. Then it was three
years of studying at the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley
before being sent by the Province to learn Spanish in different
parts of Guatemala and Mexico, including Mexico City, Guadalajara,
and Tijuana.
Upon completion of his studies in Mexico, Fr. Weiler was
missioned as associate pastor of Dolores Mission Church in Los
Angeles for two years, a job he describes as simultaneously
challenging and wonderful.
Then came a spiritual direction internship at the Mercy Center
in Burlingame followed by more graduate studies, this time at the
California School of Professional Psychology in Los Angeles,
where he earned a doctorate in psychology. (He became a
licensed psychologist, but put his license on inactive status when
he was named Provincial.)
His next assignment was at Santa Clara University, working in
the counseling center half time and teaching in the counseling
PHOTO BY Barbara Ries
psychology department half time for six years before being
named director of novices for the California Province, which he
described as “a total surprise.”
Surprising or not, Fr. Weiler excelled as novice director, so
much so that when outgoing California Provincial Fr. John
McGarry, S.J., asked for nominations for his successor from numerous members of the Province in September of 2010, Fr. Weiler’s
name showed up on many of the lists. As for his own list, “I came
up with 15 men and I wasn’t one,” Fr. Weiler said. “I sincerely
thought that the other people would do the job much better.”
As the process for selecting the next Provincial continued, Fr.
Jim Grummer, S.J., the American assistant to Fr. Nicolás, came
through to meet with potential candidates. “I told him all of the
reasons why I thought someone else would do the job much better
and he seemed to agree,” Fr. Weiler said. “I thought, ‘That’s it.’”
But, it didn’t work out that way. By order of the Constitutions of
the Society of Jesus as laid out by founder St. Ignatius Loyola,
Jesuits make five promises and take four vows, including not
aspiring to honors and positions of leadership. So, even if Fr.
Weiler wanted the job of Provincial he could not have campaigned
for the job. It was through the recommendations of other Jesuits
that he was ultimately appointed by Fr. Nicolás.
Despite the dwindling numbers of priests, both Jesuit and
Now and Then: (Above) Conferring with
Fr. Chi Ngo, S.J., provincial assistant for
formation and vocations; (right) as a Jesuit
Scholastic providing religious education in
Mexico.
non-Jesuit, and the complex challenges facing the world today,
Fr. Weiler is convinced that today is a great time to be a priest.
“My immediate thought was about the Jesuit martyrs in El Salvador
(six Jesuits who along with their housekeeper and her daughter
were assassinated by the government in November 1989). Was
that a good time to be a priest? I think it was an excellent time to
be a priest.
“Ultimately a priest is supposed to put others’ welfare ahead of
his own and sometimes that calls for the laying down of life. And,
sometimes it calls for just pushing your own personal agenda to
the background. I think it’s a great time to be a priest but not an
easy time because there is much more polarization in our world,
probably because communication has been globalized and sped.
So, it’s very easy for idealogical extremes to dominate.”
Of all of the duties that he has as Provincial, Fr. Weiler lights up
the most when talking about his one-on-one meetings with each
of the 355 Jesuits of the Province as well as those Jesuits from
other provinces who are working within the Province territory.
Known as the Account of Conscience, the conversations are
part of the Jesuit constitutions and provide an opportunity for
provincials to know the strengths and passions of individual
Jesuits so that they can be missioned appropriately. “Everybody
who has had this job of Provincial feels privileged to know so
many people so deeply,” Fr. Weiler said. “The guys really open
their souls when speaking to the Provincial.”
For the priests within the California Province, Fr. Weiler hopes
he’s able to help them come to an appreciation of the good they
do and of their own goodness as men.
“They’re giving most of their lives in the service of other people
and in a kind of selfless way so that by the time they retire they
have almost no trappings of success.
“When my father retired, he had children and grandchildren, a
house, and an investment portfolio, a car, and he had testimonial
dinners thrown in his honor,” Fr. Weiler said of his father, who
owned and operated a campground and mobile home park.
“When a Jesuit—we really don’t retire­—reaches an age at which
he can’t minister fulltime he’s got no worldly
trappings of success. He’s got no bank account,
no house, he’s got no kids or grand kids and he’s
really poured himself out and the vessel is empty.
In our experience of God, that’s a really good
thing. It sounds like I’ve failed, but from our
standpoint, it’s exactly what we want because it’s
exactly how the crucified Jesus was and that’s
how we’re supposed to be. Ultimately, you stand
before God having been emptied out by love and
that’s where you’re trying to get.”
MISSION SPRING 2012 15
CESAR MANSO/AFP/Getty Images
Reflections of ...
World Youth Day
16 MISSION SPRING 2012
Last August, the youth of the world came together for World Youth Day with Pope Benedict XVI in Madrid, Spain. Initiated by
Pope John Paul II in 1985, World Youth Day is a celebration of Jesus Christ and is open to non-Catholics as well as Catholics.
In 1997, the Society of Jesus, along with other religious institutions and lay people, initiated the MAGIS experience as a prelude
to World Youth Day. MAGIS includes living together, meeting youth from other countries, and partnering with local communities
in work and prayer to gain a deeper understanding of God and one’s self.
MAGIS and World Youth Day culminate with a Mass celebrated by the Pope. Between 1.4 and 2 million people participated in
MAGIS and World Youth Day activities. Included in that group were students from the California Province’s three universities—
Loyola Marymount University, Santa Clara University, and the University of San Francisco. The students were accompanied by
Jesuits and/or members of their respective schools’ University Ministry programs.
Following are excerpts from the students’ journals, diaries, and reflections on what the experience meant to them.
MISSION SPRING 2012
17
right, second row) and
Andrea Martinez (third from
ness while waiting for
friends enjoy some together
Mass with Pope Benedict XVI.
Author: Evan Vaughn
School: Junior, University of San Francisco
Major: International Studies
,
We are all human. That s the most important
thing I learned during my time in Spain. And I know
,
that s what God truly wanted me to learn from my
experience with my World Youth Day and MAGIS
Immersion. As a USF group, we were joined by
other Catholic youth from Poland, Germany, and
Author: Andrea Martinez
School: Sophomore, Santa Clara University
Major: Public Health Science
I clearly remember the first morning I woke up at my home in San
Francisco after the experience. I just sobbed. I cried happy tears knowing that I had just experienced something that will stay with me for the
rest of my life. I cried knowing I had made friends from Chile, Mauritius,
Spain, Australia, Brazil, Mexico, Italy, France, Germany, and Lebanon—
the list goes on and on. I cried because I missed them.
No one else will understand how those days change lives. My life has
changed after attending MAGIS and WYD. I am so much more aware of
how important my Catholic faith is to me. I am no longer hiding in the
shadows about my faith. My faith makes me who I am and I am willing
to share that with everyone. There is no longer this desire to hide my
Catholicism in order to not upset secular society. I have embraced it and
integrate it fully into everything I do.
My life feels so much more at ease because I understand that God
has a plan for me and I just need to be willing to listen to what God
wants from me. I am truly at the mercy of God and Jesus Christ. They
understand me better than I understand myself. Having this mindset has
helped me to live my daily life more fully. I live in the present, the here
and now, and know that the future will figure itself out and the past is the
past for a reason.
In three weeks I became a person better than I ever imagined myself
to be. I became someone that I am happy to be. I am a confident young
Catholic woman willing to share my life experiences and the goodness of
Jesus Christ with everyone I have encountered. Being on a journey like
MAGIS and World Youth Day has put everything into perspective in my
life. I feel like I am in line with what God wants from me and that is the
best feeling in the world.
18 MISSION SPRING 2012
Taiwan in an experience learning about immigration
in Europe. Specifically, we worked with migrants
from Africa who came to Spain looking for a better
life: more work, freedom, the opportunity for success. These people were amazing. We heard their
stories of escape from
Morocco, Cameroon,
the Congo, and
Algeria.
(With
n
ó
z
a
r
el Co
o
d
n
u
M
l
de
in
rt
the hea
!
World)
of the
They were the ones teaching us about the
Candace Martine
z (third from lef
t) and
Evan Vaughn (th
ird from right) we
re both
moved by the po
wer of the MAGI
S and
World Youth Da
y experiences.
to
ris
ConChrC
en
ist
world that surrounds immigration: a world full
of trials and difficulty and a society that may or
may not be accepting. The unjust treatment of
these people, these humans, is unacceptable.
And the issue of immigration, I was surprised
to realize, is not just prevalent in the United
States, as many Americans believe, but is also
a global concern. It was a beautiful experience
after our week in Bilbao to create a video, a
statement, and a gallery of photos to demonstrate our understanding of multiculturalism
and allowing everyone to live as God intended
them to: as humans with rights who should be
treated with love and dignity.
When we rejoined the rest of MAGIS in
Madrid, I had changed for the better and had
my eyes opened to the realities of the world.
We were able to incorporate what we learned
about the validity of every human being. Every
beautiful landmark, inspirational church, or
enchanting moment I felt­­—I meditated on the
idea that every person should be given the
chance to experience all of it, regardless of
nationality or culture or language or citizenship status. We are all human; we are all
creations of God. It is my job to help form a
world that validates this principle.
Author: Candace Martinez
School: Sophomore, University of San Francisco
Major: Psychology
The theme for our MAGIS prayer circle on August 10th was this: No one said it would
be easy. By this point, we had already left Loyola, Spain, and had just started our experience in Bilbao; and my return home on August 24th seemed like it was light years
away. I was feeling tired, homesick, and a bit discouraged. On that particular day,
however, the words “no one said it would be easy” jumped out at me, and it helped
change my perspective of the trip. The petition for the day said, “Lord, may I learn to
welcome upheaval, difficulty, my own fragility. May I, as you, not give up during moments of darkness. And at these times may I know how to turn to you with more trust
than ever.” The reflection for the day encouraged us to fight against fear and to put all
of our trust and faith in God’s hands.
It was on that morning that I realized that I was participating in a journey that was
much bigger than myself. I no longer had this mindset that I was solely there to tan
in the Spanish sun and to exchange Facebook information with people from around
the world. I realized that I had a duty to be an active member of the Church and the
Catholic community, and a major part of this “duty” meant that I had to live—for a
short period of time­­—outside of my comfort zone. Fighting against that fear of living
in an unfamiliar area with people speaking different languages, eating different foods,
and practicing different customs really made the idea of Ignatian Spirituality more
tangible. I learned that God really is present in all things and in all people. I learned
that if we allow ourselves to see the world with soft eyes, we also allow ourselves to
see God in all of God’s creations.
One of the most powerful moments for me on this trip was on our last day in
Bilbao. I think about it as the day that I sat on top of the world. What was originally
described to us as a “sea front stroll” ended up being one of the most tiring and
exhausting experiences of my life. We walked uphill for about an hour and a half, and
finally we reached the top of this mountain that allowed us to see out at the world for
miles and miles. For a moment, my head felt clear and my thoughts all fell into place.
My journey to Spain started off with me almost missing the flight because I had
forgotten my passport at home. It ended with the realization and understanding that
by living outside of my comfort zone, by surrounding myself with new experiences,
by seeing the world with my feet planted on different soil, I would undoubtedly see
God in every aspect of my life. I removed myself from my day-to-day routine for
three weeks, and it was one of the most refreshing experiences I have ever had the
pleasure of being a part of. I am able to see the world with soft eyes now. I am able
to see God everywhere.
MISSION SPRING 2012
19
Author:
Alexandra Cinay Martinez
School:
Junior, Loyola
Marymount University
Major:
Business Law
August 8, 2011 Headed toward Sueza
(outside of Santander) today! It’s the start
of the experience. I’m nervous. We are
camping outside in tents all week. Who
knows what’s coming?
August 9, 2011 Lots of surprise arose
with us as we arrived at the monastery.
First of all, it’s a monastery! We are surrounded by nature. We camped outside,
showered outside, and are supposed to use
the restroom outside in this hole the nuns
made us! I haven’t done that. I have mixed
feelings about this place. I like it, yet at the
same time, I really don’t. It’s super out of
my comfort zone.
August 11, 2011 I don’t know if it’s that
this place is getting better, or if I’m just getting used to it. Not going to lie, this place
is beautiful. The sisters are something else.
Maria, the Madre Superiora, is super strict
Author: Sarah Abigaile Estrada
School: Sophomore, University of San Francisco
Major: International Studies
My physical and spiritual pilgrimage in Loyola, Spain, introduced
My week-long self-discovery and self-realization experience in
me to a foundation and an example as to how to live a life rooted
Bilbao prepared me for the festivities and crowds of World Youth
through learning more about the life of St. Ignatius and by personally
Day in Madrid. All the new sights, experiences, and events forced
visiting places that inspired St. Ignatius himself. From praying in
my senses to become receptive to God’s presence amongst them as
St. Ignatius’ room of conversion and home, reflecting on a diorama
well as open to finding God’s presence in my daily life. One experience
version of his biography, and
in particular, during the World
celebrating Mass in St. Ignatius
Youth Day festivities, literally,
Basilica, I genuinely felt
as well as symbolically, that
immersed in the environment
caused me to personally reflect
that inspired St. Ignatius’ faith
on God’s growing presence and
as well as identified with his
role in my life was the Saturday
own spiritual journey and how
night Vigil in Cuatro Vientos Air-
he came to listen to and believe
field. During the overnight vigil,
in God. This, in turn, challenged
after record-breaking heat in the
me to contemplate, discern, and
afternoon, thunder, lightning,
imagine not only the pilgrimage
wind, and rain poured down
I was about to embark on in
onto pilgrims waiting patiently
Spain, but also the journey God
and preparing to celebrate Mass
calls me to take in my own life.
with Pope Benedict XVI the next
Prior to arriving in Spain,
day. With doubt in my mind, and
my outlook and perspective on
life, other people—as well as
Sarah Estrada (right) has come to feel a greater presence of
God in her life.
fear in my heart, I took the time,
while trying to stay both calm
myself—was superficial and selfish, and I only regarded the earthly
and dry, to talk to God and tell Him these worries, doubts, and fears.
aspects and took these things by their face value. After the first
Amidst the literal and spiritual storm I endured, I not only heard
four days in Spain, just like St. Ignatius, my experience in Loyola
God’s voice, but also felt peace in my heart in knowing that God
presented me a path, challenged my imagination and my under-
was present throughout all I endure in my life, both the simple and
standing, and called me to strive for more out of myself, of my life
the difficult, as well as in knowing that God would never present me
and of God’s presence in it. Through St. Ignatius’ own life and faith
with something in my life that I could not handle. That evening not
journey, being in Loyola graced me with inspiration and hope in
only strengthened, but also reaffirmed my faith, what I stood and
knowing that God calls every individual to a deeper and greater
continue to stand upon, as well as what I believed in, which is in a
understanding of self and of Him.
God that never leaves my side.
20 MISSION SPRING 2012
of. Today, all the nuns and the members
of my experience surprised me with a
birthday dessert tray and sang to me. It was
beautiful and I am very appreciative for it.
Although I am not home for my birthday, I
am very lucky that they all did every possible
thing to make me feel important on my
special day.
We also said our good-byes today and
took lots of pictures. As a way of saying
+
S
G
A
M
Author: Kate Flannery
School: Junior, Santa Clara University
Major: Spanish and Communications
thank you to all of us, the sisters gave us
each a candle and a ceramic holder they
made and decorated, telling us that if
there was ever a moment in which we felt
stressed and unable to keep going to turn
on this light, as a reminder that you can do
anything you set your mind to. I’m going
to miss each of them so much and I am
extremely grateful for the experience.
Kate Flanner
y (second fro
m left, front ro
experienced
w)
a spirituality
she had neve
r known befo
re.
and is constantly on it. I guess she has to
be. She always wants us to be silent. That’s
some hard stuff. I don’t like being silent.
August 14, 2011 We are almost out of
here! As difficult as this experience was, I
guess I did enjoy it. Yesterday, we went to
the beach, which was a nice escape from
the 24 – 7 monastic life. Yet, regardless, I
think I’m going to miss this place. I learned
so much about myself and what I’m capable
August 8th, 2011, Málaga
It was a beautiful day in Málaga—one of laughter, simplicity, reflection, and contentment. I already know how hard it will
be for me to leave this. I am at a place spiritually and mentally that I have never reached before. I’m shocked how quickly
this happened.
Here, I really feel like I am being led almost like a child; and it’s absolutely fantastic. I remember, for example, being
driven back from the beach by Paco, a Malagueñan, who explained his city to us with passion and excitement. I was
innocent or “uneducated,” being informed pleasantly like a child taking it all in. I liked the lack of control, which is so
odd to think about when I compare it to my over-committed lifestyle back home. For once, I am not constantly planning
the next thing or even keeping a schedule. I want to feel this peace forever.
August 13, 2011
Today, we had Mass first thing at 8 a.m., followed by breakfast, a presentation on the encyclical Caritas in Veritate,
and an explanation of its social doctrine in our society. It was interesting hearing the presentation because the
points it was fundamentally explaining were the basic principles and ideas of Jesuit education. It stated, for example,
that capitalism, economy, and society, etc., are not necessarily bad or evil. What’s wrong is the manner through
which systems are sometimes carried out. What we should do then, as the Jesuits continue to teach us, is use our
gifts and talents for the greater good. We should use them to stop corruption and try to better a community or our
world as a whole. We use our gifts, passions or blessings to help others. We give of ourselves, specifically with love.
After the talk, we meditated outside by ourselves in nature. I felt much-needed personal peace and appreciated the
time alone before having our daily MAGIS, small group reflection circle and lunch. Every MAGIS circle is an incredible and
moving experience. I love that we get to reflect on our days with others. It reminds me that we all have our personal
struggles and that we all have different experiences. I get to let out my frustrations and share my joys.
MISSION SPRING 2012
21
Blazing a Trail of
Sustainability
F
rom John Muir to Ed Begley Jr., Californians have played a pivotal role in
American environmentalism from its
earliest days. You might say California
was the original bastion of conservatism—
environmental conservatism.
The state’s list of firsts intended to protect
the environment is long, among them the
establishment of the nation’s first state park,
Yosemite Valley, the nation’s first wildlife
refuge, Oakland’s Lake Merritt, the first statewide clean water act which became a model
for the federal Clean Water Act, the toughest
auto emissions standards in the country, and,
most recently, the first cap-and-trade emissions
program for reducing the greenhouse gases
that cause climate change.
Fast forward 120 years from the establishment
of Yosemite and California’s Jesuit universities—
Loyola Marymount University (LMU), Santa Clara
University, and the University of San Francisco
(USF)—are leading the effort to bring environmentalism to the next generation.
The universities’ commitment to sustainability
22 MISSION spring 2012
By Edward Carpenter
goes back decades. In 1987, USF installed a
1.5 megawatt co-generation plant to provide
electrical power to the campus with natural
gas, which releases less carbon into the
atmosphere. In turn, heat, a byproduct of the
co-generation process, is captured and used to
turn water into steam to heat residence halls
and other buildings.
society’s stance toward ecology by integrating
it in the decree on mission,” Fr. Nicolás wrote.
“Just as we Jesuits are called to promote and
serve right relationships with God and with
other human beings, in the same way and
with the same urgency, we are called today to
restore and heal humanity’s broken relationships
with creation.”
LMU started campus-wide recycling in 1990.
Scientific consensus and a call to action by the
Vatican — which recently installed a huge solar
panel array — have added a new urgency to LMU,
Santa Clara, and USF’s recent sustainability
efforts. In 2009, U.S. Catholic bishops formed
the Catholic Climate Covenant, advocating for
greater personal and shared response to climate
change. More recently, a letter written to Jesuits
last September by the Jesuit Superior General
Fr. Adolfo Nicolás, S.J., urged more decisive
measures to protect the planet from environmental destruction.
“General Congregation 35 (the most recent
assembly of Jesuit leaders from around the
world in 2008) marked a step forward in the
Promoting a sustainable lifestyle fits
seamlessly with the Jesuit mission to build a
more humane and just world by serving the most
humble and being a voice for the marginalized.
In today’s world, it is those individuals and
those communities who most often live in
neighborhoods that are polluted by diesel
particulates or pesticides, or who call a sheet
metal shanty in a developing country home.
“After all, caring for creation as responsible
stewards of the natural world, and caring for
our fellow human beings is central to the Jesuit
worldview,” said Joe Rasmussen, LMU campus
sustainability manager.
All three of California’s Jesuit universities
are attacking the issue of sustainability on a
multitude of fronts. One of the most visible is
the construction of new buildings that meet
LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design) certification. LMU boasts three LEED
buildings, including the LEED Gold certified
William H. Hannon Library, and is home to one
of the largest green roofs and one of the largest
solar array systems in California.
In 2010, Santa Clara opened the LEED Gold
certified Paul L. Locatelli Student Activities
Center, a focus of student clubs, event space,
and offices. USF’s Presidio campus building,
across from Crissy Field, is LEED Silver certified.
And USF recently broke ground on the new
John Lo Schiavo, S.J. Center for Science and
Innovation, a 60,000-square-foot building, complete with a green roof that will be LEED Gold
certified.
Why buildings? Because offices, homes, and
other buildings account for 33 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. Increasing
their efficiency, often to a dramatic degree, can
be done with existing technology and relatively
modest expense.
But, buildings alone can’t solve the problem.
Irrigation systems play a key role. Santa Clara
has implemented a recycled/reclaimed water
irrigation program that waters 80 percent of
the campus’ landscaping and saves almost 36
million gallons of water a year—the equivalent
of what’s used by 244 families. LMU uses
recycled/reclaimed water to irrigate 75 percent
of its campus landscaping, allowing it to save
49 million gallons of water annually while earning
a national award for its water recycling program.
Another area that California’s Jesuit universities excel in is recycling, including composting.
In the spirit of San Francisco, USF was an early
adopter. “USF Recycles, one of the four pillars
of USF’s climate action plan, was started in
the late ‘70s by a group of students who were
ecologically conscientious and concerned
that office paper was being thrown away that
could be recycled,” said Joseph Murphy, USF
environmental safety manager.
Last fall, Murphy expanded the cafeteria
composting program, an initiative that is
common to all three universities, into USF’s
dormitories, making participation even easier.
In 2010, USF diverted 65 percent of its waste
from landfills—that’s 820 tons of recyclables,
including scrap metal, e-waste, and compost
that does not end up in landfills.
What happens at the other end of the cafeteria food cycle, before left over pizza crust
and tossed salad bits drowned in dressing
wearily eye the bottom of a compost bin, is
also impressive. To avoid adding to landfills,
diners at all three universities eat with washable plates and dinnerware. For those on the
go, there are compostable plates and utensils
made from corn fiber, potato starch or other
compostables. All three universities have
Opposite: LMU’s Charles Von Der Ahe Building is one of three LEED Gold certified buildings on campus; Top Left: SCU students hard at work in the campus’s recycling
program; Top Right: LMU students are active farmers who donate their harvest to local food banks.
MISSION spring 2012 23
eliminated cafeteria trays. This saves upward
of 600 gallons of water a day in reduced washing,
not to mention the energy saved from not having
to heat the wash water.
Santa Clara and USF also purchase locally
grown produce, cage-free eggs, hormone-free
milk, and antibiotic-free chicken for their cafe-
supply-chain managers, international economics students, engineering majors, and art
students—might be the best hope for reigning
in the 6,600 million metric tons (MMT) of carbon
dioxide equivalents the U.S. dumps into the
atmosphere annually.
Santa Clara’s Penstemon Project for Sustain-
compete in the 2013 Solar Decathlon, joining
19 other teams of universities and colleges
from around the world. Santa Clara’s undergraduate engineering students, along with
architecture students from USF, will design
and build a net-zero energy house. Stanford,
the University of Southern California, and the
All three of California’s Jesuit universities are attacking
the issue of sustainability on a multitude of fronts.
terias, sourcing the majority of their food from
within 150 miles to reduce energy consumption
and pollution.
Designing campuses that cut energy consumption, waste, and pollution is critical to
reducing LMU, Santa Clara, and USF’s carbon
footprint, the primary goal of the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) that all three universities have
signed onto. But, there may be a better way
to foster sustainability and reduce greenhouse
gas emissions, according to Fr. Nicolás. “There
is much more we can do in this area using our
present apostolic institutions, whether these
be educational, pastoral, or social,” he wrote
in his September letter, referring to sustainability.
In fact, infusing sustainability throughout the
curriculum—in the classes of future business
ability Across the Curriculum strives to meet
that challenge. Designed as an incubator for
faculty, the project brings instructors together
from outside the traditional environmentally
focused arena to learn how to incorporate sustainability into their classes. “One thing faculty
learn, for example, is how to have a paperless
course,” said Lindsey Cromwell Kalkbrenner,
Santa Clara’s sustainability director and an
alumna of the school.
Santa Clara, which offers undergraduate
degrees in environmental studies and environmental science, incorporates aspects of
sustainability into the curriculum of about 200
different classes.
Highly regarded in the environmental
studies and science realm, SCU has been
chosen by the U.S. Department of Energy to
California Institute of Technology are also
in the competition. SCU students will face
mostly graduate students, many of whom
have professional experience.
The university is also home to the Sustainable Living Undergraduate Research Project
(SLURP), a residential learning community in
which individuals or teams work under a faculty
member to analyze campus sustainability.
SLURP member Mimi Sanicola, an economics and environmental studies double-major
and a waste diversion intern at Santa Clara,
along with two team members, recently studied
barriers to, perceptions of, and participation in
the university’s composting program. Among
their findings: A quarter of students are confused by the signage and/or didn’t compost
correctly. Also, women tend to follow the
Left: Students in SCU’s SLURP program actively analyze the university’s sustainability efforts with the help of a faculty member. Right: USF’s John Lo
Schiavo, S.J. Center for Science and Innovation, now under construction, will have a green roof that is LEED Gold certified. (Opposite) Left: Solar arrays
are a common sight at SCU, LMU, and USF. Right: USF’s Garden Project, a residential community on campus, provides organic lunches. Harvested
foods are also sold at farmers markets.
24 MISSION SPRING 2012
rules of composting better than men. Other
teams of SLURP researchers studied students’
perceptions and usages of public transportation,
and the implementation of Meatless Monday—
a campaign to raise awareness about energy
and water use, and the carbon emission required
to produce one pound of beef. Students who
avoided meat one day a week significantly
reduced their individual energy use, water use,
and carbon footprint.
In recent years, students in LMU’s graduate
environmental engineering program have
taken part in the Shell Eco-marathon, in which
student teams from around the world are
pitted against each other to design, build, and
test energy efficient vehicles. In 2009, the
team finished ninth. LMU also offers undergraduate degrees in environmental science
and civil engineering with an environmental
emphasis. Students majoring in environmental
science and other fields have added service
to the equation by both studying the Ballona
Wetlands and working to restore it. Adjacent
to campus, the Ballona Wetlands is one of
the last remaining coastal wetland areas in
Southern California.
Urban organic gardening initiatives have
sprouted at all three California Jesuit universities.
Students study food politics, the prevalence
and impact of genetically modified seeds, and
the carbon footprint of their diets. After harvesting
their food, LMU students donate the farmed
goods to local food banks to feed the hungry.
Students taking part in USF’s Garden Project,
a residential learning community on campus,
added a farm stand two years ago, offering
affordable organic lunches made from their
harvest to educate and promote urban organic
gardening. Proceeds are reinvested in the
program. Any surplus is donated to a nearby
homeless shelter.
Garden Project students have also taken
their gardening approach into the city of San
Francisco by rehabilitating a dormant garden
at the Booker T. Washington Community
Center. When complete, the garden will offer
after-school food education and promote a
healthy diet. Architecture and community
design students at USF—where students can
major in environmental studies or environmental science, or pursue a graduate degree in
environmental management—also take part
in neighborhood gardening in San Francisco.
With a focus on building community, the architecture and community design students have
joined forces with nonprofits and neighborhood
groups to construct community gardens on
street islands, blighted vacant lots, and in
backyards to bring area residents together.
Several of the neighborhood garden projects
have won awards, including a 2011 Best
Green Community Project award from San
Francisco’s Neighborhood Empowerment
Network. Residents say their blocks are
safer and that they’ve met neighbors they
never previously spoke with thanks to the
students’ efforts.
With inroads made across the board in
facilities, purchasing, curriculum development,
and student clubs, sustainability advocates at all
three California Jesuit universities believe
they’ve turned a corner. LMU and Santa Clara
have both hired full-time sustainability coordinators
whose primary job is to publicize and promote
sustainability across the entire campus. Both
universities benefit from sustainability committees that include students, staff, faculty, and
administrators, from as high up as the provost’s
office and the vice-presidential level.
“Due to campus-wide support of our sustainability initiatives, the university included ‘justice
and sustainability’ as one of the five priorities in
our recent strategic plan—the university’s guiding
document,” Santa Clara’s Cromwell said.
California’s Jesuit universities have accomplished a good deal in the name of sustainability.
But, there is more to do and a long way to
go before the campuses can lay claim to the
title climate neutral, the ultimate goal of the
ACUPCC agreement.
“Ultimately, Fr. General Nicolás’ letter challenges
LMU, and the other California Jesuit universities,
to look more closely at how the Jesuit worldview
and the LMU mission support sustainability and
environmental justice,” Rasmussen said. “There
is more to be done. But, we’re up to the challenge.”
Designing campuses that cut energy consumption, waste,
and pollution is critical to reducing LMU, Santa Clara, and
USF’s carbon footprint...
MISSION spring 2012 25
A Duty We Share
By Fr. Bill Watson, S.J.
I
n his September 2011 letter on ecology and sustainability
to the Society of Jesus, Superior General Fr. Adolfo Nicolás,
S.J., stated: The (35th) Congregation reminds us that we
live in a time of widespread environmental destruction
that threatens the future of our planet (Cf. Decree 3, No. 33).
In the face of this situation we cannot remain indifferent.” Fr.
General reminds us in his letter that there is much more all of
us, individually and as apostolates, can
do to contribute to the sustainability of
our planet.
Although the term “sustainability or
sustainable development” has been
discussed and debated for decades, it
has remained for many people one of
those fuzzy concepts that perhaps
seems too enormous and too nebulous
to truly understand, let alone to
implement. Much of what has been
written and accomplished throughout
the world during the past two decades
has relied on a lengthy document titled
“Our Common Future,” prepared by the
United Nations’ World Commission on
Environment and Development
(WCED) in 1987. The report followed
more than three years of study of the
long-term global and environmental
challenges facing our planet.
The Current Model
“Our Common Future” articulated a simple philosophy of
sustainable development, stating that it is:
“a process of change in which the use of resources, the
direction of investments, the orientation of technological
development, and institutional change all enhance the
potential to meet human needs both today and tomorrow….
[It] meets the needs of the present without compromising our
ability to meet those of the future.”
The Commission amplified this definition by stating further
that it embodies two key components: the fact that essential
26 MISSION spring 2012
needs, particularly those of the world’s poor, must be met;
and that there are limitations imposed by technology and
society on the ability to meet those needs.
The fact is that this most influential definition of sustainable
development depends upon a “lowest common denominator”
approach—enabling all people of good will to collaborate on
any process. One of the assumptions behind this definition,
however, is a narrowly anthropological
one. By speaking only of “human
needs,” the definition assumes that the
natural world exists only to serve
human needs, rather than having its
own integrity and beauty that is to be
honored and protected (an ecological
perspective).
This assumption also underlies our
emerging one-world secular technological
culture. Of course, science and
technology are natural and good for
advancing human culture. But when
those who develop and use the technology
operate out of the dominant worldview
of free-market capitalism, then its
individualistic, consumerist, materialistic,
and secularist assumptions can undermine technology’s promise to lead to
sustainable development.
The Catholic Model
This lowest common denominator approach coming from
the UN’s 1987 document has been a foundation and starting
point for many organizations or individuals promoting
sustainable development for the past 20-plus years. Yet, much
more has been written about what this simple definition or
concept does not provide: the many dimensions of sustainable
development perhaps implied but certainly not clearly stated
in these few words.
A Catholic voice amplifies the basic concepts of sustainability
by its traditions, concepts, and principles including: human
rights, justice, common good, cultural communities, philosophy,
theology, God’s plan for the universe, preservation and
repair of natural systems, relationships between spirit and
matter, sharing resources and wealth, respect for diversity
and the community of life, peace and nonviolence, to list
just some of the ideas offered.
As a starting point to capture some, but not all, of these
concepts, we can offer a brief, pragmatic definition that
suggests concrete steps or initiatives that would direct
human efforts in a sustainable direction:
Sustainable development is a commitment to respect and
care for the community of life. It is economic growth that
promotes the values of human rights, care for the natural
world, and the striving for the common good of the whole
earth community, especially the poor and most vulnerable.
It involves sustaining the present generation without
imposing long-term costs or penalties on future generations.
It replaces the use of non-renewable resources with renewable ones and reduces the consumption of all resources. It
entails reuse, recovery, and recycling wherever possible; and
replenishment or restoration of the natural balances affected
by our actions.
It implies sound life-cycle planning and economics—economics
that truly reflect the environmental and human costs of our
technologies and decisions. Sustainable development will
succeed only if it expands to include a vision of sustainable
communities that hold all creation as sacred.
“Our Ignatian spirituality affirms the
indwelling of God in all creatures and
laboring in them out of love for us.”
There is an inherent tension between such a holistic, sacramental vision of sustainability and other existing models.
However, a Catholic, Jesuit perspective assumes that God’s plan
and God’s will are definitive in working out human destiny and
that this destiny is inextricably linked with the interdependence
of all creation. Thus, individual persons and human communities
as spiritual, religious entities serve God who is both transcendent
and immanent when their cherishing and fostering of the material
realm reflects the truth of the interdependence of all creation.
This religious vision in which we can anchor our Catholic,
Jesuit efforts at sustainability and sustainable development
embodies four related factors: 1. the cosmos as God’s creation
and dwelling place; 2. the individual human person; 3. the community in which that person lives, and; 4. God as the originator, the
facilitator, and the goal of all cosmic and human striving.
These religious, Catholic, Jesuit perspectives stand in contrast
to most other models of development that are too often governed
by individualism, consumerism, materialism, and secularism.
Finally, the Earth Charter proposes four overarching ethical
principles for action by all of society1:
•
•
•
•
respecting and caring for the community of life,
protecting and restoring ecological integrity,
promoting social and economic justice, and
strengthening democracy, non-violence, and peace.
The revelation and development of the Catholic tradition
affirms these principles, but deepens “respect” into reverence,
“equality” into mutuality, “rights” into compassion, and has
provided the divine motivation which makes of all the Earth
Charter’s imperatives true possibilities.
Our Ignatian spirituality affirms the indwelling of God in
all creatures and laboring in them out of love for us. Consequently, we are both stewards and participants respecting,
caring, and laboring with God in this community of creation.
“We Jesuit apostolic partners,” as the Social Justice Secretariat explains, “are blessed by our connectedness with each
other, with the marginalized, and with the global actors. We
are called to be bridge builders. With our personal vocations,
our institutional apostolic bases, and our networks, we are
well positioned to answer that call, bridging global chasms
and local divisions. These bridges can be built only if we
give all that is ours, even our very selves to the task.”2
Editor’s Note:
Fr. Bill Watson, S.J., as provincial assistant for international ministries of the Oregon Province, co-coordinated
the Twinning Agreement with the Colombian Jesuits
along with Fr. Joe Aguilar, S.J. A major component of the
twinning is a focus on mutual projects on sustainability
for which this document was originally produced.
This article was redacted from Regional Sustainable
Development, A Plan of Action, edited by Fr. Watson.
1
The Earth Charter is one important resource for a shared ethical vision and a way forward for the global community in light of the challenges facing our world. The Earth
Charter emerged from the 1987 UN World Commission on Environment and Development’s call for a charter setting forth fundamental principles for sustainable development. The Earth Charter was finalized after a decade-long participatory, consultative process involving thousands of people and organizations, from all regions throughout the
world, and embracing the views of different cultures and diverse sectors of society.
2
“Globalisation and Marginalisation” Our Global Apostolic Response (Social Justice Secretariat: Rome, February 2006). #128. The same document claimed that Catholicity
marks the Church’s “interconnectedness in which locally inculturated, global citizenship is the sine qua non for universal justice and peace.” Catholicity reflects “the need for
institutional cooperation across disciplines, cultures, religions, geographical boundaries, and economic interests.”
MISSION spring 2012 27 Providing
Opportunity
Loyola Academy at Brophy College Preparatory
D
eserving students in the Phoenix area now have
the opportunity for quality Jesuit education
thanks to the vision, generosity, and drive of a
group of individuals who acted quickly to meet
a pressing need.
Loyola Academy, which opened in August 2011 and is part
of Brophy College Preparatory, provides a Catholic, Jesuit
education to sixth, seventh, and eighth grade boys who
demonstrate academic promise, but have limited educational
opportunities and even more limited financial means. Loyola
Academy is open to all students regardless of their religion,
race or ethnicity.
Loyola Academy is the brainchild of Brophy President Fr.
Eddie Reese, S.J., and Principal Bob Ryan in response to the
needs of underserved students entering Brophy, who would
have greater academic success if reached sooner in their
educational career. Loyola Academy opened with only sixth
grade students with plans to add a grade each year until the
sixth, seventh, and eighth grades are fully operational. Because
the curriculum is rigorous, students have an extended school
day from 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. and an extended academic year
that runs from August through the end of June.
“We had discussed opening a middle school to better prepare
some of our ninth graders for academic life when they entered
Brophy, but when the economy slowed down we put our
plans on the back burner,” Fr. Reese said. “Then as He always
does, God provides. Ken Kendrick, a current Brophy parent,
Brophy Regent, and owner of the Arizona Diamondbacks,
came in to see me. I shared our vision of Loyola Academy with
him and he wanted to help. We had the financials prepared,
knew what we would have to do to make the dream a reality
28 MISSION spring 2012
in Phoenix
By Adria Renke
and decided we would go for an August 2011 opening. The rest
is history. The support for the Academy has been overwhelming.”
Ryan hired an experienced director for Loyola Academy in
Kendra Krause, who did her undergraduate studies at Vanderbilt University before earning an MEd from Harvard. She began
her teaching career with Teach for America in underserved
areas of southwest Phoenix and has rich experience in getting
results with students who have potential for success but often
lack opportunity.
Both Ryan and Krause assumed the responsibility of choosing
the first class of Loyola Academy “scholars,” as they are referred. “This is one of the first things I have taught my students
wherever I have been,” Krause said. “Students come to school
because they have to. Scholars come to school to learn.
All smiles: Members of Loyola Academy’s inaugural class show off their enthusiasm.
Eager learners: With Fr. Eddie Reese, S.J., president of Brophy College Preparatory in the background, Loyola Academy students seem up to the challenge.
“Bob Ryan and I get excited every day about the scholars’
first year. We were told that the admissions process would be
difficult the first year as we had no benchmark from which to
measure performance against. We started with 32 scholars in
August and we still have 32 scholars today. We are proud
about that.”
Loyola Academy students’ admission was based on an
evaluation of academic promise, verified financial need of the
family, personal recommendations
from teachers or other adults familiar
with the student, and parental
commitment. The scholars attend
Loyola Academy at no cost to them
with funding provided by donations.
Tuition at Loyola Academy is the same
as Brophy, currently $12,400 per year.
The Jesuit community in Phoenix
stepped up first and helped remodel the 11,500-square-foot
space used for the Academy. When Kendrick offered his
financial support, he also offered his assistance in raising more
funding for the project. “Ken not only put a large sum of seed
money up, he also approached foundations and other individuals in the Phoenix area, asking for their support. He took a
one-year, $100,000 commitment from The Steele Foundation
and helped expand their support to $100,000 a year for each of
three years, tripling the gift,” Fr. Reese said. “Ken went knock-
ing on doors all across town and accompanied me on visits to
individuals.
“In most every case the answer was the same,” Fr. Reese said.
“Folks would say to us that they really wanted to be part of a
project like this that is so helpful and so financially responsible.” Patti Franz, Brophy’s director of development, took the
fundraising a step further by introducing Women of Brophy, a
program targeted specifically for Loyola Academy.
“Students come to school because they have to.
Scholars come to school to learn.”
-Kendra Krause, director, Loyola Academy
“We offered informational coffees and cocktail hours to
introduce women to Loyola Academy, thinking that every
woman would easily identify with the need to further educate,
nurture, and cultivate skills for Loyola Academy students,” Franz
said. “We set a $1 million goal annually through the Women of
Brophy and we are well on our way at about $800,000 at the
half way mark of the campaign. The model is appealing and the
women seem to really identify with the facts that not only are the
Loyola Academy scholars impacted, but their families are, too.”
MISSION spring 2012 29
“We know there are many models similar to Loyola Academy
and we have investigated them,” Ryan said. “We have designed
our program with four goals in mind. The first, by appropriate
student selection and intense preparation, Loyola Academy
scholars will enter Brophy College Preparatory as freshmen to
ensure that the Academy students’ academic and personal
growth will continue to be developed, nurtured, and monitored
in the Jesuit tradition from sixth grade through high school.
teaches religion, and Franz, who also teaches religion and is a
trained catechist. Brophy’s Alumni Volunteer Corps members
are teaching Latin, coaching and helping with the scholars’
transportation, PE, and sports teams. Brophy students are
handling the Robotics Club, Chess activities (which are popular), the Math Club, and extra tutoring.
“In the past much of my classroom teaching had to be so
mindful of teaching to the state competency AIMS test,” said
Jessica Keogh, Loyola Academy math/
science teacher. “Because I communicate with Brophy’s freshman math
teachers, I can prepare our scholars for
ninth grade algebra/geometry and
when they run into problems, we can
remediate them on the spot because of
-Jesse Bandin Loyola Academy sixth-grader
the extra time we have in the school
day for just that purpose.”
“Further, to ensure their success, the scholars will have access Forrest Ashby, language arts teacher, has already had poetry
readings, public speaking commercial message presentations,
to a corps of volunteer tutors and mentors, student and adult
and is heading into drama very soon. “The scholars are eager
alike, through the participation of current Brophy students,
for everything. When we all come back from a long weekend I
alumni, and the hundreds of parent volunteers that have
often ask them, ‘Did you have a good break?’ and they all say,
expressed an interest in this program.
‘No, we hated it. We weren’t here!’”
“Additionally, Brophy intends that Loyola Academy will
A Loyola Academy parent recently sent an email to Krause,
ultimately become self-sustaining and act as a model for other
saying, “Thank you, so much for everything. It is truly a
locations. Efforts are underway to raise an $8 to $10 million
blessing to be part of a
endowment which, when
family, a community where
met, will cover the operating
people still care. I can’t
costs (faculty salaries and
thank you enough for giving
operations) of Loyola
my son the opportunity to
Academy. Until then, monies
receive the best education
are being raised through
that (he) would have not
donations and grants to
had. I always tell my son to
cover the cost of operations.
do the best he can because
Lastly, because the scholars
one day he will be a great
will be sharing Brophy
man who will be able to
facilities, the cost to operate
help others. Thank you…”
will be significantly reduced
Loyola Academy sixth
and there will always be
grader Jesse Bandin sums it
adequate facilities available
up best, “I feel really proud
for science, PE, art, and
Looking
Forward:
Students
at
Loyola
Academy
also
have
the
chance
to
shine
outside
because my mom works
music. In the event the
of
the
classroom.
hard to get us food and have
scholars need academic fast
a roof over our heads and still has time to care for us. I’m going
tracking, Brophy classes will be available to them.”
to get somewhere in life and do good for the world.”
Currently, Loyola Academy is staffed by Krause, who also
teaches, a Language Arts teacher, and a math/science teacher.
Because Loyola Academy is part of Brophy, faculty are paid on
To see a video about Loyola Academy and the difference it is making
the Brophy faculty pay scale. Other staff include Ryan, who
for students, visit www.jesuitscalifornia.org/loyolaacademy.
“I’m going to get somewhere in life and
do good for the world.”
30 MISSION SPRING 2012
Jesuit Profile
The Twisting Path of Andy Dachauer
S
ometimes, the path is clear. A course is planned, laid
out, followed, and completed with little variance. The
journey, though interesting and enriching along the way,
is uneventful. The mission is accomplished.
Then, there’s the path of Andy Dachauer, S.J., a path with twists,
turns, starts, stops, and just about everything in between. It’s a path
that has led the 81-year-old Jesuit from his roots in Milwaukee to
the Sacred Heart Jesuit Center in Los Gatos.
It’s hard to say just which twist or turn in Fr. Dachauer’s life has
been the most dramatic. Maybe it was when he was 6 and his father
came home from work one day and told his wife that the family
should move to California to find work during the Depression.
Maybe it was when Fr. Dachauer, as a young Jesuit scholastic, was
told by his Provincial that maybe Jesuit life wasn’t for him. Or,
maybe it was when he was preparing to return for his 18th year as
a chemistry professor at the University of San Francisco, only to be
told that he was appointed the new pastor of St. Joseph’s Parish, 30
minutes north of Mammoth Lakes. That assignment ended up lasting
some 27 years, but Fr. Dachauer said it was easy for him to go from
chemistry professor to pastor.
“I’m a priest first,” Fr. Dachauer said with his typical enthusiasm
and high energy. “I love preaching and I love hearing confessions.”
That might explain why, even as a chemistry professor at USF, Fr.
Dachauer volunteered to celebrate Mass and hear confessions at
local parishes. But the St. Joseph’s assignment is another story. One
summer, Fr. Dachauer was assigned to “help out” at the parish, a
place he had never seen or even heard of, to give Fr. Tom Savage,
S.J., some much-needed assistance. His love of carpentry quickly
came in handy as he built a new sanctuary. Though he went back
to teach at USF, he would go back and help out at St. Joseph’s
during the summer months for many years.
In the summer of 1982, Fr. Savage needed hip surgery and his
recovery took longer than expected. As the time approached for
him to return to USF, Fr. Dachauer reached out to the Provincial to
ask about help for Fr. Savage. He spoke to the Socius, the
Province’s second-in-command, only to be told, “Didn’t you get the
letter? You’re the new pastor.”
Stories like that are all too familiar to Fr. Dachauer. As a novice
he asked to be allowed to study chemistry, and wasn’t told until just
a few days before the start of the school year that he was being
To Give
assigned to Spring Hill College in Mobile, Ala., so that he could get
his wish. He was later assigned to teach chemistry at St. Ignatius
High School in San Francisco, the school he had attended as a
teenager. It was there that he received potentially devastating news.
During his annual Account of Conscience, a one-on-one talk that
every Jesuit has with the Provincial every year, Fr. Dachauer was
told by the Provincial that he wasn’t sure if he had a vocation and
that he should consider leaving the Society of Jesus.
Devasted, he went to the chapel in his Jesuit community, sat in
the back pew and cried. “I was 25 years old and I said, ‘God, I’m
going to be the best damn scholastic you’ve ever seen.’” Once again,
one of those twists turned up. Fr. Dachauer soon received a letter
from the Provincial. He was being sent to Fordham University to
study for his doctorate in chemistry. “He was taking a chance on
me,” Fr. Dachauer said, “because I could have gotten my doctorate
and left the Jesuits and not owed them a thing.” Fr. Dachauer had
no intention of leaving the Order. Instead, he went on to become a
popular professor at USF and a beloved pastor at St. Joseph’s.
Now, at Sacred Heart Jesuit Center, Fr. Dachauer is settling in as
a member of the community. He still drives and performs a number
of tasks such as sorting mail and leading the charge to do special
decorating projects for holidays and special occasions. His energy
level is inspiring and his wit and zest for life are examples for his
fellow residents and Province staff members.
—Jim Muyo
Please send your gift to support the care of elderly and infirm Jesuits to California
Province Advancement Office, P.O. Box 68, Los Gatos, CA 95031. Or use the Online
Giving Form on the Province’s website: www.jesuitscalifornia.org/donation
MISSION sPRING 2012 31 Easter in Us
by Michael E. Moynahan, S.J., Pastor, St. Ignatius Loyola Parish, Sacramento
E
aster is the original Christian feast. In the northern
hemisphere, it coincides with the return of spring and
signs of new life all around us. Easter is the occasion
to initiate new members into the faith community, a time to
celebrate how Christ triumphantly rose from the dead. Easter
is a time when faith communities throughout the world
proclaim and celebrate that life is stronger than death. Easter
is the constant reminder that “Victory is Ours” because of the
presence and power of God’s love in our life through the
risen Christ.
Every other Sunday
finds its fundamental
meaning in Easter.
Consequently, Sundays in
the Catholic tradition
have been referred to as
“little Easters.” Early
Christians were even
called “Easter People.”
While the season of Lent
is marked by a somber
ascetical quality, Easter is
marked by an assault of
the senses—an explosion
of tastes, smells, touches,
colors, and sounds—in a
word, joy. The “Alleluia,” buried on Mardi Gras, comes back
to life and returns to the community at the Easter Vigil and
remains our guest for almost another year.
Two of my favorite resurrection stories contain Easter
questions that invite both our attention and reflection. The
first is The Three Marys Visit the Tomb (Luke 24:1-12). In
that story the angel asks, “Why do you look for the living
among the dead?” While Good Friday invites us to examine
all those places in our life, our city, and our country where
Christ may be dying, Easter invites us to examine all those
places in our life, our city, and our country where Christ is
coming to new life. The second Easter story is Jesus and
Peter at the Lake of Tiberias (John 21:15-23). During their
32 MISSION spring 2012
walk after breakfast, Jesus asks Peter three times, “Do you
love me?” When Peter pleads that he does, each time Jesus
tells him, “Feed my sheep.” St. Ignatius of Loyola realized
this Easter truth and included it at the end of his Spiritual
Exercises: “Love expresses itself in deeds.” As God expressed
the power of his love in raising Jesus from the dead, so
Easter calls us to express our love for God in Christ through
our concrete acts of love for others.
Easter can be an occasion for us to reflect on how the
resurrected Jesus appears
to us in our life. Does he
come as some of the
Easter scriptures indicate—as a gardener, a
cook, a stranger? Or
does he have other
disguises—an aging
parent whose memory is
slowly stolen from them;
an awkward child who
struggles with a poor self
image; a newcomer to
our parish or community
looking for some words
of welcome; the unemployed who desperately
want to work; the hungry and homeless who long for love
that takes the shape of food and shelter; the powerless and
voiceless of our society who long for justice and mercy?
Jesuit poet G. M. Hopkins, at the end of his poem, “The
Wreck of the Deutschland,” says these haunting words—“Let
him Easter in us.” How does Jesus want to “Easter in us” this
season? How does Jesus want to Easter in our work? How
does Jesus want to Easter in our recreation or play? How does
Jesus want to Easter in our prayer and spirituality? How
does Jesus want to Easter in our relationships? Whether that
Eastering comes now or is delayed, when it occurs—which it
will, if we allow it to occur—let our joyful response be:
“Alleluia. Come Lord Jesus! Again, and again, and again.”
Jesuit Car Pool
Jesuit novices are ready to leave for a day of picking grapes in the Novitiate vineyards around Los
Gatos in this photo from the early 1950s. Each year from mid-September to early November novices
hand picked grapes on the steep hillsides as part of their training. The grapes were used in sacramental
wine which was sold to support the Province’s educational program. In the days before seat belt laws,
the novices were crowded in the back of this GMC flatbed truck and traveled either in silence or
while reciting the rosary. Notice that the front seat was often reserved for “Duke,” the dog, who rode
comfortably in the cab.
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PHOTO BY Brian McClister
On the Way to First Vows
(L to R) Billy Biegler, Gregory Celio, Marc Ortiz, David Romero, Timothy Breen, Justin Claravall, and Martin Ngo professed first perpetual vows
of poverty, chastity, and obedience on Aug. 13, 2011 as they completed their two-year term as California Province novices. To see a video
presentation and learn more about the novices, please go to www.jesuitscalifornia.org/firstvows2011.