AROUND THE PROVINCE

SJU Launches Catholic Bioethics Institute

     Advances in science and medicine, while fascinating in their own right, can often result in complex moral and ethical questions. Determining what Catholic teaching is on some of these issues can present even more challenges.
     In an effort to clarify some of the ethical aspects of scientific efforts, Saint Joseph’s University has established the Catholic Bioethics Institute. The goal of the new institute is to offer undergraduate and graduate students an opportunity to reflect on contemporary bioethical issues in light of Catholic theological, philosophical and moral traditions.
     In partnership with Philadelphia-area Catholic hospitals and the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, the institute will provide clinical and policy consultation to the medical, nursing and administrative staff, as well as bioethical education for medical personnel and hospital administrations at the affiliated hospitals and nursing homes.
     Faculty who are interested in bioethics, graduate students and professionals from affiliated institutions in the Philadelphia area will be invited to join the institute as fellows to participate in a research project.
     Each year the institute will host the Richard McCormick, SJ, Bioethics Lecture, to address a specific issue in bioethics. This year’s lecture will be held on Wednesday, November 8, 2006, and will be given by Edmund Pellegrino, MD, chairperson of the President’s Council on Bioethics.

University of Scranton Sponsors International Healthcare Conference in Slovak Republic

     The University of Scranton was one of five sponsors of the fourth International Conference on Healthcare Systems, held in Bratislava, Slovak Republic, in July.
The conference drew academicians, professionals, and students from approximately 26 universities, most in Eastern Europe.
     The conference, entitled “Reforming Healthcare Systems and Quality of Care,” provided an opportunity to address outcomes from national policies, results from scientific endeavors, and views on broad international platforms.

Year of the City in Baltimore

     Like any major metropolis, Baltimore has its share of joy and pain. The joys include a healthy diversity, a rich history and cultural growth. The pains include severe poverty, a struggling public school system and violence. All of these topics will be explored during the Year of the City, an effort launched in September by Loyola College in Maryland to celebrate the strengths of the city and renew its commitment to address urban challenges.
     Fr. Brian Linnane, SJ, president of Loyola College, announced the Year of the City initiative during his October 2005 Inaugural Address. The Year of the City began with the start of this academic year and was kicked off September 10 with a Mass of the Holy Spirit at St. Ignatius Church in downtown Baltimore.
Members of St. Ignatius Church and the Maryland Province are joining Loyola College in helping them recognize the Year of the City.
     Events during the year include a multicultural awareness program, a pastoral care program for urban ministers, lectures held at Loyola and at St. Ignatius Church, a Martin Luther King, Jr., Symposium and numerous service projects and Baltimore-related events.
For more information on the Year of the City, visit www.loyola.edu.

It's Official - New Cristo Rey School Has a Home

     Plans for the new Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Baltimore have been underway for several months, but it was just recently that Maryland Province Jesuits were awarded a home for that school.
     On September 1, city officials announced that they are awarding development rights to a vacant elementary school in mid-town Baltimore to Cristo Rey Jesuit High School.
The high school is scheduled to open in September 2007, under the guidance of President John Swope, SJ, and Principal Thomas Malone. Geared toward students from families of modest means, the school plans to open with approximately 100 ninth graders and eventually grow to close to 500 students. In addition to a rigorous academic program, the school provides students with a corporate work-study experience in cooperation with area businesses.
     The school is part of the national Cristo Rey Network, an association of 10 high schools that provide quality, Catholic, college preparatory education to young people from low income families. Member schools have their own separate identities, but are characterized by the corporate work-study program that gives students hands-on work experience that generates finances for their tuition.
     Renovation work on the location was scheduled to begin at the end of September.

Hearts on Fire in North Carolina

     Nurturing the spiritual lives of parishioners is at the forefront of every Catholic church’s mission. Parishes operated by Jesuits seek to fulfill that mission with the great gift of St. Ignatius – the Spiritual Exercises.
     At St. Peter’s Church in Charlotte, N.C., parishioners gather for Ignatian Prayer Nights and Retreats, not only to enhance their prayer lives, but to help them “find God in all things.”
Originally the brainchild of Fr. James Devereux, SJ, former pastor; and Fr. Joseph Sobierajski, SJ, current pastor, the Ignatian prayer series is now led by Fr. Vince Alagia, SJ.
     “What makes these prayer nights and retreats Ignatian is that they are rooted in the Spiritual Exercises,” explains Alagia. “There is a real hunger for this sort of thing, and it is well-received. We have a strong interest in the spirituality of our parishioners.”
     With the theme of “Were our hearts not on fire?” (Luke 24), the Ignatian Prayer Nights are held five times during the year and include prayer, contemplation and group sharing. Two guided retreat weeks also take place during the year at the parish as part of the Ignatian effort.
     “Hopefully this gives people a taste for more of what has been gained through the Spiritual Exercises, that we all might share more fully the gift we have been given,” says Alagia.

Auditorium at Wheeling Jesuit University Dedicated to Hawk Family

     Early this summer, Wheeling Jesuit University announced the naming and dedication of the Acker Science Hall Auditorium, located in the lower level of the university’s Thomas S. Acker SJ, Science Center.
     Named in honor of university benefactors Henry and Beverly Hawk, long time contributors to the university, the Hawk Auditorium provides students and faculty with state-of-the-art equipment and laboratories to open doors to new research projects and learning possibilities. Since 1984, the Hawk family has supported WJU with generous donations and scholarship funds.

Making a Difference	A first year student, Scott Hunter Bonnette, works at Appalachian Outreach in Glen Dale, West Virginia, during Wheeling Jesuit University’s Make A Difference Day 2006.