Around the Province

Letters to the Editor

   You did a beautiful job in curating the article, The Art of Faith (Ignatian Imprints, Spring 2007). The organization, writing, editing and layout were inspiring to me. I was not aware of Fr. Pedro Arrupe’s writings on art, nor was I aware of an Institute for Jesuit Arts in Italy. Your invitation to participate not only encouraged the creation of a Spiritled work of art, but it has helped me to see that I am part of others, becoming much larger than my small self, the presence of Jesus Christ. I accept it as a great consolation.

With Gratitude,
Tom Baker

Mr. Baker, a teacher at Gonzaga College
High School, is one of the artists featured
in “The Art of Faith” article.

   An IHM sister who works at the Gesu School and lives here in our convent gave me a copy of Ignatian Imprints knowing that I went to a Jesuit high school. She thought I would be interested in “The Philadelphia Story” and I was. I could relate to many of the details mentioned but had a hard time with one: “...ground was broken for another new college building that was to extend west along Stiles to 17th Street...” If you look at the picture, this is the building mentioned and the angle is from 17th Street looking west towards 18th Street and the Gesu Church, not towards 17th Street. The entrance in the lower part of the picture at 17th and Stiles Streets is where we entered the building if you didn’t drive.

One of my parishes in the city is Saint Barbara, and Saint Joseph’s University is within the parish boundaries. I have remained friendly with some of the Jesuits from the university and high school, and I’m certain some of them are in the ordination picture on the inside rear cover. I feel certain that the young man holding the bishop’s crozier is Fr. John McGinty, SJ, now in residence at the university.

On the Around the Province page, Fr. Donald Clifford, SJ, is a friend and helps with Masses at Saint Barbara. As to People, Fr. Joseph Hacala, SJ, was an acquaintance and co-worker on the Campaign for Human Development, and I did not know he had died. A great loss! Needless to say, I loved Imprints.

Rev. Msgr. Wilfred J. Pashley
Saint Rose of Lima Church
Philadelphia, PA

Alan Casciola (left) and Ali Hajiran spent their summer vacation doing research in angiogenesis (the formation of new blood vessels) as biology lab interns at Wheeling Jesuit University. Under the guidance of biology professor Robert Shurina, PhD, they conducted the research as part of a National Institutes of Health Institutional Development Award. The program aims to attract students to careers in the biomedical sciences and to get undergrads to continue their careers in biomedical education. “This research gives you the feeling of putting into practice what you learn in the classroom,” said Hajiran, a biology pre-med major. “It’s like grad school.”

Blogging Along

What do medical ethics, the war in Iraq, religious vocations and Harry Potter have in common? Give up? They are all topics being discussed on Jesuit blogs. For those of you who haven’t quite caught up with the blogosphere yet, blog is shorthand for “web log,” an online journal of sorts where people post their opinions about various topics. Several Jesuit priests including Fr. John Dear, SJ; Fr. Rick Malloy, SJ; and Fr. Thomas Reese, SJ, have blogs on alreadyexisting websites. For example, Reese blogs regularly on the website of The Washington Post. Visit the Maryland Province website at www.mdsj.org for a more complete listing of regularly updated Jesuit blogs.

New High School Opens

August 27 marked the first day of classes at the brand new Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in east Baltimore. The high school welcomed 121 young men and women to a unique program of study that combines academics with workplace experience.

The Jesuit-run 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 are characterized by the corporate work-study program that gives students hands-on work experience that generates finances for their tuition.

Look for the Winter 2008 edition of Ignatian Imprints, which will feature an article and photos about Baltimore’s new Cristo Rey Jesuit High School.

University of Scranton officials announced in July that its new campus center will be named after the parents of Louis DeNaples, Sr., a friend and former university board chair. “The university is pleased to recognize and honor Mr. DeNaples for his unwavering support of and service to our important mission as a Catholic and Jesuit university,” says Fr. Scott Pilarz, SJ, university president. “As a person of great humility and deep devotion to family, it was no surprise that Mr. DeNaples has asked that we honor his parents, the late Patrick and Margaret DeNaples, instead of himself.” Located in the heart of the campus, the Patrick and Margaret DeNaples Center is the most ambitious building project in the history of the university. The 118,000-sq.-ft. building is scheduled to open in January 2008.

Maryland Province Accreditation for Abuse Prevention Policies

The Maryland Province Society of Jesus earned accreditation in May for its child abuse prevention and response policies, signifying that those efforts meet the standards for sound prevention of child abuse and compassionate response to victims.

Accreditation was give by Praesidium, Inc., a national leader in abuse risk management. Praesidium identifies best practices and standards in abuse prevention and response for schools, social service departments, religious organizations, camps and daycare centers.

The entire Maryland Province underwent a prolonged period of preparation, education and self-study followed by visitations and individual interviews conducted by Praesidium officials.

“It was important that the Maryland Province undergo the accreditation process to verify that we are on the right path in our continuing efforts to rectify past wrongs and prevent future hurt,” says Fr. Timothy Brown, SJ, provincial for the region. “Hopefully our willingness to engage in this thorough process will contribute in some way to restoring the atmosphere of trust in the Catholic Church in the United States.”

Since the 2002 clergy abuse scandal and subsequent U.S. Bishops’ Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, Maryland Province Jesuits have put mechanisms in place to address allegations of abuse and to prevent abuse in the future. The province policies and the process of investigating misconduct allegations are available at www.mdsj.org.