Congratulations to Joaquim Pires on taking First Vows last May 19. We pray that his adjustment to life at Arrupe Residence will go smoothly — if he ever gets there. Not having a visa prevented him from traveling on May 20. No tickets on Philippine Airlines in May prevented his going on May 23.
Congratulations to Bro Duong Tha (VIE) who has received a scholarship for his studies at SEARSOLIN (South East Asia Rural Social Life Institute) of Xavier University, Cagayan de Oro, Philippines from June to December 2008. This will cover school fees, room and board, travel and visa expenses and a personal monthly stipend.
Fr John Mace (KOR), Major Superior of East Timor, with the permission of Fr General Adolfo Nicolás, appointed Frs. Edu Dopo (IDO) and Vu Kim Quyen (VIE) as substitute consultors. They will take the place of Fr Jose Martins (POR) and Fr Filomeno Abel, who will be on sabbatical from August 2008-July 2009. They will join the other consultors, Frs Dibyawiyata (IDO) and Joaquim Sarmento.
We bid a reluctant good-bye to Scholastics Calisto Colo, Diego Carvalho, Gustavo Soares, Isaias Caldas, Joao dos Santos, Paulo Miguel dos Santos and Sidelizio Pereira on Friday, May 23. Having seven young ET Jesuits with us for six weeks was a good experience for them and for us older Jesuits as well.
Fr Filomeno Abel traveled to Rome for a meeting of the Pontifical Mission Society last May 9-25. Frs Joao Felgueiras (POR) and Jose Martins (POR) left for Portugal on May 14. Fr Emil Denemark (KOR) will be in Korea June 6-27 on military chaplain business. (Contributor: Fr John Mace)
Writing in Tetum and English, Sch Bert Boholst (PHI) shared his regency experience in East Timor. You may read it in his blog: http://bert2776.blogs.friendster.com/bert2776/
R.I.P. Fr Ruedi Hofmann (IDO) left East Timor last May 20, planning to spend five weeks in Switzerland, Portugal and Germany. On May 29, he died in Zurich. After visiting friends during the day, he came back early evening. While sharing his work with a scholastic, he was apparently heavily breathing and feeling sick. They called the doctor and when he arrived, Ruedi passed away.
Fr Ruedi wrote an article about his apostolate in East Timor, the Casa de Produção Áudiovisual (CPA). You may read it in the 2003 special edition of Catholic Media Council http://www.cameco.org/mediaforum_pdf/MF-2003-2-3-specialissue.pdf pp. 49-53.