Arrupe International Residence News August 2009
After the excitement of Fr. General’s visit and the festivities in conjunction with the Feast of St Ignatius, August seemed a quieter month. The sad demise of Mrs Corazon Aquino on August 1 brought an end to a chapter in the history of the Philippines. Her funeral on August 5 saw a number of Arrupeans taking part in the day’s event, having been given the honour, together with scholastics of the Philippine Province, to be marshals at the Manila Memorial Park in Paranãque City, where Mrs Aquino was laid to rest in the family mausoleum, next to Ninoy Aquino. It was raining for most of the week, a poignant reflection of the people’s sentiments at the passing of a heroine of our times.
From 11 – 14 July Father General will visit the Philippine Province to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the return of the Jesuits to the country (see further on) and the founding of what is today the Ateneo de Manila University. In 1768, the Jesuits of the Philippine Province, 154 in all, were expelled by order of King Charles III of Spain. They returned almost a hundred years later, in 1859, with the intention of evangelizing the southern island of Mindanao. Besides undertaking this pioneering missionary work, in December of the same year they assumed responsibility for the Escuela Pia, later renamed Ateneo Municipal. The present day Ateneo de Manila University has a student population of over 18.000. The Sesquicentennial Anniversary Eucharistic celebration will be held on July 12; Father General will be the principal celebrant. About 4.000 people, including 200 Jesuits, are expected to participate. The next day Father Nicolás will deliver the keynote address on: "Issues and challenges in Jesuit education today" before a group of Jesuits and their lay collaborators from the five universities, one college and other schools of the Philippine Province. 
The present Superior General Fr Adolfo Nicolas, SJ thought it was just fitting to pay rich tributes to Pedro Arrupe for his heroic leadership. When Fr Adolfo Nicolas was the President of the East Asian Jesuit Conference prior to his election, he initiated the work of translation of different essays on Arrupe which are found in the Curia archives. Later Fr Hector D’Souza, president of the Jesuit Conference of South Asia took keen interest in publishing this book.