Those not able to watch “Ignacio de Loyola: Soldier, Sinner, Saint” in theatres will soon be able to watch it in their homes with the commercial release of the DVD on February 18 in the Philippines and in spring in North America.
Produced by Jesuit Communications Foundation (JesCom) Philippines, the feature film is a modern look at the story of St Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus, often called “The Saint of Second Chances.”
The Philippine Jesuits have joined the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) in condemning efforts to revive the death penalty.
Fr Renzo De Luca SJ has been appointed Provincial of the Japan Province of the Society of Jesus. He succeeds Fr Yoshio Kajiyama SJ, and assumes office on March 1. An Argentinian by birth, Fr De Luca enters into his work as provincial with a long history of engagement not only with the Japan Province and in the context of its origins dating back to St Francis Xavier, but also with the concrete issues facing the Society around the world today.
The Vietnam Jesuit Province recently celebrated the profession of final vows of Br Vincent Phạm Đức Tuấn SJ and the ordination to the diaconate of four Jesuits.
Br Vincent pronounced his final vows on January 18 in the chapel of Saint Joseph Jesuit Scholasticate in Saigon, Vietnam. He entered the Society of Jesus on September 9, 1997 and will be celebrating his 20th year as a Jesuit this year. At the end of the ceremony, Br Vincent asked those present to pray for him. “Pray that God grant me a lot of love and grace to live my vocation as a Jesuit filled with happiness.”
In the two years since it was set up, Jesuit Social Service (JSS) in Timor-Leste has embarked on several projects to promote community development and empower the poor to become self-sufficient. Water and sanitation is one of four priority areas and a key project aims to provide communities with access to clean water.
The struggles and legacy of the pioneering Jesuits in Australia have been chronicled in a handsome 200-page coffee table book. “The Vine and the Branches: The Fruits of the Sevenhill Mission” tells of the establishment and development of Sevenhill, which is considered the birthplace of the Jesuits in Australia and the start of winemaking in South Australia’s Clare Valley.
The new provincial of the Vietnam Jesuit Province was formally installed on December 8. Fr Vincent Pham Van Mam (Fr Mam) SJ succeeded Fr Joseph Pham Thanh Liem (Fr Liem) SJ who served as Vietnamese Provincial for the last six years.
Members of the province, guests and collaborators joined the Mass celebrated by the new provincial in the chapel of St Joseph Jesuit Scholasticate in Ho Chi Minh City. In his homily, Fr Mam focussed on four important elements that he wants the Jesuits in Vietnam to pay attention to: participation, dialogue, collaboration and discernment.
The Utama Safe House (USH) is not just a safe house. It is a community that seeks to provide a safe haven for survivors of trafficking and domestic violence, especially those who have no support and are in need of protection. The staff also assist survivors through outreach programmes.
This year’s Puskat Film Festival received five times more entries than last year, when it was launched by Studio Audio Visual (SAV) Puskat, the Jesuit audio-visual centre in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. SAV Puskat attributes the increase to aggressive promotion of the awards and the relevance of the theme, which is “Environment”. Also known as the Ruedi Hofmann Media Awards, the inaugural Puskat Film Festival in 2015 received 20 entries. The theme was “Faith versus Corruption”.
Religious extremism has been on the rise in Indonesia. Recently, Muslim hardliners have been staging massive protests in Jakarta demanding the arrest of the city’s governor, a Christian standing for re-election, for allegedly insulting the Koran. These protests can be viewed in part as a test of religious tolerance for Indonesia, a land of diverse cultures and religious plurality. In this context, dialogue is all the more important, and here Fr Franz Magnis-Suseno, an 80-year old Jesuit missionary, excels.