February, 2023

Father Arturo Sosa, Superior General, has nominated Fr. Dalibor Renić as the next President of the Jesuit Conference of European Provincials (JCEP).

Collaboration continues at break-neck speed at the General Curia, with an impressive number of back-to-back workshops, formation sessions, and conferences. From February 6 to 10, some fifteen Jesuits - all recently appointed treasurers of their respective Provinces...

Jesuits have a long history of working with the Santal tribes who are indigenous ethnic groups native to the eastern Indian states of Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal, and Odisha. The Jesuits of the Dumka-Raiganj Province have been involved in various...

Father General Arturo Sosa has appointed Father Sebastian Šujević as the next Provincial of Croatia.Fr. Sebastian is aged 44 and comes from the city of Rijeka, Croatia. He grew up in a Jesuit parish in his native city, where he also attended the Salesian High School.

In his message for 11 February, World Day of the Sick, Pope Francis writes: "Illness is part of our human condition. Yet, if illness is experienced in isolation and abandonment, unaccompanied by care and compassion, it can become inhumane."

Many years ago, in the northern Thai kingdom its rulers established their “summer residence” in Chiang Mai. They called it “Seven Fountains”. This name took account of the springs and waterfalls which abound north of the city. And the number seven symbolized perfection.

“We express our deepest sympathy and condolences to the families and communities affected by the recent earthquakes in Syria and Turkey” said Fr Arturo Sosa. “Our hearts go out to those who have lost loved ones, homes, and communities.”

The Major Superiors’ Assembly of the Jesuit Conference of Asia-Pacific continued in Chiang Mai, Thailand, until 4 February. Three parts of the meeting’s programme deserve attention.

The Jesuit Prison Ministry in Thailand has been given a piece of land in the Chiang Mai area. How might this help the prisoners? A transition house perhaps, a place to learn about organic farming? The encyclical Laudato Si’ and the pandemic have opened new avenues.

Pham Ngo Hoang Dung, known to all as Dzung, is a young Vietnamese Jesuit priest who committed himself to the Region of Thailand. We met him at the Seven Fountains Spiritual Centre and asked him what brought him to Thailand.

The Sacred Heart of Jesus is borne by a Burmese immigrant woman carrying her three kids on her bicycle. Love is shown more in deeds than words as she drives her family safely through the streets of Thailand.

Father General Arturo Sosa has chosen Father Shane Daly as the next Provincial of Ireland. He is aged 49 and he entered the Society of Jesus at the age of 35, in 2008. Before joining the Jesuits, he worked as a teacher in a prison for youth offenders.