Were
you aware that the Indian republic became a senior citizen
on 26 Jan this year? But its significance is lost on a vast
majority of Indians, including Jesuits, don't you think?
In an excellent article, Ashok Malik (Deccan Chronicle, 26
Jan 2010) describes what exactly happened on 26 Jan 1950.
The solemn ceremonies began when the federal court Chief Justice
Harilal Kania administered the oath of office to the first
President of India, Rajendra Prasad. Then it was the turn
of the first President to swear in the first Prime Minister,
Jawaharlal Nehru and then his cabinet under the new Constitution.
Then came what Malik calls 'the magic moment.'
President Prasad administered the oath of office to Harilal
Kania as the Chief Justice of the new Supreme Court. Why was
this the magic moment? It was then the old order passed and
"the great enterprise of nationhood began." The
new Chief Justice of the new Supreme Court drew his authority
- not from the British government, not from a dominion of
the British empire, not the local princes but from the People
of India, all of whom, under the Constitution, were now equal.
Therefore 26 Jan 1950 was more momentous than 15 Aug 1947.
But few recognize it. Of India's two most important secular
festivals, the Republic Day doesn't get equal attention or
importance as the Independence Day. For the ordinary Indian
it is easier to understand what happened on 15 Aug 1947 than
to grasp the significance of 26 Jan 1950. In 1947 the British
gave up their claim, ended their rule, the Union Jack came
down and the Indian tricolour went up and Nehru, with an eloquence
that matched the historic moment, declared, "Long years
ago we made a tryst with destiny..." But it was in 1950
that the free India chose to become freer by choosing to be
a republic in whose Constitution all citizens are equal.
If the memories of that glorious dawn gladden us, what has
happened to all that was promised by that dawn is pretty saddening.
S. Nihal Singh points out the three pillars of the Constitution
that India chose for herself and their present plight. "If
secularism, socialism and non-alignment were the three pillars
of the Indian state on the proclamation of the Republic 60
years ago, non-alignment has lost its relevance with the disintegration
of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War, socialism
lost out to globalisation and consumer society and secularism
survives in a battered state." (DC, 26 Jan '10)
What painfully confirmed what he said about secularism were
newspaper reports on - yes - 26 Jan about destruction of Marian
statues in churches near Mysore in Karnataka.
The first biggest assault on secularism in these 60 years
was the destruction of the Babri Masjid in 1992, Advani's
bloody rath yatra and the mayhem that followed. Scholars today
assert this marked also the birth of terrorism in India. The
other tragic assaults were the anti-Sikh riots in Delhi in
1984, the Gujarat carnage in 2002 and the massacre of Christians
in Kandhamal, Orissa in 2008.
While our Courts and the Election Commission have not been
able to do anything about the exploits of a political party
whose basic ideology militates against the basic tenets of
the Indian Constitution, the Indian voters have done what
they could. Twice they have rejected the party at the general
elections.
The first Republic Day saw the end of princely kingdoms and
princes ceased to be rulers and became citizens, just like
their former subjects. But new political dynasties are in
place and families rule or try to rule in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka,
Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Punjab.
In the past 60 years democracy faced its greatest trial when
Indira Gandhi brought in Emergency. But soon democracy triumphed,
though it has not been as successful against politicians and
criminals who manage to win elections relying on the power
of hatred or money. While the judicial system has been reduced
to a farce, corruption continues unabated and its impact can
be seen in every aspect of our lives.
It is true that the 60 year old republic is certainly more
vibrant and youthful than most of Asian or African countries.
But how many more years will it take to redeem the pledge
India made on 26 Jan 1950?
The
Jesuits have been involved in education for over 400 years.
The number of our men involved in it and the number of our institutions
show that we are still going strong. What has kept us relevant
in this ministry is that we have time and again evaluated and
continue to evaluate this process. Jesuits in history have responded
to the changing and challenging times with new vigour and zest.
The Ratio Studiorum kept the Jesuit schools running like a well-oiled
machine for over 200 years and the Jesuits came to be known
as "the schoolmasters of Europe." With tremendous
changes in the world and within the Church the Characteristics
of Jesuit Education was drawn up by an international group in
1986 to update the Ratio Studiorum. Later a methodology was
evolved to compliment the evolving Jesuit educational thrust
called IPP (Ignation/Integral Pedagogy Paradigm) consisting
of five stages of Context-Experience-Reflection-Action-Evaluation.
Now, after the successful conclusion of General Congregation
35 (GC 35) Jesuits involved in education are keenly looking
for new inspiration and guidance. One may conclude that there
is nothing new in GC 35 that was not there in GC34 as regards
education. On the surface it apparently looks true. If one approaches
these documents with imagination and creativity, there is plenty
for those wanting to be inspired and searching for more depth.
First, a quick look at GC 35 will show that out of the six documents,
three pertain and have relevance to education. Decree 2 of GC
35, A Fire That Kindles Other Fires: Rediscovering Our Charism,
is poetic and lucid for the reader. It brings out the beauty
of Ignatian spirituality and stresses that service of faith
and promotion of justice are the two sides of the same coin.
Decree 3 of GC 35, Challenges to Our Mission Today: Sent to
the Frontiers, reiterates the best Jesuit traditions of the
past, of men on the frontiers responding to new contexts and
challenges, deepening right relationships in all spheres. Decree
6 of GC 35, Collaboration at the Heart of Mission, speaks about
not going alone in building God's Kingdom. These three Decrees
present tremendous purpose and challenge to the way the Jesuits
will educate in the coming years.
How can we best summarize all these documents of the past and
of GC 35 and make sense about the education scenario in the
world and in our country today? Education in the globalized
world is marginalizing the poor. Education has become another
commodity in the market for sale. Education today is producing
a lot of skilled people and the only goal of many educational
institutes is to produce men for Mammon and not men for others.
Our education today is geared and pulled so strongly only towards
economics. In the name of excellence we promote so much competition
among our students. Entrance to our institutions is based only
or mostly on marks and so naturally the elite and well-to-do
are able to gain admission. We spend our energies in educating
the well-to-do.
Do we take faith formation and its justice implications seriously?
Are we able to decide the direction of our instituions or are
we being pulled by external forces that we don't discern? Just
look at the tragedy of BPOs or the 'call centres' in the Indian
metros. These are the new glamourized 'sweat shops' where youngsters
are just reduced to mere robots.
What has Jesuit education got to say about all these? In the
context of the world today and of India, Jesuit education cannot
just repeat what it has done in the past. We cannot dance to
the tune of the market forces nor be aligned with any group
of people who want our services to suit their vested interests.
The question is: Is search for excellence compromised by choosing
to educate the least and the last? Fr Adolfo Nicolas, the Jesuit
General has this to say about excellence, "Of course, we
strive for excellence, but sometimes we fall into the trap of
measuring excellence only if we see ourselves as better than
some other schools run by other religious groups, or even worse,
better than other Jesuit schools!"
What are the values that motivate our Jesuit educational institutions?
What type of equilibrium are we maintaining between the divine
and the secular? How much attention do we pay to our particular
context and yet remain open to the horizons of the world? There
are no easy answers to this and there isn't a common solution
for all the institutions. Each institution, in a true Ignatian
style, inspired by the call of the GCs and other mandates given
to us periodically, must discern individually.
Every Jesuit educational institution must be ready to explore
and serve in places that Pope Benedict XVI describes as "the
geographical and spiritual places where others do not reach
or find it difficult to reach" and to live out certain
paradoxes on these frontiers. This is indeed the new challenge
of GC 35. Jesuit education is about living the paradoxes but
always being able to maintain the balance. It is not a quantitative
balance but a healthy equilibrium.
Good goals and just means: Hence we cannot cannot merely
be concerned with the "end" - the goal but also ensuring
that all the means we use to reach the goal are indeed just.
Good education should free you from fear, worries, and anxieties
and help one to be open to life. It is also not a compromise
but a commitment. It is about finding the "why" in
one's personal life, embracing the good values of our community,
our society. It is about choosing whatever is life-giving and
avoiding all that is life-negating.
Learning from others but remaining unique: When the world
is becoming globalized and there is a call for unity and uniformity,
both internationally and nationally, Jesuit education is called
to introspect on what separates us from the others. What is
unique about our education that distinguishes us from the others?
We are to discern the good practices worldwide. We are to cooperate
and collaborate with what is best in the world. We are to be
humble enough to learn from the good practices of the Earth
and yet be a Jesuit institution, unique both in our service
and whom we serve.
Universal but contextualised: Jesuits are called to be
universal, being all "things" to all humankind. We
all have a general notion of what good education is all about.
We have had our Ratio Studiorium, and the Characteristics of
Jesuit Education, the Ignatian Pedagogy and the various GCs
to guide us. However, this is at the universal level of understanding,
but, in the concrete, these universal ideas have to be particularized.
This is why in the IPP, the context is so important. It is within
each context that we experience the challenges of our time and
place. As we contemplate the universality - not only geographical
areas but also the hearts, minds, cultures, races and spiritualities
of the world - we pay attention to the here and now, to this
situation, to this person. Jesuit education should help our
youth understand and respect how "plucking a flower"
can amount to "disturbing a star".
To connect and disconnect: Today we are called to connect
and be interconnected. It is, however, imperative that each
Jesuit institution puts itself through the litmus test of right
relationships - a call of GC 35. We are called to be in right
relationships. However, the need for right relationships at
times calls us to be disconnected. Positively the World Wide
Web of relationships is the yearning of modern man to be connected.
But are we paying enough attention to the ways the tribals learn
from experience, intuitive learning in Buddhist monasteries,
nurturing spiritual and emotional intelligences? Or are our
connections only of the mind, virtual relationships? When our
web of relationships does not embrace the whole world and in
a special way the ones who need it most then we have to disconnect.
Independent and dependent: Jesuit education should help
our students to think independently but still have the humility
to be dependent and interdependent in our thought processes
first, and then leading progressively to the way we live in
reality. Our education must not lead us to arrogance or misuse
of knowledge, an independence of selfishness but a dependence
and interdependence of caring, sharing and community. Knowledge
without responsibility for the other can do more harm than good.
Knowledge can never be an end in itself.
Success and values: Today everyone wants to be successful
and success is the measuring rod of one's worth and usefulness.
Success in education means getting better marks/grades, getting
the first rank or passing in entrance examinations. This leads
to well-paying jobs and so ultimately one is judged to be successful,
when has the money, power and position. Success is thus what
you have and what you have achieved. Jesuit education does not
necessarily condemn these 'creature comforts' but puts them
in perspective. Success for our institution must be also living
our values and paying attention to the toal development of the
person. Success for a Jesuit institution is not merely enabling
our students to find good jobs but making them live worthwhile
lives guided by human values. Success is more about the internal
realm than the external.
Service of faith and promotion of justice: However we
may describe it, Jesuit education must ultimately aim at the
service of faith and promotion of Justice. Faith is all about
this interiority or depth. It is the meaning that motivates
our daily lives. It is this struggle and challenge to go deep
into oneself so that we may find our true identity, without
believing the cacophony of voices that try to tell you who you
are.
Not merely to think but also to feel: Jesuit education
must help the youth to peel off the layers of illusions of today's
world and ultimately to stand stark naked before the Almighty.
Jesuit education must accompany our students through this maze
of needs and struggles of the youth. It must teach our students
not only to think with their head but also feel with their hearts
and look at their fellow humans with compassion. Service of
faith is about conscience, convictions and commitment. It is
in simple language bringing out the best in each student - the
best in terms of the 4Hs, the head (IQ), the heart (EQ), the
body (PQ) and the holy (SQ). Service of faith is the creation
of new humans and so a new world.
Outward and inward: This new human being, when he begins
to look outward after looking inward, sees the world differently.
He is able to see its beauty and glory and at the same time
its ugliness and vulgarity. The globalized world would like
to hide these human sufferings. It likes us to believe a false,
distorted image of this world - where there are no poor, no
problems, no poverty, no pain and no price rise.
Depth, height and width: Our education must not make
us shrink from these bitter realities of life but rather embrace
all - even the exploiters with love and compassion. The promotion
of justice is the authentic proof of one's plunge into the depth
of one's self. Those who experience the depth of their self
in the ultimate Self, are able to reach out in universality
to all other selves without discrimination of any kind. They
are able do in all situations the loving thing, the right thing
for the good of all.
Fire that illumines and burns: In conclusion, we can
say that there is so much that GC 35 has to offer us in the
field of education. Education is the fire that kindles other
fires. It is the fire that burns the dross and purifies - the
fire that illumines and warms, the fire that shines in our darkest
nights - the fire that ultimately reveals the face of God and
humanity. Jesuits are called to carry this fire to the frontiers
of darkness and dispel the darkness in ourselves, in others
and in the world.
Vision and lights: It is a huge challenge and as Fr General
explained this is not a quantitative but a qualitative "magis."
Jesuits are to undertake this journey not alone but with the
rest of the world, learning to collaborate with all men and
women of good will. No one can say that the Jesuits don't have
a clear vision in education. Our vision is clear but we have
to work hard daily to translate this vision into reality. We
have to daily stoke the embers so that our vision is clear or
we can get lost in the razzle-dazzle of glaring, misleading
lights.
Fr
Kinley Tshering, SJ is the Rector of St Joseph's School in Darjeeling,
West Bengal.
In a
world where people are overwhelmed by multiplicity of ideas
and images the Society of Jesus, through GC 35, seeks to keep
the fire of its original inspiration alive in a way that offers
warmth and light to our contemporaries. In this process of
rediscovering our charism and mission GC 35 has come out with
six Decrees. This is an attempt to present ten basic themes
- inspirational elements and guidelines of these Decrees for
our reflection and sharing. I don't claim it is exhaustive.
My only desire is that it serves as a starter for our reflection
and a source of inspiration.
1. Response to the call of the Pope:
GC 35 acknowledged its deep affection for Pope Benedict XVI
and wanted to respond to his call to the Society: "Turn
your gaze to the future in order to respond to the expectations
the Church has of you". The GC delegates articulated
Pope's concern as "the defence and proclamation of the
faith, which leads us to discover new horizons and to reach
new social, cultural and religious frontiers". By sending
us to "those physical and spiritual places which others
do not reach or have difficulty in reaching" the Pope
entrusts to us the task of building "bridges of understanding
and dialogue" according to the best traditions of our
Society, in the diversity of its ministries. Responding to
the trust and confidence of the Pope in the Society, GC 35
affirms its creative fidelity and resolute availability to
the Vicar of Christ on earth.
2. In the footsteps of the Founder:
In an attempt to provide the Jesuits with a meaning to their
existence and focus in a fragmented world, GC 35 tries to
spell out their individual and corporate identity in the Decree,
A Fire that Kindles Other Fires.
The Decree looks at the original fire - St. Ignatius - that
lit up the hearts of the first companions. He had a deep experience
of encountering God in the depth of his heart while recuperating
at Loyola. This experience enabled him to recognize the spirits
that are at work in human hearts. It initiated him into a
profound interior journey which led him to discover his identity
in the divine plan. At Manresa he could confront the falseness
of the desires that had driven him so far. It was there that
God gently prepared him to perceive that the world could be
seen in another way: a way that freed him from disordered
attachment and opened up an ordered loving of God and of all
things in God. This journey is part of every Jesuit's journey.
While at Manresa, God granted him a 'sublime illumination'
that enabled him to contemplate God working in the depths
of everything. This led him to seek and find God in all things
and find his identity as one who is a contemplative and at
the same time a person active in 'helping souls'. Through
many painful experiences he learnt that seeing and tasting
God in reality is a process.
After this deep realization of God labouring in the heart
of life, Ignatius was led to discover his identity as 'servant
of Christ's mission' at La Storta when he received the grace
of being placed with Christ bearing the Cross. Thus he and
his companions were drawn into the Son's pattern of life,
with its joys and its sufferings. Placed with God's Son and
called to serve him as he carries his cross, Ignatius and
the first companions responded by offering themselves to the
Pope, Christ's Vicar on earth, for the service of faith.
Thus Ignatius lit up the fire of divine love in the hearts
of his companions. With the birth of the Society a new fire
was lit in a changing world. The fire that was set alight
then continues to burn in our Jesuit life today. With that
fire we are called to set things alight with the love of God.
We Jesuits, then, find our identity not alone but in companionship:
in companionship with the Lord, who calls, and in companionship
with others who share this call. Fundamental for the life
and mission of every Jesuit is an experience that places him,
quite simply, with Christ at the heart of the world. This
foundational experience is to be kept alive, nourished, and
developed by Jesuits in their community life and mission.
This requires continual conversion from and conversion for.
Therefore as persons who are enabled to see the world as a
place in which God is at work, we enter, with Christ who offers
living water to the dry and lifeless areas of the world. Our
mode of proceeding, then, will be to trace the footprints
of God everywhere, knowing that the Spirit of Christ is at
work in all places, and situations and activities that seek
to make him present in the world.
3. Living in apostolic tension:
This attempt 'to feel and to taste' the presence and activity
of the living God in all the persons and circumstances of
the world places us Jesuits at the centre of a tension pulling
us both to God and to the world at the same time. Thus arises,
for Jesuits on mission, a set of polarities - being and doing;
contemplation and action; prayer and prophetic living; being
completely united with Christ and completely inserted into
the world. These polarities mark the essence of the life of
a Jesuit and its possibilities. Called to live this apostolic
tension a Jesuit's life is patterned on the life of Christ,
who was ever active and ever contemplative. Sharing in the
special grace granted to the Founder the Jesuits are enabled
to live this dynamic tension between mysticism and service.
But they need to discern constantly their response to the
God who keeps inviting them to serve faith and promote justice
in the world.
4. Living as Companions of Jesus:
It is from Ignatius' encounter with the Lord at La Storta
that the future life of service and mission of the companions
emerges in its characteristic contours: following Christ bearing
his Cross; fidelity to the Church and to the Vicar of Christ;
and living as friends of the Lord in one single apostolic
body.
The Son's way of acting provides the pattern for how we must
act in the service of his mission. His entire life was a kenosis
- a self-emptying for the sake of his mission, seeking God
in Christ wants to renew. He needs collaborators in this endevour,
people whose grace consists in being received under the banner
of His Son. Nations beyond geographical definitions await
us, 'nations' that today include those who are poor and displaced,
those who are profoundly lonely, those who ignore God's existence
and those who use God as an instrument for political purposes.ot
to be served but to serve. As servants of Christ's mission
we reach out to the poor announcing his gospel of hope in
word and deed and also to persons who differ from us in culture
and religion with understanding and charity. In every mission
that we carry out, we seek only to be where he sends us. The
grace we receive as Jesuits is to be and to go with him, looking
at the world with his eyes, loving it with his heart, and
entering into its depths with his unlimited compassion.
As companions of Jesus the Jesuits are granted a special grace
to live as men of and for the Church under obedience to the
Supreme Pontiff and to the Superior General and duly appointed
superiors. They are available for the more universal good
with a sense of magis. It is this availability for the Church's
universal mission that marks our Society in a particular way,
explains our special vow of obedience to the Pope, and makes
us a single apostolic body dedicated to serving men and women
everywhere. We engage ourselves in this mission aided by grace
and drawing on whatever professional capacities we may have.
5. Tasting and sharing the Life-giving Water:
Christ is the life-giving water. As water bringing life to
all who thirst, he showed himself interested in every parched
area of the world. In his outreach, he embraced differences
and new horizons. His ministry transcended boundaries. He
invited his disciples to be aware of God's action in places
and people they were inclined to avoid - like Zaccheus, the
Syro-Phoenician woman, the Roman centurion and the repentant
thief.
Having tasted the life-giving water that Christ is, his disciples
are eager to offer it to anyone who thirsts, and to reach
out to people beyond frontiers to bring a new culture of dialogue
to a rich, diverse and multiple world.
6. To New Frontiers:
Serving Christ's mission today means paying special attention
to its global context. This context requires us to act as
a universal body with a universal mission, realizing at the
same time the radical diversity of our situations. Our mission
of faith and justice, dialogue of religions and cultures has
acquired dimensions that no longer allow us to conceive the
world as composed of separate entities; we must see it as
a unified whole in which we depend upon one another. Globalization,
technology, and environmental concerns have challenged our
traditional boundaries and have enhanced our awareness that
we bear a common responsibility for the welfare of the entire
world and its development in a sustainable and life-giving
way.
In such changing circumstances, our responsibility to collaborate
as Jesuits at multiple levels - inter-provincial, inter-assistancy,
inter-national - has become an imperative. We must also work
with all men and women who share our values.
7. Establishing Right Relationships
In proclaiming God's message of love and compassion Jesus
crossed over physical and socio-religious frontiers. His message
of reconciliation was preached both to the people of Israel
and to those living outside its physical and spiritual frontiers
- tax-collectors, prostitutes, sinners, and persons of all
kinds who were marginalized and excluded. His ministry of
reconciliation with God and with one another knew no boundaries.
He spoke to the powerful, challenging them to a change of
heart. He showed special love for the lost sheep - the woman
scorned as a sinner, the poor widow, the tax collector. The
kingdom of God, which he constantly preached, became a vision
for a world where all relationships are reconciled in God.
As Crucified and Risen Lord he effected new creation in which
all relationships will be set right in God.
Ignatius and his companions understood the importance of reaching
out to people on the frontiers and at the centre of society,
of reconciling those who were estranged in any way. The tradition
of Jesuits building bridges across barriers becomes crucial
in the context of today's world, torn by violence, strife,
and division. We'll be able to bridge the divisions of a fragmented
world only if we are united by the love of Christ, by personal
bonds that link us all as companions to one another, and by
the obedience that sends each one of us in mission to any
part of the world.
As servants of Christ's mission we are also invited to assist
him as he sets right our relationship with creation. The drive
to exploit sources of energy and other natural resources is
very rapidly damaging our earth, air, water, and our whole
environment, to the point that the future of our planet is
threatened. Poisoned water, polluted air, massive deforestation,
deposits of atomic and toxic waste are causing death and untold
suffering, particularly to the poor. Many poor communities
have been displaced, and indigenous peoples have been the
most affected.
In heeding the call to restore right relationships with creation,
we have been moved anew by the cry of those suffering the
consequences of environmental destruction. As our response
to this crying need we, Jesuits, in our preaching, teaching,
and retreat direction should invite all people to appreciate
more deeply our covenant with creation (as Pope Benedict XVI
puts it) as central to right relationships with God and one
another, and to act accordingly in terms of political responsibility,
employment, family life, and personal lifestyle.
8. Critical Loyalty and Creative Fidelity
Recognizing that the substance of Jesuit obedience (both to
the Pope and the Superiors of the Society) is 'apostolic availability',
GC 35 reaffirms the value and need of obedience in the face
of modern context and culture and highlights its importance.
Obedience in the Society becomes for the Jesuit the way that
incarnates the values of the Gospel and of the Spiritual Exercises;
Obedience in the Society is grounded in the desire to be sent
effectively, to serve completely, and to create ever stronger
bonds of union among ourselves; and these three strands come
together in the account of conscience; Jesuits make an act
of trust in their Superiors when they obey; Superiors make
an act of trust in their brothers when they send them on mission;
the fourth vow means greater availability to divine will and
better service to the Church; though this availability is
distinct from sentire cum ecclesia, both are rooted in the
love of Christ and affective union with the Pope.
Transparency with Superiors, esteem for the account of conscience,
responsible exercise of personal initiative, and a spirit
of discernment which accepts the decisions of the Superior
with good grace are underscored as important elements of Jesuit
obedience. This implies discernment, mutual trust, delegation,
and 'magis'.
9. Governance at the Heart of the Mission
While insisting on the authority of the local Superiors, GC
35 also recognizes the complexity of their work in today's
context as well as the skills and the ongoing training that
is needed. It points out that the Superiors should reckon
their direction of Jesuits, as community and individuals,
more important than any other task. In its guidelines, the
directive of GC 31 is implied that those persons are to be
appointed as Superiors who are gifted with true personal authority,
to inspire voluntary obedience and willingness to be guided.
In a spirit of service, the Superior supports the members
in their apostolic responsibilities and religious lives. By
regular spiritual conversation and direction the Superior
can help each Jesuit to see how his apostolic work, assigned
by the Major Superior, is properly integrated into the universal
mission of the Society. He can also promote the sense of solidarity
of all the community members.
From his privileged place at the heart of the community, the
Superior is also responsible for nurturing its apostolic life
by the celebration of the Eucharist, prayer, faith sharing,
communal discernment, simplicity, hospitality, solidarity
with the poor, and the witness that "friends in the Lord"
can make to the world.
10. Service of the Universal Mission through Collaboration
Collaboration and partnership with others are integral to
the Ignatian experience and charism. From the very beginning
Ignatius looked for companions with whom he could share his
God-experience. He not only shared the Spiritual Exercises
with the laity but also invited them to join as partners in
the ministries of the early Society in Rome, like Martha House.
As the education ministry expanded, he not only welcomed priests
and lay people who wanted to share in the mission of the Society
but also found ways of accommodating them in the Society.
There has been a growing awareness in the Society that collaboration
with the laity is in lne with our charism. Growing cooperation
with the laity in our apostolic works has expanded our mission
and enriched our ministries. In many countries, important
Jesuit works depend largely on the generous and skilled collaboration
of women and men of diverse religious and humanistic convictions.
In the modern context, faster and more effective means of
communication make collaboration and networking across nations
and people possible. This networking takes place in the field
of human rights, inter-religious dialogue, ecological concerns,
developmental activities, peoples' movements, advocacy etc.
Being with apostolic collaborators in mission challenges us
to live more fully and authentically our Jesuit religious
vocation. What we bring to these relationships is, ultimately,
our own identity as men of the Spiritual Exercises. In collaboration
with others, in respectful dialogue and shared vision, working
with others but walking a different pathway chalked out by
our Constitutions, we undertake our own journey with new zeal
and understanding.
Hence the call of GC 35 is to move forward with greater courage
and enthusiasm as companions of Jesus and his collaborators
in his mission.
Fr John Joseph, SJ (AND) is presently
the Tertian Instructor at Sacred Heart College, Shembaganur,
Tamil Nadu.
It's an
unusual nickname, but "Solar Mathew" loves it. To
the Jesuit priest based in Patna, it's a reminder of the community
project that has changed the way the region's villagers cook,
live and view the green cover around them.
Fr Mathew Muthuplackal, SJ (52), who holds a diploma in mechanical
engineering, is now planning to set up a solar crematorium in
Patna. "Many poor people struggle to collect the Rs 4000
to Rs 5,000 needed to buy wood for a funeral pyre."
But what has a Jesuit priest got to do with building solar crematoriums
in Patna?
It all started in 1986, when Fr Robert Athickal, also a Jesuit
of the same province, founded Taru Mitra (Friend of Trees) in
response to what he saw as a growing environmental crisis.
Trees were disappearing all over Bihar - and still are. (As
per the 2001-03 Forest Survey of India, the state lost 162 sq
km of green cover in just two years, between 1999 and 2001.)
Meanwhile, even in the 1980s, temperatures were beginning to
rise and floods were getting more violent as river water coursed
across erstwhile forestland unhindered.
So, Fr Athickal set up a student forum in Patna to encourage
residents to stop cutting down trees for firewood. But what
would locals then use for fuel?
To tackle this, Fr Mathew sought the support of the Jesuit province
of Patna to set up a solar appliances assembling unit - the
Solar Alternatives & Associated Programmes (SAAP).
"I knew how vital firewood was to these people," he
says. "We had to give them something that worked."
So the priest requested assistance from the best expert he knew
of: German scientist Wolfgang Scheffler.
Scheffler granted the Jesuits permission to use his technology,
and began supplying solar reflectors.
The Church offered land and funding - Rs 1.25 lakh to begin
with and the one-acre plot at the St Mary's Church campus in
Phulwarisharif where the plant is still based.
Success soon followed.
Since 1996, when the Solar Alternatives Centre first began operations,
it has assembled a range of solar appliances, including solar
steam turbines with reflectors that produce electricity using
solar power, multi-purpose windmills, solar cookers and even
solar cycle rickshaws.
Orders are pouring in from 18 States across the country. "The
solar cookers are helping save millions of trees across the
country that would otherwise have become firewood," says
Fr Mathew.
And Solar Alternatives has been recognised as a supplier by
the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.
Not bad for a group of priests who just wanted to save the trees.
I
was born in 1958 in a highly educated family. My mother was
the first lady in our Taluq who graduated in 1948, though at
that time, ladies from our families were not even allowed to
go out. My father was a double M.A and he was the person who
started the English Department at Andhra Loyola College (ALC),
Vijayawada. After he abruptly left our family of five children
for no valid reason, my mother and grandmother brought us up.
As my mother worked in the Department of Education of the Andhra
Pradesh government, I had to study in schools wherever she was
posted in the Krishna District of Andhra. I completed SSC in
1972, with meagre marks, and my mother requested Fr Francis
to give me a seat in Intermediate and that is how I entered
ALC.
More than the formal education at ALC, it was the atmosphere
and the guidance which moulded me. After I my Intermediate,
I studied for my B.Com at ALC. Having completed B.Com in 1977,
I joined Law in Andhra Christian College, Guntur, but discontinued
after a year and shifted to Delhi to join Company Secretary
Course and returned to Vijayawada in 1980.
Accidentally, I helped some one in selling books, and later
as a part-time job, I started to supply books to a school. But
by 1981, I got several orders for supply of books, and started
a counter at a local public school. In 1982, I opened a full-fledged
bookshop at Vijayawada and I continue to be a bookseller for
the last 28 years. I was able to begin working with major publishing
firms such as McGraw-Hill, Penguin and others. I opened a large
bookshop opposite Maris Stella College in 1988 and a Branch
at Visakhapatnam and another shop in Hyderabad in 1997. Today
I am considered to be one of the major book distributors in
Andhra Pradesh. I import books for customers, as well as export
Telugu books to other countries. In 1994, I was invited by the
British Government to study book trade in U.K. and I represented
South India. I was awarded the Distinguished Book Seller Award
by the Federation of Indian Publishers on the occasion of 50
years of Independence. I was the Founder-Secretary of Vijayawada
Book Festival Society, which organizes regular book festivals
at Vijayawada. I was the Joint Secretary for five years of ALC's
Alumni Association.
I am married and have two children. I remain thankful to God
and my teachers, especially those who guided me at ALC.
What
do you like best about the Jesuits?
Jesuits usually keep their cool and stick to the work they want
to finish. They have principles.
The
Jesuit saint whose life appeals to you?
As a student of Andhra Loyola for five long years, I know mainly
about St Ignatius Loyola whom I regard a great saint.
The
Jesuit who inspired you the most?
Late Fr Francis, SJ and secondly Fr Theckmurry, SJ. Fr Francis
was the Principal, when I joined ALC in 1972 as a young boy
of 14 years. To a great extent, he helped me mould my personality
and career. As my biological father left us for some flimsy
reasons, I had a great admiration and love for Fr Francis who
was so fatherly in his approach to boys of my age. As an NCC
cadet, I was chosen to represent my State at the Republic Day
Parade in Delhi in 1977. When I returned, he got up from his
seat and saluted me, which I can never forget. When I wished
to go to Delhi for my further studies, he gave an introductory
letter to YMCA, so that I could stay there for some time.
Fr Theckmurray, SJ, whom I continue to meet regularly, amazes
me. At the age of 84, he is still very active, trying to do
his best for the ALC Alumni Association. When we proposed a
ALCAA School, it materialised mostly due to his efforts.
The
main contribution of the Jesuits to the country?
The Jesuits' contribution to the country in the field of education
is invaluable. Through their educational institutions all over
the country, they have indirectly helped the country grow in
many aspects. Students who studied in their magnificient institutions
like Loyola, Chennai, Andhra Loyola, XLRI, and others made independent
India grow in all aspects. This canot be measured. The atmosphere
in their institutions, and the dedication with which the great
Fathers moulded the youth in those early, difficult days is
really remarkable. A painful contrast to this is the commercialisation
of education in AP and many other States.
Should
the Jesuits change anything in their life or work?
You may not like this. Several Jesuits whom I came across recently
do not seem to have the same kind of sincerity and dedication
as what we used to see in our college days. Jesuits should not
confine themselves to Catholics, but mingle and work with people
of all religions.
I
was born in 1958 in a highly educated family. My mother was
the first lady in our Taluq who graduated in 1948, though at
that time, ladies from our families were not even allowed to
go out. My father was a double M.A and he was the person who
started the English Department at Andhra Loyola College (ALC),
Vijayawada. After he abruptly left our family of five children
for no valid reason, my mother and grandmother brought us up.