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The Polish editors of Pray as you go prepared unusual arrangements of the rosary prayer. Part 1, Joyous Mysteries #roadway The main association to the arrangement of these mysteries is a typically pilgrimage line-up, i.e. vocal and guitar. It is about conveying simplicity through a modest cast, which in combination gives a dozen rosaries, which are very easily recited on the way. Part 2, Luminous Mysteries #intimacy Jazz Quartet is a rather unusual idea for prayer, but introducing an incredibly intimate atmosphere, which manifests itself in the vocalist's very precise treatment of the text and melody, the rhythmic cooperation of drums and bass and the harmonies of the piano that fill it all. This set of non-accidental people naturally led to the creation of a kind of story, which is supposed to bring us closer to a better experience of these mysteries. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqSTR3Ohsp4 Part 3, Sorrowful Mysteries #reflection The three-voice male choir with a soloist singing in the church immediately evokes associations with the medieval Gregorian chant or organum period in music. These mysteries are intended to stimulate reflection on the time of prayer. Sorrowful mysteries are the longest of all, because the message they contain must resound, and this takes time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2T5Qm_We7yo Part 4, Glorious Mysteries #area After the Resurrection, God opened Heaven for people, creating a place and space for them to live together in God's Love and Glory. The musical arrangement of praiseworthy mysteries through the classical saxophone quartet and vocalism was to illustrate in a way this space, which in no way absorbs, but invites to contemplate God's Love. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIIYmWpkpP0

The Jesuits in Portugal launched an Ignatian formation program. The purpose is to disseminate and share, in a structured way, the inheritance of the Society of Jesus in four fundamental areas: Ignatian pedagogy, Ignatian spirituality, Ignatian leadership and discernment. Throughout the year, training modules will be developed that "can contribute to a greater apostolic efficacy and fruitfulness of the works and institutions of the Company and of the Church, with a relevant impact on society," explains Fr Domingos de Freitas, sJ, responsible for this sector. These formations will deepen the Ignatian tools and practices such as the exam, the Ignatian pedagogical paradigm or the discernment. These formations are addressed to the collaborators of the works and sectors of the Portuguese Province of the Society of Jesus, educators of Jesuit and Ignatian colleges, members of the Christian Life Community (CLC), as well as works, ecclesial movements and people from other communities. The Casa da Torre in Soutelo and the Casa de Exercícios de Santo Inácio in Praia Grande (retreat Jesuits centers)  offer as part of their respective 2018-2019 Programs, a set of formative possibilities in the abovementioned dimensions, open to the general public. However, the Ignatian Formation Service is available to accommodate requests and concrete requests that meet the training needs of people who collaborate in Jesuit and Ignatian works in Portugal and other movements or ecclesial groups. This flexibility concerns both the dates / calendar, as well as the training content and its duration. Father Domingos Freitas, sJ, says that "there is a desire, always dissatisfied, for Jesuit and Ignatian apostolic works to be characterized by a proper course of action that identifies them as being aligned with a set of values, criteria, instruments and differentiating methodologies. "In this way, he adds," there are distinctive marks of this Ignatian proceeding that cannot be invisible or go unnoticed when entering a Jesuit or Ignatian institution. "

Music is an exceptional channel for transmitting the most beautiful and profound experiences we can have, especially those for which we cannot find words. This desire is what motivates the birth of MUNDOSÍ productions, a platform that bets on music and culture as a vehicle for transmitting the values and identity of Ignatian spirituality. The project depends mainly on the Subcommission of Youth and College Pastoral of the Province of Spain, and is part of the Grupo de Comunicación Loyola. It is managed by Enric Puiggròs SJ, a musician and vocation promoter of the Spanish Jesuits, who also participates in several musical projects of his own and with fellow Jesuits (such as Jesuitas Acústico), and Oscar Santos, singer-songwriter, musician, teacher in a Jesuit school and member of the pastoral team. It also has a network that supports tasks, management, communication and social media. They have started with 3 projects in progress: ENCOMPAÑÍA project: re-recording of "Ignatian classics" and new themes related to Ignatian spirituality. Recording of new themes. LIVE MUSIC: concerts, training, animation... All kinds of shows where music is the fundamental part for our message. For students, teachers, university students, families, or any group of people to meet, Jesuit or not. The name MUNDOSÍ is composed of the words MUNDO (world) to express the universality of the message and of the Society of Jesus. SI (Societatis Iesu, S.I. or S.J.), to give identity and to transmit a sense of affirmation and positivity. You can contact MUNDOSÍ at mundosi.producciones@gmail.com to find out more or hire. It is also present in social media (Facebook and Instagram).

On October 16th, 2018 the Russian Catholic Church celebrated the 25th anniversary of the founding of the Preseminary in Novosibirsk, Russia.  The new class of three preseminarians along with friends graduates and former formators in the program shared about the evolution of the Preseminary as a history of a discernment.  After a break, the reflection turned to the future as the group shared and discussed contemporary challenges to young priests in ministry in Russia; and how these could inform a better formation process.        From the very beginning the project was entrusted to the Jesuits serving in Novosibirsk.  Since October 15th, 1993, approximately 170 seminary candidates passed through the program, a reasonable portion of whom went on to studies in the Major Seminary in St. Petersburg and on to ordination. Initially the two-year program modeled on the Jesuit novitiate/juniorate program has been transformed into a one-year program centered on a parish practicum, personal studies, social apostolate and the Spiritual Exercises. The Preseminary forms candidates from all four dioceses of Russia.

The Jesuit Refugee Service in the UK (JRS UK) is calling on the government to end the use of indefinite detention, in light of new research showing high levels of vulnerable individuals in detention. Case studies compiled by JRS UK through its outreach work into immigration detention published in a report last week show systematic disregard by the Home Office of its own rules around protection of victims of trafficking and other forms of modern slavery. The report published by JRS UK chimes with the investigation carried out by The Guardian, revealed yesterday, showing that almost 56% of those surveyed were defined as an ‘adult at risk’. Such individuals are identified as being particularly vulnerable to harm and should only be detained in extreme cases. Sarah Teather, Director of JRS UK, said “This research again reveals the cruelty of the detention system, and is a snapshot of a system which routinely incarcerates too many people for far too long. The widespread detention of vulnerable individuals, including the victims of trafficking and victims of torture is particularly egregious. But indefinite detention itself creates vulnerabilities in all who suffer its injustice.” Research published by JRS UK last week highlights the way that the Home Office’s own rules fail to protect those most in need because their vulnerability is weight against immigration factors with enforcement too often taking priority.  In the JRS UK briefing, it can be seen that even recognised victims of torture and trafficking continued to be held in detention, with the Home Office citing crimes they had committed as a result of their trafficking and the way they were illegally brought into the country against their will as reason to continue detaining them. Sarah Teather said “The reasoning given by the Home Office for continuing detaining victims of torture and trafficking is incredulous to say the least.  These are people who have been victimised by violent criminals and then found their experience held against them when it should have prompted sympathy and support.” The high numbers of vulnerable people being indefinitely detained highlighted by the Guardian last week shows a failure in the ‘adults at risk’ framework, which ultimately aims to shield people from being further traumatised as a result of indefinite detention. JRS UK believes that similar failings can be seen in the National Referral Mechanism (NRM), a system that identifies and supports individuals as a victim of trafficking, or other forms of modern slavery. Whilst providing regular pastoral support to men detained at Harmondsworth and Colnbrook Immigration Removal Centres (IRC), JRS UK has encountered a number of men who are survivors of modern slavery and trafficking. Between March 2017 and September 2018, JRS UK has supported 13 victims of trafficking in detention. Sarah Teather explains, “Our experience of supporting people in detention is that it has a crippling effect on individual well-being. Our volunteers routinely come across extremely vulnerable individuals whose conditions are made worse by the uncertainty and despair that surrounds them. Those who are the victims of trafficking are some of the most vulnerable people in society. Their subjection to further trauma within detention shows the complete lack of compassion and understanding on the part of the Home Office” In case studies compiled by JRS UK it has been found that there are a number of failings in referring individuals to the NRM, and, that when people are referred, the Home Office often rules that they are not victims of trafficking despite strong indications that they are. JRS UK has found on a number of occasions the Home Office continues to detain vulnerable adults because of their previous convictions, despite these convictions being linked to their trafficking. In the case of three individuals, all of whom had been identified as ‘Level 2 Adult at Risk’, the Home Office continued to detain them, citing their previous convictions meant the ‘negative immigration factors’ outweighed their vulnerabilities in detention. Sophie Cartwright, Policy Officer at JRS UK, says “Our research into the National Referral Mechanism for victims of human trafficking has found that it is failing to protect highly vulnerable individuals who find themselves detained. The failure of the Home Office to release individuals despite high evidence to support their case shows a complete lack of care or conscience from the government.”

On the occasion of the thirtieth anniversary of its foundation, Magis, The Italian Jesuit Action Movement for Development, which coordinates the spirit of mission and international collaboration of the Euro-Mediterranean Province of the Society of Jesus will organize the symposium: "What future for solidarity? Daring to keep the missionary spirit alive in today’s world». The event will be held on November 21st at 3 pm at the Pontifical Gregorian University (Room C012). The focus of the meeting will be a reflection and analysis of the reality of international and missionary collaboration for development through different testimonies and the presentation of data from the Censis-Magis survey: "Mission, International Solidarity and lifestyles of the Italian people" (Jesuits, friends and benefactors can also participate, through the link (https://it.surveymonkey.com/r/9ZJH3CW). The complete program:   https://magis.gesuiti.it/trentennale-del-magis-il-21-novembre-simposio-sulla-missionarieta/

This challenging statue by Timothy Schmalz depicts Jesus as a homeless person, sleeping on a park bench. His face and hands are obscured by a blanket, but crucifixion wounds on his feet reveal his identity.  The statue, which has been described as a visual translation of Jesus’ admonition  “as you did it to one of the least of my brothers, so you did it to me,” can now be found in Farm Street Jesuit Church. The statue is located inside the church before the altar in the side chapel of Our Lady of the Seven Dolours. Parish priest Fr Dominic Robinson SJ said, "It is fitting to place the Son under the protection of His mother depicted in grief where the crucifixion wounds and Mary’s pierced heart are so close together. The permanent home here for Homeless Jesus allows its message to ring true and reflect the core beliefs of the congregation and may inspire all those who see it to thoughtful consideration and action in the community." Farm Street Church is the perfect location in the centre of London for Homeless Jesus because the parish has ministered to homeless people in a very practical way for the last four years as an active member of a consortium of faith organisations who provide food and accommodation to street homeless people for eight months of the year.  Parish administrator and project co-ordinator Scott McCombe explains: “Here at Farm Street we host fifteen homeless people on Monday nights during four months of the year.  Volunteers from the parish have organised a rota for setting up the church hall, welcoming the guests, eating a hot meal with them, tidying up and setting up the hall as a dormitory.” The guests are referred by the West London Day Centre, a charity which supports homeless people from a base in Marble Arch; and food is donated by a range of Mayfair businesses. “Most of the businesses we ask respond positively and are very generous,” Scott commented, “and we are lucky in our very enthusiastic and dedicated volunteers.  We all get great satisfaction, not just from putting our faith into action in this practical way, but also when we hear about how people have managed to turn around their lives, secure permanent accommodation and find work.” Fr Dominic added, "Jesuit commitment to faith and justice in action finds expression here as a sign of welcome to all, a challenge to a culture of exclusion and judgement." The church has a footfall of between 2000 and 3000 per week, representing a very broad and transient mix of people with a stable and lively faith community at its heart. People come for private prayer, public worship and also for its beautiful art and architecture. It is one of the few central London churches which stays open all day. It is accessible and welcome to all who treat it with quiet respect. Project originated in Canada The Homeless Jesus project originated with the Jesuits in Canada: the first cast of the statue is located at Regis College in Toronto. The most famous is outside the Vatican’s charity offices in Rome, blessed by Pope Francis on its installation in 2016. There are now at least a dozen casts in the United States, as well as in Dublin, Glasgow and Manchester. Westminster City Council turned down an application to install a cast outside Methodist Central Hall in Westminster. This central London base aims to challenge perceptions and spur people to put faith into action for the most vulnerable. The statue of the Homeless Jesus will be blessed by Archibishop Edward Adams, Apostolic Nuncio to Great Britain, at a solemn mass on the 15th January 2019, at 6pm. The service will be followed by a presentation in the Hall by the sculptor Timothy Schmalz and by partners working with homeless Jesuit Refugee Service and the Cardinal Hume Centre

After six years of serving the needs of the displaced people in Aleppo during the Syrian civil war, and under the title, “Bread and Salt”, JRS Syria organized a farewell celebration on the 15th September, at the Franciscan convent. Around three hundred people were invited, fifty of whom were from the sponsors and financiers who had accompanied the JRS kitchen throughout its journey, even with small steps, and those who were the fundamental supporters and partners in the distribution points for the daily cooked meals. The rest were invitees from among the JRS volunteers from all sections. The celebration included speeches by Jesuit Fathers, the Aleppo JRS Project Director and the country JRS Project Director from Damascus, in addition to the personal sharing of an experience by one of the kitchen volunteers about his work in the cooking tent. There was also the projection of two videos prepared by our JRS media designer in Aleppo. The first one included testimonies by some beneficiaries and JRS kitchen volunteers (management team and workers). The second was a documentary of the kitchen’s journey during the past six years, explaining the service offered, the areas that had been served by JRS, the quantity food provided step by step and the improvement in the work. A tour followed for all the attendees around the cooking tent, organized by the Damascus and Aleppo media team. This tour had quite an emotional impact on the visitors who expressed their gratitude for all the efforts which had been made under the tent to serve thousands of needy displaced people in Aleppo. It was also an emotional event for the volunteers who had considered this tent as a home for them, and this home was bringing them together each day from all walks of life, it was the place the had witnessed their worries and their gladness, their joys and their sadness.

“On behalf of all of us from the Mount, we would like to thank everyone for their warm hospitality,” said William Yacomeni, Deputy Head Boy of Mount St Mary’s College, at the conclusion of the Jesuit Student Leadership Conference. “We learnt a great deal. The conference, which ran from Wednesday 26th September to Friday 29th September, was held at the Jesuit summer house in the tiny hamlet of Barmouth, North Wales. Nearly 20 student leaders from St Ignatius College (Enfield), Stonyhurst College (Lancashire), Mount St Mary’s College (Sheffield), Wimbledon College, St Aloysius College (Glasgow), and Cardinal Griffin Catholic College (Cannock) attended. Fr Adrian Porter SJ hosted the conference and the talks alongside Fr Tim Byron SJ. Whilst at the conference, the students were taught in great depth about some of the key Ignatian values on the Jesuit student profile, such as discernment, attentiveness and compassion. The idea of personality types was extensively explored, and each student did a Myer-Briggs personality test to determine their own personality types. A wide range of different identities were represented, so it was especially helpful to be taught how to incorporate all of them in one single organised team. In addition to these in-depth discussions about the nature of leadership, the students were given an ample amount of free time to explore the beaches and streets of the historic Welsh town of Barmouth. At the end of the conference, the students used their newfound wisdom to create projects that will be implemented throughout their own schools.

On Monday, October 1, a simple ceremony marked the beginning of a historic occasion for the college, the start of co-education for male and female students. Fr Delegate Michael Bugeja, Fr Rector Jimmy Bartolo, Mr John Galdes, Chairman of the College Board, School Head Ms Daniela Camilleri Sacco and a number of kinder teachers and school staff welcomed the children. Mr John Galdes spoke of the process that led to this day, “This was a three-year steady-paced, peaceful discernment process,” he stated. “The Board found great collaboration from everyone, including teachers and Jesuits."We are very proud of this moment", underlined the rector while Fr Michael Bugeja added, "Together we can be a sign of hope to today's society, while we work for the common good". The theme for the new academic year at College is ‘Alive’. Fr Michael augured that the children would be filled with the Holy Spirit that brings so much positive life to each person.

XLVII Fe y Alegría Congress in Madrid. Entreculturas hosts the XLVII Congress of the Fe y Alegría International Federation in Madrid under the motto "Fe y Alegría, a global movement. Educating in the borders" The congress wants to promote awareness of Fe y Alegría as a global movement, advancing global responses as a Federation at the borders and being an inspiring space for the Federation itself and for the world. Entreculturas will hold its annual meeting at the same time as the Congress. The meeting will be opened by Fr Arturo Sosa and will address issues such as Borders, Global Movement and Global Citizenship. The first space of the Congress will be a meeting of young people with national directors of Fe y Alegría, country delegates, the federation team, five representatives of young people, and Entreculturas Youth Solidarity Network. This youth meeting aims to generate a dialogue between Fe y Alegría and young people. They will perform a street event in the neighbourhood of La Ventilla in Madrid. The central days (29-30 sept) will address geographical, gender or intergenerational borders. There will be a dialogue on how the different delegations are responding to these borders, and how to be a global movement with global responses. After the weekend, (Oct 1) there will be an institutional event at the Palacio de Cibeles (Madrid) with the name "Agenda 2030: the challenge of an education to change the world". This event will address the importance of a transformative education, a global citizenship, the SDG 4 (Social Development Goals) and the relevance of education in the new 2030 agenda as well as the geographical contextualization. The purpose of this event is to put SDG 4 on the public agenda after the presentation of the Action Plan for 2030 in Spain on July 2018. More info: : www.congresofeyalegria2018.org

On September 6, Zakopane changed into a field game inspired by the life and spirituality of St. Stanislaus Kostka. Jesuit pastoral ministries from different parts of Poland - Lublin, Wrocław, Opole, Łódź, Warsaw, Toruń and Gdańsk attended the game. Playing together showed that getting to know the lives of saints does not have to be boring at all! 15 teams - each with a name inspired by Jesuit spirituality and history (treated seriously or jokingly, e.g. "Eternal Cassata", "It depends") - competed for the largest possible number of silver coins and pictures symbolizing the mastery of various skills and spiritual "fitness" of the first Polish Jesuit. Tasks? Very diverse: from building towers with.... trekking poles (which, moreover, had to keep a book on themselves for half a minute so that it would not be so simple), through counting angels in the Church of the Holy Family, inspired by a legend of Holy Communion given to Saint Stanislaus by heavenly messengers, to street probes. The participants, of whom there were 160 in total, had to demonstrate not only their knowledge of the lives of Jesuit saints and their most famous quotations, but above all their creativity and perceptiveness. Sometimes they also had to be quite well trained, because they could fit in 8 people on a newspaper - folded several times! - required Twister-style basses. A very interesting experience was also the question of passers-by about what holiness means to them. The answers were often very surprising (as well as the question itself). - Holiness is normality! - one of the respondents answered with conviction. Finally, at 16:00 all teams met in the Jesuit church on Górka in Zakopane. First a Holy Mass was celebrated there, and afterwards the winners were announced. The first place went to "Los Loyolos", who boasted the highest number of collected coins, for which they received, among others, books and lots of sweets. Holiness does not rule out sweetness at all! A conference devoted to the life of St. Stanislaus Kostka was also delivered there. The day ended with a huge barbecue, where sausages and oscypek were abundant. A great opportunity for integration and further common fun. Summarising: 160 participants, 15 teams ready to act, the same number of demanding tasks and Jesuit ministries from all over Poland - this is the recipe for a really great day spent on discovering spiritual treasures left to us by the patron saint of youth. After all, nobody said that getting to know the lives of saints is boredom!

On 10-13 September, 2018, the Vatican Observatory hosted the first ever workshop on the Curation of Meteorites and Extraterrestrial Samples at its headquarters in the Papal gardens of Castel Gandolfo, Italy.  Organized by Br. Robert Macke SJ (UCS), curator of the Vatican meteorite collection, and Ludovic Ferrière, curator of meteorites at the Naturhistorisches Museum in Vienna, this meeting brought together an international group of meteorite and extraterrestrial sample curators to exchange ideas, discuss best practices, and to explore ways to better serve the scientific community.  Thirty curators and collections managers from institutions around the world attended the meeting.  These institutions included museums, universities, and institutions throughout Europe, the United States, Canada, Russia, Morocco, and Japan, and represent not only meteorite collections, but also collections of materials gathered directly from space, such as the NASA Apollo moon rocks and the specimens from the Hayabusa mission to the asteroid 25143 Itokawa. During the meeting, curators gave brief presentations about their collections, and significant time was also set aside for discussions about issues pertinent to curation.  It was an opportunity to share ideas and come together as a community of curators. Participants visited the Pontifical gardens of Castel Gandolfo and the telescope domes located within the gardens. They also admired the meteorite collection on display at the Vatican Observatory. By all accounts the meeting was a great success.  Discussions were lively and moved the conversation forward on a number of topics. The meeting will culminate in an article to be published in a prominent journal on meteoritics, and an important recommendation for the scientific community regarding the reporting of specimen identifiers in journal articles.

In June 2017, the following information was disseminated: "The Jesuit Faculty of Theology in Brussels, or Institute of Theological Studies (IET), created in 1968, will cease to function after fifty years of service to the Church. But a new project is in the making, which will take over from the old one. It will be in line with the rapprochement between French and Belgian French-speaking Jesuits, which was made official on 31 July 2017, and under the impetus of the Provincial Superior, Father François Boëdec. To new wine, new wineskins! As of September 2019, we are creating something new: the Forum Saint-Michel. Its activities and proposals, marked by Ignatian spirituality, characteristic of the Jesuits, will take place mainly on the "Saint-Michel Site". On the one hand, they will target the audiences who inhabit it (the church, the School Centre, the many associations that revolve around it), and on the other hand, anyone wishing to deepen the interactions between their faith and their commitments in the world and the Church. The Forum Saint-Michel will radiate in three synergistic dimensions: Christian formation, Pastoral and Spirituality, Culture and Society. Christian formation Various courses, seminars, sessions, conferences... will be offered, over variable periods of time and according to schedules adapted to professional life, to people, young or old, wishing to work on a discovery of the Christian faith or its deepening and reflect on the interactions between this faith and their commitments. To this end, we benefit from the agreement and support of the Diocese of Mechelen-Brussels, and from the many skills of committed religious and lay people, men and women; we will build on the IET's tradition of interactive pedagogy and have its premises and library; we will also use distance learning. Without targeting a large audience, we will offer a three-year program for those who wish to attend and who have sufficient attendance. This program will not exceed 8 to 10 hours/week, and will offer the opportunity to register globally for the entire training or in successive modules. We are currently establishing contacts to validate this training with the Catholic University of Louvain-la-Neuve and the Centre Sèvres in Paris. Pastoral care and spirituality This axis will help to deepen in a practical way the link between faith and commitments in the service of the world or the Church, in line with the tradition of Saint Ignatius. It will be based in particular on the already very active Saint-Michel church; it will benefit from the proximity of the Saint-Michel School Centre, a beautiful influence in the city of Brussels, and an existing network of people trained in spiritual accompaniment. We also plan to offer the possibility of spiritual renewal in the environment of the Saint-Michel site, drawing inspiration from the heritage of our founder, Saint Ignatius of Loyola, and from his individual retreats. Culture and Society This dimension, which is already well established on the site, particularly at the cultural level, will include conferences, exhibitions, concerts, book presentations by their authors, film clubs, etc., in the church and the IET's current premises. In this way, we want to keep and intensify the contact of the Christian faith with the contemporary world so diverse, rich, complex and promising at the same time. In close contact with… For these three dimensions, we will also be in particular in contact with the Christian Life Communities (CLC), the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS), and the Centre Avec, without forgetting the Chapel of the Resurrection and La Viale Europe, two close Jesuit places oriented more towards the European environments of our capital. We will also maintain regular consultation with the diocese. Many contacts have already been made and will continue to be made to revitalize all the activities of the Forum Saint-Michel. This Saint-Michel Forum will be set up in September 2019, for a three-year trial period. During this period, the IET's current classrooms and library will be dedicated to him.

The HEST cluster on Ignatian studies meets in Brussels for the fourth time. A new meeting of the Ignatian studies cluster of the project took place on October 12 and 13. On this occasion we missed Carlos Coupeau, but we were happy to incorporate Tibor Bartok sj, professor of the Institute of Spirituality at the Gregorian University in Rome. The meeting focused on the presentation of various academic papers by members of the group. Philip Endean brought us a reflection on the evolution of the way of understanding social transformation in the Society of Jesus in the last General Congregations. Jad Chebli told us about the life of Jesuit Nicloas Kluiters, a martyr in Lebanon. His life experience continues to move and inspire. Finally, Fredrik Heiding brought us a reflection on formation for social transformation.  Thus we arrived at the last session of the meeting which we dedicated to thinking about the future of the group. We decided to meet again in the spring of 2019, this time in Rome, to continue sharing academic work related to Social Transformation and to work together on a proposed definition of this concept to help HEST clarify its own mission. José Carlos Romero   Kraków’s seminar on the theme: “A powerful universe – levels of powers”. The Science and Religion HEST Cluster - after a series of preparatory Skype meetings – gathered face to face in the real world. On 6-7th of October 2018 in Cracow (Poland) took place our second working seminar. It was the first of three gatherings of the HEST Cluster on Science and Religion which were planned within the project “A powerful universe – levels of powers” elaborated by the gathering of the Cluster in February 2018 in Innsbruck.  The following members of the Cluster took part in the event: prof. Josef Quitterer from Innsbruck University, dr Jacek Poznański SJ from Jesuit University Ignatianum in Cracow (coordinator of the cluster and the organizer of the seminar), dr Bruno Nobre SJ from Catholic University of Portugal in Braga), prof. dr Ulf Jonsson SJ from Newman Institute in Uppsala in Sweden. Dr Francois Euvé SJ from Centre Sevre in Paris joined the workshop by online Skype connection. Four working papers were read and the outlines of two others were presented. Each paper was followed by the discussions. Many new ideas and fresh insights came out in the debates which were alternated with the coffee breaks. The aims of the seminar were the constitution of the closer scientific collaboration between the members of the Cluster as well as the preparation of the final event: Paris’ conference at the end of 2019. The gathered members of the Cluster shared about the way we had made together so far and about the future perspectives of collaboration and funding. In the reflection on the social transformation dimension of our research we stressed especially the need to make known the Cluster in the wider audience of our home Departments, Institutes and Faculties. We should also facilitate and foster the connections with people with other Jesuit academic institutions who have been doing some research on science and religion issues. The first day was rounded by the late evening visit in a traditional Polish restaurant made possible by the courtesy of the Institute of Philosophy at the Jesuit University Ignatianum. In sum, the meeting was a time of lively exchange and friendly being together. We all are grateful to the community of Cracow’s Jesuit College, which generously accommodated and fed most of us during these days, and to the Dean of the Philosophical Faculty, prof. Tomasz Homa SJ, for the financial support. Jacek Poznański SJ

Jesuit Bishop Alan McGuckian says that Northern Ireland must continue to be recognised as a ‘special case’, in this post-Brexit era. He says the Good Friday Agreement is what allows the Britishness of Northern Ireland citizens, and the Irishness of  Northern Ireland citizens, to be acknowledged and respected. Writing in an opinion piece published in The  Mail on Sunday, 14 October, 2018, the Bishop of Raphoe, Co. Donegal, he said, “Northern Ireland remains a special case and it must have special status to reflect that fact. It should remain a part of the United Kingdom and it must also retain all of the special relationships with the rest of Ireland that the Good Friday Agreement mandates.” Bishop McGuckian  also drew parallels between the two female British Prime Ministers, Margaret Thatcher and Teresa May. Many years ago Mrs Thatcher, in an effort to placate the Unionist population, once proclaimed that Northern Ireland was “As British as Finchley,” a typical English town and Thatcher’s parliamentary constituency.  “The claim drew smiles even then”, notes the Bishop, ” because… it simply is not so.”  This is because the statement completely ignores the fact that half of Northern Ireland (unlike Finchly) is made up of Nationalists,  and for them, “Northern Ireland is as Irish as Connemara though it is not Irish in the same way as Connemara is.” Eventually, Mrs Thatcher signed the Anglo-Irish agreement. It paved the way for her successors to sign up to the Good Friday Agreement, which has yielded many years of peace in the country. Today, Prime Minister Teresa May often refers to the “integrity of the United Kingdom” when referring to Irish border and its fate post-Brexit, the Bishop notes. This may be of comfort to pro-Brexit Unionsits like the DUP , “but Mrs May must remember that when Margaret Thatcher made her peace with the truth about Northern Ireland, British AND Irish, she did it in the face of fierce opposition from the DUP. Their opposition was rooted in a rigid reading of the claim that ‘Northern Ireland is as British as Finchley’ and it needed to be faced down then.”  In essence, Bishop McGUckian says the claim needs to be faced down today as well, if we are to protect the “precious peace” on this island and uphold the principles of the Good Friday Agreement, an internationally binding treaty. Northern Ireland should indeed remain part of the UK he argues, “and it must also retain all of the special relationships with the rest of Ireland that the Good Friday Agreement mandates. That Agreement called for ‘parity of esteem’ for the two national identities, recognising the right of all citizens to be considered as Irish or British or, indeed, both.”. This being the case, Bishop McGuckian believes, “The ‘backstop’ proposal – that there must be a common regulatory area on the island of Ireland in order to safeguard North-South cooperation and the all-island economy – is essential if the gains from the Good Friday Agreement are not to be thrown aside.”

On the 6th of October, Sebastian Maly SJ, Clemens Kascholke SJ and Jörg Nies SJ were ordained to the priesthood in Frankfurt/M. by Bishop Georg Bätzing (Limburg). More than 800 guests - including families, friends and many Jesuits - gathered in the Cathedral of St. Bartholomew in Frankfurt. Bishop Bätzing spoke in his sermon about consolation and vocation: “Only who knows himself exactly and knows what he wants, will also know what God wants from him. ... Finding the will of God is closely connected with getting involved in one's own path of life. ... This shows a specific understanding of vocation, namely that man in the totality of his destinies may be understood as a call of God. He does not receive the call of God, he is ‘God's call’.” Subsequently, the three candidates for ordination gave the first blessing to the faithful. Afterwards there was the possibility to congratulate the newly ordained priests at the reception in the "Haus am Dom". Their first mass the newly ordained celebrated one day later in the Jesuit Church St. Ignatius in Frankfurt.

One hundred and fourteen Jesuits went to Rostkov, the birthplace of Stanislaus Kostka, to worship the young saint and to celebrate the Eucharist there. The pilgrims of the Jesuit Novice, who died 450 years ago, were greeted by canon Adam Chmielewski, the parish priest in Rostkow. The Mass was presided over by the Superior of the Northern Poland Jesuit Province, Fr. Tomasz Ortmann, and the sermon was delivered by Fr. Jacek Olczyk SJ. The preacher spoke about the submissiveness of St. Stanislaus Kostka to his Lord, God, and at the same time about his stubbornness in the face of various adversities, about his tenacity to fulfill what he discovered in his heart. Fr. Jacek encouraged the Jesuits to keep listening to him and to look at their attitudes towards young people. "How do we treat them? Can we sustain the spirit they have in them? Can we take care of it or, on the contrary, do we have such old habits to erase young people who consider themselves wiser and blow away what was burning in their hearts? Jacek asked each Jesuit two questions: In the last year, did you discover in yourselves some inspiration of the Holy Spirit, for which you had to fight, face difficulties in order to surrender to him? Have you recognized the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in someone else, and have you supported it, have you nurtured it, or do you still have this sensitivity in your heart? The Jesuits gathered around the Eucharistic Table at the Shrine of St. Stanislaus Kostka in Rostków, prayed for the fruits of the Synod dedicated to youth held in the Vatican, for educators of children and youth, for lay co-workers, for the Homeland, for sick confreres, for novices, for works in progress.

October 13th was a festive day for the European Low Countries Region. In the chapel of the Fondation Saint Jean de Dieu in Paris in Paris, Pascal Calu has pronounced his first vows, together with Christian Bour (EOF) and Benoît Thevenon (EOF). Pascal did his noviciate in Birmingham, but is studying now in Paris. In Heverlee (Belgium) Walter Ceyssens took final vows in the hands of regional superior Fr. Johan Verschueren. A trio of his new community, Lessius, sang and played a moving “Take, Lord, receive” and “Âme du Christ”.

On September 29 Juan José Aguilar Díez and José María Segura Salvador have taken Final Vows at the Comunidad San Ignacio in Valencia. The joy for the Last Vows of our companions Juan José Aguilar Díez SJ (Juanjo) and José María Segura Salvador SJ (Chema) lasted the whole weekend in the PAL of Valencia-Gandía. On Friday afternoon we held a preparatory prayer vigil at the Arrupe Center. And at 12 o'clock in the morning of the following day the ceremony began in the same church, presided by the delegate of the PAL, Ignacio Dinnbier SJ and concelebrated by Juanjo and Chema, the superiors of the PAL and the Jesuits of the community of San Ignacio, as well as other Jesuits who came to share this emotional day. At the beginning of the Eucharist, Juanjo Aguilar pronounced a thanksgiving for all those family members, friends and Jesuit companions who, mostly from Valencia itself - where Chema is from - and from Valladolid - where Juanjo comes from - had come to accompany them. And he asked them to pray for both of them. The Gospel (John 21:7) to which the invitation card to the vows referred ("and he threw himself into the water") marked the celebration. Jesus appears to the disciples after the Resurrection by the lake of Tiberias and Peter, upon recognizing him, throws himself into the water to quickly reach the shore next to him. "Diving into the water" is the last and definitive dive of our companions in their long formation in the Society of Jesus. The mothers of Juanjo and Chema participated especially in the offertory, contributing bread and wine, and the petitions were read by the Magis groups of the Arrupe Center, people from the San José and CLC schools. At the end, Chema had other words of thanksgiving. Then we were able to enjoy an aperitif in the gardens of the Centro Arrupe. On Sunday morning we continued celebrating a meal shared between the Jesuits of the community and the families of our two companions.