Meet the Catholic Jesuits

28 Aug, 2016 - 00:08 0 Views

The Sunday Mail

Father Arnold Moyo SJ
I often interact with curious people who want to understand Catholicism. We talk of the Pope, collegiality of Bishops, guilds, the clergy, sacraments and so on. Among frequently asked questions are the ones to do with an order called Jesuits. ‘Who are the Jesuits? What role do they play in the church? The Society of Jesus, affectionately known as the Jesuits, is a religious order of priests and brothers within the Catholic Church.

The Jesuit order was founded by a Spanish soldier, St Ignatius of Loyola, in 1540 in Rome. The character of Jesuits is inspired by the life-changing experience and spiritual journey of St Ignatius, who experienced a religious conversion during a period of convalescence from a wound received in battle.

St Ignatius embarked on a journey of spiritual self-discovery, culminating in his decision to engage in studies in order to be of help to others and the church. It was during his studies at the University of Paris that he met his first companions such as St Francis Xavier, who were to be the first Jesuits.

There are about 16,700 Jesuits in the world today, making the Society of Jesus the largest male religious order in the Catholic Church.

These work in 112 countries. Jesuits belong to administrative regions called provinces. There are about 270 Jesuits belonging, working and studying in the Province of Zimbabwe-Mozambique, which includes South Africa.

History of Jesuits in Zimbabwe
The first Jesuit to ever set foot in present day Zimbabwe was a popular missionary, Fr Goncalo da Silveira, a Portuguese Jesuit.

Fr Goncalo came to Zimbabwe in 1555. Da Silveira came to the Kingdom of Monomotapa (most of what is present day Zimbabwe and partly in present day Mozambique) on December 26, 1560. He evangelised the king’s family, whom he later baptised. Conspiracy by Arab traders led to his murder in 1561.

In 1880, Jesuits came up from South Africa and arrived at King Lobengula’s court in Bulawayo. The King allowed them to establish a mission. The mission was however burnt down when the King burnt down the town and left with the defeat of his army by the British colonialists.

For love and commitment to service, Jesuits then established another mission, Empandeni Mission, the first Catholic mission in Zimbabwe which is still in existence. They later built St Mary’s Cathedral in 1903 which Pope Francis declared a basilica in 2013.

In Mashonaland, Jesuits established many other centres such as Chishawasha Mission and the Sacred Heart Cathedral in the Archdiocese of Harare.

Today, Jesuits in Zimbabwe work mostly in the Archdiocese of Harare, the Diocese of Chinhoyi and also in Mozambique.

What then inspired all these efforts and those done by Jesuits today?

Fr Chiedza Chimhanda SJ, the Provincial of Jesuits in Zimbabwe and Mozambique says, “As Jesuits we work to promote the Kingdom of God. We preach the good news. We promote justice and peace and we uphold human dignity. One of our characteristics is to stand with those on the margins and in that we respond to unique social concerns.”

What Jesuits do

The mission of these men is “the service of faith of which the promotion of justice is an integral part.”

The Society of Jesus seeks to promote a faith that does justice.The Jesuit way of proceeding is inspired by Ignatian spirituality, which centres around ‘Finding God in all things’.

Jesuits run four parishes in Harare, Catholic centres of worship,namely Our Lady of Wayside Mt Pleasant, St Francis Xavier Braeside, St Peter’s Mbare and Holy Name Mabelreign with its sub parish St Stephen’s Dzivarasekwa.

They also serve in missions like the historical Chishawasha, Visitation Makumbi, St Paul’s Musami and St Rupert’s Makonde, as well as Banket Rural Parish.

In most of these parishes, there are programmes to uplift society and deal with various economic and social challenges faced by the community members. Projects like St Peter’s women empowerment and income generating project has been implemented in Mbare.

One of the popular phrases in projects is being ‘people for others.’ This explains why so much effort is put into serving society and responding to social concerns.

The work of these brothers and priests recognises the importance of education in the formation of society.

For more than 120 years in Zimbabwe, Jesuits have contributed immensely in education.

Eighteen Catholic schools in Zimbabwe are run by the Jesuits and all strive for excellence. The Jesuit Provincial of Zimbabwe-Mozambique, Fr Chiedza Chimhanda SJ said, “Jesuit education, like all good education in the world, prepares one to be a citizen of the world. It trains the intellect and the heart so that the end product will be a competent and compassionate person.”

The schools in and around Harare include St Georges College, St Ignatius College, St Peter’s Mbare, Hartmann House, Chishawasha, Makumbi and Musami Mission schools, and St Peter’s Kubatana Secondary and Technology Centre.

Through a holistic approach to education, Jesuit schools are renowned for excellence in both academic and extra curricula activities. The Society of Jesus is inspired to motivate students to get involved in the building up of a more just world, and to learn to work with and for others.

Institutions like Silveira House have more than 50 years of great service in civic education, research and social development that focuses on building a more just, equitable and participative society.

Youths are a priority of the mission. In various works that involve the formation and holistic development of youths, Jesuits have done so much with projects like the Integral Youth Development Project, Zambuko House Rehabilitation and Skills Training Home for street children, the Shingirirayi Project, and the Pedro Arrupe Home and Education Centre for hearing impaired children in Musami.

In all these activities, Jesuits seek to communicate to others the gifts, the freedom, and the joy of the Ignatian spiritual heritage. This is done directly through the giving of retreats and the formation of Christian Life Communities.

Jesuits in other parts of the world engage in similar activities, including running and lecturing at Jesuit and Non-Jesuit Universities, research and publication, providing healthcare as doctors, advocating social justice as lawyers and social workers, and fighting the cause of refugees through the Jesuit Refugee Service.

One of the Jesuits, Mario Bergoglio SJ was in 2013 elected to be the Pope, assuming the title Pope Francis.

Fr Moyo SJ is the Jesuit Communications editor.

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