KSJ Writers' Forum - March 2016 Frontier Ministries

MARCH 2016MARCH 2016 Writers’ ForumWriters’ Forum0202

EDITORIALEDITORIALPraveen Martis, SJPraveen Martis, SJ

very Christian is a 'Christopher' says Pope

Francis in one of his audiences with the Efaithful in Vatican City this February. In

connection with the year of mercy, the Pope teaches

that every Christian has another name – Christopher

– which means “bearer of Christ”. In his teachings,

Pope Francis shows that there is much interplay

between mercy and mission. Every mission is mercy

brought to life.

The value of mercy becomes very important

while reflecting on the topic of frontiers. By

inaugurating the year of mercy, the Pope reminds us

that the Church is a house of

mercy and every Christian is a

missionary of mercy. The priests

and religious, who are the models

of Christian life, need to be true

leaders by living genuinely as

witnesses of mercy.

T h e G e n e r a l

congregations of the Society of

Jesus have often defined Jesuit life

and mission as “at the new

frontiers”. We are called to be on a lookout at the new

frontier ministries which involve a constant

discerning attitude. The search for the frontiers in

our mission is a never ending search which is

accompanied by concrete action. Our search for the

frontiers and the spirit of readiness to serve ensure

that our overall mission in general remains relevant

and it is truly a service of love.

What makes a particular ministry or a

mission a frontier? A frontier is a place of priority. It

is an occasion of pressing need or challenge that

awaits a response or attention. Most often, a frontier

becomes a mission that is most neglected by the

majority. It is a periphery that is crying for attention.

Therefore it calls for the people of God to be

concerned about the frontiers with the same attitude

of mercy with which “the three Divine Persons

gazed on the whole circuit of the world” and

“decided that the second person should become a

human being in order to save the human race”

(Spiritual Exercises 102) the call of the frontier is

addressed by a response of generous love and

service.

In the December 2015 issue of KSJ Writer's

Forum, we reflected on the topic

of “Saviour in Today's World” and

we put forward our thoughts on

what it means to be 'saved' in

today's context. While in that issue

we looked at the “saviours”, in this

issue we shall fix our attention at

the people who await deliverance

and emancipation. A frontier is a

battlefield for today's saviours and

in this battlefield the Good News

of Christ brings cure to many of

our ills.

A final note of wisdom from the Bhagavad

Gita. While instructing Arjuna on the right type of

charity, Lord Krishna says, “That gift which is

given, knowing it to be a duty, in a fit time and place,

to a worthy person, from whom we expect nothing in

return, is held to be Sattvic.” (BG Chapter XVII

verse 20). Lord Krishna's words let us know that we

should be doing the right action at the right time for

the right people. To be able to know the right things

to be done, we need to be men familiar with the

murmurings and the shouts of the Spirit.

“YES” TO A FRONTIER MINISTRY:WITH THE JESUIT REFUGEE SERVICE


Fr Cedric Prakash, SJFr Cedric Prakash, SJA few days ago I was in Syria- in the heart of

a country bombed, battered and bruised by a terrible th

civil war which began on March 15 2011.I also

stayed in the Jesuit Centre in Homs, where two years th

ago on April 7 2014 a great Jesuit Fr Frans Van der

Lugt (75 yrs.) was killed by terrorists all because he

lived and proclaimed God's message of love and

reconciliation. Syria is in ruins, today! According to

the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human

Rights, “this war has left more than 270,000 people

dead; of these 80,000 are civilians including 13,500

children.” Unofficially however, the death toll is far

more- with an unknown number killed in detention

a t the hands of the

government, rebels or

militants. An estimated one

million people have also

b e e n w o u n d e d ; a n

unbelievable number suffer

from trauma and other

mental –health illness

which any conflict of such

an intense nature can

generate.

Above all, this civil war has spawned the

greatest mass migration after World War II. A United

Nations report in January this year said that out of a

pre-conflict population of 23 million, 13.5 million

Syrians have been forced out of their homes; and an

additional 480,000 are still living under siege. Some

4.7 million Syrians have fled to neighbouring

countries of Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan and

significant numbers to Egypt, Iraq. Though the vast

majority have remained in the region, hundreds of

thousands have tried to make the perilous journey to

Europe, though not all reach the European shores

alive.

0303 Writers’ ForumWriters’ Forum

thoday is March 19 2016- and as I write this

I remember, St Joseph, whose Feast we Tcelebrate today- and who is also the Patron

of the Society of Jesus. I am thinking of the Joseph,

who must have felt real terrible- as he went about

looking for a place for Jesus to be born and each time

the door was shut because “there was no place in the

inn!”. After all, the couple were from 'another' place.

I see the Joseph who in sheer desperation had to

obey the angel in his dream- and overnight take

Jesus and Mary and flee into Egypt! A refugee

family! They had to run away from the hate and

jealousy, the power and the might of the Herod of the

day! I pray to the Joseph who

leaves no stone unturned- to

protect and accompany Jesus

and Mary in every way

possible!

I write this from Erbil

in Kurdistan, North Iraq-

where I have been for the last

few days in the midst of the

refugees, trying to witness and experience first-

hand the response of the Jesuit Refugee Service to

the tragedy and plight of thousands of Internally

Displaced Persons(IDPs) and refugees. I have been

listening to heart-rending stories of how Christians

had to leave their homes and all their possessions in

places like Qarakosh in August 2014 from the

incoming ISIS forces- and flee to safer and more

secure parts of the country. On the other hand, the

Yezidis who are a miniscule minority in their own

country are a nowhere people! Nowhere to go-and

no one ready to easily accept them. There are also

the smaller groups of Muslims –who are condemned

to a majoritarian sentiment and rule.

MARCH 2016MARCH 2016


Most of the refugees and the Internally Displaced

Persons(IDPs) face acute problems- which include,

living in abominable conditions in make –shift

housing, poverty, lack of employment and very little

access to quality healthcare and education.

Besides, several local communities show reluctance

to easily accept the refugees/IDPs- and impose

severe restrictions on their integration.

The situation of the refugees and IDPs in this

part of the world is pathetic and tragic. It has also

been the lot of other refugees and IDPs in other parts

of the world. Fr Pedro Arrupe (our former Superior

General) realized this

over thirty-five years

ago. In keeping with

the vision he had for a

world which is more

inclusive and all-

embracing and which

had faith-justice as its

c o r n e r s t o n e , F r .

Arrupe launched in

November 1980 the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS)

( ) 'with the mission to accompany, serve

and advocate on behalf of refugees and other

forcibly displaced persons'. Ever since the JRS has

been responding to the cries of millions of people all

over the world! Pope Francis has made the concern

for refugees as the cornerstone of his Papacy.

Two months ago, I came to Lebanon to work

with JRS as a response to a call! I went through a

long and difficult process of discernment. The work

I was doing in India was, I believe, fairly significant.

There were plenty of good and valid reasons for me

to stay on. The Lord however was calling me for

'Universal Mission'; to go out to the frontiers – and I

www.jrs.net

had to say 'yes'!

At this moment, I am overwhelmed with the

reality around me- with the pain and trauma; the

suffering and struggle that so many simple men and

women have to go through because of 'man's

inhumanity to man!';because of the lust for power

and domination; the greed for wealth and resources.

Pope Francis (and we celebrate today the third

anniversary of his Papacy), in a message to JRS

some time ago said, “To serve, to accompany means

also to defend; it means to be on the side of the

weakest. How many

times we raise our

voice to defend our

rights, but how

many times we are

indifferent to the

rights of others!

How many times we

don't know or do not

wish to give voice to

those who–like you

–have suffered and suffer, those who have seen their

rights trampled upon, those who have experienced

so much violence that even their desire to have

justice has been suffocated! It's important for the

whole Church that the welcome of the poor and the

promotion of justice are not entrusted only to

"specialists," but that they are the focus of attention

of all the pastoral work, of the formation of future

priests and other religious, of the normal

commitment of all parishes, movements and

ecclesial groups. In particular–and this is important

and I say it from my heart–I would also like to invite

religious congregations to read seriously and

responsibly this sign of the times.”



Fr Cedric Prakash, SJFr Cedric Prakash, SJContd. from pg. 03Contd. from pg. 03



Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the

one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference”

Robert Frost.

The above words from the well-known

poem entitled “The Road not Taken” by the

renowned American poet Robert Frost shed light on

the theme of Frontier Ministries. “We are too much

institutionalized” “We

have become too much

inward looking”. “I get

a feeling that we have

got stuck”. These were

the feelings expressed

by some young Jesuit

priests who came

t o g e t h e r f o r a

ref lect ion on our

mission. As Pope

Francis constantly

reminds us to go to the

periphery, this should be a wake-up call for us who

have often got stuck in the world of complacency

and mediocrity in our ministries.

Ignatius and Frontier Ministries: We can mention

ample incidents where Ignatius chose the frontier

ministries during his life time. Simon Rodrigues one

of the founding Fathers of the Society of Jesus

narrates the corporal works of mercy that they were

involved in just before their ordination in 1537 at

Venice. Five each were sent to two hospices. “In the

hospitals they waited on the indigent, made the beds,

swept the house, cleaned out whatever was soiled,

washed the pots of the poor

who were sick, carried

away the bodies of the dead

honorably prepared for

burial, dug their graves and

buried them in a religious

manner. Day and night

they were present to

everyone with such care,

fervor, joy and happiness

that all those living in the

hospitals were greatly

astounded”. The erudite

men from the University of Paris were busy in doing

menial jobs. They were able to do it because by now

all had done their spiritual Exercises and they were

affected by the person of Christ and their one desire

was to identify with Jesus poor.

FRONTIER MINISTRIES: CALLED TO TREAD THE UNTRODDEN PATH


Fr Jossie D'Mello, SJFr Jossie D'Mello, SJ

Yes, as a Jesuit I certainly do believe that I have been

called to read seriously and responsibly the signs of

the times: to be available to the Universal call of the

Society for frontier ministry. In some small way, I

am trying to do so today -through the Jesuit Refugee

Service in the Middle East and North Africa Region

(Fr. Cedric Prakash sj now works with the Jesuit

Refugee Service in the Middle East and North

Africa (MENA) Region, as Advocacy and

Communications Officer, based in Beirut ,Lebanon)

[email protected]

Contd. from pg. 04Contd. from pg. 04



Fr Cedric Prakash SJFr Cedric Prakash SJ


possibilities provided we are ready to come out of

our comfort zones.

We are called in the Jubilee year of Mercy to

be the living images of the compassion of God by

plunging into those ministries where the need is

greater and urgent. We may be working in our

institutions yet we can think outside the box, think

about the frontiers and peripheries of our localities

by taking initiatives, by choosing the untrodden path

by taking effective actions towards the upliftment of

the marginalized like slum dwellers, broken

f a m i l i e s ,

m i g r a n t s ,

e x p l o i t e d

w o m e n ,

o r p h a n s ,

c h i l d -

l a b o u r e r s ,

e t c . . O u r

m i s s i o n

includes not

o n l y o u r

institutions

but also the

cry and the needs of the oppressed. Here we need an

ongoing discernment.

Let me conclude with the quote from the

General Congregation 34: “For us [Jesuits],

frontiers and boundaries are not obstacles or ends,

but new challenges to be faced, new opportunities to

be welcomed. Indeed, ours is a holy boldness, 'a

certain apostolic aggressivity' (Pedro Arrupe)

typical of our way of proceeding” (d. 26, 561).

Today new frontiers and peripheries beckon us. Are

we reading the signs of the times? Are we ready to

tread the untrodden path?


Church's Appreciation on Frontier Ministries:

Pope Paul VI made a moving statement to the

delegates of GC 32 about the mission of the Society

of Jesus: “Wherever in the Church, even in the most

difficult and exposed fields, in the crossroads of

ideologies, in the social trenches, there has been or is

confrontation between the burning exigencies of

humanity and the perennial message of the Gospel,

there have been and are the Jesuits” (3 December

1974). Jesuits who are the companions of Jesus are

called like Ignatius and his companions to choose

not the trodden path but the untrodden, challenging

and difficult

one so as to

m a k e a

difference in

the lives of

others.

Criteria for

F r o n t i e r

Ministries:

The mission

is part and

parcel of our

Jesuit vocation. Our mission demands that we read

the signs of the times and ask constantly “what do

God and the people of God want of us today?” The

Constitutions of the Society of Jesus throw light on

the criteria for our mission. Our choice of ministries

should be governed by: greater glory of God [622],

greater universal good [622], greater need [622],

greater fruit likely to be reaped [622], where our

indebtedness is greater [622], where the need is

more urgent [623] and when there are no others to

attend to it [623]. The desire for the frontier

ministries should stem from our spirit of magis and

availability which would offer us infinite



Fr Jossie D'Mello, SJFr Jossie D'Mello, SJContd. from pg. 05Contd. from pg. 05


not hesitate to send his sons to hitherto unknown

territories. Xavier whose heart was larger than the world

traversed land and sea up to Japan and eyed even the

distant China. Ricci and de Nobili in the East, the

Reduction Jesuits, Anchieta as well as Brebeuf and

Companions in the West and countless others ventured to

serve people of diverse cultures, climes and tongues,

unmindful of hardships, hurdles and dangers.

As the world changes, the context of our mission

changes too, and new frontiers beckon us. We cannot

offer yesterday's solutions to tomorrow's problems, said

Arrupe. No doubt frontier ministries have meant paying a

heavy price at times, as we know

in the case of Rutilio Grande and

Ellacuria in El Salvador, A. T.

Thomas in India, and many others

elsewhere. The memory of the

anxious days and months Alex

Premkumar had to go through

recently in Afghanistan is still fresh in our minds.

Karnataka Jesuits too have set us an example in

the past. When the initial band of Jesuits who were just

managing to cater to the mission assigned to them, were

offered the St Joseph's Institutions in Bangalore, they

boldly accepted them counting on God's providence and

the strength of borrowed hands. When Fr General

Arrupe, at the request of the Archbishop of Shillong,

wanted JCSA to help him in the North East frontier, and

when other Provinces said they had their hands full, Fr

J.C. Pereira, Provincial, took up the challenge to work

among the `head-hunting Nagas'. When Karnataka

Province decided to move further into North Karnataka,

the couple of pioneering young Jesuits asked the Bishop

of Bellary to give them the most neglected area; they

were offered Manvi-Pannur, which has now been

developed beyond recognition.


hough the phrase `frontier ministries' has

gained prominence rather recently, especially Tafter GC 35, the concept itself and its

realization is almost as old as the Society itself. Ignatius

laid the foundation for it right at the start: while most of

the religious orders and congregations had a specific

ministry, for the order he founded no ministry was

specified; it could be any, according to the time and

circumstances, that would be for God's greater glory and

greater service of souls. In his prayer, he prays for the

generosity to give without counting the cost, to fight

without minding the wounds…

Our mission, says

GC 35, is to discover

Christ where we have not

seen him before, and to

reveal him where he has

not been seen or heard of

before. For us frontiers are

not boundaries beyond which we do not venture, but

challenges and opportunities to seek the magis, with

creative fidelity and an ̀ apostolic aggressivity' (Arrupe).

For his mission, a Jesuit, travelling by roads less

travelled, has to find a way or to make one.

Roman Pontiffs have amply acknowledged this

fact. Paul VI recognized that `wherever in the Church,

even in the most difficult and extreme fields, in the

crossroads of ideologies, in the frontline between the

deepest human desires and the perennial message of the

Gospel, there have been, and there are, Jesuits.' John Paul

II reiterated it. Benedict XVI assured the Jesuits that ̀ the

Church needs you, counts on you and continues to turn to

you with confidence' to work `where others do not reach

or find it difficult to reach.'

With the discovery of new lands, St Ignatius did

FEARLESS TO BE

ON THE FRONTIERS

FEARLESS TO BE

ON THE FRONTIERS Fr Richard Sequeira, SJFr Richard Sequeira, SJ


Fr Thomas Quadros, SJFr Thomas Quadros, SJto their homes and the people they lived with their

families. They have shed their sweat and blood, laid

down their lives having toiled to enkindle the good news

of love and dignity to human beings around them. And

today, we are graced to have the mortal remains of many

interred in our land.

Pope Leo XIII (1878-1903) had said, 'India, your sons

shall be your salvation.' (Filii tui saluti tibi). Today

Indian Christians are functioning as messengers of the

Good News not only in different parts of India, but also in

many countries

round the world.

Discernment

is a key-word in

the Ignatian lingo.

In the initial years

of the Society,

h u m a n

d e v e l o p m e n t

through education seemed the need of the hour. And

hence, religious and secular education took the centre

stage in the Jesuit apostolates round the world. Over the

centuries, the Jesuit educational apostolate has bloomed

into many universities in countries the world over,

specialising in diverse fields. And these universities are

known for quality education. Commendable, indeed.

Discernment always needs to be ongoing. That

is Ignatian – pondering and responding to the need of the

place, the people and the hour. In our country, though the

educational apostolate takes a lion's share of the Jesuit

personnel, we do have other apostolates such as pastoral,

spiritual, social-justice, ecology, refugee-service, health-

services, human development etc. All these are

diversified ministries evolved from the contextual

exigencies.


hen Ignatius sent Francis Xavier to the

Indies, he spurred him on with “Go and set Wthe world on fire.” Ignatius had set him

afire with God right from his days with Francis in Paris.

That fire had been simmering within Francis only eager

to sparkle and kindle other fires. Right from his

embarking in Lisbon for the Indies he was on call,

ministering to those on board. He spread the gospel not

only to the coastlands of the peninsular India, but beyond

- to Indonesia and

Japan. The gospel-

fire within him

would not let him

take a respite. His

frontier ministry got

cut short on Sancian

Island overlooking

China when God

took him home.

Francis Xavier is one of the many who have

made voyages to different parts of the globe, be it China

or Philippines, North & South America or Africa. When

they left their homeland and families, they left for good,

intending never to return, and made the places they went

FRONTIER MINISTRIESFRONTIER MINISTRIES

However, we cannot rest glorying on the laurels of the

past. I need to ask myself: Am I ready for a tough

mission today? The answer is given not in words, but is

revealed in my lifestyle, my attitude to comforts and

conveniences, the depth of my prayer life, the extent of

my trust in God, my readiness to face criticism, to work

sometimes alone, sometimes in a team, accepting the

strengths and weaknesses of each other. Dauntless

Ignatius, lead us on!

FEARLESS TO BE ON THE FRONTIERS

FEARLESS TO BE ON THE FRONTIERS

Fr Richard Sequeira, SJFr Richard Sequeira, SJCont. from pg.07Cont. from pg.07


“FRONTIERS” THERE YOU BELONG!!

“FRONTIERS” THERE YOU BELONG!!

Vishwas Misquith, SJVishwas Misquith, SJ

Confucianism and the Chinese classics, or the Jesuits

who reached the Guarani tribes in the unreachable

jungles of Paraguay, or Robert de Nobili, or John de Brito

who tried to reach the intelligentsia in what today is

Tamil Nadu, India.

The call to frontier ministry today, therefore, assumes

two major factors for us Jesuits:

One: to be fired within with love for Christ whose face is

seen in the faces of people we are sent to minister. This

presumes a Jesuit's daily contact with Christ in the

Eucharist and in one's personal prayer.

Two: personal and communitarian dialogue and

discernment for apostolate, taking into focus: the needs

of the people, place and the hour. This sounds like the

Jesuit adage: 'Read the signs of the times.' Be attuned.


Ongoing discernment requires that we assess our

apostolates with the Kingdom perspectives and

priorities, periodically or as needed, to be attentive to the

call of the Spirit and need of the hour. This attentiveness

implies an open mind, and courage to take bold steps.

Such openness of mind and sensitivity to the Spirit may,

at times, beckon us to wind up some apostolates that may

be redundant, or venture into new areas or initiatives that

need our presence and attention.

The Society of Jesus has been known for pioneering

efforts – whether it was Francis Xavier venturing out to

the unknown Indies, eventually wanting to reach the

wisdom-minds of China, or Matteo Ricci and Johann

Adam Schall von Bell who tried to dialogue with the

Chinese literati, men who were educated in

ope Francis has reminded us Jesuits about

our option for frontier ministries. “Your Pproper place is on the frontiers. This is the

place of Jesuits”. This call to go to the frontier

demands us to leave behind our comfort zones, to go

to the places where no one wants to go. This is also a

call to be different and to take the less trodden path

which is often dangerous. And to face the challenges

that would come on the as you break the barriers and

meet the people longing for help on the frontiers,

where no one is ready to go or fears to go.

Pope Benedict XVI in his address to GC35,

places a special trust on the Jesuits, saying, “The

church needs you, counts on you and continues to

turn to you with confidence, particularly to reach the

geographical and spiritual places where others do

not reach or find it difficult to reach.” These words

place special trust on us Jesuits to go to the frontiers

to make Christ known to all. These words also

motivate us to march out of our well settled,

comfortable communities to those who are awaiting

for a helping hand.

FRONTIER MINISTRIESFRONTIER MINISTRIESContd. from pg.08Contd. from pg.08 Fr Thomas Quadros, SJFr Thomas Quadros, SJ


moving out to the places where people are in need.

We have joined a Society which is universal with a

universal mission. So confining ourselves to our

own little communities or provinces deviates us

from the vision of the Society.

Fr Kolvenbach has reminded us, that 'a

stable monastery does not serve us, because we have

received the entire world to tell about the good

news.' So we cannot lock up ourselves inside the

closed doors. The whole world with all the people

and the entire creation is our concern. We are called

to be the bearers of Christ's love and peace to all

those still away from him.


Today, because of the technological growth

and better transportation facilities, geographical

frontiers are decreasing. As this world changes so

also the context of our mission. New frontiers are

emerging, placing before us new challenges. How

are we willing to face this challenge posed by GC35.

Today we have frontiers in the area of inter-religious

dialogue; where there is violence in the name of

religion, especially ISIS, fight for environmental

justice, are throwing before us new challenges.

We are called to join our voices with Jerome

Nadal, as he says, 'the world is our home'. The

geographical boundary cannot confine us from

FRONTIERS THERE YOU BELONG!!

FRONTIERS THERE YOU BELONG!!

Vishwas Misquith, SJVishwas Misquith, SJ


Cont. from pg.09Cont. from pg.09

“Your proper place is on the frontiers. This is the place of

Jesuits”

“Your proper place is on the frontiers. This is the place of

Jesuits”

PEARLSPEARLS


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KSJ Writers' Forum - March 2016 Frontier Ministries

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Transcript of KSJ Writers' Forum - March 2016 Frontier Ministries