Building a ‘just, livable, humane world’

The President of Ireland, Michael D Higgins sent a warm letter of thanks to Irish Jesuits International for the celebration of their 80th anniversary, which he described as “eighty years of dedicated service and profound commitment to justice and human dignity.” IJI works in 11 different countries within the Global South » partnering with Jesuit works which target the marginalised, vulnerable and those living in poverty, regardless of background, ethnicity or religious beliefs.

The President wrote, “For the past eight decades, Irish Jesuits International has stood in compassionate solidarity with countless marginalised and disadvantaged communities across the globe, bringing a message of hope and mutual respect inspired by the enduring values of your Ignatian tradition. This, as I know, placed them on occasion as targets of State and non-State violence.” He cited in particular the six Jesuits in El Slavador, who along with their housekeeper and her young daughter “were brutally murdered, targeted for their courageous advocacy for the poor and for daring to speak the truth, of human rights.”

Referencing the themes of IJI’s 80th anniversary event, including gender­ responsive education, climate justice and sustainable livelihoods, President Higgins said, “They are a powerful reflection of your continued commitment to both the dignity of the person and the very future of our shared, vulnerable planet, and its sustainability of an ecologically responsible way of life, with justice and an equality of participation in life-defining decisions.”

The President’s letter was read at a conference organised by IJI to mark their anniversary. The event took place in the Arrupe Room in Milltown Park Dublin on Friday 16 May from 11am – 1.30 pm. Irish Provincial Fr Shane Daly SJ extended a warm welcome to the Jesuits, friends and colleagues of Irish Jesuits International who had gathered for the day.

Fr Daly said that it was appropriate that the celebration should happen in Milltown Park, “where the Mission office was created 80 years ago to serve and support the work and needs of the Jesuits rebuilding the Hong Kong mission after the Second World War and support the emerging mission in Northern Rhodesia as it then was.”

The Provincial continued, “The generosity, commitment, resilience, and faith of our Jesuit missionaries and lay colleagues has borne much fruit building up the Kingdom,” noting that, “Long before showing the way to God, walking with the excluded, journeying with youth, and care for our common home were spoken of as Universal Apostolic preferences, they were at the heart of what our missionaries did.”

He assured the IJI team and all Irish Jesuit missionaries of the Province’s prayers and support for their work in “building the just, livable, humane world that God desired, at the outset, for Creation.”

Speakers on the day included IJI Director John Guiney SJ, who read the letter marking the occasion from President Michael D Higgins. John himself spoke about how the understanding and development of missionary work had evolved over the past 80 years.

Another Jesuit, Leonard Chiti SJ, Provincial of the South Africans Jesuit Province, outlined the possibilities of new pathways to solidarity between the global North with its high income countries (eg Europe , USA and Canada,) and the low and middle -income global South (Asia, South America and Africa).

The Irish Ambassador to Tanzania Nicola Brennan spoke about various partnerships (eg between NGO’s and governments) and how the partners worked together in development projects. In Malawi, the Jesuit Refugee Service is partnered with IJI providing support for a number of eco-friendly agricultural projects that promote sustainable development for farmers.

Martha Phiri is the Advocacy Officer with the Jesuit Centre for Ecology and Development in the country. She spoke about her work there with a women’s group set up to produce energy efficient cooking stoves (using local clay soils) which they then sell in the nearby market. In the early days of this project these women had to carry the clay by foot, but a further project involving the procurement of bicycles » saw to it that the stove production time is shortened since the women no longer have to walk for the clay or deliver the stoves by foot. The group of empowered women has expanded from seven members to over twenty in a few short years.

Mrs Rose Goodstadt is a philanthropist and longtime supporter of IJI. She spoke movingly about her friendship with Jesuit missionaries in Hong Kong, including Fr Russell SJ, and Fr Joseph Mallin SJ » The latter’s father, Commandant Michael Mallin, was executed by the British Government for his part in the 1916 Easter Rising, Ireland’s revolution against British rule ».

Mrs Goodstadt recalled how Fr Joseph told her the story of his mother receiving a letter from his father, written in jail, in which he asked that his son Joe, (who would have been only two at the time) would become a priest. This Fr Joe duly did, serving as a Jesuit in Hong Kong until his death at the grand age of 105.

Tony O’Riordan SJ shared memorable stories from his time working in South Sudan and Syria, and more recently in Portadown, Northern Ireland. He named the people he would never forget, making the crucial point that missionary outreach is always a two-way process. Whatever is given or shared by the person on mission is returned a hundred fold to them by the people they try to serve. Like the young student migrant in Portadown whom Tony took to buy clothes in a local shopping centre. Tony gave him a voucher and let him off with himself. When the young man returned he had bought the clothes but also had some money left over – deliberately as he said – so that he could take Tony to lunch.

A barbecue lunch was served to guests afterwards in the walled garden. The weather held up (with just a few summer showers!), as those gathered shared memories of their work and service for Irish Jesuit Missions down all the years.