Spiritual Friendship
among University Students:
A Reflection for the Feast of St. Francis Xavier
“A young student from a ‘good Catholic family’ of means arrives at a Catholic university to ‘qualify’ himself for a comfortable position back home, arranged for by his family. He is certainly bright enough, personable, good looking, and a capable athlete. While he follows the requirements of the Church, he isn’t a ‘fanatic’ and tends to avoid those students too interested in excessive prayer or community service outreach. Studies, of course, are not a huge strain for him, though he generally spends more time with friends at games and the ubiquitous parties than with the books. Even his communications home are not surprising, “thanks for the allowance, and send more money when you can; no I’m not living as irresponsibly as you may have heard from recent visitors” (
Into their lives in February 1528 there came Inigo de Loyola (only later did he go by the name of Ignatius), fifteen years their senior. Loyola was looking for “friends in the Lord” who would join him in “helping souls” to reform their lives and so renew the Church. To answer objections from the Spanish Inquisition that he could not help souls spiritually without having studied theology, he had gone back to school, even learning Latin with schoolboys.
Whatever the truth of that, Xavier wrote to his brother about the influence of Loyola on his life, “it never will be possible for me to repay my full debt to him, both for his having often helped me with money and friends, and for his having been the cause of my separation from bad company, which in my inexperience I did not recognize as such.”
These decisive friendships in the Lord made while studying at university remind the Church of the importance of chaplaincy activities, which offer our young people the chance to integrate faith and reason and to develop their spirituality as they shape the future directions of their lives. They also point to the important role of bodies such as Canadian Catholic Campus Ministry and Catholic Christian Outreach in building networks of Catholics who wish to live boldly their attachment to Christ and His Church while in studies.
* * *
MEMORIAL – ST. FRANCIS XAVIER, PRIEST
O God, who through the preaching of Saint Francis Xavier won many peoples to yourself, grant that the hearts of the faithful may burn with the same zeal for the faith and the Holy Church may everywhere rejoice in an abundance of offspring. Through our Lord.
* * * * * *
DEATH OF MSGR JOSEPH QUINN
PASTOR OF KNOCK PARISH, IRELAND
& ADMINSTRATOR OF KNOCK SHRINE
I was saddened to learn of the death on Thursday of Msgr Joe Quinn who had hosted Father James Conn and me when we visited the Shrine of Our Lady of Knock in the Tuam Archdiocese in June and December 2010, and in March 2011, as we conducted the visitation. He will be missed by his confrere priests and by the many pilgrims to whom he gave a warm welcome.
His wake will be held this evening and the funeral tomorrow afternoon at the Basilica Church; he will be buried on the grounds of the Shrine.
R.I.P.
* * * * * *
INSTALLATION OF
MGR PAUL-ANDRE DUROCHER
AS 4TH BISHOP/2ND ARCHBISHOP
OF GATINEAU
MGR PAUL-ANDRE DUROCHER
AS 4TH BISHOP/2ND ARCHBISHOP
OF GATINEAU
Here are some photographs of events attendant on Wednesday evening's installation of Archbishop Durocher as bishop of the Archdiocese of Gatineau.
Papal Nuncio , Archbishop Pedro Lopez-Quintana presided the inauguration of the new apostolic ministry, which took place at the beginning of Mass.
As it was the feast of the Apostle St. Andrew, the bishops of the Gatineau ecclesiastical province (Amos, Mont-Laurier, Rouyn-Noranda) were vested in red; the rest of the bishops wore white, which can substitute for other colours.
No comments:
Post a Comment