FATHER GENERAL
On February 20 Father General left the Curia for a visit to India; his first stop is Vidyajyoti College of Theology in Delhi before flying to Patna where he will visit the major houses and apostolates of the Province. Father Nicolás will next visit the Province of Poona; here he will participate in the meeting of the Conference of South Asian Provincials, in addition to visiting Jesuit houses and ministries. The final stops will be Goa and Mumbai; in Mumbai he will have a meeting with local Jesuits before returning to Rome on March 9.
CURIA
The Permanent Inter-Provincial Commission (CIP), chaired by Father General, met at the General Curia in Rome from February 16 to 19. These were four days of intense discussions. The agenda included meetings at the Pontifical Biblical Institute, the Pontifical Gregorian University and Collegio Bellarmino. Representatives of the Roman Houses of the Society participated in these meetings. The lived experience of these institutions was examined particularly from the view points of academics and finances. Discussion topics encompassed the questions of recruitment and retention of students and teachers. The Commission is composed of nine Major Superiors, representing every continent.
APPOINTMENT
Father General appointed:
- Father Edward Mudavassery (HAZ) Provincial of South Asia and President of the South Asian Jesuit Conference (JCSA). Father Edward was born in 1944, entered the Society of Jesus in 1963 and was ordained a priest in 1976. Formerly, he was the Provincial of Hazaribagh and presently serves as Rector of Vidyajyoti College of Theology in Delhi.
- Father Pierre Emonet, Provincial of the Swiss Province. Fr. Pierre was born in 1936, was ordained a priest in 1966 and entered the Society of Jesus in 1976. Until now he was superior of the House of Writers Pierre Favre in Geneve.
- Father Francis Serrao, Provincial of the Province of Karnataka. Fr. Francis was born in 1959, entered the Society of Jesus in 1979 and was ordained a priest in 1992. He was actually rector of St. Aloysius College in Mangalore.
Father Myles N. Sheehan, Provincial of New England Province. Fr. Myles was born in 1956, entered the Society of Jesus in 1985 and was ordained a priest in 1994. He was a member of Loyola University Jesuit community in Oak Park, Illinois.