La Conferencia de Provinciales Jesuitas en América Latina has some new members.

The new Jesuit provincial of the Venezuela Province takes office tomorrow. Fr. Arturo Ernesto Peraza Celis, SJ is all of 44 years old and he’s been busy working in formation (rector of the Filosofado Ignacio Ellacuría), communications (director of the review SIC), and serving as a provincial consultor. If that weren’t enough, he’s also found time to complete a PhD in political science, this on top of his earlier studies in law. He’s been a priest for 10 years …

Fe y Alegría is a Movement for Integral Popular Education and Social Development whose activities are directed to the most impoverished and excluded sectors of the population, in order to empower them in their personal development and their participation in society.
It is a movement which unites people in a process of growth, self-criticism and the search for answers to the challenges presented by human needs. It concerns education because it promotes the formation of persons who are conscious of their own potential and of the reality about them; who are …

In the burgeoning world of communications more people are communicating with more people than ever before; there are a myriad of data streams to dip into. This new reality of status updates, tweets, blog entries, photostreams, skyping, texting, emails, etc. has been described in terms that Teilhard de Chardin would understand. He imagined that the next great leap in cosmic evolution is already underway with the transformation of matter into consciousness. And with all those messages bouncing all around the world 24 hours a day, it’s not difficult to imagine …

Rejoice! Joy is the message of Gaudete Sunday. “Shout for joy, O daughter of Zion! Sing Joyfully, O Israel!” Originally forty days of fasting, Advent used to be a more penitential season than it is today.  Things change.  Indeed, throughout the first millennium the length and Masses of Advent fluctuated a great deal but St. Gregory the Great put his seal on the season when he promulgated his sacramentary collection.  At that time there were five Sundays in Advent but by the 10th …

If this feast day isn’t the day for Sister Act, then I don’t know what is.  I can’t say that I’ve seen Sister Act II but the first movie was a big hit and we could use some more Whoopi Goldberg’s in the Church these days.  Click on the image to watch this clip.