Frater@NJBC

Br. Bob Macke (MIS) was awarded the Smithsonian Graduate Student Fellowship to conduct research in Washington, D.C. on meteorites. Bob is working on his doctorate in physics and astronomy at the University of Central Florida.

The San Francisco Examiner wrote a great article on Bro. Douglas Draper, SJ (CFN) who has been the dean of students at St. Ignatius College Prep in San Francisco for 42 years.  The article does a great job of speaking of him as a brother to all.  Bro. Draper is highly respected in San Francisco and at St. Ignatius College Prep.  

“For Brother Douglas Draper, the key was always in the preparation: If there were a bunch of students celebrating after a game, where would they go? Or if someone were holding a prom party at a hotel, which inn in San Francisco would it be?”  Here is the link to the full story, Draper was a brother to all.

There is a documentary being produced on the life of St. Rene Goupil, SJ, a Jesuit brother who was a Jesuit missionaries who was killed in 1642 by Native Americans.  This documentary is based on the book, The Ghost in the Mohawk Valley by Fr. William Breault, SJ (CFN).  Below is the trailer to the documentary.

Br. John Fava, SJ (MIS) has been asked to give the invocation and benediction at the State of Missouri Police Memorial Ceremony in Jefferson City for those police officers who have died in the line of duty.  There is also a candle light vigil the night before the memorial ceremony.  The dates of these events are May 2 & 3, 2008.  Br. Fava is also the NJBC rep for the Missouri Province.

Br. Jerry Pryor, SJ (Det), recently completed a portrait of the opera singer Salvatore Licitra.  The singer’s brother took the painting to the family home in Switzerland as this was Salvatore’s first portrait.  Licitra replaced Pavarotti when the tenor canceled at the Metropolitan Opera as well as replacing him all over the world.

Today is the feast day of Blessed Ralph Ashely, SJ who was a English Jesuit brother who was martyred on April 7, 1606.  Here is a brief bit of information on him from the Catholic Online web site:

Ralph Ashley d.1606, martyr. An Englishman, he served as cook at Douai College, went to Valladolid, Spain in 1590, became a Jesuit laybrother and returned to England in 1598. He served and was captured in 1604 with Fr. Edward Oldcorne. He was frightfully tortured during two years of imprisonment in the Tower of London then was executed at Worchester on Apr. 7. He was beatified in 1929.

May Blessed Ralph Ashley pray for us!

Today is the feast of Blessed Francisco Aranha, SJ who was martyred outside of Cuncolim in the South Goa district of India in 1583 at the age of 32.  He is a martyr of India.  Here is some information on the Jesuit from the main Jesuit web site:

Francisco Aranha (1551-1583) was born in Portugal, probably in Braga. He traveled to Goa where his uncle had been Goa’s first archbishop and entered the Society of Jesus as a brother on Nov. 1, 1571. His first two assignments were at the colleges in Cochin and Goa. About 1577 he was assigned to the Salsette mission where he devoted himself to building churches and chapels. When the five Jesuits were attacked outside of Cuncolim, Brother Aranha was the second to be struck. Villagers cut his neck with a saber and thrust a spear into his side and left him for dead. He managed to drag himself into the woods where people found him and attacked him further, still without killing him. Finally he was forced to stand up before an idol but refused to bow before it. An ax blow ended his suffering.

Br. Jim Siwicki, SJ has been chosen by the provincial for the California Province of the Society of Jesus to be the next director of vocations effective July 31, 2008.  Currently there are two other brothers who are vocation directors in the United States Assistancy and they are, Jim Boynton, SJ of Detroit province and Chris Derby SJ representing the New York and Maryland provinces.  Congratulations to Jim Siwicki!

The National Jesuit Brothers Committee is sponsoring an Institute of the History of Jesuit Coming to North America at Santa Clara University from June 27 to July 1, 2009!  Come join us and have fun learning about our history in North America.  More details to follow.  Click the following link to see a teaser video for the event.  This event will be open to all Jesuits (brothers, priests and scholastics).

Br. Jim Boynton, SJ, vocation director of the Detroit Province and a delegate at General Congregation 35, was interviewed by Jesuit Voices in Rome and talks about his vocation as a Jesuit brother.  Click the following link to hear Jim’s interview on Jesuit Voices.  Click the following link to download the podcast of his interview in Internet Explorer, right click and choose "Save target as".