Not often does the head of one of the world’s largest religious orders of the Catholic Church spend time with simple shepherds at one village in the Goa province of the Jesuits. Fr Roland Coelho, SJ, Jesuit Provincial of the Goa Province, recalls the recent visit of Fr Arturo Sosa, Superior General of the Society of Jesus, to Goa and Belgaum.
Rev Fr Arturo Sosa, the Superior General of the Society of Jesus, landed in Goa on February 25. During his brief stay here in Goa, he addressed the Jesuit Conference of South Asia (JCSA) during their bi-annual meeting that was held at Pedro Arrupe Institute, Raia. He celebrated the holy Eucharist at Bom Jesus Basilica in Old Goa for his brother Jesuits, their family members, benefactors, and partners in mission (teachers, administrators, etc.). He visited the Goa Province Jesuit communities and works, both in Goa and in Belgaum district.
During his short and packed visit to the Goa Province of the Jesuits, Fr General touched the hearts of Jesuits and their partners in mission. He challenged them on four key issues:
TO RETURN TO THEIR SPIRITUAL ROOTS: Fr General came across as a man of prayer, a man of God. Through the Universal Apostolic Preferences that he has recently promulgated, Fr General invites Jesuits to show people the way to God, particularly through the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius (their founder) and the Ignatian tool of discernment (choosing what God wants through prayer). He warned that there is a possibility of being superficial and not going into the depth of leading people to deeper union with the Almighty. And Jesuits cannot do this if they themselves are not men of prayer.
TO COLLABORATE IN MISSION: Fr General endeared himself to people wherever he went, spending time with them and allowing them to get photographs with him. He gave them time. He was very clear that the teachers, farmers, shepherds, social workers, parish council members (to name a few) are partners in mission. All are collaborators together in one mission of building a better humanity. There is common ground for people of good will of all faiths; we want to work together in caring for this planet, in caring for society.
TO CARE FOR OUR COMMON HOME: Fr General spent time with simple shepherds in Kadoli, a village in Belgaum district. He learned about the functioning of the biogas plant that converts human and animal waste into clean cooking gas thereby preventing the burning of fossil fuels and improving the health of poor villagers. (The Jesuit social organization—Jana Jagran—has constructed 20,000 biogas plants in North Karnataka.) Fr General challenged Jesuits and their friends in mission to discern alternative models of life based on respect for creation, to modify their habits of life, and to promote new small actions that heal the planet.
TO WALK WITH THE POOR: It was inspiring to see Fr General literally walking with farmers and shepherds. He even administered syringes of deworming and vitamin doses to sheep. The shepherd smells of the sheep. In his talks, he challenged Jesuits to fulfill their mission of reconciliation and justice by walking with the outcasts, the poor, the migrants, and those whose dignity has been violated. As companions of Jesus Christ, he challenged them to remember the heritage of the former Jesuit superior general late Fr Pedro Arrupe (recently Servant of God) and to have a special place in their hearts for the migrants and those who have been trafficked.
Fr Sosa left Goa on March 2 to Mumbai. His visit was a time of grace, calling Jesuits and their partners in mission to a conversion of heart and life.
The writer is the Jesuit Provincial of the Goa Province.