Jesuit Voices Podcast webmaster@sjcuria.org (Philip Debruyne SJ)

Le Père Eugène Goussikindey est provincial de l’Afrique de l’Ouest, le territoire des anciennes colonies Françaises. Après ses études au Canada il a été nommé professeur de philosophie à Kimwenza (Rép. Du Congo) et de théologie à Nairobi (Kénia). Dans la formation des jeunes de sa province il insiste beaucoup sur le désir d’être lié à Dieu comme son instrument dans le monde ; en outre sur la nécessité de s’exposer à l’occident pour obtenir une licence en philosophie ou en théologie. Il réfléchit à des moments joyeux et douloureux de sa province et de la Compagnie en Afrique.

Fr. Joseph Christie, SJ, presently the Director of LIBA (Loyola Institute of Business Administration), Chennai, India, was on a visit to Rome for participating in the annual meeting of The International Association of Jesuit Business Schools (IAJBS). He narrates about the environment where he grew up as Christian and the inspiration, which enabled him to become a Jesuit and eventually the Director of an esteemed business school in South India. Holding the leadership of the African Initiatives of IAJBS, Fr. Christie explores the possibility of developing business education in Africa. He stresses the point that Jesuit business education should differentiate itself from other business schools by giving certain value orientation and a holistic formation to its students.

Fr. David Nazar, a Jesuit priest of Ukrainian origin, born and brought up in Canada has an incredible experience of practicing faith in two different Rites, the Byzantine and the Latin, in the Catholic Church. He explains how it became an aid for his later ministry, as Fr. Peter Hans Kolvenbach, S. J. invited him to establish the Jesuit District in Ukraine.He is presently the superior and also involved in the Jesuit Refugee Service in Ukraine.

Fr. Xavier Jeyaraj was born in Tamil Nadu, India in 1962 and joined Calcutta Province of the Soceity of Jesus in 1982. As a child, being moved by the great example of Fr. Leveil, S.J, inspired by the life of St. Francis Xavier, and with an overwhelming urge to work for the poor, he opted to work with and for the marginalized. He completed his Masters in Social Work and Bachelors in Civil Law and started a Social Centre called Udayani (rising sun) in Kolkata in 1998. From July 2007, he was the Coordinator for Social Apostolate of the South Asian Conference. He strongly believes that only by teaching the poor people to stand on their own feet and defend themselves, we can bring social changes. The motive for him to pick up legal studies was to defend the people who have nobody to speak for them. Xavier, now as the Assistant at the Social Justice and Ecology Secretariat (SJES)in the Jesuit Curia in Rome, will take care of the planning of the commitment of the Secretariat, especially building up of Global Ignatian Advocacy Networks (GIAN).

Father Gerald R. Blaszczak (born 1949) was fascinated by the openness, the social involvement, the intellectual search, the real piety and the friendship of the Jesuits at their High School in Dallas (USA) at the end of the sixties. He entered the New York province and studied New Testament and Islam mysticism. He started teaching at the newly opened Jesuit theologate in Nairobi (Kenya), became Novice Director of his Province and was responsible for “Mission and Identity” at the Jesuit Universities of Fordham (New York) and Fairfield (Connecticut). Father General appointed him as director of the new Curia Secretariat for the Promotion of Faith (which will involve also Ecumenical and Interreligious Dialogue and Ignatian Spirituality).

Le Père Anicet N’Teba (né en la RD Congo en 1965) est un jésuite de la Province d’Afrique Centrale. La jeunesse du Père Anicet a été marquée par la présence des missionnaires Jésuites et son désir était de devenir missionnaire lui aussi. Comme docteur en histoire ecclésiastique le Père Général l’a invité à collaborer au nouvel Institut Historique de la Compagnie de l’Afrique et de Madagascar à Nairobi en restant professeur à l’Institut de Théologie de la Compagnie à Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire) qui reprendra bientôt les cours après la violence de la guerre civile récente.