KSJ Writers' Forum - March 2016 Frontier Ministries

MARCH 2016MARCH 2016 Writers’ ForumWriters’ Forum0202
EDITORIALEDITORIAL
Praveen Martis, SJPraveen Martis, SJ
very Christian is a 'Christopher' says Pope
Francis in one of his audiences with the
Efaithful in Vatican City this February. In
connection with the year of mercy, the Pope teaches
that every Christian has another name – Christopher
– which means “bearer of Christ”. In his teachings,
Pope Francis shows that there is much interplay
between mercy and mission. Every mission is mercy
broughttolife.
The value of mercy becomes very important
while reflecting on the topic of frontiers. By
inaugurating the year of mercy, the Pope reminds us
that the Church is a house of
mercy and every Christian is a
missionary of mercy. The priests
and religious, who are the models
of Christian life, need to be true
leaders by living genuinely as
witnesses ofmercy.
T h e G e n e r a l
congregations of the Society of
Jesus have often defined Jesuit life
and mission as “at the new
frontiers”.We are called to be on a lookout at the new
frontier ministries which involve a constant
discerning attitude. The search for the frontiers in
our mission is a never ending search which is
accompanied by concrete action. Our search for the
frontiers and the spirit of readiness to serve ensure
that our overall mission in general remains relevant
anditis trulyaserviceoflove.
What makes a particular ministry or a
mission a frontier? A frontier is a place of priority. It
is an occasion of pressing need or challenge that
awaits a response or attention. Most often, a frontier
becomes a mission that is most neglected by the
majority. It is a periphery that is crying for attention.
Therefore it calls for the people of God to be
concerned about the frontiers with the same attitude
of mercy with which “the three Divine Persons
gazed on the whole circuit of the world” and
“decided that the second person should become a
human being in order to save the human race”
(Spiritual Exercises 102) the call of the frontier is
addressed by a response of generous love and
service.
In the December 2015 issue of KSJ Writer's
Forum, we reflected on the topic
of “Saviour in Today's World” and
we put forward our thoughts on
what it means to be 'saved' in
today's context.While in that issue
we looked at the “saviours”, in this
issue we shall fix our attention at
the people who await deliverance
and emancipation. A frontier is a
battlefield for today's saviours and
in this battlefield the Good News
of Christ brings cure to many of
our ills.
A final note of wisdom from the Bhagavad
Gita. While instructing Arjuna on the right type of
charity, Lord Krishna says, “That gift which is
given, knowing it to be a duty, in a fit time and place,
to a worthy person, from whom we expect nothing in
return, is held to be Sattvic.” (BG Chapter XVII
verse 20). Lord Krishna's words let us know that we
should be doing the right action at the right time for
the right people. To be able to know the right things
to be done, we need to be men familiar with the
murmuringsandtheshouts oftheSpirit.

“YES” TO A FRONTIER MINISTRY:
WITH THE JESUIT REFUGEE SERVICE
Fr Cedric Prakash, SJFr Cedric Prakash, SJ
Afew days ago I was in Syria- in the heart of
a country bombed, battered and bruised by a terrible
th
civil war which began on March 15 2011.I also
stayed in the Jesuit Centre in Homs, where two years
th
ago on April 7 2014 a great Jesuit Fr Frans Van der
Lugt (75 yrs.) was killed by terrorists all because he
lived and proclaimed God's message of love and
reconciliation. Syria is in ruins, today!According to
the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human
Rights, “this war has left more than 270,000 people
dead; of these 80,000 are civilians including 13,500
children.” Unofficially however, the death toll is far
more- with an unknown number killed in detention
at the hands of the
government, rebels or
militants. An estimated one
million people have also
b e e n w o u n d e d ; a n
unbelievable number suffer
from trauma and other
mental –health illness
which any conflict of such
an intense nature can
generate.
Above all, this civil war has spawned the
greatest mass migration afterWorldWar II.AUnited
Nations report in January this year said that out of a
pre-conflict population of 23 million, 13.5 million
Syrians have been forced out of their homes; and an
additional 480,000 are still living under siege. Some
4.7 million Syrians have fled to neighbouring
countries of Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan and
significant numbers to Egypt, Iraq. Though the vast
majority have remained in the region, hundreds of
thousands have tried to make the perilous journey to
Europe, though not all reach the European shores
alive.
0303 Writers’ ForumWriters’ Forum
th
oday is March 19 2016- and as I write this
I remember, St Joseph, whose Feast we
Tcelebrate today- and who is also the Patron
of the Society of Jesus. I am thinking of the Joseph,
who must have felt real terrible- as he went about
looking for a place for Jesus to be born and each time
the door was shut because “there was no place in the
inn!”.After all, the couple were from 'another' place.
I see the Joseph who in sheer desperation had to
obey the angel in his dream- and overnight take
Jesus and Mary and flee into Egypt! A refugee
family! They had to run away from the hate and
jealousy, the power and the might of the Herod of the
day! I pray to the Joseph who
leaves no stone unturned- to
protect and accompany Jesus
and Mary in every way
possible!
I write this from Erbil
in Kurdistan, North Iraq-
where I have been for the last
few days in the midst of the
refugees, trying to witness and experience first-
hand the response of the Jesuit Refugee Service to
the tragedy and plight of thousands of Internally
Displaced Persons(IDPs) and refugees. I have been
listening to heart-rending stories of how Christians
had to leave their homes and all their possessions in
places like Qarakosh in August 2014 from the
incoming ISIS forces- and flee to safer and more
secure parts of the country. On the other hand, the
Yezidis who are a miniscule minority in their own
country are a nowhere people! Nowhere to go-and
no one ready to easily accept them. There are also
the smaller groups of Muslims –who are condemned
toamajoritariansentimentandrule.
MARCH 2016MARCH 2016

Most of the refugees and the Internally Displaced
Persons(IDPs) face acute problems- which include,
living in abominable conditions in make –shift
housing, poverty, lack of employment and very little
access to quality healthcare and education.
Besides, several local communities show reluctance
to easily accept the refugees/IDPs- and impose
severerestrictionson theirintegration.
The situation of the refugees and IDPs in this
part of the world is pathetic and tragic. It has also
been the lot of other refugees and IDPs in other parts
of the world. Fr Pedro Arrupe (our former Superior
General) realized this
over thirty-five years
ago. In keeping with
the vision he had for a
world which is more
inclusive and all-
embracing and which
had faith-justice as its
c o r n e r s t o n e , F r.
Arrupe launched in
November 1980 the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS)
( ) 'with the mission to accompany, serve
and advocate on behalf of refugees and other
forcibly displaced persons'. Ever since the JRS has
been responding to the cries of millions of people all
over the world! Pope Francis has made the concern
for refugeesas thecornerstoneof his Papacy.
Two months ago, I came to Lebanon to work
with JRS as a response to a call! I went through a
long and difficult process of discernment. The work
I was doing in India was, I believe, fairly significant.
There were plenty of good and valid reasons for me
to stay on. The Lord however was calling me for
'Universal Mission'; to go out to the frontiers – and I
www.jrs.net
hadtosay'yes'!
At this moment, I am overwhelmed with the
reality around me- with the pain and trauma; the
suffering and struggle that so many simple men and
women have to go through because of 'man's
inhumanity to man!';because of the lust for power
anddomination;thegreedfor wealthandresources.
Pope Francis (and we celebrate today the third
anniversary of his Papacy), in a message to JRS
some time ago said, “To serve, to accompany means
also to defend; it means to be on the side of the
weakest. How many
times we raise our
voice to defend our
rights, but how
many times we are
indifferent to the
rights of others!
How many times we
don't know or do not
wish to give voice to
those who–like you
–have suffered and suffer, those who have seen their
rights trampled upon, those who have experienced
so much violence that even their desire to have
justice has been suffocated! It's important for the
whole Church that the welcome of the poor and the
promotion of justice are not entrusted only to
"specialists," but that they are the focus of attention
of all the pastoral work, of the formation of future
priests and other religious, of the normal
commitment of all parishes, movements and
ecclesial groups. In particular–and this is important
and I say it from my heart–I would also like to invite
religious congregations to read seriously and
responsiblythissign ofthetimes.”
Fr Cedric Prakash, SJFr Cedric Prakash, SJContd. from pg. 03Contd. from pg. 03

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the
one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference”
Robert Frost.
The above words from the well-known
poem entitled “The Road not Taken” by the
renownedAmerican poet Robert Frost shed light on
the theme of Frontier Ministries. “We are too much
institutionalized” “We
have become too much
inward looking”. “I get
a feeling that we have
got stuck”. These were
the feelings expressed
by some young Jesuit
priests who came
t o g e t h e r f o r a
reflection on our
mission. As Pope
Francis constantly
reminds us to go to the
periphery, this should be a wake-up call for us who
have often got stuck in the world of complacency
andmediocrityinour ministries.
Ignatius and Frontier Ministries: We can mention
ample incidents where Ignatius chose the frontier
ministries during his life time. Simon Rodrigues one
of the founding Fathers of the Society of Jesus
narrates the corporal works of mercy that they were
involved in just before their ordination in 1537 at
Venice. Five each were sent to two hospices. “In the
hospitals they waited on the indigent, made the beds,
swept the house, cleaned out whatever was soiled,
washed the pots of the poor
who were sick, carried
away thebodies of thedead
honorably prepared for
burial, dug their graves and
buried them in a religious
manner. Day and night
they were present to
everyone with such care,
fervor, joy and happiness
that all those living in the
hospitals were greatly
astounded”. The erudite
men from the University of Paris were busy in doing
menial jobs. They were able to do it because by now
all had done their spiritual Exercises and they were
affected by the person of Christ and their one desire
was toidentifywithJesus poor.
FRONTIER MINISTRIES:
CALLED TO TREAD THE UNTRODDEN PATH
Fr Jossie D'Mello, SJFr Jossie D'Mello, SJ
Yes, as aJesuit I certainlydo believethatI havebeen
called to read seriously and responsibly the signs of
the times: to be available to the Universal call of the
Society for frontier ministry. In some small way, I
am trying to do so today -through the Jesuit Refugee
ServiceintheMiddleEastandNorthAfricaRegion
(Fr. Cedric Prakash sj now works with the Jesuit
Refugee Service in the Middle East and North
Africa (MENA) Region, as Advocacy and
CommunicationsOfficer,basedinBeirut,Lebanon)
.cedricprakash@gmail.com
Contd. from pg. 04Contd. from pg. 04
Fr Cedric Prakash SJFr Cedric Prakash SJ

possibilities provided we are ready to come out of
ourcomfortzones.
We are called in the Jubilee year of Mercy to
be the living images of the compassion of God by
plunging into those ministries where the need is
greater and urgent. We may be working in our
institutions yet we can think outside the box, think
about the frontiers and peripheries of our localities
by taking initiatives, by choosing the untrodden path
by taking effective actions towards the upliftment of
the marginalized like slum dwellers, broken
f a m i l i e s ,
m i g r a n t s ,
e x p l o i t e d
w o m e n ,
o r p h a n s ,
c h i l d -
labourers,
e t c . . O u r
m i s s i o n
includes not
o n l y o u r
institutions
but also the
cry and the needs of the oppressed. Here we need an
ongoingdiscernment.
Let me conclude with the quote from the
General Congregation 34: “For us [Jesuits],
frontiers and boundaries are not obstacles or ends,
but new challenges to be faced, new opportunities to
be welcomed. Indeed, ours is a holy boldness, 'a
certain apostolic aggressivity' (Pedro Arrupe)
typical of our way of proceeding” (d. 26, 561).
Today new frontiers and peripheries beckon us. Are
we reading the signs of the times? Are we ready to
treadtheuntroddenpath?
Church's Appreciation on Frontier Ministries:
Pope Paul VI made a moving statement to the
delegates of GC 32 about the mission of the Society
of Jesus: “Wherever in the Church, even in the most
difficult and exposed fields, in the crossroads of
ideologies, in the social trenches, there has been or is
confrontation between the burning exigencies of
humanity and the perennial message of the Gospel,
there have been and are the Jesuits” (3 December
1974). Jesuits who are the companions of Jesus are
called like Ignatius and his companions to choose
not the trodden path but the untrodden, challenging
and difficult
one so as to
m a k e a
difference in
the lives of
others.
Criteria for
F r o n t i e r
Ministries:
The mission
is part and
parcel of our
Jesuit vocation. Our mission demands that we read
the signs of the times and ask constantly “what do
God and the people of God want of us today?” The
Constitutions of the Society of Jesus throw light on
the criteria for our mission. Our choice of ministries
should be governed by: greater glory of God [622],
greater universal good [622], greater need [622],
greater fruit likely to be reaped [622], where our
indebtedness is greater [622], where the need is
more urgent [623] and when there are no others to
attend to it [623]. The desire for the frontier
ministries should stem from our spirit of magis and
availability which would offer us infinite
Fr Jossie D'Mello, SJFr Jossie D'Mello, SJContd. from pg. 05Contd. from pg. 05

not hesitate to send his sons to hitherto unknown
territories. Xavier whose heart was larger than the world
traversed land and sea up to Japan and eyed even the
distant China. Ricci and de Nobili in the East, the
Reduction Jesuits, Anchieta as well as Brebeuf and
Companions in the West and countless others ventured to
serve people of diverse cultures, climes and tongues,
unmindfulofhardships,hurdlesanddangers.
As the world changes, the context of our mission
changes too, and new frontiers beckon us. We cannot
offer yesterday's solutions to tomorrow's problems, said
Arrupe. No doubt frontier ministries have meant paying a
heavy price at times, as we know
in the case of Rutilio Grande and
Ellacuria in El Salvador, A. T.
Thomas in India, and many others
elsewhere. The memory of the
anxious days and months Alex
Premkumar had to go through
recentlyinAfghanistanisstillfreshinourminds.
Karnataka Jesuits too have set us an example in
the past. When the initial band of Jesuits who were just
managing to cater to the mission assigned to them, were
offered the St Joseph's Institutions in Bangalore, they
boldly accepted them counting on God's providence and
the strength of borrowed hands. When Fr General
Arrupe, at the request of the Archbishop of Shillong,
wanted JCSA to help him in the North East frontier, and
when other Provinces said they had their hands full, Fr
J.C. Pereira, Provincial, took up the challenge to work
among the `head-hunting Nagas'. When Karnataka
Province decided to move further into North Karnataka,
the couple of pioneering young Jesuits asked the Bishop
of Bellary to give them the most neglected area; they
were offered Manvi-Pannur, which has now been
developedbeyondrecognition.
hough the phrase `frontier ministries' has
gained prominence rather recently, especially
Tafter GC 35, the concept itself and its
realization is almost as old as the Society itself. Ignatius
laid the foundation for it right at the start: while most of
the religious orders and congregations had a specific
ministry, for the order he founded no ministry was
specified; it could be any, according to the time and
circumstances, that would be for God's greater glory and
greater service of souls. In his prayer, he prays for the
generosity to give without counting the cost, to fight
withoutmindingthewounds…
Our mission, says
GC 35, is to discover
Christ where we have not
seen him before, and to
reveal him where he has
not been seen or heard of
before. For us frontiers are
not boundaries beyond which we do not venture, but
challenges and opportunities to seek the magis, with
creative fidelity and an `apostolic aggressivity' (Arrupe).
For his mission, a Jesuit, travelling by roads less
travelled,hastofindawayortomakeone.
Roman Pontiffs have amply acknowledged this
fact. Paul VI recognized that `wherever in the Church,
even in the most difficult and extreme fields, in the
crossroads of ideologies, in the frontline between the
deepest human desires and the perennial message of the
Gospel, there have been, and there are, Jesuits.' John Paul
II reiterated it. Benedict XVI assured the Jesuits that `the
Church needs you, counts on you and continues to turn to
you with confidence' to work `where others do not reach
orfinditdifficulttoreach.'
With the discovery of new lands, St Ignatius did
FEARLESS TO BE
ON THE FRONTIERS
FEARLESS TO BE
ON THE FRONTIERS Fr Richard Sequeira, SJFr Richard Sequeira, SJ

Fr Thomas Quadros, SJFr Thomas Quadros, SJ
to their homes and the people they lived with their
families. They have shed their sweat and blood, laid
down their lives having toiled to enkindle the good news
of love and dignity to human beings around them. And
today, we are graced to have the mortal remains of many
interredinourland.
Pope Leo XIII (1878-1903) had said, 'India, your sons
shall be your salvation.' (Filii tui saluti tibi). Today
Indian Christians are functioning as messengers of the
Good News not only in different parts of India, but also in
many countries
round theworld.
Discernment
is a key-word in
the Ignatian lingo.
In the initial years
of the Society,
h u m a n
d e v e l o p m e n t
through education seemed the need of the hour. And
hence, religious and secular education took the centre
stage in the Jesuit apostolates round the world. Over the
centuries, the Jesuit educational apostolate has bloomed
into many universities in countries the world over,
specialising in diverse fields. And these universities are
known forqualityeducation. Commendable,indeed.
Discernment always needs to be ongoing. That
is Ignatian – pondering and responding to the need of the
place, the people and the hour. In our country, though the
educational apostolate takes a lion's share of the Jesuit
personnel, we do have other apostolates such as pastoral,
spiritual, social-justice, ecology, refugee-service, health-
services, human development etc. All these are
diversified ministries evolved from the contextual
exigencies.
hen Ignatius sent Francis Xavier to the
Indies, he spurred him on with “Go and set
Wthe world on fire.” Ignatius had set him
afire with God right from his days with Francis in Paris.
That fire had been simmering within Francis only eager
to sparkle and kindle other fires. Right from his
embarking in Lisbon for the Indies he was on call,
ministering to those on board. He spread the gospel not
only to the coastlands of the peninsular India, but beyond
- to Indonesia and
Japan. The gospel-
fire within him
would not let him
take a respite. His
frontier ministry got
cut short on Sancian
Island overlooking
China when God
tookhimhome.
Francis Xavier is one of the many who have
made voyages to different parts of the globe, be it China
or Philippines, North & SouthAmerica orAfrica. When
they left their homeland and families, they left for good,
intending never to return, and made the places they went
FRONTIER MINISTRIESFRONTIER MINISTRIES
However, we cannot rest glorying on the laurels of the
past. I need to ask myself: Am I ready for a tough
mission today? The answer is given not in words, but is
revealed in my lifestyle, my attitude to comforts and
conveniences, the depth of my prayer life, the extent of
my trust in God, my readiness to face criticism, to work
sometimes alone, sometimes in a team, accepting the
strengths and weaknesses of each other. Dauntless
Ignatius,leadus on!
FEARLESS TO BE
ON THE FRONTIERS
FEARLESS TO BE
ON THE FRONTIERS
Fr Richard Sequeira, SJFr Richard Sequeira, SJCont. from pg.07Cont. from pg.07

“FRONTIERS”
THERE YOU BELONG!!
“FRONTIERS”
THERE YOU BELONG!!
Vishwas Misquith, SJVishwas Misquith, SJ
Confucianism and the Chinese classics, or the Jesuits
who reached the Guarani tribes in the unreachable
jungles of Paraguay, or Robert de Nobili, or John de Brito
who tried to reach the intelligentsia in what today is
TamilNadu,India.
The call to frontier ministry today, therefore, assumes
twomajorfactorsforus Jesuits:
One: to be fired within with love for Christ whose face is
seen in the faces of people we are sent to minister. This
presumes a Jesuit's daily contact with Christ in the
Eucharistandinone's personalprayer.
Two: personal and communitarian dialogue and
discernment for apostolate, taking into focus: the needs
of the people, place and the hour. This sounds like the
Jesuitadage:'Readthesigns ofthetimes.' Beattuned.
Ongoing discernment requires that we assess our
apostolates with the Kingdom perspectives and
priorities, periodically or as needed, to be attentive to the
call of the Spirit and need of the hour. This attentiveness
implies an open mind, and courage to take bold steps.
Such openness of mind and sensitivity to the Spirit may,
at times, beckon us to wind up some apostolates that may
be redundant, or venture into new areas or initiatives that
needour presenceandattention.
The Society of Jesus has been known for pioneering
efforts – whether it was Francis Xavier venturing out to
the unknown Indies, eventually wanting to reach the
wisdom-minds of China, or Matteo Ricci and Johann
Adam Schall von Bell who tried to dialogue with the
Chinese literati, men who were educated in
ope Francis has reminded us Jesuits about
our option for frontier ministries. “Your
Pproper place is on the frontiers. This is the
place of Jesuits”. This call to go to the frontier
demands us to leave behind our comfort zones, to go
to the places where no one wants to go. This is also a
call to be different and to take the less trodden path
which is often dangerous.And to face the challenges
that would come on the as you break the barriers and
meet the people longing for help on the frontiers,
wherenooneisreadytogoorfearstogo.
Pope Benedict XVI in his address to GC35,
places a special trust on the Jesuits, saying, “The
church needs you, counts on you and continues to
turn to you with confidence, particularly to reach the
geographical and spiritual places where others do
not reach or find it difficult to reach.” These words
place special trust on us Jesuits to go to the frontiers
to make Christ known to all. These words also
motivate us to march out of our well settled,
comfortable communities to those who are awaiting
for ahelpinghand.
FRONTIER MINISTRIESFRONTIER MINISTRIES
Contd. from pg.08Contd. from pg.08 Fr Thomas Quadros, SJFr Thomas Quadros, SJ

moving out to the places where people are in need.
We have joined a Society which is universal with a
universal mission. So confining ourselves to our
own little communities or provinces deviates us
fromthevisionof theSociety.
Fr Kolvenbach has reminded us, that 'a
stable monastery does not serve us, because we have
received the entire world to tell about the good
news.' So we cannot lock up ourselves inside the
closed doors. The whole world with all the people
and the entire creation is our concern. We are called
to be the bearers of Christ's love and peace to all
thosestillawayfromhim.
Today, because of the technological growth
and better transportation facilities, geographical
frontiers are decreasing. As this world changes so
also the context of our mission. New frontiers are
emerging, placing before us new challenges. How
are we willing to face this challenge posed by GC35.
Today we have frontiers in the area of inter-religious
dialogue; where there is violence in the name of
religion, especially ISIS, fight for environmental
justice,arethrowingbeforeus newchallenges.
We are called to join our voices with Jerome
Nadal, as he says, 'the world is our home'. The
geographical boundary cannot confine us from
FRONTIERS
THERE YOU BELONG!!
FRONTIERS
THERE YOU BELONG!!
Vishwas Misquith, SJVishwas Misquith, SJ
Cont. from pg.09Cont. from pg.09

“Your proper place
is on the frontiers.
This is the place of
Jesuits”
“Your proper place
is on the frontiers.
This is the place of
Jesuits”
PEARLSPEARLS
VishwasMisquith,SJVishwasMisquith,SJ
Pope FrancisPope Francis

KSJ Writers' Forum - March 2016 Frontier Ministries

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KSJ Writers' Forum - March 2016 Frontier Ministries