What Makes a Jesuit Heart Beat? The Little Happiness: Principle and Foundation

By Fr. Peter Bisson, S.J.

Fr. Bisson, the Provincial Superior of the Jesuits in English Canada, gave this speech on Saturday, May 12th, 2012, for the closing ceremony of the 400th Anniversary of the Jesuits in Canada. This text and the song were translated from the French originals by Santiago Rodriguez, S.J. 

The vision of God and of the world that inspires the Society of Jesus, and those who share this vision, is expressed in part by these lines from Félix Leclerc:

It's a little joy

That I had gathered

It was all in tears

On the edge of a ditch

When it saw me passing by

It began to shout out

"Sir, pick me up

And bring me to your place

My brothers have forgotten me, I’m fallen, I'm sick

If you don't pick me up I'll die; what a shame!

I'll make myself small, tender and obedient, I promise

Sir, I'm begging you, free me of my torture

Sur, I'm begging you, free me of my torture.”

Repeating Quebec City (and Other Things)

By Edmund Lo, S.J.

I recently visited Quebec City with some fellow brother Jesuits to attend the closing events of our 400th anniversary celebration. This city is not unfamiliar to me; it was where I spent two months to learn French before I joined the Jesuits in 2008. I have fond memories of those days: attending daily mass at the cathedral; going through the Old Quebec quarter en route to school; soaking in the night view from the old ramparts; and enjoying the local cuisines. Having said that, my mentality going in was not that of a tourist’s: been there, done that. I was here for the anniversary celebration.

That was the reason why I was a bit ambivalent when my brother Jesuits decided to take a walk in the Old Quebec quarter, but I went anyway to be a good sport. And here I was, walking the same path, and visiting the same places, in 2012. The cathedral was closed when we arrived late in the evening; the streets in the Old Quebec quarter was surprisingly quiet for a Friday night; the night view from the old ramparts remained formidable; and most of the restaurants were closed. The landmarks and shops have not changed, yet it felt so different.

Jesuits of English Canada

By the blog editors

Last summer, the Jesuits who belong to the Province of English Canada, together with a number of their lay collaborators and a delegation of Jesuits from the French Canada Province, came together with Fr. Adolfo Nicolas, the Father General of the Society of Jesus, for a congress in Midland, Ontario. The occasion was the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first Jesuits in Canada, and to pray, discern, and discuss directions for the future.

A short video was recently released that conveys the highlights of that historic gathering. It also provides a certain glimpse of the Jesuits in Canada today: