austraLasia #2032
"Let us trust him - he knows
humanity very well"
A Salesian insider's view of the new Jesuit General
ROME: 21st January 2008 -- "I
have just returned from taking part in the thanksgiving mass of Fr.
Nicolás
[the new Jesuit Superior General] at the Gesù with Fr. Naoki
Tsujiie. It was certainly a great moment and his homily was
simple and yet such a striking one". (Yosuke Sakai sdb)
It may not be widely known outside Japan that many
Japanese Salesians have known the newly elected Jesuit Superior General
first-hand, either as students or colleagues. Fr John Sakai gives
us his impressions:
"The new General Superior has been a missionary in
Japan since 1961. He
joined the Japanese Jesuit Province during the leadership of Fr.
Arrupe. So now the Jesuits have a 'second Arrupe' in their
midst as commander-in-chief.
He has been teaching as a professor of systematic
theology in the theological department at Sophia University
for nearly 3 decades. Many of the Japanese Salesians were under his
academic expertise and for some he was even the moderator of their
thesis.
When
he finished his term as provincial of the Jesuits in Japan, he
committed himself to the most marginalized people of Japan, the
migrants.
He was a head of the Catholic Tokyo International Center and
fully
dedicated his life for those whose lifes were left desolate in hidden
corners of the
big city, and he encouraged the staff with his realistic yet creative
vision for his suffering neighbors. Furthermore he used his theological
expertise for catechetical education of migrants and their
children and he wrote books in multilingual edition published by the
Salesian publishers, Don Bosco Sha. During this time some young
Salesians were working with him especially for the Japanese-Filipino
Youth Program. He was the resource person of the program and he always
showed his support for and trust in the Salesian way of educating
youth. He
used to say, "Let us trust in the Salesians for they know youth very
well!"
He was not just a man of action but also as a good
disciple of St.
Ignatius. He offered spiritual direction and his deep insights to
young Salesians on several occasions. Some of them went to him
seeking spiritual direction regularly. One Salesian, his former
student, describes him as "Jinkaku-sha" (man of character) which
is a compliment showing the highest admiration in Japan. He is
quite far from being rigid and unsociable. Probably those who have come
across him
would say with one voice: Fr. Nicolas is cordial, generous and most
exceptional!
So now his Japanese former students say to him in
return," Let us trust in Fr. Nicolas for he knows human reality very
well!" Congratulations, Fr. Nicholas! Gambatte kudasai !
(Best of
luck!)".
_________________
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Title: australasia 2032
Subject and key words: EAO Provinces GIA Jesuit General
Date (year): 2008
ID: 2000-2099|2032