Blessings from UDM's Religious Sponsors for Pope Francis

STATEMENT OF THE SUPERIOR GENERAL OF THE SOCIETY OF JESUS

In the name of the Society of Jesus, I give thanks to God for the election of our new Pope, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, S.J., which opens for the Church a path full of hope.

All of us Jesuits accompany with our prayers our brother and we thank him for his generosity in accepting the responsibility of guiding the Church at this crucial time. The name of "Francis" by which we shall now know him evokes for us the Holy Father's evangelical spirit of closeness to the poor,his identification with simple people, and his commitment to the renewal of the Church. From the very first moment in which he appeared before the people of God, he gave visible witness to his simplicity, his humility, his pastoral experience and his spiritual depth.

"The distinguishing mark of our Society is that it is . . . a companionship. . . bound to the Roman Pontiff by a special bond of love and service."(Complementary Norms, No. 2, § 2) Thus, we share the joy of the whole Church, and at the same time, wish to express our renewed availability to be sent into the vineyard of the Lord, according to the spirit of our special vow of obedience, that so distinctively unites us with the Holy Father(General Congregation 35, Decree 1, No. 17).

P. Adolfo Nicolás S.J.
Superior General
Rome, 14 March 2013

With great joy and gratitude to God, the New England Province of the Society of Jesus welcomes our new Holy Father, Francis.

Dear Friends,
It is an extraordinary moment in the life of the Church. Although we are, of course, excited about the Holy Father’s Jesuit roots, we are more excited about his ministry to the Universal Church and pray for courage and wisdom for him as he begins this journey of faith.

In a special way, the Holy Father, who has, as a Jesuit, prayed the prayer known as the Suscipe,has now entered in a even more radical way into the meaning of this prayer of St. Ignatius, the founder of the Jesuits:

Take Lord, receive all my liberty. Take my memory, my understanding, and my entire will. Whatsoever I have or hold, You have given me; I give it all back to You and surrender it wholly to be governed by your will. Give me only your love and your grace, and I am rich enough and ask for nothing more.

Join me in praying for our new Holy Father. Please also enjoy reading the media coverage of commentary and reflections by Jesuits which we've gathered on the province website.

Sincerely in the Lord,

Fr. Myles Sheehan,
SJ Provincial

Statement on Pope Francis from the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas

We join with people throughout the world in hope and prayer for our new pope.  May the blessing of the people that Pope Francis invited enrich our common journey of faith.

Thoughts from the Sisters of Mercy in Argentina on the new Pope, Francis I:

“Francis I was the Jesuit Provincial during the military rule (where too much sorrow was felt). Then he became Bishop of Buenos Aires, then Archbishop and, for the past ten years, he has been the Cardinal Primate of Argentina. He is a man of conservative profile, very simple, one who lives an austere life. He has been present in a very pastoral manner to those who live in the slums surrounding Buenos Aires. Also, in speaking to the priests of the archdiocese, he has denounced injustice and governmental corruption. He is against abortion and all the unresolved issues that today we need to look at. He can be described as a moderate personality—one who would be unlikely to conduct an investigation of Religious and one who might feel like cleaning up some of the corruption in the Vatican.”

AJCU President's Statement on Election of First Jesuit Pope

"It has been a truly historic day for the Society of Jesus as we learned that our brother, Cardinal Jorge Maria Bergoglio, was selected to lead the Catholic Church as Pope Francis I. As Jesuits, we emphasize social justice in our ministry, and we are gratified to have a leader who will continue to live out this mission on a global stage. We pray that the Pope's grounding in Ignatian spirituality will guide him as he carries out this extraordinary calling to lead the Church of the 21st century."

Rev. Gregory F. Lucey,
SJ President, AJCU