The Birthday of JRS
By Sch. Nicodemus Mutunga, SJ
When the name Jesuit Refugee Services (JRS) is mentioned, a Basque-born Jesuit also comes to mind. Abuna Pedro Arrupe was graced to serve and lead the Society of Jesus in many ways. The Saintly companion of Jesus witnessed the terrible August 6, 1945, atomic bomb in Hiroshima where he was working as a master of novices in Nagatsuka the outskirts of Hiroshima. He and his novices, having been spared by this manmade terror, were at the forefront to help and care for the casualties with only the most basic food and medical supplies from their novitiate at their disposal.
Arrupe also served at a time when many Vietnamese fled their home after the 1975 Vietnam War, which left many of them dead due to pirates and the rough seas and storms of the sea. Filled with compassion and discernment, he was compelled to mobilize the resources of the Society of Jesus, forming JRS. Since then, the world still suffers the same inhumane acts of terror on the dignity of the human being. The vision of the second founder of the Society of Jesus of Accompaniment, Service and Advocacy remains a crucial way of bringing back sanity.
November 14th 2023, marked 43 years since Abuna Arrupe formed this apostolate to serve the refugees and displaced persons. It was a busy day here in Maban. We celebrated the birthday of JRS in various programmes with the people of God. I gave the staff a reflection and a brief history of JRS and Abuna Pedro Arrupe in our weekly Wednesday meeting to officially commemorate the day. “To be just is not enough to refrain from injustice. One must go further and refuse to play its game, substituting love for self-interest as a driving force of the society.” Pedro Arrupe, SJ
Family is the key source of faith and vibrant church and the Sacrament of matrimony.
Pastoral Ministry and accompaniment are vital requirements for refugees and the host community in Maban. The family remains the heart of the Catholic and Christian faith as that is where growth and union are first practised and lived. Faith gets deeply rooted in a family, and in the Catholic Church, the Sacrament of Matrimony is one of the Sacraments at the service of communion as outlined in the Catechism of the Catholic Church n1601.
On Saturday 11th, a large congregation gathered full of joy and celebration to witness a wedding blessing for one of the catechists. This is the second marriage blessing in the last 10 years. Abuna Francis SJ presided over the Mass, where he emphasized the importance of the Sacrament of Matrimony in his homily. He also went ahead to catechize the Christians while congratulating the two he had accompanied in their preparation.
Children also need accompaniment and a listening ear
The world continues to have a flux in the number of displaced persons despite the number of effort and energy put into dealing with the situation. War has become the day-to-day rule of life in most parts of the world. Our province remains in the middle of this situation by not only being affected but also hosting one of the most significant numbers of refugees in the world.
Last week, some bits of refugees arrived at the Doro Camp reception centre (one of the four refugee camps here in Maban) from the current cruel Sudan conflict. On arrival, most of whom are children and women, find themselves in the tough physiological of being homeless in a foreign land with memories of war and brutality in them. Abuna Paul SVD and I engaged the children on Friday, the 10th, with a few activities due to limited resources. I was touched by how happy most children were to have such an opportunity to hold a pencil or a colour, play, dance and enjoy some biscuits after a long period without attending school. You could see the happiness on their faces as they brought their papers to us, showing how they had written down the alphabetical numbers or coloured some pictures they had drawn.
I was touched by a boy about 5 years old, who, with the little English he could speak, expressed to me the way he misses being in a class as he asked me for a book and a pencil, which I promised to take to him the next time I will be visiting. My greatest desolation was leaving the place, not knowing the next time to engage the children again due to the limited resources.
Communion of believers
On Sunday, I attended Mass at Huffrah, one of the outstations whose majority of the Christians are internally displaced people. Huffrah has a growing community school with a large number of students. JRS gives some help to the community school, which has only two unfinished permanent structures and several temporary structures which serve as classrooms. Sunday Mass is also usually held in these same compounds and structures. Despite the showers experienced that morning, Christians, the majority of whom are the young generation and children, turned up for Mass, having to walk through mud and water. Mass was celebrated in one of the classes due to the heavy downpour.
Meeting with Community leaders
On Saturday, the 4th, we had the previously planned meeting with the community leaders and elders. The main agenda was to discuss the conditions and agreement of the land which the community is giving to the Society of Jesus. After the discussion, the community leaders agreed to engage more with the community and notify them of the same, after which they will ratify that by signing the agreement. They continued expressing their hope of having the land developed to help the community in Maban and the entire South Sudan with their children’s education.
