Jesuit magazine (4-11).indd - The New Orleans Province of the ...

Jesuit
connections
What do Neil Armstrong, Tom Hanks and
the Jesuits have in common?
Given the Ignatian tradition of
excellence in education and learning,
it is hardly surprising that some of the
most definitive and long-lasting discoveries
in science and mathematics
have come from Jesuits. Long before
Neil Armstrong’s visit to the Sea of
Tranquility or Tom Hanks’ command of
Apollo 13 for moviegoers, Jesuits were
studying the heavens. One prominent
example is Christopher Clavius who is
called the “Euclid of the 16th Century.”
Clavius is also known for his work in
the field of astronomy, specifically his
support of the once highly controversial
heliocentric theory. Other well-known
Jesuit astronomers include Boscovich,
Grimaldi, Ricci and Tacquet. Their
contributions have ranged from the
wave theory of light to the discovery
of the four moons of Jupiter. In light
of such breakthroughs, it seems almost
inevitable that several Jesuits have even
managed to land on the moon. Or at
least their names have.
Need proof? Look no further than
Washington, D.C., where a copy of a
17th century, hand-drawn selenograph
(or map of the moon) is kept at the
Smithsonian. The map, created by Jesuit
astronomers Francesco Grimaldi and
Jean-Baptiste Riccioli in 1651, was
the subject of heated debates for many
years. For almost three centuries, astronomers
took turns naming and re-naming
the lunar craters depicted on it, and at
one time the map included 40 craters
named for prominent Jesuit scientists.
The International Astronomical Union
put an end to this, however, when it officially
codified all lunar objects in 1922.
Since then, 35 of the original 40 Jesuit
names remain listed in the National Air
and Space Museum (NASM) catalogue.
Even after landing 35 men on the
moon, the Jesuit pursuit of knowledge
in mathematics and astronomy has not
lost momentum. A great example of
this today is the Vatican Observatory in
Castel Gandolfo, Italy, an organization
with a special dedication to astronomy
and astrophysics in particular. The
observatory, perhaps most known for
its ongoing Studi Galileiani, is staffed
by a dedicated team of Jesuit researchers.
Two of these Jesuit researchers are
Rev. David Brown (pg. 19) and retired
member Rev. Andrew Whitman (pg. 18),
who continue to explore the invaluable
connections between mathematics, science
and faith.
After such incredible contributions
to their fields, it would not be surprising
to see the names Brown or Whitman
added to the NASM catalogue. Until
that happy day, a list of the existing 35
Jesuit lunar craters, with their full names
and locations, can be found at www.faculty.fairfield.edu/jmac/sj/lunacrat.htm.
southern
The Jesuit
contents
From Our Provincial 2
Jesuit Connections 3
FOrmatIOn:
Our Shared Future 4
A Jesuit in New Orleans by Way of
Kansas City 8
Testing and Experimenting:
Life in the Novitiate 9
mInIStrIeS:
Where y’at? 12
A Pilgrim’s Progress 13
The Winds of Change
Upon Jesuit High Schools 14
mISSIOnS:
Healing and Helping
our Brothers and Sisters 16
SenIOr JeSuItS:
A Mathematician for Christ 18
mInIStrY
Exploring the Heavens 19
reneWInG a SaCreD PlaCe:
Br. Larry Huck, S.J. 20
Evaneline M. Vavrick 21
In memOrIam:
Celebrating the Eternal Life 22
From the Executive Director 23
In GratItuDe
Annual Report 24
on the cover
Second-year novice David Lugo and
the people of Santa Maria Chiquimula
in Guatemala await the beginning of a
religious procession honoring the first
translation of the Bible into their native
Mayan dialect of K’iche’.
The Southern Jesuit Spring 2011 3