Séamus Ó Giolláin, father of Fr. Leon Ó Giolláin, died on July 15th.
In the U.S.A. Fr. Jim Gill S.J. died at the end of July after a long illness. Details in next UPDATE
Anne Malone, sister of Fr. Brian Lennon, died on Aug 4th.
John Brophy, brother of Fr. Colm Brophy S.J. [Zambia/Malawi], died on Aug 10th.
Eileen Guiney, mother of John K Guiney S.J., died on Aug 13th.

John Brophy, was a member of the Lay Jay Committee. His cancer was only diognosed in May, so his death is all the more shocking. Our sympathies and prayers are for Monica and his family.

The Funeral arrangements are as follows:

Removal to St. Fintan's Church, Sutton; Wednesday 13th at 5.30 pm.
Funeral Mass in St. Fintan's Church, Thursday, at 11.00.am.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam

JCC Garden Party
The JCC hosted all-comers at a lovely garden party on Fri 8th Aug. The sunny weather was matched only by the wonderful vitals provided.
It was good to match faces from phones and offices with real people. Thank you, Garry; great idea and a great success to drag 50 or so of us out from our little [or big] burrows for a few hours in the sun.
======================

Withdrawal Ceremony
in the Ballymun Parish. July 6th.

A Mass of thanksgiving for the Jesuit presence and ministry was held in the Virgin Mary Church, Ballymun, on July 6th, 2003. The Mass marked the 23 years of Jesuit involvement with Ballymun and the handing back by the Jesuits to the Archdiocese of responsibility for running the Virgin Mary parish. The main celebrant was Gerry O'Hanlon, Jesuit Provincial, and the homilist was Michael O'Sullivan who lived and worked in Ballymun from 1988-2001. Among the many concelebrants were two bishops, Jim Moriarty, who had been the area bishop before becoming Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin, and Ray Field, who represented Cardinal Connell. Roisin Shorthall of the Labour party was present as a local TD. A number of Jesuits will continue to live and work in Ballymun, but without responsibility for the Virgin Mary parish

Belvedere Ceremony:

On Saturday November 15, Dr Garret FitzGerald, former Taoiseach of Ireland and a past pupil of Belvedere, will open an exhibition in the Jesuit college concerning the sixty-eight former pupils and teachers who lost their lives in the wars and conflicts of the 20th Century. Some of these men are famous (for example, Kevin Barry, Cathal Brugha, Joseph Mary Plunkett, Willie Doyle S.J), but most are not. This event seeks to remember them all equally.

There are four parts to the Belvedere exhibition:
· a plaque will be unveiled by Dr FitzGerald to commemorate the dead
· a specially commissioned fifteen-minute video about the conflicts and how they affected the school will be shown for the first time
· a book, with a short history of each of the sixty-eight men, will be launched
· an exhibition, displaying letters, photographs, memorabilia, medals, clothing will be opened.

We would like to invite all Jesuits and lay friends to help promote and publicise this unique and important event. This is a long overdue recognition, and a focus point for the entire country to look at its history in face, and acknowledge our mixed and complex past.

[ See"Web Documents" below]

__________________________________________________________

Recent LayJay Appointments:
The LayJay Committee is delighted to welcome the recent appointments of John Humphreys S.J. and Micheline O' Higgins. The next meeting will take place on 12th September. Anyone who would like to contact us can do so through Loyola or to me at: gmenzies@indigo.ie

________________________________________________________

Congratulations Michael J Kelly S.J. [see below]

Association of Commonwealth Universities, London. [ACU]

Professor Michael Kelly
University of Zambia
P O Box 32379
Lusaka
Zambia
6 August 2003

Dear Professor Kelly

The Symons Award for 2003

It gives me great pleasure to be able to write to you, on behalf of the Secretary General (who is taking a few days' leave) to invite you to accept the Symons Award for 2003.

Professor T H B Symons, former President of Trent University in Canada, served the ACU for many years - first as our Chair of Council (1971 - 72), then as Immediate Past Chair (1972 - 74) and subsequently as Honorary Treasurer from 1974 - 88. In addition to the time and commitment he gave so generously to the Association, he also very graciously set up an award in 1973 to be presented annually to a person or persons who have given outstanding service to the Association and/or the universities of the Commonwealth.

You were nominated not only for the breadth and depth of the contribution you have made to education in Zambia but also - and particularly - for the outstanding service you have given to the higher education world through your HIV/AIDS advocacy. You of all people have opened the eyes of the university sector to what needs to be done to fight the spread of the HIV/AIDS pandemic; and I have to say that all of us at ACU were truly delighted about your nomination........

.......... The award is customarily made in London in November. This year, however, because of the timing of the Council meeting (which immediately precedes the General Conference in Belfast), the nominations and deliberations were handled electronically with a view to being able to make the award in Belfast.

As your nomination met with the unequivocal (and very warm) support of our Council members, and as you will in any event be with us in Belfast as a speaker, we are hopeful that you will wish to accept the award and be willing to receive it during the Conference Dinner at Queen's University on the evening of Wednesday 3 September.

..............................

I hope this invitation will give you as much pleasure as it gives me to extend it.

With kindest regards

Yours sincerely

Dorothy Garland
Director of External Relations and
Deputy Secretary General