[Home]  [Skill-based ] [Inspirational ] [ Prayerful ] [Festive ] [ Historical ] 

 [ E-Book] [Personal Bio-data ]  [ Biographical]  [Translations ] [Articles ]

IN GOOD COMPANY

Information and Insights for Jesuit Collaborators

For information regarding this book click here

Today we not only better understand and gratefully acknowledge collaboration… We depend on it more than ever.

How do we inculcate our values among our collaborators so that we operate on a harmonious wavelength, one that resonates with the Ignatian spirit?
JCSA’s new venture is a move towards responding to that question.

“We need the compass to discover this labouring God, at work even in the darkest of realities. This tool is now made available to Jesuit family members of South Asia in a simple, attractive and easy style, through the concerted efforts of Hedwig, the author and Jepasa.” George Pattery SJ
 

IN GOOD COMPANY is a handbook on Ignatian spirituality for our collaborators. It captures in 12 compact ‘chapters’ the Vision-Mission of the Society of Jesus. It includes a short biography of St Ignatius, a succinct history of the Society, and brief inputs on our spiritual characteristics. There are nine chapters structured for information-reflection-action on topics such as AMDG, Finding God in All Things, Ecology, Magis, Discernment, Service-Leadership, Self-discipline, Examen, and Jesuit Identity, in non-technical terms and user-friendly format. It is a book worth placing in the hands of every one of our collaborators.

The term “company” in this handbook is used in the wider sense to include people who are in one way or another, and to a greater or lesser degree, associated with the members of the Society of Jesus and their institutions: as employees, collaborators or partners, benefactors and supporters, who appreciate and encourage their work, agencies at home and abroad, as well as the beneficiaries of their services in establishments, organizations, and fields of activity.

IN GOOD COMPANY

›› Captures the Jesuit spirit and tradition.

›› Focuses on distinct dimensions of Ignatian spirituality.

›› Motivates the readers to reflect over and act on each input.

This handbook has been so designed as to inform and inspire Jesuit collaborators in all our institutions and beneficiaries in our ministries [Educational, Social, Pastoral…] including our staff, students, alumni, parishioners,  benefactors, and well-wishers.

CONTENTS

 Roots

  1. Saint Ignatius of Loyola
 2. Society of Jesus
 3. The Jesuit Vision and Mission

God-centeredness

  4. God’s Presence and Power [AMDG]
 5. Divine Encounters [Finding God in all things]
 6. A Sacred Responsibility [Principle and Foundationm]

 Striving Beyond Limits

 7. Excellence Plus [Magis]
 8. Choices that Empower [Discernment]
 9. Reaching out [Ever to Love and to serve]

 Extraordinary Characteristics

10. Self Discipline [Agere Contra]
11. Mindfulness [Examen of Consciousness]
12. The J-Factor [Jesuit charism]

Institutional Expectations

Foreword

Ignatius gave his ‘companions’ a tool, a sort of ‘inner compass’ that would guide them in their journey of life and mission. That inner compass assisted them to ‘find God in all things and in all things God’ and be daring to engage the world as their home. It was not a pious instrument for an otherworldly life. Quite the contrary! Ignatius believed that God was labouring in this world in and through the secular, earthly, mundane, human realities. We need the compass to discover this labouring God, at work even in the darkest of realities.

This tool is now made available to Jesuit family members of South Asia in a simple, attractive and easy style, through the concerted efforts of Hedwig and Gerard. Our collaborators, irrespective of their creed or profession, will find this tool handy and useful.

One remains a perennial seeker, a pilgrim on the way; this is the distinguishing mark of Ignatian journey – a seeker with intense desires. On the other side of the road is a God who desires us, seeks us, and labours with us in this world. Ignatius invites us to discover the ‘sacramentaliy’ of everything and everyone. Pope Francis’ Encyclical Laudato Si is an invitation on the same line: to discover the ‘sacred’ that is embodied in everything and everyone, forming a seamless garment of creation.

Freed from ‘inordinate baggage’, the seeker journeys along to his or her ‘flourishing’ as human being, joyfully to find a seeking-God. It is a great enterprise for a ‘Good Company’ - join in!

George Pattery, sj
Provincial of South Asia.
 

BOOK REVIEW

JIVAN, Jesuit New and Views in South Asia
April 2016

IN GOOD COMPANY

A Treasure for Jesuit Collaborators

A felt need for material on Ignatian Spirituality for our collaborators has now been fulfilled . “In Good Company” a JCSA undertaking, authored by Fr Hedwig Lewis SJ has been published by GSP, which has already sold more than 5000 copies sold out.
 

George Pattery SJ, POSA highlights the importance of the booklet in his foreword: “We need the compass to discover this labouring God, at work even in the darkest of realities. This tool is now made available to Jesuit family members of South Asia in a simple, attractive and easy style, through the concerted efforts of Hedwig, the author and Jepasa.”  

The 60-page booklet has an instant appeal for several obvious reasons: attractive presentation: remarkable layout on glossy paper, classy printing, eye-catching art-work and sidebars & pleasant colour-combinations.  The pages are strewn with Ignatian gems: anecdotes, articles and appliances.

This treasury of Ignatius spirituality is unique as it deals directly with Ignatian spirituality in a style and approach that provides – as the subtitle has it – “information and insight for Jesuit collaborators”.

Each chapter is structured for information-reflection-action on topics such as AMDG, Finding God in All Things, Ecology, Magis, Discernment, Service-Leadership, Self-discipline, Examen, and Jesuit Identity, in non-technical terms and user-friendly language.

It has several practical uses. The need for this kind of book was much felt and we Fr Hedwig Lewis SJ was chosen as the Jesuit most competent for this task. Besides being a popular author with a row of bestsellers, Hedwig is an Ignatian scholar whose language and style make make his writings appealing to all.

Our collaborators are the focus of the book. supporters, agencies at home and abroad, as well as the beneficiaries of their services in organizations and in the field”. It is a book worth placing in the hands of every one of our collaborators. They “include people who are in one way or another, associated with the members of the Society of Jesus and their institutions: as employees, collaborators, including our staff, students, alumni, parishioners, benefactors and well-wishers.

COMMENTS

William Keith Abranches, SJ
Executive Assistant (Socius) to Provincial of South Asis (POSA)
jcsa.socius@gmail.com

Dear Fr Jerry, Hedwig and Gerard Rodricks (JEPASA Sec.),
Thanks for sending 30 copies of “In Good Company – Information and Insights for Jesuit Collaborators.” To Montfort Bhavan, Ramanthapur, Hyderabad while the JCSA Meeting was on. It helped the provincials assembled to get an idea of the get up of the book, much more than a flyer could have, though that too was placed in the file given to each participant. Your efforts to promote the book have been successful. More will I am sure be ordered once the book is given to lay persons and our collaborators. For the present, you have orders for the following according to the table below: [4640 copies].
2 March 2016

Dear Fr Hedwig,
The credit goes to you. On seeing the copy - I was sure of that, as the copy in hand is more convincing than the flyer - the provincials were happy with the presentation and the content.
4 March 2016

=
Jose Changanacherry SJ,
Regional Superior, Myamnar

Congratulations dear Hedwig. I just saw the announcement of your latest book, “In Good Company”. I am sure it is going to be a bestseller. It is certainly a timely book and much needed. Thank you for this yet another labor of love from you.
9 March 2016

=
Vernon D’Cunha SJ,
Provincial

JEPASA and Fr. Hedwig Lewis, SJ have come out with an inspiring booklet, ―In Good Company‖. It is an excellent booklet containing information and insights for Jesuit collaborators. Some of our houses have already ordered copies from GSP. We have ordered some copies for the province. If any of you would like to have a few copies for your collaborators, please get in touch with the Socius.
SAMACHAR, Family record of the Bombay Jesuits, Vol 69, No 4, April 2016

Home]  [Skill-based ]  [Inspirational ] [Prayerful ] [Festive ] [ Historical ] 

[ E-Book ]  [Personal Bio-data ]  [Biographical] [Translations] [Articles ]