A Small But Real Sign Of Hope
As Jesuits worldwide prepare to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of
Pedro Arrupe, Stephen Buckland SJ, the Dean of the college named in his honour
in Harare, reflects on his legacy.
If he had not died in 1991, Fr Pedro Arrupe, the 28th Superior General of the Jesuits from 1965 to 1983, would have turned 100 on 14 November 2007. In the 1980s, the Jesuits began to plan a new institution to teach philosophy to young Jesuits in Africa, and Fr Arrupe's spirit and his name were linked with the idea from early on. Until then, African Jesuits began their studies either at St Canisius, in the D R Congo, where the language is French, or else in Europe or America. But as Jesuit numbers in Africa grew, the need for an English-language institution eventually gave birth in 1994 to “Arrupe College, Jesuit School of Philosophy and Humanities”, in Harare, Zimbabwe.
Yes, Zimbabwe. That name echoes so often through international news, usually backed by images of violence and poverty, and sown with sound-bites of our rather nasty home-grown brand of political rhetoric, so it may be difficult to imagine the island of calm continuity that is Arrupe College. On our small, compact campus of red-roofed, mostly single-storey buildings, tucked away near the University of Zimbabwe, we have been quietly busy for 13 years, teaching undergraduate degree and diploma programmes in philosophy to hundreds of Jesuit and other religious and lay students from different parts of the continent of Africa.
Even as I write, I realise once again how remarkable this institution really is. With just on 100 current members, the community of Jesuit staff and students at Arrupe College is the biggest in Africa, and we are surely among the biggest Jesuit philosophates worldwide. Out of 400 students registered since 1994, 290 have been Jesuits, and they have come from 19 of the 52 countries of Africa: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. We have even had one from Jamaica! It is an enormous privilege to have such a unique insight into the spirit and reality of a young, vibrant and modern Africa, its peoples and contemporary cultures. Arrupe College is a microcosm of Africa, and our life of work and study together is, for us, a small but real sign of hope for our ravaged continent.
From the beginning, we wanted this college to be both African and fully in the international Jesuit tradition of humanistic education. And so our students learn philosophy, but in the context of literature (both 'World' and 'African'), languages (both English and French), history, sociology, psychology, as well as religious studies and theology. Our aim is to enhance our students' identity as Africans at home in the world at large, and to sharpen the intellectual tools needed for reflection, both critical and constructive, so as to contribute actively in the future, especially in various kinds of ministry. Great expectations, of course: but we Jesuits always Think Big! And we already have some fruits in hand. Of the students who completed the programme in our very first intake of 1994, more than half have been ordained and are now active as Jesuit priests. Some have returned to teach on our staff.
Of course, even a small institution of 120 students and 13 fulltime staff members takes a lot of effort to keep going: we have to run quite hard just to stay in the same place! With inflation officially at 3,700%, prices and salaries double every month, and quotations are valid only for hours. Fortunately, our rector Fr Amedeus Shirima, administrator Fr Tony Berridge and bursar Br Jonathan Chazura are very skilful at keeping the ship afloat in such treacherous waters. Our status of association with the near-by University of Zimbabwe, and affiliation with the Pontifical Gregorian University (the “Greg”) in Rome, gives us academic stability, and our students receive their degrees and diplomas from these reputable universities. Our next planned development is a philosophy programme at Master's level, and we have a proposal awaiting approval at the University of Zimbabwe.
In November, we will celebrate the centenary of Fr Arrupe's birth in joy and gratitude to God in our 14th academic year. Please pray with us that the hope we see in one another may be fulfilled in the years to come, for the sake of the Kingdom.
If he had not died in 1991, Fr Pedro Arrupe, the 28th Superior General of the Jesuits from 1965 to 1983, would have turned 100 on 14 November 2007. In the 1980s, the Jesuits began to plan a new institution to teach philosophy to young Jesuits in Africa, and Fr Arrupe's spirit and his name were linked with the idea from early on. Until then, African Jesuits began their studies either at St Canisius, in the D R Congo, where the language is French, or else in Europe or America. But as Jesuit numbers in Africa grew, the need for an English-language institution eventually gave birth in 1994 to “Arrupe College, Jesuit School of Philosophy and Humanities”, in Harare, Zimbabwe.
Yes, Zimbabwe. That name echoes so often through international news, usually backed by images of violence and poverty, and sown with sound-bites of our rather nasty home-grown brand of political rhetoric, so it may be difficult to imagine the island of calm continuity that is Arrupe College. On our small, compact campus of red-roofed, mostly single-storey buildings, tucked away near the University of Zimbabwe, we have been quietly busy for 13 years, teaching undergraduate degree and diploma programmes in philosophy to hundreds of Jesuit and other religious and lay students from different parts of the continent of Africa.
Even as I write, I realise once again how remarkable this institution really is. With just on 100 current members, the community of Jesuit staff and students at Arrupe College is the biggest in Africa, and we are surely among the biggest Jesuit philosophates worldwide. Out of 400 students registered since 1994, 290 have been Jesuits, and they have come from 19 of the 52 countries of Africa: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. We have even had one from Jamaica! It is an enormous privilege to have such a unique insight into the spirit and reality of a young, vibrant and modern Africa, its peoples and contemporary cultures. Arrupe College is a microcosm of Africa, and our life of work and study together is, for us, a small but real sign of hope for our ravaged continent.
From the beginning, we wanted this college to be both African and fully in the international Jesuit tradition of humanistic education. And so our students learn philosophy, but in the context of literature (both 'World' and 'African'), languages (both English and French), history, sociology, psychology, as well as religious studies and theology. Our aim is to enhance our students' identity as Africans at home in the world at large, and to sharpen the intellectual tools needed for reflection, both critical and constructive, so as to contribute actively in the future, especially in various kinds of ministry. Great expectations, of course: but we Jesuits always Think Big! And we already have some fruits in hand. Of the students who completed the programme in our very first intake of 1994, more than half have been ordained and are now active as Jesuit priests. Some have returned to teach on our staff.
Of course, even a small institution of 120 students and 13 fulltime staff members takes a lot of effort to keep going: we have to run quite hard just to stay in the same place! With inflation officially at 3,700%, prices and salaries double every month, and quotations are valid only for hours. Fortunately, our rector Fr Amedeus Shirima, administrator Fr Tony Berridge and bursar Br Jonathan Chazura are very skilful at keeping the ship afloat in such treacherous waters. Our status of association with the near-by University of Zimbabwe, and affiliation with the Pontifical Gregorian University (the “Greg”) in Rome, gives us academic stability, and our students receive their degrees and diplomas from these reputable universities. Our next planned development is a philosophy programme at Master's level, and we have a proposal awaiting approval at the University of Zimbabwe.
In November, we will celebrate the centenary of Fr Arrupe's birth in joy and gratitude to God in our 14th academic year. Please pray with us that the hope we see in one another may be fulfilled in the years to come, for the sake of the Kingdom.