The Society of Jesus in the news.

Make sure you read this great op-ed by David Gibson in today's New York Times commenting on a prospective merger between Boston College and Weston Jesuit School of Theology, one of two Jesuit theologates (i.e., seminaries) in the United States. Gibson gives, it seems to me, a pretty good snapshot of the current state of the Society. Despite the hopes of our critics, the Jesuits aren't going to wither away. On the contrary, we're adapting and innovating - as we've done repeatedly over the past 450 years - to meet the ever-changing needs of the contemporary Church and the human community.

As for the merger (about which you can learn more from this article in last Tuesday's Boston Globe), I'd love to see it happen. By joining forces with BC, Weston would be able to give its Jesuit and lay students access to the resources of a world-class university. By taking Weston under its wing, BC would substantially improve its already strong theology program, standing to become - as Weston prez Father Bob Manning says in the Gibson piece - "the center for the study of Roman Catholic theology in the United States." For my own part, I'm very fond of the BC campus - sometimes when I'm in the vicinity, I'll stop there just to walk around - and I love its location, close by the leafy streets of Newton and Brighton as well as the delights of downtown Brookline. I've often thought BC would be a great place to live and to study, and I'd love to do theology there as a Jesuit. So here's hoping (and praying) that the potential BC-Weston alliance works out. AMDG.