This article first appeared in the Summer 2016 issue of our magazine.
Jesuit priests, brothers and scholastics from the Maryland and USA Northeast Provinces gathered at Fordham Prep in the Bronx on June 9–10 for formation gatherings and to celebrate Province Day. The events served as an opportunity for Jesuits to reflect on their ministries, gather for workshops, celebrate the Eucharist and attend presentations.
This year’s keynote speaker was Academy Award-winning director Martin Scorsese, who was interviewed by Fr. James Martin, SJ, editor-at-large of America magazine. Scorsese is nearing completion of the film adaptation of Shusako Endo’s novel Silence, which takes place in 1640s Japan. The film depicts the harrowing journey of two Jesuits sent to investigate reports that another Jesuit had renounced the Church amidst the persecution of Christians.
Mr. Scorsese spoke about the long process of creating the film, his childhood and his religious background—growing up in Little Italy in the shadows of Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral and, at one point, entering New York’s Cathedral Seminary.
Academy Award-winning director Martin Scorsese was interviewed by Fr. Jim Martin, SJ, during Province Day. Scorsese spoke about his upcoming film, Silence, which depicts the harrowing story of Jesuits being persecuted in 1640s Japan.
During college, Scorsese realized his interest in the intersection of film and religion.
“I found, for me, that the thing that kept driving me was what I experienced growing up, which was the balance between what people have to do and what they should do,” Scorsese said. “Good people, sometimes—a lot of the time—do bad things. You can’t help it.”
Following Scorsese’s interview, Fr. Robert Hussey, SJ, provincial of the Maryland Province joined Fr. John Cecero, SJ, provincial of the USA Northeast Province, in a session that discussed this fall’s 36th General Congregation in Rome and outlined a paradigm of Jesuit communities to foster increased integration in neighborhoods. The new view of Jesuit communities as “apostolic centers” will inspire discernment by the local community in collaboration with the Church, with given works in conjunction with lay and religious colleagues.
“This paradigm emphasizes Jesuit communities not just as convenient locales for apostolates but as places where we discern how we want to serve in a given area, with whom, and for whom, as we continue our important work throughout our region and abroad,” Fr. Cecero said.