I was surprised at the tone of your article on the present position of the Society of Jesus in this country (The Tablet, News, 4 July). The Society of Jesus has worked diligently here for 400 years to nurture the Catholic Faith, and its record of martyrs and many thousands of lives dedicated to this cause is surely unequalled.
As one of the ex-pupils of a Jesuit school I owe a great debt to their dedication. The members of the Society have lived with minimal expense an austere life, while salaries are devoted to the training of new recruits and the acquisition and expansion of their premises.
The Society’s funds have also been increased by the gifts and endowments received from relatives of its members. Sadly many people in our new materialistic and acquisitive society fail to appreciate the value of the Jesuit life and what it has to offer.
Rather than looking at the financial assets of the Society as a possible hoard for funding other ventures, we should honour the Society for the work they have done in this country and assist them in reinvesting their remaining assets where they will be appreciated.
At the same time those of us who feel indebted to the Society for the way they have served us and our country, should get on our knees and pray to the many Jesuit saints (canonised and uncanonised) to intercede with the Holy Spirit to set the faith alight once more in this country in a new revival.
P. Denis Donovan, Tunbridge Wells
It is sad news that Heythrop College is closing (The Tablet, News, 4 July). For adult students, not necessarily seeking to do a degree, this leaves the City Lit in Holborn as one of the very few places left in London to study New Testament Greek.
I go to the course there, taught by Dr Matteo Favaretti, the best teacher of grammar I’ve ever encountered. He is brilliant at explaining quite elementary things gently to struggling students, and finer points with a gleam in his eye to the more advanced. He is an Italian Catholic himself, but the class consists of people with many different backgrounds and beliefs, which leads to lively discussions. Next term, starting in September, we will be studying Matthew’s Gospel and new students are welcome.
Dinah Livingstone, London
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