British Jesuits prepare to greet Father General Nicolás

Father Adolfo Nicolás SJ

British Jesuits and their co-workers are preparing to welcome the Jesuit Superior General, on his first visit to the British Province since his election in 2008.

Father Adolfo Nicolás will arrive on Tuesday, 12 April, at Heathrow Airport, where he will be greeted by the British Provincial, Fr Michael Holman SJ. After a meeting with the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Antonio Mennini, he will be taken to the Hayes Conference Centre in Swanwick, Derbyshire, where the Jesuits' Province Meeting will be taking place.

Among the engagements that Father General will have at the meeting will be a chance to talk with men in formation and Mass for the Jubilarians of three years (2010-2012). There will also be the opportunity for questions and answers from delegates.

Other guests at the Province Meeting will be Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Westminster, who will preside at Mass on the Thursday, and Cardinal Keith Patrick O'Brien, who will speak at the Jubilarians' Dinner.

On the evening of 15 April, he will preach at Mass at Sacred Heart Church in Wimbledon, at which the Archbishop of Southwark, the Most Reverend Peter Smith, will be the celebrant. The church was recently re-opened after extensive renovation, including a new oak floor, the restoration of its historic organ, and efficient
under-floor heating.

The Superior General's final engagement will be at the new Jesuit centre in London E1. On the morning of Saturday, 16 April, he will officially open the Hurtado Jesuit Centre, which will provide a new home for the Jesuit Refugee Service, as well, as a base for various other apostolic works of the province. The Centre is named after St Alberto Hurtado, a Chilean Jesuit who worked tirelessly for the poor, especially among children, and founded the Hogar de Cristo.

Source: Jesuit Communications