For over 400 years, Jesuits and their colleagues have had a presence in Canada.  Today they work coast to coast –  from Vancouver to St.John's.  In this series igNation invites you to join us as we travel across Canada stopping at cities where there are Jesuit apostolates to read personal reflections about the city and the work being done there.  Today we stop in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

My Halifax is a city of sharp contrasts. Because of its harbour it has been a military and shipping centre from its founding in 1749, but it has become a cultural and academic centre, with five universities, including Saint Mary’s which the Jesuits used to run, and the Atlantic School of Theology, a unique ecumenical venture. 

It has been marked by tragic events still remembered vividly, the Halifax Explosion of 1917 in which a whole northern section of the city was destroyed and over 2000 lives were lost, and the burial of many victims of the Titanic catastrophe of 1912. But it is a city whose arts and music scene is lively and enthusiastic. People know how to celebrate here in both contemporary and traditional “down home” idioms.

I was advised when moving to Halifax that it would take me years to break down the “from away” prejudice of local inhabitants, but the truth is far from this: I did find a hearty welcome. Halifax hosts a vibrant immigrant population, with Arabic as the foreign language most likely to be heard on its streets. I soon discovered that I had an excellent card to play as I entered into the life of the people I had been sent to serve. Original settlers, Acadians, English, Scottish and Irish – now connected through centuries of intermarriage – are very attentive to origins and family alliances. Networking reigns: knowing someone often means getting to know their friends and family members, or at least knowing about them.

Coming from northern New Brunswick, I am used to that style of relationship. Because of this, in addition to my initial welcome I have found myself rooted here in a way in which I was never rooted in Central Canada. Moreover so many people I meet are graduates of Saint Mary’s, and they remember the Jesuits who ran the school and taught there – men I and many other Jesuits of our province knew quite well.

What do the Jesuits do in Halifax? In 1940 we were sent to run a high school and a college. In 1952 we took on a parish. These ministries disappeared, but we have continued in various forms of spiritual ministry. Our main ministry today is the Jesuit Centre of Spirituality, in which two Jesuits, aided by six staff associates, offer, in our centre and throughout the Maritimes, spiritual direction, retreats, parish missions, and various other spiritual programmes.

This means hours of driving, especially by my intrepid Jesuit colleagues – Earl Smith did this for many years – often through blizzards and snow. With only two Jesuits, and many needs in local parishes, we maintain a close link with the archdiocese, and much of our work is directly in support of parishes and priests. The Archdiocese is involved in a 5 year process of transformation which we try to support as best we can.

Since the early 2000's we have had a connection with St. Patrick’s, now a poorer parish, with a resplendent interior, a heritage organ, and a crumbling exterior, and a local neighborhood devastated by the unbridled development of the ‘60's and ‘70's. Its survival has been an issue for quite a few years. If the community cannot repair and maintain its building can it continue as a parish on a newer model favouring evangelization and presence to the local inhabitants over self-preservation? A question which becomes more urgent every year. As priest-in-charge I am intimately involved in these issues.

The spirituality centre has some rooms for retreatants, but most of its programmes and services are non-residential. But we are very open to having those who come to us share not only our food but also our table. Hospitality is an essential aspect of who we are and how we present ourselves. Our monthly silent Saturday retreats have been a key feature from the outset.

One area in which we have developed over the years is communal apostolic discernment, especially for parishes struggling with various issues. Our newest Jesuit, Trevor Scott, is finding his way, looking after various faith communities – the CLC and the AASEA (an association regrouping Ignatian directors, lay, clerical, and religious, in the Maritimes), offering retreats, and seeking how to best connect with the young adult contemporary culture in Halifax.

With the large university student population in Halifax and our catchment area which includes three provinces, we have begun to tap into a real potential for vocations. We have sent three novices to Montreal, with two of them remaining, and there is one promising candidate on the horizon – with two others that have just established first contact. The Maritimes continue to be a good source of vocations for our province. And Ignatian spirituality has made a real impact among a population that is in effect starving for genuine experience of God.