An Indian Jesuit in Egypt, part 1

The Society of Jesus, founded in 1540 by Spaniard St. Ignatius of Loyola and his companions, is the largest men’s religious congregation in the Catholic Church, with almost 17.000 Jesuit priests and brothers working in some 112 nations across the globe.   Jesuits have been engaged in ministries as diverse as spiritual direction, education, the care of refugees, outreach to the homeless, theological, philosophical and academic enquiry.  With its worldwide headquarters here in Rome, Jesuit communities and apostolic works are organized into 'provinces' which belong to one of ten 'assistancies' around the world.  One such province, the Near East  Province, based in Beirut, Lebanon, comprises the Jesuit missions in the eastern and southern rim of the Mediterranean Sea, involving 106 Jesuits from 15 different nations.  One among them is Indian Jesuit, Fr. Bimal Kerketta of Ranchi Province who has been working in Egypt since 2002.   In an interview with him we came to know a lot about the work of the Jesuits in the predominantly Muslim nation.  Today, he begins the first part of this interview explaining the countries of the Near East  Jesuit Province.

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