Jesuit Development Office
Senior Jesuits
While the word ‘retirement’ isn’t really in the Jesuit vocabulary, there are elderly Jesuits who are prevented by age or infirmity from participating actively in the apostolate. The Province supports these men in one of two ways:
The Infirmary - Pickering, ON
For those Jesuits who are incapable of independent living, the Society provides 24-hour care in the Infirmary. This is a 20-bed facility, located on the property of the Manresa Retreat House in Pickering. There is a professional nursing staff, dietician, therapists, volunteer coordinator, etc.
Average annual subsidy from the Province: $1,000,000
Average annual per capita subsidy: $50,000
Support for Communities
Many elderly Jesuits continue to live in various communities across the country. Although they are unable to work effectively in the apostolate, they do not require extensive medical attention or round-the-clock care. Because the support of these men can be a financial burden on communities with limited revenues, the Province provides a subsidy for them.
Average annual subsidy per man: $20,000 Total cost to the Province (1996-1997): approx. $240,000
What You Can Do
A fund has been established at the Jesuit Development Office to help support our senior Jesuits.
You can make a secure donation online by clicking on the button below.
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You can also download an MS Word donation form to support senior Jesuits. (This form opens in a new window)
Senior Jesuits in Profile
Fr. John Matheson, S.J.
John first moved to Regina over forty years ago in 1967. Shortly after Campion College, as a federated college, had moved onto the present University of Regina campus, he became part of the group of young Jesuits and lay professors there who E. P.W. Nash, SJ, had hired. That was an exciting period, on a young university campus. He taught English Literature for two years. After studies in Communication Arts from 1969 to 1973 at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles (for most of the period he lived or worked in the Watts area), he became cochaplain and director of the Student Centre at St. Paul’s College, University of Manitoba. Beginning in 1977, however, John helped, along with others, to establish at the University of Regina the film studies programme. There he would remain as professor of film until his retirement from teaching in 1996. During those years, too, he made trips to China, where he taught in a university exchange programme, and he served in the chaplaincy at the Canadian air-force base, Moose Jaw. Greatly admired by countless students, today his legacy lives on in the flourishing film studies programme at the University of Regina.
Quiet, unassuming in demeanour, yet witty and a great conversationalist, John can engage one on a very wide range of topics. He is an avid reader, and even if he seems to know all there is to know about films, what in general appears to hold his interest the most is the fine arts and the humanities. Discuss anything concerning art, literature, history, current events or whatever, and not only does he seem familiar with the topic, but he often will leave one a book or an article about it.Where he finds such is a mystery: his room in the Jesuit residence is sparse, except for a couple pieces of furniture!
Amazingly—or at least to some drivers—John never learned to drive, but relies on Regina’s buses. Most days he heads off, with briefcase or bag, to catch a bus into town. Normally the trip is uneventful. Once, however, it was not.When crossing the street near the residence, he was clipped in the heel by one car making a turn and knocked to the ground by a second car behind. Fortunately, as he points out, what he was carrying protected his legs from more serious injuries.
Although he no longer lectures in the university, his ministry continues, among the Sisters of the Precious Blood, in parishes, and most especially with the families of inmates in the Regina gaol, a large percentage of whom are native people, and with “Friends on the Outside,” an organization assisting inmates to reintegrate into society after they have left prison. He is a member of FOTO’s board of directors.
“It’s the pace!” John says, teasingly, of life in Regina. Most of the time now his pace is slower. He often can be found reading in the lower lounge at 333 Avon Drive, or sometimes napping there! Yet his activities and achievements over four decades as a Jesuit priest in the university and in social apostolates show that, whatever the pace, John continues to involve himself fully.
by Joe Gavin, S.J.