Daniel Berrigan, S.J., poet-in-residence at Fordham University, will present the premiere reading of his new work, Ordina questo amore, o tu che m’ami: Recitative with Four Voices; Ignatius, Francis Xavier, Peter Faber and Chorus, on Sunday, Dec. 10, in commemoration of the Jesuit Jubilee Year. The recitation of the work, which was commissioned by the University, will follow the 11 a.m. Mass in the University Church on the Rose Hill campus.
“Fordham is fortunate to be able to celebrate the conclusion of the Ignatian Anniversary Year with the world premiere of a major work by Daniel Berrigan, S.J.,” said Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham. “Since Father Berrigan is the most accomplished Jesuit poet of our time, I am confident that this poetic tribute to Saint Ignatius, Saint Francis Xavier and Blessed Peter Faber will long be remembered as the most significant artistic achievement of the Ignatian Year.”
Father Berrigan has combined his life as an outspoken, internationally renowned peace activist with a career as a teacher and prolific poet. He has published 15 volumes of poetry and his first book of poems,Time Without Number (MacMillan, 1957), won the prestigious Lamont Poetry Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and was nominated for the National Book Award. In 1989, Father Berrigan received the Pax Christi USA Pope Paul VI Teacher of Peace Award for outstanding work in promoting the culture of peace and non-violence. His new poem commemorates three historic events in the Jesuit community: the 500th anniversary of the births of St. Francis Xavier and the Blessed Peter Faber, and the 450th anniversary of the death of St. Ignatius Loyola.
The dramatic production of Father Berrigan’s poem will be produced, directed, and acted by George Drance, S.J., artist-in-residence, Department of Theatre and Visual Arts.
– Janet Sassi
