Pedro Arrupe 1 of 5
Summary
TLDRPedro Arrupe, a Jesuit priest, led a life deeply intertwined with pivotal historical events. Born in Spain, he entered the medical field before a visit to Lourdes sparked his religious vocation. Exiled during the Spanish Civil War, he studied in Belgium and the Netherlands, then served as a missionary in Japan. There, he experienced the Hiroshima bombing firsthand, which profoundly influenced his commitment to peace. His story is one of resilience, intercultural understanding, and a dedication to service within the Catholic Church.
Takeaways
- 🏫 Georgetown University, like other Jesuit institutions, is known for its commitment to community service and Christian values.
- 🙏 The story of Pedro Arrupe, a Jesuit priest, is deeply intertwined with significant historical events and the Society of Jesus.
- 👶 Born in the Basque region of Spain, Arrupe was influenced by the miracles he witnessed at the Marian Shrine of Lourdes, leading to his religious vocation.
- 🎓 A top medical student, Arrupe's path shifted towards theology and spirituality, influenced by his experiences in Lourdes.
- 🌎 The Spanish Civil War forced Arrupe into exile, where he continued his religious studies in Belgium, the Netherlands, and the United States.
- 📚 Fluent in multiple languages, Arrupe was assigned to Japan as a missionary, focusing on intercultural understanding.
- 🕊 Despite initial personal struggles, Arrupe immersed himself in Japanese culture and authored several books on spiritual exercises in Japanese.
- 💥 On August 6, 1945, Arrupe and his students survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, an event that deeply affected him.
- 🗞️ Arrupe became a notable figure for his firsthand account of the atomic bomb's aftermath, sharing his experiences with reporters and military investigators.
- 🌟 His experiences, including imprisonment and witnessing the atomic bomb's devastation, shaped Arrupe's life and spiritual leadership within the Catholic Church.
Q & A
What is the common thread among Jesuit universities in the US?
-Jesuit universities in the US share a dedication to a brand of Christian commitment to community and service.
Who is Pedro Arrupe and what is his significance in the script?
-Pedro Arrupe was a Jesuit priest who played a significant role in the Catholic Church and the Society of Jesus. His life and experiences are central to the narrative of the script.
What event led to Pedro Arrupe's vocation as a Jesuit?
-Witnessing three miraculous cures in Lourdes, which were verified by atheist doctors, impressed Pedro Arrupe and led to his vocation.
Why did Pedro Arrupe leave Spain?
-Pedro Arrupe was forced to leave Spain due to the new Republican government's expulsion of all Jesuits from the country during the onset of the Spanish Civil War.
Where did Pedro Arrupe go into exile and why?
-Pedro Arrupe went into exile first in Belgium, then in the Netherlands, due to the expulsion of Jesuits from Spain.
What was Pedro Arrupe's mission in Japan?
-Pedro Arrupe was assigned to be a missionary in Japan, where he studied the language and worked on intercultural understanding.
How did Pedro Arrupe's experience in Japan shape his life?
-Arrupe's time in Japan, including his imprisonment for suspected espionage, deepened his understanding of solitude, poverty, and inner dialogue, which shaped his spiritual life.
What significant event did Pedro Arrupe witness on August 6, 1945?
-Pedro Arrupe witnessed the dropping of the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima from outside the city limits.
What was the immediate aftermath of the atomic bomb that Pedro Arrupe observed?
-Arrupe observed a blinding light, a formidable explosion, and dense smoke arising from the city, followed by a procession of injured people.
How did Pedro Arrupe's experience in Hiroshima influence his later life?
-His experience as a witness to the atomic bombing of Hiroshima led Pedro Arrupe to be frequently called upon to share his story, which became a significant part of his legacy.
Outlines
🎓 Pedro Arup's Early Life and Jesuit Commitment
The video script introduces Georgetown University, a Jesuit institution known for its student energy and commitment to community service, a tradition stemming from Jesuit priest Pedro Arup. Arup's life is marked by significant historical events, beginning with his birth in the Basque region of Spain, the same area that gave rise to Ignatius of Loyola and Francis Xavier. Orphaned at a young age, Arup pursued medical studies at the University of Madrid, where he excelled. His path took a spiritual turn after witnessing miraculous cures at the Marian Shrine of Lourdes, leading him to embrace a Jesuit life. The narrative then moves to the Spanish Civil War, forcing Arup into exile in Belgium and the Netherlands. He was later sent to Japan as a missionary, where he faced cultural challenges and personal struggles, including imprisonment on suspicion of espionage during World War II.
🌟 Arup's Experiences in Hiroshima and Post-War Reflections
The script continues with Arup's missionary work in Japan, focusing on his efforts to understand and engage with Japanese and Korean novices despite cultural barriers. He authored several books on spiritual exercises in Japanese, showcasing his dedication to intercultural understanding. A pivotal moment in his life was the morning of August 6, 1945, when the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. Arup and his students, located just outside the city, survived the blast, which was partially shielded by a hill. The script vividly describes the aftermath, with Arup witnessing the devastating effects of the bomb and the suffering of its victims. His experiences led to his becoming a prominent witness and storyteller of the atomic bombing, contributing to historical records and discussions on the event's impact.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Jesuit
💡Pedro Arup
💡Catholic Church
💡Spanish Civil War
💡Exile
💡Intercultural Understanding
💡Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima
💡Vocation
💡Miraculous Cures
💡Spiritual Exercises
Highlights
Georgetown University, like other Jesuit institutions, is known for its commitment to community and service.
Pedro Arup's dedication to Christian values is a common thread among Jesuit universities.
Father Pedro Arup's final appearance as head of a prominent Catholic religious organization.
The emotional turmoil leading to Father Arup's farewell and the election of his successor.
Pedro Arup's life shaped by significant historical events and his service in the Society of Jesus.
Arup's Basque origins and early life, including the loss of his parents at a young age.
His academic excellence in medical school and early recognition with awards.
Arup's spiritual awakening and vocation after witnessing miraculous cures in Lords.
Exile during the Spanish Civil War and continued theological studies in Belgium and the Netherlands.
Assignment as a missionary in Japan and dedication to intercultural understanding.
Arup's experience of loneliness and cultural immersion during his missionary work in Japan.
Imprisonment in Japan during World War II on suspicion of espionage.
The challenges of directing novices from different cultures and Arup's efforts to understand them.
Surviving the atomic bomb in Hiroshima and the immediate aftermath as witnessed by Arup and his students.
Arup's testimony of the atomic bomb's devastating effects and the human suffering he observed.
The long-lasting impact of Father Arup's experiences and his role as a witness to history.
Transcripts
[Music]
Georgetown University campus much like
27 other Jesuit colleges and
universities in the US abounds with
student energy and
optimism less immediately apparent to
the Casual Observer is something all
Jesuit universities have in common a
dedication to a brand of Christian
commitment to community and service that
can be largely traced to one Jesuit
priest named Pedro
[Music]
Arup September 13th
1983 father Pedro Arup makes his last
formal appearance as head of the largest
and one of the most prominent religious
organizations in the Catholic Church
the warm reception he enjoys at his
Farewell fails to reveal the agonizing
turmoil that has led to this day and to
the election of his
successor only those present might note
the significance of small
details kissing the hand of father deta
who Pope John Paul II had appointed to
replace him 25 months
before the wiping of a tear by father
Vincent O'Keefe is second in command for
18
years my most respected and dear father
Arup the story of Pedro Arup turns out
to be of a man whose life is shaped by
course changing events in the history of
the world of the church and the Society
of Jesus
[Music]
he was born in the same fiercely
independent Bas country of Northern
Spain that had produced ignacius lyola
and Francis Xavier more than four
centuries
earlier Pedro is the youngest of five
children his mother dies when he is 10
his father 8 years
later at the early age of 15
he leaves home to enter medical school
at the University of
Madrid in his first year he wins the top
prize in anatomy the first of many
awards he is on his way to finishing
medical school in the top tier of his
class when he accepts an invitation to
visit the Marian Shrine of Lords as a
member of a commission responsible for
attesting or not attesting to the
validity of miraculous claims
for me luds is a city of Miracles I stay
there for some three months I was thus
the witness of three miraculous cures
from the very moment they took place in
the midst of the faithful who were
praying to the Virgin Mary and then on
through the medical verification that
was carried out by doctors who were
atheists this impressed me very much
because I had often heard my professors
in Madrid who also were theists speak of
the superstitions of
Lords there was born my
[Music]
vocation it is 1927 when a rupe Embraces
the secluded life of a Jesuit in
training his studies return him to his
Basque Homeland in the shadow of the
Basilica dedicated to ignacius
[Music]
lyola by
1932 Spain is on the brink of Civil War
the new Republican government sees the
Catholic Church as a cause of many of
the very social ills it seeks to cure
the Spanish Republic's new constitution
expels all Jesuits from the
country AR rupe joins his fellow
seminarians in Exile first in Belgium
then in the
Netherlands after being ordained a
priest he continues his theological and
spiritual training in the United
States it is now 1938 at the brink of
World War II when he is unexpectedly
assigned to become a missionary in
Japan already multilingual Arup dives
into his study of Japanese and a
lifelong mission of Intercultural
understanding I must say that at the
time I did not focus on the Transcendent
aspect of the missionary experience but
rather on certain negative personal
aspects the discovery of a reality
different from what I expected and above
all the feeling of
loneliness and I experienced an even
greater loneliness when I went to Ubie
21 hours by train from Tokyo for my
first mission assignments although I
spoke Japanese only very poorly another
important personal event was my
imprisonment for one month in
Yamaguchi Japan was at War and I was
suspected of Espionage I spent days and
nights in the December cold entirely
alone many were the things I learned
during this time the signs of Silence of
solitude of severe and austere poverty
of inner dialogue with the guest of my
soul when later he was made the director
of
novices uh these were all Japanese with
some
Koreans uh for this Westerner to deal
with with somebody from a completely
different culture it was very difficult
but he had made it a point to try to get
inside the culture so he could really
talk to these people and he was good at
it in fact he ended up writing about six
books in Japanese on the spiritual
exercises
August 6th
1945 begins as an unremarkable morning
for Arup and his young Jesuit students
on the outskirts of
Hiroshima the hum of an approaching
airplane does not seem particularly
threatening they're used to hearing
armadas of bombers overhead today there
is no siren to raise the level of fear
[Music]
[Music]
e so on August the 6 1945 when the first
Adam Bomb fell on yoshima Arup and his
group were just outside the city limits
they heard it and they everything blew
apart in the house they didn't know what
it was the fate of Father Arup and his
novices is later filmed for the record
by the American government a group of
Jesuits who were teaching in Hiroshima
witnessed and survived the
explosion between zero point and the
main building of the noviciate of
Jesuits was a hill which served to
lessen the intensity of the blast yet
despite this protection the glass and
the doors of the main entrance foyer
were shattered and the paned ceiling was
blown Loose by the force of the
explosion occurring four miles away
father would you introduce yourself
please in future years aupe would be
called upon many times to tell his story
beginning immediately with us newspaper
reporters and Military investigators
what were you doing hosim at the time of
the explosion suddenly we saw a blinding
light like a flash of
magnesium we heard a formidable
explosion after about 15 minutes we
noticed that in the direction of the
city dense smoke
arose we climbed a hill to get a better
view before us was a decimated
Hiroshima
father he's been famous for that for
having been having been one of the
Witnesses of the falling of the first
atomic
bomb I shall never forget my first sight
of what was the result of the atomic
bomb a group of young women 18 to 20
years old clinging to one another as
they drag themselves along the road on
and on they came a steady procession
numbering some 150,000 000
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