In the early days of the Society of Jesus, Jerome Nadal, one of St. Ignatius’ first Companions, declared that the Society existed “to go where no one else wants to go.” For more than 450 years, Jesuits have gone to the far-reaches of the earth and into fields where no one else from the Church would go in order to provide a spark of hope, in order to preach the Good News and to find the light of Christ among those often forgotten communities. This bold and innovative spirit is what inspired the Jesuit commitment to education and what led us to the courts of China ; it is how we came to be among Native Peoples in South America and Eskimos in Alaska . This pioneering spirit is the origin of the Oregon Province itself, and explains why Fr. DeSmet was willing to go to the “wilds” of the Northwest when he still had work to do in St. Louis .

The Apostolic Ministries Fund exists to enable the Oregon Province to continue to live out the spirit of Fr. Nadal. It enables us to support ministry to the poor and marginalized, to meet newly emerging needs, and to become the spark for new forms of ministry not yet imagined by the ecclesial or popular community. This fund exists because many of those who need us most are least able to support the people we send, or the work we do. It exists because much of what we alone can do is not yet capable of self-sufficiency. The Apostolic Ministries Fund is crucial both for our direct work among the poor and for our spiritual “research and development,” i.e., the seed money by which we discover and follow where the Spirit of God is calling us.

To understand the results of such funding, one need only consider the history and current operation of the Province. It was through both the generosity of donors and the support of the Society of Jesus—through contributed salaries and other gifts—which allowed for the founding of Gonzaga University and Seattle University, which helped Bellarmine Preparatory in Tacoma survive its first years, and helped Jesuit High School in Portland be born. In Montana and Idaho , the generosity of the Native People was met by the Society’s gifts to allow the establishment of schools and missions.

Today, as well, through its Apostolic Ministries Fund, the Province seeks to sow seeds and support works that, on their own, might not exist. Some of the works that have been supported by this fund include:

• The Rocky Mountain Mission: We continue our original ministry of sacramental care and support of culture among the Native Peoples of Oregon, Washington , Idaho , and Montana .
  
  
• The Alaska Mission: Working with the Diocese of Fairbanks and the Archdiocese of Anchorage, we support sacramental ministry, deacon training, Native Ministry training, and personal support among the Yu’pik people of Western Alaska .
  
  
• International Missions: We provide support for men from Colombia and Zambia-Malawi, in Africa , as they prepare for priesthood; we assist Jesuits from the Northwest working in the Zambia-Malawi Province , as well as others working in refugee camps and schools in other parts of Africa .
  
  
• The Jesuit Volunteer Corps: Born in the Northwest, the JVC continues to be a sponsored work of the Province, receive spiritual support and some financial support, as well, in its work bringing young people into ministry among the poor.
  
  
• S.E.E.L.: In many of the cities of the Northwest, the Province supports programs to provide the Spiritual Exercises in Everyday Life, allowing women and men who cannot take a month away from work or family to grow closer to Christ through Ignatian prayer.
  
  
• Nestucca Sanctuary: Reaching out to those for whom spiritual ministry is often out of reach, the Sanctuary offers retreats on the Oregon Coast for those with little financial resources.
  
  
• St. Andrew Nativity School: In a model pioneered by Jesuits in New York , this school provides high quality middle school education in a structured supportive atmosphere for youth from poor and underserved communities.

While these programs receive some aid from the Apostolic Ministries Fund—aid that has helped some begin and others remain in existence—the need far outreaches our ability. In recent years, the Oregon Province has had to turn down several innovative and worthy projects due to lack of funds to support them; indeed, even among those listed above, several nearly were abandoned and some remain precarious due to lack of resources. Currently, the balance in The Oregon Province’s Apostolic Ministries Fund is one-third of the average for all U.S. provinces. The explosion of the Catholic population in the Northwest and the consequent lack of spiritual education; the influx of migrants from Latin America, Asia, and the Pacific Rim; the movement of Native Americans from rural to urban areas; all of these present possibilities and challenges to the Church, and call the Jesuits to continue our service to those most in need.

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