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Rev. Jeffrey Klaiber, SJ

"The work of a university Jesuit hardly ends in the classroom"

I am Jeffrey Klaiber, SJ, of the Province of Chicago, but working in Peru. I first came to Peru in 1963 in order to make my Juniorate, and after I finished all of my studies in Peru and the United States, I returned in 1976 in order to stay here. I am a university professor (The Pontifical Catholic University), author, and was Chairperson of the Department of Humanities for a time. I also do pastoral work in the Pastoral Center of the university, and celebrate a couple of Masses during the weekend.

At the university I teach history. I have felt history as a vocation from the time I was in High School. My attraction to history was not merely an attraction to the past (I also enjoy science fiction and everything that is futuristic), but in part because I have a gift to teach (the past, present, and future) and to communicate history. I feel very comfortable in the classroom talking about the Russian revolution, the independence of the United States, or the life of Gandhi, because they are very interesting subjects and because I believe that God has given me the talent to take these histories and convert them into living dramas that wake up the imagination of my students. In addition, my students have told me that I am very clear: my listeners understand what happened and why such-and-such a subject is important, or that reason, for me, teaching history is not "work" but a vocation: it is something that comes to me naturally.

One can ask (and some students of non-Jesuit high schools have asked): Doesn't a priest have to teach theology? The answer is very easy for a Jesuit. Ignatian spirituality discovers God in the world and in the totality of human works, large and small. It also discovers the absence of God in these same things. For that reason, there is a long humanistic tradition in the Society of Jesus that emphasizes the necessity to look for God in all human disciplines. So, it is a very Jesuit thing to speak of topics that are purely secular. Anyone who understands Ignatian spirituality knows that a Christian lives his or her faith in the world, and for this reason it is necessary to understand how the world works and, in so doing, be able to speak about God in terms modern people will understand.. If not, the Christian message will have little credibility for men and women of today. In addition, (and I say this as a joke), in fact I have taught Theology (and obligatory courses at that), and when I did, I felt a little insecure about it. The reason is that the students couldn't "see" the subject of the course: God. By way of contrast, I feel more secure teaching history because the students can see very clearly what the theme of the class is, and don´t doubt its reality (no one doubts that the Second World War occurred, or that the Soviet Union collapsed, or that Nelson Mandela triumphed, etc.)

I teach many courses in the University, some of which are obligatory and which I do not enjoy too much (but one has to teach them for the good of the institution) and others that I positively enjoy. My specialty is the History of the Church in Latin America, which I offer as an elective course. From this specialty I have created my own sub-specialty: religion and politics. On two occasions, when I was a visiting professor in the United States, I offered a course on "Religion and Politics in Latin America," that attracted many students. I also teach different courses in general world history: contemporary world history, history of the United States, modern history, etc. In order to teach these courses in general world history one has to keep up with the latest on each subject. I bring myself up to date by reading histories of China, Japan, Nazi Germany, etc. But I read them as novels, which makes the updating of knowledge for me a pleasure rather than work.

But the work of a university Jesuit hardly ends in the classroom. I also feel a vocation to write, and in reality, I spend more time researching and writing than teaching in the classroom. But one doesn't write for the sake of writing. There is always a message that one wants to communicate. The difference between a philosopher and an historian is that the former establishes the existence of an idea (liberty) and speaks about this idea to his or her students, while the historian discovers the idea in history itself as a vital and dynamic reality. In my first book, Religion and Revolution in Peru (1977) (in Spanish, Religión y revolución en el Perú) I present the thesis that the politicians have not always understood the people. Nineteenth century Latin American liberals were very cold toward popular religiosity. However, within time different groups and figures (the pro-Indian protesters, Mariategui, Haya de la Torre, for example) freed themselves from these prejudices. The key was their discovery of the importance of religion to the people. My second book is a treatment of the church La Iglesia en el Peru 1988 (The Church in Peru). My interest in writing about the Church stems from two facts: there wasn't a history of the modern Church in Peru, and there wasn't a modern history of the Church. Yes: a modern history of the modern Church. There are Catholics who still don't understand how one can criticize one's own church. But that mentality mainly belongs to an apologetic period that doesn't correspond to the modern world, and certainly not to the spirit of the Second Vatican Council. My goal was to present a model of a history written by someone within who cares for the Church, but who is also critical: exactly what the Bishops of the Council did when they spoke about the Church.

My last book follows the same line of thought, but this times covers all Latin America: Iglesia, dictaduras y democracia en America Latina (1997) (Church, dictatorships, and democracy in Latin America). The theme is sufficiently evident: how the Church was a positive force (with one or two exceptions) in favor of human rights and the fight to return to democracy in many of the Latin American countries from the 1960's to the 1990's. I traveled to 10 countries in order to carry out this 11-country project (the eleventh country is, of course, Peru).

Now, I am in the middle of another book: Los Jesuitas en America Latina (The Jesuits in Latin America). Although the topic seems quite obvious, in fact there is a message that goes well beyond a history of a particular religious order. The thesis is: in the same way in which the Jesuits brought about a synthesis between modernity and inculturation in colonial Latin America, they continue looking for that synthesis today. Christians (and non-Christians) of the 21st century can also discover a synthesis between modernity and local cultures around the world. I hope to finish this project in a year, more or less.

These books take years to do. It is very difficult to write a book, especially if it covers a lengthy period or a whole continent, because there isn't a lot of immediate satisfaction along the way. Unlike the experience of teaching a class, when one can return every day with the immediate satisfaction of having done something concrete and positive, writing a book means waiting years before seeing the result of hours and hours of work.

I also do explicit pastoral work. I have been celebrating a weekly Mass in the Agustino (one of the poor districts of Lima where we have a parish) for many years, and another one in English (we call it the "gringo mass") that I alternate with Fr. Edward Schmidt, SJ. In the university, I help in our Pastoral Center with a weekly Mass and other activities. Students with both academic and personal problems come to my office. I also give talks on such subjects as "love and sexuality" and give retreats to adults and youth. Well, this is a little summary of my life. I enjoy my life and believe that I am on a good path. I believe that everything falls within my vocation to be a Jesuit and to proclaim the Kingdom. With frequency I have my doubts about the best way to do things, and in fact have come to understand that some of my experiences which seemed good, were not for the "Greater Glory of God." I also like to read detective and spy novels, and I enjoy walking a lot. But that is another story...

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