This Our Exile: A Spiritual Journey With the Refugees of East Africa

by James Martin

A young American Jesuit's memoir of his two years working in Kenya, East Africa. "Stirring, joy-filled, beautiful. . ."--Ron Hansen, author, Mariette in Ecstasy

Genres: Spirituality, Africa, Religion, Nonfiction, Memoir

Paperback

First published January 10, 1999

About the author

James Martin, SJ is a Jesuit priest, writer, editor at large of the Jesuit magazine America, and consultor to the Vatican's Secretariat for Communication.

Fr. Martin grew up in Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania, United States, and attended Plymouth-Whitemarsh High School. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business in 1982 and worked in corporate finance at General Electric for six years. Dissatisfied with the corporate world, he entered the Society of Jesus (more commonly known as the Jesuits) in 1988, and after completing his Jesuit training (which included studies in philosophy and theology, as well as full time-ministry) was ordained a priest in 1999. He received his Master's in Divinity (M.Div.) and Master's in Theology (Th.M.) from the Weston Jesuit School of Theology (now part of Boston College).

During his Jesuit training, Martin worked in a hospital for the seriously ill and a homeless shelter in Boston, with Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity in Jamaica, with street-gang members in Chicago, in a prison in Boston, and for two years with East African refugees in Nairobi, Kenya, with the Jesuit Refugee Service. In addition to his work at America magazine, Fr. Martin has written or edited more than 15 books, most of which are about spirituality and religion. He is a frequent commentator on religion and spirituality and has appeared on all the major networks, served as an expert commentator for ABC for the papal conclave that elected Pope Francis, and has written for many outlets, including the New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.

Father Martin's best known books The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything (2010) and Jesus: A Pilgrimage were both New York Times bestsellers; My Life with the Saints was named a Publishers Weekly Best Book; and all three were winners of the Christopher Award.

He has received over 15 honorary degrees from Catholic colleges and universities, and in 2017 Pope Francis appointed him as consultor to the Vatican's Secretariat for Communication.

Reviews

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before he became known as the "official chaplain" of the Colbert Report and before he wrote the excellent book My Life with the Saints, James Martin spent two years living in Nairobi, Kenya working with the Jesuit Relief Service. Out of that time came this wonderful book that recounts his time there. Very moving in some places and funny in others. Well worth reading.

[Rene · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read several of Father Martin’s books but wasn’t sure about this one. How much I would have missed if I skipped this one. He writes with such compassion, such an eye for detail, such honesty and conviction. Reading this book is journeying with him.

[Annalie Buscarino · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are doing humanitarian work, you must read this book. 7,000 miles away from my family in New York, lost in the unforgiving dust of Africa, Martin's writing made me feel as if I were home. Though my 6 weeks in Zanzibar are nothing compared to his 2 years in Nairobi, I felt comforted in my ability to witness the intersection of my experiences and his. Despite all of the internal and external obstacles I faced when promoting women's empowerment in Tanzania, I was able to focus on the workings of love and humanity as I followed Martin's literary journey along my own. Through his impact, I could truly understand the influence I had over women's lives here, an assurance I didn't realize I needed until it came in the form of This Our Exile. I realized that personal growth precedes entrepreneurial growth and can now leave Tanzania satisfied with the 17 individual personalities that we nourished and nudged in the few weeks we had working with young women. The love they have for each other and for themselves became the focus of my work here and, with Martin's guidance, I am confident that I will always carry their hearts with mine. I learned about culture, hardship, love, and faith from the hopeful faces I see every day, with Martin's self-realizations reasserting such lessons every night I picked up the book and read. I have been comforted, inspired, taught, and challenged. Martin's words have motivated me through sickness, hopelessness, homesickness, and sadness. I feel I have further absorbed the most important lessons this world has to teach, and I am incredibly grateful to Martin for enlightening me to such an important personal foundation. 7,000 miles away and I've never before felt so connected to family, to God, and to humanity. As a local told me the other day, "we are all one blood, one love". I am endlessly thankful to be able to appreciate such a sentiment. I only hope that my impact in Africa can be a fraction of the one Martin had on his refugees, and on me.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have long been interested in the plight of refugees and in the African continent as a whole. Having been to Africa myself for several months (although West Africa, not East as in the book), I found a lot of the scenarios familiar. The story was nothing new to me, although it made me a little nostalgic and provided new insights. My gripe with the writing is that it is often repetitive and one hears the same details over and over again, I guess in case the reader has forgotten in the last 10 pages what that word he's already explained twice means.

What really impressed me about the book was James Martin himself, and his humanity and the struggles he presented. He started his journey full of pride, with a "save-the-world" mentality, and gradually began to discover that he can't do it all himself, facing sickness and worries about his family at home and culture shock. Still not knowing to this day whether some of the decisions he made were right, and what he could have done differntly. While this didn't give me the kind of life-changing, spriritual insight that i was half expecting, all in all it was an honest portrait of a thoughtful, down to earth priest-to-be, approachable, active, and seeking God in an extraordinary, sometimes painful experience.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book while on a traveling course to Uganda. Reading the experiences of this priest while he was on a 2 year service commitment in neighboring Kenya was powerful. This story not only outlines the problems experienced in much of Africa but also shows the possibilities. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in human rights and especially for those going to Africa.

[Katherine]

GREAT! Before he was ordained, Jim Martin spent 2 years in KEnya with JRS- this book was great- not sugar counted- true to life descriptions of working with refugees- inspiring- any ISP students or chaps would appreciate it

[L Campagnola · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stories about East African refugees in Kenya. I learned a lot about an area of the world that I didn't know before. I recommend it.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this! If you liked The Jesuit Guide to Almost Everything, pick this one up!

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book at meeting our true selves as we meet others who can benefit from our help. Fr. James Martin describes his experiences with exiles in Africa as a part of his novitiate in the Society of Jesus.