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Jesuit Father James Kubicki Explains Ignatian Spirituality and the Apostleship of Prayer in Latest Issue of New Jesuit Review

In the latest issue of New Jesuit Review, Jesuit Father James Kubicki explains Ignatian spirituality and the Apostleship of Prayer. He writes:

Saint Ignatius Loyola was not a monk who withdrew from the world in order to find God. Rather, he marked out a path by which active priests, religious, and lay people would find God in the midst of the world. Two phrases capture the essence of his approach: to find God in all things and to be a contemplative in action. The Apostleship of Prayer, by helping people become “apostles of prayer,” follows the same path. We strive to find God in the middle of our every day lives.This ideal has been part of the Apostleship of Prayer from its beginning.

To read more from Fr. Kubicki, national director of the Apostleship of Prayer please visit New Jesuit Review
here. 

Jesuit Astronomy Expert on The Colbert Report

One of the guests on "The Colbert Report" last night was  Jesuit Brother Guy Consolmagno, S.J., Ph.D.,  a respected planetary scientist and expert on meteorites who works at the Vatican Observatory in Rome and Tucson.  Brother Consolmagno  is the author of numerous books on the intersection of science and faith, including Brother Astronomer and God's Mechanics. Political humorist and comedian Stephen Colbert interviewed Brother Consolmagno on the satirical show and asked why the Vatican accepts the possibility of alien life.

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Fordham Jesuits Assist in Bronx Parishes

Father Burgaleta Celebrates Spanish Mass (Courtesy Fordham Univ.)

Jesuit Father Joseph Koterski is an associate professor of philosophy,  Jesuit Father Claudio Burgaleta is an assistant professor of theology and Jesuit Father Edward Dowling is a professor of economics.

Yet, like all of Fordham’s Jesuits, first and foremost they are Catholic priests. They are ordained to celebrate Mass in any parish in the New York Archdiocese and to administer sacraments that go with the title: marriages, penance, last rites, Holy Eucharist and more.

That is why, when calls for assistance come from surrounding Bronx neighborhoods and beyond, Fordham’s Jesuits are answering them.

Some 20 of Fordham’s Jesuit priests regularly celebrate Masses in parish churches and other religious communities off campus. The jobs are rarely assigned tasks; they are, many of them say, tasks of the heart, and a privilege that keeps them connected to the world beyond the leafy confines of academia.

“We are priests first of all, and this is what our mission is,” said Father Koterski. “We can be of great support to our fellow priests and to our dioceses. And people in the pews like a little variety in their sermons. The learning and spirituality that the Jesuits bring can be valuable.”

Read more about how the 60 members of Fordham's Jesuit communities are assisting local parishes near the Fordham campus in the Bronx by going here.

Jesuit Retreat Program for the Homeless Highlighted in the St. Louis Review

The Ignatian Spirituality Project hosts retreat at Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet 

to help homeless find meaning in their lives. (courtesy St. Louis Review)

The St. Louis Review features a story on the Ignatian Spirituality Project, a Chicago-based nonprofit organization that offers retreats, based on the Ignatian spiritual exercises, for homeless individuals.The goal is to help the homeless develop a deeper relationship with God and find meaning and purpose as they get their lives back on track — and someday end their homelessness.

Since its inception, about 150 overnight retreats have been held in a dozen cities across the United States, with the hope of expanding to several other cities by 2010. In St. Louis, the program was introduced about a year ago, when the project's coordinators in Chicago approached St. Patrick Center, the Catholic Charities agency that is Missouri's largest provider of services for the homeless.

Ann Rotermund, senior director of mental health programs at St. Patrick Center, said she "jumped at the chance" when leaders at the agency were contacted by Chicago organizers about offering the retreats in St. Louis.

"We'd been doing meditation (with clients) three times a week," said Rotermund. "So we knew people were hungry for this sense of quiet and peace. It's funny how this kind of fell in our lap."

To read more about the Ignatian Spirituality Project's impact in St. Louis, go here. Photographer Lisa A. Johnston has created a multimedia presentation on the Ignatian Spirituality Project in St. Louis, click here to view. 

Watch the video below for an overview of the purpose of the Ignatian Spirituality Project. 

Jesuit Program Breaks Culture of Violence in Refugee Camps

Bhutanese refugees collecting drinking water 

at the Sanischare refugee camp in eastern Nepal (courtesy UCAN)

The Jesuit Refugee Service has stepped in to break a cycle of violence, drug and sexual abuse that had been plaguing thousands of ethnic Nepali youths from Bhutan living in refugee camps in East Nepal.

“All kinds of evils were plaguing the camps,” says Jesuit Father Peter Jong Lepcha, program coordinator of Youth Friendly Centres (YFC).

“We realized that there are so many programs being implemented for the refugees in general but nothing for the youth as such.”

The YFC program is part of the Jesuit Refugee Service’s(JRS) Bhutanese Refugee Education Program, supported by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and Caritas Nepal. Read more about the program here.