life on the border - Jesuits from the California

Transcription

J ESUI T S O F T H E C A L IF OR N I A P ROV IN CE
SUMMER 2013
LIFE ON THE BORDER
Meet the Newest Jesuit Priests
Searching for the “Right” Way to Pray
The Gift of remembrance
Spiritual Meditations: Works of Art
PHOTO courtesy of L’Osservatore Romano
UP FRONT
Habemus Papam: In the days following his March 13 election,
Pope Francis, the first Jesuit to be named Pontiff, greeted
Fr. Adolfo Nicolás, S.J., Superior General of the Society of Jesus,
at Casa Santa Maria, a Papal residence near the Sistine Chapel in
Rome. Fr. Nicolás came at the invitation of the Holy Father and
promised him all of the resources of the Society of Jesus.
JESUITS OF THE CALIFORNIA PROVINCE SUMMER 2013
10
REFLECTIONS ON PRAYER
Spiritual directors share their thoughts on finding
a fulfilling prayer life.
16
Without the help of the Kino Border Initiative, deportees from the
United States to Mexico would face a lonely road as they attempt to
readjust to life south of the border. See our story on page 16.
In every issue
2LETTER FROM THE PROVINCIAL
3PROVINCE NEWS
KBI Director Appeals to Congress
A Letter from Pope Francis
Jesuit Named Bishop of Oakland
New Novice Director Tabbed
8 GOOD STEWARD
Sharing Her Gifts the Ignatian Way
9
JESUIT PROFILE
The Path Less Traveled
of Fr. Jim Hanley, S.J.
A DESPERATE PLIGHT
For deportees, the Kino Border Initiative provides
much-needed services and hope while also advocating
for meaningful immigration reform.
24
MEET OUR NEWEST PRIESTS
Five men from the California and Oregon provinces
were ordained on June 8. Across the U.S., 16 men were
ordained as Jesuit priests in June.
26
THE GIFT OF REMEMBRANCE
Perhaps the most important ministry at the Sacred Heart
Jesuit Center goes on every day quietly—praying for the
intentions of the Society of Jesus, its benefactors, and
society at large.
22PARISH PROFILE
Sacramento’s St. Ignatius Loyola Parish
On the cover
A warm meal and a place to stay help to
soften the harsh reality for those who have
been deported from the U.S. to Mexico.
photo courtesy of J.R. Muyo
30 IN REMEMBRANCE
Remembering the intentions of benefactors and friends of the
California Province and society is perhaps the most important work at
the Sacred Heart Jesuit Center in Los Gatos. See our story on page 26.
FROM THE Provincial
All Things are Possible Through Prayer
W
hen the idealistic Ignatius left his home at Loyola, an early
stop during his lifelong pilgrimage was at the statue of the Black
Madonna in Montserrat, Spain. Before Our Lady, seated, the child
Jesus balanced on her lap, Ignatius offered his life completely
to God. He placed his armor—the tools of his knighthood—at the feet of the
Madonna and Christ because they represent the very best of himself, his hopes
and ideals as a courageous and gallant warrior for his king, his commitment
to the code of honor of the knight, and his readiness to sacrifice even his own
life in the defense of the innocent and of his king’s endeavors. All that Ignatius
thought was the best a man could be in his age was summarized in the identity
and role of the knight. He offered all that to God, allowing God to replace and
expand Ignatius’ vision for something much greater.
The First Week of the Spiritual Exercises concludes with this meditation: the
retreatant considers an earthly leader, the best imaginable person—one full of
wisdom, courage, and love—and considers how to respond to the invitation to
join in the most crucial endeavor imaginable. This is very heady stuff, and it’s
supposed to be, because the retreatant is really being asked to offer the very
best self he or she can imagine becoming, for the great earthly leader is really
the retreatant at his or her best.
The meditation continues, “If you could find the generosity and courage to
follow such an earthly leader, how much more would you follow Christ?” At first,
the logic appears as simple as a syllogism: you would follow the greatest leader
you can imagine. Christ is even greater; so, you would follow Christ. However,
much more is being asked of the retreatant than simple logic. Just as Ignatius
loosened himself from his dreams of knighthood, relinquishing his armor and
sword, so the retreatant is being invited to let go of whatever great dreams he or
she might hold so as to allow Christ to replace those dreams with new dreams
and new ambitions that come from God.
Such an offering of oneself, not of our vices and sins, but of the very best we
can imagine, allows God to place even greater imaginings within us, dreams
beyond the limitations of our imaginations and our human logic. Sometimes the
Lord even invites us to exchange the righteous sacrifice of a Socrates for the
ignominious sacrifice of the Cross.
In this issue of Mission, you will read about prayer and about work for migrants
along the U.S.-Mexico border. The following of Christ that we aspire to is not
possible without prayer, because our human frailty limits the reach of our
imagination and generosity. Only in the surrender made possible by prayer can
we say yes to the Lord’s call.
Abundant blessings,
Fr. Michael F. Weiler, S.J.
Provincial
2 MISSION Summer 2013
Mission
Fr. Michael F. Weiler, S.J.
Provincial
Fr. Alfred E. Naucke, S.J.
Socius/Executive Assistant
Fr. Theodore E. Gabrielli, S.J.
Provincial Assistant for International Ministries
Fr. Michael Gilson, S.J.
Provincial Assistant for Secondary and
Pre-Secondary Education
Fr. William Kelley, S.J.
Provincial Assistant for Pastoral Ministries
Fr. Gerdenio M. Manuel, S.J.
Provincial Assistant for Higher Education
Fr. Sean Michaelson, S.J.
Provincial Assistant for Formation
Mark Potter, Ph.D.
Provincial Assistant for Social Ministries
Br. James C. Siwicki, S.J.
Director of Vocations
Fr. Charles J. Tilley, S.J.
Director of Provincial Projects
Advancement Office
Joseph B. Naylor
Provincial Assistant for Advancement
and Communications
Jim Muyo
Director of Communications
Editor, Mission Magazine
Fr. John P. Mossi, S.J.
Benefactor Relations
Fr. Samuel P. Bellino, S.J.
Director of Legacy Planning
Grace Melendrez
Associate Director of Database and Gifts
Francine Brown
Administrative Assistant
DESIGN
Mixed Palette
Mission is published two times a year by the
California Province of the Society of Jesus
P.O. Box 68, Los Gatos, CA, 95031-0068
Phone: (408) 884-1630
E-mail: [email protected]
www.jesuitscalifornia.org
©2013 California Province of the Society of Jesus.
All rights reserved.
The comments and opinions expressed in Mission
magazine are those of the authors and editors and
do not necessarily reflect official positions of the
California Province of the Society of Jesus.
KBI Director on Capitol Hill to Seek Immigration Reform
Fr. Sean Carroll, S.J., executive director of the Kino Border Initiative (KBI), testified at a Capitol Hill hearing on April 10 about
a new report that’s shedding light on disturbing cases of family separation caused by current U.S. immigration policy.
The report, “Documented Failures: the Consequences of Immigration Policy on the U.S.Mexico Border,” commissioned by the Jesuit Conference of the United States, Jesuit
Refugee Service/USA, and KBI, examines the experiences of migrant women, men, and
children deported from the United States to cities along Mexico’s northern border.
As the executive director of KBI, a bi-national humanitarian ministry of the California
Province of the Society of Jesus, Fr. Carroll works to aid deported migrants who pass
through KBI’s Aid Center and through Nazareth House, KBI’s shelter for migrant women
and children.
Speaking Out: Fr. Sean Carroll, S.J., as
he testified for immigration reform on
Capitol Hill.
“This report, supported by our experience and service on the border, confirms the disastrous
effects of current U.S. immigration policies on families, whether through the process of
deportation or because of mixed immigration status. We can and must do better,” Fr. Carroll
said. (To learn more about KBI, please see the feature story beginning on page 16).
To see a video of Fr. Carroll’s testimony, please visit www.jesuitscalifornia.org/immigrationreform
A Letter from Pope Francis
Touched by the act of washing the feet of
inmates at Sylmar Juvenile Hall in the San
Fernando Valley by members of the Jesuit
Restorative Justice Initiative staff, Pope
Francis sent a letter to JRJI Executive
Director Fr. Michael Kennedy, S.J. In the
letter, Pope Francis said he would remember
the inmates in his prayers.
Along with the foot washing, the Sylmar
inmates wrote letters to the Pope, asking for
healing and blessings. They confessed to
mistakes that hurt others, and they asked
for a second chance in a nation that hands
out the longest prison sentences in the
world for juveniles. The United States is the
only country in the world that sentences
juveniles to life in prison without the
possibility of parole, according to Javier
Stauring, co-director of the Los Angeles
Archdiocese's Office of Restorative Justice.
Seeking a fresh perspective on the latest news of the
world and pop culture and how they mesh with Ignatian
spirituality? Check out thejesuitpost.org. Staffed and
administered by Jesuits in Formation, the site offers
commentary from a variety of viewpoints and opinion
pieces on topics as varied as the new Pope, Church
reform, poverty, injustice, music, and baseball.
Letters to the Editor
Have an opinion on something
you’ve read in Mission?
We’d love to hear from you.
Please send your letters to:
[email protected]
Letters may be edited for space and content.
To view a video of the JRJI staff with the Pope’s letter,
please visit www.jesuitscalifornia/org/popeletter
MISSION Summer 2013 3 USF Names Deans for Education and Law Schools
An Obama cabinet appointee and the president of the National
Association for Multicultural Education (NAME) have been
tabbed as the next deans of the University of San Francisco’s
School of Law and School of Education, respectively.
John Trasviña, assistant secretary for Fair Housing and Equal
Opportunity in the U.S. Department
of Housing and Urban Development,
began his term as dean of the
University of San Francisco School
of Law June 17. Trasviña
succeeded Jeffrey S. Brand, who
stepped down after 14 years to
return to the USF faculty.
Trasviña served in the Obama
Administration since 2009, when
John Trasviña
his nomination was unanimously
confirmed by the Senate. A
graduate of Harvard University and Stanford Law School,
Trasviña has also taught immigration law at Stanford Law
School and was director of the Discrimination Research
Center in Berkeley.
Kevin K. Kumashiro will begin his term as the new dean of
the USF School of Education July 16.
The founding director of the Center
for Anti-Oppressive Education
(CAOE), Kumashiro was formerly a
professor of Asian American studies
and education at the University of
Illinois at Chicago (UIC), where he
was formerly chair of educational
policy studies, interim co-director of
the Institute for Research on Race
and Public Policy, and coordinator of
Kevin K. Kumashiro
Asian American studies.
Kumashiro also serves as the president of the National
Association for Multicultural Education (NAME), and as
president-elect served as chair of its 21st and 22nd annual
international conferences in 2011 and 2012.
< Province University Presidents Meet with Congress
(l-r) Santa Clara University President Fr. Michael Engh, S.J.,
Loyola Marymount University President David Burcham, and
University of San Francisco President Fr. Stephen Privett,
S.J, were among a group of Jesuit university presidents who
met with 17 members of Congress at an Association of Jesuit
Colleges and Universities (AJCU) breakfast meeting at the U.S.
Capitol Visitor's Center in February.
The breakfast provided an opportunity for members of
Congress to interact with presidents and federal relations staff at
PHOTO courtesy of ajcu
Jesuit colleges and universities. Issues discussed included
impacts of sequestration on higher education funding, the high
cost of college education, and protection of student financial
aid. (Pictured at right with the university presidents is
Representative Nancy Pelosi, D-CA.)
SCU Tabs New Law Dean
Lisa Kloppenberg has been appointed to a five-year term as the next dean
of the Santa Clara University Law School. The former dean of the University
of Dayton Law School and an expert on mediation, dispute resolution, and
reform of law-school education, Kloppenberg begins her tenure in July.
“It is with great enthusiasm that we welcome Lisa Kloppenberg to Santa
Clara University, and look forward to working with her to build upon the
proven strengths of our law school,” said Fr. Michael Engh, S.J., president
of Santa Clara University. “Her understanding of current-day challenges to
legal education, and her commitment to Jesuit Catholic ideals of educating
the whole person make her a wonderful fit for SCU.”
Kloppenberg takes over from Donald
Polden, who is stepping down after his
second successful five-year term ends
this year. Polden will be a visiting legal
scholar at the Center for Creative
Leadership for a year before returning
fulltime to the classroom at SCU.
Lisa Kloppenberg
Jesuit Named Bishop
of Oakland
Fr. Michael Barber, S.J., 58, a member of the
California Province of the Society of Jesus, was
named Bishop of Oakland on May 3.
A native of Salt Lake City, Bishop Barber
entered the Society of Jesus in 1973 and was
ordained a priest for the Society in 1985. He
holds a bachelor of arts in history/philosophy
from Gonzaga University, a master of divinity and
bachelor of sacred theology degrees from Regis
College of the University of Toronto, and a
licentiate and doctorate in sacred theology from
the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.
A former U.S. Navy chaplain, Bishop Barber’s most
recent assignment was as director of spiritual
formation at St. John’s Seminary in Brighton, Mass.
He speaks Italian, French, Samoan and liturgical
Spanish in addition to Latin and English.
LMU Breaks Ground for
Life Sciences Building
To cheers and the turning of soil with ceremonial shovels,
Loyola Marymount University broke ground on May 6 for its
new $110 million Life Sciences building, which will keep the
Jesuit and Marymount school a leader in the sciences into the
21st century. “This is an essential and remarkable moment in the
life cycle of LMU,” said President David W. Burcham. “The Life
Sciences building speaks to our hearts and our minds. It is
infrastructure we need to continue the intimate learning that is
the hallmark of an LMU education.” Construction is to be
complete in two years, with the first classes taking place in the
new building in the 2015-16 academic year. During the building’s
50-year lifespan, more than 60,000 students are expected to
walk its halls and work in its laboratories.
Oakland Bishop Michael Barber, S.J., (right) with Fr. Michael F.
Weiler, S.J., Provincial of the California Province.
Jesuit Universities Named to
President’s Honor Roll
Loyola Marymount University, Santa Clara
University, and the University of San Francisco
were placed on the 2013 President’s Higher Education
Community Service Honor Roll. Both LMU and USF
were listed as honor roll members with distinction.
The President's Higher Education Community
Service Honor Roll, launched in 2006, annually
highlights the role colleges and universities play in
solving community problems and placing more students
on a lifelong path of civic engagement by recognizing
institutions that achieve meaningful, measureable
outcomes in the communities they serve.
MISSION Summer 2013 5 Jesuit Conference Gets New Leader
Fr. Timothy P.
Kesicki, S.J., has
been named the
next president of
the Jesuit Conference of the Society
of Jesus in the
United States. Fr.
Fr. Kesicki
Kesicki, who was
appointed by Fr. Adolfo Nicolás, S.J.,
Superior General of the Society of Jesus,
will assume his new position August 1,
2014. Headquartered in Washington,
D.C., the Jesuit Conference is the liaison
office that coordinates the national work
of the Society of Jesus, the largest order
of priests and brothers in the Roman
Catholic Church.
“This assignment comes at a very exciting
time for the Church and the Society of
Jesus here in the U.S. and around the
world,” said Fr. Kesicki, currently serving
as Provincial of the Chicago-Detroit
Province. “Clearly, the election of Pope
Francis, the first Jesuit pope in history,
has highlighted the Jesuit vocation. Going
back to St. Ignatius himself, we Jesuits
have always put ourselves in service of
the Church to minister where the needs
are the greatest. I look forward to helping
the Society continue its mission with a
renewed zeal, strategic use of our
resources, and commitment to serving in
Christ’s name here and around the world.”
Fr. Kesicki will succeed Fr. Thomas H.
Smolich, S.J., who has served as president
of the Jesuit Conference since 2006. “Fr.
Kesicki is a dynamic leader whose wide
range of experience—with Jesuit Refugee
Service in Africa, as a high school president,
and as a provincial—will serve him well,”
said Fr. Smolich. “I’m grateful to Fr. Kesicki
for his generosity in making himself
available to serve the Society of Jesus in
this important capacity.”
New Director of
Novices Named
Fr. Stephen Corder, S.J., has been named
the new novice director at the Jesuit
Novitiate of the Three Companions in
Culver City, Calif. In his new role, Fr. Corder
will guide men in their first two years of
Jesuit Formation. Since 2008, Fr. Corder
had been the superior of Manresa
Residence and director of the Loyola
Institute for Spirituality in Orange, Calif.
He brings with him a wealth of experience
and knowledge of the Spiritual Exercises
and the spirituality of the Society of Jesus. Joining Fr. Corder at the novitiate will be
Fr. Anton Harris, S.J., who has been named
the Socius. Fr. Harris most recently has
served as the
minister and
assistant to the
rector at Spellman
Hall at Fordham
University.
Fr. Corder
New National Vocations Director
from the California
Province and its nearly
40 ministries through
our website and
Facebook page,
updated frequently
with News, Events,
Accomplishments,
and More.
Br. Michael Breault, S.J., has been appointed the next director
of national vocation promotion for the Society of Jesus in
the United States. Br. Breault, who assumes his new role in
August, will be based at the offices of the Jesuit Conference
in Washington, D.C.
Br. Breault comes to vocation promotion with an extensive
background in producing, directing, and writing for theater,
television, and film. For the past eight years, he has served
as the vice president of creative affairs at Loyola Productions
in Culver City, Calif., where he develops and oversees the
Jesuit-run production company’s slate of projects for film,
television, and the Internet.
“Michael brings a tremendous amount of energy and
creativity to everything he does, and we’re looking forward
to the many contributions he will make to our work inspiring
young men called to religious life,” said Fr. Thomas H.
Smolich, S.J., president of the Jesuit Conference.
good steward
Sharing Her Gifts the Ignatian Way
Patricia Campbell
through the 19th Annotation. It was her first long-term association
with a priest.
A year after beginning her spiritual direction with Fr. Dilworth,
Patricia completed an 8-day retreat in Los Altos. Moved by the
experience, she completed the 30-day retreat a year later. She has
since completed a second 30-day retreat.
“
8 MISSION SUMMER 2013
You can always depend on Pat
being here, with great love and
dedication to both St. Ignatius
Parish and the Jesuits.
“
Patricia Campbell wasn’t familiar with the Jesuits when she first
came across Jesuit-led St. Ignatius Loyola Parish in Sacramento.
Right away, though, she knew she’d found something special.
“I loved their homilies,” Patricia says. “That’s where I get fed
spiritually. It just clicked when I was there.”
Patricia, who has been a member of St. Ignatius Loyola since
1978, has remembered the California Province in her will to
acknowledge the ministry opportunities she has received, her
many friendships with Jesuits, and the hospitality Jesuits
showed her while she visited an ailing priest in Los Gatos.
Her gift is but one more way of helping further the Ignatian way.
At St. Ignatius Loyola Parish, Patricia is the sacristan for the
daily 5:30 p.m. Mass and on occasion assists with one of the
weekend Masses. She also helped establish the parish’s
wedding coordinator program, serving as one of the first two
coordinators. She recently rejoined that ministry. At parish
funerals, Patricia works as sacristan, Eucharistic minister,
lector (if needed), and altar server.
“She is an incredibly active and contributing member of St.
Ignatius Parish,” said Fr. Mike Moynahan, S.J., pastor of the parish.
“She is always there for a funeral or a wedding. You can always
depend on Pat being here, with great love and dedication to both
St. Ignatius Parish and the Jesuits. She made the Spiritual
Exercises and she lives them out.”
Patricia is quick to
point out all that she has
received from the
Jesuits. Not only has
she been given many
opportunities for ministry,
she says, but she also
has had the chance to
develop deep friendships
with many Jesuits.
Fr. Kevin Dilworth,
S.J., who helped Patricia
get started in Ignatian
spirituality, is among
those she considers
most influential in her
life. Fr. Dilworth served
as her first spiritual
Patricia Campbell has been a part of St. Ignatius
Loyola Parish in Sacramento since 1978.
director and led her
—Fr. Mike Moynahan, Pastor, St. Ignatius Loyola Parish
Also at the top of Patricia’s list of most influential in her life is
Fr. David MacDonald, S.J., (1930-2007) whom she had the honor
of caring for during the final years of his life. When it was clear
Fr. MacDonald’s health and memory were declining, the pastor at
the time, Fr. Gerry Robinson, S.J., asked Patricia if she would
accompany Fr. MacDonald to his doctor appointments. She took
him to all his appointments, emailing summaries of each one to
Fr. Robinson and the provincial. When Fr. MacDonald was moved
to the Sacred Heart Jesuit Center in Los Gatos, Patricia regularly
visited him there twice a month. She stayed a week at the center
and was there when Fr. MacDonald died. Patricia offered the
eulogy for his funeral, having been selected to do so because of
her closeness to Fr. MacDonald.
“I got to know him, got to know his family,” Patricia says.
“I got to walk him out of this life and be there with him.”
During her visits to Los Gatos, Patricia befriended many Jesuits
and she continues to stay in touch. She holds a special place in her
heart for the caring of elderly priests, but has chosen to let the
Province decide to use her gift wherever the need is greatest.
“I really just want to support the Jesuits,” Patricia says. “I want to
give back to those who gave so much to me.” —Samantha Bronson
If you would like to make a gift in support of the California Province
of the Society of Jesus and its many ministries in education, the
recruitment of new Jesuits, and/or the care of elderly or infirm
Jesuits, please use the enclosed reply envelope.
Jesuit Profile
The Path Less Traveled
I
t has been said that the only
thing constant in life is change.
No matter where you think you
may be headed, you may find yourself
suddenly on a different path.
For Fr. Jim Hanley, S.J., his ministry can be defined by unexpected
changes and how they shaped his spiritual life and professional
growth. The youngest of four children to Irish American immigrants
who came through Ellis Island, Jim Hanley grew up in the Bay
Area and up until his senior year at San Francisco’s Sacred Heart
High School he thought he had his life figured out. With World
War II in full swing, Fr. Hanley planned on enlisting in the U.S.
Navy after high school until his father “invited” him to take a
retreat with him at the Jesuit Retreat Center in Los Altos.
“That retreat changed my life,” Fr. Hanley said. “At that retreat,
God called me to be a Jesuit priest. It was the last thing I thought
of doing with my life and it came out of the blue, so I knew it
was God’s plan, God’s marvelous action in my life.” After finishing
high school, Fr. Hanley joined the Society of Jesus and entered the
novitiate in Los Gatos. He was ordained in the summer of 1958.
During his study for the priesthood, Fr. Hanley and a few of his
fellow Jesuits decided that they would like to teach religion in Jesuit
high schools. With permission from their superior, Fr. Hanley and
his colleagues focused their study on theological education and
soon he was assigned to teach at St. Ignatius College Preparatory
in San Francisco, rival of his alma mater Sacred Heart. It was there
that Fr. Hanley nurtured his love of teaching his students about
God’s caring love for them.
“Things were going very well,” Fr. Hanley said, “perhaps too
smoothly for me.” After transferring to Loyola High School in Los
Angeles, Fr. Hanley got a call from the Provincial. He was to return
to San Francisco as rector of the Jesuit Community and president of
St. Ignatius College Prep. Despite his initial reluctance, he was a good
administrator and eventually was appointed to the position of Vice
Provincial, overseeing the formation of new Jesuits as they entered
the Society of Jesus. Despite Fr. Hanley’s administrative talents,
he missed teaching and working with students. “After I had
completed my work as Vice Provincial,” Fr. Hanley said, “my plan
was to go back to my first
love of teaching high
school religion.” He was
granted a sabbatical to
attend the Jesuit School of
Theology in Berkley and for
a time, it seemed like Fr.
Hanley would return to
teach in the classrooms he
missed so much.
“But God once again
had another plan,” Fr.
Hanley said. Near the end
Fr. Jim Hanley, S.J.
of his sabbatical, an
unexpected back injury required surgery that put Fr. Hanley’s
return to teaching on hold for a year while he recovered at the
Los Altos Retreat Center. One year of recovery turned into 27
years of retreat work as Fr. Hanley found a new calling, providing
spiritual guidance for priests and laypeople alike. Putting his
teaching experience to use, he worked one on one and in small
groups to help guide those who came to him to spiritual fulfillment.
At 86, Fr. Hanley shows no signs of slowing down. Since
transferring to the Sacred Heart Jesuit Center in Los Gatos in 2008,
he has offered spiritual direction to priests in the Stockton
Diocese and throughout the Bay Area. Returning to the place that
he first entered the Jesuit order in 1945 among old friends and
colleagues—Fr. Hanley knew all 65 of the men living at Sacred
Heart when he came back in 2008—Fr. Hanley describes the
experience as “like coming home.”
The career of Fr. Jim Hanley has taken him to places he never
thought he’d be, but throughout all of it, he maintained his trust in
God to show him the right way.
“God has a plan for the life of every woman and man he has
created,” Fr. Hanley said. “That plan is to draw the individual to
a greater wholeness of person and to a deeper relationship with
God and one’s fellow human beings. Ultimately, God’s plan is to
draw the person to a loving union with God in eternal life.
“Psalm 117 tells us that God is faithful forever,” Fr. Hanley said.
“And that has certainly been my experience of God. Through all
the changes, God has been faithful.”
—Benjamin Drahmann
To Give
Want to support the care of elderly and infirm Jesuits? Please send your gift to:
Jesuits of California Province Advancement Office, P.O. Box 68, Los Gatos, CA 95031
You may also use the Online Giving Form at www.jesuitscalifornia.org/donation
or call (408) 884-1632.
MISSION SUMMER 2013 9
Reflections on
Building a relationship with God through prayer is one of the most rewarding yet mysterious and often
challenging aspects of our spiritual lives. Sometimes, we hit a groove and feel the connection to our loving God.
Other times, we’re wondering: Is God listening? Am I talking to myself? Am I doing this right?
Does God really have time to listen to me?
For centuries, books and articles have been written about prayer, how to do it, why we do it, and if it matters.
(You’ll be pleased to know that the answer to the last question is a resounding “yes.”)
Mission magazine asked three spiritual guides to give us some tips and relate their experiences
on methods of prayer. Their essays are presented for you here.
Quiet Prayer
By Br. Charles Jackson, S.J.
“Be still and know that
I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)
Prayer begins with desire—the desire to speak with God, the desire to open ourselves to God, the desire simply to be with God.
Yet, our desires for God are simply our experience of God’s desire for us. In our prayer, not only do we seek God; the living and
loving God seeks us. In our prayer, not only do we draw closer to God; we allow the living and loving God to draw closer to us.
This is ultimately what prayer is all about: opening ourselves to God’s love and allowing ourselves to be drawn into that love.
If we are truly serious about developing our relationship with God in prayer, there are some things we need to attend to: inner
quiet, time for prayer, prayerful posture, and transition to prayer.
Inner Quiet: God’s action in our lives is often very subtle and can be recognized only by being quietly attentive to Him. If we truly
wish to develop our relationship with God, we need to foster an attitude of quiet in our lives: by taking a quiet walk, sitting quietly for a
moment or two, or simply driving home with the radio turned off—not to be quiet with our thoughts, but simply to be quiet.
Time for Prayer: Time for prayer will not magically appear in our already busy day. We need to make that time, and then we need to
be faithful to it. The early morning seems to work best for most people, a time before the business and the distractions of the day begin.
Prayerful Posture: Good posture not only facilitates prayer; it reflects our desire to truly open ourselves to God. The back should be
erect and the spine straight. This keeps us alert, and it facilitates the slow, deep breathing so necessary in prayer. If you wish to pray
seated, I suggest using a straight-backed chair. Both feet should be flat on the floor, hands on your lap, head erect, and eyes closed.
Transition to Prayer: We all lead busy lives, yet in order to pray, we need to shift gears so as to quiet ourselves and find inner
stillness. Before we begin our prayer, sit quietly while slowly sipping a cup of coffee or tea. We may wish to emulate what a runner or
swimmer does just before beginning a race: stand, breathe deeply, and allow every tension to dissipate as we accept the invitation that
God offers us: “Be still and know that I am God.”
Prayer and Spirituality Resources
Seeking to enrich your prayer life or explore Ignatian
Spirituality on a deeper level? A number of options are
available. Refer to the following list to help you deepen your
relationship with God.
“Prayer is God
reaching out to us
as we are moving
toward Him.”
For the prayer itself, I suggest beginning with the Psalms (e.g.,
8, 63:1-9, and 139), Isaiah (e.g., 40:1-11, 42:1-9, 43:1-4, 44:1-4,
and 49:1-6), Jeremiah (e.g., 1:4-8 and 29:11-15), or 1 John 4:7-19.
Each passage speaks of our love of God or of God’s love of us.
In bringing a scripture passage to prayer, first read the entire
passage to get a sense of it, and then choose a small segment,
a verse or simply a phrase, to begin. Briefly ponder what the
segment means and says to you, but avoid too much thinking.
Then put aside words or thoughts and simply rest in God’s
embrace. What you are doing at this stage is allowing your
affections to gradually arise within you—those feelings of
peace, trust, love, and joy that draw you ever closer to God.
When you feel that you have exhausted that small segment,
move on to the next segment.
Finally, allow me to mention two books on prayer I have found
particularly helpful:
Mark E. Thibodeaux, Armchair Mystic: Easing into Contemplative
Prayer—an excellent and very readable introduction to quiet prayer.
Martin Laird, Into the Silent Land: A Guide to the Christian Practice
of Contemplation—a substantive but excellent introduction to the
deeper realms of prayer and contemplation. The sections on dealing
with distractions and developing interior quiet are particularly good.
Retreat Centers and Ignatian Spirituality Programs
The Jesuit Retreat Center of Los Altos - Los Altos, CA
www.jrclosaltos.org • [email protected] • (650) 917-4000
The Jesuit Retreat Center of Los Altos, El Retiro, offers a quiet and
peaceful environment for reflection and prayer on 38 acres of serene
woods and tree-lined trails with majestic views of the nearby hills.
The Stations of the Cross, Rosary Walk, and other shrines provide an
opportunity to pray and quietly reflect while enjoying the sounds of nature.
Retreats include instructional presentations that offer guidance in prayer,
designated time for silence and meditation, and an opportunity for an
individual conference with Jesuit or lay spiritual directors. Retreats are
available for men, women, and couples. All denominations are welcome.
Retreats are offered throughout the year.
Loyola Institute for Spirituality - Orange, CA
www.loyolainstitute.org • [email protected]
(714) 997-9587
The Loyola Institute for Spirituality offers retreats and days of prayer, among
other spirituality opportunities. In addition, LIS offers courses and other
training opportunities to enable individuals and groups to address their
spiritual needs. All denominations are welcome.
Spiritual Exercises in Everyday Life (SEEL) - Portland and Seattle
seelportland.org • [email protected] • (503) 223-4190
seelpugetsound.org • [email protected] • (206) 721-3518
For those who desire to learn more about Spiritual Exercises in Everyday
Life (SEEL) or who want an introductory experience of Ignatian methods
of prayer, SEEL offers resources, workshops, 4-week classes, 9-month
programs, and other offerings.
Parish Locations
St. Francis Xavier Parish - Phoenix, AZ
(602) 279-9547
•
www.sfxphx.org
Blessed Sacrament Parish - Hollywood, CA
(323) 462-6311
•
www.blessedsacramenthollywood.org
Dolores Mission Parish - Los Angeles, CA
(323) 881-0039
•
www.dolores-mission.org
Most Holy Trinity Parish - San Jose, CA
(408) 729-0101
•
www.mht-church.org
Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish - San Diego, CA
Br. Charles Jackson, S.J., is currently
associate director of the Loyola Institute
for Spirituality in Orange, Calif. Prior to
his current assignment, he served as assistant
for academic formation and director of
vocations for the California Province of
the Society of Jesus, secretary for formation
at the Jesuit Conference in Washington,
D.C., and undersecretary of the Society at
the General Curia in Rome as well as a
high school teacher and coach.
(619) 233-3838
•
www.olgsd.org
Our Lady of Sorrows Parish - Santa Barbara, CA
(805) 963-1734
•
www.our-lady-of-sorrows-santa-barbara.com
St. Agnes Parish - San Francisco, CA
(415) 487-8560
•
www.saintagnessf.com
St. Ignatius Loyola Parish - Sacramento, CA
(916) 482-9666
•
www.stignatiussac.org
St. Ignatius Parish - San Francisco, CA
(415) 422-2188
•
www.stignatiussf.org
MISSION Summer 2013 11
One Size Does Not Fit All
By Barbara Nelson
As St. Paul tells us, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing,
give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in
Jesus Christ for you.” (1 Thes 5:16.) If this is true, why do we
sometimes struggle? Part of the answer could be found in the
mystery that every prayer is as unique as we are. So, when we
stumble along trying to find the “right” words to communicate
how we feel, we become anxious and sometimes just give up.
No one ever has to give up. Remember, prayer is God reaching
out to us as we are moving toward Him. I find in those
moments, when at a loss for words to just stop, feel God’s
loving gaze, sit, breathe, and listen. Quiet the voice that asks:
That’s all? Just sitting? You see, you are already in the presence
of God and need do nothing more. You are being held by His
limitless love and He knows what is in your heart.
I love the poem “Praying” by Mary Oliver. She writes:
It doesn’t have to be
the blue iris, it could be
weeds in a vacant lot, or a few
small stones; just
pay attention, then patch
a few words together and don’t try
to make them elaborate, this isn’t
a contest but the doorway
into thanks, and a silence in which
another voice may speak.
One size of prayer does not fit all. Just be who God created
us to be, perfect in every way and loved by Him. Prayer is an
adventure, uniquely yours to be shared with God, who will not
judge you if the words that you “patch together” don’t make
much sense. He understands.
Over the years I have had the privilege of journeying with
many in the Spiritual Exercises at both the Jesuit Retreat Center
in Los Altos and St. Agnes Parish in San Francisco. Every journey
is different, each so unique to where God is calling each of us.
Sometimes I don’t have answers to this incredible love. I hear
God’s whispering to me as I encounter his many graces given to
my retreatants. A woman who made the 30-day retreat with me
last year wrote, “Jesus constantly and lovingly invites us to ‘Come
to Me.’” Accept his invitation! Realize that when you encounter
God in prayer you are encountering the divine.
Make daily prayer a must. Have a “prayer chair” in a quiet place.
Before beginning to pray, quiet your soul. Deep breathing may help.
Become aware that you are in the presence of God. Use the
following prayers according to your needs.
Love Him in the wind in the branches of a pine tree, in the flight
of a bird and in the morning sky at daybreak. God continuously
manifests Himself in creation.
Imagine Jesus coming to you with open arms as you find
yourself running to Him. Embrace Him as He embraces you.
Visualize your day as a dance with Jesus for that’s what it truly
is. See Him extend His hand to you as you get out of bed and
touch your feet to the floor to begin your day. Notice Him sitting at
the breakfast table. What is He saying? Listen closely. Share your
thoughts with Him. Continue to follow Him in the dance as you go
about your day.
Don’t be afraid to complain to God. He listens and takes action!
Pray often for your wildest spiritual dreams and you are sure to be
surprised! Pray to be a saint.
The greatest prayer challenge...
Sit in silence and try to empty your mind of all thoughts. Do this
20 minutes a day for six months. You are likely to experience the
Light of the world!
And so it is. Your prayer is between you and God. He will meet
you where you are. Find someone to talk to about your prayer.
In the Spiritual Exercises, St. Ignatius has us move toward
finding God in all things. Notice how He is everywhere,
constantly creating not only you and me but all that is around
us. Stop and pay attention to His magnificent gift. Give thanks
always for His loving care. Live a life of gratitude. Remember,
walk gently as you touch the earth and patch a few words
together as you journey along. It changes everything.
Barbara Nelson completed the three-year Pierre Favre training
program in the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius at the Jesuit Retreat
Center, Los Altos, attended the Society of Jesus course on Common
Apostolic Discernment in the Light of CG35 in Rome, studied the
New Testament at the University of San
Francisco and the Graduate Theological
Union in Berkeley, and has attended multiple workshops on all aspects of spirituality. She directs both the 30-day and
8-day Spiritual Exercises retreat at the
Jesuit Retreat Center in Los Altos and
directs the 19th Annotation Spiritual
Exercises for St. Agnes Parish in San
Francisco where she is founder of the
Ignatian Spirituality Ministry.
Keeping Up with a Changing Church
By Mary Romo
When I was growing up in San Francisco, my days and years
were punctuated by prayer. There was the Morning Offering,
the Angeles at noon, the Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be
at St. Agnes Grammar School. At home, prayer continued with
Grace before dinner, the Act of Contrition on our knees at
bedside, and the sign of the cross on our foreheads with a special,
“God bless Richard, Billy, Mary Eleanor, Vincent, Catherine, little
Michael,” murmured by my mother, after which my siblings and
I prayed the rosary before we dropped off to sleep.
When Vatican II burst upon us, we crowded into folk Masses,
sang spirited songs (in English instead of Latin), and even tried
to speak in tongues at charismatic gatherings. Prayer was no
longer a solitary activity, imposed from without, structured, and
labored through. Rather, it was communal, shared, something we
willingly and enthusiastically entered into to be with one another.
Years later, near the end of my studies for my master’s in
theology, I began the 19th Annotation, or the extended Spiritual
Exercises for laypersons. I was initiated into the practice of
Centering Prayer, where “Be still and know that I am God…
You are precious in my sight” became my mantra. Entering the
Prayer of Consideration of various scriptural passages, I came
to make certain connections that led to a new appreciation of
God alive in the world, in my life and those around me.
Contemplation brought my senses to the fore, and I could
swear I saw Jesus’ gaze on me as I watched him struggle under
the weight of the cross and the pain of the bloody crown. I
realized that the experience of connection with God, coming into
a personal relationship with him through these different types of
prayer, was what gave rise to my expression of thought, imagery,
emotion, even tears.
Today, I guide others through the Spiritual Exercises and I witness the many ways God communicates with us as we strive to
communicate with him, to establish an authentic relationship.
I’ve come to believe we experience the power of prayer when
we feel both anchored and energized; we experience the efficacy
of prayer when it both clarifies and challenges.
Prayer is the vehicle by which we can enter into a particular
spiritual tradition such as Ignatian spirituality. In this frame of
mind and disposition of heart, we seek to “meet people where
they are,” without expectation, without judgment. Prayer slows
us down to trust in the process of discernment. It moves us to
recognize God in times of both desolation and consolation.
It opens our eyes and ears and to “find God in all things.”
“Prayer not only keeps
us afloat on stormy seas
but profoundly grateful
for times of calm.”
Opening our day with the Suscipe helps to put ego aside and
pray, “Give me only your love and your grace. That is enough
for me.” Ending the day with the Examen of Conscience keeps
us attentive to God’s continuous movement in and through our
lives, while at the same time makes us keenly aware of our
distractions. This habit of prayer not only keeps us afloat on
stormy seas but profoundly grateful for times of calm.
Looking back, I see how different moments of my life evoked
different ways of praying. Each of these varied experiences
uncovered some elemental truth that gave rise to traditional prayer,
communal prayer, centering prayer, to the truth residing in the
intellect, the truth illuminating the imagination, the truth of the
intuition. Prayer then is indeed the Way that moves into the Truth
that leads to the Life with and in the Beloved, now and forever.
In the meantime, in trying to quiet the noise of the world and
get closer to what T. S. Eliot called “the stillness between two
waves of the sea,” I am continually reminded of what poet and
scholar Stephen Mitchell wrote:
Pure prayer begins at the threshold of silence.
It says nothing, asks for nothing.
It is a kind of listening.
The deeper the listening, the less we listen for,
Until silence itself becomes the voice of God.
Mary Romo is a spiritual director and
retreat facilitator at the Jesuit Retreat Center
of Los Altos and participates in numerous
ministries at St. Ignatius Parish in San
Francisco. She is a long-time faculty member
at the University of San Francisco and holds
master’s degrees in theology and English.
She is married and the mother of three adult
sons. She is finalizing her D.Min. dissertation
on American Catholic Women Post Vatican
II at the San Francisco Theological Seminary
of the Graduate Theological Union.
Spiritual Practices: Meditations on Faith
Beyond the practice or art of prayer, there’s also the skill of the artist to bring spirituality to life for us all to explore.
“Spiritual Practices: Meditations on Faith,” is an exploration of the visual art practices of Fr. Arturo Araujo, S.J., Fr. Thomas
Lucas, S.J., Fr. Trung Pham, S.J., and Fr. Josef Venker, S.J. Works from the four artists were recently showcased at the Manresa
Gallery within St. Ignatius Church in San Francisco.
Title: Momentary
Artist: Fr. Trung Pham, S.J.
Media: Oil on canvas
A professor of fine arts at Seattle University, Fr. Pham’s
paintings explore the intimate relationship between mother
and child. When his father was sent to a re-education camp
after the Vietnam War, his grandmother and mother’s love
became even more intense for Fr. Pham. “These two
women not only loved me unselfishly but were also
immeasurably strong, wonderfully intelligent and
unbelievably hard working,” he recalls.
Title: Apple of Paradise (Before and After the Fall)
Artist: Fr. Josef Venker, S.J.
Media: Found objects: Fresh apple,
dried apple, gilded metal tripod
Fr. Venker, an assistant professor of fine arts at Seattle
University, worked with found objects to find spiritual
and religious meaning through ordinary and discarded
things. “This search for God has become a key pursuit
of the Jesuits to this day,” he explains.
“All great art
is a visual
form of prayer.”
—Sister Wendy Beckett
Title: What we Came After
Artist: Fr. Arturo Araujo, S.J.
Media: Archival digital print, woodblock
printing, silkscreen
Fr. Araujo, a Colombian Jesuit, currently serves as an assistant
professor of fine arts at the University of San Francisco. His works
in the exhibit focused on the landscape of “Cienega Grande,” a
network of salt-water lagoons on Colombia’s northern coast. The
landscape became a battlefield when violence erupted and left 60
dead by the paramilitary in 2000. “The same landscape serves me
as a mythical place to seek reconciliation,” said Fr. Araujo, who
lost several family members in the lagoons during the conflict.
Title: The New Moses
Artist: Fr. Thomas Lucas, S.J.
Mixed media: Dye sublimation transfer
glass tiles, gold leaf, copper foil
Fr. Lucas, a professor of art and architecture at the University
of San Francisco, says that during his 35-year career as a
liturgical artist, designer, curator, and Jesuit, his work has
been shaped by the symbol, myth, and ritual of the Catholic
tradition. “Pieces reach back to traditions of the gothic glassmaker,
the byzantine iconographer, and Latin American baroque craftsfolk,
but also are touched by the contemporary realms of found objects, electricity, and computer aided design,” Fr. Lucas said. Fr.
Lucas has been named rector of the Jesuit Community at Seattle
University following his 18 years of service at USF.
A Desperate Plight
By Jim Muyo
This spring, a California Province staffer decided to see
for himself just how the Kino Border Initiative (KBI) brings
humanitarian aid and services to migrants and deportees
sent back across the U.S.-Mexico border. Expecting to see a
shelter that passes out meals twice a day, our correspondent
had no idea of the challenges the migrants and deportees
face. What he saw broadened his perspective and compelled
him to write this article.
16 MISSION summer 2013
Sonora, Mexico. Sean introduced me to
several staffers, including Fr. Peter Neeley,
S.J., who would be my afternoon guide as I
made my first border crossing into Mexico.
Sean and I left the office and drove to a
local Mexican restaurant for more
conversation so that I could learn about KBI.
While there, Sean spots a man he knows
and goes over to his table to say hello.
Later, a woman approaches our table and
engages in conversation in Spanish. As
we’re wrapping up our meal, our waiter
comes over and tells Sean that the man
he had spoken with earlier took care of our
J.D. Long-Garcia/Catholic Sun
I
I arrived right on schedule, just before
noon on a warm but comfortable March
day. Fr. Sean Carroll, S.J., KBI’s founder
and executive director, had asked me to
call as I was getting close to the Jesuit
house in Nogales, Ariz., as the location is
somewhat difficult for visitors to find the
first time. After he guided me in by phone,
I waited outside for him to make the short
drive over from KBI’s downtown office.
Once he arrived, Sean gave me a quick
walking tour of the building, rented from a
local family. The modest house on a hill with
an apartment attached provides enough
room for KBI’s Jesuit staff and a few visitors.
After dropping off my bag, we headed
out for a tour of Nogales, Ariz., which, I
was surprised to learn, is dependent on
legal border crossers from Mexico who
support its economy. Nogales is a small
town of about 20,000. It is filled with fast
food and independent restaurants, small
clothing and appliance stores, a few auto
repair shops, and seemingly little else.
With the sights of Nogales taken in, we
proceeded to KBI’s downtown office. Like
just about everything in Nogales, the
stucco building is humble, though freshly
painted and reconfigured inside to
accommodate a collection of offices and
conference space. The KBI staff meets
twice a month—once here and once in
another building they occupy in Nogales,
Signing Up: Fr. Ricardo Machuca, S.J. (right),
documents recent deportees seeking services
through KBI.
lunch tab. I’ll discover throughout my visit
that Sean is a familiar face throughout the
area. Just about everywhere we go there
are people who recognize him and know
what he’s doing for the deportees.
We make our way back to the KBI staff
house and there’s a bit of time to relax
before Peter takes me across the border
at 3:30. The border itself presents a stark
contrast. On the left side, that coming into
the U.S., there are gates, signals, signs,
and plenty of inspections going on.
There’s a set of parking stalls for vehicles
attempting to enter the country that have
been deemed suspect enough that they
need to be searched. On the right side,
that going into Mexico, there are a few
border guards who spend most of their
time waving people in. Peter is pleased
that we don’t have to stop because the
100-pound bag of beans he’s bringing
across would be taken if discovered.
Just as Sean gave me a tour of Nogales,
Ariz., Peter takes me on a driving tour of
Nogales on the Mexico side before we
head to KBI’s comedor for the afternoon
meal, one of two daily repasts that KBI and
its affiliated ministries prepare for migrants
who have been deported and even some
who have not made it as far as the U.S.
Nogales, Sonora, is a city with an
official population of approximately
220,000. Like its namesake in Arizona,
About Kino Border
Initiative (KBI)
it, too, has an abundance of restaurants,
clothing stores and assorted other
small shops. There’s one notable
exception—an abundance of dental
practices, some of which are in new
buildings of premium construction
materials and design. It seems that the
cost of quality dental services in Mexico
is far less than that in the U.S. Many
Southern Arizona residents cross the
border to have their dental work done at
deep discounts.
After canvassing the downtown area,
Peter takes me to a spot near the iron
U.S.-Mexico border gate which stands
about 25 feet tall. The gate is a series of
tall metal posts erected together, too
narrow to slip through and too tall to
climb over. It was here that last October,
José Antonio Elena Rodriguez, a 16-yearold boy, was shot and killed by the U.S.
Border Patrol. José was struck by more
than 10 bullets. The building where he
was standing in front of still has the bullet
holes circled in red in plain view.
A
The Kino Border Initiative (KBI) is a binational
organization that works in the area of migration
and is located in Nogales, Arizona and Nogales,
Sonora, Mexico. KBI was inaugurated in January
of 2009 by six organizations from the United
States and Mexico: The California Province of
the Society of Jesus, Jesuit Refugee Service/
USA, the Missionary Sisters of the Eucharist,
the Mexican Province of the Society of Jesus,
the Diocese of Tucson, and the Archdiocese of
Hermosillo. KBI’s vision is to help make humane,
just, workable migration between the U.S. and
Mexico a reality. Its mission is to promote U.S./
Mexico border and immigration policies that
affirm the dignity of the human person and a
spirit of bi-national solidarity through:
• Direct humanitarian assistance and
accompaniment with migrants
• Social and pastoral education with
communities on both sides of the border
• Participation in collaborative networks that
engage in research and advocacy to transform
local, regional, and national immigration policies.
87,100
2013 DeporteES
to Mexico from the U.S.
Statistic from Mexico Interior Ministry, through June 17, 2013
Unsettled: (upper left) Deportees pause for prayer and reflection before a meal at the KBI comedor;
(upper right) March for Justice: KBI staffers including Sr. Lorena Leyva Reyes (far right), took to the
streets to make their case for immigration reform.
MISSION summer 2013 17
José was allegedly throwing rocks over
the border gate. Peter says that there
hasn’t been much of an investigation.
Having taken in the downtown area,
Peter headed off to the comedor for the
afternoon meal. This was one of the
highlights that I anticipated seeing as I had
planned this trip months ago. I wanted to
be able to see the people who were
deported, hear their stories, and find out
why so many schools and churches, Jesuit
and non-Jesuit alike, send students and
parishioners here for service trips. Little did
I know, that the meals offered are but one
of several essential services that KBI
provides to the migrants and deportees.
As we parked in front of the building,
Peter cautioned me to keep my passport
out of sight. So desperate are the
migrants that a passport could be seen as
a ticket to opportunity in the U.S. Heeding
Peter’s advice, I shoved it deep into my
pocket as we headed to the comedor, a
modest structure that measures about 40
by 70 feet with a chain link fence on the
side facing the street and partially covered
by canvas. There are people already lined
up, waiting for their meal. Some of them
have just been deported.
Inside there is a small kitchen,
measuring approximately 6 by 10 feet.
There’s barely enough room for the three
people cooking rice, beans, and salad (the
afternoon’s menu), let alone the other
volunteers who are filling cups with punch
or water or baskets with whatever bread
has been donated.
Running the kitchen and making sure
everyone is seated and fed is Sister
Lorena Leyva Reyes, a member of the
Missionary Sisters of the Eucharist from
A
Colima, Mexico, one of the ministries that
partners with the Jesuits of the California
Province in KBI. Sister Lorena is clearly in
charge, organizing, directing volunteers,
and ensuring that the meal runs smoothly.
She directs the flow of people and lets
the staff know when more deportees or
migrants can be seated and where. She
makes announcements, telling the
migrants what is going on, explaining
KBI’s services, and reassuring people.
As for the dining room, it’s picnic tables
with long benches. Meals are passed out
by hand. Drink trays are placed at the end
of long tables and drinks are passed from
person to person until they reach the far
end of the table. Same for the plates of
food. Helping to pass out food and drink
today is Fr. Marino Viti, S.J., a Jesuit from
the Italian Province of the Society of Jesus,
and Sean Haggerty, nS.J., a novice from
the New York Province who joined the
Jesuits just seven months ago.
To receive a meal, migrants have to
show their slip documenting their
deportation. Collecting the information
and checking slips today is Fr. Ricardo
Machuca, S.J., a KBI staff member from
the Mexico Province of the Society of
Jesus. Deportees are logged in and can get
meals for up to eight days. This is not a
long-term arrangement. There are too many
people coming through for anyone to settle
in. Space must be made and services must
be offered to the steady influx of deportees.
In 2012, 869 migrants per week were
dropped off in Nogales, one of several
deportee drop-off spots in Western Mexico.
Before the meal, two young women
are sitting quietly together at the end of
one of the tables. One of them has a look
of shock and confusion on her face. A few
minutes later, she is crying, trying to wipe
B
A Blessing: (top) Fr. Peter Neeley, S.J., offers a
prayer and a blessing before a meal at KBI;
(bottom) A warm meal provides a brief respite
from an uncertain future.
tears away without being noticed. After the
meal, Sr. Lorena asks if anyone would like
to share their story. Several of the migrants
talk about their experience. But one in
particular catches my attention. With Peter
translating for me, she’s telling her fellow
deportees that she has tried to get to the
U.S. three times and has been caught and
sent back. She’s not going to try again. She
says she values her life too much.
As Sean will tell me later, making the
journey, especially for women, is fraught
with danger. Rape and abuse are frequent
and women should never try to “cross”
by themselves. In addition, drug cartels
now want a piece of the payoffs for
people taking groups into the U.S., driving
up the price. Sometimes, when migrants
reach the U.S., they are robbed of what
little they have brought with them.
Apparently for this young lady, the price
of opportunity is not worth more than her
life. She’s had enough. Typically, the cost
to hire a “coyote” for an illegal border
crossing into the U.S. can cost between
$3,000 and $5,000 or more, depending on
where the journey started, where the
border crossing occurs, and on the
crosser’s U.S. destination.
After the meal as the room starts to
empty, Peter and I sit at one of the tables
to talk about the scope of services
provided by KBI. He tells me that he’s
going to drive me by some of the nearby
sites where the migrants can get a
discounted bus ticket to get them on their
way home, a place to spend the night,
and a clinic that offers medical care a few
hours a day. Earlier he pointed out to me
an 11-year-old boy from Honduras. There
are many Central Americans who are
making the long trip to opportunity to the
U.S. The boy, alone, was deported.
He knows no one and Peter and
Fr. Marino are worried how he will
get by, either back home to
Honduras or where his next stop
and peril may rest.
While Peter and I are talking,
we see a man approach Fr. Marino
and speak to him in Spanish.
Fluent in Spanish, Peter tells me
that the man has asked Fr. Marino
to hear his confession. Fr. Marino
walks the man over to one of the now
vacant tables and hears the confession.
Here, the church has no boundaries, no
formality. The confessional is a simple
table at which Fr. Marino and the man sit
opposite each other.
Our visit to the comedor completed,
Peter then drove me to see where the
migrants walk to either get a bus ticket,
subsidized by the Mexican government, or
to go to the medical clinic. There is also the
San Juan Bosco Shelter, where deportees
may stay for up to three nights. Those
lucky enough to get a spot stay there.
Some of those that can’t be accommodated
because of a lack of space sleep in the
nearby cemetery.
As we had left the comedor, Peter
grabbed a sack of sandwiches and
bananas that were brought by volunteers
to give to others who may need food. On
the way out, Peter sees a man he knows on
the street. He gives him two sandwiches.
As we drove back toward the U.S., Peter
sees other people he knows. He stops
the car and engages in conversation in
Spanish. He sees others and buys a
paper from one, has a conversation with
a few more, handing out sandwiches to
those in need. People are happy to see
him and engage in conversation.
We make it back to the house in time
O
for a brief rest before 6:30 p.m., Mass
said by Sean, and then a simple dinner of
leftovers from the previous night’s turkey
dinner. Ricardo, Marino, and Sean
Haggerty relax after dinner, watching a
Spanish-language news program. At about
9 p.m., it’s time to turn in. Sean says we’ll
get started tomorrow at 8:30 and head
back across the border.
2,447
Patients
Treated
At the KBI Clinic, 2012
58,640
SERVED BY KBI
IN 2012
Sleep Tight: (top) Some deportees opt to
sleep in Cypresses Cemetery when there
is no space at the local shelter; (bottom)
Norma Quijada (standing) and one of her
patients at the KBI clinic.
P
Promptly at 8:30 a.m., Sean makes his
way to the kitchen and is ready to go. We
go back to the KBI office downtown to meet
more staff and then go to Nogales, Sonora,
to see the morning meal.
As we drive up to the comedor, we can
see people already in line. After we park,
Sean goes to the back of the line of people
waiting to get in. Right away people know
who he is. “Buenos dias, Padre,” many
say. Sean walks through the line greeting
and shaking hands with each person. They
all smile and are pleased to see him. They
know that he plays a major role in the meal
and the services offered at KBI.
The morning meal has much more
activity and orientation. Sr. Lorena makes
a series of announcements about the
meal and services offered. She explains
that KBI can only give what it has, and
that after the meal there will be an
opportunity for those in need to choose
clothes that have been donated. Each
person can take a full set—pants, shoes,
shirt, sweater or coat. Those who are
deported are not given the chance to go
back home to collect their belongings. For
A
Mexico. The report gives 22 recommendations to address the five areas.
At one point after the meal Sean and I
are talking in the comedor and a man in
his late 40s or 50s comes over and
speaks in hushed tones to Sean. The man
seems serious and troubled so I step away
to give him and Sean privacy. They speak
for several minutes. After their conversation
I ask Sean if the man wanted to have Sean
hear his confession. He had wanted a
blessing and Sean obliged.
We finish at the comedor and Sean
takes me to see more of the sites where
KBI services are offered. First we go to
the clinic, a one-room trailer, practically,
with showers for men and women.
A nurse on the KBI staff works three
hours a day. She has interns from a local
nursing school and from the University of
Arizona helping out. Medicine and
supplies are donated by local
organizations and purchased with grant
money designated for this purpose.
Treatment is not sophisticated. Most of
the ailments are blistered feet from the
long trip across the border.
housing assistance
for women & children
many, all they possess now is what they
had with them when they were detained.
Many have only the clothes they are
wearing and nothing else.
Before the meal Sr. Lorena asks for
volunteers to clean up the dining room
after breakfast. Several people raise their
hands to help out. She also shows a video
about abuse of women (a common problem
in Mexico and especially for migrants) and
then leads a discussion about abuse. She
invites others to share their stories. A few
people make comments, then one young
investigation: 1. Intentional separation of
migrants from family members during
deportation; 2. Family separation as a
driver of migration; 3. Violence as a cause
of migration and abuse and physical
security threats experienced by migrants
during northward journeys and
border crossing; 4. Abuses
and misconduct committed by
U.S. Border Patrol and other
U.S. migration authorizes; 5.
Abuses and misconduct
committed by local police in
A Friendly Face and Supplies: (above) Sr. Lorena Leyva Reyes explains KBI’s
services to recent arrivals; (below) Deportees search for new clothes and personal
items donated to KBI.
(opposite page) Always Faithful: Despite her challenges and uncertaincies, a
deportee shows that she hasn’t lost faith.
300
man, a teenager or in his early 20s, raises
his hand. He begins talking and quickly
starts crying as Sean is translating for me.
He has a sister who has two children (as
did the woman in the video) and he has
seen her husband hit her. He is afraid for
her. He cries as he explains. When he’s
finished, Sister Lorena explains that it is
wise to consider that men in the audience
may have sisters or one day daughters and
that the women in the video could be their
own family. Men must also be aware and
speak out against abuse.
After the meal Sr. María Engracia Robles,
of the Missionary Sisters of the Eucharist,
documents reports of abuse of the migrants.
At her table is a young woman who is
wiping away tears as she tells her story.
The documentation of such cases is
important to KBI, which recently partnered
with Jesuit Refugee Service and the Jesuit
Conference of the United States to publish
a report, “Documented Failures; the
Consequences of Immigration Policy on
the U.S.-Mexico Border (to see the report,
visit www.jesuitscalifornia.org/kinoreport).
The report identifies five areas of
S
Sean then takes me on to Nazareth
House, a shelter for migrant women who
have no place to stay. It is an apartment
building, run down in appearance with
partially broken concrete steps, faded
concrete paint, metal protective doors,
broken windows, etc. I think that I am
simply going to view the apartment and
perhaps see some people living there. What
I don’t expect is that the five women living
there, along with Sr. Alma Delia Isáis,
Missionary Sister of the Eucharist, come out
to sit down with me in the living room and
one by one tell their stories of deportation.
With Sean translating for me, Karen,
Alejandra, Mari del Carmen, Reyna, and
Fernanda (last names withheld) tell me
how they were deported and how some
of them have children in the U.S., in Los
Angeles, in Miami, and in New York. With
age ranges from early twenties to mid
thirties, they tell me how they are sad to
be away from their children. One starts
talking and soon is in tears telling her story,
how she was handcuffed, how she asked
questions but was told to keep quiet. She
goes on to tell me that when she’s caught
trying to cross that she sees others who are
allowed to pass. These, she says, are drug
dealers and they are in plain sight. Yet, she
and those in her group are taken away while
these others, others who want to commit
crime are allowed to pass through. She says
she wants to be with her son, Michael. One
also says that she has two children, a boy
and a girl, who are in the U.S. One says that
she wants to come to the U.S. to work.
Just about all of them cry at different times,
either when telling their own story or when
hearing the story of the others. One asks
why they are treated the way they are—told
not to talk, not to ask questions. They are
handcuffed and chained to each other at
“Operation Streamline” in Tucson, where
deportees meet with attorneys, hear
charges against them, enter a plea, and
receive a judge’s sentence, often in one day.
When they are done telling their stories,
I ask Sean if he will translate for me. I thank
the women for allowing me to meet them
and hear their stories. I tell them that I will
work to make sure their stories are told
so that others will hear and that there might
be changes to policies to help them. My
optimism is tempered by Sr. Alma, who
tells them that it will take time for change
to occur. I tell them that I will work to let
more people know how things are and that
I will pray for them so that they can be with
their families and that there will be change.
One of them says that what they’ve told
me is true and they don’t understand why
things are the way they are. I struggle to
find some words that I can say. I tell them
I am sorry, and it seems an inadequate
response, one that I feel lets them down
because it does little to help these women
or others who suffer the same fate.
Before my trip to Nogales, I hadn’t planned
on writing a story. Seeing the migrants has
moved me to spread the news of their plight.
My hope is that in some way this story
might inform and influence others so that
meaningful and fair immigration reform
can be realized.
New Building,
New Hope
Asked what some of the most daunting
challenges the Kino Border Initiative faces,
Fr. Sean Carroll, S.J., (above, left) executive
director of KBI, talks about the difficulties
of dealing with two governments, two
languages, governments resistant to change,
corruption, and drug cartels that have started
to muscle in on the migrant business.
Asked what could make things better for
KBI, he says, “a new building.” Currently,
KBI has offices in Arizona and Mexico, and
separate buildings for the comedor (where
meals are served), a modest health clinic,
and shelter for women and children. A larger
building where everything could be contained
under one roof would enable KBI to provide
more coordinated and efficient services. It
would also be easier for the deportees to go
to one center where they could get all of the
services KBI provides.
Fr. Carroll is hopeful that the dream of a new
building can become a reality. He has already
identified some possible existing buildings in
Nogales, Sonora, Mexico that could be
renovated to house KBI’s services in one
location. Acquisition and renovation, though,
could reach $1 million.
Jim Muyo is the director of
communications for the California
Province of the Society of Jesus.
TO GIVE
To support the Kino Border Initiative and other ministries of the California Province please send your
gift to: Jesuits of California Province Advancement Office, P.O. Box 68, Los Gatos, CA 95031. You may
also use the Online Giving Form at www.jesuitscalifornia.org/donation or call (408) 884-1632.
Parish Profile
St. Ignatius Loyola Parish
Sacramento, California
By Samantha Bronson
W
hen John and Theresa Hancock decided to return to
John’s hometown of Sacramento, John knew he’d also
like to return to the church he grew up in, St. Ignatius
Loyola. He could easily envision the couple’s three
children attending the same parish school he attended, receiving the
same Jesuit education he had, both at the school and at church.
“I think having an active connection with God is really critical,”
Hancock said. “The teachers in the school and the parish
reemphasize that every day.”
Hancock is now part of three generations active at St. Ignatius
Loyola Parish. His mother, Mary, was among the original parishioners,
and is still active today. Two of his three children attend the parish
school; the eldest has graduated and now is in high school.
“When I came here, I couldn’t believe the loyalty to both the
parish and the parish school,” said Fr. Mike Moynahan, S.J., pastor
of St. Ignatius Loyola Parish since 2010. “You have generations
of people who’ve gone through St. Ignatius Parish School and
been part of Loyola Parish.”
That generation-spanning dedication is part of what sets
apart St. Ignatius Loyola Parish. Yet the parish, which celebrates
its 60th anniversary in 2014, not only has some of its original
parishioners and their families, but also a good mix of families
new to the parish and the school. This blend provides a strength
to the parish, which aims to be a welcoming, hospitable place
for all to nurture and express their faith, according to Fr. Moynahan.
Founded by Jesuits in 1954, St. Ignatius Loyola Parish held
its first services in a rented barn, giving rise to the name “barn
families,” an affectionate term still used today to describe the
original parishioners. Services continued in the barn even after
the first buildings were constructed on the parish site; those
buildings later were designated for the parish school. The
current church was completed in 1959.
When the parish began, the areas surrounding it naturally
reflected suburban America of the 1950s. Today, as the area has
become more multi-ethnic, so too has the parish’s population. While
most of the 2,166 registered families are Caucasian, the parish
has a large Filipino population as well as a number of parishioners
of other Asian heritages, including Vietnamese, Chinese, and
Japanese. The parish’s small Latino population is Englishspeaking, said Fr. Moynahan. All services are offered in English.
As the only Jesuit parish in the Sacramento Diocese, St. Ignatius
Loyola tends to attract people from across the greater Sacramento
region who have attended Jesuit schools or who were members
of Jesuit parishes in other areas, Fr. Moynahan said.
Parish Profile
Together in faith (Clockwise from far left): Fr. Mike Moynahan, S.J.,
offers First Holy Communion, the liturgical team prepares for Mass,
St. Ignatius Loyola School children showing off some of their favorite saints.
“That might attract them,” he said. “What keeps them going is
what they experience going on here.”
What Fr. Moynahan says they experience is the parish’s ethos of
uniting hearts and minds in the spirit of Jesus Christ and the sense
that the parish’s many ministries are all working for one Lord.
The parish’s largest ministry is St. Ignatius Loyola Parish School,
just next door to the church. The school, which serves nearly 400
students from preschool through eighth grade, is a vital part of parish life. There is constant contact between the four Jesuits on staff
at the parish and the school community, said Fr. Moynahan, who
is joined at the parish by Fr. Art Wehr, S.J., full-time assistant, Fr.
Jerry Hayes, S.J., part-time assistant, and Fr. Tom Piquado, S.J.,
senior priest in residence. Almost every morning, for example,
some of the students can be found at the 8 a.m. Mass. About 85
percent of the school’s families are members of the parish.
St. Ignatius Loyola Parish also has an
extensive array of outreach ministries.
One of its longest running is Sharing
God’s Bounty, which provides hot meals
on the fourth Wednesday of the month
to anyone in need.
“It really is life-giving and renewing to the parish to have these
young families come and be part of it,” Fr. Moynahan said.
Most families, he said, initially find their way to the school
through word of mouth, attracted not only by its well-rounded
Jesuit approach to education, but also by its record of excellent
academics. For the last six years, St. Ignatius Loyola School has
won the academic decathlon from among all Catholic schools in
the diocese. In 2010, it won the competition statewide.
The parish’s commitment to education extends beyond the
school. It has an active adult education program, with classes
by Fr. Wehr that attract people not only from St. Ignatius Parish,
but also other parishes. Education, in fact, is an area Fr. Moynahan
would like to see grow in the parish. He sees an opportunity to
reach more people by delving further into Ignatian spirituality and
making the option of doing the Spiritual Exercises in everyday
life more accessible.
The parish’s liturgical ministries also play a critical role in
educating, with its strong music ministry supporting the liturgy.
“We reach more people on the weekend in our services than in
any other ministry,” Fr. Moynahan said.
He also considers the parish’s consolation ministry, assistance
provided in planning funeral services, among the parish’s most
important in reaching out. “A reason a number of people come
back to the Catholic Church is because of the way they were
touched at a funeral of a loved one,” he said.
St. Ignatius Loyola Parish also has an extensive array of outreach
ministries. One of its longest running is Sharing God’s Bounty, which
provides hot meals on the fourth Wednesday of the month to anyone
in need. The guests, said Jeanne Anderson-West, director of mission
and outreach ministries, are diverse—unemployed, underemployed,
the homeless, families with children, people with disabilities,
and seniors on fixed incomes. All are welcome to have what
Anderson-West likes to call “a night out,” complete with flowers
on the table and volunteers serving dinner.
The ministry provides clothing to guests, as well as personal
hygiene products collected by a nurse who volunteers with the
ministry. Students at St. Ignatius Loyola School put the products in
bags to hand out.
“The ministry provides our students and our parishioners with
catechesis, really living out the Gospel and the Jesuit approach of
a faith that does justice,” said Anderson-West.
As he looks ahead, Fr. Moynahan sees opportunities for
growth at the parish, including more emphasis on outreach to the
elderly and homebound and bringing God’s compassion and love
to them. He envisions greater cooperation with the other Jesuit
ministries in Sacramento as well as more support for divorced
and separated Catholics.
“What I hope people experience through our ministries, our
preaching, our liturgical celebrations, is the hospitality,” said
Fr. Moynahan. “All are welcome here. If we’re doing it right,
all are welcome.”
at a glance
St. Ignatius Loyola Parish
LOCATION 3235 Arden Way, Sacramento
WEBSITE www.stignatiussac.org
TELEPHONE (916) 482-9666
Partial List of Ministries
Catechetical ministries, liturgical ministries, music ministries,
mission and outreach, parish school (preschool to 8th grade)
Registered
Parishioners
2,166
St. Ignatius
Loyola Parish
registered families
PHOTO by Brian McClister
Ordination
Meet the Newest Priests from the California & Oregon Provinces
Five men from diverse backgrounds and life experiences have answered God’s call and were ordained as the
newest priests of the California and Oregon provinces at a Mass at Blessed Sacrament Church in Hollywood on
June 8. The five are part of a larger group of 16 men ordained as Jesuit priests in the U.S. this summer.
Bishop John C. Wester of Salt Lake City was the chief celebrant for the Mass. More than 120 Jesuit priests were in
attendance to support and welcome the newest members to their ranks.
Fr. E. Joseph O’Keefe, S.J.
Fr. Glen Butterworth, S.J.
Age: 48 Born: Boston
Age: 42 Born: Germany
(Grew up traveling the world)
Fr. O’Keefe was born and raised in
Boston and graduated from Catholic
Memorial High School there in 1982.
Fr. O’Keefe, who had considered a
vocation to the priesthood from an
early age, attended Saint John’s
Seminary in Brighton, Mass., earning a
bachelor’s degree in philosophy in 1990.
Even before his time in the seminary,
Fr. O’Keefe began working in Massachusetts state
government, the beginning of a public policy career he
pursued with distinction for more than two decades. In addition
to serving as a legislative aide, the chief of staff for a state senator,
and as a senior staff member for the president of the Boston City
Council, Fr. O’Keefe also worked for the Massachusetts
Department of Economic Development.
In 2006, while serving as chief of staff to the Massachusetts
secretary of environmental affairs, Fr. O’Keefe entered the
Society of Jesus. After his time in the novitiate, Fr. O’Keefe was
missioned to Loyola High School of Los Angeles where he
taught AP government and politics from 2008 to 2010. Missioned
next to the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University
in Berkeley, Fr. O’Keefe earned a master of divinity degree while
also pursuing a master’s degree in education at the University of
San Francisco and serving as a deacon at Santa Maria Parish in
Orinda, Calif.
He will serve for the summer at St. Ignatius of Loyola Church
at Boston College and return to California in the fall for an
administrative position at Loyola High School.
The son of intelligence officers, Fr. Butterworth graduated
from high school in suburban Washington, D.C., in 1988.
Fr. Butterworth studied art history at John Cabot University
in Rome and then returned to the U.S. to attend Frostburg
State University in Western Maryland, earning a bachelor’s
degree in international economics in 1993. Recruited by the
Clinton Administration, he served as a governmental
relations officer, but later returned to art and moved to
Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he worked in a Native
American gallery while exploring graduate studies.
He entered the Society of Jesus in 2001 and after his time
at the novitiate, Fr. Butterworth was missioned to Fordham
University in New York, where he earned a master’s degree
in philosophy while studying conflict resolution at Columbia
University. For regency, he was assigned to
manage student conduct and discipline
at Seattle University and later served
as vocation promoter.
Fr. Butterworth earned a master
of divinity degree at the Jesuit
School of Theology of Santa
Clara University in Berkeley while
serving as deacon at Most
Holy Redeemer Church in San
Francisco’s Castro neighborhood.
Following ordination, he was
missioned to Seattle and the people
of St. Joseph Parish.
ORDINATION
Fr. Phillip A. Ganir, S.J
Age: 36 Born: Seattle (raised in Hawaii)
The son of Filipino immigrants, Fr. Ganir attended Damien Memorial School in Honolulu, graduating in 1994.
At the University of Hawaii, he earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and Asian studies in 1999.
Shortly after graduation, Fr. Ganir entered the Society of Jesus. His vocation was in part inspired by the selfless
actions of Jesuits who supported what came to be known as the Philippine “People Power” Revolution of 1986.
Following the novitiate, Fr. Ganir completed philosophy studies at Fordham University in New York, earning
a master’s degree in philosophy in 2004. An accomplished vocalist, he also studied at the Manhattan
School of Music, earning a bachelor’s degree in voice. For his regency assignment, Fr. Ganir taught music,
English, and theology at Jesuit High School in Sacramento. Asked to help in developing the choral program
at the school, Fr. Ganir, who started singing in his home parish at the age of 7, helped his students discover God
through all types of music—from the Beach Boys to Bach.
In 2010, Fr. Ganir was missioned to the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University in Berkeley, where he earned a master
of divinity degree while serving as a deacon at Most Holy Trinity Church in San Jose. Throughout his years of formation, Fr. Ganir has
been engaged in a number of ministries, including hospital and prison chaplaincy, and spiritual direction.
Following ordination, he will serve as associate pastor at St. Ignatius Loyola Church in Sacramento.
Fr. Robert W. Stephan, S.J.
Fr. Matthew J. Kunkel, S.J.
Age: 40 Born: Cincinnati
Age: 33 Born: Bremerton, Wa
At Cincinnati’s Xavier University,
Fr. Stephan earned a bachelor’s degree
in history in 1995. Although he was
baptized at Xavier’s Bellarmine Chapel,
Fr. Stephan’s time as a college student
at Xavier was his first real exposure to
Jesuits in the classroom, and seeing that
combination of vocation and avocation opened
his eyes to a new way of looking at the priesthood.
Fr. Kunkel attended South Kitsap Public High School,
graduating in 1998. For two years, Fr. Kunkel studied at
a local community college in Bremerton, washing dishes
and waiting tables to pay the bills before transferring to
Gonzaga University. He earned a bachelor’s degree in
Latin American studies from Gonzaga University in
2002. Although Fr. Kunkel had begun considering a
vocation as far back as high school, his time at Gonzaga
helped him realize that he was being called to serve as
a Jesuit priest. The summer after he graduated from
Gonzaga, he entered the Society of Jesus and made
first vows in Portland in 2004.
Following his graduation from Xavier, Fr. Stephan
studied in Austria and earned a master’s degree in history
from UCLA in 1998. While earning a law degree at the University of
California, Berkeley, Fr. Stephan became active with the Newman
Center. Following his 2002 law school graduation, Fr. Stephan
entered the Society of Jesus and was missioned to Loyola University
Chicago, earning a master’s degree in pastoral studies in 2007.
For his regency assignment, Fr. Stephan taught theology and history
for one year at Verbum Dei High School, a Cristo Rey school serving
boys in the Watts section of Los Angeles.
In 2010, Fr. Stephan was missioned to the Boston College School of
Theology and Ministry where he earned a master of divinity degree
while serving as a deacon at St. Mary of the Assumption Parish in
Brookline, Mass. During his time in formation, Fr. Stephan has
worked with the Ignatian Spirituality Project, which provides retreats
for homeless men and women, and Contemplative Leaders in
Action, an Ignatian leadership program for young professionals.
Following ordination, he will do pastoral work at a parish in
Cincinnati this summer before being missioned to the Loyola
Institute for Spirituality in Orange, Calif., as the new program director.
Missioned to Saint Louis University, he studied philosophy,
theology, and studio art. For his regency assignment,
Fr. Kunkel taught religion and church history at St. Andrew
Nativity School in Portland. In 2009, he was missioned
to the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University
in Berkeley, where he earned a master of divinity degree.
During his years of formation, Fr. Kunkel
also traveled to Indonesia for a threeweek immersion program and
taught Rite of Christian Initiation
of Adults (RCIA) classes.
This summer, he will serve at
St. Francis Xavier Parish in
Missoula, Mont., and return to
Berkeley to complete a licentiate
in sacred theology in the fall.
TO GIVE In Honor of the New Ordinands, please send your gift to support the education and training of future Jesuit priests
and brothers to: Jesuits of California Province Advancement Office, P.O. Box 68, Los Gatos, CA 95031 or use the Online Giving
Form at www.jesuitscalifornia.org/donation
Remembrance
The Gift of
By Fr. John P. Mossi, S.J.
In my 50 years as a Jesuit, I have worn many ministry hats,
ranging from teaching in high school and university settings,
parish sacramental and pastoral work, the facilitation of retreats,
and assisting with spiritual direction. But, perhaps one of the
most important and joyous duties I have is that of praying for
the intentions of our benefactors and friends who assist the
California Province in our various ministries.
Since 1926, the Jesuits of the California Province have
remembered loved ones, friends, and benefactors through their
Mass Cards and Perpetual Certificates. As a Jesuit priest, it truly
is a special privilege to remember the faithful and their intentions
during times of celebration, anniversaries, special intentions,
recovery from sickness, and condolence and spiritual support at
time of death in my prayers and Masses.
I often celebrate Mass for our retired and elderly Jesuits at
Sacred Heart Jesuit Center, located in the foothills of Los Gatos.
Sacred Heart Jesuit Center is a house of prayer where the
primary mission of our senior Jesuits and men in the infirmary
is to pray for the Catholic Church, the Society of Jesus, and our
friends and benefactors. Fr. Provincial Michael Weiler, S.J., at his
July 31, 2011 Installation Mass praised the importance of Sacred
Heart Jesuit Center. “It is truly important to understand that the
work done in this house, in this community of Sacred Heart Jesuit
Center, is the most important work done in the California Province.
When a Jesuit moves here, his central and most important mission
is this: orare pro Societate et Ecclesia, that is to pray for the Society
of Jesus, and the people of God.”
In the Sacred Heart Jesuit Center community Chapel of the
Sacred Heart, there are two important remembrance albums that
are placed at the altar of St. Joseph, patron of the community.
The names in these albums are submitted by family and friends
who have asked for prayers for loved ones, both living and
deceased. The lists are updated weekly as new requests come
in. Our office takes special care to maintain our prayer lists,
ensuring that our records and prayer requests are accurate.
The first album, titled
the California Province
Remembrance Book,
contains the names, living
or deceased, of those
special prayer bond
©Barton Cotton, Inc. All Rights Reserved
There is a
that exists between
each Jesuit and benefactor.
For the Faithful: (l to r) Frs. Samuel Bellino, S.J., the late Andy Maginnis, S.J., John Mossi, S.J., and Provincial Michael Weiler, S.J., celebrating Palm Sunday Mass
at the Chapel of the Sacred Heart in the Sacred Heart Jesuit Center where Mass and prayers for Province benefactors and their intentions are part of daily life.
enlisted in our Mass Card program, which encompasses our
Christmas, Easter, Mother’s Day, and All Souls Day requests, as
well as the prayer intention requests that come to our office. These
names remain in the Remembrance Album for one calendar year
from the time they are added and are remembered each day in the
prayers and at the community Mass offered at Sacred Heart
Jesuit Center.
The second album, titled California Province Perpetual
Remembrance Certificates, holds the names enrolled through
our Perpetual Certificates. The names, living or deceased,
entered in this album are remembered permanently in the
prayers and Masses at Sacred Heart Jesuit Center. Fr. Leo
Hombach, S.J., a retired Jesuit member of the Sacred Heart
Jesuit Center community, speaks of this prayer ministry,
“We have a prayer responsibility and obligation that we take
very seriously. Our friends entrust us, as Jesuit priests and
brothers, to pray for their intentions and loved ones. In a spirit
of gratitude and prayerful support, it truly is a great honor to
remember them and their intentions at our daily Eucharist.”
In addition, every member of the California Province is asked
to remember our benefactors and their intentions in all their
Masses, prayers, and apostolic actions. Over the course of a
month, each of the 13 major Jesuit Communities in the California
Province, ranging from the Phoenix Jesuit Community, Loyola
Marymount Jesuit Community, Bellarmine Jesuit Community,
Saint Ignatius Jesuit Community, the Sacramento Jesuit
Community, and others remember our benefactors and their
intentions. Each Jesuit is keenly aware of how our friends have
supported us through our 12 years of formation, advanced studies,
and pastoral programs, and, when we are no longer able to serve
in active ministry, in retirement. There is a special prayer bond that
exists between each Jesuit and benefactor. Every Jesuit realizes that
the ministry he is called to serve would not be possible without
the important support of those who walk with him in faith.
In 2004, the fundraising operations of the Jesuit Seminary
Association were made part of the California Province
Advancement Office. Provincial Assistant for Advancement and
Communications Joe Naylor and the Advancement Office team
are now responsible for the administration of the various Perpetual
Certificates, Mass Cards, special mailings, prayer requests, and key
endowments that promote the education and care of Jesuits. “We
build upon the legacy of the JSA and its many dedicated and
creative directors like Fr. Andy Maginnis, S.J., and Fr. Ed Smyth,
S.J. And we want to deepen our relationship with our supporters
who use our Perpetual Certificates and Mass Cards,” Naylor said.
In my role in maintaining benefactor relations and helping to
administer our Mass Card and Perpetual Certificate program, my
job often is quite humbling. I’m always moved by the way
countless Jesuits have touched the lives of so many of our
friends at critical and important moments of their lives.
MISSION SUMMER 2013 27
Fr. John Mossi, S.J., celebrated his 50th anniversary as a Jesuit
and 40th anniversary as a priest on June 2, 2013. In addition
to his role with the California Province Office of Advancement,
he teaches theology at Santa Clara University.
Many times these Jesuits were doing what they felt was ordinary,
but we truly impacted our friends at a time of urgent need.
Because of these important connections and relationships, the
office staff diligently works hard to ensure that the wishes of
our benefactors are carefully fulfilled in timely fashion. We have
found that such attention only strengthens our relationship and
trust with our supporters.
As has been our custom over these many years, there is no
cost for the Mass Cards and Perpetual Certificates. A donation is
suggested, but is completely voluntary. Proceeds from the Mass
Cards and Perpetual Certificates are used solely for the purposes
of supporting Jesuit ministries, including care of senior and infirm
Jesuits, the formation of new Jesuit priests and brothers, and for
our various social and educational ministries. Funds are used for
no other purpose.
Many benefactors who utilize our Mass Cards or perpetual
Certificates have told us that people they send the cards and
certificates to find them to be a source of great comfort.
Knowing that their intentions and their loved ones will have
Masses said for them brings a sense of peace and closeness to
God’s caring hand.
Mary Ellen and Mike Fox have been sending out the cards
for decades. According to Mary Ellen, the cards offer recipients
more than a standard greeting or expression of sympathy.
“It’s more meaningful than just receiving a card,” Mary Ellen
said. “The Mass cards have a spiritual meaning. They are a
beautiful spiritual bouquet and I think people feel good
knowing that they are in the prayers of the Jesuits.”
On occasion, the Foxs will run out of cards. When they do,
they make the trip to Sacred Heart Jesuit Center in Los Gatos to
get more cards to have on hand. “It’s nice to have them on
hand,” Mary Ellen said.
Jack Perry has been sending Mass Cards and Perpetual
Certificates for years. “I’ve sent them in the past and will do so
in the future,” Perry said. “Maybe this is a way that somebody
might be touched on their spiritual journey. You never know
when somebody is going to need something to rely on.
Knowing that prayers are being said for them is a wonderful
thing. We all have to help each other up the ladder.”
The cards are a touchstone, said Perry, who said he saw the
cards when he came up to visit the California Province office.
“I’ve sent 20 or so cards to people and will continue to do that.
The responses I get back from people have been amazing.”
In Remembrance: The names of loved ones designated for prayer intentions are
kept in these two albums in the Chapel of the Sacred Heart at the altar of St. Joseph.
Recently, as new friends and benefactors begin to
journey with us in faith, we have found that not
everyone is aware of the prayer resources that we have
offered for almost 90 years. We invite you to visit our
website, www.jesuitscalifornia.org/masscards or call
(408) 884-1632 for more information as you consider
using our Mass Cards and Perpetual Certificates for
your prayer needs.
To see our selection of Mass Cards
and Perpetual Certificates, please visit:
www.jesuitscalifornia.org/masscards
• Perpetual Certificates, either Standard or Deluxe
• Mass Cards, English and Spanish
• Prayer Requests
• Masses offered for specific intentions
• Christmas, Easter, Birthday, Healing,
and Mother’s Day Mass Cards
• All Souls Remembrance
(Left) Mass Cards and Certificates: Here is a sampling of the Mass Card and
Perpetual Certificate options offered by the California Province. Clockwise from
upper left: Perpetual Certificate, Christmas, Special Occasion, Easter, Birthday,
Healing, and Special Occasion (in Spanish).
MISSION Summer 2013 29 teacher
in loving memory
prayer
in remembrance
relationship forever in our hearts
in loving memory
Inheaven
Remembrance
faith
brotherhood
dedication
friend
Fr. Chacon, S.J.
Father Gilbert M. Chacon, S.J., 73
September 6, 2012 in Saint Agnes Medical Center, Fresno, Calif. Born in Fresno in 1939 and raised
in Dos Palos, Fr. Chacon studied for the diocesan priesthood before entering the Jesuit novitiate at
Los Gatos in 1963. He worked at two mission stations among the Tarahumara Indians in the state of
Chihuahua, Mexico before completing his studies in Mexico City. He was ordained a priest in Los
Angeles in 1973 and served in numerous churches in Arizona, California, and Texas.
Brother John E. Maloney, S.J., 77
Br. Maloney, S.J.
September 13, 2012 at St. Ignatius College Prep, San Francisco. Br. Maloney was born in Oakland in 1935.
He began his postulancy at Los Gatos in September 1954. He studied kitchen management, meat cutting,
and baking and served as buyer and kitchen manager at the Los Gatos Novitiate, the University of San
Francisco, Loyola High School, Los Angeles, and Manresa Retreat House, Azusa. In 1969, he was named
assistant to the director of the Jesuit Seminary Association, San Francisco, where he oversaw the outgoing
mailings and counted the incoming receipts. In 1996 he was assigned to the St. Ignatius College Prep
community as guest master, and community sacristan.
Father James P. McCauley, S.J., 87
October 12, 2012 in Regis infirmary, Sacred Heart Jesuit Center, Los Gatos. Fr. McCauley was born in San Anselmo
in 1925, graduated from St. Ignatius College Prep and entered the Jesuits in 1943. He taught religion and
philosophy at the University of San Francisco, and religion and mathematics at St. Ignatius College Prep. After
ordination in 1956, he undertook graduate studies in psychology at Fordham University. He also served as a
counselor to USF students at a program in Innsbruck, Austria and spent many years in parish work in Northern
California and Nevada, including serving as pastor of St. Patrick’s Church, Tonopah, Nev., from 1998 to 2005.
Fr. McCauley, S.J.
Father William F. Donnelly, S.J., 84
October 25, 2012 at Santa Clara University. Born in Galveston, Texas in 1928, Fr. Donnelly graduated from
Santa Clara University in 1949, entered the novitiate in 1951, and was ordained a priest in 1963. He earned a
PhD in economics from New York University and joined the Santa Clara University faculty in 1969. In addition
to his many decades in the classroom, he served generously in multiple administrative capacities at Santa Clara
University, including academic vice president, 1973-1978, rector of the Jesuit Community, 1982-1988, member of
the Board of Trustees, 1973-1978 and 1982-1988, and chaplain of the Catala Club from 1993 until his death.
Father Warren J. Wright, S.J., 65
Fr. Donnelly, S.J.
November 19, 2012 at Sacred Heart Jesuit Center. Fr. Wright was born in 1947 in Los Angeles. After
graduating from Loyola High School and Loyola University, he spent four years in the Air Force, including
work as an intelligence specialist at Fort Meade, Md. He entered the Jesuit novitiate at Santa Barbara in
1973, taught history and served as dorm prefect of resident students at Bellarmine College Prep, 1976-79,
then made theological studies at the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley. He was ordained a priest in
Los Angeles in 1982. He served as associate pastor at St. Ignatius Loyola Parish, Sacramento, 1983-85, and
St. Francis Xavier Parish, Phoenix, 1986-87, 1991-96. At St. Ignatius College Prep, San Francisco, he taught
religious studies and served as assistant dean of students.
Father Ralph J. Drendel, S.J., 90
Fr. Wright, S.J.
December 2, 2012 at Sacred Heart Jesuit Center. Fr. Drendel was born in San Francisco in 1922 and entered
the Jesuit novitiate at Los Gatos in 1940. He taught mathematics at Bellarmine College Prep, San Jose, 194750, and was ordained a priest in 1953. He was assigned to the Superior General’s office in Rome, 1955-59.
Returning to California, he was named director of novices at Los Gatos, 1959-63, and at Santa Barbara,
1963-67. He returned to the high school classroom, teaching religion at Loyola High School, mathematics and
religion at St. Ignatius Prep, San Francisco, and mathematics and computer science at Bellarmine. He served
as principal of Bishop Manogue High School, Reno, and at Bishop Kelly High School, Boise. He served as a
spiritual director for seminarians of the Denver Archdiocese, 2000-2008.
Father John W. Clark, S.J., 87
December 19, 2012, at Sacred Heart Jesuit Center. A former Provincial of the California Province and
long-time university professor and administrator, Fr. Clark was born in Los Angeles in 1925. He served in
the U.S. Navy during World War II, entered the Jesuit novitiate at Los Gatos in 1946, taught history and
sociology at St. Ignatius College Prep, San Francisco, and was ordained a priest in Hollywood in 1959. He
received his doctorate in business administration from UCLA in 1965 and served as professor of business
and as academic vice president of Loyola Marymount University. In 1982 he was named Provincial of
the California Jesuits, a post he held until 1988. At the completion of his term, he became academic vice
president, and later, provost, of the University of San Francisco. In 1997 he became a spiritual director for
priests at the Cardinal Manning House of Prayer in Los Angeles.
Fr. Drendel, S.J.
Father John J. Flynn, S.J., M.D., 89
January 27, 2013, in Regis Infirmary, Sacred Heart Jesuit Center. Raised in Los Angeles., Fr. Flynn attended
Loyola University, Los Angeles, before serving in the U. S. Army during World War II. Following medical school
at Creighton University, Omaha, where he completed his studies and received his M.D. in 1947, he served as
a combat medic with the Marines in Korea starting in 1950. He entered Sacred Heart Novitiate, Los Gatos, in
1960. At 37, he was the oldest member of his class of 46. He later taught chemistry at Bellarmine College Prep,
San Jose, and biology at the University of San Francisco. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1969. After a
fellowship in nuclear medicine at U.C.L.A., Fr. Flynn served as a clinical lecturer of radiology and founded
and directed the Division of Diagnostic Ultrasound at UC-Irvine. He retired from medical practice in 1988 and
became senior priest at Holy Family Church, Glendale, Calif., until retiring to Sacred Heart Jesuit Center in 2005.
Father Richard B. McCafferty, S.J., 88
Fr. Clark, S.J.
March 18, 2013 in Regis Infirmary, Sacred Heart Jesuit Center, Los Gatos. Fr. McCafferty was born in St. John,
New Brunswick, Canada in 1925 and entered the New England Jesuit Province in 1953. Ordained a priest
in Louvain, Belgium, he earned a doctorate in communications from Northwestern in 1969 and taught in a
number of universities including San Jose State, Loyola Marymount, Arizona State, and Mills College. In 1994
he joined the staff of St. Charles Borreomeo Parish, Livermore, serving as pastor for many years.
Father Andrew F. Maginnis, S.J., 89
March 17, 2013 in Regis Infirmary, Sacred Heart Jesuit Center.
Fr. Maginnis was born in San Francisco in 1923 and entered the Jesuit
novitiate at Los Gatos in 1939. He made philosophical studies at St. Louis
University, taught math at Bellarmine College Preparatory, San Jose, and
was ordained a priest in 1952. He served as house administrator for the
Alma College community, 1954-1957, and at Loyola University, Los Angeles,
1957-1959. In 1959 he was appointed executive assistant (Socius) to the
Provincial of the California Province, and served under four provincial
administrations until 1968. After one year as director of financial aid at the
University of San Francisco, he worked as a counselor and retreat director
for religious women in the Archdiocese of San Francisco and beyond. In
1974 he was named Vicar for Religious by Archbishop Joseph McGucken
and served in that capacity under succeeding Archbishops until 2004.
From 1991 to 2003 he directed the Jesuit Seminary Association, which
raised funds to support both the training of young Jesuits and the care of the retired and infirm. His last years
were spent in the St. Ignatius College Preparatory community and at Sacred Heart Jesuit Center.
Fr. Flynn, S.J.
Fr. McCafferty, S.J.
Fr. Maginnis was an active member of the California Province’s Advancement staff, serving in a benefactor
relations capacity. He fondly wrote letters and made phone calls to benefactors and friends of the Province.
He frequently had guests to the Province dining room for lunch. He was renowned for his infectious sense of
humor and his warm smile.
to give
For more information on how you can contribute to a memorial fund in the name
of a deceased Jesuit, please go to www.jesuitscalifornia.org/donation
TAKE FIVE
Five questions with Oakland Bishop Michael Barber, S.J.,
who was named bishop on May 3, 2013.
How did you get news of your appointment as Bishop?
I received a phone call from the Papal Nuncio. I asked if I could meet with
him face-to-face in Washington D.C. a few days later. We met. After being
told it was the immediate and direct will of the Holy Father, Pope Francis,
I accepted the appointment to Oakland in light of my Fourth Vow of
Obedience as a Jesuit.
What are the greatest opportunities for you as Bishop?
There are many opportunities. Included among them are preaching the
gospel of Jesus Christ to a greater number of people than ever before in
my life; bringing the mercy and love of Jesus Christ and the Catholic
Church to more people; giving the cura personalis (personal pastoral care)
that I received as a Jesuit to the priests of the diocese of Oakland; and
nurturing vocations to the priesthood and religious life.
What are the greatest challenges for you as Bishop?
The diocesan debt of $115 million dollars is a major challenge. There is
also a need to foster unity among the diocesan priests. And, keeping our
inner city Catholic schools open and at a high level of quality and service
is a both a challenge and a priority.
What is it like to have gone from being director of spiritual formation
at St. John’s Seminary in Brighton, Mass. to being a Bishop?
I enjoyed the personal relationships I had with my seminarians as their
spiritual father in the Boston seminary. I miss those guys. I also miss
the luxury I had in the seminary horarium of 2 1/2 hours of prayer and
Mass each day. Now, with so many parish visitations, confirmations,
priest and business appointments, I have little time to read, write, and
think. I’m fortunate to have an excellent staff helping me in running a
diocese of 550,000 Catholics in 85 parishes and 50 Catholic schools.
How has your Jesuit formation prepared you for your new job as
Bishop of Oakland?
I received an outstanding education in the Society of Jesus. I joined the
Jesuits because I believed they would best be able to use and develop
whatever talents and gifts God may have given me for the benefit of the
Church. I have been able to serve in a variety of ministries around the
world: Alaska, Taiwan, Micronesia, Samoa, Mexico, Italy, England. I’ve
worked in high schools, universities, parishes, seminaries, and even on
aircraft carriers at sea with the U.S. Navy. I’ve been deployed as chaplain
with the Marines in the Iraq war.
In my 40 years as a Jesuit, I have been challenged to give more of
myself to the ministry—challenged to do the “magis” (the “more”) for
the greater glory of God. It’s not always been easy, but it has helped me
to accept and embrace this assignment as bishop—which is far and away
the most challenging thing I’ve been asked to do in my life. My Jesuit
formation has taught me to trust in Divine Providence and the
overwhelming love and mercy of God.
What I Did on My Summer Vacation
Manresa Villa was a seaside Jesuit summer camp located near Aptos, Calif., reached by a stop on the
Southern Pacific Railroad. Beginning in the mid-1890s, Jesuit teachers from Santa Clara College and St.
Ignatius Academy (the predecessor of University of San Francisco and St. Ignatius College Preparatory)
would spend vacation time in tents on the bluff above Manresa Beach, now a state park. In 1925, the
property was sold for $50,000 to purchase the site of Bellarmine College Preparatory in San Jose.
This 1913 photo shows a group of Jesuits relaxing somewhat formally in cassocks. Among them are, back
row at left, Fr. Jerome Ricard, S.J., the “Padre of the Rains,” whose accurate weather predictions from
his Santa Clara observatory were relied upon for decades. Sitting on the ground, 4th from left, is Fr. John
Lennon, S.J., later one of the first California Jesuits sent to China in 1928. On the hammock at left is Fr.
Anthony Drathman, S.J., who was renowned for his ability to pick locks and open safes. He once wowed
police officers in Alaska when he opened a safe locked for 10 years in a matter of minutes.
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
California Province of the Society of Jesus
Advancement Office
P.O. Box 68
Los Gatos, CA 95031-0068
Permit #11882
San francisco, CA
www.jesuitscalifornia.org
PHOTO BY BRIAN McClister
In the Footsteps of Ignatius
(l to r): Fr. Robert Stephan, S.J., Fr. E. Joseph O’Keefe, S.J., Fr. Phillip Ganir, S.J., Fr. Matthew Kunkel, S.J., and Fr. Glen Butterworth, S.J.,
were ordained as the newest priests of the California and Oregon provinces in a Mass at Blessed Sacrament Church in Hollywood on June
8 with Salt Lake City Bishop John C. Wester celebrating. To read more about each of the new priests, please see our story on page 24.

life on the border - Jesuits from the California

Transcription

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