Reflections from Our Directors
Encounter and Conversation: Dialogue in Ignatian Prayer
“How do you prepare for a meaningful conversation with a friend?” –Dan Johnson, Spiritual Director When my Loyola colleague Dan Johnson framed his “Simple Prayer” retreat with this essential question, a deep part of me was moved. How do I prepare for a meaningful...
Tender Mercy
I have been attending many Christmas musical events this season and they have fed my waiting Advent soul. One Christmas prayer service in particular was profound in its message. The art on the cover of the program was titled “Tender Mercy” and is done by Robyn Sand...
Where are YOU in the Sacred Stories of Advent?
When I was a little girl, my December ritual was to sit alone in our living room beside the twinkling tree lights and imagine myself into the coffee table manger scene. I visualized myself with the shepherds underneath a Bethlehem sky full of angels until the angels...
Ignatian Contemplation this Advent
“Contemplating a [Biblical] scene is not simply remembering it or going back in time. Through the act of contemplation, the Holy Spirit makes present a mystery of [God’s Love] in a way that is meaningful for [us] now.” – Fr. Kevin O’Brien, SJ The Ignatian...
Grief and the Holidays
It is that time of year again and Thanksgiving, Christmas and the New Year are fast approaching. When someone you love dies the future you thought you were going to have with your loved one is gone as suddenly as his or her life is done. Throughout the year there...
Invitation to Sit
But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me." But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many...
Inviting Our Children and Grandchildren into the Spirit
Last April, famed scientist Jane Goodall recalled a transformative moment she had in Notre Dame cathedral: light streaming through the Rose Window, Bach filling the vastness. “How could I believe it was the chance gyrations of primeval dust that led to…the collective...
Gifts of the Enneagram
by Mary Noble Garcia Listening to the sacred story of each person who comes to receive spiritual direction has been both privilege and gift. This gift was given in new ways as I listened to the stories of hundreds of people through my participation in the...
Prayers offered, prayers answered – Reflections from in the Golden Shadow of the Lady with the Lamp
by Susanna Bertelsen In July, my daughter and I visited Ellis Island’s Immigration Museum and viewed Liberty Island from the ferry. The Museum Research room offered clues and discoveries to the immigration experiences just about 100 years ago, of both my Italian...