In this issue, 2009.3

• » A Thousand Welcomes
• » A Century of Gratitude
• » A New Season
• » Retreats in Everyday Life
• » Join a Community of Directors
• » Retreats Coming Up

From the Executive Director

I would like to share with you few words from a veteran retreatant here this past weekend, taking part in our first men’s silent retreat of the new season:

“Peace of mind, opportunity to commune with God in the silence of this place—I enjoy my time here tremendously and would like people I love to experience the same.”

We’re grateful that the Spirit continues to touch people’s hearts here, year after year.

Fr. Tom Carroll, S.J., Executive Director

A Thousand Welcomes

Fr. Jim Flynn, S.J., and Fr. Peter Togni, S.J., joined the Retreat Center community during the summer. Both will be on our Pastoral Staff, doing retreats and spiritual direction, and Fr. Jim is now the religious superior of the Jesuit community. (Fr. Tom Carroll, S.J., continues as Executive Director of the Retreat Center.) We will introduce Fr. Jim and Fr. Peter more fully in our Fall issue of the JRC News.

A Century of Gratitude

The California Province of the Society of Jesus is celebrating its 100^th anniversary all through 2009. We joined in two special days of celebration, our Centennial Convocation at Santa Clara University, on August 7 and 8. Partners from all of the ministries and activities of the Province, and Jesuit colleagues from the Oregon Province, joined us in thanking God for the graces of a century of serving the Church together and in asking God's blessings on our continued care for God's people.

A New Season

The calendar for our 2009-2010 retreat season is now posted on our website, along with information on each of our retreats and on each person working on our retreat teams. You’re invited to stop by the website and browse around—and to book in another retreat soon! (You may also download our [pdf:1.06MB] version of the 2009 ~ 2010 calendar.)

Retreats in Everyday Life

St. Ignatius Loyola knew that many would not have the leisure to set aside 30 days to do the entire Spiritual Exercises, so he invited directors to give the Exercises extended over a number of months—30 weeks rather than thirty days—and, like the 30 days, individually directed. This mode of the Exercises, sometimes called "19^th Annotation", can become a powerful experience of God's Spirit at work, freeing the person who makes the Exercises for more complete response to God's action and invitation in his or her life.

A number of directors offer the Exercises in this 19^th Annotation format through the Jesuit Retreat Center. We ordinarily begin these experiences of the Exercises in September. If you are accustomed to (or open to) praying an hour or more each day and would welcome meeting with a director once each week over the course of the months you would spend making the Exercises, do consider in your prayer whether God is calling you to this spiritual journey.

For more information or to arrange to make the Spiritual Exercises in your everyday life, please contact Fr. Tom Carroll, S.J. by email or call 650-917-4049.

Join a Community of Directors

From left to right: André Delbecq, Sr. Anne Hennessy, C.S.J. (faculty), Susan Votaw, Fr. Emmanuel Foro, S.J., Fr. Bernie Bush, S.J. (faculty), Anne Grycz, Michael Cheney, Barbara Nelson.
Photo credit: Michael Collopy

We completed in May the first full cycle of the Pierre Favre Program, our three-year course preparing new directors of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. Six people—three lay women, two lay men, and one Jesuit priest—received certificates of completion at our May 17 graduation ceremony.  Our congratulations to the six:  Michael Cheney, André Delbecq, Fr. Emmanuel Foro, S.J., Anne Grycz, Barbara Nelson, and Susan Votaw.

We are already enjoying the collaboration of the participants in the Favre Program on our weekend retreats, and they are bringing the gift of the Exercises back to their own local communities. Their generous service of the Church through this ministry extends the availability of the Exercises to ever more of God's people.

We begin the new Pierre Favre season on Sunday, September 20. Those who are accepted into the Program have made the complete Exercises (either in 30 days or in the extended format of the 19th Annotation retreat in daily life) and have some background in theology and ministry.

If you have experienced God calling you to the ministry of giving the Exercises and are interested in the Pierre Favre Program, you can get more information or can begin the application process by contacting Fr. Tom Carroll, S.J. by email or call 650-917-4049.

Retreats Coming Up

Turning Toward our Higher Power

This weekend, August 21-23, we have our first retreat of the season for women in 12-Step recovery in the tradition of Alcoholics Anonymous. Vincentian Father Pat Mullin will be giving the retreat on the theme Love Thy Neighbor as Thyself.

For more information or to register for the retreat, give us a call at 650-948-4491 or register on-line at Love Thy Neighbor as Thyself.

How Can We Keep from Singing?

The following weekend, August 28-30, Ms. Julie Paavola and Fr. Tom Carroll, S.J., will consider Ignatian Spirituality in the Church’s Song: Vocal Exercises.  The retreat participants will explore together Ignatian themes we find woven into the hymns, chant, and song of the Church. We will be exercising both hearts and voices!

For more information or to register for the retreat, give us a call at 650-948-4491 or register on-line at Vocal Exercises.

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