Manresa Matters
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Manresa Matters Manresa Jesuit Retreat House 1390 Quarton Road • Bloomfield Hills, MI 48304-3554 Spring / Summer 248.644.4933 www.manresa-sj.org 2021 To help men and women grow spiritually through prayer, reflection, guidance and teaching according to the Ignatian tradition “With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.” ~ Is. 12:3 From the Editor fter each new issue of Manresa Matters I added a framed cover to my office wall and joked that onceA I ran out of wall space I would have to retire. Well, as you can see by the accompanying photo, I’ve run out of wall space! But seriously, despite that coincidence, my decision to retire this May was a result of sensing God calling Manresa Ministry Staff me to a more contemplative life and to We hope you enjoy reading these and the Fr. Leo Cachat, SJ prayerfully discern His future plans for numerous other personal accounts of how Fr. Francis Daly, SJ me. lives were changed through prayerful Ann Dillon And the fact that my decision reflects encounters with the Lord, as well as the Fr. Peter Fennessy, SJ the theme of this issue—“From Prayer to spiritual reflections written by current Fr. Robert Flack, SJ and former Executive Directors Sr. Linda Fr. Steve Hurd, SJ Purpose”—is actually another coincidence. Steve Raymond (Associate Director) The publications team wanted to show Sevcik and Fr. Fran Daly (p. 3) and staff Sr. Linda Sevcik, SM (Executive Director) that time spent in prayerful activities Jesuits Fr. Bob Ytsen (p. 5) and Fr. Peter Anne Smith such as retreats, Mass, Scripture reading, Fennessy (p. 7). Ruth Ann Stevens (Business Manager) Christian meditation and so forth often Fr. Bob Ytsen, SJ I’d like to conclude my last column as leads to a loving response to God. You Editor of Manresa Matters by thanking will find examples throughout these pages, Board of Directors the Jesuits, staff, volunteers, Women- Hughes Bakewell such as how: to-Women participants, daily Mass John Bernia • Jesuit-directed silent retreats led to Bill Brazier attendees, retreatants and other guests Mary Cafferty (Vice-chair) increasing church involvement and who have blessed me with words of Fr. Peter Etzel, SJ outreach (p. 4) support, encouragement and prayer Fr. Peter Fennessy, SJ throughout my seven-plus years on staff. Fr. James Gartland, SJ • Manresa’s Internship awakened a love Last but not least I want to thank my Mary Gresens for children’s ministries (p. 9) Jim Guisinger fellow publications team members (see Johny Kello • Praying the Stations touched the their picture and names below) who’ve Peter Kreher heart of a grounds contractor (p. 13) made this publication what it is and Phyllis Peters Look who’ve become dear friends in the joyful Keller McGaffey (Chair) • Walking Manresa’s campus after Frank Migliazzo process. All will remain forever in my Fr. Ted Munz, SJ morning Mass revealed God’s love in heart and prayers! Sergio Pagés nature (p. 15) DiAnne Patterson Schultz Sr. Linda Sevcik, SM Mike Timm Jim Wilson Cover photo of the Tuomey Fountain on Manresa’s campus, courtesy of Anne Smith. Do you want to learn Manresa Matters more about Manresa? is published semiannually by Manresa Jesuit Retreat House Manresa is not just a retreat 1390 Quarton Road house . We also offer days of Bloomfield Hills, MI 48304. prayer and reflection, workshops, For more information phone a Seminar in Ignatian Spirituality, 248.644.4933 or email an Internship in Spiritual [email protected]. Companionship and much more! Our sister publication, Manresa Comments, suggestions, Memos, will keep you informed story ideas, photos of Manresa? Publications Team members pictured from left of upcoming offerings. Visit the Please write to us via email at to right are Paul Seibold, Grace Seroka, Fr. Peter publications page on our website [email protected] Fennessy, SJ, George Seroka, Steve Raymond, or sign up for electronic delivery at or use Manresa’s postal address. www.manresa-sj.org/publication-form/. Anne Smith and Hugh Buchanan. Page 2 From Our Executive Director ollowing are some powerful words attributed to we make, no matter how small that Fr. Pedro Arrupe, SJ, Superior General of the decision may seem, e.g., what gets us Society of Jesus from 1965-1983. (His cause for out of bed in the morning. To take Fcanonization was opened in 2019.) another example from the passage, this Nothing is more practical than falling in love with God will decide finding God, than “what breaks your heart.” For me, falling in Love that includes situations of great need in a quite absolute, final way. or injustice we perceive around us, What you are in love with, involving God’s own beloved sons and what seizes your imagination, will affect everything. daughters. If I allow myself, in prayer, Linda Sevcik, SM It will decide to see these situations as God sees what will get you out of bed in the morning, them, this injustice will affect me deeply (break my heart) what you do with your evenings, and guide me toward acting as Jesus would. how you spend your weekends, The theme of this Manresa Matters is “From Prayer to what you read, whom you know, Purpose.” I invite you to reflect prayerfully with each what breaks your heart, phrase of the passage above and perceive what the Spirit and what amazes you with joy and gratitude. draws you to consider more carefully. Fall in Love, stay in love, and it will decide everything. I have given a small number of retreats at Manresa over the past seven or eight years, so have met some of our readers. This has been one of the most influential writings of my I look forward to renewing acquaintance with those, and life from the time I first found it, many years ago. It makes to meeting others for the first time during the coming year. the integral connection between our life of prayer and Let us keep one another in prayer. relationship of deep love with God and every decision Thanks to the generosity of our donors, the barn that was destroyed by fire in 2019 is being replaced by a new one, with part of the original cupola installed to preserve a part of its history. (Photos courtesy of Steve Raymond and Paul Seibold.) From Our Former Executive Director am glad to welcome Sr. Linda Sevcik, SM, our new Our time of quiet prayer raises our Executive Director to Manresa Jesuit Retreat House. consciousness of God’s presence I am grateful for her willingness to assume leadership and helps us see our real world as it Iof Manresa during this pandemic and look forward to is. God enables us to see and hear collaborating with her in the days ahead. During my seven the cry of the poor, the hungry, the years as Executive Director of Manresa, I am also very homeless and those suffering from grateful to Christ and all those who have labored with me the coronavirus. Ignatius stressed to create a space for all who come to Manresa to encounter that love is manifested in deeds. Francis J. Daly, SJ our loving God. I hope our retreatants realize God is not He refused to see contemplation as far from any of us, since it is in Him that we live, move being in opposition to action or incompatible with it. As a and have our being. I have always valued Teilhard de contemplative in action, he realized that our view of politics Chardin’s insight: “By virtue of Creation and still more the and finances is not separated from our religious values and Incarnation, nothing is profane to those who know how to judgments. May God strengthen us to meet the challenges see.” May God help us to continue to improve our seeing of serving our sisters and brothers today. life from His perspective and living it in our everyday lives. ~ by Fran J. Daly, SJ Page 3 What’s It All About, Alfie? anresa is a sacred place, sanctified by prayer and sacrament and silence. I had never experienced a retreat before MManresa, even at the Jesuit university I attended. The closest was a “day of reflection” in high school with kumbaya sing-alongs, “what-kind-of-tree-are-you?” discussions and sending up prayers in balloons. I don’t remember why I accepted the invitation to come to Manresa in 1991 when at the time the last thing I wanted was to talk about faith. I had just recently come back to the Church after several years. I still felt like a visitor in my parish, St. Thomas More in Troy, Michigan. I had Pope Francis washing the feet of prisoners, Holy Thursday service 2019.* no sense of purpose then. So my first surprise and joy of (Foto ©Vatican Media – used with permission) Manresa was the silence. At first it was just relief that I didn’t have to talk to anybody, but I came to cherish it. A second joy was the example of the men who’d been coming pray by giving me silence, time to listen and guidance in to Manresa for decades. These two blessings brought me recognizing God’s grace, discovering who I am in His eyes back. and discerning how to live rightly. The annual “recharging ef of my batteries” on retreat led me to ask, gradually and in different ways over the years, “What is my purpose? Is What is my purpose? what I desire the end for which God created me?” Is what I desire the end I heard one answer, one call to purpose, in the quiet on for which God created me? maybe my fourth retreat.