Ignatian
IMPRINTS
A publication of the Maryland Province Jesuits Summer 2010 | Vol. 4 No. 4
Milestones: Fr. Paul K. Rourke, SJ,
ordained, Page 1
Jesuit Jubilees, Inside cover Graduations, Page 8-10
Leading the Way to World Youth Day Page 3 | A Poem: Driftwood Odyssey Page 11
Congratulations to the 2010 Jubilarians 75 Years in the Society William J. Lynch, SJ
70 Years in the Society
Walter A. Buckius, SJ Edward W. Bodnar, SJ Joseph R. Spellerberg, SJ
60 Years in the Society
Eugene J. Barber, SJ Henry J. Bertels, SJ Joseph E. Billotti, SJ Thomas C. Blessin, SJ Sebastian A. Boccabella, SJ Patrick T. Brannan, SJ Francis F. Burch, SJ Vincent E. Butler, SJ William J. Byron, SJ John P. Carriero, SJ Charles L. Currie, SJ G. Richard Dimler, SJ Donald J. Dixon, SJ John J. Gallen, SJ Francis T. Gignac, SJ (DET) John G. Marzolf, SJ John J. Mawhinney, SJ Joseph M. McCloskey, SJ Thomas F. McManus, SJ
A profile of Fr. William J. Lynch, a Jesuit for 75 years, is posted at www.mdsj.org/JUB75.html
Jesuits of the Maryland and New York Provinces celebrating 50 years in the Society Paul F. Cawthorne, SJ James R. Dolan, SJ Lloyd D. George, SJ William L. George, SJ John T. Kelly, SJ
Donald J. Kirby, SJ Dennis M. Linehan, SJ Patrick J. Lynch, SJ John F. Martin, SJ Paul J. McCarren, SJ
Eugene A. Nolan, SJ Stanley J. O’Konsky, SJ Michael E. Sehler, SJ Michael T. Siconolfi, SJ Charles D. Sullivan, SJ
Francis X. Metzbower, SJ Donald J. Moore, SJ Ugo R. Nacciarone, SJ Thomas V. O’Connor, SJ Harold F.X. O’Donnell, SJ Thomas E. Peacock, SJ Francis X.D. Reese, SJ Peter J. Roslovich, SJ James F. Salmon, SJ Solomon I. Sara, SJ (NEN) Daniel J. Sullivan, SJ Richard F. Timone, SJ
50 YEARS IN THE PRIESTHOOD
G. Donald Pantle, SJ Joseph A. Panuska, SJ Francis X.D. Reese, SJ Francis V. Rooney, SJ Joseph N. Tylenda, SJ
25 YEARS IN THE SOCIETY
Christopher S. Fronk, SJ Mark F. Horak, SJ Jeffrey P. Putthoff, SJ (MIS)
60 YEARS IN THE PRIESTHOOD John W. Donohue, SJ John J. Leonard, SJ Vincent T. O’Keefe, SJ Francis J. Staebell, SJ John G. Sturm, SJ
Kenneth W. Baker, SJ (ORE) Erwin G. Beck, SJ William J. Bosch, SJ Robert H. Cousineau, SJ Alfred L. Fiorino, SJ Mallick J. Fitzpatrick, SJ James N. Gelson, SJ Edward L. Guth, SJ Frank R. Haig, SJ Joseph E. Henry, SJ Robert J. Keck, SJ Edward J. McMahon, SJ Richard P. McHugh, SJ Donald J. Moore, SJ Daniel J. Mulhauser, SJ Joseph B. Neville, SJ James A. O’Brien, SJ
25 YEARS IN THE PRIESTHOOD James P. Croghan, SJ Timothy S. Godfrey, SJ (MIS) John S. Hagileiram, SJ John P. Horn, SJ Robert J. Kaslyn, SJ William J. Kelley, SJ Donald C. Maldari, SJ James J. Mayzik, SJ Kevin P. Quinn, SJ Marc J. Roselli, SJ Edward F. Salmon, SJ Timothy S. Valentine, SJ
Concelebrants at the Jubilarians Mass at Fordham University Church June 11 are Jesuit Frs. John Kelly, Stanley O’Konsky, Patrick Lynch, Michael Sehler, Eugene Nolan, Michael Siconolfi, Donald Kirby, Charles Sullivan and James Dolan. Photo by Davis Studio
Ignatian
IMPRINTS Ignatian Imprints is a
publication of the Maryland province of the Society of
Jesus. Now published as an
insert to Company magazine,
Ignatian Imprints is designed to highlight the works and
people of the province engaged in spreading the Ignatian goal of forming “men and women
for others.� Published quarterly, the magazine endeavors to
inform, teach and spread the Good News.
James M. Shea, SJ Provincial
Photos by Davis Studio
Newly ordained priests for the Maryland and New York provinces pose with the provincials and bishops after the ordination Mass June 12 at Fordham University Church. From left, New York Provincial David S. Ciancimino, SJ, Bishop Luis del Castillo, SJ, Fr. Robert J. Pecoraro, SJ, Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan, Fr. Paul K. Rourke, SJ, Fr. John P. Mulreany, SJ, Maryland Provincial James M. Shea, SJ.
A new priest for Maryland
Mary K. Tilghman Editor and Designer Ed Plocha Director of Advancement Betty Shenk Advancement Assistant Amanda Knittle Development Assistant Joe Young Web Editor Please send subscription
requests, letters to the editor
and other correspondence to:
Ignatian Imprints
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Fr. Rourke receives the hosts and wine from Archbishop Dolan.
Paul K. Rourke, SJ, a Maryland Jesuit, was one of three new priests to be ordained at Fordham University Church June 12. New York Province Jesuits John P. Mulreany and Robert J. Pecoraro were also ordained by Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan of New York. Bishop Luis del Castillo, retired bishop of Melo, Uruguay, participated in the liturgy. Fr. Rourke celebrated a Mass of Thanksgiving Sunday, June 13, at the same church. He will continue his studies in Patristic theology this fall at the Augustinianum in Rome.
www.mdsj.org
Fr. Rourke prays during the consecration.
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around the province
MEET THE FIRST YEAR NOVICES: This year’s novices hail from both the Maryland and New England Provinces. They are (from left) James Ferus, Marco Rodriguez, both from the New England Province, Christopher Grodecki, Maryland Province, Andrew Otto, New England, Gilbert Stockson and Adam Rosinski, both from Maryland.
New province treasurer named New province treasurer Timothy Stephens, SJ, (pictured at right) joined the provincial’s staff as the province treasurer July 31. Fr. Stephens has served as a teacher and director of retreats for Gonzaga College High School, as well as director of the Loyola Retreat House in Faulkner, Md. He holds a masters in economics from Northwestern University. Fr. Stephens succeeds William Ryan, SJ, who held the position since 2002.
Fr. Sands professes final vows
On Pentecost Sunday, Jesuits from five continents gathered in the Chapel of St. Joseph at Saint Joseph’s University to celebrate the profession of final vows by Joseph Sands, SJ. Fr. Sands, who entered the Society in 1981 and was ordained in 1992, recently taught in the archdiocesan seminary in Brazil. He is rector-designate of Ciszek Hall at Fordham University, the commuity for Jesuit scholastics in First Studies. 2 | SUMMER 2010
New Chicago post for Fr. Gillespie
Kevin Gillespie, SJ, has been named associate provost for strategic initiatives at Loyola University of Chicago. He began there July 1. Since 1996 Fr. Gillespie has served as a professor and as an administrator in the Department of Pastoral Counseling. He also has served in various capacities in Student Life and on a variety of Loyola boards and committees.
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You can get updates all through the work week about what’s happening in the Maryland Province at www.twitter.com/ MarylandJesuits. We’re “tweeting” about local Jesuits and Jesuit institutions. Prefer Facebook? Go to the Maryland Jesuits page at http://bit.ly/ al9F1Y.
For details on structuring a charitable gift arrangement or other giving options in support of the Maryland Province Jesuits contact The Advancement Office, The Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus, 8600 La Salle Road, Towson, MD 21286 443-921-1332 • Email: advancement@mdsj.org
Phil Hurley
By Marie Rohde Phil Hurley was just a typical college student when he arrived in Denver in 1993, one of a half-million young people to flood into the Mile-High City to attend World Youth Day. It would not be his last. He went to Toronto in 2002, Cologne in 2005 in Sydney in 2008. When youth from around the world gather in Madrid in August 2011, Phil Hurley will be there, too. But this time, it will be quite different. This time he’ll go as a Jesuit priest, as the youth and young adult director for the Apostleship of Prayer and as a member of the planning team for Americans going to WYD and for Magis, a gathering sponsored by Jesuits to be held in Spain the week before World Youth Day.
Hearts on fire, faith in focus
Maryland Jesuit Phillip Hurley, works to energize young people through Apostleship of Prayer and World Youth Day World Youth Day, says Fr. Hurley, can be profoundly moving. The first World Youth Day provided Fr. Hurley with an oasis when he was feeling, as many young adults do, as if he was in a spiritual desert. “It was in the Rocky Mountains and people from all over the world were there,” Fr. Hurley recalled. Although the words of Pope John Paul II moved him, but so did the witness of the community of ignatian imprints | 3
young Catholics. “What I saw was that we are called to Jesus, less as individuals than as a community,” Fr. Hurley said. “I found myself having conversations with people about belief and faith.” At a small gathering in a Denver church led by a group of Franciscans, a seed was planted. “The Franciscans were so dynamic, caring and prayerful and in an instant it struck me that was how I wanted to be,” Fr. Hurley recalled. “It freaked me out. I immediately thought, I’m not worthy! I can’t do this!” Fr. Hurley sought out a Franciscan brother who advised him to go back to college, build on his relationship with God and not worry so much. Discerning his next step He returned to Baltimore to finish his studies at Loyola College (now University) and decide what his vocation was. Joining an ecumenical prayer group helped. The discussions about faith helped him focus his prayer. “I wanted to see if God had anything to do with the direction of my life,” he explained. Should he get married and raise a family? he wondered. He was dating a member of his prayer group at the time. “Marriage and family, the goodness of all of that was very attractive,” he said. Ultimately, he realized his calling was to the priesthood — something his girlfriend helped him discern. “I attended her wedding and she was at my ordination,” Fr. Hurley said. “We are good friends.” In 1997, he joined the Society of Jesus and began the rigorous studies that led to his ordination in 2008. Along the way, he was able to attend several World Youth Day gatherings. He knows first-hand 4 | SUMMER 2010
how powerful they can be, and how much fun. For the past year Fr. Hurley, 35, has been in Milwaukee, as the youth and young adult director for the American office of the Apostleship of Prayer, an international prayer group for the pope more than 150 years old. He spends his time offering programs and retreats at parishes, schools and conferences.
World Youth Day 2011 Doesn’t Spain in August 2011 sound like a good idea? Hundreds of thousands of Catholic young people will be there from every continent. Pope Benedict will be there. Phillip Hurley, SJ, is hoping lots of Americans will participate in World Youth Day Aug. 16-21, 2011, as well as Magis 2011, a Jesuit gathering held for 10 days before WYD. Want to learn more? Visit www.apostleshipofprayer.org/worldyouthday.html or go to Facebook to learn more about U.S. groups planning to attend: http://bit.ly/bOnYD3. You can link to these pages through the province website, www.mdsj.org
ignatian spirituality
Scenes from the first Hearts on Fire event held in a Milwaukee suburb in midJune. Fr. Hurley speaks at the podium, with band member Michael Rossman, SJ, and chats with participants during a break. Photos by Rory Gillespie
For me, my faith came into focus [at World Youth Day] in Denver and I recognized the importance of having a community.
touch with people he met at World Youth Day celebrations in Toronto in 2002, Cologne in 2005 and Sydney in 2008. One special memory for Fr. Hurley was a music service in Sydney. A man from Singapore played the piano, one of the singers was from Croatia, another was from Australia. Fr. Hurley and a student from Fordham University played guitars. “It was a beautiful moment, a reminder that Christ was gathering us together,” Fr. Hurley said.
Phillip Hurley, SJ
Hearts on Fire tour This summer Fr. Hurley and four other young Jesuit priests and seminarians are paving the way for both Magis and World Youth Day by resurrecting an old Jesuit tradition – the Jesuit Mission Band, a sort of parish revival that had been dormant since the 1960s. The young Jesuits are targeting 18- to 35-year-olds and went to five Mid-western cities with their “Hearts On Fire” tour throughout the summer. The first event was held in the basement of St. Monica’s Church in Whitefish Bay, a Milwaukee suburb. About 60 people showed up, most having learned about it from Facebook or Fr. Hurley’s webpage. Unlike Jesuits of the past, Fr. Hurley was obliged to explain that while he and his colleagues refer to themselves as a “band of brothers,” they aren’t a rock band. It’s not just youthfulness that binds Hurley to his audience. The Sykesville, Md., native grew up Catholic and is grateful for the support of his family, recalling the influence of his grandmother, Patricia O’Neill Hurley, as the one who convinced him to go to that first World Youth Day in Denver. And that made all the difference. “I had a foundation for my faith but it was not a central part of my life,” Fr. Hurley said. “For me, my faith came into focus in Denver and I recognized the importance of having a community.”
Planning for World Youth Day At the request of the Jesuit Conference, which oversees apostolates for Jesuits throughout the United States, Fr. Hurley is helping with the planning of the Magis, the Jesuit celebration to be held in Madrid, Spain during the week before the World Youth Day gathering in August 2011. For the past several World Youth Days, Jesuits of the host country have organized an extended introductory program of prayer, pilgrimage, cultural immersion and service called Magis. These activities take place in the week before the WYD events. The Apostleship of Prayer will be involved with groups from the U.S. going both to Magis and World Youth Day when these spectacular events occur in the future. An international group of some 3,000 young Catholics, most from Jesuit schools, are expected to attend Magis. They will break down into groups of 30 or so and focus on Jesuit spirituality. “Some will go on a pilgrimage,” he said. “Others will be involved in social justices is-sues, focus on arts or spirituality and prayer.” Magis also will also provide friendship before the World Youth Day celebration that is expected to attract a million or more visitors. Through Facebook and email, Fr. Hurley is still in
Marie Rohde is a Milwaukee-based writer. ignatian imprints | 5
Lessons in leadership By Mary K. Tilghman It’s a Wednesday night, a warm spring evening and every road in Philadelphia’s city center is clogged with cars. It’s rush hour, time to go home. But for a dozen young men and women, there’s one more stop before their day ends. They are members of a new leadership program, known as Contemplative Leaders in Action (CLIA). Since September, they have gathered once a month to share a quick dinner, check up on their progress at work, at school, perhaps at wedding planning. And then for two hours, they turn their focus towards becoming better leaders in their workplaces and in the world. On this night, they welcome Chris Lowney, author of Heroic Leadership: Best Practices from a 450-Year-Old Company That Changed the World and a member of the Jesuit Collaborative board, who has helped efforts to bring groups of young professionals together in Boston and New York, as well as this group in Philadelphia and next year in Washington, D.C. All of them meet once a month to develop leadership skills based on the principles of St. Ignatius Loyola. During the two-year program, they take part in monthly get-togethers and keep up with related reading. Both years begin with a retreat and the second year includes service work. Who are good leaders? Mr. Lowney starts off his presentation with a question: Who are good leaders? They quickly come up with answers: a high school principal; Sr. Mary Scully, head of Project HOME in Philadelphia; Barack Obama. “Who thought of their own name?” Mr. Lowney asks. “Nobody thinks of their own name.” For the next hour or so, an animated discussion takes the group through the qualities of good leaders and bad, in business and in life — and how to develop good qualities in themselves. Although these 13 young people didn’t know each other when the program began, by spring they had clearly formed bonds. Their group includes attorneys and a hairdresser. Two are on the staff of St. Joseph’s Preparatory School while other work in business or for non-profits. Conal Berberich, a 29-year-old attorney working for a tech company, has enjoyed meeting a wide variety of people with different points of view. “It’s rewarding to get to meet excellent people and get to know them,” he said. 6 | SUMMER 2010
“They have formed a community,” says Linda Robinson, the coordinator of the Philadelphia group. She was pastoral associate for Ignatian spirituality at Old St. Joseph’s Church in April 2009 when she was asked to organize the first group. By recruiting among Jesuit school alumni, she soon had 55 nominations. After going through applications and interviews, she invited 18 to take part. In the end, 14 were able to fit it into their schedules. “All wanted it,” Ms. Robinson added. The format of presentations, readings and discussions offers participants a chance to look at the qualities of leadership and then examine their own gifts. Young adults finish college and find themselves with few supports just as they are making some of the most important decisions of their lives. “This is a group we don’t often see in the parishes, said Fr. Ed Quinnen, SJ, (NYK), associate director of the Jesuit Collaborative. “How do we get them back?” He credited Mr. Lowney with initiating the program. “He had the idea to focus on younger adults with the twin focus of Ignatian spirituality and leadership,” Fr. Quinnen explained. leadership THROUGH IGNATIAN LENS All their conversations have come “through the lens of the church and Catholic social teachings,” Mr. Berberich
Program gives young professionals skills to lead in Ignatian tradition of excellence “It’s a great opportunity to learn leadership, to become a productive and influential person in society.” Conal Berberich
observed. As an employee in the for-profit sector, he’s been looking for and finding answers to his question: “How do a lot of these Catholic goals, and Ignatian values and leadership tools apply?” “I always have been identified as a leader,” said Stephanie Weaver, a Georgetown alumna who works for the American Red Cross in Princeton, N.J., and is also founder of A Drink for Tomorrow, a foundation raising funds to bring clean water to villages of India. “There’s still a ton to learn.” Thoughout their first year, mentors, from the parish, from business, and from education have offered their own support and insights throughout the year. “That has been a real gift,” Ms. Robinson said. meeting people, exchanging ideas People — and opportunities to talk about something important — have made all the difference, participants agreed. New CLIA groups are forming now, a second in Philadelphia and the first for Washington, D.C. In Washington, contact Kevin Buckley as soon as possible: kbuckley@gprep.org. In Philadelphia, email Linda Robinson, ASAP: linda.k.robinson @camdendiocese.org. To learn more, see the Jesuit Collaborative’s website: www.jesuit-collaborative.org/contemplativeleaders.
At the University of Notre Dame Sarah Floyd was accustomed to having groups that met to talk about important things. So when she read about CLIA in the Old St. Joseph’s bulletin, the strategy analyst for Vanguard was sure this was something she wanted. “I found a group of really great people,” she said. Heather O’Malley, a graduate of Saint Joseph’s University, connects with people every day as a hairstylist but she missed belonging to a meaningful faith community. “I was yearning for it and not getting it,” she said — until she joined this group. “God has a way of putting it right there.” “Being involved in the Contemplative Leaders in Action has provided me with an opportunity to meet people, from a variety of backgrounds and experiences, and form a community with people, who are close in age,” observed Kevin Moran, 31, executive director of the New Visions Homeless Day Shelter in Camden, N.J. “Many young people are constantly searching for a church that makes sense. CLIA has given the members an opportunity to put our faith in action.” “It’s a great opportunity to learn leadership, to become a productive and influential person in society,” said Mr. Berberich, a graduate of Boston College and Georgetown Law School. But, he added, what he thinks will be the lasting gift from CLIA are the people he has met — people he hopes will continue to be his friends long after the meetings are over. “The value of the group — is the group,” he said. Pictured above (from left) Conal Berberich, Heather O’Malley, Stephanie Weaver and Kevin Moran. Photos by Priscilla des Gachons
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congratulations, grads!
Photo courtesy Georgetown Prep
Georgetown Preparatory School bid farewell to 121 graduates May 22 at the Hanley Center for Athletic Excellence. Senior Michael Pirone was speaker. Nick Loftus is the school’s first U.S. Presidential Scholar. Jack Clark was also a candidate for the prestigious program.
Photo courtesy Loyola Blakefield
LOYOLA-BLAKEFIELD graduates including Longte Kuptong and Ryan Leonard received diplomas on the Towson campus June 6.
ST. JOSEPH’S PREPARATORY SCHOOL graduate Seth Betancourt displays his diploma during commencement exercises held at Saint Joseph’s University’s Hagan Arena June 6. Photo by Frank Raffa
8 | SUMMER 2010
LOYOLA UNIVERSITY MARYLAND graduate Jomy Varghese (right photo) receives applause from President Brian F. Linnane, SJ (in blue) and Vice President for Academic Affairs Timothy Law Snyder for achieving the highest average for the Class of 2010’s 1,600 members. A Calvert Hall alumnus, Mr.Varghese triple majored in mathematics, chemistry, and biology and won the departmental medals in all three. Photo by Larry Canner
Gonzaga graduates 229
Gonzaga College High School graduated 229 students June 6 during ceremonies at St. Aloysius Gonzaga Church, Washington, D.C. The Class of 2010 gained acceptance at 209 colleges and universities and won scholarships totalling more than $16 million. THE UNIVERSITY OF SCRANTON had four members of the Class of 2010 win Fulbright U.S. Student Program scholarships: Mary Elise Lynch, Mackenzie Jean Lind, Mary Claire Martin, and Janine Maria Grosso, who are pictured with Susan Trussler, Ph.D., Fulbright program adviser. University of Scranton Commencement was held May 30. Fr. Charles L. Currie, SJ, president of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU), was among those receiving an honorary degree. Photo courtesy University of Scranton
SAINT JOSEPH’S UNIVERSITY President Timothy R. Lannon, SJ, (at far right) speaks with honorary degree recipient Arnold L. Mitchem, Ph.D., during the morning Graduate, Doctoral and Professional and Liberal Studies ceremony. Nearly 2,000 degrees were presented during ceremonies May 15 on the Gest Lawn. In addition to Mr. Mitchem, John E. Pepper, Jr., retired CEO of Procter & Gamble, received an honorary degree. Photo courtesy SJU
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WHEELING JESUIT UNIVERSITY graduates (photo at left) pause for photos before commencement gets underway May 15. Interim President Sr. Francis Marie Thrailkill, OSU, presented degrees to 263 graduates, as well as honorary doctorates to Fr. Joseph Doyle, SSJ, a WJU alumnus, and Fr. James Martin, SJ. Photo courtesy WJU
GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY honored Dikembe Mutombo, a humanitarian and legendary member of the NBA and the Georgetown Hoyas, at the college commencement. He is picured with Dean Chester Gillis (left) and Georgetown President John J. DeGioia (right). More than 5,000 received degrees May 23. Photo courtesy Georgetown University
SCRANTON PREPARATORY SCHOOL graduates Jon Beckley, Alyssa Beckman and student body president Brandon Thompson light candles during their baccalaureate Mass. Graduation was held June 6.
Photo courtesy Scranton Preparatory School
Driftwood Odyssey A poem by Clarence Martin, SJ Another wind, another tide, and I, half hidden in the sand will sink into dark neverness, meaninglessness covered. Spent and weary, cold, wet and tired, I await it. But before the last tide can move in, before the last wind stirs, there are footsteps in the sand. They pause above me. A warm hand touches an all but dead projection of me, gentle fingers brush aside the sand and draw me forth. Cupped in strong warm hands I hear his voice, softly, reverently, whispering “O Father in heaven, how beautiful!” Not the gleaming blue sky, not the sparkling water, but me — his eyes are on me. What strange and marvelous being can this be? At me he looks and again he says in awesome tones “How beautiful!” He does mean me. Years ago in a far off land I used to stand on the cliff that was my home and unfold my leaves to the warm sun. I felt the caress of gentle winds and knew not anger nor stress. On warm afternoons the spray from the sea cooled and soothed me. All was so good, so radiantly joyful, until that night so long ago, so very long ago. Out of the sea raged a violence such as I had never felt, a wild driving viciousness, filling me with terror. In dread I clung to my mother’s breast, her arms around me. The wind raged wilder and wilder. My clinging arms grew weary. I felt myself torn from arms that held me tight and smashed against the rocks below — and then blackness. When I awoke I was alone. Gone the rocky cliff that was my home. Gone my mother, my friends, security, love and peace. Alone I swayed in the waters of the sea and saw myself reflected in its quiet after storm — and cringed at what I saw. Stripped I was of leaves and barkless naked. Splintered, broken, riven, raw, drops of limpid, life-giving sap drying in the sun upon me. Long years, many long years, I drifted from sea to sea at the whim of tide and wind and current, of storm and quiet. Harder I grew as the bitter salt soaked through me, layer after layer into my inmost self and I grew darker and darker in the heat and cold of changing seas. For longer years than I care to count I drifted aimlessly, tossed about at times by winds and storm until, growing weary of it all, I longed to sink from my own accumulated weight into the dark silence beneath me. Then on that blessed winter day in the early light of dawn I felt the sea beneath me grow small. I felt the sand and stones scraping me as I was eased from the waters that had become my restless home, I was tossed back and forth in their grip until the fingers of the moon uncurled
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and they slowly slipped away, leaving me alone on that alien shore. Harsh they had been, capricious and fitful but this strange bed on which I had been cast made me look with longing at their fleeing. Weary from my long aimlessness I welcomed the sands as they closed around me. Another wind, another tide would end it all - and then the soothing darkness. Then came that loving hand that drew me forth into the light. Beautiful he called me, eyes glistening. Hope flickered and fled. I trembled and feared, knowing that when the moisture left his eyes and when he saw me as I was, so ugly, so sinfully ugly, he would cast me back into the sea and the ugliness of me would drift away once more. But no, his fingers softly rubbed me, every gnarled, broken, splintered, jagged part of me. Again he said “How beautiful! You are so very beautiful and I shall take you home with me.” Gently and lovingly he carried me to his home upon the cliff. Patiently he brushed the gritty sand from my every pore until I no longer felt its sting. He took me into his own inner room where I saw others like myself—or worse—and placed me with care among them. He comes to us often and whispers his love to us. He picks us up and speaks to us, each one of us, and we are bathed and cleansed by his warm breath. We are quietly happy because, we know not why, he finds in us a beauty. We find ourselves growing ever more content with our own sinful unsightliness because the light of delight our presence to him brings into his eyes. He speaks to us. Many things he says we cannot understand— “I, too, have been a drifter” — but, no matter, we know his love for us and that is enough. Night after night when he has taken a last loving look at us and said goodnight and quenched the light, I lay awake and listen to his soft breathing. I think of the happiness that is mine. In time with his breathing I think gratefully of the storm that tore me from my mother’s arms against which I trembled with fear and rage at the time. I am thankful, deeply thankful, for every tide and wind and current that drew me, painfully and resentfully struggling, Fr. Martin, a to where his loving eyes found the little of me uncovered and took me to himself. I am grateful for the warmth of the sun Baltimore native and a that brought him to the beach that February day Jesuit for 74 when winter should have kept him warmly home. years, died
in January at age 91. He ministered for many years in the Philippines, where during World War II he spent a year as a prisoner of war.
Now I know that the seeming harshness of love is the cost of finding love and I know “aimless wandering” a love-plotted course to love. No more struggles, come what may. I know now I shall never die, never be unloved. Photos pages 11-12 by Elizabeth R.Truitt
John J. Keenan, SJ, Burma missionary, math teacher John J. Keenan, SJ, a Jesuit for 68 years, died June 5 at the Jesuit Center in Wernersville, Pa., after a long battle with cancer. He was 86. Born in New York on January 25, 1924, Fr. Keenan entered the Society of Jesus January 1, 1942, and was ordained a priest on June 19, 1955. In 1958, Fr. Keenan was sent to Rangoon, Burma, as a missionary, where he served in the major Catholic seminary as a teacher of Latin, math and biology, as well as in other roles. In 1964, the Burmese government expelled all American missionaries serving at the seminary, including Fr. Keenan, from Burma. Returning to the United States, Fr. Keenan spent many years teaching mathematics, at Scranton Preparatory School, St. Joseph’s Preparatory School in Philadelphia, and Gonzaga High School in Washington, D.C. He served as a hospital chaplain at Georgetown University Hospital, St. Agnes Hospital in Philadelphia and Good Samaritan Hospital in Baltimore. In addition he served in several parishes, including St. Mark in Fallston, Md., and St. Alphonsus Rodriguez in Woodstock, Md., St. Lucy in Scranton, Pa., and in St. Joseph in Jim Thorpe, Pa.
Edward P. O’Connell, SJ, ministered in southern Maryland Edward P. O’Connell, SJ, a Jesuit for 66 years, died of cancer March 30. Fr. O’Connell, who was 84, ministered for many years in the parishes of Southern Maryland where he was known for his ministry to Native Americans and his knowledge of Jesuit history in Southern Maryland. Three times, Fr. O’Connell served at parishes in southern Maryland. He spearheaded the establishment of Mother Catherine Spalding School in 1966, the first integrated Catholic school in southern Maryland, and helped with efforts to rebuild Archbishop Neale School, where he had taught religion, after it was destroyed by a tornado in 2002. He reached out to Native Americans who make up about 10 percent of the population at St. Ignatius, learning the history of the Piscataways in southern Maryland and at times incorporating Native American culture into the liturgy.
in memoriam
He entered the Society September 7, 1943, and was ordained in St. Patrick’s Cathedral, N.Y., by Francis Cardinal Spellman on June 2, 1956, along with his brother, Ken. Monsignor O’Connell is now deceased. As a young priest he was pastor of St. Ignatius Church, Hill Top, St. Katharine of Alexandria Church, McConchie, and Immaculate Conception, Mechanicsville. Other assignments included Old St. Joseph’s Church, Philadelphia, St. Ignatius Church in Baltimore, the Church of the Gesu, Philadelphia, Holy Trinity Church, Washington and Sts. Peter and Paul, Pittsburgh. In 1994, Fr. O’Connell returned to St. Ignatius Church, Port Tobacco, where he remained until 2010. He was instrumental in helping with the creation of the Religious Freedom Byways, a driving tour of southern Maryland established during the state’s 375th anniversary in 2009.
James P. Bradley, SJ, teacher, college administrator James P. Bradley, SJ, died of cancer on June 11 at Manresa Hall, in Merion Station, Pa. A Jesuit for 64 years and a priest for 51, he was 82. A native of Philadelphia, he entered the Society July 30, 1945, and was ordained a priest at Woodstock College June 22, 1958. Fr. Bradley ministered at high schools and colleges across the province. He began in 1952 as a teacher at Georgetown Preparatory School, where he taught for three years. He was at Loyola High School from 1960 to 1965 as a teacher for a year and principal for four. He went to Wheeling Jesuit University for six years to serve as associate director and director of admissions before joining the Maryland Province staff for eight years where he was minister and also assisted the Assistant for Formation and Studies. In 1980, he returned for six years to Georgetown Prep where he was rector, minister and Latin teacher. Fr. Bradley’s next assignment took him to Loyola College (now University) where he was rector from 1986 to 1992. From there he served five years as superior at Carroll House in Washington, D.C., before returning to Loyola as a minister and Latin teacher in 1998. He remained there until 2003. Before becoming ill in early 2010, he was serving as a pastoral minister at the site of his first assignment, Georgetown Preparatory School, a position he had held since 2004.
ignatian imprints | 13
Something
new is coming!
Ignatian
IMPRINTS This is the last issue of Ignatian Imprints. Company magazine will publish a commemorative issue, its last edition, this fall. Later this year, look for a new magazine to keep all of our friends informed about the latest happenings in the Society of Jesus, Jesuit ministry, Ignatian spirituality and our lay colleagues. Jesuits will be a joint project of the Maryland, New England and New York Provinces. To be sure you receive your copy, email us at mtilghman@mdsj.org or call 443-921-1330