Posted January 01, 2015 in Press Releases
Dear Friend of Jesuit Retreat House,
In reflecting upon the past year, the words from a popular song taken from the Book of Ecclesiastes have come to mind a number of times: “To everything - turn, turn, turn. There is a season - turn, turn, turn. And a time to every purpose under heaven.” In helping our now young adult children learn to downhill ski over the years, this has been a theme song. The essence of skiing is making turns: understanding when and how to turn, making turns that are both anticipated and unexpected, not being afraid and not going too fast…and so it is with life. It seems that making turns is foundational to the spiritual journey: discerning the directions to turn each year, and each day, that lead to “finding God in all things,” to deepening our relationship with God, and to bringing God’s love more fully into our world.
Each year we continue to make the turns to relate the wonderful gift of Ignatian spirituality to the diverse needs and hopes of the people we serve at JRH. We are always striving to enhance our capacity to serve more people in ways that are ever-relevant to their lives. In the coming months our retreats and programs will address the Spiritual Exercises and enriching one’s prayer life, the inspiration of Pope Francis in the world, reflections on the lives of saints, and a rich range of retreats for Lent. We also offer planning for a life-giving retirement, understanding the power and gift of emotion, making connections between our spirituality and everyday life, and an expanding array of Lay Leadership Programs for parishes.
I remain very grateful for the memories and meaning of JRH that live so deeply in people’s lives. Just last week a woman visited JRH with a friend and noted with much feeling: “I love this place with all my heart.”
I want to give special encouragement for you to consider not only the retreats and programs highlighted in this newsletter, but also to look ahead to the silent individual directed retreats we host in June and July. Whether it be for 8 days, 4-5 days, a weekend - a retreat can be a grace-filled opportunity to take the time to pray and reflect upon something truly important in your life – your relationship to God, finding deeper meaning, challenging questions, the right direction, the turns of your life that need to be made. Consider inquiring about or visiting us for a retreat – it is a great gift to oneself!
I again want to emphasize my hope to build new opportunities for collaborating with our JRH friends and the wider community in creating retreats, programs and conversations that help people to make the turns of life that truly lead to “finding God in all things.” Please feel free to contact me or our staff with your ideas and possibilities.
God be with you,
Richard S. Krivanka, Executive Director
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