At the beginning of the summer, I posted about three short trips I took in Europe during the first half of the year that left me encouraged about ways in which the Church here is experiencing renewal. I spent a summer in the USA filled with pastoral activity and reconnecting with friends, so I thought it only fair to point out the many encouraging moments I had in the States as well. With quite a bit of international experience, I have to say that it is striking how much the American Church has going for it — energy and pastoral creativity, lots of committed and generous lay people, big families, sincere seminarians, and a sense of discipleship adapted to the religious pluralism of post-modernity.
I spent a good part of the summer giving retreats, first an 8-day retreat for Jesuits centered on the liturgy. It’s particularly humbling to lead a retreat for my Jesuit brothers, and I’m grateful to all the guys who were on it. Reviews were good, and I’ve already had sign-ups for next year’s retreat (June 30-July 8).
I also preached back-to-back weekend retreat at Cloisters on the Platte outside of Omaha; the days in between gave me time to enjoy the beautiful retreat center grounds in a way I never had time to before. Plus, I got to catch up with friends and an aunt and uncle in Omaha. The conversations one has on those retreats are always moving and inspiring. It’s wonderful to see people putting away their devices for a few days and turning the time over to God…
I made it back to South Dakota, where I was delighted to see that the trees I’ve planted at St. Isaac Jogues parish over the past couple of years are all alive and flourishing — the apple trees already had apples and the oaks had acorns. More digging and planting are planned for next year.
One of the summer’s most exciting events for me turned out to be a panel discussion sponsored by the tremendous Theology on Tap team at St. Wilfrid’s Church in Woonsocket, South Dakota. Woonsocket is, let’s just say, a long drive from wherever you are, so I was expecting a handful of people. Instead, 200 turned out. Woonsocket is a lovely small town, and St. Wilfrid’s overlooks an idyllic little lake. The town is said to produce the best melon in the country — and it didn’t disappoint. The panel’s theme centered on the story of Baby Brian, baptism of desire, and infant loss. Serious stuff, and I was really impressed to see so many people turn out, stick around to chat afterwards, and show such a strong desire to dive deeper into their faith on complicted issues.
Totally unexpected, but worthy of a shout-out as well was a house concert I happened to go to when back in Minnesota, in part to celebrate the recent conversion to Catholicism of a high school friend, who I hadn’t seen in decades. To make a long story short, my friend’s cousin happens to be an itinerant musician (sounds like something out of Chaucer, I know), who has appeared on American Idol. He was, as you’d expect, talented. What I didn’t expect was how much his highly original music reflected his own faith — not only was it Catholic, but deeply sacramental. By all means, check out CJ Rislove and his music.
Finally, one of the highlights of life as a Jesuit each years is being able to make an 8-day retreat. Over the year’s I’ve been able to make retreats in some really remarkable places (I mentioned Sevenhill, Australia, where I did my thirty day retreat a few years ago). This year, for the first time, I visited a retreat center that is legendary among American Jesuits — Grand Coteau, Louisiana. It’s a place rich with Jesuit history in a magnificent southern setting — picture ancient live oaks drooping with Spanish moss. My retreat was also a moment of encouragement because Grand Coteau is undergoing something of a renaissance as a retreat center, and I suspect it will become known as a hub for Catholicism in the region and beyond. The visit caused me to reflect on the place as an example of the great insight underlying Vatican II at work: the linking of aggiornamento and ressourcement, the recognition that the truest renewal comes when we draw most deeply from our tradition.
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