Greg Boyle, who heads Homeboy Industries, a ministry to [former] gang members in Los Angeles is one of my heroes. I came across this [4'00"] video the other day and thought I’d share it with you. It gets better as it goes along.
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“Jesuits Revealed!” – Greg Boyle, S.J.
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Greg is the embodiment of a contemplative in action. He is the embodiment of a life of faith committed to justice. Praise God for Greg. Ignatius would be very proud of him.
I am reminded that my first contact with the Ignatian community was through the Jesuit priests assigned to the biggest prison facility here in the Philippines. We somehow managed to strong-arm them into giving short but more or less regular recollections to a group of us housewives from a nearby subdivision. What strikes me most about the members of the SJ is how much each is an individual; no priest I know comes across as a “mass produced” personality. Yet each “self” seemed perfectly suited to Ignatian spirituality. (Am I even making sense?) I guess that’s why you see them in just about any milieu you can think of. I think that’s why they helped me to see God everywhere, in everything.
I grew up in that area and was emancipated last year so that I could leave and attend college. How sad that there’s no money for them
No one can understand how difficult it is to raise yourself in that environment, and we did raise ourselves. I often wonder how or why I excelled where so many others were lost. Anger mostly, and a great dose of fear. The why: I want to go back. I’m from there and I know there are other ways and I think I’m supposed to go back and share that. For now, I need to heal myself and learn. But, I will go back!! I have so many friends there, that I can’t imagine not.
That is great. It is good to see people/priests ministering to the deprived. There is such inequality of opportunity in our world and that gulf between “the have’s” and “the have not’s” is widening not narrowing and looks likely to continue to widen in the developed world as secular growth slows. Greg Boyle and men like him are an inspiration.
I know that God’s message is to all-men, so the rich should not be excluded, but could someone please explain why so many Jesuit schools are private?
Eric,
I couldn’t agree more. What a great guy.
Paul
Angela,
You’ve tapped into something quite profound. I don’t know why or how, but I agree with you that Jesuit formation somehow leaves each person’s personality completely intact and yet we get imbued with Ignatian spirituality.
I love (and am sometimes annoyed by!) the diversity of Jesuit thought and opinion, but I do think it is a great gift of the Holy Spirit.
Paul
Emma,
You wrote, “Anger mostly, and a great dose of fear.” I saw a therapist for about two years whom I disliked and distrusted. The one great thing I learned from him, however, is that “Anger is always a front for fear. When you get angry, the first question you need to ask yourself is, ‘What am I afraid of?’”
I understand and acknowledge that you face many steep challenges, but I know that you have the inner strength and resources to meet them and conquer them.
God, I am confident, has great plans for you. Seize the day!
Paul
Simon,
You write, “…could someone please explain why so many Jesuit schools are private?”
I’m going to try to be as un-defensive as I can as I respond…
In the United States, which is the situation I now know best, the Jesuit desire was to help a poor immigrant population approach the mainstream. We succeeded beyond our wildest dreams. Catholics are now the richest and most successful ethnic group in the USA.
Along the way, with the prestige and the accomplishment, some Jesuit schools bought into the middle-class ethos and, I’m sorry to say, “sold out.” But, there are some things the Jesuits have done to ameliorate the situation.
The only concrete situation I know is here in Chicago: St. Ignatius College Prep is one of the city’s premier educational facilities. It is amazing — chandeliers and oriental rugs abound. And yet, 40% of the students (drawn from minority populations) are on scholarships. It is the “Robin Hood Principle.” Because the sleek and glamorous want a Jesuit education, we “tax” them so that others can share the gift.
Secondly, we have started [so far] 18 schools across the nation with a new model. The “Cristo Rey” schools are designed to help African-Americans and new immigrants. Students spend one day a week as interns in various businesses (often, like Loyola Press, Jesuit-run). They learn what it is like to operate in American mainstream culture — how to dress appropriately, how to interact in a professional environment, etc. — and, in return, the businesses pay the vast majority of the school fees.
It has been wildly successful. First generation Americans have graduated from Cristo Rey Schools and have gone on to Stanford, Yale and Georgetown. One of our own interns from last year, Maria, received a full scholarship from Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI. We are so proud of her.
The fact, however, that Jesuit Education is often a private and elitist option for the rich remains a neuralgic point for many Jesuits, myself included.
Engaging a culture seriously, especially one as potent as the capitalist system in the US, does not come without its risks…
Paul
I just went through the Spiritual Exercises over 30 weeks, finishing during Holy Week. I have never had a more profound appreciation of the now, of where I am am in relation to all that is around me. In addition, my senses have heightened in that I truly appreciate the wonder of God’s creation, and am able to find/see God in all things. Having attended Catholic school for 16 years and graduating from a Jesuit college, all the religious teachings and courses that I went through came all together and made sense. I am most thankful that I finally made the time (which was not difficult) to take the time for the Exercises. I wish I would have done them earlier. We are made in God’s image, and we are all called. Greg’s message is one that hits home. Many thanks…
Tim,
Reading your remarks on St. Ignatius Day fills me with joy and profound consolation. Thank you for telling me/us about your experience. May you continue to live and serve under the torrent of God’s love.
Paul
@Simon, the Jesuit university system in my country, the Philippines, is likewise private and the flagship institution, Ateneo de Manila University, is among the most expensive schools there. Yet, they have a wonderful system of providing “secret scholarships” to dirt-poor but deserving kids. The Jesuits provide everything, including clothes, taxi fare and pocket money, so that these kids will never stand out among their richer classmates, who don’t have a clue. The provincial universities also provide a lot of assistance (even a soup kitchen!) to poor students, mostly opportunities to work off their student loans in various jobs in the university.
Dave,
I didn’t know about what the Philippine Jesuits did and I thank you for that consoling information. God bless their good work!
Paul
Are you planting things in my brain??? Anger yes, at the cause of the fear, which was legitimate; kept me alive. Frustrated because I want to help, but I know it’s not a good idea for me to go back there right now, and a little homesick
…….and then, an epiphany of sorts! I can do a fundraiser for them! The campus is a ghost town right now, but it’ll be coming back to life in a few weeks and we have a huge student body! What a great idea!!!! Now, I’m off to the coast for the weekend to play and plan!!! And let you have your blog back 
Thanks Padre!
Emma,
“Planting things in [your] brain” makes it sound like I’m trying to control you and that, I promise, is certainly not my intention. But we all need to look at our assumptions and “sacred cows.” All I want to do with this blog is help people reflect on ways that they can find God in more and more places in their lives.
Hope you enjoyed your weekend at the coast. Sounds blissful.
Paul
I didn’t mean to be as pointed as to suggest it was only the Jesuits who provide elitist education. Most of the teaching orders do exactly the same thing. My father was taught by Christian brothers and had a fabulous education (albeit using somewhat brutal methods at times) which would otherwise have not been available.
I am, however, acutely aware of the gap between the private sector and the state provided alternative. I came out of state system (just) but was fortunate enough to have had a fantastic pre-secondary education which enabled me to teach myself enough to get to Universisty and beyond. After finishing my masters I taught for a year at one of the UK’s best private day schools and was frankly in awe of the opportunities these children were being afforded compared with their state school peers.
Scholarships are obviously good and that the ‘Robin Hood’ idea is a wonderful one but unfortunately they are far from perfect solutions for reasons too numerous to go into here. I just think that if the teaching orders of the church want to send a very practical and honest message of charity, they can do little that is better than provide the opportunity of a first class education to all children, regardless of where in society they happen to be born. Opportunity like this and the social mobility it enables would perhaps make the work load of Greg Boyle and his peers a little lighter and perhaps, more importantly, convert a few hearts and minds.
Simon,
I don’t want to get into a long and protracted debate on this issue and, as I have admitted, I share many of your concerns about Jesuit schools catering to the wealthy. I would like to point out to you, however, that when the Jesuits in Mexico gave up all their fee-paying schools, they discovered that they had a much reduced access to the powerful people they could influence and lobby into making just decisions concerning the poor and the marginalized. This is an area where there are no simple answers and where the Jesuits (and others) need to constantly re-evaluate to see whether or not they are doing more good than harm.
Paul
Thank you very much for this video. I find this fits beautifully with today, St Ignatius’ day. Happy St Ignatius’ Day, Father
Claire,
You’re so good to wish me a Happy Iggy’s Day. I’m celebrating by not going to the gym and by lounging around all day reading detective novels.
Paul
I have a question for Tim who completed 30-wk retreat. Is this retreat for people to do at home? Online?
Another question. For someone like me who barely started a month ago to practice Examen, what’s the best way to do a retreat?
Recently, a long-time friend of mine shared with me her experience of volunteering for ‘Ignatius Volunteer Corp.’ She likes it so much and gave me a brochure. My response to her (and to myself) was ‘I don’t have time.’ However, each time I look at the brochure on my desk, my gut feeling is that I need to give it some more thoughts. There seem to be so many decisions, mainly because things don’t become clear quickly. I hope a retreat will help.
Helen,
I think I have a great resource for you. The wonderful people at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska have an online version of the 19th Annotation Spiritual Exercises that Tim just completed. Check it out at: http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/cmo-retreat.html
Paul
Helen, you did not ask me, but I think I have some useful responses. First, a short retreat, e.g., Fri – Sun is better than no retreat. Much spiritual growth can occur during an 8 day retreat. If you can make time for a 30 day retreat, wonderful. Ignatius also proposed what is called a 19th Annotation retreat. The retreat is spread over months and the retreatant goes on with his or her daily life. The retreatant commits some time, e.g. an hour a day, to prayer, and consults with a retreat director periodically.
Eric,
You will see that I have pointed Helen to the excellent Creighton University online 19th Annotation retreat. Check it out: http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/cmo-retreat.html
Incidentally, know that people here care greatly about you. A group of us internet-centric folks were having lunch yesterday and someone said, “If we don’t hear from Eric, I start getting worried for him.” Everyone agreed they felt the same thing. I tell you this not to put pressure on you to write (you already do that) but to let you know that we’re thinking of you and rooting for you.
Paul
Paul
Paul,
Your welcome. I owe much to Bill King S.J. who passed away last year. He was a mentor and a true friend that encouraged me to pursue this. Many thanks for your blog as well, it is informative, enlightening and fun.
Be well,
Tim
Thanks to both Eric and Paul for your responses to my question on ‘retreat’. Eric, I also want to thank you for sharing many of your comments on this blog, deep and practical.
Now I am really looking forward to the online retreat. Hope to find a spiritual director/mentor very soon.