News & Updates | February 2025

Dear Friends,

Every yes I utter to another is in some way a no to myself.

“Yes, I’ll go get a coffee with you,” also means “No, I won’t be settling in with that book I’ve been wanting to read.” Yet, I can’t know what new friends I might make at the coffee shop, or what new insights might come from our conversation. Maybe that yes to coffee will also become a new yes for me.

The voice of the Lord said to Isaiah, “Whom shall I send?” Isaiah’s yes was, “Here I am. Send me.” Likewise, Jesus said to Simon Peter and his fellows, “From now on you will be catching men.” Their yes was to leave everything and follow Him. Yes is merely the beginning. The path of yes is not straight and it often isn’t pretty. Isaiah and the other prophets approached a hostile world that wouldn’t listen. Peter and many others literally gave their lives for Jesus.

Today, I find myself questioning my yes. “What do You want?” I ask. “Should I turn this way, or that? How do I know if I am following You or just deluding myself?”

Jesus answers me, “To know what I want, you need to truly know Me and the Father and the Holy Spirit. I love you. Love me back. To know Me, spend quality time with Me in your prayer space at home, at adoration, and all around. I am with you always. Look for Me in unexpected places. See me in the screaming kid at Hannaford, the homeless dude on the sidewalk, or the driver who cut you off on I-95."

“Know Me better, to better know what I want. Open your eyes, your ears and your heart. Your yes to me will be a yes for you, as well.”

I reply, “Jesus, I trust in You.”

Spike Brimmer

Director of Evangelization and Faith Formation, Maine Knights of Columbus 

& RIEL (Retreat in Everyday Life) 2023-2024

Lenten Opportunities to Deepen Your Faith

Good Teacher, What Do You Want?

A Lenten Journey in the Ignatian Way with Fr. John Michalowski, SJ

7pm, Sunday Evenings from March 2 to April 13 (Palm Sunday).

(Each session runs 1 to 1.25 hrs.)

Our Lady of Hope Parish Hall, 492 Ocean Ave, Portland (in person only)

We approach our Lenten journey through prayerfully reminding ourselves of God's love. Strengthened by this, we confront the reality of sin and recognize our need for Christ, our Redeemer. This retreat follows Fr. Joseph Tetlow, SJ's Lightworks. It is an adaptation of some of the prayerful movements in the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius which lead one through Lent into Holy Week. The retreat will help you integrate daily prayer into your life by praying the Scriptures daily and to notice more deeply God's presence and call to ongoing conversion. At the weekly meetings we will share some insights from the week's prayer.

The Cross, the Tomb, and the Resurrection: A Journey to Easter in the Ordinary

with Fr. Bob Pecoraro, SJ

9am-12pm, Saturday, March 8

(Doors open at 8:30 am; program begins promptly at 9am.)

Our Lady of Hope Parish Hall, 492 Ocean Ave, Portland (in person only)

This retreat looks at the cross, the tomb, and the resurrection not as individual events but rather, as a continuum that fulfills God’s plan for salvation. Through art, poetry and prayerful reflection we will journey with Christ from his passion to his glory and discover the transformative power of these events.

Fr. Bob Pecoraro S.J. entered the Society of Jesus in 2000 at thirty-three. He holds master’s degrees in applied philosophy, Divinity, Spirituality, and Educational Leadership. Fr. Pecoraro has spent much of his time working in secondary education as Vice-President of Mission and Identity at Canisius High School, as President of Xavier High School in Chuuk, Micronesia, and as the current President of Cheverus High School in Portland, Maine. Since 2001, Fr. Pecoraro has been a spiritual director focusing on Ignatian Spirituality and directing various retreats. 

Cost: This event is free, but please register so we will know that you are coming and have enough materials on hand. Registration deadline is February 28.

RESOURCES

from the larger Ignatian community

Ignatian.info - Discernment

Our go to resource for all things Ignatian.

Weekly Lenten Audio Reflections: Transformational Love

Lent is less than a month away and we invite you to pray using these weekly audio reflections from our friends at OIS and based on the Sunday reading. These short Ignatian-inspired reflections are for all ages and written by the OIS young adult community. Click here to sign up to receive the reflections each week.

Lenten Resources

from Ignatianspirituality.com 

Author Talk: Becoming an Easter People with Fr. Joseph, Tetlow, SJ

The Institute for Advanced Jesuit Studies at Boston College invites you to engage with them and the author of their newest retreat book, Fr. Joseph A. Tetlow, on Wednesday, February 26, at 12:00 PM EST (via Zoom). This webinar will explore Fr. Tetlow's upcoming retreat book, published by the Institute of Jesuit Sources, Becoming an Easter People: Considering the Joy of the Lord. During our time together, we will discuss and learn from Fr. Tetlow's experience writing this retreat, the importance of taking time for spiritual well-being, and how all can embrace joy with and through Christ. 

Finding God Along the Way: Wisdom from the Ignatian Camino for Life at Home 

by Christine Marie Eberle

Have you always wanted to walk the Camino? This is your chance to do it from home. Christine Marie Eberle hiked for 300 miles on the Ignatian Camino in Spain, with a group whose average age was 67. She returned to the United States with blisters that would fade, friendships that would not, and the conviction that anyone can develop a pilgrim’s heart on this life’s journey.

This moving and often humorous account of one woman’s pilgrimage encourages readers to take their own pilgrimage. Follow author Christine Eberle as she joins a group in the autumn of life along the 500-year-old pilgrimage route of St. Ignatius Loyola. Pray with them as they walk toward the rising sun. Raise a glass with them at the end of the day. Seek solitude with them in a crowded pilgrims’ shelter. Traversing mountains, deserts, vineyards, and shrines, Eberle shares the hard-earned wisdom gained on her journey that paved the way for spiritual transformation. By using the questions sprinkled throughout the chapters, readers are invited to allow Eberle’s story to reveal their own pilgrim heart and discover the interior route to their desired spiritual destination—without walking hundreds of miles to do it!

Spiritual Director Training

Back to the Basics and Beyond: Exploring Key Components of Ignatian Spiritual Direction

6:30pm - 8:30pm ET, Thursday, Feb. 20, Online

From the Office of Ignatian Spirituality, this is the first in an annual series exploring the basic building blocks of Ignatian spiritual direction as well as topics that take us beyond the beginnings. This lead-off program will provide an exploration of several key components of Ignatian spiritual direction, including:

• an Ignatian approach to spiritual direction
• assessing a person’s readiness for spiritual direction
• exploring images of God and relationships with God
• wisdom of the Spiritual Exercises available to Ignatian spiritual directors

This series will provide opportunities for spiritual directors to revisit the basics – which may look different when viewed through the lens of time in an increasingly complex world – and reach beyond. 

If you know someone who might be interested in any of our offerings, please share!

This message was sent by the Jesuits East Office of Ignatian Spirituality (OIS) on behalf of the Ignatian Spirituality Partnership of Maine. OIS is pleased to provide communications support to Ignatian Maine.