Saturday, October 12, 2024
Monday, July 29, 2024
Fall 2024 Spirituality Offerings
Fall 2024
The Practice of Compassionate Communications
This Wednesday afternoon online series keep us balanced during difficult conversations in meaningful relationships. We will examine how to filter information, negotiate power imbalances, set healthy boundaries, especially with an angry person. We will practice deep-breathing techniques to listen meaningfully and to understand someone else’s needs. We will use clarifying, non-violent language to sustain meaningful relationships.
This is a practice of synodality. Deep, sustained breathing techniques help a person to learn what one’s body is communicating to the mind and soul. We will discover and hone the skill of listening meaningfully so that we can know what a person is trying to communicate. Once the person can hear the experiences of another person, we can choose the right words to strengthen or restore the relationship. Most of the conversations will focus upon those who are close to us (spouse, partner, family, friends, community members and colleagues.)
Join Zoom Meeting. 4:00 pm -5:00 pm.
https://bchigh.zoom.us/j/88406666714?pwd=dC9nVnJqZHJTb1YwcS80UnBRQSszdz09
Meeting ID: 884 0666 6714
Passcode: 367817
Sept. 4, 18; Oct. 2, 16, 30; Nov 13
Tuesday morning Theology Book Club:
Adult Education: The Afternoon of Christianity: The Courage to Change, Tomas Halik, 2024
(Jul-Sep)
In a world transformed by secularization and globalization, torn by stark political and social distrust, and ravaged by war and pandemic, Christians are facing a crisis of faith. In The Afternoon of Christianity, Tomáš Halík reflects on past and present challenges confronting Christian faith, drawing together strands from the Bible, historic Christian theology, philosophy, psychology, and classic literature. In the process, he reveals the current crisis as a crossroads: one road leads toward division and irrelevance, while the other provides the opportunity to develop a deeper, more credible, and mature form of church, theology, and spirituality―an afternoon epoch of Christianity.
The fruitfulness of the reform and the future vibrancy of the Church depends on a reconnection with the deep spiritual and existential dimension of faith. Halík argues that Christianity must transcend itself, giving up isolation and self-centeredness in favor of loving dialogue with people of different cultures, languages, and religions. The search for God in all things frees Christian life from self-absorption and leads toward universal fraternity, one of Pope Francis’s key themes. This renewal of faith can help the human family move beyond a clash of civilizations to a culture of communication, sharing, and respect for diversity.
Tuesdays 8:00 am - 9:00 am
Join Zoom Meeting
https://bchigh.zoom.us/j/81168224605?pwd=UlA0VFpKZyttRmxSU1QzSnpvN2kvQT09
Meeting ID: 811 6822 4605
Passcode: 866898
The Ignatian Exercises Retreat in Daily Life
(or The 19th Annotation Retreat)
September 3rd, 2024– April 29th, 2025
Tuesdays by Zoom: 4:00 – 5:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight and Saving Time
Resources: The Ignatian Adventure, Kevin O’Brien, S.J.
Retreat Direction: On an individualized basis, often by Zoom
We will meet in a group setting each week where we will be assigned prayer exercises, and we will have an opportunity to check in at your convenience during the week individually or as needed. We will share received graces each week and talk about the prayer movements.
Praying for a particular grace is often a new concept for persons of prayers. At the beginning of each prayer period, we ask for a suggested grace that is appropriate for each meditation. At the end of the prayer, we can ask, “Did you give me that grace?”
This model fits into the liturgical calendar so that we are praying the Nativity passages during Advent and Christmas and the Passion narratives during Lent.
Creativity Option: People are free to express their graces and experiences by drawing, sketching, painting, or through any creative technique that deepens their prayer movements.
Movements:
The first few weeks will help people assess and adjust their prayer practices to sustain a nine-month program. One moves through the Exercises by receiving graces from God.
The first movement focuses upon one’s relationship with God, the Creator, and our dependence upon God’s mercy.
In the second movement, God introduces us to the life of Jesus of Nazareth, with whom we deepen our relationship, often testing the limits of the friendship. This is the heart of the Exercises and the place where we will spend most time. We will focus upon dialogue and conversation as the central part of our prayer.
In the third movement, we follow Jesus to his Cross where we emphasize our compassion and solidarity with him as he endures his Passion. We become like chaplains to him as we listen to what he is experiencing in his heart and emotions.
The fourth movement is the time of Resurrection, which is a new beginning of the relationship, and a time to see and love the world the way that God sees and loves the world.
https://jesuitseastois.org/spiritualexercises-retreats/bc-high-jesuits-of-boston
Saturday, March 30, 2024
New Book for our Study Group
Saturday, November 18, 2023
Monday, October 9, 2023
Two Offerings this week
Three-part online series on the Autobiography of St. Ignatius
Oct. 11th, Oct. 25th, Nov. 8th: Three-part series on the Autobiography of Ignatius of Loyola
4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
“A Pilgrim’s Testament: The Memoirs of Ignatius of Loyola” (BC, Jesuit Sources, https://jesuitsources.bc.edu/a-pilgrims-testament-the-memoirs-of-saint-ignatius-of-loyola-new-edition/)
Zoom Meeting: https://bchigh.zoom.us/j/85948192450?pwd=YWFLSFo1WU1HNlFrK2l5SXNXanNldz09
Meeting ID: 859 4819 2450
Passcode: 755679
Ignatian Artist Guild – Painting Pumpkins with Watercolor.
Join us from 9-11 a.m. on Saturday morning, October 14th, so that we can paint fall and pumpkin images on watercolor paper. No skills are necessary. We will just let the water flow the paint around our images and we’ll have fun together. If you have your own supplies, bring them. Bring a simple image you want to use as a guide. If you have none, come with your desire to create. We just want you to be with us. Meet at the Main Entrance at BC High and we will work in Kay Myer’s art room.
Friday, September 29, 2023
Franciscan Pilgrimage to Italy
Franciscan Pilgrimage to Italy
Rome Assisi Laverna Rieti Spoleto Florence
April 11-22, 2024
$2,990 per person (ground only)*
*Included in Price:
· Accommodations including 2 nights in Rome, 2 in Rieti, 1 in Spoleto, 3 in
· Assisi, 1 in Laverna, and 1 in Florence (2 participants per room)
· Continental breakfast and dinner daily (lunch on your own)
· Ground transportation (as per itinerary)
· Local guides with reflections and prayer
·
NOT Included: Airfare, lunches, gratuity for guides/drivers, trip insurance. (Note that the price is based on a minimum of ten participants.)
Itinerary inside. For more information, contact Bret Thoman, St. Francis Pilgrimages:
voicemail: 404-418-6683 ⬧ bret@stfrancispilgrimages.com ⬧ www.stfrancispilgrimages.com
Thursday, April 11
The pilgrimage will begin with a departure from Boston on overnight flight to Rome Fiumicino airport (FCO, aka Leonardo da Vinci).
Friday, April 12
Upon arrival, you will have a chartered taxi to Rome. Gathering meeting in the afternoon. Dinner/overnight in Rome
Saturday, April 13
In the morning, we will offer a guided visit of St. Peter’s Basilica and Square and surrounding area. Take the rest of the day to enjoy Rome at your leisure. Dinner/overnight in Rome
Sunday, April 14
This morning we will depart to Rieti to explore the storied city’s history with a guided tour of Rieti Underground. In the afternoon, we will visit two Franciscan hermitages in the Rieti Valley: Fonte Colombo and Greccio.
Dinner/overnight in Rieti
Monday April 15
Today we will head out to the third hermitage in the valley: Poggio Bustone. For those who wish, there will be time for a walk up to the grotto known as Sacro Speco. Then we will drive to Cantalice and walk to the fourth hermitage, known as La Foresta (4 miles/1.5 hours). Return to Rieti for din-
ner and overnight.
Tuesday, April 16
This morning we say goodbye to Rieti and head into Umbria. First, we’ll stop in Rivodutri to visit a famed beech tree that sheltered St. Francis during a storm. Our first stop will be a hermitage known as Monteluco. Over the centuries, saints like Francis of Assisi, Anthony of Padua, and Bernardine
of Siena prayed here. Then we continue to Spoleto for a visit including the city and cathedral. Dinner/Overnight in Spoleto
Wednesday, April 17
This morning we will continue to Foligno for a brief visit followed by a visit in nearby Spello. Here we will take out our walking poles and walk three miles (1.5 hours) toward Assisi. Overnight in Assisi. (Dinner on your own.)
Thursday, April 18
This morning we will have a guided tour of Assisi, including all the main Franciscan sites related to St. Francis and Clare in the city walls of town: Chiesa Nuova, San Francesco Piccolino, Saint Mary Major, Bernard of Quin-
tavalle, Basilica St. Francis. In the afternoon, we will retrace Clare’s “fleeing” from Clare’s childhood home next to San Rufino to the Basilica of St. Clare, to Saint Mary of the Angels. Overnight in Assisi (dinner on your own.)
Friday, April 19
This morning we will offer a guided tour of the small church of San Damiano and the mountain hermitage of the Carceri hermitage. Take the afternoon free to explore Assisi how you wish. Overnight in Assisi (dinner on your
own.)
Saturday, April 20
Today, we will depart Assisi as we make our way up into Tuscany. On the way, we will stop in Gubbio to visit the Franciscan church containing a wall of the house of the family that housed St. Francis, as well as a statue of
wolf, commemorating the taming of the wild beast. Next, we will continue to the mountain hermitage of Laverna, where St. Francis received the stigmata. For those who wish to walk up the mountain, there is a 2-mile hike to the peak. Dinner/Overnight in Laverna
Sunday, April 21
After some final Franciscan reflections, we will head up to Florence. On the way, we will stop in Pontassieve, famed for its pottery.
Dinner/Overnight in Florence
Monday, April 22
Departure from Florence airport to Boston
*The itinerary is subject to change due to factors beyond our control. However, the focus on the spiritual nature of the trip will always be the overall objective.
Sunday, September 24, 2023
Pope Francis, The Synod, and the New Style of Church
Sept. 27th – Pope Francis, The Synod, and the New Style of Church
Time: 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time
In Rome, participants across the world are gathering to speak collegially about their unique regional needs. The church intends to listen, as it focuses upon its goals of communion, participation, and mission. Fr. Predmore will give a presentation that begins with the efforts of Pope Francis to be the representative of Catholics across the world. We will see how globalization has affected and influences a worldwide communion, and we will examine how Pope Francis addresses the contemporary issues within the church. We are a church in motion, and the new way of walking and journeying together represents a transformative shift in the Church’s style as it attempts to be relevant to humanity dispersed across the globe.
Zoom Meeting: https://bchigh.zoom.us/j/85948192450?pwd=YWFLSFo1WU1HNlFrK2l5SXNXanNldz09
Meeting ID: 859 4819 2450
Passcode: 755679