The Botolphian

 I am posting this because it says a lot about the community of faith gathered at BC High. The school runs a literary journal called the Botolphian, reminiscent of Boston's beginnings in England. Students right short stories and prose for publication, and this year they surprisingly dedicated the issue to me. A student who just completed his tenth grade wrote these words. The one who writes the dedication is certainly more worthy than the recipient, but I just want to show you the quality of education and the thoughtfulness of he student body. 

Fall 2023 Spiritual Offerings

 Dear friends,

 

Blessings to you as you prepare for the new academic calendar. I hope your summertime has been restorative and filled with good memories from being with friends, colleagues, and family. I hope you are well and that your spirits are elevated.

 

Here is a program of offerings for the coming year. You are welcome to attend any of them. You may invite family and friends to these programs. Please feel free to share this email. 

 

This email contains programs on the following topics.

 

 

1. Wednesday Afternoon Ignatian Discussions, Autobiography of Ignatius
2. The Practice of Compassionate Communications
3. The Spiritual Exercises in Daily Life (19^th annotation)
4. Ignatian Artists Guild
5. Tuesday Morning Adult Education: Prayer Takes Us Home.

 

 

Please email me if you have questions.

 

God bless you.

 

Fr. John Predmore, S.J.

 

Wednesday Afternoon Ignatian Discussions

4:00 to 5:00 pm EDT/EST

  

Sept. 27^th – Pope Francis, The Synod, and the New Style of Church

 

Three-part series on Ignatius of Loyola

 

Oct. 11^th               Autobiography of Ignatius

Oct. 25^th          Autobiography of Ignatius

Nov. 8^th            Autobiography of Ignatius

 

“A Pilgrim’s Testament: The Memoirs of Ignatius of Loyola” (Jesuit Sources, BC: https://jesuitsources.bc.edu/a-pilgrims-testament-the-memoirs-of-saint-ignatius-of-loyola-new-edition/)

Early Jesuits urged Saint Ignatius of Loyola (1491–1556), founder of the Society of Jesus, to share the story of how God had worked in his soul. His memoirs, they hoped, would inspire and guide Jesuits and other readers for years to come. Barton Geger, S.J., provides a new introduction and original annotations for this edition of A Pilgrim’s Testament.  Geger includes fascinating notes that accompany this important text, making the autobiography of Ignatius of Loyola more accessible to all. 

St. Ignatius of Loyola (c.1491–1556) was a Spanish nobleman who had a spiritual conversion when he was thirty years old. Ignatius did two things for which he is famous. First, he wrote a little book called The Spiritual Exercises, which is a manual of sorts to guide people through a thirty-day silent retreat.  The second thing that Ignatius did, after he became a Catholic priest, was to create a fraternity of priests and lay brothers called the Society of Jesus, or the Jesuits for short.

Readers will find Ignatius struggling with many of the same questions and tensions that Christians face every day: Why should I belong to the church, if I can follow God in my own way? What should I do with my life? How do I fight this temptation? How do I know when God is trying to tell me something? Is it ever acceptable to say “no” to good people who ask for my help?

Zoom Meeting: https://bchigh.zoom.us/j/85948192450?pwd=YWFLSFo1WU1HNlFrK2l5SXNXanNldz09

 

Meeting ID: 859 4819 2450

Passcode: 755679

 

 

The Practice of Compassionate Communications

 

This Wednesday afternoon online series keep us balanced during difficult conversations. We will examine what sort of information to take in, and to notice when conversations experience a power imbalance. We will negotiate and set boundaries, especially when dealing with someone else’s anger. We will review deep-breathing techniques to listen meaningfully and to develop understanding. We will learn how to use right speech to bring to sustain meaningful relationships. 4:00 pm -5:00 pm

  

RSVP for this series, come when you can, drop out as needed. 

 

Join Zoom Meeting

https://bchigh.zoom.us/j/88406666714?pwd=dC9nVnJqZHJTb1YwcS80UnBRQSszdz09

Meeting ID: 884 0666 6714

Passcode: 367817

 

 

                        September 6^th

                        September 20^th

                        October 4^th

                        October 18^th

                        November 1^st

                        November 15^th

 

 

 

The Ignatian Exercises Retreat in Daily Life

(or The 19^th Annotation Retreat)

 

 

 

August 28^th, 2023 – May 6^th, 2024

Mondays by Zoom: 4:30 – 5:30 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

 

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.

 

 

Ignatian Artist Guild

Faith-Art-Ignatian Spirituality

 

This is a group that will meet at BC High once a month from September through May to deepen one’s prayer and to explore one’s creativity. All levels of creators are welcome. No experience is needed. The goal is to enjoy our faith, to explore prayer techniques, and to have fun with creative endeavors to build community.

 

We will meet once a month on a Saturday morning: 9:00 – 11:00

 

We will run monthly podcasts for those who are remote and want to join our enterprise.

 

 

Sept 16^th :        Photography Walk or Zentangles (weather dependent)

 

Oct 14^th :         Pumpkins -watercolors

 

Nov. 4^th:           Zentangles or Photography Walk

 

Dec. 9^th:           Christmas Card making

 

Jan. 13^th:         Snowflakes; paper cut-outs

 

Feb. 10^th:         Snow- watercolors

 

March 9^th:       Collages

 

Apr. 6^th:           Poems - Easter

 

May 4^th:           Environment

 

 

 

Tuesday morning Theology Book Club:

 

Adult Education: Prayer Takes Us Home: Gerhard Lohfink

 

A lot of people would like to learn to pray all over again. Others are not so sure they ought to pray. They want to know whether prayer will help them and, more than that, whether it will be of any use at all to our world.

This book gives an answer—not in the form of glib instructions, but by introducing the reader to the theology of prayer. It refers again and again to the Bible, especially the Psalms. At the same time, it speaks about personal experiences as well. Gerhard Lohfink writes in inviting, easy-to-read language, answering questions such as:
     “To whom do we pray?”
     “Does it make any sense to ask for things in prayer?”
     “What happens in the Eucharistic Prayer?”
     “What is so special about the Psalms?” 
     “How can I practice Christian meditation?”
This book offers an inviting approach to Christian prayer.

 

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

Summer 2023

Please feel free to share this notice with someone who may be interested. Send an email to: predmoresj@yahoo.com to register. 

 

Adult Education: The Liminal Papacy of Pope Francis: Moving Toward Global Catholicity (Catholicity in an Evolving Universe) 

 

An exploration of the developing pontificate of Pope Francis, this book contrasts Francis with his immediate predecessor (Benedict XVI) and John Paul II, and shows his similarities with the spirit of John XXIII, the architect of Vatican II. It also attempts to offer a few insights into the role of Jorge Mario Bergoglio as bishop of Rome in the centuries-long process of transformation of the Roman Catholic Church into an inculturated and decentralized global Catholic Church. The author’s vast knowledge of the history and office of the papacy allows him to condense aspects of world history, politics, papal biographies, and the documents of Vatican II into an incisive analysis of Francis’s pontificate. He notes that Francis’s is a “liminal” papacy, one that gives attention to the poor, to the peripheries (especially relations between the Vatican and geographically and theologically distant areas of the Catholic communion), and to relations between the Vatican and other religions, with an emphasis on synodality and on the Church as the people of God. Tuesdays 8:00 am - 9:00 am

 

Massimo Faggioli is professor of theology and religious studies at Villanova University and a contributing writer to Commonweal magazine. His recent publications include Pope Francis: Tradition in Transition and The Rising Laity: Ecclesial Movements since Vatican II.

 

Join Zoom Meeting

https://bchigh.zoom.us/j/81168224605?pwd=UlA0VFpKZyttRmxSU1QzSnpvN2kvQT09

Meeting ID: 811 6822 4605

Passcode: 866898

Online Lenten Programs: Mondays during Lent from 4:00-5:00 pm

 Online Lenten Programs: Mondays during Lent from 4:00-5:00 pm

 

February 27^th – What is the Synod and how does it affect me?

 

The Church across the world is engaged in a process of dialogue and listening called a Synod. It is designed to be a way of walking and praying together to discuss our challenges and suffering of the day considering our faith. This time together will discuss what is the synod, we are we in the process, what are the expectations, and what happens next.

 

March 13, 20, 27^th – Guided Meditation and Ignatian Prayer practices

 

We will experience a scripturally based Guided Meditation that showcases Ignatian spiritual practices. We will read scripture, focus upon breath exercises, relax our body, set our imagination upon Gospel passages as they unfold through the heart of Ignatian spirituality – the conversation. 

 

April 3^rd – Poetry and Prayer for Holy Week

 

We will use poetry to enhance our religious imagination as we enter into the heart of Holy Week, examining the Paschal experience and resurrection through poetry and prayer. 

 

Contact Fr. Predmore, SJ at jpredmore@bchigh.edu for more information

 

Join Zoom Meeting

https://bchigh.zoom.us/j/81220593900?pwd=Q2ZZS3hCUmFqaW8wNGpXMitYNS85Zz09

 

Meeting ID: 812 2059 3900

Passcode: 988188

 

Join our Online Book Review: Jesus of Nazareth: What He Wanted; Who He Was

Please join us for an in-depth book reading of Jesus of Nazareth by Gerhard Lohfink, a German priest-scholar, in his work on the historical Jesus. We meet by Zoom each Tuesday morning from 8:00 to 9:00. Send   Fr. Predmore a message at jpredmore@bchigh.edu to get the Zoom link. Join our online community for our adult education services. 

Tuesday Morning Adult Education: Jesus of Nazareth: What He Wanted, Who He was; Gerhard Lohfink

Lohfink takes seriously the fact that Jesus was a Jew and lived entirely in and out of Israel's faith experiences but at the same time brought those experiences to their goal and fulfillment. Lohfink engages the perceptions of the first witnesses of his life and ministry and those who handed on their testimony. Tuesdays 8-9:00 am

Preaching at Mass

 For next week, think about these questions:

 

We know that the church and society are polarized. What might please us in a homily may anger another person or make them feel disconnected and disengaged. Some people like to hear about Pope Francis’s reforms of the church, while others will receive that news as a dagger to their dreams. We also have people who are in the 80’s and 90’s and are facing the late stages of life, while seven- and eight-year-olds are trying to find something interesting in what the priest says. We have young people looking for beauty and mystery, and middle-aged people looking for the blessings of the ordinary. We have people who are sick, getting ready for surgery, and those who are starting new jobs and careers. We have women and men who have not found a suitable person to be one’s spouse at the same time that we have young parents celebrating the pregnancy of their first child. There are people in the congregation with PhD’s and those who have not finished high school. Some have studied theology; others basically skipped Confirmation classes. We have people who are eager to learn from the congregation about this person, Jesus, who they just met, while others are virtually done with the church, and still others have been brought to church though they have no foundational faith in their background. We have those who are wealthy, white, like-minded, as well as those who are black or brown, discriminated against, and placed on the margins of society. Some people have mental illness, are nearly homeless, have addictions to alcohol and drugs, while others hold position of status and prestige in society and are quite generous to many causes. Many other categories of people sit in the pews. 

 

The question is: How does one preach?

 

A hermeneutic I use is:

 

                                                Does my preaching reach a person who is hearing about Jesus for the first time? 

                                                Does my preaching reach a person who will hear about Jesus for the last time? 

 

How does one preach to reach these different categories of people?

 

What should Catholic preaching focus upon?

 

What makes the preaching Catholic? What should a priest say in his homily? What should we tell our local priest we want to hear?

 

And, of course, the purpose of the homily is to move a person to deeper faith, increased holiness, to form a bond with God and the community.

 

Let’s discuss our thoughts.

Winter Session on Compassionate Communications

 Dear friends,

 

Please feel free to share this notice with someone who may be interested.

 

 

Winter 2023 Class: Compassionate Communications in times of Difficult Conversations.

 

Director: John Predmore, SJ

 

Start : January 18th 4:00 pm -5:00 pm

 

This Wednesday online afternoon series uses Zoom to teach us how to keep ourselves balanced in the midst of difficult conversations. We will examine what sort of information to take in, and to notice when conversations experience a power imbalance. We will negotiate and set boundaries, especially when dealing with someone else’s anger. We will review deep-breathing techniques to listen meaningfully and to develop understanding. We will learn how to use right speech to bring to sustain meaningful relationships.

  

RSVP for this free series, come when you can, drop out when it is necessary. 

 

Topic: Compassionate Communications Zoom Meeting

Time: This is a recurring meeting Meet anytime

 

Join Zoom Meeting

https://bchigh.zoom.us/j/88406666714?pwd=dC9nVnJqZHJTb1YwcS80UnBRQSszdz09

 

 

Meeting ID: 884 0666 6714

Passcode: 367817

 

Dates: Times – 4:00 pm, Eastern Standard Time (After March 12^th, Eastern Daylight Time)

 

January 18th

February 1st

February 15th

March 1st

March 15^th

March 29th