From June 1-4 members of the US Province were on retreat at St. Mary of the Lake Conference Center in Mundelein, IL. Leading the retreat was Jesuit Father James Kubicki. Originally from Milwaukee, he has ministered among the Lakota Sioux in South Dakota, was national director of the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network (2002-2017), is an author of several books, regularly gives retreats and spiritual talks around the country, and currently serves as a spiritual director at Saint Francis de Sales Seminary. Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology partners with St. Francis, providing the academic component of its seminarians’ training.
The focus of Fr. Kubicki’s Wednesday morning session was on the Word of God. “In your SCJ Rule of Life, it says to be faithful to hearing the Word, that through it you are invited to discover the person of Christ and the mystery of His heart more deeply,” he said, referring to Rule No. 17.
“I think that the Word is not just something that we hear,” he continued, “but we have to really listen to and allow it to take root and transform our way of thinking, our way of seeing, which will eventually affect the way we live.”
Fr. Kubicki closed the session with a prayer from Pope Leo XIV:
Lord Jesus, living Word of the Father,
in You we find the light that guides our steps.
We know that the human heart lives restless, hungry for meaning,
and only your Gospel can give it peace and fullness.
Teach us to listen to you each day in the Scriptures,
to let ourselves be challenged by your voice,
and to discern our decisions
from the closeness to your Heart.
May your Word be nourishment in weariness,
hope in darkness,
and strength in our communities.
Amen
Click here to view a few photos from Wednesday.
