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Jesuit Journeys
Fall 2000
Partners show love, loyalty, kindness
August marked my first anniversary as president of The Jesuit Partnership, and I want to tell you what an extraordinary year it was - a most gratifying personal adventure. In my 40 years as a Jesuit, I had never before been involved in any kind of fund raising. I felt some apprehension. I had no idea what to expect. Certainly, I never anticipated the incredible number of wonderful, generous people I would meet.
What struck me most was the deep degree of love so many people, for one reason or another, have for the Society of Jesus and their commitment to the Jesuits. Prior to this assignment to The Partnership, most of my time as a Jesuit scholastic and priest had been at Marquette University in Milwaukee as a student, teacher, and administrator. Over the years I came to know many people who developed a love for the university and an appreciation for the Jesuit education they received.
School loyalty, however, is one thing. The love for the Jesuits that I've encountered in the past year is something quite different and inspirational. It is a love and commitment not only to the Society itself but also for the mission of the Jesuits.
For some, this love is rooted in a past connection to a Jesuit institution (be it a retreat house, high school, university, or other ministry) and is nurtured over the years by a relationship or recollections of individual Jesuits. In some cases, however, the initial connections weren't even first hand. They came through a relative or spouse who went to a Jesuit school or met a Jesuit in some way or another.
This love goes very deep and is enriched by time. Sometimes, after the person with the original connection dies, a spouse or family continues the tie.
I've observed the commitment in a variety of forms, all of which reflect a most gratifying common denominator: generosity. Though my job is a fund-raising one, I am not talking solely about financial support. I speak, as well, in terms of personal time and counsel cheerfully given.
Another common trait I've come to witness in our Jesuit Partners is a real spiritual depth in the people themselves in terms of the value they place on prayer, not just for their own benefit, but also for the good of others. My heart has been touched countless times by requests that I pray for a member of someone's immediate family, relatives, or friends. So too have I been touched by our Partners' willingness to support the Jesuits with prayers of petition, or by their responses to requests that they pray for other benefactors or their families and friends.
Our benefactors come from a wide range of economic, ethnic, and professional backgrounds, but all are so very generous. It is a wonderful thing to see and sense, and to be a part of.
I am very grateful to our Jesuit Partners and all our friends. You have helped fill this first year at the Jesuit Partnership with so many joyful surprises while helping my brother Jesuits and me carry on our mission of bringing Christ to a needy world.
You help us seek out and train Jesuit seminarians and care for our elderly priests and brothers. You help us assist foreign missionaries in Korea, Africa, and other parts of the world. You help make possible the many social ministries here in our central cities. You help us work to break the cycles of alcoholism and poverty that especially afflict so many of the Native American people in North and South Dakota.
I look forward to continuing our work together in the coming year and to fulfilling the promise of the Great Jubilee in the years to come.
Thank you for supporting the Jesuits of the Wisconsin Province in all we do. We remember you daily in our prayers. Please continue to pray for us, asking particularly that more young men and women respond to God's call to religious life. |
