Faith & Spirituality

• Jesuit/Ignatian Response to Flooding in Pakistan
  

  • The Creighton Center for Service and Justice has been receiving questions about how to help those affected by the devastating floods in Pakistan. CCSJ recommends the following action from the Wisconsin Province of the Society of Jesus Social and International Ministries. Pakistan Flooding Recommendation: On Aug. 20, the U.S. Jesuit Conference suggested that donations to assist relief efforts for Pakistan flooding be made through Catholic Relief Services (CRS) www.crs.org. CRS has a long-standing presence in Pakistan and is mobilized to assist those displaced by the flooding. JRS is not working in Pakistan and the Jesuit presence in Pakistan is limited to one small community. Nevertheless, Jesuit Imran Ghouri wrote from Lahore, “At the moment the situation in Pakistan is beyond our thinking in terms of flood created disaster. People are suffering terribly. Millions have lost their belongings and loved ones. People are just living on roads without any shelter and food. I have visited some camps…My heart weeps when I see the little children who have lost their loved ones and had nothing to eat for many days.” CCSJ will post any updated recommendations on its website (click here). For more information, contact Ken Reed-Bouley at krb@creighton.edu or 280.1754.

• Cardoner Call To Service Lunch Discussion
  

  • The Cardoner “Call To Service Lunch Discussion” will be held Wednesday, Sept. 22, in the Skutt Student Center, room 105. A soup lunch will be served at 11:30 a.m. with discussion from noon to 1 p.m. Brian Kokensparger and Tom Castellano will describe how they use technology to answer their call to serve youth. Kokensparger is an advisor in the College of Arts and Sciences and develops community-based service-learning courses. Castellano is a Creighton adjunct professor researching the possibilities of virtual world application in education, v-learning and non-profit organizations. RSVP to Janine ter Kuile at janine@creighton.edu.

• Catholic Comments Podcast: the Nativity of Mary
  

  • On Sept. 8 the Catholic church celebrates the Nativity of the Virgin Mary. Catholic Comments co-hosts John O'Keefe and Wendy Wright together explore the meaning of this traditional feast. A new podcast is posted weekly.

• Spiritual Direction and Ignatian Retreats
  

  • Cardoner will fund a four to eight day spiritual retreat or spiritual direction through May 15, 2011. Your retreat application must be made by Oct. 9, 2010, to finalize financial commitments to this program. Your retreat will include a spiritual director (find sites here). E-mail Janine ter Kuile for more information on how to be reimbursed. Only one retreat reimbursed by Cardoner is considered within a five-year period.

    Ignatian spirituality, the vision of the relationship between God and the human person grounded in the mystical experiences of St. Ignatius, has its primary expression in his book of The Spiritual Exercises. More than 20 retreat houses and spirituality centers in the United States provide a variety of services based on The Spiritual Exercises for clergy, men and women religious and lay people. The Creighton Retreat Center in Griswold, Iowa, can set up a retreat for you. Contact Fr. David Smith for more information.
    
    What is Spiritual Direction? Spiritual direction is the process of accompanying people on a spiritual journey. Spiritual direction exists in a context that emphasizes growing closer to God (or the holy or a higher power). For more information on spiritual direction and how to find a person to direct you, visit www.sdiworld.org/. Cardoner will pay for four visits for spiritual direction (for a total of $100 at $25 per hour). For further assistance in choosing a director, contact Janine ter Kuile.