A Season of Celebrations
Dear Friends,
June is a season of commencements, of poignant endings, celebration of achievements, and of new beginnings. The Loyola Institute for Spirituality has had its own commencement, marked by God’s gracious goodness to us and by the generosity of all our associates, supporters, donors, and companions throughout the year.
June 3 was our official commencement, which was festive, congratulatory, and celebrative. What a profoundly moving event to see yet another group of dedicated lovers of the Spiritual Exercises witness to the transformation and formation which had occurred in their lives! We graduated fifteen in the Ignatian Spirituality Formation Program (ISFP) and twenty-two in the Programa de Formación Espiritual Ignaciana (PFEI). The two commencement speakers, Lanelle Gordin and Mabel Suarez-Zarate gave moving tributes to the dynamism and grace that they had experienced throughout these three years.
Go, therefore, and teach all nations
(Matthew 26:19).
A beaming Raymond Uribe, our LIS Communications manager, was one of these distinguished graduates. As the names were read off, Mr. Carlos Obando, the program director and I presented a Certificate of Completion and congratulated each person.
Already we are expecting another excellent class of aspirant associates this coming fall. Tell your friends, encourage them to take a risk on God, spread the word, and sign them up.
I am not yet ready to give my valedictory, but I have announced to the Board of Trustees that I will be leaving LIS on July 13 in order to return to Seattle University. I had hoped by now we would have a new Executive Director in place to announce to you, but we are still in the search and interview stage. Already we have interviewed 13 people, some for a second round.
With blessings and gratitude,
Rev. Patrick Howell, S.J.,
Executive Director
ad interim