By Becky Sindelar Fr. Henk Van Meijel, SJ, has a unique vocation story: He’s a father who raised his three children before he became a Jesuit “Father” later in life. In this interview, he shares his unique journey to the Jesuit priesthood and the powerful conversions he’s witnessed through Ignatian spiritual accompaniment. Fr. Henk highlights …
A Jesuit’s journey from parenthood to priesthood Read More »
By Frédéric Barriault Visitors to Bellarmine House, the main Jesuit office in Canada, will surely have seen the huge room with glass doors that bears the name of the Jesuit Jean D’Auteuil Richard. But who was this man that his memory should be honoured in this way? Frequently celebrated during his lifetime and even after …
By Fannie Dionne Marcel Lapointe, SJ—Jesuit, artist, and teacher—was born in Magog, Quebec in 1928. He studied at Sherbrooke Seminary and Collège Sainte-Marie in Montreal before joining the Society of Jesus in 1952. Ordained a priest in 1963, he enrolled in 1966 at the École des Beaux-arts de Montréal, where he was introduced to the …
By Fannie Dionne Musicologist, teacher, and Jesuit priest, New Brunswick Father Louis Cyr (1936–2020) led a life filled with multiple encounters. From the accounts of people who knew him, it seems that Fr. Cyr had an ear not only for music but also for listening to people from a multitude of cultures. A Musician who …
From Edmundston to Kahnawá:ke: The Symphony of Father Louis Cyr Read More »
By Fannie Dionne Prolific writer and speaker, America Media’s editor-at-large, consultant for the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication: American Jesuit Fr. James Martin is one of the most well-known Jesuits after Pope Francis. This is due in part from his undeniable talent for making Ignatian spirituality accessible to everyone, but also to his vocal commitment to …
Between Jesus, books and LGBTQ advocacy: Fr. James Martin, SJ Read More »
By Katy Ramos-Borges If you had met Fr. Ted Penton, SJ, just before the turn of the millennium and told him that he would be ordained a Jesuit priest in 2019, he wouldn’t have believed you. Indeed, Ted was an atheist when he decided to go on retreat at a Buddhist monastery in Thailand. The experience he had there changed everything. Fr. Ted …
How A Buddhist retreat led Fr. Ted Penton, SJ, to the Jesuits Read More »
At this time of global uncertainty and unrest, it is the words of Father Kevin Boyle SJ, “We belong to each other,” and those of Elder Harry Francis, “Love one another and help one another…sákihitók mina wicíhitók,” that have helped shape and guide the work at Mother Teresa Middle School (MTMS); to live and breathe …
Celebrating Indigenous Culture: Mother Teresa Middle School Read More »
By Frédéric Barriault photos: The Archive of the Jesuits of Canada Last fall, the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States published Contemplation and Political Action: An Ignatian Guide to Civic Engagement, which opens with a challenge from Pope Francis: A “good Catholic” cannot be indifferent to social and political struggles. Given that I come from a Social Gospel background, I have always resisted the idea that faith is …
Politician, Jesuit, and Man for Others: Jacques Couture, SJ Read More »
By Eric Clayton Kevin Kelly, SJ—director of Villa Saint-Martin, the Jesuit retreat center in Montreal—is a businessman-turned-Jesuit. But, to Kevin, that’s nothing unusual. “I see St. Ignatius not only as a brilliant and spiritual person,” he says, “but also as a businessman.” After all, the saint started and managed a multinational corporation: the Society of Jesus. So, how does business acumen translate into the life of a Jesuit today? Kevin shares how he …
Business Not as Usual: An interview with Fr. Kevin Kelly, SJ Read More »
Bernard Senécal is unique. This Quebec Jesuit taught Buddhism in South Korea, where he has lived since 1985, and is now the director of the Way’s End Stone Field Community, as well as a longtime contributor to Relations (the journal of the Centre justice et foi). Seo Myeongweon (his Korean name) has always understood the life of a Jesuit as that of a man who goes to the peripheries, who confronts difference and …