“For The Greater Glory of God”

Jesuit Retreat House4800 Fahrnwald RoadOshkosh, WI 54902

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e Jesuit Retreat House in Oshkosh, Wisconsin,fosters spiritual enrichment rooted in theGospels, the Catholic tradition and thespirituality of St. Ignatius of Loyola. Ourministry is dedicated to creating a rich varietyof retreat experiences and providing anatmosphere of quiet, peace and prayer in whichmen and women of all faiths are encouraged todiscover and respond generously to God’spersonal invitation to wholeness and holiness.

www.JesuitRetreatHouse.org

Re�ections NewsletterVolume 25 • No. 2 • Summer 2011

4800 Fahrnwald RoadOshkosh, WI 54902

920.231.9060800.962.7330 (WI only)

www.JesuitRetreatHouse.org

Anticipation, SatisfactionWhen it comes to the pleasures in life, I enjoy the anticipation that comes with them as much as

I do the satisfaction they bring. For instance, as a child the anticipation of Santa Claus comingproduced in me as much adrenalin, excitement, and mystery, as did his arrival and the gis hebrought. e same is true of holiday meals as I recall and savor the flavors of past gatherings withfamily and friends while anticipating the ones yet to come.

As a student my anticipation of a “snow day” was so great, and filled me with such excitement,that once school was called off, I was so exhausted that I simply frittered away the rest of the day.

e season of Advent starting December 1 fills us with good feelings as we anticipatethe historical coming of Jesus and anticipate His coming again. Lighting an additional candle each of the four Sundays ofAdvent is an exercise in anticipation (and patience) itself, especially when we are young and want to light all of the candlesat once. Instead, we wait each week and hear the stories of how God moved in each generation, each millennium, untilJesus’ birth.

At last, Jesus’ birth brings great satisfaction. All who recognize the Messiah, as Simeon did in the temple in Jerusalem ashe held the infant Jesus in his arms, share Simeon’s prayer:

“Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace,according to your word,

for my eyes have seen your salvation,which you prepared in sight of all the peoples,

a light for revelation to the Gentiles,and glory for your people Israel.”

Simeon’s satisfaction mirrors our own when we recognize the ways in which Jesus shows us the Father and shares with usthe Holy Spirit, whether it be in the Scriptures or in our everyday circumstances and interactions. As we wake up eachmorning, we anticipate the prospect of encountering God. At the end of each day we feel the satisfaction and gratitude ofrecognizing the ways in which God had been with us that day.

“At dawn let me hear your kindness, for in you I trust.Show me the path I should walk, for to you I entrust my life.”

Psalm 143:8

What lies ahead of us in our lifespan, and how God will be present to us throughout, remain a mystery. Yet, in the face ofthat mystery, we have a spirit of anticipation to enjoy.

“For The Greater Glory of God”

Volume 33 • No. 4 • November 2019

Fr. Christopher J. Manahan, S.J.Director

Retreatants and friends of the Jesuit RetreatHouse on Lake Winnebago have finished a 10-year effort to build and renovate facili+es totake this ministry into the next 30-40 years,and we’d like to mark that achievement. Wewill have a Mass and picnic for all who call thistheir spiritual home. In addi+on, we invite youto bring along anyone who would like to seethe accommoda+ons and natural beauty.

Please RSVP to office@jesuitretreathouse.orgor call (920) 231-9060, ext. 221.

Looking to the future we now focus our efforttoward a,rac+ng retreatants to carry thisministry on for the next several genera+ons,and to replenish our Support Fund to weatherunexpected expenses or revenue losses. Anenvelope to aid the Support Fund is enclosedwith this newsle,er. Thank you!

Filled with gra�tude as we finish one journey, and look to the future

Stop to give thanks . . .Twice a month the Jesuit Retreat House staff members who are available gather for “team

meetings” to pray, discuss topics related to our ministry, and hear particulars from each staffmember about their area of responsibility.

At a recent team meeting, staff members wrote down for what we are thankful. We wereasked to focus on areas not related to our work given our unanimity in gratitude for this min-istry and the retreatants we serve. Here is some of what we are thankful for this year . . .

❖ My health, friends, food to eat, clean water to drink, clothes to wear, a bed to sleep in,indoor plumbing, heating and air conditioning, sunrises, meaningful work, my religiousfaith, my education, family and relatives, . . .

❖ My good health❖ My health and the health of my family and loved ones❖ My sister’s stem cell transplant and successful treatment for multiple myeloma❖ My family �❖ All the people I have met who continue to share their lives with me, in friendship and

prayer; and, those who I only may have met once and still share their prayers of well-being for all; mainly the Holy Spirit at work!

❖ God’s marvelous creation❖ My family, my kids, my grandkids, my Mom, siblings, the job I love, my health, great

friends, my sobriety, a roof over of my head and food on my table, a car that runs.❖ My wife, son, family, friends, and co-workers who are loving, forgiving and supportive;

for God giving me the opportunity to work in His mission fields both here at home andin the Dominican Republic.

As you consider what you are thankful for, see if these prompts by the late-Fr. Anthony deMello, S.J., from his meditation, “e Conclusion,” in his 1984 book Wellsprings are a help.

➢ ese things I have loved in life:• ings I tasted• looked at,• smelled,• heard,• touched.

➢ ese experiences I have cherished:➢ ese convictions I have lived by:➢ ese are the things I have lived for:➢ ese influences have shaped my life (persons, occupations, books, events):

PPiieedd BBeeaauuttyyGerard Manley Hopkins, S.J.

Glory be to God for dappled things –For skies of couple-colour as a brinded cow;For rose-moles all in stipple upon trout that swim;

Fresh-firecoal chestnut-falls; finches’ wings;Landscape plotted and pieced – fold, fallow, and plough;And all trades, their gear and tackle and trim.

All things counter, original, spare, strange;Whatever is fickle, freckled (who knows how?)With swift, slow; sweet, sour; adazzle, dim;

He fathers-forth whose beauty is past change:Praise him.

End-of-year donor optionsAs 2019 comes to a close, we are again very thankful and blessed by the continuing

generosity and support of our retreatant families. In that light, we would like you to prayer-fully consider one of the following end-of-year giving options:

• Annual Appeal – Fr. Chris’s annual appeal letter will be arriving in late November. We hope you will consider a gi. If you work for a company or corporation with a matching gi program, you may be eligible to double your donation.

• IRA Rollover – To make such gis, it is important not to withdraw funds prior to a gi. Instead, distribute the funds directly from an IRA to a qualified charity. Check with your IRA administrator or tax advisor for more detailed information.

• Replenish Support Fund – is fund is used to cover unexpected emergency expenses. It currently stands at $665,889, and we hope to grow it to $1.2 million, comparable to our annual budget.

Debt-free, keeping up with costsThe 2019 fiscal year that ended August 31 is thefirst +me since opening our new wing that we aredebt-free and met our goal for our 30 preachedretreats, with an average of 50.78 retreatants perretreat, for a total of 1,524. Summer retreatants(256) were down from 277 in 2018, because wehosted a Servants of Mary chapter that brought 47sisters and support staff from the U.S., Canada,United Kingdom, France, and Congo for threeweeks in late-July to mid-August. We hosted 81EAA AirVenture visitors, including four of ninesurviving Tuskegee airmen, and had 90% capacitythat week. Our Spanish language retreat with CasaRomero Renewal Center in Milwaukee (63), theFaber Center retreat for Marque,e University staffand faculty (54), MU Campus Ministry retreat (41),Campion Hermitage private retreats (61), andhosted groups (243) round out our a,endance.