AMDG: A Jesuit Podcast

Many weeks ago, host Eric Clayton visited a coastal town in Kenya called Malindi — and the Jesuit community that lives there. It’s a new community, only about five or so years old, and it’s been tasked with carrying out the legacy of St. Francis Xavier who visited that very place many, many years ago. Xavier — the great missionary — spent only a few days on that shore. But while there, he engaged in interreligious dialogue, meeting with and learning from the local Muslim communities. The bishop of Malindi has asked the Jesuits of today to return and continue that work. Fr. Thomas Aquino Deshi Ramadhani, or just Deshi for short, is the Jesuit who has been tasked with leading these efforts. Originally from Indonesia, he’s accustomed to building community with Muslims and those of other faiths. He’s also a writer—an author of many books—and a retreat director. When Eric was with him, he was preparing to give a retreat on the enneagram and Ignatian spirituality. Today’s conversation is very rich. It touches of course on interreligious dialogue—and why Deshi prefers to call it inter-spiritual trialogue—and about how the enneagram influences the writing life. Deshi dives deep into his own spiritual background and shares with us countless nuggets of spiritual wisdom. But one thing that is worth highlighting is that the fruits of this conversation reflect the nature of our global Catholic faith: an Indonesian and an American meeting in Kenya and bound together by the Ignatian tradition and our desire to live out the Gospel. Deshi’s Books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Thomas-Ramadhani/author/B093C9SQ4D?ref=ap_rdr&store_ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true Video on Malindi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ir2KffiLgUY Video on Xavier’s Chapel in Malindi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocY0kWWxfcw&t=4s Vocation Story on an American Jesuit in Africa: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fm_g0ernKSI&t=6s

Conventional wisdom would have us keep our options open. Don’t commit until you have to—and even then, always have a backup plan. The world’s a big place with lots of choices, and you deserve your crack at all of them. That might be conventional wisdom. But our guest today, Pete Davis, firmly disagrees. In fact, he wrote a whole book about it. It’s called “Dedicated: The Case for Commitment in an Age of Infinite Browsing.” And in it, Pete lays out not only why committing ourselves to something greater can give our lives more meaning and purpose, but why commitment can lead us to becoming more engaged and effective citizens of our world. Pete is a civic advocate from Falls Church, Virginia, and a graduate of Harvard Law School where his graduation speech, “A Counterculture of Commitment” went viral. As he says in our interview, his passion isn’t just commitment; his passion is deepening American solidarity and democracy. To that end, he cofounded the Democracy Policy Network, and travels the country promoting projects and initiatives that build up local democratic institutions—thus giving more people more power over their political and civic lives. As you listen to Pete talk, you’ll note that the principles of Catholic social teaching and Ignatian spirituality are never far from his mind. Pete gives us a masterclass in how to translate the Ignatian tradition into political engagement—and how to do so with joy. You can learn more about Pete and his work at petedavis.org. And check out the film Pete mentions at the end of the conversation here: https://putnamdoc.com/

If you spend any time on social media, you might have seen Washington Post columnist Christine Emba’s big essay earlier this summer. It’s headlined “Men are lost. Here’s a map out of the wilderness.” Every so often there’s a piece about contemporary masculinity that pops up, but Christine’s piece was so widely read. The essay takes on the challenges men face in American society today with nuance, clarity and incredible depth. Christine really is a fabulously smart writer and reporter, which you’ll know if you read any of her columns or her book “Rethinking Sex: A Provocation,” which came out last year. Host Mike Jordan Laskey asked Christine about the crises men are facing, the ultra-conservative voices that have become quote-unquote “manfluencers,” and what she sees as key ingredients to cultivating healthier masculinity. As Christine is a convert to Catholicism, Mike also asked her what she thought about how celibate clergy in particular might model masculinity, and what advice she might offer from her research to people raising or forming young men. “Men are lost” essay (unlocked): https://wapo.st/47AwiZq Follow-up piece (unlocked): https://wapo.st/3YAzeBj Christine's book: https://www.amazon.com/Rethinking-Sex-Provocation-Christine-Emba/dp/0593087569/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1692621051&sr=8-1 AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States. www.jesuits.org/ www.beajesuit.org/ twitter.com/jesuitnews facebook.com/Jesuits instagram.com/wearethejesuits youtube.com/societyofjesus

Today's host, Eric A. Clayton, encountered today’s guest’s professional title before he met the man himself. Eric was told to chase down the person who held the “Chair of Ignatian Thought and Imagination” at Regis University—and he was not disappointed. Dr. Chris Pramuk is said chair. He’s also an associate professor of religious studies. His interests focus on the intersection of faith, creativity and justice, and the conversation reflects this multitude. Chris and Eric jump from Thomas Merton to the musical tradition of the Black Catholic Church to Buddhism to Joni Mitchell. Woven throughout the conversation is a clear thread of Ignatian spirituality—and an invitation to each of us to discover the artist spirit alive within ourselves. Chris has written six books, including the two we discuss in this episode: Hope Sings, So Beautiful: Graced Encounters Across the Color Line and The Artist Alive: Explorations in Music, Art and Theology. He’s also written two award-winning studies on Thomas Merton. Learn more about Chris, his work and his books at the links below. The Artist Alive — https://www.amazon.com/Artist-Alive-Explorations-Music-Theology/dp/1599828383 Hope Sings, So Beautiful — https://www.amazon.com/Hope-Sings-So-Beautiful-Encounters/dp/0814682103 https://www.regis.edu/academics/faculty-finder/faculty/chris-pramuk

You can’t talk about the Catholic Church in the United States without talking about Latino Catholics. About half of the Catholic population in the United States is Latino, which includes U.S.-born Hispanics and about the one million Latino immigrants who arrive here each year. And very few people if any know more about U.S. Latino Catholicism than Professor Hosffman Ospino, an associate professor of Hispanic Ministry and Religious Education and the chair of the Department of Religious Education and Pastoral Ministry at Boston College’s School of Theology and Ministry. Professor Ospino has led numerous research studies on Latino Catholics, including a brand-new report called “Ministry with Young Hispanic Catholics: Towards a Recipe for Growth and Success.” He’s also an expert on evangelization and pastoral ministry. It’s rare to find someone who’s so strong in sociological research and theology. Host Mike Jordan Laskey asked Professor Ospino about current trends in U.S. Latino Catholicism and about what he learned in his recent study. They talked about the decreasing number of U.S. Latinos who identify as Catholic, which is a fact of deep concern to him and calls for fresh ministry approaches. His passion for ministry and his sharp intelligence come through every second of this interview. Learn more about Dr. Ospino and read his newest research: https://www.bc.edu/bc-web/schools/stm/faculty/faculty-directory/hosffman-ospino.html Article referenced in the episode: https://www.thebostonpilot.com/article.php?ID=194657 AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States. www.jesuits.org/ www.beajesuit.org/ twitter.com/jesuitnews facebook.com/Jesuits instagram.com/wearethejesuits youtube.com/societyofjesus

As we turn the corner into the second half of summer, you might be wondering to yourself: When do I get a chance to rest and recharge? It’s been nothing but go, go, go. If that sounds like your summer days, then today’s episode is a treat. Spiritual director and award-winning author Vinita Hampton Wright returns to the pod to talk about her newest book from Ave Maria Press, “Set the World on Fire: A 4-Week Personal Retreat with the Female Doctors of the Church.” These four women are your guides into a new understanding of who you are – and who God is to you. Vinita’s book is a retreat, one you can make on your own or in community. And don’t let the mention of 4 weeks concern you – there’s no set timeline. You can pray with these four women as the Spirit inspires. Today’s conversation is a great introduction not only to Vinita’s book, but to the experience of God at work in our world – both in the past and present – that these four doctors of the Church challenge us to be alert to. Take time to savor Vinita’s insights, let the Spirit speak to you through them. And if you’re interested in learning more about her book or her other work, check out the link below. https://www.amazon.com/Set-World-Fire-Personal-Retreat/dp/1646801016

The Society of Jesus’ 71st Congregation of Procurators, which was held in Loyola, Spain. Over 100 Jesuits gathered for the congregation, one from each province in the world plus Jesuit Superior General Fr. Arturo Soca and his assistants. So what exactly is a Congregation of Procurators? It sounds like old-fashioned Church speak. A brief explanation: There are two types of big global congregations the Society of Jesus holds. The first and more famous type is called a General Congregation, in which a new superior general is typically elected. There have been only 36 of these meetings since the founding of the order in 1540. All the way back at the second General Congregation in 1565, the delegates decided that more frequent meetings were needed. This led to the Congregation of Procurators, whose main technical function is to decide if a General Congregation should be called via a simple “yes or no” vote. Only very rarely do the procurators vote “yes.” But it’s a unique opportunity for Jesuits to gather and reflect on the state of the Society within today’s world. While the gathering itself lasted two weeks in Spain, the work of the procurators takes over a year. Once elected by his respective province, each procurator travels throughout his province and speaks to as many Jesuits as possible. The point is to develop a sort of “state of the Society” perspective from your own corner of the world. The procurators submit their reports to the Superior General, who in turn crafts a document on the state of the global society called De Statu Societatis. This document will be published and publicly available soon. Today’s guest is Fr. Victor Cancino, who was the procurator from the USA West province. Fr. Cancino lives on the Flathead Indian Reservation in western Montana and is the pastor-delegate for St. Ignatius Mission. Host Mike Jordan Laskey asked him about the gathering itself plus what he learned while traveling throughout the West province, which stretches from Alaska to Hawaii to the US -Mexico border in Arizona. It was fascinating to hear his insider’s take on the whole process – a reminder that we are part of a church whose name means “universal.” Learn more about the Congregation of Procurators: https://www.jesuits.org/stories/jesuits-gather-for-71st-congregation-of-procurators-in-loyola-spain/ Read Fr. Cancino's articles at America magazine: https://www.americamagazine.org/voices/victor-cancino-sj AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States. www.jesuits.org/ www.beajesuit.org/ twitter.com/jesuitnews facebook.com/Jesuits instagram.com/wearethejesuits youtube.com/societyofjesus

Sr. Rose Pacatte was the keynote speaker at the 2023 Catholic Media Conference. She talked about how artificial intelligence and the spiritual life intersect, how social media can — and cannot — spread the Gospel, and how we’re all called to media literacy as part of our lives as Christians. Today, Sr. Rose joins us to reflect on all these things: AI, Threads, pop culture, media literacy and her own vocation at the intersection of media and religious life. Sr. Rose, a member of the Daughters of St. Paul, is an award-winning author and the founding director of the Pauline Center for Media Studies in Los Angeles. And if you like what she has to say, if you find yourself intrigued and wanting to go deeper, Sr. Rose invites you to check out the advanced certificate in media literacy that the Pauline Center for Media Studies is offering, staring July 30 2023. Here's the link: https://media.pauline.org/certificate And here's more information on World Communications Day at the papal messages: https://www.comunicazione.va/en/giornata-mondiale-comunicazioni-sociali.html Photo Credit: OSV News photo/Bob Roller

John Herreid is the creative mind behind a new publication from Ignatius Press called “The Catholic Home Gallery.” This stunning volume is made up of 18 works of art by contemporary Catholic artists, each of which is removable from the book and suitable for framing. The images are accompanied by short essays on the artist and their work. John is a graphic designer for Ignatius Press and a talented artist in his own right. He’s also a passionate student of art history and deeply faith filled. Host Mike Jordan Laskey asked him about how the Home Gallery came to be, and what trends he’s noticing in Catholic sacred art today. They also talked about the intersection of beauty and faith more broadly. Whether you’re a lover of sacred art or just curious about how art can help you grow closer to God, you’ll really enjoy John’s reflections. The Catholic Home Gallery: https://ignatius.com/catholic-home-gallery-chgx/ A sneak peak inside the volume: https://files.ignatius.com/Flipbooks/CHGX/index.html?_ga=2.158954554.1473659349.1689086078-1735304729.1683906951 AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States. www.jesuits.org/ www.beajesuit.org/ twitter.com/jesuitnews facebook.com/Jesuits instagram.com/wearethejesuits youtube.com/societyofjesus

What makes a prayer “feminist?” Shannon Evans — author, retreat facilitator, and the spirituality and culture editor at National Catholic Reporter — is back on the pod today to reflect on exactly that question. She has a great new book out, a compilation of prayers, called “Feminist Prayers for My Daughter: Powerful Petitions for Every Stage of Her Life.” And let me assure you, this book is for everyone. Not only does it provide spiritual accompaniment, but also demands that we ask questions like: What would the Psalms have sounded like if they’d been written by women? What life experiences do we need to better integrate and lift up in our prayer? What images and understandings of God do we need now, in this moment, to better deepen our relationship with our Creator? Shannon shares her reflections on these questions, as well as insight into her own writing journey — and some hot takes mystics and why they’ll be the topic of her next book. A brief warning: There is mention of sexual abuse around minute 15 of this episode. No details are given, and the context is Shannon’s own surprise about the power of her book’s prayers in very challenging situations. We invite you to check out the show notes to find links to Shannon’s website, books and Substack. Get Shannon's book: https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/466175 Visit Shannon's site: https://www.shannonkevans.com/ Sign up for her Substack: https://shannonkevans.substack.com/?utm_source=homepage_recommendations&utm_campaign=1424232 Check out her IG: https://www.instagram.com/shannonkevans/