St. Edwards Parish – Men's Evening Seminars - first seminar May 1st

The following has been submitted by a group of parishioners from St. Edward's Parish, but the seminars are open to ALL men, of any religion.

We want to invite you to what we expect and hope will be the first in a series (2-3 per year) of Men's Evening Seminars which invites the Men of Medfield together for a night of reflection, discussion, community and connection.

As illustrated by the tragic events of Marathon Monday, our world is filled more often with questions than answers.  These seminars, led by a member of the Jesuit Collaborative, provide an opportunity for our community to gather in a different way - to share those questions and explore at least some of the answers together.

Intended as a light-commitment opportunity (come to as many or as few as you feel comfortable), this event is open to all men, Catholic and non-Catholic alike.  In fact, as members of St. Edward’s Golf Outing, you have automatically “made the cut"!

Per the description (below), the seminar will last about an hour with refreshments to follow.  Hope you can join us next Wednesday evening, May 1st at 8:00PM, for the first seminar of the year. 

We invite all men of St. Edward’s Parish to join us this year for a series of evening seminars focused on examining the unique challenges that men face maintaining balance and integrating their spirituality in a fast-paced, time-constrained and win-at-all-costs world.

The Jesuit Collaborative, based here in Boston, has agreed to partner with St. Edward’s and present these seminars to the men of our parish.  This partnership is the first of its kind and we are very pleased to have the opportunity to host.

There will be one evening conference this spring to be held Wednesday, May 1st at 8:00 pm in St. Edward’s church, followed by two in the fall.  Each seminar will have a presentation in Ignatian Spirituality led by a Jesuit steeped in the tradition.  This will include approximately 50 minutes of talk and 10 minutes of conversation/questions followed by an informal social in the gym.

Specific presentation themes may include:

Finding God in all things

• 
  Spirituality in everyday life
• 
  Discernment and the ability to make faith based
  decisions
• 
  The desire to do the will of God and lead a
  principle centered life
• 
  Contemplation in action

Our first guest speaker will be Bob Stephan.  Bob is a Jesuit in the third year of the Master of Divinity program at the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry. Originally from Cincinnati, Bob moved to California to study history at UCLA and then attended Berkley Law School. He joined the California Province of the Jesuits in 2002 and has done ministry in a variety of contexts with a particular emphasis on the combination of spirituality and social justice. In 2007 he completed a Masters degree in Pastoral Studies at Loyola Chicago, with a focus on spiritual direction. 

During his time in Chicago Bob worked with the Ignatian Spirituality Project, which offers retreats to homeless men and women.  From 2008 to 2010 Bob taught at Loyola Marymount University, including co-teaching a class on Restorative Justice at Loyola Law School.  In Boston Bob has worked with the Contemplative Leaders in Action program, a two-year program for young professionals that combines Ignatian spirituality and leadership formation. Bob is very interested in continuing to explore the combination of Ignatian spirituality and discernment especially for law students and lawyers.

The Jesuit Collaborative serves as a network of persons and groups involved in Ignatian spiritual ministries from North Carolina to Maine, enabling them to share personnel, practices, programs and other resources, while providing the flexibility and cooperation required to engage the needs of our time.