Reflections:
Did You Know?
In addition to the retreats and programs offered by our Spiritual Growth staff, the Jesuit Center for Spiritual Growth welcomes Catholic and other ecumenical groups who are looking for a beautiful setting to conduct their own group meetings.
Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty,
my memory, my understanding
and my entire will,
All I have and call my own.
You have given all to me.
To you, Lord, I return it.
Everything is yours; do with it what you will.
Give me only your love and your grace,
That is enough for me.
—St. Ignatius of Loyola
This retreat explores the connection between the . Ignatius. It will help develop a self-reflective spiritual path rooted in the 12 Steps and shaped by the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Jesuits.
Logistical details for weekend:
Arrival is on Friday, September 27 between 4:00 & 5:45 PM.
Dinner and the opening session follow.
Departure is on Sunday, September 29 after lunch.
Weekend cost: $200/non-refundable deposit: $100
Some scholarship assistance is available.
Day option:
Arrival is on Saturday, September 28 between 8:30 & 9:00 AM.
Lunch and dinner are included.
Departure after the evening session.
Day cost: $100/non-refundable deposit: $50
For more information and to register: jesuitcenter.org;
Retreat questions? Please contact a committee member:
Mike D – 610-823-0353 Mike R – 610-373-3061
After you register, you'll be instructed to make your deposit and/or pay your final cost.
Program Presenter
Fr. Bob Pecoraro, SJ
Fr. Bob Pecoraro, SJ entered the Society of Jesus in 2000, at the age of thirty-three. He holds Master’s degrees in Applied Philosophy, Divinity, Spirituality, and Educational Leadership. Fr. Pecoraro has spent much of his time working in secondary education as Vice-President of Mission and Identity at Canisius High School, President of Xavier High School in Chuuk, Micronesia and as the current President of Cheverus High School, the Jesuit high school in Portland, Maine. Since 2001 Fr. Pecoraro has also been a spiritual director focusing on Ignatian Spirituality and directing various retreats.
Weekend Guided Retreats > Page 1
September 27-29, 2019
2nd Annual Weekend Retreat for Men in Recovery
– Fr. Bob Pecoraro, SJ
“The 12 Steps and the Spiritual Exercises
of St. Ignatius Loyola”
On a rainy day in November of 1940, Fr. Ed Dowling SJ and Bill Wilson, founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, struck an unlikely friendship.
“It was 10 p.m. The doorbell rang. Tom, the Club's maintenance man, said there was "some bum from St. Louis" to see him. Reluctantly, Bill said, "Send him up." To himself, he muttered, "Not another drunk."
But Bill welcomed the stranger, all the same. As the man shuffled to a wooden chair opposite the bed and sat down, his black raincoat fell open, revealing a Roman collar.
"I'm Father Ed Dowling from St. Louis," he said. "A Jesuit friend and I have been struck by the similarity of the AA twelve steps and the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius."
"Never heard of them."
---From Fr. Ed Dowling and AA’s Bill W. by Robert Fitzgerald SJ
For twenty years, Bill and Fr. Ed remained the closest of friends. This spiritual friendship often sustained Bill in difficult times.