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JRH
Newsletter
Winter 2008
From the Director:
TRANSITIONS
Our lawnmower has resisted the transition
from rolling over the lawn on warm days to blowing
snow. I can sympathize. Lent comes too quickly and
goes too slowly. I rarely eat between meals but
suddenly get the urge to nibble as I anticipate the
approach of Ash Wednesday. I will crave bacon every
Friday morning during Lent.
Our built in resistance to things not of our
choosing is a reminder of why we enter the Lenten desert
each year. When Jesus entered the desert after his
baptism, the evil one came out into the open. Jesus
steadfastly remained faithful to God’s way of
proceeding. During our journey through Lent the tactics
of the evil one at work throughout the year become more
recognizable. We experience more clearly Christ’s
invitation to a deeper faith, a more intimate friendship
with him and a more compassionate care for others.
During Lent we are being prepared to enter more fully
into the Paschal mystery, the suffering, death and
resurrection of Jesus. We are preparing ourselves to
appreciate more deeply Jesus’ greatest gift: His freely
given, unconditional offering of himself to his Father
completely out of love. During Lent we fast from what
might distract us from absorbing the joy of the risen
Christ.
Each year the Holy Week retreatants
celebrate Holy Thursday and Good Friday. I find these
quiet days and celebrations a privileged preparation for
joining the larger Church on Holy Saturday for the
Easter Vigil and then again Sunday morning for the
Easter
Mass. The Paschal mystery reminds us that each day of
our lives is permeated by the dying and rising of
Jesus. Each day we die to our self-preoccupation so
that we might live more fully the life of the risen
Jesus in our world.
Fr. John Schwantes, S.J.
Director
Manresa Project and
Annual Appeal:
The cold,
drafty aluminum “sliders” gave way to new energy
efficient Marvin Infinity windows in Manresa. Chuck
Linde carefully orchestrated the window replacement and
sound proofing and the insulating crew who began working
on Dec. 11. Around Dec. 17th the JRH
maintenance crew began the process of taping, mudding,
sanding and painting the 13 rooms that were soundproofed
and insulated. These rooms also received new window
sills and baseboard heaters. The maintenance and
housekeeping staffs were busy during the Christmas
season. Their long hours made it possible for the
retreatants to return to clean, warm rooms on Jan. 3rd.
Your generous response to the Annual Appeal enabled us
to pay not only for the Manresa project but also for six
new computers and monitors for the JRH offices. You
also made it possible to increase the endowment fund by
$17,000.
Sad News:
The New
Year brought sadness and worry for Jeff Martin, our
kitchen manager. The health of his 96 year old
grandmother, Rose Weddig, suddenly began to decline. At
the same time his mother, Rose’s daughter, developed a
serious heart problem. His grandmother eventually died,
but his mother had to miss the funeral because of her
own condition. She then had surgery and is now
recovering. Please keep Jeff and his family in your
prayers.
Packer Games During Retreat:
This year the
retreatants twice were asked to begin Lent early. One
game occurred on Thursday night and then later a playoff
game began at 3:30 pm on Saturday. Fr. John refused to put the TV in the lounge. A minor
rebellion was quelled. Brett Favre text messaged Fr.
John asking him to convey his gratitude to the
retreatants for the prayers and sacrifices. The Packers
lost when they did not play during a retreat at JRH.
A
Fish Story:
Last summer Fr. Jonathan Haschka, S.J. was among the
Jesuits who made a retreat in late May. Fr. Jonathan
was home from Tanzania for a visit. During the retreat
our maintenance crew gave Fr. Jonathan some lures that
had washed up on our shore over the years. Shortly
after Christmas Jonathan sent an e-mail. He refurbished
the battered lures with new hooks. He needed some fish
to feed the Jesuit community. He went down Lake
Tanganyika and began casting. Shortly he had ten
strikes. He reeled in two Nile perch. One weighed 30
lbs. which he described as a “walleye on steroids.”
This is true collaboration between Jesuit ministries.
Staff Doings:
In the midst of the dusty remodeling Fr. Gene focused on
reconstructing his retreat conferences for the Jan.
24-27 retreat. Frs. John and Bob are grateful to Fr.
Gene for his cooking skills and new recipes. In
preparation for a workshop on the theology of creation
Fr. Bob has written a new song based on the creation
story in the first chapter of Genesis. On Jan. 22 Sr.
Kerry gave a day of reflection to 38 women and men from
Holy Spirit Parish which serves Darboy and Kimberly.
Seven inches of fresh fluffy snow made JRH even more
appealing. In early January Fr. John met with two
people from
Marquette
University who will help develop a new logo. The
Advent retreat attracted 49 women. The staff enjoyed
the opportunity to plan and give the retreat. The
retreatants appreciated the opportunity to be still and
prayerfully enter into the Christmas season.
Special Thank You:
We are especially grateful to Fr. Ron Bieganowski, S.J.
who teaches English at
Marquette University. Between September 23rd,
2007 and
Jan. 20th, 2008,
Fr. Ron interrupted his sabbatical five times to give
retreats at JRH. Thank you, Fr. Ron.
Suggestion:
Each week the retreatants fill out the
comment sheets so we can continue to maintain and
improve JRH. Recently, in response to the question
asking if anything needs attention, one retreatant
wrote, “Fr. John’s desk.” We will see what can be done
about that!
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