St. Francis Xavier was the closest friend of St. Ignatius, founder of the Jesuits.  He had become so deeply united with Christ, through the Spiritual Exercises and life with other Jesuits, that he was ready to go anywhere for the good of souls.  Another Jesuit, Fr. Nicholas Bobadilla, had been scheduled to go to the Indies but he had fallen ill.  The boat was about to sail and Xavier was the only one available. With the freedom that can only come from God, Ignatius sent his best friend to the missions.  They never saw each other again.  Their letters show how deeply they missed each other but also that they knew they were both being guided for God’s greater glory.  Hundreds of thousands became Christian, and Europe was electrified by Xavier’s call for more people to give themselves away.
      Each and every individual who is part of the Ignatian family, such as being a member of a Jesuit parish, shares in this same call, to allow God to guide our lives to bring God’s greater glory.  It takes time, not just to learn certain kinds of things, but to become a certain kind of person: a woman or man or parish who steadily becomes more integrated by Christ, into Christ.  One’s praying, feeling, thinking, planning, deciding, acting, everything-ing, all join to change dreaming God into living God.
      Ignatian spirituality is the hallmark of a Jesuit apostolate. St. Francis Xavier parish is steadily growing in its ignatian charism.  We will never stop finding ways to grow in our individual and corporate friendship with Christ, from extended prayer, to engaging liturgy, to working with the poor both here and elsewhere, to meetings and meals and delight in each other’s company.  However we may have identified ourselves in the past, we are committed to be disciples of Christ.
      I encourage every single member of the parish to make some form of the Spiritual Exercises.  The parish staff, and the Ignatian Spirituality Center will help you in this, each in their way.
     To those who are recently joining our parish, welcome!  You now share this call.  I thank God for bringing you here.  To those who have long been laboring in the SFX vineyard, only God will be able to thank you enough, and God will.  For the greater glory of God!

 — warmly,
                Fr. Stephen (Steve) Yavorsky, S.J.
                Pastor