22nd February 2011

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LORETO COLLEGE COORPAROO P O Box 1726, COORPAROO DC QLD 4151 Telephone: 07 3394 9999

Facsimile: 07 3847 1254

Absentee Line: 07 3394 9964

Email: email@loreto.qld.edu.au Website: www.loreto.qld.edu.au

22 February 2011

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Dear Parents and Staff

This year 2011, we mark 400 years since Mary Ward had her profound understanding from God that she was to “take the same” (as The Society). What this meant was that she wished to model her order on the same basis as that of the Jesuits (The Society of Jesus). God was calling her to establish an order for women, governed by women, who would be free and mobile in society to work for God, in whatever way deemed necessary in the times and without any constraints of enclosure.

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This was truly a radical idea for her time.

To “take the same” today, we embrace this heritage of our Ignatian Spirituality (St Ignatius was the founder of the Jesuits).

400 years on from this moment, we celebrate our Mary Ward tradition and our Ignatian heritage and its meaning for us today in “taking the same”.

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Last weekend, the College Council met formally for the first time this year. We were gently guided to consider some key aspects of Ignatian Spirituality and what this means for us in our daily lives; in our stewardship of this College and in our own hearts and prayers. Martin Scroope, Director of the Loyola Institute in NSW, led our In‐service and I offer the following extracts from some of his material for your own reflection.

All people working in Ignatian ministries today are also called, if they so desire, “to be with Christ as servants of his mission, to be with people where they dwell, work and struggle and to bring the Gospel into their lives and labours”. Integral to all Ignatian ministries is Ignatian spirituality and its “way of proceeding”, a reflective and Christ‐centred approach to life interlocked into the relationships and processes of the every day. The reflective process is founded in the dynamic of experience, reflection and action expressed in prayer, decision‐making and daily life. It is a process that is open to all people, in any culture, at any time.

The Jesuit historian, Fr John O’Malley sj and the scholar of the Spiritual Exercises, Fr Howard Gray sj, both believe that Ignatius Loyola was given three basic and simple insights.

Conversation The first foundational insight and the one Fr John O’Malley sj considers to be the most central, was conversation.

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To Ignatius, this was carried on at different levels.

In making contact with oneself, by reflecting on one’s own life. By dialoguing with one’s God on one’s reflection. By sharing at some depth, with one’s peer group, those matters of mutual importance. Linking back to God that which one has shared with one’s peer group. With one’s peers, planning those outcomes from the conversations which would help others. Expanding these conversations with other groups, which share the same kinds of vision, and moving together with them to actions for the greater good of self, others, creation and God. This insight could be called the apostleship of listening.

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Holy Desires – Life Generating Dreams The second foundational insight identified is equally as simple as conversation and in essence flows from it; in Ignatius’ words, holy desires. In our times, this may be translated as life generating dreams. To dare to have and execute life‐generating dreams for ourselves, does not just happen by itself. The Ignatian community should be a place where there is time for everyone to dream; dreaming is incorporated into the very life of the institution. It should be a highly creative place, since at the heart of all good processes is self‐discovery promoting growth and human flourishing. Because Ignatius was at heart a dreamer, his legacy is not complete without passing on the significance of dreaming itself.

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To Save Souls – Helping Others The third foundational insight of Ignatius identified is to save souls. In our times, this may be translated as helping others so that they may help themselves. In a broad sense all communities are instruments for serving God and the world, through people.

Ignatius synthesised these three insights in the single quest of seeking and finding God in all things.


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