Kolvenbach Visit to Omaha

The Importance of this Visit

Fr. Jim Grummer, S.J., Provincial of the Wisconsin Province of the Society of Jesus, decided to use the occasion of the 125th anniversary celebrations of the Jesuits coming to Omaha, and the upcoming 50th anniversary of the beginning of the Wisconsin Province, to invite Fr. Kolvenbach to come to Omaha, to visit our Jesuit sponsored ministries, and to give a major address.

The topic of the major address comes from the theme of the visit, "Celebrating 125 Years of Jesuit Lay Partnership in Omaha." The 34 General Congregation of the Society of Jesus, which met in Rome in early 1995, issued a decree, addressed to the Society itself, entitled "Cooperating with the Laity in Mission." Reading that decree would be an outstanding preparation for this historic visit of Fr. Kolvenbach.

Fr. Grummer has asked Fr. Kolvenbach to give a major address on this same topic, but addressing it to us all: Jesuits and Lay Partners: Cooperating with Each Other in Mission."

Please come and join us for this important reflection on our Mission together.

What Has Fr. Kolvenbach Said Already?

"Our unity respects both freedom of conscience and the amazing spectrum of gifts the Lord has given to each of you. Thus, among you are people from every walk in life, every profession: among you too we discover the richness and variety of ways in which you relate to God. Some of you have made the Spiritual Exercises in their entirety and are able, in consequence, to give them to others with profit. Others, as is provided for in the Exercises, have had experience of only one or other aspect of Ignatius' spiritual journey. There are others again who have never had the opportunity to make the Exercises, and still others whose spirituality is not Ignatian. All of this is entirely legitimate and, indeed, bears witness to the wealth and variety of the Church's spiritual heritage. Nor is it rare that others who do not share our faith and practice, nevertheless take part in our works on the basis of the values we share in common. In several countries, Christians of other denominations give us their valuable support. In Asia and Africa, in particular, there are many examples of our working alongside non-Christians, either in their institutions, or in our own.

"Many Jesuits and laypeople have been mutually enriched by their working together in freedom and maturity in such a way that they have been able to share their experience of God, very often thanks to the inspiration of the Exercises. In fact, the four hundred and fifty years of the Society's history have been a record of fruitful association with the laity, in which the Ignatian spirit has manifested itself in the Church in many forms, and it continues to do so with vigor today. At the present time, in fact, the Universal Church has devoted special attention to the laity in a Synod of Bishops. The Apostolic Exhortation, Christifideles laici urges that the participation of the lay faithful in the salvific mission of the Church be 'more rich, complete and harmonious'."

- To Friends and Colleagues of the Society of Jesus