New Mexico's Society of Jesus

✞ ✞ ✞ ✞ ✞ ✞ ✞ ✞ ✞ ✞ ✞ ✞     ✞




✞✞ ✞ ✞ ✞ Jesuits (or The Society of Jesus)

St. Ignatius, a  soldier-turned-mystic Ignatius Loyola, founded the Society of Jesus in an effort to reform the Roman Catholic Church. Rather than break off as a separate church, the Jesuits became a distinct order of priests in 1534 and received commendation from Pope Paul III in 1537. Pressured by the royal courts in Europe, Pope Clement XIV denounced the Society, causing Jesuits throughout the world to renounce their vows and go into exile. The suppression lasted for 41 years, until what is called their restoration on August 7, 1814. Jesuit priests take vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. Today they are the largest all male religious order in the Catholic Church. Jesuits are well known for their schools, including higher education, but are mainly a missionary order. 

The Jesuits are celebrating 2014 as their 200th Anniversary from the Restoration

Pope Francis is the first Jesuit pontiff

Jesuit Spirituality 

•    Finding God in all things 
• Listening with a discerning heart
• Choosing to live for the greater glory of God 

Founded in 1883, Immaculate Conception Church is the only Jesuit Church in New Mexico and only one of a handful in the Southwestern part of the United States. They have an affiliated school and nursing home next door, St. Mary's Catholic School and St Mary's Rest Home.

I attended the 5pm Saturday Mass.

It is a large and gorgeous chapel in the heart of Downtown Albuquerque. The service had well over a hundred people in attendance. Right away I noticed something pleasantly different about this Catholic service. Women were an integral part of the service - leading the chants, doing readings, helping with communion. There was not a individual bulletin for the service, but I believe it was Father Oren Key who presided over the mass. 

The liturgy was a traditional one otherwise. The sermon was based on Paul's 1st letter to the Corinthians. Fr. Key spoke of Paul's heartbreak at the news of the divisions in Corinth for Paul believed, "we are one in Christ. Brothers and Sisters in Christ." He talked about the relevance to today's issues of division and discord among different denominations of Christians and that the differences should only serve as an enrichment, rather than a division. He talked of the passion Paul had for unity. Just as Paul urged the Corinthians to set aside their difference and come together, so he urged his congregation:

That is the spirit we still have to strive for today ~ Fr. Key 

I really liked the sermon. I feel it spoke to the mission of my journey. While preparing to share communion, they did not announce any restrictions but I knew from experience that only baptized Catholics in good standing are meant to partake, but I did go up and get my blessing.  

It was a great way to spend my Saturday evening, well worth the trip downtown. 

THANK YOU Immaculate Conception Church for welcoming me into your sanctuary to Worship God. 

Sitting with the Quakers

The Religious Society of Friends, otherwise known as Quakers, are a Protestant Christian Denomination that grew from the Enlightenment era in England and today has it's largest population of followers in Africa. 

They are historically significant in the U.S. for their large part in the Abolitionist Movement. From 1755 to 1776, the Quaker Society became the first organization in history to ban slaveholding and openly promoted emancipation.

Quakers profess a dual commitment to spiritual awareness and social activism. They believe that the, "responsibility for ministry rests on each of us in the community," therefore the services are facilitated by congregants and all church business is conducted through committees. 

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

                                                              ~ 1 Peter 2:9

Although there are many Quakers in the eastern part of the United States, I found out there is only one Quaker Church in Albuquerque. The Albuquerque Friends Meeting is every Sunday at 10:30 am.

They instruct people to arrive promptly and to gather in silence. They state, "the object of our style of worship is not silence, but the quiet waiting for an opening to the divine within ourselves. As we settle into worship, the quiet becomes vital and alive. Vocal messages come out of this animated stillness to enrich the group worship." 

I arrived early and people were congregating, catching up with each. I noticed a large library available for individual use. There were announcement boards for the ministerial and various committees.  

A "friend" greeted me, seeing that I was new and offered me this pamphlet explaining the Worship Meeting. In the meeting hall, all the chairs were arranged in a circle. Friends filtered in throughout the service and filled in the circle. No one spoke we just sat with God. 

The room soon transformed into a powerful sanctuary, a place to leave all of the chaos and the weight of the World at the doorstep.

It is difficult, in this World filled with constant visual and mind stimulation, to sit quietly and calm the whirlwind of thoughts. 

Often even in prayer and meditation, we talk to ourselves internally; but if we never learn to listen how will we ever know what God is trying to say to us. 

Every little movement or noise seemed like a ripple in the serenity that was settling in, but It came to me that part of the practice was to not allow those little noises to become distractions or irritants, just let them wash over you. 

This is what came to me during my silence: 

In a world swimming in chaos, we [the believers] are the anchor that ties this World to God. 

After some time a few of the congregants, stood and said some things that surfaced or were imprinted on their heart during their sit with God. A scribe wrote down the words the people shared. After about an hour, the children and Sunday school teachers came into the meeting hall. We sat in silence with the children for a few minutes as well. 

We all joined hands to conclude the time of worship, they went around the circle and every person introduced themselves to the group, announcements were made, and then fellowship in the hall. 

✝♥✝ They were very lovely people ~ It was really quite an extraordinary experience ✝♥✝

Taking time to be one with God is difficult in this fast paced world, but it is something that we all should aspire to make more time to do. 

Thank You Albuquerque Friends for sharing with me how you sit with God.