Saturday in Milltown

September 15, 2009 in General, News

sup_gen_milltown_01The gathering of Jesuits for the five o’clock Mass in Milltown was an event in itself, because the brethren were greeting friends they had not seen for perhaps twenty years, and they were praying in the chapel in which most of them had been ordained priests. They were lifted by the Missa de Angelis and modern hymns from the strong, sweet voices of the Gonzaga choir. Mass was prayerful, focussed on the Lord, not on performers. Fr Nicolás’ homily, in Ignatian terms, stressed the First Week of the Exercises, and the deaths and sacrifices that nurture growth. Later, after dinner, his answers to questions covered Jesuit identity, collaboration with lay partners, and relations with ex-Jesuits  – “two of my brothers, he said, are ex-Jesuits!”