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Monthly newsletter from the Apostleship of Prayer.

NEW YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULT DIRECTOR HITS THE GROUND RUNNING

If you need a dynamic speaker for an event for teenagers or young adults, call us!  We have what you need.

I am delighted to introduce you to Will Hudson, our new youth and young adult director.  Previously this position had been occupied by a Jesuit priest or scholastic.  Will is the first lay director of our ministry to youth and young adults. This month he is marrying a beautiful young woman from Milwaukee named Jenna. That gives us hope he will stick around.

Will has a Bachelor’s degree in Theology and Philosophy from Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, where he also met Jenna, and a Master’s degree in Theology from Boston College. He has received many academic honors.

At Boston College Will was steeped in Jesuit spirituality.  Will worked with Fr. Casey Beaumier, SJ, one of our board members, and it was Fr. Beaumier who first introduced him to the Apostleship.  Together they developed a week-long summer retreat for high school juniors and seniors.

In college Will also served as a student leader in the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS) in which he led a group of men through scripture studies, mentored students, planned and ran weekly meetings, and organized campus events.

Will’s experience with the spiritual formation of youth and young adults has prepared him well for his work with the Apostleship of Prayer. Along with teams of young Jesuits, he will be leading our popular Hearts on Fire retreats for young adults 18-39 throughout this country and Canada.  He will also present retreats and give talks to teenagers in parishes and Catholic high schools.  I think you will find this interview with Will inspiring (see below)

 

In the Sacred Heart of Jesus,

 

Fr. James Kubicki, SJ

National Director

 

 

 


INTERVIEW WITH WILL HUDSON

Q: What attracts you to this ministry?

A: I want to share the joy of Jesus with young people.  Jesus has given me such joy, and I have known many others who also live in the joy of Jesus. Yet when you look at the young people in our secular culture, so many are unhappy, afraid, lonely, and without purpose. I believe every heart aches to be loved—infinitely. Jesus is the source of all love, goodness, truth, and beauty. I want young people to know Jesus Christ.

Q: Did you come to Jesus when you were young?

A:  I grew up in a Catholic family in Pittsburg, Kansas, the youngest of four children. I went to Catholic schools. My general sense of being Catholic was that if you do good, you will go to heaven, and if you do bad, you will go to hell. A loving relationship with God would have been something unfamiliar to me, so I didn’t take my faith too seriously. God really got my attention when I was in ninth grade. I had been invited to join an evening rosary group. I remember standing at my locker thinking that the group was bound to be boring or a waste of time. Then I realized that I needed to make a choice right now for God. So I committed to the rosary group. Strangely, the decision seemed bigger than simply agreeing to attend a prayer group once a week. Somehow, I felt I had committed myself to God. It was the first time I had said yes to Jesus!

Q: I know you love Scripture and talk about Scripture in your blog and your talks. Where did you get that love of the Word of God?

A: As a high school senior I took a theology course.  The teacher, a priest, devoted one day a week to prayer in its different forms. One day he introduced us to lectio divina, an ancient Christian practice that incorporates prayer into sacred reading. As I prayed this way I felt that I actually encountered God through Scripture. I began to practice this form of prayer 30 minutes a day.

Q: Do you still pray with Scripture 30 minutes a day?

A: Not exactly. I still try to pray for at least 30 minutes every day, but I’d say I’m a little freer in my prayer life now. I still pray often with Scripture, but I also enjoy just being with God and speaking to him about whatever is on my heart. It is a great joy for me to be in the presence of God, receiving His love and offering myself to him.

Q: As you know, much of our ministry to young adults is based on Jesuit or Ignatian spirituality. The whole idea of making an offering of one’s self to God is in fact a key part of the teaching of St. Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Jesuits. How familiar are you with Ignatian spirituality?

A: In high school and college I learned to practice the discernment of spirits taught by St. Ignatius. It’s a very helpful principle for a young person because our world presents so many confusing messages. It can be hard to tell which voice is God’s voice. I love to explain discernment of spirits to teenagers and young adults.

Q: You attended a Jesuit college as a graduate student. Were you exposed to Ignatian spirituality there?

A: Yes. I had a Jesuit priest as my spiritual director, Fr. Casey Beaumier, SJ. He led me into a profound understanding of my own identity as a beloved son of the Father. When that identity is established, everything else falls into place. That’s something I long to share with others.

Later I went on pilgrimage to Europe with Fr. Casey and about 20 others.  We traveled in the footsteps of Ignatius Loyola, visiting sites like Loyola, Manresa, Barcelona, and Rome. I began to understand Ignatius’ life and teachings, including his first principle and foundation, the two standards, the examen, and his devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Q: Do you expect to use your understanding of Ignatian spirituality in your work at the Apostleship of Prayer?

A: Constantly! These things are a big part of what I want to share with young people. But more than that—I want to hear what young people have to say to me. I like to hear their thoughts and ideas. I feel they have much to teach me.

          


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