Philip Shano, SJ

Philip Shano, SJ has many years of rich and varied experience working with Ignatian spirituality: teaching, writing and using it in his ministry. He resides in the Jesuit community in Pickering, Ontario.

581 posts

30 Jun

Canada Day 2014 – Many Solitudes or No Solitudes

Several months ago, there was a joint meeting of Jesuit superiors from French and English Canada. We are preparing to unite into a new Jesuit province in Canada. A few of the older Jesuits there spoke of the famous "two solitudes" notion that is an element of the history of this country. The references were often in the broader context of the linguistic and cultural distinctions between English and French Canadians.One English Canadian Jesuit summed it up by stating that even if we all became bilingual in French and English overnight, we really would not bridge the cultural divide. They really are two cultures. I would say that there was an unspoken assumption by a few people that we are all either French or English....

26 Jun

Feast of the Sacred Heart

Are we able to do in the twenty-first century what St. Margaret Mary Alacoque did in the 1670s regarding devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus? That's the question posed by Fr. Gerry O'Hanlon, an Irish Jesuit, in A Renewed Devotion to the Sacred Heart. He writes of this traditional devotion in light of modern theology and looks at what a renewed devotion might mean for our times. He suggests that the symbol of the heart conveys very well that the focus of this devotion is the person of Jesus Christ, someone with whom we can identify....

12 Jun

The Impact of a Father

I grew up never realizing how unusual for the time were my father's contributions to our family life. Not only did he often do the dishes, he regularly cooked meals for the family. This is primarily in the 1960s! As I recall, his dishes were generally creative affairs, often inspired by his fondness for Asian cuisine. He also had a habit of creating an Easter cake in the shape of a bunny. This became so etched in our memories that I recall him having to recreate this for at least one grandchild. And there were other creative efforts. I always took for granted his help with the household tasks. But, at the same time, I realized that his ways were in marked contrast to neighbours' and friends' fathers....

08 Jun

Brother Eugene McLaren, SJ

I've been a Jesuit for over 35 years. Most Jesuits have something unique about their personality, but the older Jesuit Brothers are true characters. I'm speaking of an older sort of Jesuit Brother, a man who didn't pursue an education and spent his life in menial labour and daily tasks. Nowadays, brothers can be scientists, astronomers, retreat directors, administrators, and so on....

05 Jun

Pentecost and The Gift of Knowledge

Saint Ignatius of Loyola invites us to pray for an "intimate knowledge" of Jesus Christ. He is not inviting us to research Jesus Christ on Google until we get to the very heart of who Jesus is. This knowledge is not about the mere accumulation of facts. A person can read theology books and every word of sacred scripture, but if that person is without a heartfelt understanding, they don't really have knowledge of God.A wise person once reminded us that the longest journey in the world is from the head to the heart. The smartest person in the world is not necessarily able to grasp divine truths and have a real appreciation for the surpassing greatness of God. Knowledge is one of the seven traditional gifts of the Holy Spirit, gifts that we celebrate with Pentecost....

08 May

A Mother’s Vocation Never Ends.

About a dozen years ago, I came to after a lengthy surgery for a brain tumour. There was a person sitting in a chair at the foot of my bed in the hospital room. She was there almost whenever I opened my eyes for the next several days. It was my mother. At some point I think I suggested that she could take more breaks. I remember her stressing that it was a mother's vocation to be there for her child in need, even if that child was 45 years of age. I'm told that the heavy drugs made me impatient and rude. Yet, my mother never complained about my attitude. Mothers are like that....

30 Apr

Saint Joseph the Worker and Dorothy Day

Today is the Feast of Saint Joseph the Worker. For much of the world, May 1 is also International Workers' Day. The socialist idea of celebrating workers and the Christian reminder of St. Joseph the Worker weave together in Dorothy Day and the Catholic Worker movement. The union is neatly summed up in something she wrote to Stanley Vishnewski, one of the first people to join the movement she started with Peter Maurin, "When it comes to the Catholic Church, I go to the right as far as I can go. But when it comes to labor, pacifism and civil rights then I go as far as I can to the left."...

27 Apr

Two Sainted Popes – A Look Beyond Politics

Pope Francis continues to keep us on our toes. We can never be certain what surprises he will spring upon us. There was the culmination of another illustration this past weekend with the canonizations of two of the most influential popes of the last half-century or so. The People of God can now officially call upon the intercession of Saints John XXIII and John Paul II. The canonization of two popes on the same day is an unprecedented moment in the life of the Church. But we've come to expect the unprecedented from the Jesuit Pope. He threw out the playbook on day #1 of his papacy....

18 Mar

The Contemplative St. Joseph

My all-time favourite image of St. Joseph is a statue that is located on our Jesuit property in Guelph, ON. The piece features St. Joseph sitting on a large rock, located just behind the farm workshop. His hammer is resting in his lap. We usually associate statues of St. Joseph as showing the step-father of Jesus in a more active stance, actually using the tools of his trade, rather than letting them sit in his lap....

16 Mar

St. Patrick’s Day – Lá Fhéile Pádrai

Everyone's Irish on March 17! This is a day when anyone who wants to can become Irish. O'Rosinski! O'Fernandes! O'Nguyen! We can all go around wearing green or Irish-themed clothing. Or, why not wear a big pin that says, "Kiss me. I'm Irish." This is a day of green beer, green chocolate, green jello, and green cake. It's a day for the Irish, the Foreign-Born-Irish, and the wannabe Irish. Charles Madigan reminds us that, "St. Patrick is one of the few saints whose feast day presents the opportunity to get determinedly whacked and make a fool of oneself all under the guise of acting Irish."...