The Jesuit Mission Band

Years ago Jesuits went around in "Mission Bands," preaching the Word of God, leading people in the "Spiritual Exercises" of St. Ignatius, celebrating the Sacraments, encouraging people in their devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and introducing them to the Apostleship of Prayer. The practice faded until this summer when Fr. Phil Hurley, the director of youth and young adult ministry for the Apostleship of Prayer in the U.S., pulled together a team of younger Jesuits who created a program for young adults. They journeyed to five cities in the Midwest (Milwaukee, Chicago, Iowa City, Des Moines, and Columbus) for an event called "Hearts on Fire." Some of it was captured on video and can be seen here. One of the Jesuit seminarians, Michael Wegenka, wrote about his experience on his blog, "A Scaffold of Score Brittle Bones." In our group evaluation last week, there was a strong desire to keep the Jesuit Mission Band going and so we've begun to make plans for a few events during the school year and some more next summer. Keep an eye on the Apostleship of Prayer web site to see if the Jesuit Mission Band will be coming to your city!