News from Comunidades Hispanas Ignacianas
By Zandra Schiemann
CHI in Atlanta, GA
Start of the First Comunidad Hispana Ignaciana (CHI) in Atlanta, GA
On June 9, at the Ignatius House Jesuit Retreat Center in Atlanta, GA, the first Comunidad Hispana Ignaciana (CHI) formally began. Guides recently trained by the Office of Ignatian Spirituality (OIS) and Father Bill Noe, SJ, accompanied 10 people who accepted the Retreat House's invitation to be part of the Ignatian Hispanic Communities process.
The committed and enthusiastic participants have been meeting monthly to pray, accompany each other on their spiritual path and put their faith into action, making this new community stronger every day.
CHI in Chestnut Hill, MA
Comunidad Hispana Ignaciana de San Ignacio of Chestnut Hill, MA, Social Project and Movie Night
During a recent meeting on the topic of "Faith and Justice," the Comunidad Hispana Ignaciana of San Ignacio Chesnut Hill, MA, decided to help a refugee family from Guatemala with 3 small children and a newborn baby. The community agreed to carry out a concrete action that would help the family with what they needed at that moment. For four weeks, CHI members took turns going to the house and taking clothes to a public laundry to wash.
Motivated by this action and to reflect on our faith and service to others, the community gathered for a movie night to watch “Encanto.” The film helped them to meditate on their own families and to recognize that being different does not make us weaker, that together we become stronger and can repair those broken things in the family and in the communities.