communities

Journey

Our History

Each member who now comprises the Journey Community was individually seeking Christ   some twenty years ago. None of us were from the same location, nor did we know each other.
John Surrette was the thread of Grace God used to call together about 100 people for a day of prayerful reflection and choice, at the Jesuit Center in Charlestown. On that day about twenty made the choice to live the Ignatian way. Each of us was asked to make the Journey into Wholeness, under the direction of John McCarthy. Thus began the formal community of CLC in 1987.

After two years together our number dropped to 14. The loss of these people were for valid reasons. John remained with us as a spiritual guide. He encouraged a yearly retreat. He guided us through the full version of the 19th annotated Spiritual Exercises. John let us happen. He never preached. He awakened our increasing discernment. He supported our struggles, changes and growth.

Our Style

In the beginning we were deeply committed, meeting weekly. However, we were unwilling to become involved with, and to participate in the other communities. We ignored regional events and national events. We did not pay dues. We were a solitary, isolated cell. Other groups joined us at the annual retreat. In this experience we were invaded by Christ. We began to share Christ differently with the others. Our personal lives and our collective life changed. Transformation was happening. Formation was forming us. During these early years we were blessed by the spiritual guidance and the delicious humanity of John Surrette. Over the years we were deeply influenced by the spirituality, the retreats, the books of Larry Carcaran, John McCarthy, Derek Roose and Bill Barry. Now we are equally blessed by the presence of Paul Kennney, as a member of the Journey Community. He brings knowledge, clarity, joy, his spirituality. He challenges us and delights us.

Our community was influenced by the Nairobi Document. As a result of studying it, we changed our format. We named our gift. We discovered a sense of comfort in sharing that gift, realizing it was that gift for which we were accountable. Contributing that among ourselves and with those in other communities was so much easier because the gift was our authentic self.

We are aware of the Holy Spirit among us, as we simultaneously witness life through death. We have become intimate, transparent people, a family united in Christ sharing our souls in faith.

We realize the importance of saying farewell. As older men and women we are familiar with the death. The loss of our sister Mary W. shaped our souls as we walked with her, through her suffering and tears. We are individually experiencing physical weakness. We are older, conscious of health limitations. As we suffer these losses, we are graced by the gift of gratitude, as we continue our journey with and through faith, albeit sometimes limping.

Communally we give and receive love. We support each other as each of us faces our realities of lives and apostolic mission. We realize the importance of openly speaking to these realities.

We spent one whole cycle on death and dying. We used an article entitled “Managed Death - doctors, lawyers, kin, clergy have their say” a B.C. Conference. B.C. Magazine, pages 12, 13 - spring 2003. We also used Tolstoy’s story: “The Death of Ivan Ilytch” and Tolstoy’s “Confessions”.

Our desire is to be available, accountable, attentive to farewells. It is important to participate in farewells, as that we may continue the journey and fare well.   We are greatly blessed throughout this experience, as we enjoy the awareness of the youthfulness of the Spirit within.

Over the years our locations have changed from Charlestown, to Medford, to St. Joseph in Waltham, to St. Mary’s in Waltham where we meet now. We now number 7 - one on sick leave.

Hope

A Christian Life Community based in Taunton, Mass.
Why We Come Together and Who We Are

Hope CLC, on one level, is a group of people who want to live life more fully and therefore decided to gather regularly. But this could be said of many support groups, prayer groups, and social action groups. However CLC integrates all of these: it is a gift and calling we have accepted in response to an “urgent need to unite our human life, in all its dimensions, with the fullness of our Christian faith.” (paraphrased from CLC’s basic charter, The General Principles)

What we in Hope CLC share in common - and what gives us our identity - is a way of life grounded in the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. It is our experience that this lay vocation challenges and helps us to integrate Ignatian spirituality, Christian community and Gospel mission. We value this gift of integration both individually and corporately. Each member seeks to be a contemplative in action, a person who find God in all things. Similarly, Hope CLC continually looks to respond to what is more urgent and universal, and be a discerning community for mission. All members share responsibility for the development, life and activity of the community.

At our meetings, led by a member on a rotating basis, we typically do the following:
We share a little bit of personal updating, some catching up and checking-in [3-8 minutes]
We then move into prayer, usually involving scripture or other readings and 1-2 songs [10-20 minutes or more]
Flowing from prayer, we partake in faith-sharing (i.e., each shares without interruption where I have experienced God's presence/God’s love since last time we met) [10-30 min.+]
Next, we discuss the day's main topic or do a planned activity [30-60 minutes, depending on focus]
Prior to a closing prayer, we evaluate the meeting (i.e., what was helpful, what might we do differently; is God calling us to some action) [Note: Though we aim to do this, we don’t always succeed in doing this, despite viewing it as important) [5+ min.]
We almost always end with a brief prayer, standing in a circle with hands joined.
Occasionally, we have Eucharistic and/or social celebrations as part, or in lieu, of the above. We also sometimes take part in broader CLC gatherings including annual World CLC Days and a yearly weekend gathering sponsored by the New England region. The group has also availed itself of other faith-and-justice-enriching opportunities at parishes/retreat centers or performed some service in conjunction with social action events. Along the way we've had some individual and common shared experiences of the Exercises.

Throughout nearly all of our history, Hope CLC has aimed to meet weekly. In practice, the group now probably averages 3 meetings per month - maybe a bit less over the summer months. The four women and one man who make up the group range in age from late forties to late sixties, with two now retired. Two members have been members since choosing the community’s name in 1976; another joined in 1980, one came after past CLC participation elsewhere in the late 90’s, and our newest member joined in 2003. Three members reside in Taunton, one lives in Westport, and the other in Braintree.

What has Hope CLC done in the service arena? Some highlights include the discerned apostolates of the early 1980's: the people and situation of E1 Salvador," followed by "developmentally disabled adults of greater Taunton.” We felt called to an extensive year-long study of simple lifestyle issues in the mid 1980’s. On several occasions, we have acted as a ‘servant community’ for our movement, once leading a nation-wide consultation to draft what remains to this day the Vision, Mission & Values statement for CLC of USA (adopted as a preamble for the national CLC By-Laws.)

Some years ago, the group discerned that we were called to support the individual ministries of our fellow members. More recently, as part of an extensive Regional discernment process, Hope CLC has provided some direct involvement and financial support to Mustard Seed Communities (which serve the poorest of the poor in places like Jamaica and Haiti), as well as local affordable housing groups, such as WATCH in Waltham, MA.

Cambridge

We are…
... a group of young professionals from different parts of the world.
... around 6 men and women looking for a sense of community in
our personal journeys of faith.

Everything started when …
...a Brazilian couple arrived in Boston in 2001. They felt a need to
have a prayer group based on Ignatian Spiritualiy. A couple of their friends living in the area shared the same interest. More members joined the group through Jesuits, friends, roommates,partners, the internet, etc. Some of us had previous experiences with a CLC community in our own countries,
some with other prayer groups, and some of us were new to this type of experience. But we all have something in common, our need to share our faith within a community.

From Pre-CLC to CLC…
Although we were involved with the other CLCs in the New
England Region, we considered ourselves a Pre-CLC for over
2 years. After a long discernment, some of our members decided
to make a temporary commitment to CLC. In October 2003, we
became “official” and had a special celebration with the
whole New England region.

We have been…
...meeting weekly in our homes in the Boston area.
...using different formation materials including the books "To Walk in the
Life Of Christ" by Larry Gooley SJ, "The Practice of Examen: Finding God in Daily Life" by Tim Gallagher, "Moment by Moment" by Carol Ann Smith SHCJ and Eugene Merz SJ.
Also some materials published by CLC in England and Wales. We have also devoted some meetings to a specific topic such as the Terry Schiavo case.
...going to regional, national, and international events
....undertaking regular Social Justice Reviews. Each of us has a
personal apostolate and we share this with the group every 6-8

weeks.
...keeping a journal of our meetings.