Annual Giving 2024: Knocking at midnight
Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer.’ ..Because of your shameless audacity your friend will surely get up and give you what you need. Luke 11: 5-6, 8
Each year at this time the Ignatian Spirituality Institute knocks on the doors of our friends begging help. One might wonder why we are consistently in need of additional resources. Is it a lack of planning or failure of management? No. We ask our friends for help because it’s midnight and people come to the Ignatian Spirituality Institute hungry for what they need and want.
Today's challenges can feel like a midnight darkness: complexity, confusion, conflict. Questions emerge about peace, hope, faith, and love. Many are steadfast yet feel tired and weary, restless and riddled by disappointment. It is difficult to see in darkness and we yearn for sustenance and rest. The Lord sends many to ISI to be fed, encouraged, and cared for. In these times, women and men need the bread of faith, the bread of hope, and the bread of love.
At ISI, pilgrims find spiritual companions who listen and help them discover meaning even at midnight. Through ISI programs, retreats, and most especially the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius, women and men discover an intimacy of God’s love. A love opening a concrete claim to faith and freedom. Through the people and programs of ISI, mature discipleship dawns, relieving the darkness felt. We help people face today's challenges and find God there. We at ISI share all we have, and then we turn to our friends to help us give more.
It is with shameless audacity that we continue to knock at your door and rely on your help. Why? Because we know our friends. We know you will rise with generosity in your heart and support in your hands. So, we come to you again knocking and seeking and trusting you will open the door.
ISI cannot do what we do without your financial support. You must know you are an answer to prayer, the fulfillment of the dreams of pilgrims on a journey, and a co-founder in a ministry that serves those who knock at midnight.
In gratitude,
The ISI Board
Mary Katherine Simion, Chair
Carol Atwell Ackels, ISI Director
Christopher Ackels
Henry Ackels
Alex Bucheli
Mike Chesney, SJ
Sheila DeSantis
Susan Friedrichsen
Francis ‘Billy’ Huete, SJ
Debbie Wallace
Roberta Ward
So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock
and the door will be opened to you.” Luke 11: 9
The Ignatian Spirituality Institute is a 501(c)3 organization.
Your donation is tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.