Before coming to Hawaii, I taught in schools included Jesuit High in Sacramento, Bellarmine Preparatory School in San Jose and Loyola High in Los Angeles. During that time I spent a year teaching at a seminary in East Africa.
When I was teaching I, like most Jesuits who are not assigned to parishes, would go out on weekends and celebrate Mass at nearby parishes. The usual practice was to offer Mass and otherwise have little involvement with the life of the parish. After over 20 years of teaching, I thought it would be a nice change of pace to have a more active role in a parish community.
I came to Hawaii in 2004 and did become involved in parish ministry. I have enjoyed serving in St. George, Waimanalo, on Oahu, and at St. Joseph, Hilo; St. Anthony, Papaaloa; Good Shepherd Mission, Honomu; Immaculate Heart of Mary, Papaikou; and Sacred Heart, Hawi, my present assignment, on the Big Island.
The Society of Jesus, aka the Jesuits, was founded by St. Ignatius of Loyola in the 16th century. St. Ignatius had the then revolutionary idea that a priest could be both contemplative and active. It is through our contemplative prayer that one is able to do the work with which one is entrusted.
Contemplation includes prayer and my prayer is very simple, certainly nothing profound. I pray Divine Office daily and say the rosary, as well as other shorter prayers during the day. Twice daily I make an examination of conscience. An important part of prayer is thanking God for the day given me and I hope to use the day wisely. St. Ignatius, in addition to founding a religious order, also wrote “The Spiritual Exercises.”
The motto of the Society of Jesus is “All for the greater glory of God,” from the Latin “Ad majorem Dei gloriam.” Keeping this in mind makes one realize that one is working for something bigger than oneself.
The examination of conscience, the examen, is done around midday and before ending the day. While there are variations — and I don’t claim to be an expert — I will try to offer a simplified version of St. Ignatius’ guidelines of the examen. 1) Place yourself in God’s presence and give thanks for his love. 2) Pray for the grace to understand how God is working in you. 3) Review the day; what was done well, and what needs to be improved. 4) Is what is being done drawing one closer to God or further away? 5) Look forward to the next day.
Ideally the examen leads to deeper prayer and aids us on our individual spiritual paths.
Father Michael G. Scully, SJ, is a Jesuit from the California Province. He entered the Society of Jesus on Sept. 1, 1976, and was ordained a priest on June 7, 1986. He pronounced his final vows on March 26, 1995. He is pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Hawi on the Big Island.
