Fr. Stan Kolasa, ss.cc., Director of Development

We are told in Advent and in Lent to “reform” our lives — to “repent”.  It is about freely choosing to RE-FORM our lives.  It is such a wonderful invitation and even an exciting idea, but, but…so often, life’s circumstances re-form life for us without our having any say at all.  Sickness, death, tragedy and losses of many kinds invade our lives and the lives of our beloved.  Sometimes we pray, “please Lord,  help me to deal with this… help me to get through this… (even) help me to survive”.  We must re-form, like it or not—choose to or not.  Sometimes we must re-form our lives in ways we just don’t choose at all.  Not too long ago, in November, terrible winds and rains came that affected many people – but so badly in the Caribbean, especially in the Bahamas on the island called Long Island where our Father Pat Fanning ministers.  The floods were devastating; roads were impassable; homes were flooded out.  Even emergency help could not get through.  These people who already had so little now had even less, and what remained was ruined by water.  Their lives were re-formed, but not by their own choice.  Suddenly they had to choose to re-form their lives again just as they had to internally reform their hearts and their faith again, with God’s help and with our help too.

At the Sacred Hearts Retreat Center in Wareham, Massachusetts, where we serve the spiritual needs of so many of God’s faithful, the invitation to re-form the heart in a place of tranquility and peace is the mission of our brothers and sisters there as we serve to provide the setting for peaceful prayer and reflection.  Many come because the setting is in the natural environment that God has so wonderfully provided.  It is a place of trees and water, of birds and animals who roam freely; it is a place where we can once again be amazed at God’s goodness and beauty.  Some come because of the spirituality of the Sacred Hearts that speaks of unconditional love and being reformed in the very heart of God.  Some come for it all and more.  Some come to be healed and some come to be united in prayer with others.  Some come simply because

the call of the Spirit leads them to this place of God’s manifestations.  More would come if we had the room.  More would come if we could accommodate them and serve them, not just a room and food, but the feast at the Table of the Lord.  More would come to spend time in Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and to dwell in a place where God’s presence is God’s gift.  Our dream is to provide in this place the opportunity for more to come and be re-formed.

Lent is a joyful season of re-forming the heart.  Let us join together as we re-form the Spirit, the face of the Earth.

God bless and love, Fr. Stan Kolasa, ss.cc.

A memory from Fr. Stan...

 It was such a lovely thing to be able to prepare small packages of delightful candies for the little children who had so little  We all worked so hard to make them special that we might bring moments of joy into the lives of God’s little ones who had been living with much less than most others enjoyed.  We were delighted with what little we were able to do and wished we could do more, but how? 

 We did what we could and then, shortly after we had distributed the candies, one little boy came back to me with one of the three big candies in his bundle.  He opened his hand and there was the wrapped candy -  the prettiest one of the bunch.  I thought he was showing it to me and told him how lovely it was.  He said, “I know, that’s why I want you to have it.  I have one and I gave one to my sister.  Isn’t it wonderful – now we all have candy together.”

 … and I say, too, isn’t it wonderful.

  I wanted to do more and couldn’t.

He did.