We are so thrilled to offer our very first in-person group program, in collaboration with the Parish of the Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter & Paul!

During Lent, we'll read/ journal/ pray our way through the wonderful book by Patrick Saint-Jean, S.J., The Spiritual Work of Racial Justice: A Month of Meditations with St. Ignatius Loyola.

RSVP below if you'd like to be part of a peer-guided weekly in-person gathering to reflect on how the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, as Fr. Patrick shares it with us, sheds piercing light on the sin of racism and how to begin to heal its effects on all of us. The meditations follow the framework of the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises as laid out by St. Ignatius of Loyola.

The meetings will be co-facilitated by Marisabel Alonso and Marcelle McGuirk.

We will use the 1st meeting as an introduction to the book and to each other, in order to cultivate a space for group sharing and reflection. The next 4 sessions will be structured around the 4 parts of the book. The final meeting will be a wrap-up session, as well as a space for reflection and prayerful brainstorming around how each individual is being called to work for racial justice. 

The in-person sessions will take place on Monday evenings at 7pm ET, beginning on February 27th. The final meeting will take place during Easter Week (there will be no meeting during Holy Week).

We will meet at the Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter & Paul in Philadelphia (location of the meeting space will be provided after registration). Parking is available in the Cathedral lot.

Deadline to register: Sunday, February 26th.

Participation is FREE, though you will have to acquire a copy of the book.

Recommended ways to order the book: through a Black-owned bookstore in Philadelphia, such as Harriett’s Bookshop or through www.betterworldbooks.com. There is also an ebook version available here.

If you have difficulty obtaining a copy for any reason, please let us know and we will be happy to help!

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us at newencounterscatholics@gmail.com