Spirit in the World

Hello Friends,

I’ve recently committed to another year of maintaining Spirit in the World, despite the trickle of postings these past few years. Very grateful to any of you who still get a notice when something goes up. I hope to use this space in the year ahead to get back to sharing thoughts on some of the core issues and concerns that got this blog going years ago.

Meanwhile, I have entered the Podverse! If you’d like to listen to the fruits of that endeavor, take a look here:

Insignis Podcast

You’ll find three programs on a page within the SLUH website. You can also subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. Just search for “Insignis.”

The first program, “Mission Improv,” is a conversation with teacher and local  improv impresario Kevin McKernan. The conversation was a blast and a great way to get started as a host. I guess I cheated, in a way. How better to insure that an interview will be funny and fun to listen to than to talk a master of Improv? But we get to serious–even spiritual–territory, too.  Give a listen!

The next program, “SJ@SLUH,” is a cool conversation with three SLUH Jesuits and a wider exploration of St. Ignatius and Jesuit education. Fr. Ralph Houlihan takes us back to the education lab of the 60’s when he began his career as a Jesuit, teacher and Administrator and gives SLUH insiders a rare glimpse into the story of how the school entered the modern conversation on formation and education. But any listener, I think, will be engaged by the way Ralph and his colleagues Fr. Joseph Hill and Mr. James Page  explore the underlying values and meaning of Ignatian education the current challenges of doing this work from men who have been thinking and praying hard as they walk the road.

The most recent program was easily the most ambitious try, both in terms of subject matter and production design. “Making Makers” features three interviews and a conversation with a national champion student hacking team. The idea was to explore the so-called “Maker Movement” in education and, at a deeper level, ask the question: how can a learning community support and encourage innovators? Jeff Pitts is the former Plant Manager at the St. Louis Anheuser Busch Brewery. Geoff Bull is a military officer, Nuclear Engineer and Professor of Engineering at West Point. And Joan Bugnitz is a SLUH teacher and a brilliant artist and sculptor. You’ll also get a kick out of the music of Saw Horse, a Chicago pop and experimental group.  If you’ve ever had the experience of how satisfying and meaningful working with your hands and solving problems is and wondered why we don’t explicitly encourage young people to do more of that, give it a click!

So, thanks again, friends. Here’s to the Spirit we find in the midst of living ordinary but extraordinary lives. And here’s to the Podverse!