TESTIMONIALS

Pam Brown,
19th Annotation Retreatant 2009-2010

What drew me to Bridges? I knew I wanted more in my relationship with God, something deeper. I just knew God was bigger than the box I had Him in. I saw an announcement in the church bulletin about a Bridges retreat. So I was drawn to find out more.

I made the commitment that I really would spend more quality time with God. The 'Weeks' of the exercises opened me up to experience the Divine in all things, even me. The time spent reading, praying, meditating, contemplating, sharing my experiences and questions with a prayer companion was a very much needed growth for me. The Principal and Foundation Prayer of St. Ignatius helped me change the way I experience life. What is the true goal of my life? God gave me life because He loves me. And my desires and choices should lead to a deepening of God's life in me.

God freely gave me His graces during the retreat. I now strive to be present to the 'Presence' at all times. Everything has a potential of calling forth a deeper response to my life in God. I want to see God in every moment-good, bad, happy, sad, -God is there. I am striving to hold the things of this life with less of a death grip, holding possessions and what life deals me more loosely. Focusing on the reality that everyone and all life has the Divine Breath in them has made me feel as though my soul reaches outside of this body of mine. I don't quite know how to describe it.

There is an analogy I would like to share. I was watching a Chanel 9 concert one evening. There was an extraordinary violinist. There was the violinist, the violin and the music. I saw myself as the violin. It was good in itself and a thing of beauty. The violinist had a love for the violin. It was part of her. And what happened when the two came together was divine. The music was an audible outpouring of what was inside the musician. The violin became an instrument through which the musician spoke. The two were a beautiful meshing into one. The intensity with which the musician played stirred emotions within me. The violin magnified what was in the musician. They were not one, but they were not two. That's what I want-God and me-not one, but not two.

I want to proclaim like Mary in her Magnificat... "My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior."

David Straub,
19th Annotation Retreatant 2009-2010

"When you look for me, you will find me. Yes, when you seek me with all your heart." (Jer. 29:13)

First of all, allow me to congratulate you. If you are this far into your search for a closer relationship with our Lord and Savior, you are most certainly to be congratulated. Know that God loves you, and He will be with you thru your search.

My name is David Straub. I was born into a very Catholic family, with 1 brother and 8 sisters. Two of those sisters are Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, and my brother had studied to be a priest (he was not ordained however today is happily married and has 3 great children). I went to Catholic schools thru high school. I married my high school sweetheart, who I was introduced to by her aunt (who is also a St. Joseph nun) and one of my two "sister" sisters. We have 4 of the most spectacular children any parent could ever imagine. My wife Linda and I are members of Holy Infant parish in Ballwin, Mo. We also have been active members of the WorldWide Marriage Encounter movement for the past 10 years. I am a business man by profession, focused on Sales and Marketing, building teams, and strategic planning most of my career.

I guess you could say it is somewhat ironic that my Bridges journey actually began the very day I ended an Ignatian weekend retreat a couple of years ago. One of my favorite spiritual advisors, who just happened to be attending a party I was attending the same day my retreat ended, asked me about the retreat. After telling her how wonderful the experience had been, she did not hesitate to tell me that she felt there was much more I needed in terms of my relationship with Christ. She told me about her own experience in making the 30 day Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. Then, since she knew I could not take 30 days off from work to make a retreat, she also told me about her subsequent experience in making the Spiritual Exercises vis-à-vis St. Ignatius' 19th Annotation thru the Bridges program.

I tucked the idea away in my mind for a couple of weeks. But God, and St. John Vianney, played a role in pulling it back to the forefront. The church we attended that Sunday had a painting of St. John Vianney displayed in the tabernacle. It captured my attention throughout most of the Mass. As I exited the church I noticed holy cards with that same image sitting on a nearby table. As I reached down for one of the holy cards, oddly enough (or maybe not so oddly) sitting there on that same table next to the holy cards was a brochure for the same Bridges program my spiritual advisor had mentioned to me weeks earlier. I read the brochure from cover to cover, amazed by its message and desiring what it offered.

I went thru the exercise of completing the application, however since I was going thru a particularly difficult time at work, I had decided, on the final day for turning in the application, to leave it up to God to inspire me to drop it in the mail. If He did not, I decided I would abandon the Bridges idea for the time being. That day I had a meeting with a consultant I had not seen in years. It turned out that she had scheduled this meeting not to talk about business. Instead she wanted to personally thank me for the interest I had taken in her struggling marriage a couple years earlier, and to let me know that my words of encouragement at that time were the one thing she credited with saving her marriage and bringing her husband and her back together again.

I was overwhelmed by God's grace. So I decided to risk something personal with this person. I used the opportunity to confide in her about what was going on at work and the application to Bridges. Her response to all of this was that, from her experience, times like I was going thru at work were exactly the best time to do things like Bridges. That's all it took. That afternoon that "angel" inspired me and so I dropped the application in the mail.

The rest, as they say, is history. From the time my application was accepted by the Bridges leadership team thru the end of the program, I was counseled and mentored and advised by some of the most wonderful people you could imagine. Thru my Community I met others like me on the same path, striving to improve their relationship with God. Thru my Prayer Companion (what an incredible saint) I came to realize that I was a sinner that was in great need of a savior. He taught me to truly rejoice in the birth of Christ, who is the savior I needed, and then I walked the road to Jerusalem with Jesus. I was there with Jesus, Mary, and his apostles thru the 24 hour ordeal of his passion, torture, and death, and I realized my own role as a sinner in all of that. But then I was also there, and still am today, to celebrate with him and those same people as he defeated death and rose to new life to be among us for all time.

I learned the wisdom of St. Ignatius and his Spiritual Exercises. I learned his Foundation and Principles, I learned of the importance he placed on what he called "indifference", I learned the importance he placed on love especially as it related to love of God, and I learned to have confidence in the fact that God's love is all around me in the creation He has bestowed upon me.

Lastly, I learned the importance of my dedicating time to sit and talk with, and listen to, my new best friend, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. After all, how many friends do you have that remain friends if you don't spend time with them?

So that pretty much brings you up to speed with my witness. The journey however is far from over. Perhaps someday I will be able to enjoy the experience of that 30 day retreat. However, in the meantime, I thank God for the blessing of living thru the liturgical year with him for the 9 months that I was able to experience the Spiritual Exercises in everyday life thru St. Ignatius' 19 Annotation as provided to us in the St. Louis Area by the Bridges program. I thank him for continuing to be with me each and every day. I hope and pray that you are blessed to have the same joy in your life.

"Those who love me I also love, and those who seek me find me." (Prv. 8:17)

Steve and Theresa Tadrick,
Bridges Retreatant 2010-2011

We are grateful for the opportunity to share the graces and treasures we received as a married couple during the 19th Annotation of the Spiritual Exercises if St Ignatius 2010-2011. After thirty-five years of married life and raising four children, we felt the pull for a deeper commitment in developing ourselves spiritually. We felt the same desire; to expand our personal relationship with God. As we searched and prayed for direction, we were introduced to a week of guided prayer at our parish.

The week of guided prayer was our first taste of Ignatian spiritually. We were introduced to prayer guides who opened us to different methods of prayer and support. We immediately felt the impact and energy of the Spirit. Our desires to go deeper increased and led us to seek out other Ignatian programs. We were like wooden ships of old sailing on the sea, carrying cargo of precious metals. The captain of the ship mysteriously felt the magnetic pull of an unseen hand upon his vessel. The feeling was like a subtle and unseen force. The pull of God's spirit became obvious in both of us and we surrendered ourselves into His embrace and into the Bridges Program.

The Bridges program is designed with wonderful supports for its retreatants. We were gently led through the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises with others who were willing to share their insights, wisdom, and love. Bridges helped us progress toward our authentic selves. That self that wants to love and serve God. The prayer companions are a vital element of the program. They are the vehicles God employees to help direct his precious ships into His Kingdom. We are these little ships at sea, sailing upon the vast Ocean of life always in God's majestic sight beckoning to bring His treasure home. Bridges is a "way" to see and know God in concrete ways which leaves His everlasting imprint upon ones heart.

Even though we attended Bridges as a married couple, the program was geared to our individual journeys. We read the same material and shared our thoughts with each other but we both explored our own internal solitude which allowed us to proceed at our own pace. (Theresa) I felt a strong prompting to add a few of my own experiences. I came to the program because I had a great desire to have an intimate relationship with Christ and give my love to Him. For many years I languished with this burning desire, I prayed and prayed, but I could not fathom how to love Christ. After all, Jesus has the Love of the Father, what could He do or want with my simple love? I am certain God's providence is what brought us to Bridges. The commitment to daily prayers and reflections of the Spiritual Exercises gave me an avenue to love God more deeply and feel His presence with me daily. Today I believe God cherishes my simple love, but even better, our Love relationship increases more and more. Jesus takes my hand and leads me to Himself. This awareness of Love has spilled over into my marriage, family, and community.

The Spiritual Exercises are a deep commitment on the retreatant's part in developing an intimate relationship with God, the Son, and Spirit. The incarnation lives at the core of the Exercises. In our ever changing world we desperately need God as our center point. (Theresa) During Bridges the meaning of the Incarnation and the life of Christ became real to me. The amazing Love of God created Jesus to share in our humanity. I understood that Jesus endured the same weaknesses, temptations, pain, and loneliness that I have suffered. He understood me! Graces I received during Bridges helped me to realize that, for me, following Jesus requires being patient, listening, and letting Him lead. Serving God means being content and accepting God's timing and plans for me. My Faith allows me the freedom to let God lead me where He wills -His will be done.

It was bittersweet for us at the completion of Bridges. Like a great book, we found it hard to put down. Bridges is an experience that one absorbs into ones life. It is offered as a way to live a more meaningful life. It is an awakening to a new way of thinking and perceiving the world God has created around us and inside of us. Thankfully, we found Bridges not to end. It is only the beginning of another chapter in our marriage and our journey of Faith.

In closing we leave you with the words St Ignatius spoke, "Be open, Be Courageous, and Be Always Grateful."

Sue Velders,
2009-2010 Bridges I Participant

What brought me to Bridges was a desire to find something deeper in my spiritual life, and I wanted that something to be ... who knows what. I could sense a restlessness in my soul that I just couldn't seem to satisfy with all of the things I used to do to quiet all of that down a bit (like praying the Rosary, reading works of the saints, reading reflective books, ... ) So along came a small ad in the St. Louis Review talking about a month-long retreat of spiritual exercises based on the work of St. Ignatius. I had heard of Ignatian Spirituality but didn't know anything about what it involved. I found the phrase "spiritual exercises" intriguing because it implied practice, over and over again which may lead to a real discipline about one's spiritual life, and for some reason I really wanted that regularity and potential for dailyness. The ad referenced a website, so I immediately went online to check it out. Not only was there a month-long retreat, but there was also an eight-month-long retreat where you stayed at home, continued with every aspect of your daily routine and responsibilities, and added into that some practices that would insert spirituality into everything you did. It also referenced a link to Creighton University and a collection of daily readings and reflections you could read and contemplate throughout the week so you could begin at any time. So, from that Sunday until going to the Bridges information night, (three weeks later), I began using the daily readings and reflections from the Creighton University site. I actually found it pretty easy to insert into the very beginning of my day, and then, after hearing from the panel that night, was pretty sure this was a direction I needed to take with my prayer life. Everything the panelists said struck a chord of familiarity with me. The desire to delve deeper into a prayer life, the desire to know God, a longing for greater freedom and peace, a hunger for the truth about who Jesus is and how we are to be in relation to Him.

The 19th Annotation of the Spiritual Exercises as presented in the Bridges program is the most well-designed, well thought out, and well-guided personal retreat I have ever experienced. The presence of a prayer companion who has experienced the Exercises personally, who is further trained and skilled in guiding the retreatant, and who possesses a very deep understanding of our God is invaluable. It is a prescriptive retreat, one that provides God a platform to enter into your life in a way that is particularly what you need. The readings follow the liturgical calendar, so even as I experienced the retreat in my own individual way, I found myself constantly supplemented and nurtured by the church as a whole, and I began to experience the liturgy deeper. Being a cradle Catholic, I had heard almost all of the readings before, but Bridges has a way of giving you new eyes and ears and a new way of looking at our living God. He is what animates the life I see around me now. It was suggested that nothing in life is "secular" when you have a real understanding of who God is, and I find myself reflecting on that often, particularly now as we struggle to live in a society that so much wants to remove God's hand from everything we do.

When going through Bridges there was a phrase that I kept hearing over and over again, and only as I progressed through the program did I begin to understand what it meant. The phrase was that "God can never be outdone in generosity." What it came to mean for me was that no matter in what small way I would choose to turn toward God, He would always meet me exactly where I was and then give to me things that were not even on my list of what I would have thought I wanted or needed. I had always heard He was a God of abundance, but I never realized He had his own list going of what He wanted to give me that far surpassed what I thought would be "good." I would give God my time (about 45 minutes a day of uninterrupted silence) and he would give me the entire day of thought processes that gave me a new way of looking at the world. I would open the Scriptures and reflect on a two-line reading, and He would provide me with the gift of understanding the meaning profoundly, and, even better, now there are readings that I am carrying in my heart for continued reflection. I went into Bridges seeking something, I didn't even know quite what, and I have now entered into a meaningful relationship with God, with Jesus, who used to completely baffle me, and with the Holy Spirit who has continued to lead me toward a greater understanding of who this Jesus is

It has now been several years since I experienced the Exercises, and life without the Bridges "program" has continued but not life without some form of daily prayer. I will be forever grateful to Bridges for this gift of learning how to listen to what the Scriptures are telling me about God's hand in my days. It is natural to go into periods of feeling disconnected from God in the midst of the struggles of daily life, but I have learned to hear his voice even then. He constantly provides us with gentle reminders that He is there, waiting to love us in countless ways, if only we would turn our attention toward Him. I am continually learning how to trust His word and am continually reminded that the situations into which I am placed will someday make sense. In the meantime, I will continue my search for God in the here and now and find myself speechless in his presence.

Sister Florence Wesselmann, SSND,
Prayer Companion 2011-2012

The art of being a prayer companion is a grace beyond all telling. I remember an instance when a retreatant began the exercises-shy, stooped, fearful that God could not love him. However, he prayed faithfully, journaled, and shared with me how his prayer had gone, though not ever being sure "he was doing it right." Imagine my joy when later into the retreat when I walked into the room, and the retreatant standing erect, with arms raised to heaven said, "Sister, now I know God loves me, that's why He made me." He had experienced God's love and now he knew "he was doing it right". I could hardly contain my joy for him and my heart burned with love and gratitude for our gracious, loving God.

There are many privileges in being a prayer companion. Imagine my joy and gratitude in accompanying retreatants in their Bridges faith journey by being:

• the one who presents God not only as the Most High, the Omnipotent, the Creator, God present in all creation, and climaxed in the Emmanuel.
• the one who opens the Scriptures to reveal God's infinite love in sending forth all creation to progress and fill the universe.
• the one who reveals the One who walked among the people, teaching them to love one another, curing their illnesses, healing their wounds.
• the one who speaks of Him who was rejected by His Own, abandoned to godless people, was tortured and crucified.
• the one who tells how Jesus is sad at heart as He sees his loved ones witness His cruel torture and death, and then peacefully giving over His Spirit to the Father.
• the one who joyously announces Jesus' proclamation, "I am risen and am still with you".
• the one who accompanies the Risen One who consoles the faithful and appears as they knew Him in life.
• the one who recounts that the Beloved returned to the Father, sent the Holy Spirit to His faithful with this commission, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations."
• the one who announces the Loved One's promise, "And behold I am with you always until the end of the age."

Such is the grace of being a prayer companion. And it never ends.