On St. Ignatius Day (July 31st), there is an annual tradition at Villa of a softball game of "Novices vs. the World," with "the World" meaning everyone at villa who is not a novice. For instance, a regular pitcher was a 74 year old who says he runs 5 miles every other day (gosh I hope I can be like that someday!).
Before the game, I overheard someone say that "the World always wins." I don't know if this is true, but it sure wasn't this year! Our novices came back from behind to win 11-8, with yours truly getting two hits. It was quite a victory to behold.
One of the best parts of Villa is the inter-generational nature of it. Some of these Jesuits have been coming here for 40 or more years. Indeed, one of them just recently preached on how it has been a "still point" in his formation process, a home to always back to, in the midst of all the transitions of life. Indeed, there is a lot to learn from these men. I spent one night chatting about technology until 10 o'clock with a world-renowned Jesuit photographer, Fr. Don Doll.
After the baseball game, a novice and I went to go walk and pray the Rosary. We quickly came upon an 80 year-old Jesuit who evidently had the same idea. We asked if he wanted to join us, and so we prayed together along the road. At the end when we parted ways, you could really see it in his eyes that he appreciated and enjoyed that prayer with the younger generation.
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