Provincial Corner - Very Rev. Myles Sheehan, SJ

 

Dear Friends,

After a long winter, the coming of Spring is especially welcome. How much more welcome is the celebration that death is destroyed, suffering redeemed, life has true meaning, and all creation is part of God’s glory: Happy Easter!

This Lent has been filled with surprises in our Church, from the resignation of Benedict XVI to the election of a Jesuit pope from Argentina, Francis. God does make all things new in Christ.

I hope that you will keep the forty days from Easter to Pentecost with a spirit of joy and hope, conscious that our God does surprise, and that in Christ’s Resurrection the powers of darkness, despair, and sin have been defeated. What might the rising of Jesus and the coming of the Spirit mean for you that is new, surprising, and hope filled?

Throughout the Easter season, Jesuits from the New England and New York Provinces will offer Ignatian perspectives and reflections in our weekly podcast. I invite you to listen online at www.sjnen.org/Easter.

I wish you and all your friends and family a wonderful Easter Sunday, and hope that the day is filled with joy.

Sincerely Yours in Christ,

Very Rev. Myles Sheehan, SJ signatureDownload Biography for Fr. Myles Sheehan, SJ
Very Rev. Myles N. Sheehan, SJ
Provincial of New England


Updates from the Provincial

Election of Pope Francis

Fr. Provincial Myles Sheehan, SJ, made a statement expressing both joy and gratitude to God for the Holy Father’s election. Read Fr. Sheehan’s full statement.

Laetare Sunday Podcast

Fr. Provincial Myles Sheehan, SJ, recorded the Laetare Sunday podcast for the province's Lenten podcast series. He spoke on the joy of our relationship with Christ and home coming, a theme closely tied with the parable of the prodigal son in this Sunday’s readings. Listen online.

Lenten Resources

The New England Province has put together a guide to Ignatian spirituality resources for Lent including podcasts, videos, and reflections. Read more.

Provincial Advent Homily Series

Listen to weekly Advent homilies by Fr. Myles Sheehan, SJ via podcast on the New England Province's 2012 Ignatian Advent Podcasts & Resources page.

Facing the End of Life: Recovering our Catholic Traditions

Fr. Myles Sheehan, SJ, presented "Facing the End of Life: Recovering Our Catholic Traditions," as context for the  physician-assisted/doctor-prescribed suicide ballot initiative in Massachusetts at various parishes throughout the Archdiocese of Boston. "As Roman Catholics, we have a more excellent way to face the end of life," he says.  Watch the video presentation on YouTube.

CatholicTV Airs Aging Gracefully TV Series

CatholicTV is now airing episodes of the new TV series Aging Gracefully, featuring Fr. Myles Sheehan, as he discusses Catholic perspectives on issues faced by the elderly and those who care for them.  Read more & watch episodes.

Unique Perspective on Physician-Assisted Suicide Debate

Fr. Myles Sheehan, SJ, offers unique perspectives on the debate in Massachusetts over the upcoming Physician-Assisted Suicide ballot as a Jesuit priest trained as a physician who specialized in internal medicine and geriatrics.  Read his perspectives in this article by The Boston Pilot.

Lifelines Segments Offer Jesuit Perspective on Aging

Fr. Myles Sheehan, Jesuit priest, provincial of the New England Province of the Society of Jesus, and trained as a physician with certification in internal medicine and geriatrics, offers 4 short videos about the role spirituality can play in aging in a series of LifeLines segments from CatholicTV.  Watch the segments online.

AMDG Award Presentation & Jesuit GALA

On April 11, I was honored to present the Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam award (for the greater glory of God) to Fr. John Wronski, President  of Nativity Preparatory School in Boston, and Mr. Alex Zequeira, President of  Nativity Preparatory School in Worcester, at the annual Jesuit GALA. Watch the video and view the photos on our 2012 Jesuit GALA page.

Presentation of End-of-Life Issues

On March 20, Fr. Provincial Myles Sheehan, SJ, presented What Are They Saying about End of Life Issues? at Holy Family Parish in Concord, Mass., as part of the parish's adult faith formation. A video of his recent presentation at a workshop sponsored by the Archdiocese about the doctor prescribed suicide ballot initiative is available on Vimeo.

Visit to Jesuit Center in Amman, Jordan

From March 5 - 11, I visited the Jesuit Center in Amman, Jordan. Read more about the trip & see photos.

Compassion in the Face of Death

On October 3, I was the guest on "Conversation with Bishop McManus," a cable TV and internet program of the Diocese of Worcester. The petition drive in Massachusetts which is underway to allow the legalization of physician assisted suicide was the topic of the conversation. Watch the video.

Discussing Vocation on Catholic TV

Fr. Robert Reed and Jay Fadden had me on their show, This is the Day on Catholic TV, to talk about my vocation to the priesthood and the Society of Jesus.  You can watch the interview on the CatholicTV website; my part starts at 15:09.

Health Care: A Basic Human Right

In an issue of Company magazine, I wrote about health care as a basic human right and called for effective and affordable ways of "supporting the vulnerable in our midst" from my perspective as a physician and Jesuit.  You can read the article online.

Fr. Sheehan visits Nativity School of Worcester

View photos from my visit to the Nativity School of Worester. More


Publications & Presentations

The Need for Both Faith and Reason in Bioethics — U.S. Catholic

November 2012
Fifty years after the opening of the Second Vatican Council, the church faces new challenges. In this final installment of a three-part series, Father Myles Sheeshan talks about why the promise of advances in biology and medicine need to be coupled with the insights of faith and reason.


Facing the End of Life: Recovering our Catholic Traditions — Archdiocese of Boston

February 2012
Presentation regarding end-of-life issues for Catholics and the debate over doctor-prescribed suicide in Massachusetts at a workshop by the Archdiocese of Boston entitled "Suicide is Always a Tragedy."


Can Prayer Trump Pain?America magazine

March 23, 2009
As a Jesuit priest who practices medicine, I must say that some of the more tiresome moments in my career have been encounters with reporters who want to do a “little story” on spirituality.


Affording Old AgeAmerica magazine

July 9, 2008
Robert Butler is the nation’s pioneer in directing attention to the promises and issues raised by aging and the increasing number of older persons in America and the world.


A Struggle for the Soul of Medicine — America magazine

November 5, 2007
At most medical schools in the United States, students are given a white coat during a ceremony in the first weeks after matriculation, and they are told about the role they will play and their obligations...

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