Farewells and Rebirths

By John D. O'Brien, S.J., on behalf of the Ibo writers

Credit: Santiago Rodriguez

Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning. –Winston Churchill

The time has come to say farewell to our loyal readers. Sort of. For we are not so much departing from you, nor you from us, as we are putting to rest the format of communication that has served us both so well these past few years. The editors and writers of Ibo have decided that this will be the final article here, as we migrate to an exciting new blog-site hosted on Patheos.

On the Camino with Santiago – Paul Elie

By Santiago Rodriguez, S.J. 

This is my interview column where I feature some of my personal heroes. These are men and women who are addressing some of the most important challenges of our time. 

Paul Elie is a senior fellow with the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs. He is the author of The Life You Save May Be Your Own: An American Pilgrimage (2003), a group portrait of the American Catholic writers Flannery O’Connor, Walker Percy, Thomas Merton, and Dorothy Day, and Reinventing Bach (2012). He writes for the Times, the Atlantic, Commonweal, and his website, Everything That Rises.

I have heard that there is a crucial difference between an important writer and a great writer, but for me Paul Elie is both an important and great writer. Reading his work makes me feel more human, and more reflective on our human condition. Paul is profoundly thoughtful and incredibly inventive – by his own account of what invention is all about. I interviewed Paul a couple of weeks ago. Below is a condensed and edited transcript of the interview.

To Dream the (Im)Possible Ignatian Dream

By Brother Daniel Leckman, S.J.

Once upon a time, I was passionate for the Arts and the ability it gives us to dream. In my years as a college and university student, that passion bordered on (L)insanity! I was full of zeal for poetry, film, music and literature. In a special way I turned to literature as my artistic inspiration. I was particularly taken with Russian literature.

The ‘Ruskies’ had such an impact on me that I suddenly began to dream about becoming someone that could write books that would both enchant readers, and challenge them to become better people. I yearned to be a writer that helped people to dream, but also empowered them to act against the injustice in our world.

When I left university, there was a shift: I emerged from the academic bubble I had been living in, and entered into ‘the real world’. This was a place where I worried about the future and struggled with present financial insecurity. In such an environment, my passions withered, and they were replaced by a need for escape. My dream of becoming a writer did not fade, but rather than cultivating it by writing, I turned to films and television. Oddly enough, my dream to captivate and challenge people was still nurtured by TV, especially by Josh Whedon. Every single week, the creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer had me eagerly waiting to hear his wit, insights and wisdom through his characters. I envied and wanted to emulate this kind of writing very much. However, as with all earthly things, this show, and the influence it had on me wasn’t meant to last.