First off, I want to start off this blog with congratulations to the six fine men who were ordained at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Milwaukee on May 19th. I was lucky enough to attend; it is a moving and powerful experience, affirming once again the mystery and wonder that is the Church. As I write in my Catholic Herald article, these new priests, most of whom I have gotten to know while working at the library, are going to be great additions to the priesthood.
Their ordination also made me think about God’s call for all of us. For them, it was the call to the priesthood. However, he does call each of us in some specific way, although he does leave it up to us to figure out what that is. Unfortunately for us, it is never just a simple, “Hey, this is God, this is what I want you to do.” That would greatly limit the confusion. However, if we listen carefully, and learn to ask the right questions, God’s path for us is revealed.
Learning to ask the right questions and how to listen is where the library can come in. We have a large array of books on spiritual discernment, both how to do it as well as how to listen to the answer. There are books on practicing discernment with youth, spiritual discernment for yourself or for your community. One of the most accomplished ways of spiritual discernment is the Ignatian Way. We have everything from St. Ignatius’ (translated) works to recent books to DVDs on the best ways to practice the Ignatian Way – available to you, the patron.
So if you are having a difficult time figuring out where God is leading you, the first step to finding your path could be coming to the library.
As always, if you have any ideas and comments for things I could change, please let me know. If you have any books that you have read or have read the books I mention, please leave a comment. We here at Salzmann also want to know what people are reading. Comments are always appreciated – anything I can do to make this better I will strive my best to accomplish.
Here is some basic information about the library:
- Our standard hours are Tuesdays, Thursdays, 12 to 8 p.m.; Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Our address is 3257 S. Lake Dr., St. Francis, WI 53235, right next to Henni Hall, due west of the South Parking Lot.
- The library’s phone number is (414) 747-6479. If you would like to contact me through email, it is mschrauth@sfs.edu.
- There is free Wi-Fi available.
- “Like” us on Facebook – Salzmann Library.
- The library catalog is available online.
