Our Grad in Eco-Theology: Fr. Jim Conlon
by Victor DeGagne

"What do you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?', was the question Fr. James Conlon posed to his audience during our February day of recollection here at S.P.S. Within the heart of this question lies the mystery of vocation. It is a process of finding one's voice and discovering what it is that one is to give to the world, for the power is within us to express who we are.

For those discerning the vocation to the priesthood, we are led into the very meaning of the Paschal Mystery, which is living in the hope and in the light of the resurrection.

Hope is becoming a rare virtue these days. Father Conlon pointed out that the world today is in crisis. We are living in a broken-hearted world where there is a growing loss of the sacredness of creation and a growing culture of violence toward the earth, and one another. This is demonstrated in a globalized economy which is increasing the divide between the rich and poor, in a social order of pre-emptive strikes and despairing youth, in the environment where ecological disasters are wiping ten thousand species out of existence each year, and of a consumer culture where retail therapy anaesthetizes people's desire for God.

Fortunately, hope is not lost. Hope is the answer to a world crying for good news. Father Conlon noted that S.P.S. is an example of giving hope to such a world. He asserts that "St. Peter's is a delivery zone for a new breed of priests." What is this new breed of priests? "Individuals living a vocation that is contagious with courage, where terror is turned into love, despair into hope, and tears into laughter."

This occurs with a deep spiritual grounding, and a gift for reaching out to others, or as Father Conlon calls it, "prolonged engagement." It is about developing and satisfying our natural longing, that deep hunger for life found in God alone. Father Conlon challenges us to go to the edge of our longing. This is fundamentally experienced in our spiritual practices, which are the anchors of our lives. Prayer is an imperative for reaching out, as it grouse& us in the reality that is unfolding around and within us. We become connected to that inner reality where we are one with God by being one with each other and with creation.

Flowing from our spiritual practice is the development and living out of a vision. We need to have an idea of what we are staving toward as individuals and as a community of faith. Finally, to take this vision and implement it through active involvement with the world is the final step of "prolonged engagement." It is here that the intimate link between mission and discipleship is completely realized. To be disciples of the Lord is to be actively involved in the world. It calls for an operative theology that is perceptive and reflective to the needs of the world, and a knowing how to be creative and passionate in our response. It is the actualization of a Eucharistic hope by gathering together, telling the story, and breaking bread, for we have "a deep-seated conviction that tomorrow will be a better day."

Father James Conlon attended Assumption University, Windsor, where he received a degree in chemistry. From there, he attended St. Peter's and completed his theological studies.

After several associate pastorships, Fr. Jim felt called to reach out in new ways. His journey led him to Toronto and Chicago for further studies and finally to Oakland, California where he is director of the Sophia Center: A Wisdom celebrating Earth, Art, and Spirit, at Holy Names University.

Fr. Jim is the author of six works. His most recent books are: "At the Edge of our Longing, Unspoken Hunger for Sacredness and Depth", 2004 and "The Sacred Impulse: A Planetary Spirituality of Heart and Fire", 2000.