Being Bridges of Hope – Walking in Advent with Mary
Ignatian Day of Prayer and Reflection
Office of Ignatian Spirituality – St. Benedict Parish, Somerville, MA
por Zandra Schiemann
This past November, a new Hispanic Ignatian Community began forming at St. Benedict Parish. 78 people—families and parish members—participated in the “Ignatian Day of Prayer and Reflection: Being Bridges of Hope – Walking in Advent with Mary”.
The purpose of the gathering was to contemplate Advent as a journey of inner pilgrimage toward hope. Inspired by the monarch butterfly and the “butterfly effect,” participants reflected on how each simple gesture can transform their own lives and the lives of others, recognizing that God accompanies us in our fragility and movement, and that we are called to be migrants of hope.
The day began with a prayer led by Father Alejandro López Cardinale, pastor of St. Benedict, followed by moments of prayer, silent reflection, and activities guided by Zandra Schiemann from the Office of Ignatian Spirituality.
The encounter unfolded in four moments:
Migrants of hope and the “butterfly effect”, showing how small things can transform history,
Being bridges through values such as love, hope, peace, and joy,
Mary, Lady of the Way, presented as a migrant of hope who invites us to walk with confidence from fragility; and
an exercise of contemplation and personal prayer in silence before the Blessed Sacrament, accompanied by the Virgin Mary and St. Joseph.
Throughout the day, each group built its own bridge, with firm foundations in the values shared and celebrated in community. These bridges will be integrated into the large Nativity scene that will adorn the parish this Christmas, as a visible sign of hope, fraternity, and communal work.
The final prayer, centered on Mary, invited us to contemplate her as a model of discernment: she listens, treasures in her heart, and acts—the woman who “in all things loves and serves”—whose humble “yes” continues to remind us that each simple gesture can be a flutter capable of changing the world.
The gathering concluded with a solemn blessing imparted by Father Alejandro, bringing to a close a day marked by prayer, reflection, and the commitment to be bridges, migrants of hope within our families and communities.
