Christian Life Communities bring together faculty, staff and students

It has been said that faith brings people together. That sense of community is what Saint Louis University wants to offer through a program for faculty and staff members.

Christian Life Communities are lay discussion groups that have a commitment to bringing Christ into the everyday lives of members. The small groups, based on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola, are present in more than 55 countries worldwide.

“CLC is based on community, mission and spirituality, and the movement goes back to about 1560,” said Bob Costello, S.J., the regional ecclesial assistant for the national Christian Life Community organization and supporter of SLU’s Jesuit identity. SLU has a number of CLCs for students, but there has been growing interest in holding groups for faculty and staff members, especially since Jesuit Hall houses the national office for the movement.

Having small groups is essential to the mission of a CLC, Costello said. During gatherings, members pray together, share life details, search for common themes and reflect on how a commitment to the Ignatian way can enrich and unite aspects of their lives. The focused meetings typically last for about an hour and a half and occur twice a month. At SLU, they may occur over the lunch hour in Jesuit Hall.

Costello, who received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from SLU, served for several years as an ecclesial assistant for CLC in England and learned that each group has its own way of exploring the mission. “For many groups, there is a ‘spine’ that runs through a year’s experience of CLC, perhaps something in a book or a part of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola that guides the year’s reflections,” Costello said. Costello mentioned that though CLC is fundamentally Catholic, members of all faiths are welcome to join. In addition, more groups can be formed if SLU faculty and staff show overwhelming interest.

For more information about Christian Life communities, email Costello at cosrobert@gmail.com.

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