Reflections Archives

The very first Male Spirit Retreat in Cleveland opened October 21, 2005 at St. Joseph Christian Life Center.

In the followup after, men wanted to maintain the feelings, the experiences, the connections. And formed three “Circles” — which began to meet biweekly.

Today, January 27, 2026 is the Twentieth Anniversary of the founding of what started as Friday, then moved to Tuesday, and is now the Wednesday Morning Men’s Circle: January 27, 2006!

Shem Center friends,

Neil Douglas-Klotz, a friend and colleague of mine for many years offers us an opportunity to experience his research and wisdom regarding the words of Jesus in his own Aarmaic language. His words found in ancient texts offer us new understanding of his teachings familiar to us from Greek and Latin scriptural texts. Please join us by registering for the dates it is offered. This free opportunity is his gift to us, the followers of the teachings of Jesus.  

— Joseph Kilikevice, OP, Shem Center Founding Director

A Free Video Event With Teacher and Scholar Neil Douglas-Klotz, PhD

Christmas is a time of wonder and delight for our children, unless you are those we see in bombed war zones we see on the news. We search for a place to ignore the heaviness of heart that invades our adult lives as we juxtapose the scene onto the relative safety of our own lives. How do we celebrate the holidays this year when viewing heartbreaking scenes of two children holding hands sitting in the rubble of their bombed out neighborhood. It strikes me that they were doing what any of us must do to live in a world of violence and destruction. Do what children do, simply hold onto each other. 

Author: Kevin Kuhn
On November 14, 2025, myself and 20 other non-violent civil disobedience protesters were arrested outside the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility in Broadview, IL. Our 6 hours in a local Cook County Jail cell were minor compared to the trauma of our Chicagoland neighbors inside the ICE facility. Our neighbors and friends have had their lives disrupted forever after being abducted by ICE officers off our US streets.

Pope Leo XIV, in his Christmas message, called for an end to global wars, highlighted humanitarian crises, and pleaded for sympathy for immigrants worldwide.

Why it matters: The Christmas Day message was a call for peace and the first for the U.S.-born Pope, who was elected in May.

He cited suffering in Gaza, Ukraine, Yemen, Africa, Haiti, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and more.