Shem Center for Interfaith Spirituality
Joseph Kilikevice, Director Emeritus
Steven G. Miller, Acting Director

Joseph Kilikevice O.P.
Director Emeritus
Shem Center for Interfaith Spirituality
Pope Leo XIV — His message comes from the heart.

Friends, here are some thoughtful words from the newly elected Pope Leo XIV.
Br. Joseph Kilikevice, OP
BREAKING: May 11, 2025 at 3:45 PM
Brothers, sisters…
I speak to you, especially to those who no longer believe, no longer hope, no longer pray, because they think God has left.
To those who are fed up with scandals, with misused power, with the silence of a Church that sometimes seems more like a palace than a home.
I, too, was angry with God. I, too, saw good people die, children suffer, grandparents cry without medicine. And yes… there were days when I prayed and only felt an echo.
But then I discovered something: God doesn't shout. God whispers. And sometimes He whispers from the mud, from pain, from a grandmother who feeds you without having anything.
I don't come to offer you perfect faith. I come to tell you that faith is a walk with stones, puddles, and unexpected hugs.
I'm not asking you to believe in everything. I'm asking you not to close the door. Give a chance to the God who waits for you without judgment.
I'm just a priest who saw God in the smile of a woman who lost her son... and yet she cooked for others.
That changed me.
So if you're broken, if you don't believe, if you're tired of the lies... come anyway. With your anger, your doubt, your dirty backpack. No one here will ask you for a VIP card.
Because this Church, as long as I breathe, will be a home for the homeless, and a rest for the weary.
God doesn't need soldiers. He needs brothers.
And you, yes, you... are one of them.
— Pope Leo XIV
From the Director Archive
Pope Francis on the Trump Administration’s Treatment of Migrants
Friends, here are some thoughtful words written by a friend of mine to read and reflect upon.
Br. Joseph Kilikevice, OP
BREAKING: Pope Francis unleashes a historic attack on the Trump administration over its cruel treatment of migrants — and takes specific aim at remarks made by J.D. Vance, a Catholic convert. So-called Christians in the MAGA movement are melting down over this…
The Pope, head of the Catholic Church, issued a rebuke of Donald Trump’s mass deportation plan, stating that it removes the migrants of their inherent dignity as people and “will end badly.”
Read MoreChristmas, 2024
Dear family and friends,
Whenever there was a new niece or nephew born into my family, I have vivid memories of seeing them for the first time. I recall being asked, “Would you like to hold her or him?” The joy of doing so was being shared with the rest of the family by proud parents bringing new life into the world. Not having children of my own, this simple gesture remains a beautiful memory of knowing that there are times when joy is much too big to be kept to oneself. One naturally holds the infant on the left side of one’s chest, connecting heart to heart with the blessing of new life.
Read MoreArmistice Day November 11, 2024
Today is a crisp, bright day with a clear, blue sky. Our country’s flag flys above the Oak Park Fire station across the alley. I can see it from my bedroom window, at times flown at half mast to honor a recently deceased firefighter. Today it proudly flys to the top of the pole. This day is now called Veteran’s day, but I grew up knowing it as Armistice Day. It marked the end of the World War One in 1918. My Dad fought in that war in France as a newly arrived American immigrant from his Lithuanian homeland. He was just 17 years old. Years later my younger brother, John was born on Armistice day, and we always celebrated both events together as something special to be acknowledged. His son, Shawn called me today to talk a bit as he frequently does.
Read MoreShem Center for Interfaith Spirituality
708 North Harvey Avenue
Oak Park, IL 60302
(708) 848-1095
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Photo Credits: Emory Mead, Stephen B. Starr, Joseph Kilikevice
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