Upper Midwest Jesuits | Chicago-Detroit Province

Gift to Ignatian Spirituality Project goes long way in supporting Jesuit-sponsored ministry that provides retreats for the homeless, but the need is still great

For more information and ways you can help:
• Ignatian Spirituality Project (ISP) Website
• Make a contribution to support the Jesuits

CHICAGO, IL—Bill Koloseike and his “Bill Kay” Auto Group have given a gift of $1 million to the Ignatian Spirituality Project (ISP), a Jesuit ministry that works to end homelessness by providing retreats to women and men who are homeless and in recovery.

“With this gift, I hope we can increase our outreach to those in the greatest need and encourage others to give, especially in these tough times,” says Koloseike, who has provided ISP with financial and volunteer support for the past several years. “ISP helps the homeless see themselves as God sees them; these retreats make all the difference by helping people already on the path to recovery from addiction to drugs and alcohol recognize their value and imagine a better future,” he continues.

“The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius and Ignatian spirituality are the Jesuits’ great gifts to the world,” explains Fr. Timothy Kesicki, SJ, head of the Chicago-Detroit Province. “We are incredibly grateful to Bill Koloseike for helping ISP increase its ability to share this tradition with our homeless sisters and brothers as a profound recognition that we all are loved in God’s eyes. Growth takes time and resources, and we pray that others will follow Bill’s lead.”

Koloseike was first introduced to the Jesuits in college. He attended Marquette University for two years before completing a degree in business from Loyola University Chicago in 1951. Fifty-four years, four children, ten grandchildren, and nine Bill Kay car dealerships later, Bill was reintroduced to the Jesuits when he answered an ad in his parish bulletin to join the Ignatian Volunteer Corps, another Jesuit ministry that provides retired and semi-retired men and women the opportunity to serve the materially poor and to reflect on the experience through the lens of Ignatian spirituality. “My experience of working with the Jesuits to serve others has deepened my spiritual life,” says Koloseike. “When my wife, Shirley, died in 2004, I was feeling lost,” he continues. “That’s when I decided to devote the rest of my life to God. I know this gift to ISP is what my dear wife would want; she, too, struggled with addiction and through grace and hard work overcame it and lived a full life.”

Founded in 1998 by Fr. Bill Creed, SJ, the Ignatian Spirituality Project has pioneered a retreat program that provides an effective and important resource in laying a foundation of hope that can lead to further and long-lasting transformation. With the help of dedicated staff and many volunteers, ISP has grown from its base in Chicago to 19 cities total and offered nearly 100 retreats throughout the US in this past year alone. In addition to retreats, ISP works with individuals and agencies in each city to systematically end the injustice of homelessness.

Since 2006, ISP has offered women’s retreats and in 2010 held more retreats for women than men. The number of homeless families continues to rise at alarming rates.  More often than not, single-parent families who are homeless are headed by women. Though men continue to make up the largest segment of homeless individuals, the growing rate of women and children who are homeless deepens the cause for concern.

“When someone in recovery and homeless reaches out, we want to make sure ISP is there to help,” says Tom Drexler, executive director. “Our paid staff is small (3.5 employees), so we rely on an army of volunteers throughout the 19-city ISP National Network and donations to help us cover our retreats (which average $3,750 each) and continue our growth into cities where the homeless need us most.”

The Ignatian Spirituality Project is sponsored by the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits), a religious order of priests and brothers in the Roman Catholic Church. For more than 470 years, the Jesuits have served in the spirit of St. Ignatius Loyola, who founded the order in 1540. Jesuits serve throughout the United States and the World in educational institutions, parishes, retreat centers, social justice ministries, international ministries, and intellectual apostolates. The 350 Chicago-Detroit Province Jesuits serve in a wide range of ministries based in Ohio, Kentucky, Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois.

Contact
Jeremy Langford, Director of Communications, Chicago-Detroit Province Jesuits
(773) 975-6913, jlangford@jesuits-chgdet.org

Pat Walsh, Vox Public Relations Public Affairs
(541) 434-7021, pwalsh@voxprpa.com