The newest sponsored work of the USA Midwest Province Jesuits isn’t exactly new. In fact, it’s over 20 years old. One Midwest Jesuit has been with Milwaukee’s Casa Romero Renewal Center since the very beginning—founder Fr. David Shields, SJ. From the outside, you might not realize the vibrant community that exists within the walls of the center, housed in what was once a convent of the School Sisters of Notre Dame. The building was vacant and decrepit when Fr. Shields—then serving at nearby St. Patrick’s Parish—first stumbled upon it, but he saw what could be.

Father Shields says that, in his earliest writings, he envisioned “a place for the south side Latino community to pray, to have group events, to have conferences, have programs.” This vision has since become more defined. Today, Casa Romero Renewal Center is an urban, multicultural and bilingual spirituality center serving Milwaukee and southeastern Wisconsin. Motivated by the integration of faith and justice, the programs and retreats offer formation and renewal to youth and adults, strengthen families, and build community in the Ignatian tradition.

Casa Romero’s executive director Michael Coffey first got involved through Fr. Shields. Before assuming his current role, Coffey was leading continuing education programs for Catholic school teachers in Milwaukee at Cardinal Stritch University, including courses on spirituality. And while his work at Casa Romero looks different than his previous jobs, spirituality continues to be at the center of his work. Describing Casa Romero’s programming, Coffey says, “It’s about developing the spiritual strength of individuals and, to some extent, communities. They can weather the storms of life and they can live luminous lives of self-sacrifice to others.” There’s programming for people in all walks of life at Casa Romero, from grade school students and teenagers preparing for college to couples and mothers.

As far as determining the success of these efforts, Casa Romero seeks feedback immediately after each program. Coffey says, “We have evaluations at the end of all our programs, but they are primarily subjective questions, such as do you feel more at peace? Do you feel a stronger connection to your kids? Do you feel a greater understanding of the dynamics of our culture?”

Casa Romero’s wide-ranging programming is life-changing for many. Guisela Dominguez, who leads the spiritual accompaniment training program, has been with Casa Romero for over a decade. In this time, Dominguez’s responsibilities have evolved. Early on, Dominguez was involved with the children’s music camp. After reading about Ignatian spirituality, though, she realized it was something she could share with the other mothers, and they began to meet to discuss motherhood and their faith. Describing the community itself, Dominguez says, “We are a family; we are friends . . . nobody is more important than others.”