As his March 2022 retirement date approached, Tom Buckley found himself confronting a strong feeling: grief. 

“I had worked in a corporation for many years, did a lot of traveling and enjoyed the social connections,” said Buckley, a 66-year-old Medina resident who retired from Boston Scientific as senior director of the company’s Global Capital Equipment Technical Services. 

“Then one day it was gone,” he said. “I faced the grief of losing something that I had, and wondered, how do I replace that?” 

Buckley gained some insight into his next stage of life through The Next Chapter, a six-month guided journey grounded in Ignatian spirituality. The program helps people discern who God is calling them to be in retirement, and what God is calling them to do. 

The goal of the program, offered at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, is to help participants proactively plan for a meaningful next chapter in life. 

Buckley participated in The Next Chapter’s inaugural cohort of 12 women and men, half retired and half expecting to retire within the next six months. The program began this past January. 

“We were blessed with a great group — all were engaged and supportive while sharing their experiences and insights,” said Buckley, who is Catholic and searching for a new parish after a recent move. “And the overnight retreat created a sacred space where I could share the challenges I was facing in retirement, coupled with gaining clarity with what I was being called to do.”  

Since retiring, Buckley joined the Minneapolis Rowing Club, has more time for golf, and increased his involvement as a volunteer with North Memorial Health Hospice in Robbinsdale, visiting hospice patients and giving their caretakers a break. 

Jesuit Father Chris Collins, vice president for mission at UST, helped launch The Next Chapter in 2017 at St. Louis University in St. Louis, where he served from 2012 to 2020 as a faculty member, director of the Catholic Studies program, and as assistant to the president for mission and identity. 

“As I got to know a lot of alumni in St. Louis, I kept hearing that common thread: ‘I’m going to retire, I’m anxious, what am I going to do?’” Father Collins said. 

“We started with an overnight retreat based on Ignatian discernment/spirituality, which grew to the development of The Next Chapter program; I planted the seed at St. Thomas when I first got here,” he said. “As soon as we had a few facilitators, we offered the pilot beginning in January, and it was beautiful.” 

The Next Chapter consists of readings and assessments coupled with sharing and time to reflect. The cohort met monthly on Saturday mornings at the Iversen Center for Faith on the St. Thomas campus and attended a weekend retreat; a second session with a new cohort begins this month. 

“Spirituality is an important component of the program — my job or my identity as a parent may be different now, but how does God see me, what are the gifts I have and how do I put those to good use?” Father Collins said.  

“We cap the number of participants at 18 to keep a good size for a sense of community and small group discussions,” he said. “You can feel the Holy Spirit move in some of those conversations.”  

While The Next Chapter is not exclusively for Catholics, it is for people who are open to engaging in Ignatian prayer and learning about and practicing Ignatian discernment. 

One of the program facilitators is Gene Scapanski, 80, of St. Paul. Scapanski is retired from the University of St. Thomas, where he served as vice president for mission from 2003 to 2008. He was also dean and professor of systematic and pastoral theology at The St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity in St. Paul.  

“One of the things we focus on in The Next Chapter is helping the participants see how God is present in their everyday life,” Scapanski said. “That was a really key point for St. Ignatius, who founded the Jesuits, and his prayer, the Examen.” 

“We try to assist the group in understanding how the creator has already wired us, through our experiences and where we find joy,” he said. “We also expose them to a variety of opportunities where they might serve, and we have each person work on and share a concrete plan for themselves.” 

“I’ve really enjoyed my retirement, but retirement is one of the major challenges of life,” he added. “Everyone had a suggestion of something for me to do, but how do I decide what God wants me to do? That is the deep need for this program.”  

Sandy Best, 59, of Hudson, Wisconsin, retired this month after 38 years of military service. The deputy adjutant general and chief of staff of the Minnesota Air National Guard was a member of The Next Chapter’s inaugural cohort. 

“Retirement can be daunting; there are many directions I could take,” said Best, a parishioner at St. Patrick in Hudson. 

“I’ve been preparing a lifetime for this next adventure, and I want it to be God-inspired and reflect what I was born to do and be,” she said. 

Best noted that for her, the program’s core principle of Ignatian discernment — assisting people in hearing God’s voice in life decisions — was invaluable. 

“Why didn’t I learn this sooner? But I know it now,” she said. 

“For me, The Next Chapter provided immense clarity and peace of mind,” she said. “The program really helped to ground me and caused me to be deliberate in making time for my relationship with God, listening and ultimately strengthening my spiritual life and the relationships around me.” 

The Next Chapter 

The University of St. Thomas will offer a new session of The Next Chapter beginning in January 2023. The cost is $750. For more information, contact Michele Goodson at mkgoodson@stthomas.edu.