The Pursuit of Hope:
Fr. Bill Creed, SJ, Offers Presence, Prayer, and the Quiet Power of Hope
In 1998, Fr. Bill Creed, SJ, had just completed his doctoral project, which explored the connection between the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola and the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. Around that time, his provincial encouraged him to bring Ignatian retreats to the "materially poor." He saw an opportunity to bring hope and healing to Chicagoans recovering from homelessness and addiction and phoned his friend Ed Shurna, then Executive Director of the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless. Soon afterward, they held their first retreat for men experiencing homelessness and addiction at the Fullerton Cenacle in Chicago.
To this day Fr. Bill says he is still in awe of the courage, vulnerability and hope the men shared in their stories that first evening. He remembers leaving the chapel that evening when one of the volunteers approached him, shared he too was in recovery and shared, “These men have lost everything; their only hope now rests in God. You are witnessing them rising out of the ashes of discouragement and despair; this retreat is appealing to their hope in God.”
That first retreat not only changed the lives of those who attended—it profoundly shaped the trajectory of Fr. Bill’s ministry and the launch of the Ignatian Spirituality Project. What began as a simple invitation, became a lifelong mission to walk with those on the margins, offering them spiritual hope and healing rooted in the Ignatian tradition. Today, the ministry continues the mission inspired by the belief that every person, no matter their past or present, holds an inherent dignity as a child of God. It is a global network of more than 20,000 alumni, with retreats and spiritual reflection programs offered in 23 cities across the United States, Canada and Ireland. Over 750 volunteers help provide experiences of hope, healing, and belonging to over 5,000 individuals each year.
“ISP invites people to reflect on their experience in the light of faith,” Fr. Bill says. He describes how it recognizes the beauty and dignity of every person in front of us in a 2024 article in America, “I offer the Spiritual Exercises to people who are homeless and addicted. Each one is a story of hope.”
Awakening Souls Through Love
Fast forward to today. Fr. Bill, 87, is member of the ministry team at Bellarmine Jesuit Retreat House where he offers spiritual direction, teaches Spiritual Direction Formation Programs, and an Advanced Internship in the Spiritual Exercises, and directs online workshops on the spiritual exercises in everyday life.
“I’m not only here to provide spiritual direction, but to help people be better spiritual journeyers,” says Fr. Bill.
A Mission Anchored by Teilhard’s Vision
Fr. Bill’s ministry is largely inspired by Fr. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, the French Jesuit who as he describes, “fused science with spirituality in groundbreaking ways.”
“My own vision as a human being, a Jesuit priest and as one among many who foster the mission of Ignatian Spirituality and the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, was shaped in large part by him,” says Fr. Bill.
He points to three Teilhard quotes which anchor his mission:
- “Love alone is capable of uniting living human beings in such a way as to complete and fulfill them, for love alone takes them and joins them by what is deepest in themselves.” (The Phenomenon of Man, 1965, page 265.)
- “You and You alone are the entire and proper object of our love. You, and You alone are the creative energy that fathoms the secrets of our hearts and the mystery of our growth. By You, and You alone, our souls are awakened.” (p. 212 in Writings in Time of War)
- “When the signs of age begin to mark my body (and still more when they touch my mind), when the ill that is to diminish me or carry me off strikes from without or is born within me, when the painful moment comes in which I suddenly awaken into the fact that I am ill or growing old, and above all at that last moment, when I feel I am losing hold of myself and I’m absolutely passive within the hands of the great unknown forces that have formed me, in those dark moments, O God, grant that I may understand that it is You (provided only my faith is strong enough) who are painfully parting the fibers of my being in order to penetrate to the very marrow of my substance and bear me away within Yourself.”
Fr. Bill’s deeply pastoral work is grounded in an equally impressive academic foundation. Fr. Bill holds a bachelor’s degree in political science, a J.D. in law, an M.Ed. in counseling, a Master of Divinity in theology, a Master of Theological Studies in pastoral theology, and a Doctor of Ministry in spiritual direction.
Your Story Matters
A Jesuit priest from Chicago, Fr. Bill has walked with people many would rather not see—those who live on the streets, who fight the daily war of addiction, who feel invisible and forgotten. In that walking, he found not only purpose, but God.
But to truly understand the impact of Fr. Bill’s life and ministry, you have to hear from those who’ve walked closely with him. Bellarmine’s Fr. Michael Sparough, SJ, who formerly received spiritual companionship and mentorship from Fr. Bill, and who is a long-time friend, says, “Fr. Bill has consistently demonstrated a heart for the poor, and has not lost his passion for caring for the homeless. He is a master scholar of Catholic social teaching, and he integrates that into his work and preaching with grace and depth.”
Once known affectionately as “Billy the Bomber” for his fierce critique of injustice and his unflinching moral clarity, Fr. Bill has, in Fr. Michael’s words, “become softer through the years, less strident.”
“Today, he delivers his truth with a gentle firmness,” says Fr. Michael. He still carries that big, imposing presence—but now he’s ‘Billy the Humble, Billy the Gentle.’ For 50 years, he has sat with people and listened to their stories with wisdom, compassion, and creativity.”