On June 11, 2008, the Apostleship of Prayer board of directors met at the Jesuit residence in Milwaukee, WI.  The annual meeting was marked by the fact that, after a recent change in the bylaws, the board welcomed two lay people into its midst - Dorothy Iverton of Bethany Beach, DE and Margaret Lyons of Greenwich, CT.  Also in attendance was General Director Delegate Fr. Claudio Barriga, S.J., who gave an overview of the state of the Apostleship of Prayer throughout the world. 

Besides hearing about the work of the Apostleship in the United States during the past year, the board discussed ways that the ongoing renewal of the Apostleship could be accomplished and how its development efforts could be enhanced.  The board also approved the budged for the coming fiscal year.

After the board meeting, Frs. Barriga, Kubicki, and Doan Hoang travelled to the Jesuit Colombiere Center in Clarkston, MI.  They joined fourteen other Jesuits - priests and scholastics alike - who are all interested in how the Apostleship of Prayer can be a force for the new evangelization in the United States.

Scripture played an important role in this pastoral think tank.  Fr. Will Prospero, S.J. led the group in a discussion of reparation and the Sacred Heart, using the Gospel story of Zacchaeus.  In this story Jesus makes no demands on Zacchaeus who, out of love, responds and gives back in order to repair the damage that sin has caused.

A handful of scholastics shared their own thoughts on the Sacred Heart and the spirituality of the Apostleship of Prayer.  Vince Strand, S.J. presented the idea of looking at the Sacred Heart through the lens of spousal love.  John Brown, S.J. shared his experience with a high school group called Agmen Christi.  The group also heard from Casey Beaumier about a parish mission on the Heart of Jesus.

These presentations raised various issues for the group.  Brown's talk brought attention to the fact that various youth groups have sprouted around the country, and the question was raised as to how these groups would fit into the structure of the Apostleship of Prayer. 

There was also a discussion of using parish missions, youth retreats, talks, and days of recollection to share the spirituality of the Apostleship of Prayer, which is especially important today because it is Eucharistic.  The idea of a "mission band" of four Jesuits able to serve the entire country was also proposed.

The group committed itself to a course of action that would increase awareness of the Apostleship.  All involved committed themselves to make a conscious effort to promote the organization in their ministries and local communities.  John Brown and Vincent Giacabazi volunteered to create an Apostleship of Prayer lesson plan for high schools.

Finally, the group agreed to work on a summer event that would bring together the various campus groups which have arisen around the country.  This would be in preparation for an international gathering of the Eucharistic Youth Movement, which will be held in 2012.