Yates, Chris

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epublications@Marquette

Conversations on Jesuit Higher EducationVolume 53 Article 232-1-2018Book Notice: Emmaus: The Nature of the WayChris YatesFollow this and additional works at: https://epublications.marquette.edu/conversationsRecommended CitationYates, Chris (2018) "Book Notice: Emmaus: The Nature of the Way," Conversations on Jesuit Higher Education: Vol. 53 , Article 23.Available at: https://epublications.marquette.edu/conversations/vol53/iss1/23(Note: The previous issue of Conversationsran a notice about a new book about the Jesuits at Loyola Marymount University,and we noted that the author Chris Yateswould have some words for us later aboutthe background. Here is Chris’s story.) They told us that the NBCUniversalCampus 2 Career Internship Programhad a more exclusive acceptance ratethan Harvard, but it took an entire yearfor me to realize that even this could notfill the God-shaped hole that was in myheart. I remember sitting at my desk onthe top floor of the Comcast NBCUni-versal building, reading a script for ashow that would air eight months later,and I had a realization. Historically,there has not been a lot of overlap be-tween the entertainment industry andfaith, so I took that same mentality. Andit took me four years to realize that theydid not have to be separated.        Many people ask me what I am –photographer, filmmaker, director – butat my core I am a storyteller. I find sto-ries that need to be told, and in this case,Emmaus: The Nature of the Way proved tome that faith and art go hand and hand.        I completed my undergraduate ed-ucation at Loyola Marymount Univer-sity and was very involved in CampusMinistry as a student. I had found atreasure trove of spiritual tools in the Je-suits that I met, but what I also foundchanged my life forever: friendship. Iwanted to find a way to express to theworld the friendship and humanity thatthese Jesuits so humbly shared with me.        About a year into creating Em-maus: The Nature of the Way, it becameblatantly clear that for the majority ofpeople, there was a disconnect be-tween a priest and a human being.And because of this, there were barri-ers that made these men unapproach-able and not relatable. Ever sincestepping onto LMU’s campus, my per-sonal experience has been nothing butthe opposite and therefore heavily in-spired the creation of this book.        This book’s existence is lived expe-rience and is a dynamic piece of art thatchanges as much as the person whoviews it. Whether you know all 22 Je-suits photographed or know zero, whatyou will come to know is a narrative ofcollective experiences that extends ahand out to you, as a friend. You willread word-for-word stories about a Je-suit’s mother’s first Alzheimer’sepisode, a Jesuit’s fight with addiction,and how a second grade class helped aJesuit overcome his stroke.        The Nature of the Way as definedhere is not an adjective, but a verb. It isa way of relating in which you viewyour personal journey to Emmaus withthe understanding that no matter whatyour destination or your path is, you arenot alone.        Chris Yates graduated from Loyola Marymount in 2016; after spending avolunteer year in campus ministry at theUniversity of Illinois Chicago, he returned to LMU to manage their photog-raphy labs. His collaborator, photographerRobert Macaisa, graduated from LMU in2014 and works as a professional photographer in Los Angeles.50 CONVERSATIONS ON JESUIT HIGHER EDUCATION                                                                                                                                          Emmaus: The Nature of the WayBy Chris YatesBook noticeChris Yates (left) and his collaborator, photographer Robert Macaisa (right, seen from behind),set up a shot for Emmaus, the Nature of the Way.1Yates: Book Notice: <em>Emmaus: The Nature of the Way</em>Published by e-Publications@Marquette, 2018

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https://epublications.marquette.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2164&amp;context=conversations

Book Notice: \u3cem\u3eEmmaus: The Nature of the Way\u3c/em\u3e

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