By Deanna Howes Spiro, Vice President of Communications, AJCU
This month’s issue of Connections coincides with LGBT History Month: a time to acknowledge the contributions made by LGBT individuals toward expanding gay rights and civil rights. At Jesuit colleges and universities, many faculty and staff are leading the way toward creating increasingly welcome campuses for students (and fellow faculty and staff) who identify as members of the LGBT community.
You will learn about retreats through University Ministry at the University of San Francisco; “Safe Zone” training at Saint Joseph’s University; the history of LGBTQIA+ programs and initiatives at Canisius University; and anti-harassment initiatives through the Law School at Gonzaga University. We are also pleased to feature a student’s perspective on LGBT resources at Jesuit schools, written by our AJCU summer intern, Nora McCaughey, now a senior at Marquette University.
These are just a few examples of how our schools are serving members of the LGBT community, while living out the Universal Apostolic Preferences of the Society of Jesus, including “Walking with the Excluded” and “Journeying with Youth.” As Jesuit Superior General Rev. Arturo Sosa, S.J. wrote, “To accompany young people demands of us authenticity of life, spiritual depth, and openness to sharing the life-mission that gives meaning to who we are and what we do. Having these, we can learn, along with the young, to find God in all things, and through our ministries and apostolates, we can help them live this stage of their lives more profoundly.” AMDG.