Foundations of Our Ignatian Tradition

Short Program Description:

Foundations of Our Ignatian Tradition is a four-part series that introduces new faculty and staff (or new Jesuit education collaborators) to the distinctive dimensions of Santa Clara University’s Jesuit, Catholic mission and tradition. Participants build community with a cohort of colleagues while illuminating and activating the Ignatian tradition in their work.

Interactive sessions focus on:
– Five Centuries of the Ignatian Tradition: Tensions, Freedom, and Adaptability
– Ignatian Spirituality and Our Jesuit Values
– Jesuit Education: Origins, Development, and Application
– Jesuit Higher Education Across the World and in the Peripheries

Program Goals/Intended Outcomes:

1. Introduce new collaborators to the Jesuit Catholic tradition, identity, and mission.
2. Create a space where new faculty, staff, and collaborators can build relationships to strengthen their sense of community and shared mission.
3. Invite participants to reflect on how the Ignatian tradition can be integrated into their specific work.

How long does it take to complete the program?: Multiple Days

Further Details on Completing Program: 4 sessions, 1.5 hours each session

Total Program Length: 4 weeks

Key University/Other Partners: Ignatian Formation Team

Funding Source(s): Endowment funding dedicated to faculty and staff formation

Lessons Learned:

There is a need to keep unfolding how the Jesuit, Catholic tradition is deeply and spiritually connected to social justice. There is also a need to further explore practical ways for participants to practice what they learned.

Assessment Data:

85% of participant respondents shared that this program highly:
– Helped deepen their understanding of Santa Clara’s Jesuit, Catholic tradition.
– Helped them better understand Jesuit education’s origins and development.
– Made them feel invited to embody the University’s Jesuit, Catholic mission through education.
– Sparkled their curiosity about Santa Clara’s Jesuit, Catholic mission and tradition to build a more just and humane world.
– Helped them further connect with the University’s Jesuit, Catholic identity and mission.

Participants also greatly appreciated this space as a way to build community through reflection.

Please Provide Any Other Information:

Participants would like to continue their formation with an “Ignatian 201” program. They suggested offering two sessions on how they can integrate the program’s content into their role, and creating and presenting a proposal to the group.