At the request of the Jesuit Superior General, the Provincials of North America and the Presidents of the member institutions within the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU) have established a process for reaffirming the Jesuit, Catholic mission of U.S., Belizean, and Canadian Jesuit higher education institutions. Titled the “Mission Priority Examen (MPE),” the process integrates a centuries-old practice of Ignatian reflection known as the Examen with clear pathways for dialogue and mission growth. By inviting colleagues at AJCU schools to support each other’s institutional self-reflection, and by linking Jesuit sponsorship more explicitly to the mission commitments of each college or university, we hope to foster a more vibrant and effective network of Jesuit schools.
The materials in these webpages have been designed as resources for:
- Members of campus Self-study Committees and Peer Visitor teams;
- Presidents, Chief Mission Officers, and other leaders at the 28 U.S. and Belizean Jesuit institutions of higher education and our Canadian Associate Members; and
- Others who are interested in exploring collaborative approaches to mission integration.
Purpose
Among the hallmarks of a Jesuit education is a restlessness that fuels the search for knowledge, meaning, and a relationship with God. That restlessness drives Jesuit schools toward big questions about their purpose and responsibilities in the world. The MPE provides space and structure for each Jesuit college or university to undertake serious discussions about its Jesuit, Catholic mission, establish goals for the future, and measure its progress in tangible ways.
Questions underlying the MPE include:
- What makes a college or university Jesuit?
- What does Jesuit sponsorship of a college or university require today?
- How will the 28 AJCU member institutions and our associate members live our Jesuit and Catholic mission now and in the future?
Each school engages in the MPE every seven years. This repeating cycle of spiritual reflection, goal setting, and action strengthens the mission of Jesuit higher education within and among the schools. An AJCU-wide review of the MPE is currently underway, informed by the experience and input of those who have been most closely connected to this reflective, Ignatian process. Your contributions to this “examen on the Examen” are warmly welcomed.
Collaborative Effort
The MPE is a collaborative, Ignatian experience:
- among students, faculty, staff, and trustees in the college/university community;
- with other Jesuit institutions who generously make colleagues available to serve as Peer Visitors;
- with the Jesuit Province that sponsors the MPE; and
- with the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities, which facilitates the process.
The MPE provides the structure and opportunity for deep reflection on how each school distinctively expresses its Jesuit, Catholic mission. Input from the local Bishop regarding how the school can better serve the local Church is also a collaborative element of the MPE.
Synopsis of the Process
An invitation by the regional Jesuit Provincial initiates each school’s participation in the MPE. The Provincial may recommend areas of emphasis, on which the college or university might beneficially focus its reflection. Before the formal MPE process begins, a well-prepared Self-study Committee engages the campus in “preparation days” (i.e., academic/spiritual activities and conversations that spark interest in the school’s mission and elicit engagement from all sectors of the campus community).
The Self-study Committee then conducts reflective listening sessions and gathers input from the entire campus for discerning and drafting a 30 to 40-page self-study. In the self-study, the school puts forth two to three Jesuit Mission Priorities that will guide its mission commitments and action for the next seven years. The common reference document for the school’s self-study, and the MPE as a whole, is Characteristics of Jesuit Higher Education: A Guide for Mission Reflection.
A Peer Team of trusted AJCU colleagues — jointly appointed by AJCU and the Province — visits the campus to listen deeply, engage in discussions with a wide range of campus community members, and provide feedback to the Self-study Committee on the school’s Mission Priorities. Through a dialogic process, the school may wish to update its Mission Priorities and/or self-study in response to the insights of the Peer Visitor Team.
Advised by the local Provincial, the Jesuit Superior General reviews all submitted materials, in order to reaffirm the school’s Jesuit, Catholic mission and provide guidance for its growth.
Finally, the school implements its Mission Priorities and connects them to its strategic plan and other key documents and initiatives.
Why Call the MPE an Examen?
The Examination of Consciousness (“Examen”) is a practice of spiritual self-reflection described by St. Ignatius Loyola in his Spiritual Exercises. Rooted in self-knowledge and attuned to the invitations of God in daily life, the Examen helps us as individuals to make choices as freely and generously as possible. By framing the MPE in this way, the Society of Jesus and AJCU are affirming a process that is institutionally reflective, sensitive to the distinctive circumstances and potential of each school, and deeply connected to our mission.
The Examen for Individuals
For an individual, the Examen provides an opportunity to consider the events of the day and note one’s interior movements of “consolation and desolation,” thus growing in an awareness of God’s invitational presence. Over time, these daily snapshots of our spiritual selves reveal essential trends and directions in our lives. They clarify the arc of our relationships and the many choices that have led us toward or away from a life that is aligned with love.
The structure of the Ignatian Examen helps us in this daily reflection. St. Ignatius suggests some simple steps:
- Becoming gratefully aware of God’s presence and gifts
- Reviewing the events of our day and noticing our spiritual and emotional responses
- Selecting one or two experiences from the day that “stick” in our consciousness, and asking for insight on them
- Taking responsibility for our failings and asking God for help and support
- Envisioning how we might live in a renewed way tomorrow, cognizant of God’s transforming love
- Closing in prayer and thanksgiving
What sets the Examen apart from other reflective spiritual practices? Do not most people already acknowledge the wisdom of the maxim attributed to Socrates, “The unexamined life is not worth living”? Many of us pray or reflect for our own spiritual growth, but the Ignatian Examen goes a step further. The purpose of the Examen is to help us grow in spiritual readiness for mission. Because God’s love flows in an outward direction – continually healing, renewing, creating, and restoring – we, too, are called to love in an active, encompassing way. The personal self-reflection that the Examen entails has spiritual and practical consequences for us, but also for others.
Conducting an Examen in a University Context
It is the hope of the Society of Jesus that all AJCU schools will enter their MPEs prayerfully and with attention to the basic elements of the Examen. The dynamics of the Examen are easily adaptable for this purpose, as illustrated below.
Individual Examen
Becoming gratefully aware of God’s presence and gifts
Mission Priority Examen
The Self-study Committee reflects gratefully on the school’s current Jesuit, Catholic mission commitments, the experiences of colleagues and students, and the focus areas recommended by the Provincial. Together with the President, they design an approach to the Examen process that is consistent with the school’s circumstances and culture.
The Self-study Committee and President work with the Provincial Assistant for Higher Education (PAHE) and AJCU to invite a Peer Visitor Team of three to four colleagues from other AJCU schools to assist them in the Examen process.
Reviewing the events of our day, and noticing our spiritual and emotional responses
Through a structured listening process, the Self-study Committee considers the mission reflections of students, faculty, staff, members of the Jesuit Community, trustees, alumni/ae, the local Bishop, etc. They write a brief Self-study that includes points of alignment with the mission (spiritual consolation) and areas of misalignment (spiritual desolation). Relying on the themes of Characteristics of Jesuit Higher Education: A Guide for Mission Reflection, the Self-study Committee and President discern two to three Jesuit Mission Priorities for the school.
Selecting one or two experiences from the day that “stick” in our consciousness, and asking for insight on them
The Peer Visitor Team reads the self-study and spends two to four days at the school, meeting with various members of the university community. The Peer Team engages in this work as companions in mission, who wish to see the school’s Jesuit, Catholic mission thrive and grow in every dimension of its work.
At the end of the campus visit, the Peer Team meets with the President and Self-study Committee Chair(s) to talk about the Peer Team’s impressions make initial recommendations.
Taking responsibility for our failings, and asking God for help and support
After the campus visit, the Peer Team, Self-study Committee, and President reflect on what they have seen and heard, focusing on any needed areas for improvement in the schools Self-study and Jesuit Mission Priorities.
Envisioning how we might live in a renewed way tomorrow, cognizant of God’s transforming love
The Peer Team authors a draft report that highlights the school’s mission successes, along with selected areas for growth and improvement. They share the draft report with the Self-study Committee and President. An iterative exchange ensues, during which the Self-study Chair and Peer Team Chair discuss possible corrections to the Self-study and/or Peer Team Report. Either document may be adapted to reflect new insights gained through the Peer Team visit.
Closing in prayer and thanksgiving
At the conclusion of this dialogic process, Jesuit officials review all self-study committee and peer team materials with a deep desire for the school to live its Jesuit, Catholic mission in the most authentic way possible.
With the school’s MPE materials and input from the Provincials and AJCU President in hand, Superior General Arturo Sosa, S.J. reflects on what he has received. He sends a letter to the Provincial about the school’s mission priorities and reaffirms its Jesuit, Catholic identity. The Provincial contacts the President to share the General’s affirmation.
The university President shares the news with the campus and sets in motion the essential phase of realizing the Jesuit Mission Priorities. Acting on the priorities reflects the true completion of the MPE process.
Click on the links in the sidebar to the left for more information on the MPE.