Twenty years ago, Pedro Arrupe, S.J., the charismatic Superior General of the Jesuits, chose Saint Joseph's University for a major address on Jesuit-lay collaboration. On that memorable day in 1976, he encouraged a series of initiatives to develop such collaboration, or as most of us prefer today, partnership. In the ensuing twenty years, much has been done to implement Father Arrupe's suggestions, but, as we look toward the twenty-first century and the 150th anniversary of Saint Joseph's, the urgency and opportunities for such a partnership are, we suggest, greater than ever.
Clearly, the extent to which this university will have an identity that is realistically Jesuit or Ignatian (a word that emphasizes that it is not the sole possession of Jesuits) depends on our success in sharing the Ignatian vision with you, our colleagues, so that indeed you will be the guarantors of an Ignatian identity which you help fashion.
In that spirit, then, we Jesuits want to highlight the basic components of the vision which grounds our present commitment to Saint Joseph's as University, as Catholic and as Jesuit. We hope that in conversation with you in the coming weeks and months, and as the University community re-defines its mission and plans for a new century, that same vision will help us all to create a truly distinctive educational community.
The Vision of Ignatius
Ignatian identity is not some carefully prescribed blueprint that measures institutions, or colleagues, for conformity. Rather, it is a spirit traceable to the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius and to the Fourth Part of the Constitutions he wrote for the Society of Jesus. The person behind both documents, and the inspiration for a Jesuit, is Saint Ignatius Loyola, a naturally magnanimous, generous, expansive leader made even more so by his religious experience. It is our conviction that that experience, interacting with your experience, has much to offer all of us in our efforts to build the best possible university at Saint Joseph's.
In its beginnings, Jesuit education was founded on the Renaissance and humanist tradition. To this Ignatius and his followers added the greater breadth and firmer practicality one finds in the Exercises: all creation is good, all learning is good, and everything in the world can help us find and serve God and one another. For four hundred and fifty years, in widely diverse situations, education in the Ignatian tradition has remained committed to excellence, to expansive and critical thinking, to competent and compassionate ethical concern, to creative and artistic expression, and to generous and practical action - indeed to the fullest development of one's human potential called forth by God's action and love. Comparing such an agenda to the work of an excellent university, we can readily argue that Ignatian values are not add-ons, but integral parts of what we are trying to do as a university.
Characteristics of the Ignatian Vision
With all the caveats associated with reducing a whole tradition to a few paragraphs, we choose five traits to state our case for the Ignatian vision as deeply relevant to what we are about here at Saint Joseph's.
1. The ability to find God in all things. A characteristic Ignatian insight is "finding God in all things," not just in the traditionally religious and sacred. This expansive insight translates into an appreciation of the radical goodness of the universe and a careful respect for the integrity of human means. The universe is always capable of revealing God, as it was for a Ricci, a Hopkins, or a Teilhard de Chardin, and as it is for the contemporary student and scholar on our campus. Universities in the Ignatian tradition strive for excellence as universities, i.e., as committed to excellence in teaching and scholarship, to questioning, exploring, valuing, to structuring a worldview - all within an affirming and hope-filled perspective.
Closely related to this ability to find God in all things is Ignatius' great emphasis on discernment, or effective decision-making in the context of a God active in our individual and institutional lives. With this discernment, we listen to how God draws us in heart and mind, this way and that, and try to respond intelligently and generously. This stress on discernment, for example, provides the means for bringing ethical concern into every phase of the curriculum. It is also the basis for the adaptability that has always characterized education in the Ignatian tradition. Neither Ignatius nor contemporary Jesuits see an institution as merely preserving a tradition, but rather as open to continued renewal and development, and within its tradition, responding to new opportunities and new needs.
2. A deep personal love for Christ. Ignatius based his life, not on abstract principles, but on the person of Jesus Christ, the Word of God. This personal relationship is meant to influence all we do, including the work of a university. We are convinced that a Christ-centered identity can be practically fostered in an institution that will and should be inclusive and deeply respectful of cultural and religious diversity. We emphasize our commitment to an inclusive, not exclusive community, with a basic identity enriched (and necessarily so) by other faith experiences.
Such a Christ-centered worldview is indeed most compatible with university life. For example, Christ as the model for the development of the fullest human potential in response to God's initiative is the basis for the Ignatian emphasis on educating for responsible freedom and providing an environment that promotes growth in that freedom. Understanding the person of Christ also leads to a reverence for the human person, which is the basis for all good teaching and for the close faculty-student relationships that have long characterized Jesuit education.
3. Solidarity with those most in need. Traceable to Jesus' and Ignatius' own concern for the poor and disenfranchised, Jesuits and Jesuit institutions have been challenged, especially since the mid-seventies, to make faith inseparable from concern for justice and a preferential option for the poor. Our brother Jesuits in El Salvador died for this ideal; in an often selfish and individualistic society, we dare to challenge ourselves and others to be "men and women for others."
Here at Saint Joseph's, in less dramatic but real fashion, we have become more sensitive to faith, peace and justice issues, not only in our Faith-Justice Institute, but in ethics and service-learning courses, community outreach, community service programs and various other volunteer programs that bring faculty and students into mutually enriching contact with the poor and powerless in our society, and, indeed, on our own campus. Our challenge is to integrate these experiences more effectively into all we do here at the University.
4. Ever a search for the greater good. The magnanimity of Ignatius is expressed in the Latin word magis, the better and greater, that is found throughout his writings. Our current Superior General, Fr. Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, reminds us that "mediocrity has no place in Ignatius." Those sharing in the Ignatian tradition know a restlessness always to do better, to be on the growing edge, to question, and not simply to be content with the existing way of doing things.
Today, we are called, within and without our campus gates, to continuous renewal as University, as Catholic, and as Jesuit. As an urban university, we are called to reach out in leadership and service to our city and surrounding community. In a world of global concerns and international relationships, we are also called to expand our horizons and our abilities to speak to and hear our brothers and sisters around the world. This pursuit of the magis grounds the continuing quest for excellence that has characterized Saint Joseph's at its best.
5. Partnership with others. Reading the life of Ignatius, one is continually impressed with the extent to which he developed what today we call Jesuit-lay partnerships. The Spiritual Exercises were developed by him as a layman and more often than not were given to laymen and laywomen. Today the Exercises are made by men and women of diverse faiths. Our contemporary emphasis on partnerships with others is not a pragmatic strategy in the face of declining numbers, but an essential dimension of our Jesuit lives. Our recent General Congregation emphasized that the Church of the future is the Church of the laity. Jesuits today are called not only to be "men for others," but also "men with others."
In creative companionship, then, we want to communicate to you what we believe, what we are, and what we have; in return, we want to listen and learn from you. Certainly, no Jesuit campus lives the above ideals to their fullest. What is important is that we are trying to translate an ideal into a reality shaped by the gifts of each member of the University community. To realize the full potential of Saint Joseph's, the University needs all of the gifts and experiences, all of the imagination and ingenuity, all of the honest questions and answers, all the faith we can muster with and for one another. It is in this spirit that we write to you.
Some Questions
With the above as background, we Jesuits pose these questions to you our colleagues with your own hopes and dreams:
1. What do you think of this invitation? How does it resonate with
your own experience, your own hopes?
2. Do you think it is possible and desirable to promote this vision
among colleagues of divergent understandings, religious experiences and
allegiances?
3. Do you feel included? In pursuing our Ignatian identity, what can
we do to have you participate in your own distinctive way?
4. Would you agree that the Jesuit or Ignatian dimension enriches the
educational experience available to students and faculty at Saint
Joseph's? If so, what specific effect (s) does it have on teaching,
curriculum, research and scholarship here? If the Ignatian vision does
not enrich the educational experience, why not?
5. How does the Ignatian vision affect our worldview, our commitments,
our priorities, our pursuit of excellence?
6. Does "education for justice" and "education in favor of the poor"
relate to your area of expertise? How?
7. How do you feel that what we do here meets or fails to meet the
expectations of students and parents in choosing Saint Joseph's as
Catholic, Jesuit, as unfocused and vague as these expectations often
are?
8. What very practical, concrete steps do we need to take to realize
the above ideals, e.g., in staffing, teaching, curriculum, research,
administering, supporting one another, setting priorities,
participating in various forms of the Spiritual Exercises, etc.?
Signed: Jesuits of Saint Joseph's University
Joseph A. Arroyo, S.J.; John E. Bennett, S.J.; Anthony J. Berret, S.J.;
Bruce M. Bidinger, S.J.; H. Cornell Bradley, S.J.; Francis F. Burch,
S.J.; Peter A. Clark, S.J.; Donald G. Clifford, S.J.; Jerome B. Coll,
S.J.; Mark J. Connelly, S.J.; Charles L. Currie, S.J.; Joseph J.
Feeney, S.J.; Gerald F. Finnegan, S.J.; Vincent J. Genovesi, S.J.;
Joseph J. Godfrey, S.J.; Howard J. Heim, S.J.; Albert H. Jenemann,
S.J.; Joseph M. Kakalec, S.J.; Joseph L. Lombardi, S.J.; Richard G.
Malloy, S.J.; Michael A. McElwee, S.J.; Dennis E. McNally, S.J.; James
W. Moore, S.J.; Nicholas S. Rashford, S.J.; William C. Rickle, S.J.
Posted October 26, 1998
Joseph J. Godfrey, S.J., Rector, Jesuit Community;
jgodfrey@sju.edu