THE HERITAGE OF JESUIT EDUCATION
a Guide for Regis University
Students
Kevin O’Brien, S.J.
By coming to Regis University, you
share in a heritage nearly 500 years old, a gift given to thousands of students
across the ages by St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits. Just what
is a Jesuit, and what makes a Jesuit education unique? To understand what
education at Regis is all about in the 21st century, we must go back to a
time as vibrant and full of possibility as our own.
Looking to the Past: St. Ignatius and the Roots of Jesuit
Education
As the 1400’s came to a close, the
great cities of Europe were prospering, adventurers were exploring distant
lands, and a renaissance in learning was inspiring new ideas in the arts and
sciences. Ignatius was born in 1491, the youngest son of a large, noble family
in northern Spain. Though he was a devout Catholic, Ignatius hardly had the
youth expected of a saint. He dreamed of becoming a knight and loved riding,
fighting, gambling, dancing and romancing young ladies.
But Ignatius’s dreams began to
change shortly before his 30th birthday. The young soldier was defending the
castle of Pamplona against a French attack when he was hit in the legs by a
cannonball. Bedridden for several months at his family’s castle, he asked for
some adventure stories to read, but all his step-sister could find for him was a
life of Christ and some tales of saints. As he read these books, he noticed a
change taking place within him. Daydreams
of serving the king as a valiant knight, though at first enticing, ultimately
left him feeling inwardly dry and discontented. By contrast, when he imagined devoting his life to the
service of God and others, like the saints he had read about, Ignatius
experienced a deep sense of peace.
Ignatius wisely wanted to test what
these unfamiliar desires were all about. So once he recovered from his injuries,
he left behind his sword and castle and traveled widely --
begging, preaching and caring for the sick and poor.
He loved talking with people about their
spiritual life, and recorded his insights into a manual of prayer called the Spiritual Exercises. The
more Ignatius worked and prayed, the more he realized that he was called to a
life different than the one he had expected.
Lacking formal academic training,
Ignatius went to Paris to study philosophy and theology so that he would become
a better preacher and teacher. There, he met other students who were captivated
by his experience of God, his vision of the world and his boundless enthusiasm.
In a small chapel outside of Paris, Ignatius and six other men professed
religious vows of poverty and chastity to bind them more closely together.
(They would later take a vow of obedience.)
These companions, who called themselves “friends in the Lord,” would
eventually become the first Jesuits, more formally known as the “Society of
Jesus.” (This explains the “S.J.” after a Jesuit’s last name).
In 1540, about the time Ignatius of
Loyola turned 50, he and his companions went to Rome and offered their services
to the pope, who very soon began to depend on them for important missions
throughout the world. Over the years, the young Ignatius’s desire for power,
prestige, and privilege had been transformed into a desire for a life of service
and simplicity. Ignatius gradually
grew in his awareness of God’s deep love, not just for the world generally,
but for himself personally. He
experienced this love as a profoundly intimate call by Christ to follow him, a
call that filled Ignatius with great enthusiasm to serve God and, as he said,
“to help souls.” Appropriately,
then, Ignatius and his Jesuits chose as their motto Ad
Majorem Dei Gloriam, a Latin phrase that means “for the greater glory of
God.” The initials, “A.M.D.G.,” would be inscribed in many of the
buildings the Jesuits would open over the centuries, reminding them that the
inspiration and end of all they do is God.
Ignatius never intended to open
schools. He feared that they would tie down his Jesuits too much, preventing
them from traveling wherever necessary to serve the needs of the Church.
Ignatius soon discovered how much people's religious and moral life could
be improved by an education rooted both in the gospel and in the humanistic
revival of the Renaissance. Serving
the “greater glory of God,” in short, meant opening schools. Ignatius’s
Jesuits quickly built a reputation as scholars and teachers. Students from all
over Europe flocked to the burgeoning Jesuit schools. As Jesuit missionaries
traveled the globe, they opened schools and colleges where there had been none
before. By 1600, there were 245 Jesuit schools.
Most of these were a combination of what we now call high schools and
colleges; fifteen were specifically universities.
In the fledgling republic of the
United States, Archbishop John Carroll founded the first Catholic college in the
country, opening the doors to Georgetown in 1789. The rich history of Regis
University began nearly a century later, in 1877, when a group of Italian
Jesuits arrived at Las Vegas, New Mexico to found a Jesuit college for the Rocky
Mountain West. Ten years later,
they moved their new school to Denver, where it was called College of the Sacred
Heart, a name changed in 1921 to Regis College (now University) in honor of a
French Jesuit who had worked on behalf of the poor in the mountains of southern
France. Over the years since coming
to Denver, the Jesuits and their lay colleagues have continued to serve the
needs of the people of Colorado and of our many students from around the nation
and the world. This continuing
mission fits the initial founding vision of Ignatius, who urged his followers to
remain flexible and ready to adapt themselves to different times and places. Yet
there are some elements common to all Jesuit universities founded across the
ages and around the world. To these
distinctive characteristics we now turn.
Finding God in All Things
Ignatius believed in the promise of
each person, created in the image of God. During
those long months recovering in his family’s castle, he experienced God
working in him through his deepest
desires and hopes. As his faith
grew, Ignatius also recognized that God works in all that is good in the world.
Ignatius thus urges his students to “find God in all things,” not
just in traditionally religious places and practices. A Jesuit education aims to
develop in students a “sacramental awareness” of the world, that is, to see
all of creation as pointing toward God.
Colleges are fitting places to help us
find God in all things. Students take a variety of courses in different
disciplines. In the Jesuit
tradition, we look for God's fingerprints in all that we study. For example,
because God is found in the natural world around us, we study biology,
chemistry, and physics. Because God
is found in our humanity, we study the works and ideas of women and men across
the ages. We revel in the
beauty of fine art and literature, we ask questions fundamental to the human
person in philosophy and theology, and we see the best and worst of human nature
in history. A very practical man,
Ignatius would agree that we can find God in our business courses too: in the
innovation that leads to progress and in whatever promotes genuine human
community and economic justice.
Taking a variety of different courses
is what most people mean by a “liberal education.” At Jesuit and other
Catholic colleges, though, liberal education means more. We are part of a rich
tradition that is as much religious as it is intellectual. Jesuit education opens our minds, liberates our thinking, and
empowers us to realize our God-given potential.
If we are to take seriously the call
“to find God in all things,” then we must also try to find God in the
goodness of our own lives - in our talents, in the people we live and learn
with, and in the ordinary routine of every day. As we appreciate God's grandeur
in and around us, we are drawn into a more loving, more meaningful relationship
with our Creator.
As the books and papers pile up, try
not to lose sight of the big picture. Look out for ideas that connect all of the
different subjects you are studying. Stretch your mind and heart to realize
eternal truths and appreciate timeless beauty. Become filled with wonder at
moments of new understanding. Notice how you are thinking and praying in
new ways. Above all, go about your work as scholars with diligence and humility,
because in your studies and in your search for truth, you can encounter the face
of God.
Caring for the Whole Person:
Cura Personalis
Ignatius experienced God not as
distant and removed, but as a teacher personally involved with his life,
eliciting in him new hopes and bold desires, gently instructing him in the ways
of prayer. Similarly, Ignatius
wanted those involved in his schools to care for each student personally,
attentive to the particular needs and talents of each.
This focus on the personal care of the individual is called cura personalis, a hallmark of Jesuit education.
At Regis, we try to form the whole
person: body, mind, and soul. Like other colleges, we offer countless
opportunities for you to stretch your mind, improve your athletic ability and
develop healthy living habits. But as a Catholic institution, we also care for
what’s on the inside: the spirit that gives your life special meaning and
dignity. Whether in the dorm, chapel, or classroom, we strive to discuss issues
of character and values and to develop moral judgment.
If Regis is to care for the whole
person, then we must know you, our students, beyond what a transcript can tell
us. We strive to know your background and life history, your strengths and
limitations, your struggles and hopes. Only then can we teach you and serve you
best. We try to work with you where you are, not just where we want you to be.
We aim to adapt our objectives and methods to your particular needs. Our goal is
to build a personal, trusting relationship with you so that you will feel free
to be yourself, ask questions, make mistakes and then to grow in new and
unexpected ways.
Striving for Excellence:
the Magis
Ignatius was a man of passion.
He was filled with zeal for whatever captured his imagination: whether as
the gallant knight of his youth or as the humble pilgrim of his later life.
Stirring deep within Ignatius was a restless desire for excellence.
Always strive for excellence, he urged, always seek the magis
(the Latin word means “more” or “better”).
For Ignatius, the “more” was
always focused on serving the “greater glory of God.” During your years at
Regis University, ask yourself: What more
can I do to develop my God-given talents as a student and a person? What more
can I do to grow as a person of faith? What more
can I do to be more loving and to serve others who are in need? What more can I do as a disciple of Jesus? It is in striving for the magis,
in developing our talents to their potential, that we show our gratitude for the
gifts God gives us. Mediocrity has
no place in a Jesuit university. We
must share in Ignatius’s restlessness, never content with easy answers or the
existing ways of doing things, always ready to adapt and change if God calls us
to do so.
You may find that you leave Regis with
more questions than answers, but that is as it should be. All these questions are a sign that we have served you well,
for it is in the struggle to find answers that we grow as scholars and as the
persons we are called to be.
Becoming “Contemplatives in Action”
Ignatius believed that life was a
constant interplay between action and reflection, work and prayer, doing and
knowing. We learn best when we are
actively engaged in the learning process. As a student, you must do more than
just read, take notes and write exams. You must apply what you learn, making it
your own. As you struggle with understanding research, connecting ideas and then
writing papers, you learn more than just the subject of your research: You learn
how to think and learn on your own. You will become self-learners in our
laboratories and computer centers and during course internships. You will be
active learners outside of your courses, too, whether you are involved in
sports, community service, theatre or retreats.
During these enriching activities, you
will test your character, reshape your vision of the world and learn to love in
new situations. This active
engagement with the “real world” will give you the confidence you need to
make the world a more just and gentle place.
You won't have much trouble being
active at Regis. Because your days here will be full, it is crucial for you to
take time to reflect on all that is going on and to appreciate how you are
changing. Otherwise, you may have the experience, but miss the meaning.
Without taking time to reflect, you may miss the passing glances of God
in your day.
At different times, in and out of
class, we will invite you to slow down and consider important questions: What
difference does what I’m studying make in the “real world”? What values
and ideas really matter in my life? Where do I find God in the routine of every
day? What kind of work and
relationships give me joy and energy? When
do I feel most alive and truly who I am called to be?
Remember that before his conversion,
Ignatius led the very active life of a knight. It was only during his forced
convalescence following his run-in with a cannonball that he found the time to
reflect on his life, an experience that changed him dramatically. We, too, must
take time out of our busy days for quiet reflection. Quiet lets us hear God calling us in the ordinary moments of
everyday life. Reflecting on both
the world around us and on the deepest movements of our hearts helps us make
better decisions about how to live our lives.
Educating Men and Women for Others
While captivated by the world of ideas
and the spiritual life, Ignatius was committed to making a difference in the
messy reality of everyday life. For
Ignatius, the model of a “contemplative in action” was Jesus Christ, who
labored with others, brought healing to those he met, and gave his life in
loving service to God and his neighbor. In all that we do at Regis, we must
learn to put love into action. Captured by the love of God, we embrace our worth
as individuals and acknowledge our responsibility to others. Like Christ, we are
called to become men and women for others.
This means that we must offer our
gifts and talents in service to our world, especially to the forgotten and
marginalized, and be open to learn from those we serve.
Join us as we engage in the crucial struggle for peace and justice.
Use the gift of your intellect to look critically at the world and work
for solutions to the problems of injustice and poverty. Get involved in the
variety of service projects offered by the Office of Service Learning and
University Ministry. Check out the student groups involved in justice issues. Take
a course with a service-learning component or one listed in our Catholic Studies
or Peace-Justice curriculum. Giving
back to those near and far from us is the most natural, most human way of
showing our gratitude to God for the blessings so freely given to us.
Serving the Church
Ignatius dedicated his Jesuits to
serving the needs of the Church. The Catholic intellectual and spiritual
tradition enriches the experience of the entire Regis community.
All students and professors, not just those in the theology department,
have something to contribute to the healthy dialogue within the Church on
matters of faith, morality and social responsibility. Through liturgies and
retreats, we also offer a life-giving spiritual tradition that can unite our
community and give guidance to today's students, especially in searching for the
answers to life's most important, and sometimes troubling, questions.
Regis University is proud of its
Catholic heritage; at the same time, we welcome to the campus people from all
faith traditions to live, learn and make their distinctive contributions. We can
learn from each other in our common effort to bring the gospel message to bear
on the pressing questions of today. We
seek to cultivate in all students a mature, informed faith so that they can be
more active and thoughtful members in the churches, synagogues, temples or
mosques where they worship.
Building an Inclusive Community in Solidarity with the
World
Believing that we can find God in all
things, in all peoples and cultures, Ignatius sent his followers all over the
world to spread the gospel. (The
Society of Jesus remains the largest missionary order in the Catholic Church.)
We likewise must be open to people who are different from us and be ready
to look beyond the comfortable confines of our campus.
Advances in technology,
transportation, and communications have made our world much smaller than it was
in Ignatius’s day. We are part of
a global community. To educate the
“whole person” today means that we must realize how connected we are to one
another. We must become more aware of the needs of people in our cities and
around the globe, especially the poor. Our understanding of suffering and
hardship cannot be merely an intellectual exercise. Instead, our hearts must be
transformed and our passion for justice incited by having direct contact with
people. No book can replace this
human connection.
Regis University offers you many
opportunities for building such life-changing relationships.
You can study abroad, spend school holidays doing service in another
state or country, or join one of our local weekly service programs. On our
campus too, you will live and learn with people from many walks of life.
Ignatius was always gathering people together and inspiring conversation.
Some of your most lasting learning experiences will take place in
ordinary, every-day conversations.
Support and challenge one another,
including your professors. Be confident to stand up for what you believe in,
while remaining open to change and eager to listen. Help us build an inclusive
community that sends a powerful message to a world divided by nationality, race,
social class and religion.
Looking to the Future
This is your heritage, as daughters
and sons of Ignatius - something you share with hundreds of thousands of other
students educated at 78 Jesuit universities around the world. With this heritage
comes a certain privilege, but it also asks us to be responsible. You must help
shape the living tradition of which you are now an important part.
Keep us faithful to the age-old
principles you've just read about. In all you do, strive for the magis, for excellence, not as the world defines it, but as it is
exemplified by Jesus Christ. Be flexible and creative as we try to meet the
needs of this new century. Remember that a university is not “Jesuit” just
because there are Jesuits walking around campus. Ignatius's legacy is for all
men and women. Jesuit education works best when we work together and remind each
other of the “AMDG”: that we are
all working for the greater glory of God.
Ignatius wrote thousands of letters in
his lifetime, offering direction to Jesuits whom he sent throughout the world on
various missions. He often closed his letters with words intended to challenge
as much as to inspire. They are fitting words to leave you with now as you look
forward to your years at Regis University: “Go, and set the world on fire!”
________________________
For more information about St. Ignatius, the Society of
Jesus, Ignatian spirituality, and Jesuit education, please contact:
University Ministry (Student Center:
303-458-4153)
Justice Education Program, Dr. Byron
Plumley (Loyola Hall: 303-964-3660)
Ignatian Spirituality Program, Rev.
Kevin Cullen, S.J. (Student Center: 303-964-5109)
online
resources about the Jesuits and Regis University:
http://www.regis.edu
http://www.jesuit.org/resources/index.html
online
resources about Ignatian spirituality:
http://www.jesuit.org/pilgrim/index.html
http://www.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/online.html
St. Ignatius’ Prayer of
Awareness: the Examen
As you’ve read, St. Ignatius believed that we can find God
in all things, at every moment, even in the most ordinary encounters of a day.
To do this, we must take time to reflect on our experience.
He encourages us to look back over the course of a day, and pay attention
to what is happening both in and around us.
God is found in what is real, so pray from what is real in
your life. And be real with God as
you pray: no pretense, or posturing. God
accepts you as you are. Speak to
God as a friend would speak to a friend, Ignatius advises us.
Here is a simple way of praying through the day.
It’s broken down into five steps, but don’t feel that you need to do
all fives steps. This is not about
completing a task, but building a relationship.
Find a place where you can be quiet and composed for a short time.
1. Pray for
God’s help
There is nothing magical about praying.
Prayer simply is a conversation with God.
So invite God to be with you during this sacred time.
Ask God to help you be grateful and honest as you look back on the day.
With God’s help, be attentive to how God’s Spirit was working in and
through you.
2. Give
thanks for the gifts of this day
For Ignatius, gratitude is the first,
most important step on the spiritual journey.
An attitude of gratitude, practiced often enough, helps us find God in
all things and can transform the way we look at our life and other people.
So review the day, and name the blessings, from the most significant and
obvious to the more common and ordinary: for example, the taste of your favorite
food, an encounter with a friend, a compliment received, the beauty of the
cloudless sky, the warmth of the room, a new insight in class, a game
well-played, a great nap, or a good time with friends.
As you do this taking-stock, honor the gifts of others in your life, but
don’t forget to recognize the gifts in you, for they too are God-given.
Don’t feel that you must mechanically
go through the day hour-by-hour, or make a list of all the day’s gifts. Instead,
savor whatever gifts God shows you. With God’s gentle guidance, let the day go through you.
3. Pray over
the significant feelings that surface as you replay the day
Ignatius believed that God communicates
with us not only through mental insight, but also through our interior
movements, as he called them: in other words, our feelings, emotions, desires,
and moods. As you reflect on the
day, you may notice some strong feelings arise. They may be painful or pleasing:
for example, joy, peace, sadness, anxiety, confusion, hope, compassion,
regret, anger, confidence, jealousy, self-doubt, boredom or excitement.
Feelings, remember, are neither positive nor negative: it’s what we do
with them that raises moral questions. These movements can tell us about the
direction of our lives. Moreover,
simply bringing them to the surface can help release the destructive hold that
some feelings have on us.
Pick one or two strong feelings or
movements and pray from them. Ask
God to help you understand what aroused those feelings and where they led you:
·
Did they draw you closer to God?
Did they help you grow in faith, hope, and love?
Did they make you more generous with your time and talent?
Did they make you feel more alive, whole and human? Did they lead you to
feel more connected to others or challenge you to life-giving growth?
·
Or did the feelings lead you away from
God, make you less faithful, hopeful and loving? Did they cause you to become
more self-centered or anxious? Did they lure you into doubt and confusion? Did
they only bring confusion to your life? Did they lead to the breakdown of
relationships?
4. Rejoice
and seek forgiveness
Rejoice in those times you were brought
closer to God, and ask for forgiveness for those times that you resisted God’s
presence in your life today. Praise
God for the grace of awareness given to you during this time of prayer, even if
you became aware of things you are not proud of.
This awareness is the beginning of healing and conversion.
5. Look to
tomorrow
Just as God is with you today, God will
be with you as you sleep, and when you wake up tomorrow.
Invite God to be a part of your future. What do you need God’s help
with? Be very practical and specific. God
wants to be there with you, in the most dramatic and mundane moments of your
life. Ask God to give you the grace
you need: for example, courage,
confidence, wisdom, patience, determination, or peace.
Or perhaps there is someone you would like to pray for by name.
Close by speaking to God from your
heart, or with a prayer that is familiar to you, like the “Our Father.”
Or you may pray one of St. Ignatius’s prayers that follow.
Prayers
of St. Ignatius
Prayer for Generosity
Lord Jesus, teach me to be generous;
teach me to serve you as you deserve,
to give and not to count the cost,
to fight and not to heed the wounds,
to toil and not to seek for rest,
to labor and not to seek reward,
except that of knowing that I do your
will.
Amen.
An Offering of Self
Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty,
my memory, my understanding,
and my entire will,
all that I have and call my own.
You have given it all to me.
To you, Lord, I return it.
Everything is yours; do with it as you
will.
Give me only your love and your grace.
That is enough for me.
A.M.D.G.
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam
“For
the Greater Glory of God”
Various quotations for layout:
“As for the pedagogical part, the
shortest rule would be: consult the schools of the Jesuits, for nothing better
has been put into practice.”
- Francis Bacon, (1561-1626), English philosopher, scientist, and
statesman
“The world is charged with the
grandeur of God.”
- Gerard Manley Hopkins, S.J. (1844-89), a British poet
whose works reflect his own intense spiritual journey.
“A university is ... an Alma Mater,
knowing her children one by one, not a factory, or a mint, or a treadmill.”
-John Henry Cardinal Newman (1801-1890), an English
churchman who asserted that education must include moral formation, not just
academic instruction. His Idea of a University is
still widely read today.
“For what fills and satisfies the
soul consists, not in knowing much, but in our understanding the realities
profoundly and in savoring them interiorly.”
- St. Ignatius Loyola (1491-1556)
“Love ought to manifest itself more
by deeds than by words.”
- St. Ignatius Loyola
“Precisely because a university is
inescapably a social force, it must transform and enlighten the society in which
it lives.”
- Rev. Ignacio Ellacuria, S.J., president of the University of Central
America, El Salvador, murdered in 1989 along with seven others. The Jesuits at
the university had been outspoken, untiring advocates for reform in El Salvador.
“The day will come when, after
harnessing the ether, the winds, the tides, and gravitation, we shall harness
for God the energies of love. And on that day, for the second time in the
history of the world, man will have discovered fire.”
- Pierre
Teilhard de Chardin, S.J. (1881-1955),
a French paleontologist and philosopher whose writings integrated science and
religion
“We must therefore raise our Jesuit
educational standard to ‘educate the whole person of solidarity for the real
world.’ Solidarity is learned through ‘contact’ rather than through
‘concepts’…. When the heart is touched by direct experience, the mind may
be challenged to change. Personal
involvement with innocent suffering, with the injustice others suffer, is the
catalyst for solidarity which then gives rise to intellectual inquiry and moral
reflection.
- Rev. Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, S.J., Superior General of the
Society of Jesus, 2000.
Students, in the course of their
formation, must let the gritty reality of this world into their lives, so they
can learn to feel it, think about it critically, respond to its suffering, and
engage it constructively. They
should learn to perceive, think, judge, choose, and act for the rights of
others, especially the disadvantaged and the oppressed.”
- Rev. Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, S.J., Superior General of the
Society of Jesus, 2000.
“The measure of Jesuit universities
is not what our students do but who they become and the adult Christian
responsibility they will exercise in the future towards their neighbor and their
world.”
- Rev. Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, S.J., Superior General of the
Society of Jesus, 2000.
“You are called by the Society of
Jesus to be men and women who reflect upon the reality of the world around you
with all it ambiguities, opportunities, and challenges in order to discern what
is really happening in your life and in
the lives of others, to find God there and to discover where God is calling
you, to employ criteria for significant choices that reflect Godly values rather
than narrow, exclusive self-interest, to decide in the light of what is truly
for the greater glory of God and the service of those in need, and then to act
accordingly.”
- Rev. Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, S.J., Superior General of the
Society of Jesus, 1997. This
quotation is etched in bronze in the floor of the Atrium Lobby of Mandeville
Hall.
“Regis University educates men and
women of all ages to take leadership roles and to make a positive impact in a
changing society. Standing within
the Catholic and United States traditions, we are inspired by the particular
Jesuit vision of Ignatius Loyola. This
vision challenges us to attain the inner freedom to make intelligent choices.
. .
. We encourage the continual search for truth, values and a just
existence. Throughout this process,
we examine and attempt to answer the question: ‘How ought we to live?’”
-Regis University Mission and Goals
Statement