In his Spiritual Exercises, St. Ignatius identifies the pursuit of holiness, wholeness, and right relationships as the purpose of human existence. Guided by Catholic Social Teaching, this purpose finds expression in Campus Ministry’s commitment to fostering and promoting a more just community. Called to be people for and with others, we are challenged to respond to all forms of individual and systemic injustice in our local, national and global communities. Following the examples of Jesus, St. Ignatius, and other figures in faith and history, Campus Ministry strives to enact a faith that does justice in solidarity with the underrepresented and oppressed. In the spirit of the Ignatian principle of ‘contemplation in action,’ Campus Ministry provides opportunities for students to learn, reflect, pray, dialogue and act. Learn about the Ignatian Family Teach-in for Justice, the Kino Border Initiative Immersion, and our office's LGBTQ+ Ministry.
The Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice
The Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice (IFTJ) is a conference, hosted by the Ignatian Solidarity Network, for members of the Ignatian family to honor the lives of the Jesuit martyrs of El Salvador and their companions and to gather in the context of social justice and solidarity to learn, reflect, pray, network, and advocate together. This conference is the largest annual gathering of U.S. Jesuit-affiliated institutions (Jesuit colleges & high schools, JVC, Jesuit Refugee Services, Jesuit parishes, and more). Through this opportunity, students are empowered, re-energized, inspired, challenged, and supported by a community that sees faith and justice as integrally linked. Learn more about the Ignatian Family Teach-In.
Kino Border Initiative Immersion
The Kino Border Initiative Immersion offers participants the opportunity to spend time with migrants and learn about their stories, as well as understand the broader context of the U.S./Mexico border and immigration policy. The immersion includes time in Kino’s Migrant Outreach Center, where participants will have the opportunity to speak with individuals moving through the immigration process. Groups will also meet with ranchers in rural southern Arizona and learn about their experiences and perspectives, meet with border patrol, learn about the environmental impacts of border enforcement, and hike in the desert. Throughout the experience, participants will engage in reflection, dialogue and advocacy, translating their learned experience into action. Learn more about Loyola's local, domestic, and international immersion offerings.
LGBTQ+ Ministry
Campus Ministry partners with colleagues across campus to create and support opportunities for LGBTQ+ students to explore their faith and spirituality, particularly the intersections with their sexuality and gender identity. We offer programs such a weekend-long Queer Spirituality retreat, prayer services and opportunities on campus, and the opportunity to attend the student-led IgnatianQ Conference.
Queer Spirituality Retreat
The Queer Spirituality Retreat offers a restorative weekend retreat centering LGBTQ+ students in an exploration of queer identity, spirituality, embodiment, and healing. Whether you're seeking rest, renewal, deeper self-connection, or community rooted in spiritual curiosity, this retreat offers space to reconnect - with yourself, with others, and with something greater.
All are welcome! No prior spiritual background needed. Learn more about our retreats.
IgnatianQ Conference
IgnatianQ is a student-run, student-led conference that brings together the community of LGBTQPIA+ folks (and allies) at Jesuit universities from across the U.S. IgnatianQ is founded upon the belief that the LGBTQ+ communities' desire for social justice and the Jesuit values that inform Jesuit education are forces that can and should work together for a more just and humane world. In exploring the intersections of sexuality, gender, and spirituality, this conference strives to educate and empower the whole person.
LGBTQ+ Faith-Based Resources
Aside from Loyola’s faith-based programs and resources for LGBTQ+ students, there are a number of local and national resources for LGBTQ+ students to explore their faith and spirituality. Around Baltimore, there are sacred spaces for prayer and worship a short distance from Loyola’s campus where students can explore their faith in an environment that is welcoming, affirming, and inclusive.
LGBTQ+ Affirming Sacred Spaces in Baltimore
National LGBTQ+ Faith Resources
For more information, contact Yulianna Otero Asmar at yoteroasmar@loyola.edu. To learn about Loyola's support and programming for LGBTQ+ students, visit LGBTQ+ Student Services.
Faith-Justice Resources
Racial Justice Resources
"Love one another as I have loved you." John 15:12
As the office of Campus Ministry at a Jesuit Catholic University, we are called to promote the inherent dignity of each member of the human family. The Universal Apostolic Preferences of the Society of Jesus call us to walk with those whose dignity has been violated, in a mission of reconciliation & justice. Catholicism teaches that all people are made in the image and likeness of God & possess an inherent dignity. It also teaches that racism is a sin, an intrinsic evil which, "...divides the human family, blots out the image of God among specific members of that family, and violates the fundamental human dignity of those called to be children of the same Father (God).” U.S.C.C.B. 2018
While it is true that all lives possess inherent dignity, we know that racism and white supremacy benefit white people and plague people of color with oppression, trauma and violence. Faith compels us to struggle against racism and "...demands an equally radical transformation, in our own minds and hearts as well as in the structure of our society”. (U.S.C.C.B.)
The first thing Pope Francis said to the world in St. Peter's square was, "I am a sinner." As a faith based office at a primarily white institution grounded in the city of Baltimore engaging in the work of racial justice, we must acknowledge the ways we participate, support or benefit from the sin of racism. We lament the ways we have fallen short, been complicit, silent or slow to respond to the sin of racism. We are sorry for the ways our actions or inactions have impacted or caused harm to our students, faculty, staff and administrators of color.
Walking Examen on Environmental Justice
Stop 1: The Chapel
Beginning at the chapel, ask God for guidance and an open mind as you begin your walking
examen. Feel grounded in your feet and take a moment to reflect on your surroundings:
weather, nature, people.
Stop 2: The Statue of St. Ignatius
Next, start your journey through the quad, towards the statue of St. Ignatius. Ask
yourself the following:
- What am I grateful for within my surrounding environment
- What are the gifts of nature that I take for granted?
- How do my actions impact my environment?
Ignatian spirituality encourages us to be critically aware of the environment in our day to day lives. We are called to be more than mere stewards of the Earth – rather than living as acquaintances with God’s creation, we are called to live in union with it and have a deep commitment to caring for it.
Stop 3: Humanities Building
Once you arrive at humanities, take in the beautiful aesthetic and architecture of
the building. Observe the quad. These are the images that represent Loyola; a beautiful,
green campus. How should we be acknowledging our privilege of living on a campus like
Loyola- where there is clean air, an abundance of greenery, and a safe environment?
Additionally, think about where our quad is situated. As it sits right in the middle of our campus, it reminds us of how the York Road Corridor sits on one side of our campus, while Roland Park sits on the other. Reflect on the following:
- How might these two communities face environmental differences: varying amounts of trees and greenery? Cleaner air vs more polluted air?
- Baltimore has a history of redlining, which is a discriminatory practice designed by white people in power to keep white spaces white and black spaces black through exclusionary lending, denial of financial services, etc. The York Road corridor is a historical redline boundary between the Roland Park and Govans neighborhoods. How do you see the redlining of the two neighborhoods and environmental racism as being correlated? (You can learn more about historical redlining in Baltimore .)
- Do you feel like you are connected to either community? Or does Loyola remain in a “bubble” that sits between both areas?
Stop 4: Fernandez Center for Innovation and Collaborative Learning
Continue your journey towards the new building development. While Loyola is a campus
with various green initiatives, it also has a very long journey towards becoming a
more sustainable campus. Reflect on the following:
- Loyola is a large institution. Think about the mass amounts of fossil fuels, water usage, and waste that results from even a single day of a fully operational university. Consider especially our carbon footprint resulting from this new building development.
- Loyola is a single part of a large city, yet we still have a major impact on our surroundings. How may our actions as a university affect Baltimore City as a whole?
Stop 5: 9/11 Memorial Garden
End your walk at the 9/11 Memorial Garden. Close your eyes and reflect on the peaceful
sounds of the water fountain and the nature around you. Water is a precious resource
that we often take for granted. Use this water fountain as a symbol to imagine the
water usage throughout our university. How might we be more mindful of our usage of
such a resource?
Water can also provide a visual of the very real-life effects of climate change. From hurricanes to tsunamis, natural disasters are only becoming more extreme, and they tend to most seriously affect those who are most vulnerable.
Take a moment to reflect on the fact that those who have the largest carbon footprints are those who are least impacted by the effects of climate change, and those who have the smallest carbon footprints are those who are most impacted by its effects.
Ending Your Examen
After reflecting throughout your walking Examen, think about how you might put your
thoughts into action to move towards creating a more sustainable environment for our
Earth.
What are 1-2 concrete steps you can take as an individual to become a more conscious
steward of the resources available to you?
The Examen is an ongoing experience that can be carried out throughout your day. We
invite you to continue walking and reflecting if you feel compelled to. Mindfulness
throughout our everyday interactions (i.e., walking through the quad) can be a way
for us to open ourselves up to the gifts God shares with us each day.
Spirituality of Sr. Thea Bowman
Ever loving God, who by your infinite goodness inflamed the heart of your servant and religious, Sister Thea Bowman with an ardent love for you and the People of God; a love expressed through her indomitable spirit, deep and abiding faith, dedicated teaching, exuberant singing, and unwavering witnessing of the joy of the Gospel.
Her prophetic witness continues to inspire us to share the Good News with those whom we encounter; most especially the poor, oppressed, and marginalized. May Sister Thea’s life and legacy compel us to walk together, to pray together, and to remain together as missionary disciples ushering in the new evangelization for the Church we love.
Gracious God imbue us with the grace and perseverance that you gave your servant, Sister Thea. For in turbulent times of racial injustice, she sought equity, peace, and reconciliation. In times of intolerance and ignorance, she brought wisdom, awareness, unity, and charity. In times of pain, sickness, and suffering, she taught us how to live fully until called home to the land of promise. If it be your Will, O God, glorify our beloved Sister Thea, by granting the favor I now request through her intercession (mention your request), so that all may know of her goodness and holiness and may imitate her love for You and Your Church.
We ask this through our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
©2018 Catholic Diocese of Jackson
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Faith, Justice, Joy: Weekly Reflection for the Lenten Season
Week 1: Faith
(Art from Br. Mickey McGrath, OSFS)
1. Read .
2. Reflect on the following questions:
Sr. Thea says,“What does it mean to be Black and Catholic? It means that I come to my Church fully functioning. That doesn’t frighten you, does it? I come to my Church fully functioning. I bring myself; my Black self, all that I am, all that I have, all that I hope to become. I bring my whole history, my traditions, my experience, my culture, my African-American song and dance and gesture and movement and teaching and preaching and healing and responsibility - as gifts to the Church."
- Do I feel as though I can bring my whole self to my Church? (Please note: Church here can be replaced with any concept of a spiritual home)
- Are there parts of myself that I feel don’t belong? Parts of myself that I feel I must hide?
- How can Sister Thea's quote provide new insight into those feelings?
If Sr. Thea sees each part of ourselves as a gift to be brought forward to our church.
- What specific gifts do I bring to my spiritual community?
- How do those gift(s) enrich both my relationship with and experience of God?
Week 2: Justice
(Image provided by Education for Justice, a project of Ignatian Solidarity Network )
1. Take a few moments to look at the mural depicted here: Love Requires Justice- Art as a Medium to Address Systemic Racism and read “About the Mural” section (page 3). If you have time, read the entire document to understand the full scope of this mural project.
2. Reflect on the following questions:
In her speech to the USCCB we watched in our Week 1 reflection, Sr. Thea Bowman says "If you get enough fully functioning Black Catholics in your diocese they’re going to hold up the priest and they’re going to hold up the bishop. We love our bishops y’all. We love y’all too but see these bishops are our own – ordained for the Church universal, ordained for the service of God’s people. But they ours - we raised them. They came from our community and in a unique way they can speak for us and to us. That’s what the Church is talkin’ about with indigenous leadership – the leaders are supposed to look like their folks.”
- Considering the identities I hold, do I see myself represented in my faith tradition? In what ways, perhaps, am I not represented? (For those who see themselves fully represented in your faith tradition, take a moment to acknowledge the significance of that fact, and consider how your experience of your faith might be different if you were not represented in leadership.)
- Who are other folks who may not feel represented within my own faith community? How are they erased from the stories, images, and leadership of my faith tradition?
The artist recognizes and calls out her own white privilege and stresses the importance of white people educating themselves on racial injustices.
- If you are a beneficiary of white privilege, what steps can you take to begin to educate yourself and your community and spark dialogue around systemic racism in your own community?
- If you do not benefit from white privilege, how have you seen, experienced, or been affected by white privilege? Are there other ways in which you have encountered privilege in your own life, be it based on socio-economic status, gender, sexual orientation, or any other forms you can name?
Prayer for Racial Justice
We pray for a world filled with racial justice
As we recognize the pain and consequences
Of the sin of structural racism in our world today.
Give us the courage
To use our voices to challenge systems, structures, and thinking
That perpetuate white privilege and racial injustice,
To live out our universal call to holiness,
And to listen to and learn from each other’s stories
As we strive to live out a love that requires justice.
Finally, we recognize the necessity of personal transformation
In the movement toward a world of racial justice.
We pray to bring to life
The words of Sister Thea Bowman
In our interpersonal relationships
By telling “one another in our homes,
In our church, and even in our world,
I really, really love you."
Amen.
(Source: Education for Justice)
Week 3: Joy, Part 1
(Image by Bro. Mickey McGrath, OSFS)
1. Take a few moments to observe and reflect upon the image "Rise Up Shepherds" by Bro. Mickey McGrath, OSFS and read the following caption given to the image by the artist:
"There's a star in the east on Christmas morn.
Rise up, shepherd, and follow.
It will lead to the place where the Savior's born.
Rise up, shepherd, and follow."
2. Reflect on the following questions:
- What do I see in this image? What emotions does it invoke within me? Take a moment to sit quietly with yourself to truly feel what emotions surface.
- What do these emotions reveal about my response to this artwork? Do I see myself in this image in some way?
- While the title and caption may initially feel a little out of season with the Christmas reference, what does this quote mean to you in the context of this image? Who is/are the shepherds in this image? Who is following whom?
- How can I begin to seek out the wisdom from those in my faith community who do not hold traditional positions of authority? How can I make a conscious intention to find wisdom within a larger community of believers?
Week 4: Joy, Part 2
1. Read:
2. Reflect on the following questions:
- Reflect on the current political climate and the suffering many marginalized communities are experiencing. What do Sr. Thea's words mean for where I find myself in this moment?
- How do I feel a sense of suffering? How have I seen suffering in other areas of my lives this year- including acts of violence due to racism?
- What do Sr. Thea's words about dying with dignity mean for those of us seeking to live with a sense of joy and gratitude?
3. Listen: "" by Sr. Thea Bowman.
As you listen to Sr. Thea's rendition of "Go Tell It on the Mountain," think about what lessons you can learn from her deep sense of joy, and how you might seek out the joy present in your own life.
Week 5: Holy Week
1. Read: Sister Thea Bowman dictated this Holy Week Reflection to her companion about three weeks before her death in 1990.
2. Reflect on the following questions:
- What words or phrases stick out for you from Sr. Thea's reflection regarding Holy Week?
- What do her words, focused so deeply on being in community with one another, mean as we celebrate another Holy Week physically separated from one another?
- What significance does this reflection hold for you within the current context and the the context of institutional and interpersonal racism within our country?
(Reflection and image source:
More Resources at Loyola
Departments & Offices
- Thrive Center for Student Success
- Center for Community, Service, and Justice
- Counseling Center's Racial Violence & Injustice Resource Page
- Office of Equity and Inclusion
- Office of Sustainability
- The Karson Institute for Race, Peace, & Social Justice
Student Organizations & Groups
- Loyola Alive
- Rendez-Vous: Haiti
- Urban Needs in Teacher Education