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Mission Integration

Mission on Campus

Loyola’s aim is to cultivate a campus-wide ethos of Ignatian citizenship, promoting thoughtful and active civic and global engagement among all members of our community.  Ignatian citizens think of themselves as part of something larger, as responsible for the betterment of our shared world; as men and women who think and act for the rights of others, especially the disadvantaged and the oppressed.

Now more than ever, our world needs Ignatian citizens; Loyola is called to act and we are uniquely poised to do so from a position of strength and responsibility that is based on our mission and core values. Being a member of Loyola means learning about and taking part in our local, national, and global community. It means participating in activities and events around Baltimore. It means listening and asking questions. It means seeking out meaningful solutions to conflicts and problems. It means showing up and getting others to show up. It means writing letters, voting, and forming relationships. It means getting to know the social justice concerns impacting the local and global community of which Loyola is a part.

See how some members of the community support the mission

Mission/Community Service Leave

Paid leave for staff and administrators to participate voluntarily in University-sponsored community service experiences and mission-related personal development, retreats or reflection activities that occur during regularly scheduled workdays. Consistent with the vision of a Jesuit University, Loyola University Maryland encourages its employees to understand the University's mission, to learn deeply about the traditions, current practice, and applications of that mission, to live out its mission of leadership in the service of others, and to reflect on ways to serve the community. To utilize paid Mission/Community Service leave for University-sponsored activities and programs, please see the opportunities listed below. For additional information related to requesting leave, please contact the benefits and wellness unit at ext. 1365.

Opportunities

Ignatian Colleagues Program (ICP) – Office of the President

Sponsored participation in the Ignatian Colleagues Program (ICP). The ICP is an 18-month formational program that seeks to develop Ignatian partners in Jesuit higher education who are capable of and committed to assuming leadership within the Ignatian spiritual and educational heritage. These partners will sustain their schools’ Jesuit, Catholic character into the future as they constitute and enhance local, regional, and national networks of Ignatian leaders who work strategically and collaboratively to enrich Jesuit higher education. The ICP consists of a series of integrated components designed to establish ongoing conversations through a series of face-to-face cohort gatherings, online learning opportunities, an Ignatian retreat, an international immersion experience and a mission project related to one’s work.  The program begins with an Orientation in late July and ends a year and a half later in January with a Capstone event. To date, over 250 administrators and faculty from 26 Jesuit institutions have participated in the program.  The President in consultation with Vice President & Special Assistant selects candidates for participation. For more information, contact Krysten Fertonardo, executive assistant to the president, at kfertonardo@loyola.edu.

Ignatian Leadership Seminar – Office of the President

Participate in the week long seminar! An invited program, its goal is to contribute to the formation of administrators in Jesuit colleges and universities who, in the words of St. Ignatius Loyola, “Go out and set the world on fire!” Participants in the Jesuit Leadership Seminar are introduced to the foundations of Jesuit education and actively engage in discussions with peers from around the country on how the Jesuit educational tradition may be applied in the everyday work of university decision making. Drawing on the expertise of skilled practitioners from the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities consortium – including current and past Jesuit university presidents who serve among the faculty – the Seminar offers fresh perspective on key questions facing Ignatian leaders. The President and Vice President and Special Assistant to the President select candidates for participation. For more information, contact Krysten Fertonardo, executive assistant to the president, at kfertonardo@loyola.edu.

Mission Week & Maryland Day – Office of Mission Integration and Office of External Affairs

Mission Week celebrates the University’s Jesuit and Maryland heritage. The creation of Loyola’s Mission Week was inspired by the strategic plan, The Ignatian Compass, which calls the Loyola community to engage more fully with the University’s Ignatian mission. Speakers and keynote lectures, Mass, Advocacy Day, Building a Better World Through Business, Relay for Life, Alpha Sigma Nu programs, York Road Initiative programs, service activities, library exhibits, all lead up to the Maryland Day events. Maryland Day includes a special mass, a ceremony honoring employees who have achieved key milestones at Loyola and the Maryland Day Convocation including the awarding of the Ignatian Citizenship Medal, ASN inductions, and the Milch Award. Maryland Day serves as the cornerstone of the days of events and activities of Mission Week.  

Ignatian Citizenship Book Discussions – Office of Mission Integration

Members of Loyola must think about incorporating Ignatian Citizenship into their lives in the form of advocating for thoughtful and active civic and global engagement within our community.  Ignatian citizens think of themselves as a part of something bigger, and aim to promote diversity, equity, and inclusiveness on campus and in their communities. Through a quarterly book club focused on social justice concerns facing Baltimore, our nation, and our world, participants learn more about, build relationships, and discuss follow-up actions including volunteering, and letter writing, and advocacy efforts.  Recent books/discussions include: All the Light We Cannot See (Anthony Doerr); Barking to the Choir (Greg Boyle, SJ); Living Against the Grain (Tim Muldoon), and Silence (Shusaku Endo). For more information and to sign up, contact Anita Podles at apodles@loyola.edu.

The Spiritual Exercises – Office of Mission Integration

Participate in the The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius under guided direction. The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, written and refined during the years leading up to the founding of the Society of Jesus, are at the heart of what is called "Ignatian spirituality." This sequence of prayers and meditations, and guidelines for understanding God's action in one's life, form a remarkable spiritual resource which remains just a powerful today as was the case in the 16th century. "Ignatian spirituality" references not only the Exercises but also certain characteristics that have become linked with this pattern of prayer such as "finding God in all things," "discernment of spirits," and "choosing for the greater glory of God." There is much to explore and learn about Ignatian spirituality, both as a significant set of prayer guidelines and as a cornerstone of the Jesuit charism underlying all Jesuit institutions, including universities.

Service & Volunteerism – Center for Community, Service, and Justice 

CCSJ offers opportunities for community service and volunteerism for undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, alumni, and Loyola employees.  Whatever motivation, be it faith, civic responsibility, or as part of coursework, CCSJ facilitates a range of commitment levels and types of engagement with community partners in our York Road Community, throughout Baltimore and beyond. CCSJ also hosts a Community Service Fair at the beginning of each semester, where community partners showcase opportunities for service and volunteerism. Sign up to volunteer once, monthly or weekly as an individual or group through the CCSJ website.

Immersion Experiences – Center for Community, Service, and Justice and Campus Ministry

CCSJ and Campus Ministry immersions are experiences that allow students to learn more about a community, immerse themselves in a culture, and understand the implications of social issues.   One part of the immersion experience offers Loyola community members an opportunity to spend academic breaks (winter, spring, summer) immersed in a community (locally, domestically, and internationally). Students engage in dialogue and reflection about justice and what it means to be an Ignatian Citizen.  Immersions include: (1) In-depth preparation, education, and community building prior to the travel experience (2) Community-based learning experiences and/or direct service with a community-based organization (3) Reflection activities and group dialogue and (4) Commitment to related advocacy, engagement and ongoing learning.  Each immersion has its own different participant fee to cover transportation, food, housing, educational activities, and incidental expenses. Faculty, staff and administrators serve as mentors who, in collaboration with student peer facilitators, lead and accompany groups in their immersion experience. For more information and to sign up, visit the Immersions website.

Community-Engaged Learning & Scholarship – Center for Community, Service, and Justice

Community and civic engagement is central to the Jesuit educational mission and Loyola’s commitment to transformative student learning. CCSJ works in partnership with Academic Affairs to support faculty and students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels connect academic endeavors with community goals in mutually beneficial partnerships. Community-engaged learning and scholarship can include a range of academic community engagement, including service-learning, community-engaged research, course-based group service, and advocacy projects. The Center for Community, Service, and Justice and Academic Affairs also offer internal funding programs and faculty development opportunities, which include funding for research projects, attending conferences and workshops, and collaborative learning and education activities with the local community.  To learn more, visit the Community-Engaged Learning and Scholarship website.

Kolvenbach Research Program- Office of Research and Sponsored Programs 

Inspired by an October 2000 address by Rev. Peter Hans Kolvenbach, S.J., Loyola University’s Kolvenbach Research Grant Program fosters and encourages socially engaged research. The program seeks to honor Loyola's research strengths and galvanize the institution's commitment to faith and justice work that serves the needs of the underserved in the Baltimore community and beyond. This program, hosted by the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, invites proposals from faculty, students, staff, and administrators to conduct research projects that address the needs of the larger community. Work may be conducted during the academic year or summer. Applications are reviewed by the Committee on Engaged Scholarship.  For more information, visit the Kolvenbach Programs website.

Mindful Meals – Campus Ministry

Mindful Meals is a monthly program structured around the Catholic Worker House round table discussion model. This program promotes awareness and dialogue about specific justice issues prevalent in our world today. Through a simple meal and shared conversation space, participants gain a better understanding of our human role in contributing to and addressing these issues. Each month, a different topic of discussion is chosen. Community members (students, faculty, administrators and community partners) with diverse experience and knowledge are invited to the dialogue to provide multiple viewpoints and understanding of the issue on a deeper level.

Ignatian Family Teach-In – Campus Ministry

The Ignatian Solidarity Network hosts the annual Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice (IFTJ) in Washington, D.C. for members of the Ignatian family (Jesuit institutions and larger church) 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. It is a place where people are empowered, re-energized, inspired, challenged, and supported by a community that sees faith and justice as integrally linked. Learn about issues affecting human dignity like racism and mass incarceration, immigration reform, the School of the Americas, environmental justice, and fair trade. Each year, Loyola sends a student delegation for the largest annual gathering of U.S. Jesuit-affiliated institutions: Jesuit colleges & high schools, JVC, Jesuit Refugee Services, Jesuit parishes, and more!  A small group of faculty, staff and administrators accompany the student delegation in the IFTJ experience.

Loyola Colleagues Program – Office of Mission Integration

Loyola Colleagues Program is a program that gathers together Loyola University Maryland faculty, staff and Jesuit colleagues for conversation about our Jesuit and Catholic educational mission in the relaxing atmosphere of a shared meal and evening discussion on three Tuesdays during the academic year.  Co-sponsored by the Office of the President and the Jesuit Community, and coordinated by the Ignatian Colleges Alumni, facilitated discussion on a single topic might be drawn from Conversations in Jesuit Higher Education and America, the Jesuit national weekly magazine. For more information, contact Anita Podles at apodles@loyola.edu.

Book Reading Groups – Office of Mission Integration

A semester or year-long discussion group reading a book highlighting aspects of our Catholic Jesuit mission and identity. For more information, contact Timothy Brown, S.J. at tbrown@loyola.edu.

Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults – Campus Ministry

The R.C.I.A. process is available for those students, faculty & staff who are thinking of becoming Catholic and for Catholics who wish to receive First Communion or Confirmation.

Prayer Groups – Office of Mission Integration and Campus Ministry

6-week, semester- or year-long. Employees gather in a small group to share experiences of prayer. Using prayer resources based on Scripture, the liturgical season, and the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola. For more information, contact Timothy Brown, S.J. at tbrown@loyola.edu.

Liturgy and Worship – Campus Ministry

Mass or Eucharist, lies at the heart of who we are and what we believe as Catholic Christians; it is the “source and summit of our faith," and the font from which all our actions flow (Lumen Gentium 11). Collaborate with Campus Ministry to promote university liturgies and to offer periodically prayer services for employee concerns. For more information, visit the Campus Ministry website.

Ignatian Workshops – Office of Mission Integration

A variety of one time symposiums and workshops through Mission Integration: sessions on St. Ignatius of Loyola, his worldview and spirituality, Jesuit Education, and Ignatian discernment (decision-making). For more information, contact Timothy Brown, S.J. at tbrown@loyola.edu.

Upcoming Events

Information about Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola

 

Contact Us

Timothy Brown , S.J.
410-617-2444 
tbrown@loyola.edu