'Mission Over a Meal' series highlights the importance of Loyola's Jesuit ideals
Maureen O'Donoghue
Issue date: 2/2/10 Section: News
Last Wednesday, the Mission Over a Meal program held its first of three lunch series designed to offer members of the Loyola community - faculty, staff and administration - an opportunity to eat, reflect and discuss the mission of Loyola.
As the new 2009-2010 school year began, some obvious changes and additions were quite publicly opened on the Loyola scene. A more discrete addition was the new Office of Mission Integration, which coordinated the "Mission Over a Meal" lunch series. This new office was opened to offer faculty, staff and administration different programs and opportunities designed to help them learn more about the mission of Loyola and the different ways faith, justice and the Jesuit ideals of the mission can be incorporated into their daily work and lives.
Father Tim Brown, S.J., Special Assistant to the President for Mission Integration, teamed up with another rather discrete addition to the Loyola community - first year philosophy professor, and Formation Assistant for Mission Integration, Sam Sawyer, S.J. to jump-start the office.
As the Loyola community expands and the number of Jesuits decreases, the quantity of faculty, staff and administration that extensively understand and have had experience with the multitude of phrases including cura personalis, "For the Greater Glory of God," "Finding God in All Things," and "Ignatian spirituality" which are all encompassed in the Jesuit and Loyola mission decreases.
"There are people who are just central to Loyola, who really make Loyola what it is and who are every bit a part of the mission, who haven't had the opportunity the Jesuits have had to get as much explicated intentional formation. How does that aspect of the mission work? What are the actual spiritual realities behind the mission?" Sam Sawyer, S.J. explained.
The goal of Mission Integration is to solve this problem - to reach out to members of the faculty, staff, and administration through different programs to help them gain experience with the spirituality that drives the mission.
As the new 2009-2010 school year began, some obvious changes and additions were quite publicly opened on the Loyola scene. A more discrete addition was the new Office of Mission Integration, which coordinated the "Mission Over a Meal" lunch series. This new office was opened to offer faculty, staff and administration different programs and opportunities designed to help them learn more about the mission of Loyola and the different ways faith, justice and the Jesuit ideals of the mission can be incorporated into their daily work and lives.
Father Tim Brown, S.J., Special Assistant to the President for Mission Integration, teamed up with another rather discrete addition to the Loyola community - first year philosophy professor, and Formation Assistant for Mission Integration, Sam Sawyer, S.J. to jump-start the office.
As the Loyola community expands and the number of Jesuits decreases, the quantity of faculty, staff and administration that extensively understand and have had experience with the multitude of phrases including cura personalis, "For the Greater Glory of God," "Finding God in All Things," and "Ignatian spirituality" which are all encompassed in the Jesuit and Loyola mission decreases.
"There are people who are just central to Loyola, who really make Loyola what it is and who are every bit a part of the mission, who haven't had the opportunity the Jesuits have had to get as much explicated intentional formation. How does that aspect of the mission work? What are the actual spiritual realities behind the mission?" Sam Sawyer, S.J. explained.
The goal of Mission Integration is to solve this problem - to reach out to members of the faculty, staff, and administration through different programs to help them gain experience with the spirituality that drives the mission.
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