Educating Students of Faith and Justice

Web Posted: October 20, 2003

According to the Preamble of Marquette University's Core of Common Studies, "The Ignatian approach to learning is grounded in the conviction that all human beings are created for knowledge and love of God and that God speaks through faith and justice to individuals and communities. Jesuit education calls for more than mere schooling in received wisdom. It demands mutual engagement of faculty and students in a continual and common search for truth and justice."

Faith and justice are, in fact, recurring themes in the life of every Jesuit university and have been paired strongly in Jesuit institutions over the last twenty-five years. But what is the particular role of a university -- as university -- in answering the dual call of faith and justice?

In an October 2000 article, "Of Kingfishers and Dragonflies: Faith and Justice at the Core of Jesuit Education," Joseph Daoust, S.J. examines the means and motivations for Jesuit universities to carry out their core commitments to faith and justice, particularly with respect to educating women and men whose faith leads them to lives of service.