Developing Ignatian Leaders among Faculty and Staff

The mission at Marquette is understood and lived by many faculty members, administrators and staff.  The next step in the process of the way we lead, teach and live is to appropriate the spirit which underlies and animates the mission statement. This spirit comes from the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius and the way the Society of Jesus has reflected upon its mission and makes it understood for present day. 

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Program Schedule-completed over three months

• TBA, 12-1pm - Introduction Lunch
• TBA, 9am-3pm, Retreat
• TBA, 11:30am-1pm, Session on History of Jesuit Education - Special guest TBA
• TBA, 11:30am-1pm, Session on Ignatian Discernment - Special guest TBA
• TBA, 11:30am-1pm, Session on Catholic Identity - Special guest TBA
• TBA, 11:30am-1pm, Session on Social Justice - Special guest TBA
• TBA, 9am-4pm, Day of Service followed by a group reflection
• TBA, 12-1pm Closing Capstone Lunch

Jesuit Education involves more than another method of teaching or a sequence of academic courses. It's a vision of life and a way of living that is rooted in the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius.  The Spiritual Exercises are a series of prayer experiences in a retreat context, resulting in a world view in which God is alive and active in everyday experiences. The Spiritual Exercises promote respect for an individual in her/his search for truth and faith, the need to live a reflective life and the reverence for the whole of one’s experiences: intellectual, emotional and physical. 

The leadership of the twelve Heartland Delta universities and colleges initiated a program, the Ignatian Colleagues Program (ICP), of leadership development for individuals from Jesuit universities and colleges in the United States. This program is available to senior administrators selected by each school. The program extends over a year and a half of group learning and online education.   

The Office of Mission and Ministry has adapted this program for Marquette. The abbreviated form allows more people to experience some of the benefits of longer program.

Program Outline

Based on the four learning components of the Ignatian Colleagues Program, the four components of the Marquette program are an experience of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius; a learning component; an immersion experience; and a practical application.

The first two components of the program give a person the experience and understanding of the how the Spiritual Exercises, Ignatian Pedagogy and Ignatian Spirituality come together. The third component flows from the understanding that what one learns and experiences are not for self-aggrandizement but to serve others and make this world a better place. 

The fourth and final component of the program is practical.  How will this knowledge and exercise change the way I think and act?  And how will this affect the way I exercise leadership?

What is IGNATIAN SPIRITUALITY?

Read an overview of Saint Ignatius and his Spiritual Exercises.

The four components of the Marquette Colleagues' Program

Experience of the Spiritual Exercises

The group experience is a one day retreat away from the university in which there is conversation about the Autobiography of St. Ignatius and discussions on the Spiritual Exercises.

Learning Component

Four sessions, lasting ninety minutes each, include the topics below. Sessions involve reading beforehand. 

1. Ignatian Discernment
2. How the Jesuits got into education and Jesuit Education Today
3. Catholic and Jesuit identifying us as a university
4. Mission of the Jesuits:  Promoting a faith that does justice

Immersion Experience

Spend a day working with the underserved in Milwaukee. This day concludes with a reflection on the experience and its connection to components one and two.

Practical Application

Individuals come to the final session with a one page reflection about what they have learned and how they will use this knowledge in how they lead. They will also evaluate the program to make it better for the next cohort.