“I wish not merely to be called Christian, but also to be Christian.” – St. Ignatius
I’ve been educated exclusively in Catholic institutions. I went to a parochial grade school, a Norbertine high school, and now I’m at a Jesuit university; the idea of God and religion being integrated into daily life is not a new concept for me. But I don’t think I truly knew what it meant to live for God, to live with the Holy Spirit, until I came to a Jesuit college. The Society of Jesus is one of the most progressive and active subsets of the Catholic Church. Jesuit priests and brothers are, “still men on the move, ready to change place, occupation, method.” The mission of the Jesuit order – ad majorem dei gloriam, or, for the greater glory of God – sums up the mindset of the Jesuits, but what does this mean in real life, specifically, how does this apply to Jesuit-based education? What does it mean to be a student at a Jesuit university?
Being a student at a Jesuit university means combatting academics from a unique angle – cura personalis, or caring for the whole person. This entails balancing both general core classes and major-specific classes. I came into college with my heart set on being an English major; I would have been fine never taking another non-English class ever again. Had I done that, I would have never discovered that I actually really like chemistry, and I have a passion for political theory. Being forced into expanding our academic horizons can be a pain, but it really gives us a chance to explore the depths of ourselves as students.
Being a student at a Jesuit university means embracing spirituality. Jesuit schools are well-known for being excellent academic institutions; not every student who enrolls is here for a wholesome, Catholic-based faith experience. But we’re required to take at least one Theology course during our time at Loyola, as are most students at Jesuit universities. It’s an unspoken norm that even if we don’t fully believe or support pure Catholicism, we embrace some kind of spirituality on whatever level we’re able to do so. Whether this means holding hands with a stranger during the Our Father at mass on Sundays or simply participating in Theology class, we are expected to immerse ourselves in faith as deeply as we can.
Being a student at a Jesuit university means learning to love unconditionally and forgive easily. It means holding the door open for the person behind us. It means smiling at strangers. It means opening our hearts to whomever and whatever reaches out to us.
Being a student at a Jesuit university means making the right choices, even when they’re the harder choices to make. It means beating to the march of our own drums, it means going the extra mile to achieve excellence. It means living every single moment of every single day with one common goal: to better ourselves and to better others.
A great way of summing up what going to a Jesuit school means comes from the mind of St. Ignatius himself: “Teach us to give and not to count the cost.”
