 Ignatian Solidarity Awareness Events
As a Jesuit University, we are members of the national Ignatian Solidarity Network. As such, we participate in the mission of facilitating and promoting communication, education, social justice awareness and action among Jesuit member institutions and individuals. Our goal is to better understand what it means to live and act upon “a faith that does justice.” One way of doing this is by sponsoring and/or collaborating with other groups on various activities concerning the closing of the School of the Americas (SOA)/Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHINSEC). This involves education and awareness of human rights issues, participation in the vigil to close the school in Georgia along with other Jesuit institutions each November, and lobby training with regards to various social justice issues in the Spring. As a part of the November weekend experience, students attend the Ignatian Family Teach-In. The Ignatian Family Teach-In is an annual gathering that serves both to honor the Jesuits and other martyrs in El Salvador and to protest the activities of the U.S. military and government in the region. The event is a powerful experience, especially for students at high schools and colleges, who connect with their faith through education, liturgy and protest. Though held in conjunction with the protest of the School of the Americas at Fort Benning, the Teach-In's focus is broadening. Other social justice issues considered are affordable housing, AIDS ministry and international development concerns. In connection with these issues, we coordinate educational events to commemorate the Salvadoran martyrs: churchwomen, Jesuits, Bishop Romero and the thousands of civilians who gave their lives while fighting for justice in El Salvador. On the evening of November 19, 2009, a group of Loyola students, faculty, administrators, staff and alumni will travel to the annual Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice in Columbus, Georgia. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the assassination of the Jesuit martyrs in El Salvador, and will be the last year when the Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice will be held in Georgia in conjuction with the School of the Americas vigil. For more information, contact Margarita Dubocq at ext. 5352
ISN invites the Ignatian family to attend a three-day learning experience exploring environmental justice and sustainability in order to discuss and reflect on the following questions: - What are the moral implications of climate change and who is most impacted?
- What are challenges and opportunities presented by the climate crisis?
- What are the best practices for making your campus greener and more sustainable?
- What are the environmental policies that we should focus our attention on?
The Teach-In will be followed by a day of action, which seeks to open up new avenues of communication and advocacy on the issues discussed, as well as provide the necessary skills for student groups to carry on this work in their home communities long after the Teach-In has ended. More information about the Spring Teach-In will be available in the late Fall semester or early Spring. For more information, contact Andrea Goichocea at ext. 5823 | 
