OUR APPROACH
OUR WAY
We are companions – not experts, not saviors, not benefactors – with our participants on their journeys. As a sponsored work of the Midwest Jesuits, our approach is grounded in the spirit of solidarity in practice.
Solidarity involves accompanying the people we serve through relationships marked by deep listening, respect and commitment to the good of the individual and the society that forms the context of the person’s experience.
Accompaniment has been at the core of Jesuit works for nearly 500 years. It arises from a belief that faith and goodness are present in each person and don’t need to be taught, but rather can be uncovered in their fullness with support.
OUR FORMATION GOALS FOR PARTICIPANTS
INSIGHT
LIBERATION
SERVICE
The gifts we hope our program participants discover are:
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Insight into one’s intrinsic value and beauty along with a sober appreciation of one’s incompleteness. Insight into the path toward a more just and loving world
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Liberation from inner habits and attitudes that leads us away from lives of love and justice. Liberation from unjust social structures
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Adoption of a life of Service, arising from a realization that a life given to others is the most fulfilling path
OUR MODELS OF MISSION
Ignatius of Loyola founded the Jesuits and has been an inspiration to centuries of people who desire to make sense of the movements of their hearts to find meaning and purpose in this world. Ignatius’s original ministry was one of accompaniment – simply having conversations about profound matters. The “Ignatian spirituality” he developed has as its foundation respect for personal experience, and it has kept the work of Jesuits and their companions relevant ever since.
Ignatius of Loyola
As Archbishop of El Salvador, Oscar Romero demonstrated how relationships can transform us into a life committed to solidarity with marginalized people. He preached and lived a Gospel of love and justice, but he was assassinated for advocating on behalf of his oppressed brothers and sisters.