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September, 2016

ARRUPE SEMINAR ON THE

FOUNDATIONS AND VISION OF JESUIT EDUCATION

SYLLABUS

Welcome to Arrupe Seminar!

We hope you will find these sessions helpful as we explore together the foundations and visions of Jesuit education. Below you will find the outline for each week of the seminar.

There are readings assigned for each week (though please come to the seminar even if you haven’t finished all the reading) and there are resources at the bottom of each page “for further reading

and study” which are available on request for those who want to delve further into the materials.

At the end of these 9 months together, each seminar participant will share their reflections with one another about what they’ve gained from the experience, along with an idea for how to

integrate their learning from the Seminar into their professional work at SU.

SESSION l

September, 2016

1. Topic: IGNATIUS OF LOYOLA, HIS STORY• The early influences on Ignatius’ life and personality • The experience of conversion, purification, transformation.• The pilgrim years: discernment, decision and action.• Rome, not Jerusalem. Gift beyond expectations.• From a personal to a communal spirituality—the Jesuits

2. Format:• Introductions of seminar participants: name, department, what drew you to the

Seminar and what you hope to gain from it• Dramatization of Ignatius' Story• Open conversation with participants

3. Readings:• Modras, Ron. Ignatian Humanism, Chapter 1, "Ignatian Spirituality,"pp 1-50.• Autobiography of St. Ignatius of Loyola from Ignatius of Loyola: Spiritual Exercises and

Other Works (pp. 67-111)

4. Questions:Content:

• What is the historical, socio-economic, political, religious context in the story of Ignatius? What moments in his life journey seemed most formative for him?

Reflections and application:• Where do you find experiences in your own personal, spiritual journey comparable to

those of lgnatius? What do you find difficult to relate to?• What in the story of Ignatius sheds light on the mission, vision, and values of Seattle

University?

For further reading and study:• The First Jesuits, John W. O'Malley, Chapter 1, "Foundations Before the Founding," (pp 23-36)• David Lonsdale, Eyes to See, Ears to Hear. (Loyola, 1990) Chapter 1, "Images of

Ignatius," Chapter 2, "Ignatius and Jesus"• Ignatius: The Pilgrim Saint (Loyola Press, 1994) on reserve

September, 2016

SESSION 21. Topic: PEDRO ARRUPE, S. J.

2. Format:• DVD on the Life of Pedro Arrupe• Discussion of life, writings, and ideals of Arrupe

3. Readings:• Modras, Ron. Ignatian Humanism, Chapter 7, "Pedro Arrupe" pp. 243-284.

• One Jesuit's Spiritual Journey: Autobiographical Conversations of Pedro Arrupe with Jean-Claude Dietsch, S. J. St. Louis: Institute of Jesuit Sources, 1982/1986. pp. 3-103 (or as much as you have time for).


• What were the ideals and innovations that made Pedro Arrupe such a charismatic leader for the Jesuits in the 1970s and 1980s?

• How did his responses to witnessing the atomic bomb exploded, Japan's recovery after the War, Vatican II, and changes in society affect his leadership of the Jesuits?

Reflection and application:• What in the life of Arrupe moved you?• How would you evaluate the life and effectiveness of Arrupe from the perspective of

the present? What were his strengths and weaknesses?

For further reading and study:• '"Rooted and Grounded in Love," address by Arrupe, (pp. 105-160) from One Jesuit's

Spiritual Journey: Autobiographical Conversations of Pedro Arrupe with Jean-Claude Dietsch, S. J. St. Louis: Institute of Jesuit Sources, 1982/1986.

• Arrupe, Pedro, 'Jesuits’ Mission in Higher Education," in Other Apostolates, (pp. 80- 96)

September, 2016

SESSION 31. Topic: IGNATIAN SPIRITUALITY AND THE SPIRITUAL EXERCISES

FROM THE PERSONAL EXPERIENCE OF IGNATIUS TO THE SPIRITUAL EXERCISES

2. Format: Presentation by Pat O’Leary and discussion among seminar participants

3. Readings: Coursepack: Monica Hellwig, "Finding God in All Things: A Spirituality for Today” “The First Principle and Foundation” and “The Contemplation to Obtain Love”


How does Ignatian Spirituality grow out of the life and experiences of St. Ignatius? What questions or observations come to your mind as you reflect on the opening and closing

meditations of the Exercises—handouts, bullet number 3?

Reflections and applications: Does Steve Sundborg’s definition of “spirituality” as “one’s lived relationship to mystery” awaken

something in your own experience? How? In light of the readings on the Exercises and your own experience, how do you understand the

notion of spirituality? What about Ignatian Spirtituality and the Spiritual Exercises feels relevant today?

For further reading and study: The Text of the Exercises is in George Ganss, S.J.’s text Ignatius of Loyola, Spiritual Exercises and

Select Works, pp. 113-214. This is a source rather than assigned reading. Note: The Spiritual Exercises are not an easy read—they are actually handbook for a director and the director’s role is critical for adapting the text to the experience of each retreatant. Reflection on the text itself becomes much more satisfying and fruitful when a person has had his/her own experience of the Exercises first. Hopefully, our discussion in class about the various movements and the inner dynamic of the Exercises will provide helpful insights that elucidate the source material here.

September, 2016

SESSION 4

1. Topic: SPIRITUAL EXERCISES: PERSONAL PERSPECTIVES

2. Format: A panel of individuals who have made the Exercises will talk about their experiences. Time for questions and observations will follow.

3. Readings:

Coursepack:• Patrick M. Kelly, S.J., “Loved into Freedom and Service,” Studies in the Spirituality of Jesuits, Vol.

39/2, Summer of 2007


• Clearly, the Spiritual Exercises unfold within a Christian faith perspective. In what ways do the dynamics of the Exercises resonate with other faith traditions or the dynamics of human experience in general?

• In what ways has the reading and this presentation helped you to better understand the dynamics of the Spiritual Exercises and Ignatian Spirituality? What aspects invite further clarification?

Reflections and applications:• After from reading and hearing several individuals’ experiences of the Spiritual Exercises, was

there something that resonated with your own experience or understanding of spirituality?

For further reading and study:• William Berry, S.J. and Kerry A. Maloney, Editors, A Hunger for God, Ten Approaches to Prayer,

Sheed and Ward, Kansas City.o Chapter 1, Sabastian Moore, O.S.B., "What Does it Mean to Pray? o Chapter 2. Harvey Egan, S.J. "A Jesuit Looks at Jesuit Prayer," o Chapter 3. Mary Garvin, S.N.J.M, Ignatian Prayer from a Woman's Perspective," o Chapter 4. William Barry, S.J., "Ignatian Contemplation: Use of the Imagination

September, 2016

SESSION 5

1. Topic: PERSONAL AND COMMUNAL DISCERNMENT IN THE SOCIETY OF JESUS: Companions in Shared Mission

• Ignatian Spirituality embodied: The Society of Jesus• Origin of the Society: Deliberation of the First Jesuits • Defining Characteristics of the Society: Formulas• Expectations for those Seeking Entrance-General Examen• The Spirit of the Constitutions

2. Format:• Presentation: The discernment of the early Jesuits• Dialogue: From the individual experience to the communal

3. Readings:

Coursepack:• The First Deliberation: Jules J. Toner, S.J. Studies in the Spirituality of Jesuits, "The

Deliberations that Started the Jesuits," Vol. 6, no. 4.

• summary of the First Deliberation

• The Formulas of the Institute of the Society of Jesus of Popes Paul III and Julius III


How did the Jesuits decide who they wanted to be and what they wanted to do?

Reflections and Applications:• What did the first Jesuits mean by discernment? How might aspects of their experience

work in our lives?• In what significant ways does discernment contribute to the Jesuit identity and mission in

higher education?

For further reading and study:• From the Constitutions: the following selections are from, Ignatius of Loyola: Spiritual

Exercises and Other Works, Selections from the Constitutions of The Society of Jesus, pp. 283-321.o The General Examen and its Declarations: The First and General Examen Which Should Be

Asked for Admission into the Society of Jesus (pp.283-287, # 1-102).o Community of Love-Preamble (p 288, #134-35)o Community of Obedience (pp 303-304, #547)o Community of Poverty (p 305, #553-555)o Community of Apostolic Availability (pp 306-307, #603)o Community of Apostolic Discernment (pp 307-308, #618-622)o Community of Trust and Reliance on God (p 317, #812-13)o Community of Fidelity and Gratitude. (pp 317-321, #814-827)

SESSION 6

1. Topic: HOW JESUIT SPIRITUALITY BECAME AN EDUCATIONAL VISION

2. Format: Presentation, discussion of readings, reflection focused on the activities of and the inspiration provided by the first Jesuits

3. Readings:

• Coursepack: “How the First Jesuits Became involved in Education” by John O’Malley • Coursepack: Outline of O’Malley, Ch. 2• John W. O'Malley, SJ, The First Jesuits (Cambridge and London, 1993)

o Chapter 2: "Taking Shape for Ministry"

4. Questions: Content:

• Who were the key figures among the early Jesuits and how did their roles combine to create a distinctive "way of proceeding"?

• How did the early Society of Jesus seek to “help souls”?• How did they organize to preserve unity and continue Ignatian leadership?

Reflections and applications:• How are you affected personally by "meeting" these men and their work?• What methods of discernment have you found helpful? How might the early Jesuits’ practice

of discernment inspire your own?• What problems did these men face that we also face now at Seattle University?

For further reading and study:• John W. O'Malley, SJ, The First Jesuits (Cambridge and London, 1993),

o Chapter 3: "Ministries of the Word of God"o Chapter 5: "Works of Mercy"o Chapter 9: "Prescriptions for the Future"

SESSION 7

1. Topic: JESUIT EDUCATION – ROOTS: Spiritual grounding and abiding characteristics

2. Format: Presentation, discussion of readings, reflection focused on the roots of Jesuit education, the needs of students, and the needs of society, and the principles and objectives of Jesuit pedagogy.

3. Readings:• John W. O'Malley, SJ, The First Jesuits, Chapter 6: "The Schools" (especially page 226)

• Ron Modras, "The Renaissance Origins of Ignatian Humanism," Chapter Two of Ignatian Humanism

4. QuestionsContent:

• From what experiences did Saint Ignatius draw his educational ideas?• What were the purposes of the early Jesuit schools and by what means were these aims

achieved?• How do you react to the very strong emphasis on order and method in the pedagogy of the

early Jesuit schools?• What explains the enormous success of these schools?

Reflections and applications:• What if any consistencies do you see between early Jesuit education and the Jesuit education

that you see around you at Seattle University?• Does anything in early Jesuit education seem to call you to a higher or different performance in

your vocation?

SESSION 8

1. Topic: JESUIT EDUCATION – A CONTINUING TRADITION: Transformation and creative adaptation

2. Format: Discussion and reflection centered on Jesuit education as a tradition that continues to adapt and change.

3. Readings:Coursepack:

• Peter B. Ely, S.J. "The Memory of Justice: Idea of a Jesuit University"• Vincent J. Duminuco, SJ, "A New Ratio for a New Millennium" in The Jesuit "Ratio Studiorum":

40th Anniversary Perspectives, edited by Vincent J. Diminuco, SJ, (New York, 2000)


• Which principles of Jesuit education are faithful to the roots of early Jesuit education? Which are an evolving response to contemporary culture?

Reflections and applications:• What principles are best and most faithfully be carried forward today?• Is the education that I deliver Jesuit? How so and how not?• Would my students benefit from my knowing more, or more consciously, about the aims and

means of Jesuit education as articulated by Jesuit leaders past and present?• Would it help my students to be more conscious themselves of these ideas?• Has our generation improved on classic Jesuit education? How?

For further reading and study:• The General Curia of the Society of Jesus, Go Forth and Teach: The Characteristics of Jesuit

Education, (Rome, 1986)• John W. Donohue, SJ, Jesuit Education: An Essay on the Foundations of Its Idea (New York,

1963) on reserveo Chapter 5: "The Education of Intelligence" o Chapter 6: "The Education of Character"o Chapter 7: "The Social Dimension: Education In and For Society"

SESSION 9

1. Topic: DISCERNING IDENTITY AND MISSION (General Congregations 31-32): Commitment to Faith and Justice after Vatican II

2. Format: Video clip of Arrupe DVD, presentation of key ideas, discussion of readings, reflection on implications:

• Definition of "faith" and 'justice"• A refocusing of the Society of Jesus' mission around "the faith that does justice."• The traditional notion of distributive justice and the more contemporary emphasis on

transforming unjust social structures• Solidarity with the poor as an essential component of the faith that does justice

4. Readings:

• “RED BOOK” -- Jesuit Life & Mission Today; The Decrees of the 31st_35th General Congregations of the Society of Jesuso "The Mission of the Society of Jesus Today" (pp. 47-50)

• Coursepack: Bishops' Synod, 1971, "Justice in the World," Catholic Social Thought: The Documentary Heritage, edited by David O'Brien and Thomas Shannon, Orbis 1998, pp. 288-300.

• RED BOOK— GC 32, (1974/75), in Jesuit Life & Mission Todayo Decree 2, "Jesuits Today," (pp. 291-296)o Decree 4, "Our Mission Today: the Service of Faith and the Promotion of Justice," (pp. 298-

316)

• Scripture: Isaiah 58, 61, Luke 4:16-30, Matthew 25:31-46


• Where do you notice the influence of Pedro Arrupe’s experiences and commitments in the two General Congregation documents of 31 and 32?

Reflections and applications:• It is clearly important for Christians to be just in their personal interactions. How important is it

for them to address unjust social structures?• What role, in your judgment, should solidarity with the poor play in work for justice? What are

the reasons for your position?• How does a Jesuit university do this as a university?

SESSION 10

1. Topic: ON-GOING DISCERNMENT: General Congregation 34

2. Format: Presentation and Discussion

3. Readings:• RED BOOK-- GC 34, (1995) in Jesuit Life & Mission Today

o Decree 2, "Servants of Christ's Mission" (pp. 521-529) o Decree 13, "Cooperation with Laity in Mission" (pp. 608-615)o Decree 14, "Jesuits and the Situation of Women in the Church and Civil Society (pp. 615-619)


• What does GC 34 reaffirm from earlier congregations?• How did a development in the Society's thinking take place between GC 32, whose documents

defined a new direction for the Society, and GC 34, called under Arrupe's successors in 1994 and 2008?

• If such a development did take place, where does it lie and how important is it?

Reflections and applications:• What elements of the vision described in the above documents from GC 34 are particularly

appealing for me as a member of the Seattle University community?• How do these documents of the Society of Jesus impact me as a responsible human being and

as a member of whatever faith tradition I subscribe to?• How does engagement in culture and interreligious dialogue shape the commitment to

justice? How do we do this at Seattle University?

For further reading and study:• RED BOOK-- GC 34, (1995) in Jesuit Life & Mission Today

o Decree, 3, "Our Mission and Justice," pp: 530-535o Decree 4, "Our Mission and Culture," pp: 536-546o Decree 5, "Our Mission and Interreligious Dialogue pp: 547-556

SESSION 11

1. Topic: GC 35 AND THE CALL OF THE POPES

2. Format:• Presentation and Discussion of the development in the Congregations' articulation of the

concepts of social justice, culture, ecumenism, interreligious dialogue, and reconciliation.

3. Readings:• RED BOOK-- GC 35, (2008), in Jesuit Life & Mission Today

o Decree 2, "A Fire that Kindles Other Fires," (pp. 733-743)o Decree 3, "Challenges to Our Mission Today," (pp. 744-754)o Address of Pope Benedict XVI to GC 35, (pp. 822-825)

Coursepack: Reading from Pope Francis’ Laudato si’; Encyclical Letter of the Holy Father Francis on Care for Our Common Home

o Ch. 2 The Gospel of Creationo Table of Contentso Laudato si’: A “Map”

TBA: A reading from GC 36 (taking place in October 2016)


• In what ways to you find the position taken in the Society's documents reasonable, even enlightened? How do they seem limiting?

• Why was the address of St. Benedict so important for the Society of Jesus, in light of the history between Vatican leadership and the Jesuits?

Reflections and applications :• What kind of reflections do these readings provoke in your own life? • What questions do these readings raise for you about faith and culture and the relations

between them?• What do you believe is or could be the impact on the Jesuits and Jesuit higher education of the

election and leadership of Jesuit Pope Francis?

SESSION 12

1. Topic: JESUIT SPIRITUALITY IN ACTION AROUND THE GLOBE

2. Format: Presentation of key ideas, discussion of readings, reflection on implications

3. Readings:• Jesuit Yearbook 2016


• What surprised you or caught your attention about the works of the Jesuits worldwide in their variety of Apostolates?

Reflections and applications:• How do these examples of current Jesuit works influence my idea of the Society of Jesus?• How do they influence my own idea of what I am doing at Seattle University?

SESSION 13

1. Topic: CHALLENGES TO JESUIT HIGHER EDUCATION TODAY

2. Format: Discussion of important recent addresses for Jesuit higher education by the prior two Superior Generals of the Jesuits: Peter-Hans Kolvenbach’s 2000 address at Santa Clara and Adolfo Nicolas’ address in Mexico City

3. Readings:

IN SMALL ORANGE BOOK:• Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, S.J., "The Service of Faith and the Promotion of Justice in American

Jesuit Higher Education," Commitment Conference Address, Santa Clara, October 2000, Additional Readings, Book I (Sessions 2 through 9), 153-162

• Superior General Adolfo Nicolás’ 2010 Address: “Challenges to Jesuit Higher Education Today”

CONVERSATIONS MAGAZINE:• Article in Conversations on Jesuit Higher Education, Fall 2015, Number 48:

“A Context for Changes and Challenges in Higher Education” by Bob Dullea and Heather Geiger


• How have American Jesuit universities tried to incorporate the values of "faith and justice" in their various activities? How successfully?

• What challenges (to faculty, staff and administrators) do Kolvenbach and Nicolas pose to Jesuit higher education?

Reflections and applications:• What is the role of solidarity within the work of higher education?• How are you inspired in your own work and life by the ideals raised by Kolvenbach and

Nicolas?

SESSION 14

1. Topic: JESUIT CATHOLIC CHARACTER OF SEATTLE UNIVERSITY: History and contemporary challenges

2. Format: Presentation and discussion of Jesuit documents from and about Seattle University, discussion of its history and values in relation to its various colleges and Jesuit goals.

3. Readings:• Crowley, Walt Seattle University; A Century of Jesuit Education. 1891-1991• Coursepack: Seattle University Mission Statements: 1950s, 1980s, 2003 University Mission

Statements


• What in the Seattle University history impressed you the most? What surprised you? What were the achievements of each of the long-term presidents, e.g. Small, Lemieux, Sullivan? What have been its historical strengths and weaknesses? How is Seattle University different from other Jesuit colleges or universities?

• Compare and contrast the various Seattle University Mission Statements. How do they reflect the growing sense of who we are as a university?

Reflections and applications:• How well has Seattle University adapted Liberal Education to the changes of the twentieth

century? How might this type of education improve?• Seattle University and Professional Education: how well has this worked? How have Jesuit and

humanistic values been incorporated in the professional schools?• Seattle University professes to work for the moral and spiritual development of its students.

How would you evaluate these efforts? What has worked and what has failed? How do we strive for this goal on a very diverse campus?

• How has Seattle University responded to Vatican II? To the Jesuit the call for "education for justice"? To the recent Jesuit emphasis on 'enculturation' and 'interfaith dialogue'? What might be done to strength these responses?

SESSION 15

1. Topic: FINAL REFLECTIONS on the part of participants

2. Format: Discussion of Modras reading, individual time for reflection, and then sharing by seminar participants

Please come ready to share your written reflections and an idea for how you will integrate your learning from the seminar.

3. Readings:• Ron Modras, Ignatian Humanism: A Dynamic Spirituality for the 21st Century, Chapter Eight, "A

Spirituality for the Twenty-First Century"

3. Questions:• What for you have been the most important insights gained from this Arrupe Seminar?• What do you think the Jesuit vision of education has to offer in this particular moment of

history in which we are living?• Are there any ways in which the literature we have read has connected with your own

experience, either to confirm it or to lead you in new directions?

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