JCU hosts Jesuit Conference on Faith & Justice

Mark Falbo, Director of the JCU Center for Community Service was host member of the conference planning committee "What can we do now?"

That was the question yesterday (Oct 16) for more than 300 representatives of Jesuit higher education in the US, Korea and El Salvador as they closed the 4-day Commitment to Justice conference hosted by John Carroll.

They had gathered to assess how their colleges and universities had responded to the challenge 5 years ago by Jesuit Superior General Peter-Hans Kolvenbach that the institutions make educating for social justice an integral part of their mission.

Echoing in their minds were many voices, beginning with that of Robert Niehoff SJ, newly inaugurated president of John Carroll, who welcomed the conferees on Thursday night (Oct 13) by recalling the pivotal conference at Santa Clara in October 2000. "What I took away from that was the need to embed our commitment to justice in everything we do," he said. "I hope this conference will spill over and that our walls will listen because we need that, too."

The voices also included those of the keynote speakers, Dean Brackley SJ and Paul Locatelli SJ, as well as the many individuals who had shared their experiences during more than 120 hours of panel & group discussions. For audio streaming of segments of the keynote addresses, click on the name of each speaker.

	Dean Brackley SJ Father Brackley. author and educator at Universidad Centroamericana (UCA) in El Salvador, has taught at UCA since 1990 when he succeeded one of the 6 Jesuits martyred in the UCA massacre the previous year. His works include The Call to Discernment in Troubled Times: New Perspectives on the Transformative Wisdom of Ignatius Loyola (Crossroad, 2004) and Divine Revolution: Salvation and Liberation in Catholic Thought (Orbis Books, 1996).
	Click here for soundbite (1:20) -->
	Dean Brackley's keynote
	<--Preliminary remarks (5 min)
	<--7 Standards for Jesuit Higher Education (20 min)
	<--Conclusion: 5 Considerations (10 min)
	Q&A
	1. In poverty, doesn't the victim turn into the oppressor, and the oppressor turn into the rescuer? (2 min)
	2. How does the lesbian-gay issue affect Central America? (2:30)
	3. How can we help some overcome a fear of volunteering? (1:12)
	4. What about biases within the Catholic tradition? (45 sec)
	5. Are all students ready for service? What preparation do they need? (1:30)
	6. Isn't the cause of nonviolence still marginal in Jesuit universities? (1 min)
	7. How would you counter the criticism that what you espouse is like "the failed liberal policies of the past?"(1 min)
	8. Regarding approaching issues with impartiality, doesn't a discussion of both sides help students understand the issues? (2:20)
	9. Can you suggest how to increase diversity within our universities? (1 min)
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	Paul Locatelli SJ Father Locatelli has been President of Santa Clara University since 1988, hosting Father Kolvenbach for his landmark address in 2000. A Professor of Accounting, in 1994 he was named the 1994 Distinguished Professor of the Year by the California Society of CPAs and in 1999 received the John Gardner Leadership Award from the American Leadership Forum.
	Click here for soundbite (30 sec) -->

	<--Comment on Father Kolvenbach's challenge
	<--2 questions: How can we integrate solidarity into our academic mission - & - How can students obtain a well-educated solidarity that leads to fashioning a more humane and just world?
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