Happy St. Ignatius Day
Today is the great Feast of St. Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus and inspiration for the educational endeavor we celebrate daily here at The University of Scranton. We do not celebrate our Ignatian charism alone, for there are 190 Jesuit Colleges and Universities throughout the world: 28 of them are here in the United States and their names and founding dates adorn the south wall of The DeNaples Center for all to see. Here is the list:
Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. (1789)
St. Louis University, St. Louis, MO (1818)
Spring Hill College, Mobile, AL (1830)
Xavier University, Cincinnati, OH (1831)
Fordham University,
College of the Holy Cross, Worchester, MA (1843)
St. Joseph’s University, Philadelphia, PA (1851)
Santa Clara University, San Jose, CA (1851)
Loyola University Maryland, Baltimore, MD (1852)
University of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA (1855)
Boston College, Boston, MA (1863)
Canisius College, Buffalo, NY (1870)
Loyola University- Chicago, Chicago, IL (1870)
St. Peter’s University, Jersey City, NJ (1872)
Regis University, Denver, CO (1877)
University of Detroit Mercy, Detroit, MI (1877)
Creighton University, Omaha, NE (1878)
Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI (1881)
John Carroll University, Cleveland, OH (1886)
Gonzaga University, Spokane, WA (1887)
The University of Scranton, Scranton, PA (1888)
Seattle University, Seattle, WA (1891)
Rockhurst University, Kansas City, MO (1910)
Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, CA (1911)
Loyola University- New Orleans, New Orleans, LA (1912)
Fairfield University, Fairfield, CT (1942)
LeMoyne College, Syracuse, NY (1946)
Wheeling Jesuit University, Wheeling, WV (1954)
Like our own University of Scranton, all of our sister colleges and universities are recognized for their academic excellence and their ability to help students seek the magis (the more) in every aspect of their life -- just as St. Ignatius urged his earliest Jesuit brothers. Our university community finds its foundational charism within the context of this great educational tradition and that is truly something to celebrate.
Primarily, of course, we celebrate our particular affection for St. Ignatius and the special zeal and love that he had for Christ. Ignatius’ ability to “find God in all things” was a hallmark of his spirituality and a foundation for our educational directive. As with Ignatius, to “find God in all things” remains our calling and challenge -- especially during turbulent times. Through the example of Fr. Ignatius’ life, may we continue to live out our unique calling to be men and women for others as we seek the magis (the more) for the good of humanity.
May God continue to bless all of your friends and family.
The Jesuit Center Staff
Fr. Patrick Rogers, S.J.
Mr. Ryan Sheehan
Fr. James Redington, S.J.