Discovering the Gifts of Service through the Ignatian Volunteer Corps
By Rachel Amiri When she retired early from a successful career at Deloitte in 2021, Christi Franko-Torack didn’t know exactly what her future would hold. But she did know that her next chapter would focus on living out her mother’s lifelong motto: “Faith, family, friends and fun—in that order.” As a service member with the […]
On 40th Anniversary of JRS, Fr. Kevin Cullen, SJ, Reflects on His Experience
By Jerry Duggan Jesuit Refugee Service has been helping people across the globe for four decades, providing the forcibly displaced with humanitarian aid and moral support. Founded by then-Superior General Fr. Pedro Arrupe, SJ, JRS seeks to “accompany, serve and advocate the cause of forcibly displaced people, that they may heal, learn and determine their […]
An Imminent God and Other Lessons from Refugees
By Therese Fink Meyerhoff The two and a half years Fr. Jeffrey Harrison, SJ, spent working with Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) taught him a different way of looking at suffering. “You’re dealing with people who every day are on the edge,” he says. “In America, you hear ‘they don’t feel things the way we do.’ […]
Still “Walking with Refugees,” 40 Years Later
By William Bole It is challenging to provide an education to refugees, both children and adults who are escaping violence and unrest in their homelands, but it is also the single best way to aid them in starting over with hope for a better future. The coronavirus pandemic has made the task all the more […]
“We’re All in This Together”: Thensted Center Lifts Up Its Community During a Pandemic
By Jerry Duggan June 22, 2020 – When the Thensted Center cancelled all in-person activities due to COVID-19, there was a moment of disappointment, even despair. Tutoring services for students, programs for senior citizens and the building itself were shut down. That sadness was quickly replaced by a “can do” attitude, as the Center repurposed […]
Jesuit Dallas Students Experience a “Revolution of Tenderness” in Guatemala
The 15 young men — all rising seniors — from Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas were a world away from their comfort zones when they arrived at the door of a nondescript nursing home for low-income, elderly people in Antigua, Guatemala, on the second day of their immersion trip in July.
Province Schools Teach Service and Responsibility
One of the hallmarks of Jesuit secondary education is the focus on service. Students in Jesuit schools learn about the responsibilities that come with privilege and find ample opportunities to serve through school-sponsored programs and immersion trips.