The Association of Theological Schools, has awarded the Institute of Pastoral Studies a formation grant to aid in a major initiative to “develop and implement an innovative and nationally-recognized integrated formation program for students and faculty that includes intercultural competency” – which will fulfill part of IPS’ strategic plan.
The goal of the formation program is to incorporate opportunities for personal and spiritual formation in high quality theological ministerial education by developing a variety of personal capacities required for pastoral leadership. Two major components of the grant include engaging faculty in their own personal and spiritual formation and researching best-practices with regard to total integrated formation, specifically attending to intercultural competency.
The formation period begins with a two- day faculty/staff retreat in mid-August as a way to launch the academic year. In conjunction with the retreat, the faculty will continue to focus on the process with readings and discussion at monthly meetings. The process will culminate with a second retreat in April, where faculty and staff will reflect on key learnings discussed throughout the academic year. The outcome will be a pilot integrative formation program for students and faculty incorporating intercultural competencies to begin in the fall of 2018.
7-12-2017|Comments Off on IPS Receives Formation Grant from the Association of Theological Schools
Lilly Endowment Inc, has awarded the Institute of Pastoral Studies a planning grant as part of Called to Lives of Meaning and Purpose, a new initiative. Dr. Dan Rhodes, IPS Faculty Coordinator of Contextual Education, and Mark Bersano, IPS Coordinator of Continuing Education, will lead the planning process. The grant will fund the planning of an “innovation hub” at Loyola’s IPS, which will seek to help congregations learn more about their calling and purpose within their parish communities.
The goal of the planning process is to listen to members of congregations in the Chicagoland area to distill the challenges they are facing and to learn how their communities may be able to work together to engage their faith and God’s call more deeply. The planning process will have three parts. The first step will include individual meetings with clergy and staff from the congregations. The second step will include regional meetings, discussions and listening sessions for the clergy and lay ministers in congregations. The final step will be a large central assembly on July 19 where all of the above participants will come together.
The planning period will be devoted to gathering perspectives, insights and other information that will help IPS create an “innovation hub” for congregations. The hub will seek to offer resources and opportunities for collaboration to help faith communities strengthen their role as places where people at every stage of life – including youth – find ways to discern and live lives of calling and purpose more deeply.
7-05-2017|Comments Off on IPS Receives Planning Grant from the Lilly Endowment
Peter Gilmour, D. Min, Professor Emeritus at IPS and recipient of the IPS Aggiornamento Award in 2014 was recently honored at the naming of Connections Café, to Gilmour’s Connections Café. Peter Gilmour Is a Loyola alum (BS ’64, MRE ’71) and has been involved with Loyola’s Institute of Pastoral Studies since inception in 1964. Please read his speech below and take a look at the pictures from the dedication. Peter can be frequently seen hanging out in the café, and we hope you’ll make a stop over there and enjoy some coffee and good conversation. Gilmour’s Connection Café can be found in between the Information Commons and Cudahy Library at the Lake Shore Campus.
Mellow Coffee and Strong Conversation
Remarks by Peter Gilmour at the dedication of Gilmour’s Connections Café at Loyola University Chicago, April 12, 2017.
“I’ve heard it said that near death experiences bring on a sudden review of one’s life. Seeing you all here this morning brings on a flashback of my own life, but, thankfully, without a near death experience. I’m delighted to be here today with my cousin Joan, former students from St. George High School, Loyola faculty and staff, friends from the Sheil Catholic Center, and yet others from near and far. And to think this is happening during National Library Week. Thanks for celebrating this moment as we sip mellow coffee and strong conversation.
I have lingered at Loyola for 3/4th of my life now, from undergraduate student to Professor Emeritus. I have witnessed and been part of many changes these past 57 years. And now, another change, naming this cafe Gilmour, a name I share with other family members who attended Loyola — my father, my brother, and my cousin.
So Loyola is alive and thriving because of change.
If people and institutions don’t change, rigor mortis sets in, a sure sign of death. Coffee houses and this café are great examples of change. In 1677, an Oxford academic by the name of Anthony Wood complained about coffee houses: “Why doth solid and serious learning decline, and few nor none follow it now in the University?” His answer: “Because of Coffee Houses, where they spend all their time.”
When I was an undergraduate, the only type of cafes were neighborhood greasy spoons: the Pantry, Standees, and the infamous Cindy Sues located on what is now the Loyola Plaza in front of the el station (Loyola graduate and noted Chicago author Stuart Dybek sets his short story “Tea Ceremony” at Cindy Sues that appears in his recent book, Ecstatic Cahoots). Here in this library you were not allowed to bring food or drink into the building, and silence reigned supreme. Today, in the heart of this library and information commons, this café serves up what used to be contraband — mellow coffee and strong conversation — now within the heart of the university!
Yes, change keeps thing alive and vibrant.
I am so grateful for the opportunity to have been present at the creation of the Institute of Pastoral Studies back in 1964, and having been part of it for my entire career. I met the most fascinating and dedicated students from near and far in my courses through the years. My many colleagues were a source of inspiration to me. And I never would have been able to research and publish without their ever ongoing encouragement coupled with this university’s fine library services, and the research leaves and grants Loyola awarded me.
Since my retirement, I have devoted time to the promotion of the Loyola libraries through serving on the Friends of the Libraries Board. My special interest has been to develop a catalog of Loyola Alumni who have published books. This ongoing and never ending project has identified close to 400 alums who have written more than 800 books.
Thank you Loyola University for all these opportunities to further its mission, give me such a fascinating series of personal and professional experiences, and, today, for the honor of this café now named Gilmour. I am forever grateful for this connection to mellow coffee and strong conversation.
That’s one thing that will not change!”
Below is a video and Dr. Peter Gilmour receiving the 2014 IPS Aggiornamento Award:
The Source of All Love: Catholicity and the Trinity is a recently released book by IPS faculty member Dr.Heidi Russell. This new book is a fresh approach to an age-old doctrine brings together theology and science to reveal an active, conscious, omnipresent power of Love that never began, never will end, and guides the universe and everything in it. The key to spiritual evolution is awareness and participation.
Dr. Heidi Russell inspires us to see that Trinity is not only the ground of our being but the goal of an evolving universe. She shows how the idea of catholicity – a sense of wholeness – orients us toward universality and motivates us to turn together as one. It is Trinity that empowers all of life to become whole and unified in love. This is, in truth, what we always are and what we will become.
Dr. Russell herself explains: “I wrote the book, because in my experience in pastoral ministry, many people tend toward a ditheistic, at the very least, if not a tritheistic image of God. In other words, they tend to relate to the Father and Son (ditheism) or the Father, Son, and Spirit (tritheism) as separate, individual beings. Using a primary metaphor of love rather than being helps people relate to the Trinity in a way that maintains our monotheistic belief, which is to say, our belief in one God, not two or three gods.”
Reviews
“A wonderful contribution to understanding the Trinity in an age of science.” —Ilia Delio
“Highly creative. . . Professor Heidi Russell has emerged as one of the finest theologians whose focus is on the integration of the best of the Christian tradition with relativity and quantum physics theory.”—Harvey D. Egan, SJ, Boston College
“If Rahner is right that the Trinity must be a personal experience before it can be a meaningful doctrine, Heidi Russell in this book offers an interpretation of doctrine that enables it to be experienced.”—Paul F. Knitter, author, Without the Buddha I Could Not Be a Christian
“Interpreting catholicity as wholeness, Russell finds instances of wholeness in quantum physics, the classical doctrine of the Trinity, the Scriptures, Church Fathers, the Trinitarian theology of Karl Rahner and still other contemporary Trinitarian philosopher/theologians. . . . for the typical undergraduate student and educated lay person, the vision of cosmic wholeness (the whole greater than the sum of its parts) is captivating.”—Joseph Bracken, Xavier University
As part of its mission as a world-class institution of applied pastoral education and spirituality, IPS offers coursework, consultation, and other unique training and networking events to support parishes and congregations. Our aim is to assess unmet areas of pastoral need and create innovative programming through the expertise and vision brought to the table by our extraordinary faculty and staff.
Specifically, IPS Parish Leadership and Management Programs are derived from on-the-ground experience and learning from Catholic parishes in the Archdiocese of Chicago as part of INSPIRE—Identify, Nurture, and Sustain Pastoral Imagination through Resources for Excellence.
During the 2016 Spring semester, IPS Parish Leadership and Management Programs held four events at Cuneo.
“Day of Lenten Spirituality” facilitated by Dr. Heidi Russell.
“Spirituality and the Mind” facilitated by Nancy Dolan
“Lectoring with Spirit” facilitated by Kevin E. O’Connor, CSP
“The Medicine of Mercy” facilitated by Bill Huebsch
View the gallery below to see some photos from those events.
Special thanks to Mark Bersano, Coordinator of Parish Leadership and Management Programs, for his continued dedication and hard work toward making these events a success.
On March 15, IPS announced its new Master of Arts in Counseling for Ministry with the help of Dr. Robert Kugelmann. As the author of Psychology and Catholicism: Contested Boundaries, Dr. Kugelmann spoke about the new IPS degree and its relationship with Catholicism and Psychology.
His talk that evening began…
“The title of this talk, ‘Pastoral Counseling between Psychology and Religion’ is a bit misleading, and if I can think of a better one in thirty minutes, I’ll let you know. It’s misleading because it can suggest that ‘psychology’ is one thing and that the word ‘religion’ always means the same thing. Psychology does not have unity, being a collective term for a great variety of disparate fields. As for religion, there is even more diversity than in psychology.
There is some merit with the title, however, because historically, pastoral counseling developed in the context of a complex intersection of a number of fields, including psychology (psychotherapy in particular) and the pastoral care that churches provide.
Let me introduce what I’ll say this evening. First, I’ll give an overview of the complex relationships between psychology and Catholicism since the beginnings of modern psychology. (as I haven’t studied much the relationships psychology has with other Christian religions, nor with other religions.) Then, I’ll present the rise of pastoral counseling in what has called a ‘trading zone.’ After that comes a brief history of the early work in pastoral counseling among Catholics. Finally, I will offer some reflections on recent developments.”
The Institute of Pastoral Studies at Loyola University Chicago has been offering degrees in ministry since 1964. Born in the spirit of Vatican II, and advancing the mission of Loyola University Chicago, IPS responds to “the signs of the times” in providing transformative education for ministry, spiritual leadership, and faith-based social engagement, delivering high-quality professional education characterized by innovation, excellence, leadership, ethics, and service.
This past December, Senator Dick Durbin came to Loyola to speak about undocumented students, the challenges and opportunities they face, and how his own work for comprehensive immigration reform has been informed by his Catholic faith and his experience as a first-generation American.
Senator Dick Durbin addressing the Loyola community
IPS Professor Dr. Michael Canaris was one of many IPS community members in attendance and he had this reflection to share about the event and the Senator’s speech:
“The Scriptures and Christian teaching are unambiguous in their call to stand in solidarity with the marginalized, the disadvantaged, and the exile, and to respect the dignity of every human person. Senator Durbin’s work on behalf of migrants and refugees throughout his career has echoed this mandate and, when traced through sponsorship of the DREAM Act for instance, helped in many ways to inspire a re-appreciation of Loyola’s commitment to this underserved population across disciplines. It’s an issue that reflects our values as a university rooted in Catholic and Jesuit traditions, and has historical antecedents going back to the school’s founding and in fact to the original Company of Ignatius.”
Senator Durbin’s talk hit home for many Loyola students who were in the audience who are immigrants and/or a part of the Senator’s DREAM (Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors) Act. These students, affectionately called Dreamers, continue to grow in number and attend colleges across the country, with the largest population right here at Loyola Chicago.
The event titled, “Undocumented Students: Perspectives from a US Senator informed by the tradition of Catholic Social Teaching and his own family’s story,” was live tweeted through the Loyola IPS Twitter account and spurred conversation using the hashtags: #SenDurbinSpeaks and #SenDurbinVisitsIPS. You can see some of the conversation below.
The program focuses on the under-resourced mission dioceses of Catholic Extension who can benefit the most from this intensive training week. Catholic Extension polled all their mission dioceses, asking what their needs were. The top response was the need to assist people who work in parishes where questions regarding mental and physical health are constantly occurring. This ranged from addictions, to pregnancies, to violence, to depression, to long term care for the elderly, and more.
In response to this need, Catholic Extension partnered with Loyola IPS to create a week-long training in parish heath and wellness ministry, grounded in the belief that parishes should be a place of health and wellness of the mind, body and spirit.
IPS’s Coordinator of Parish Leadership Management Programs Mark Bersano said the goal of this initiative is to reach out and serve parishes in innovative ways by providing the kinds of courses and trainings that are outside of the typical degree programs currently offered at IPS.
The week long event began on a Sunday evening with a mass and reception dinner. The following four days of programming consisted of prayer services, workshops, speakers, skills development and more. The week concluded on Friday morning with a sending ceremony where the participants received a certificate from IPS.
This is a 4 year program that began with the first cohort in October 2015. The following cohorts will consist of different people each year, occurring in October 2016, 2017 and 2018. By the time the program is finished, Mark said that they could have up to 200 participants, with 40-50 participants each year.
“The grant funding currently allows 4 years, but we are hoping that it will turn into something that is sort of a movement in the church. There’s hope that we will be able to work with the local Chicago parishes and partner with them to build this concept that the parish is a place of health and wellness of mind, body and spirit.”
Participants consisted of people from dioceses across the United States including: Rapid City, SD; Boise, ID; Helena, MT; Las Cruces, NV; Beaumont, TX; Charlotte, NC; Brownsville, TX; Gaylord, MI; Marquette, MI; Jefferson City, MO; Belleville, IL; and more.
Mark said, “The people who were there were all pastoral ministers in one capacity or another at either the parish or diocesan level. Many of them already had something to do with healthcare and some of them were thinking about starting new ministries or expanding ministries they already had.”
Some of the highlights from the week were Kevin O’Connor’s session “Active Listening and Issue Diagnosis,” Timone Davis’s “Theology of Baptismal Vocation & Missionary Discipleship,” Dan Rhodes’s “Theology of Service” and Anna Mayer’s “Walking with the Dear Neighbor: A Model of Accompaniment.”
Posted with permission from Catholic Extension. Copyright 2015 www.catholicextension.org
“Again, the real theme was the parish as a place of health and wellness of mind, body and spirit and also that by getting involved in these things, parishoners and people in parishes could raise up their own baptismal vocations and become missionary diciples helping others,” stressed Mark.
He gave the example of someone starting their own domestic violence ministry. Or on a very basic level, someone getting involved with elderly people in the parish who might not always remember to take their medication. Something as simple as making phone calls to remind them can make a difference.
IPS Administrative Assistant Mirta Garcia was also in attendance and helped organize and run the event. She said the week went extremely well.
“All the presenters and facilitators did a great job with their individual subjects, and with weaving each topic into the next for a seamless participant experience. It was fascinating to see how the participants became more engaged with each successive day. Seeing them make new connections and bonding with people who have similar interest and ministries was truly amazing. It was an honor to be part of this week-long intensive certification program. My favorite part was making new friends and connections with people who are passionate about their faith and ministry. I am looking forward to hearing how the participants will take everything they learned and make it blossom in their communities.”
Mark agreed, saying “people had a really good experience. They bonded extremely well. At the end of the week, they were all saying they missed their families and wanted to get home, but at the same time they didn’t want to leave. One participant even suggested having a reunion. They were there for a week and already felt that.”
Loyola’s new Martrys Award was created to honor the Salvadoran Martyrs. This year marks the 26th anniversary of their assassination.
In a recent letter to the Loyola community, Interim President John Pelissero wrote, “Loyola honors the Salvadoran martyrs each year because in their lives and deaths, they exemplify the Jesuit and Catholic ideals and values that we seek to emulate, such as solidarity with the poor, working for social justice, and courageously witnessing to the truth.”
Each year, the award will be presented to a faith-based organization or individual who, among other things, strives to fight social injustice, educates others, and creates awareness of issues affecting the oppressed. In addition, there is a $25,000 grant that comes with the award. This money is intended to promote the legacy of the Martyrs in El Salvador and support Loyola’s commitment to social justice.
The first recipient of this annual award is The Interfaith Committee for Detained Immigrants (ICDI). ICDI’s Executive Director Sr. JoAnn Persch will be accepting the award on behalf of the organization. Persch gradated from IPS in 1971 with a degree in Religious Education.
Another IPS graduate, Chris Murphy, is Loyola’s current Director of Staff Mission Formation and Faculty Staff Chaplain. He said that the ICDI is “currently responding to migrants and refuges from El Salvador and Latin America. The suffering of these people is rooted in many of the same structural injustices to which the martyrs responded. The work of the Interfaith Committee reminds us of the way to which we are the direct heirs to, and responsible for, the ongoing mission of the martyrs. For the Interfaith Committee’s dedication to addressing injustice they will receive the Martyrs Award from Loyola University Chicago.”
When given the news of being the recipient of the Martyrs Award, Persch said, “As an alum of Loyola and as Director of ICDI it made me very proud. We are an ever growing program and this award will encourage our growth to be able to serve more people. To be selected as seeing our ministry in tune with the strong faith and courage of the martyrs is very touching.”
Sr. JoAnn Persch, RSM, a Loyola alumna, photographed at Sisters of Mercy in Chicago, on October 28, 2015. Sr. JoAnn is the recipient of the Martyr’s Award for the Interfaith Committee for Detained Immigrants. (photo by Natalie Battaglia)
Persch began her long and successful career at IPS where she said she was given the foundation needed to carry out programs ranging from child and adult education to parish ministry.
She recalls that at the time, the IPS Religious Education program was only offered during the summer.
“We had outstanding professors who would come from all over to teach in the program for the summer,” Persch said. “I really enjoyed the Scripture classes and also then Father John Gorman (now Bishop Gorman) who taught religious psychology. I have used what I learned many times.”
As the co-founder of ICDI, Persch has been able to see the growth of ICDI in the nine years of its existence.
“I see the hand of God working in every way. We have such a wonderful committed staff and amazing volunteers who really see our responsibility to our immigrant sisters and brothers. The fact that in nine years we are able to assist through all of our programs has to be the work of God.” Persch added, “We all receive so much more than we give through our relationships with our immigrant sisters and brothers.”
Though Persch is living in the present and fighting social injustice day by day, she is also preparing of the future.
“I want to share leadership so that when I can no longer serve in this capacity others are prepared and imbued with the vision and mission of ICDI… I would hope that we could continue raising funds that will not only keep us solvent, but keep having the ability to grow to meet the needs as they arise.”
This award is not only a great honor and opportunity for Persch and her organization, it is also somewhat of a homecoming for her.
“IPS has always held a very special place in my heart and I am so happy to be connecting again.”
**The award ceremony is taking place on November 16 at 3:30 pm in Damen Student Center Multipurpose Room South. There will also be a Memorial Mass at 5:15 pm in Madonna Della Strada, followed by a reception in McCormick Lounge.
The 8th Day Center for Justice held its annual Revel in the Revolution event this past weekend. This year’s theme, “give light and people will find the way,” came from civil rights activist Ella Baker.
The keynote speaker was Reverend Doctor Otis Moss III, the current Senior Pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ. He is also an accomplished author, speaker and activist. His speech for the event was truly enlightening and motivating. He told stories of those who came before us that helped pave the way for us, such as Vernon Johns and Martin Luther King, Jr. “There’s always somebody making a track to the river’s edge. We didn’t show up brand new like nobody’s ever done justice work before.” Among the other themes in his words, he said ministry needs to be about prophets and not profits. His powerful witness and engaging voice led to a standing ovation.
Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III
During this annual event, 8th Day Center for Justice also honors worthy recipients with the Mary Elsbernd, OSF Award. The award recognizes those who embody passion for inclusive love and justice, build relationships of nonviolence and cooperation, and use imagination to create new ways to bring systemic change.
In connection with IPS, Mary Elsbernd, OSF was the visionary behind the Master of Arts in Social Justice that began at IPS nearly 10 years ago.
This year The People’s Law Office (PLO) was the recipient of the 5th Annual Mary Elsbernd, OSF Award. The PLO has been fighting for civil rights for over 40 years, representing groups like the Black panthers, political prisoners, LGBTQ activists, members of the Palestinian community and many more. Most recently, the PLO won a Reparations Ordinance in Chicago for victims of police torture. The PLO also brought the audience to its feet, applauding the great work it does.
The People’s Law Office
One of the coordinators for the event, Scott Donovan, is an IPS alumnus. He received his MA in Social Justice and Community Development (SJCD) in 2013. Originally from New Jersey, he decided to stay in Chicago after graduation since he was able to find work that aligned with his knowledge, interests and passions. “It felt like a natural extension of my career arc, both professionally and personally to stay here,” said Scott.
Scott began his role as the Development Coordinator for 8th Day this past January. He leads fundraising, grant writing and resource initiatives at the center.
“I had known about 8th day since Chris Eagan (another IPS alumnus) did his Magis internship program at 8th day… Then when I saw they had posted the development position, I thought that those specific skills were something I wanted to develop within myself, so I went for it and here I am.”
Scott Donovan, 8th Day Development Coordinator
It seems that Scott has found a job that is never boring and allows him fulfill his passions and career goals.
“Each day is very different,” noted Scott. “I like the consensus model we operate on. Structurally we are a flat model, so we have no hierarchy, no supervisor or boss. We make decisions as a group which affords each of us a lot of independence and flexibility to pursue our passions and interests and see how those specific interests can support the center.”
The skills he learned at IPS have helped him succeed in his career by building a strong foundation to build upon.
“There were a few classes that I took at IPS that certainly guided me towards this specific development position. I took fundraising and grant writing, which I very much enjoyed and learned a lot there. The classes and professors that stood out most to me were the ones that got us on the street level,” Scott added. “[They] took the theory or the literature that we were reading and demonstrated to us those ideas in the real world.”
Scott went on to mention community organizing and development classes and former IPS professor Susan Rans “who was very instrumental in bringing forth the true mission of SJCD to [him], and from there [he] was able to find like values between 8th day and the values [students] learned at IPS.”
Looking back on his time at IPS, Scott recalls attending a research conference in San Diego where he and his classmates presented their research project that they had been working on all semester long.
“That was an incredible experience and a great opportunity to travel there,” commented Scott. “When I think of studying at IPS, I think of the times when I got out of the classroom and was able to visit different community centers and meet different folks out in the neighborhoods.”
Scott emphasized that he appreciated and took advantage of any and all opportunities to leave the classroom and learn from the city itself.
Scott definitely uses the various skills he learned at IPS at his new job, especially grant writing, but he also learned something else that is quite valuable:
“I think the overall mindset of open-mindedness, patience and trying to connect with another person as deeply as possible and glean from them what their true desires are for themselves, for their neighborhood, for their country… I try to keep that with me each day, both professionally and personally.”
Scott concluded with giving some advice for current and future IPS students:
“Just apply yourself. Make the most of your time there. Make the most of your colleagues and classmates,” said Scott. “Another high point of my time was being able to meet my classmates and hearing about the work they’re doing and be able to connect to that work through them. So I would say for folks at IPS now, just to call upon your classmates.”
From everyone at IPS, thank you 8th Day for all the work you do for social justice!
Loyola IPS faculty, graduate assistant and students at 8th Days’s Revel in the Revolution
