Author Archives: Jessamyn Anderson

FR. BRETT C. HOOVER, CSP, PH.D.

I am delighted to join the IPS faculty as research faculty for IPS and Project INSPIRE.  A Paulist priest originally from Southern California, I was recently adjunct lecturer in theology and ministry at the Franciscan School of Theology and the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology in Berkeley.  I have spent several years facilitating cultural orientation for international priests beginning ministry in the United States for the dioceses of Northern California.  My Ph.D. is in interdisciplinary studies from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, where I wrote about “shared parishes,” Catholic parishes where two or more cultural groups retain distinct masses and ministries but share the parish facilities.

My primary areas of research interest are parish and congregational studies, practical ecclesiology, immigration, and intercultural ministry training.

In 2001, I co-founded and then served as editor for the website for young adults, BustedHalo.com.  This was after my book Losing Your Religion, Finding Your Faith: Spirituality for Young Adults was published in 1998.  I loved being a parish priest in New York City in the late 90s, where I served a multicultural Latino/a community.

by Heidi Russell, Ph.D Graduate Program Director M.A. Pastoral Studies

Doubt goes hand in hand with faith. Faith, in many respects, is believing in spite of one’s doubt, not in a irrational way, but in a way that accepts the doubt as part of the faith. I am not talking about blind faith where you simply close your ears to any contrary opinions, but a faith that is strengthened by engaging your own doubts and fears, facing them and confronting them. All relationships involve risk, and our relationship with God is no different in that respect. All relationships at times involve doubt, questioning the reality and strength of that relationship, especially in difficult times. Will the relationship hold? Does the other person truly care? The same questions can arise with God, especially when the circumstances of life lead us to a place where we feel most alone.

Our Sunday gospels of late enfold us between two stories of disciples experiencing doubt. First, we had Thomas who needed that concrete, physical reassurance that Jesus had not abandoned him. Then, we heard the wonderful story of the disciples on the road to Emmaus. The disciples, Cleopas and most likely his wife Mary (cf. John 19:25), had given up and were going home. They were discouraged and beaten. They had lost. They thought Israel was going to be redeemed, but instead the one they believed was Messiah had been crucified. Both Thomas and Cleopas and Mary doubted that Jesus was really who they had thought him to be. When things did not turn out as they had hoped and expected, they gave up. In many ways doubt is often a failure of imagination, an inability to envision possibility. (more…)

by Susan Rans

The largest annual gathering of faith-based folks interested in justice and community is the Christian Community Development Association (CCDA) Conference. Held every year in a different city, the 2010 Conference is here in Chicago at the Sheraton Hotel from Tuesday, September 7th until Saturday September 11.

Some of you are already going to the conference as part of a class led by Dr. Mary Nelson, one of the leaders of the CCDA. But there is still time to register for single day passes, or to go to the whole conference as a student. See the conference website for details.

Insider’s hint: The large evening plenary sessions—the ones that begin at 7 PM and feature big name folks in the field—are free to the public. You can show up at the Sheraton and attend the plenaries.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UNeyvo00Jw

By Olubukola “Bukie” Adekoje, IPS Student, M.A. Social Justice & Community Development

Serving in America’s third poorest city takes bravery. As a legal assistant and outreach worker at Neighborhood Legal Services, I see the faces of those whom we call “poor” everyday. They are not just poor people, they are people.

The work I do, the work all the volunteers do, is more enriching when we enter into the stories of the people we encounter. Whether as customers, clients, co-workers, or students, we are learning to understand them by listening to their story, sharing their burdens and easing it when we can. This is what we are called to do as a community: to love our neighbor as ourselves.

What a challenge!

In my commitment to social justice, I have discovered the importance of simply being present until the people we serve have faces. It is easy to get caught up in the emergency, in the need presented and soon envision a sea of faces without distinction. I am enervated when I think of the masses that are in need of help. So, I chose one face, one person I have helped or someone I can advocate for. With that face comes the ebullience that leads me to move quickly to do research, return a call, or go out to meet a client.

A new face encourages me to move beyond yesterday’s sorrow/story. One person might need shelter for the night, while another might want food; the things I, and I’m sure others take for granted. Day in and day out, people return with a multitude of travails that a privileged person such as I can only imagine. The reality is stark and crude. Yet there is room for beauty because justice is possible. One face at a time, we volunteers strive to invite that beauty to shine.

To learn more about Bukie’s volunteer experience, please visit Catholic Charities Service Corps.

By Claire G. Esker, IPS Student

September 11^th is an emotional day in any year.  This year, though, it seems to have taken on even more weight, as well as a sense of urgency, with increased media attention on conflict and factionalism.  Part of this urgency, though, is an urgent call to reassess our religious dialogue, particularly in light of political realities, in the post-modern world.  This is exactly what Indian contemporary artist, Jitish Kallat, seeks to do with his work, Public Notice 3, which is on display at the Art Institute of Chicago from September 11, 2010 to January 2, 2011.

The exhibit commemorates both the tragedy of September 11^th, 2001, as well as the First World Parliament of Religions, which was held in the building that now houses the Art Institute on September 11^th, 1893.  The work is a reinterpretation of a well known address given by the Hindu teacher Swami Vivekananda, calling for unity between faiths. Kallat’s work concentrates on the stark contrasts between the hope of Vivekananda’s original speech and the fear that often characterizes modern religious dialogue.

The exhibition will open on the Grand Staircase of the Art Institute and will be accompanied by a lecture on September 10^th, 2010.

Jitish Kallat with the Partial Mock-Up of his Public Notice 3 on the Woman’s Board Grand Staircase of the Art Institute of Chicago | © 2010 The Art Institute of Chicago

Dear Friends,

I have become increasingly concerned about the continued rise in anti-Muslim bigotry seen in recent headlines – from the violence in New York to the planned Qur’an burnings in Florida.

Intolerance of our neighbors weakens the bonds of a diverse nation. Intolerance is not the problem of any one group – it’s a problem for all of America.

As I told Mary Snow on CNN’s The Situation Room, I have not felt this fearful in a long time. A mother came up to me at my Muslim house of worship earlier this week and said to me, “Eboo, when will my 8 and 10 year old sons stop being bullied on the playground because of their names, Ahmed and Akhbar?” And what I said to her is, “very soon,” because the forces of inclusion in America have always defeated the forces of intolerance, and they will defeat the forces of intolerance again.

We need to speak out and show that America is a place where people from different backgrounds live together in equal dignity and mutual loyalty.

The time to act is now. See 3 easy ways below and tell us what you do. As always, thank you for your leadership in this movement.

Best,
Eboo

By Bill W., IPS Student, Pastoral Counseling

What in the world is a secular-minded, “dabbling” Catholic layperson doing in Loyola University’s Pastoral Counseling program through IPS?

Studying to become a counselor, of course.

Contrary to my first thoughts when I heard the term “Pastoral Counseling,” this program is not just for ordained folks. It is geared to prepare one to become an LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor). It definitely involves spirituality, but also aims to train students in the skills of counseling as developed in the psychology field.

At least that’s what I think we are doing. I just began my first week here. I take classes two days a week, pretty much all day, which constitutes full-time status. This is a master’s program, but learning doesn’t take place only in the classroom. One professed goal of the program is to encourage students to integrate their learning into their lives in order to grow spiritually and become better counselors.

The process for me of getting to Loyola took some time (what I have learned is called “discernment”), which apparently is not uncommon. From what I am finding out from classmates, professors and class readings, the road to God and a call to “ministry” (or more simply, helping others) takes many forms but often hits people the same. (more…)

Loyola’s Institute of Pastoral Studies (IPS) is impacting the way people think about professional ministry, spiritual development, and faith-based leadership education.

IPS educates people of many denominations in theology and ministry skills in the setting of a contemporary Jesuit university. According to Robert Ludwig, Director of IPS, ministry is defined broadly—as the people of God serving the reign of God in multiple and various venues, some inside the church and others in a variety of settings (healthcare, education, non-profits, counseling agencies, retreat houses, inter-faith urban ministries, etc.).

“The variety of programs is a huge strength,” Ludwig says. “All of our programs have field education components in either a practicum or internship so that everyone who goes through our programs is learning in classroom and ministry settings.”

Students may participate in many aspects of the IPS experience online, including virtual open houses and orientations, two full degree programs, and in-class participation through Skype and Blackboard. In 2010, 20% of IPS students are taking one or more classes online, opening the tradition of ministry and theology at Loyola to students across the globe.

“We try to make learning easily accessible for the adult student,” Ludwig says.

To learn more about how IPS is changing to meet the needs of today’s world, please visit Loyola University Chicago | Institute of Pastoral Studies.

Heidi Russell, Ph.D.

In the book Mountains Beyond Mountains (by Tracy Kidder), Dr. Paul Farmer states, “You should compare suffering. Which suffering is worse. It is called triage” (286). Being in Haiti puts everything into perspective – a friend of mine noted that it is like going to a spiritual chiropractor for an adjustment – an adjustment on how I view the world and my own place in the world. I take for granted the ability to turn on a faucet and wash my hands. Everyone says cholera is easy to prevent; it just takes proper hand washing. But how do you wash your hands when you do not have water? I carried a bottle of hand sanitizer with me at all times; others don’t have that luxury. I watched the people of Sassier come to the pharmacy and receive Tylenol and antacids with incredible gratitude. I don’t think twice about my ability to go to my medicine cabinet and pull out either of these meds or others when I need them. More seriously, I never doubt that when I get sick and my doctor prescribes medication, I can go to Walgreen’s and pick it up. This past week I watched while the doctors diagnosed a man and prescribed medication that we did not have in our clinic pharmacy. I then watched them call the pharmacy and then the hospital in Jérémie to no avail – no one had the medication. I heard the doctors and nurses talking about the children with asthma – “They need inhalers. We don’t have any.” What would it be like to live in a world where the medicines you needed, which at times your very life depended on, were simply not available?

On the positive side, I saw children and adults receive the meds they needed for malaria. I saw people receive life-saving antibiotics. I saw wounds, abscesses, and infections treated. I saw IV fluids revive a man as if they rose him from the dead. I watched as we toured the hospital in Jérémie and the local doctor asked our medical team about medicine for a man who had broken his leg. The medicine would cost $10 a day – $10 he did not have. One of our nurses had brought what he needed with her from the states. Arrangements were made to get him what he needed. (more…)