Author Archives: Jessamyn Anderson

Student Feature: Meet Daniel Guzman

Just from answering a few questions, it is evident that Guzman is the type of person to have a lasting, positive affect on people. With a personality that leaps off the page, Guzman would like to tell you a little more about himself:

Nickname: Guzy

A favorite thing: I’m a HUGE Golden State Warrior fan!!!

Hometown: Hayward, California

What is your previous education?
BA in Sociology: Concentration in Criminology from San Jose State University (SJSU)

What were you doing before beginning your IPS journey?
Teaching transformative learning practices in marginalized communities and traveling for leisure

What made you decide to come to Loyola IPS?
The city of Chicago and the opportunity to pursue a dual degree (M.A. in Social Justice and an M.S.W.) related to creating transformational change in both local and global communities propelled and motivated my decision to attend Loyola University.

What are your studies focused on?
My studies are concentrated on the criminalization of black and brown youth, restorative justice practices, community organizing, and critical pedagogy.

What are you most looking forward to accomplishing during your time here at Loyola IPS and how does that relate to your future goals?
Transformational growth, coupled with strengthening mind, body, and spirit during the next three years at Loyola will enable be to be a catalyst for change in any context or setting. My future goals include obtaining a PhD and starting my own business.

Do you have a favorite class or one you look forward to taking?
I am looking forward to taking IPS 635 (Community Organizing and Community Development) & IPS 660 (Leadership for Social Transformation).

Do you see any challenges you will have to overcome during your time here? Is so, what is one of them?
Anytime you transition to a new environment there are unexpected stressors you will inevitably encounter, however, I choose to focus on the positive rather than highlighting the negative, thus I see my experience at Loyola, as well as my transition to the city of Chicago as a beautiful struggle.

Do you have any recommendations for future students?
Come to graduate school with a purpose. Continually ask yourself self-reflective questions such as what am I working towards, and what do I hope to accomplish by the time I walk the stage with my diploma in hand? Keep an end goal in mind; otherwise you’re working hard and straining yourself without any clear direction. Figure out your why and represent a just cause!!

In what way will you go forth to “change the world?”
“I’m not saying I’m going to change the world, but I guarantee that I will spark the brain that will change the world.” -Tupac

What project(s) are you currently working on?
I’m currently working on a research paper studying the effects and correlation of gentrification and crime.

What is a fun fact or story about you?
I recently entered a hip-hop karaoke competition and won accolade from the crowd and a free t-shirt for my stellar performance.

Final thoughts to share:
In Lak’ Ech – an ancient Mayan concept that provides us with an alternative framework for doing social justice by relaying the message: you are my Other me

Follow me on Twitter @BrianSchmisek for more exciting news and updates!

10-15-2014 | Comments Off

Speakers Bureau Workshop Series Continues Success

The latest event of the series, titled “When Task and Ministry Collide,” explored Western culture, along with the call of the Vatican II which describes the goal of communion for the Church.

Presenter: Carole Veronesi, IPS Parish Consultant (licensed organizational development professional)

During the workshop, the 150 plus attendees were given time to discuss issues and how they impact ministry. For instance, the participants:

Gained understanding about the culture of their teams
Identified the practices that get in the way of communion
Explored new ways of being with each other in order to fulfill the call to communion

Attendees discussing communion in the Church

Proving to be beneficial, the event created a platform for important discussions and critical thinking about communion in the Church. The workshop ended asking, “What can be done to more fully answer the call to communion?” Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below!

The IPS Speakers Bureau Workshop Series is presented through IPS Parish Leadership and Management Programs in service to the Church.

The next event will be “Administrando Resultados en un Mundo Diverso,” featuring a discussion in Spanish about managing results in a diverse world. It will be held on Saturday, November 8th at St. Donatus Parish. For more details or to register, contact Dina Carr at dcarr1@luc.edu. Hope to see you there!

Let’s Tweet! For more updates, follow @BrianSchmisek on Twitter!

10-20-2014 | Comments Off

IPS Alumnus’s First Book Published: commends Loyola for help along the way

We would like to extend our congratulations to IPS Alumnus Michael Cahill on getting his first book published! Catholic Watershed is a compelling book that openly discusses the ever-changing Catholic Church and its hope for an even brighter future.

As a 1984 Loyola IPS graduate, Cahill commends the program for helping him keep in “touch with the importance of real people and their struggles to be faithful.”

As for his most memorable courses and professors at IPS, Cahill spoke fondly of Dick Westley and Jim Zullo. Westley taught “Form Me A People” and “Redemptive Intimacy,” two classes based on the work of Chicago priest Leo Mahon, one of Cahill’s true heroes. Zullo taught “Psychology of Young Adults” which meant a lot to Cahill, both academically and personally.

“This book focuses on the importance of the pastoral in relation to the doctrinal,” states Cahill, “or, another way of putting it, the Church as community in relation to the Church as institution. Much of that emphasis was stressed at IPS.”

About the Book

Catholic Watershed provides readers with a close look at how the Catholic Church has changed since the Second Vatican Council.

In order to write the book, Cahill interviewed six priests who were ordained for the Archdiocese of Chicago in 1969. They opened up to Cahill about their seminary training, assignments, triumphs and disappointments.

Through interviewing these men, Cahill was able to write about topics that are rarely openly discussed within the church, especially by priests. These include:

Their personal spirituality
Their relationships with fellow priests and cardinal archbishops
Celibacy
The sexual abuse crisis

Cahill chose these six priests because they were classmates of one another and had good reputations. Moreover, he was aware that they’d likely be retired when the book was published and therefore, would be more frank about the topics at hand.

The motivation for writing this book came from his desire to explore what became of the Catholic Church he grew up admiring. Cahill struggled to feel comfortable in a Church that seemed to be rejecting much of what he learned from an entire generation of Catholic leaders.

It was with the loss of a dear friend, Father Bob “Red” McLaughlin, that gave him the final nudge to investigate these queries. Cahill realized now was the time to share the stories of priests who lived through three distinct periods of American Catholic history: the pre-Vatican II, Vatican II and post-Vatican II.

When asked if he thought the spirit of “aggiornamento” unleashed at Vatican II was still vibrant today, Cahill replied, “It is vibrant at the parish level and our Pope is bringing that vibrancy back for the universal Church. Faithful priests like these 6 men, as well as many great laypeople and religious, have kept the spirit alive, even in the face of much criticism.”

About The Author

Before beginning his journey at IPS, Cahill had been studying at Mundelein Seminary to become a priest. After deciding that priesthood was not for him, Cahill chose to continue his education at IPS.

“It was a happy time in the sense that it coincided with the period of my engagement and then wedding to Cathy O’Connell, herself a Loyola Grad.”

After IPS, Cahill worked as an alcoholism counselor for adolescents at St. Elizabeth Hospital for two years. With a growing family, Cahill then decided to become a financial planner, which has been his primary occupation for 27 years.

Regarding his first book, Cahill concludes, “It was a labor of love that I thoroughly enjoyed, especially having the privilege of interviewing these 6 good men.”

If interested, you can purchase the book here.

For more updates, follow @BrianSchmisek on Twitter!

10-23-2014 | Comments Off

Student Feature: Meet Elizabeth

In addition to our Chicago campus, Loyola IPS offers students the opportunity to study both online and in Rome. Elizabeth is just one student taking advantage of our ever-expanding online program. Read below to learn a little more about an online student’s perspective of IPS.

Full Name: Elizabeth Callaghan

Nickname: Liz

Favorites: I follow Australian rules football and my team is Collingwood, known as the Magpies. I love reading Nordic crime thrillers. I also love going to Europe to look at modern art!

Hometown: Canberra, Australia

Previous education:
The last higher education study I undertook was a Masters in management and public policy at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia.

What were you doing before beginning your IPS journey?
I have worked for the past seven years at Catholic Health Australia as the Director of Strategic Policy. Catholic Health Australia is the peak body for all Catholic health, aged care and community services Australia wide. My areas of expertise are in strategic planning, health workforce planning, social determinants of health, catholic bioethics and palliative care. I am just leaving Catholic Health Australia to begin in the role of CEO for Palliative Care Australia, the peak organization for palliative care in Australia.

What made you decide to come to Loyola IPS?
I have always been interested in Ignatian spirituality and I intend to eventually return to the catholic sector. For this reason, I was looking for something that would provide me with not only solid grounding in theology, as well as meet my strong interests in bioethics and social justice, but also provide me with an internationally recognized qualification.

What are your studies focused on?
I am enrolled in the Masters of Mission and Health Leadership.

What are you most looking forward to accomplishing during your time at Loyola IPS and how does that relate to your future goals?
At this point in time, I am looking forward to just being able to keep up with the work as I have quite a busy job. I am hoping to be confident in understanding systematic theology and consolidating my knowledge in the area of bioethics. I think a bit of health leadership knowledge would not go astray as well, particularly for my new role!

Do you have a favorite class or one you look forward to taking?
Well, I have only experienced one class thus far, the theology and ministry introduction. I have to say, the lecturer Peter Jones is just terrific and makes everything so accessible and easy to understand. Quite frankly, I am enjoying hearing everyone speak with American accents! It’s amazing that we can connect from Australia to Chicago and hold a class for an hour in real-time. It has been really interesting observing the cultural differences between the two countries, even in the way language is used and how people write. Fascinating!

Do you see any challenges you will have to overcome during your time here? If so, what is one of them?
My main challenge is going to be keeping on top of the reading. Already with the change in this job I am two weeks behind. When I do have the time to read, I find myself enjoying the content so much. It provides for me a sanctuary to sit, reflect and think. It is a great change from the constancy of work, emails, Twitter, etc.

Do you have any recommendations for future students?
Make sure you have a spare eight hours in your week to devote to studies. It is too valuable an experience to try and skim over.

In what way will you go forth to “change the world?”
I don’t know. In a good way I hope. That is really in God’s hands.

Are you currently working on any projects that you wish to share?
I have recently developed two websites relating to advance care planning and perinatal palliative care. It has been fun developing the content, conducting the interviews and undertaking editing for the YouTube clips. The website addresses are www.pnpc.org.au and www.myfuturecare.org.au

What is a fun fact or story about you?
I am about to be the manager for a hockey team, the Green Lanterns, for the twilight season (it is moving into summer here in Australia). It’s not serious at all, and it seems a bunch of parents and their kids have all decided to play. There are 27 teams in the competition, which for Canberra is big!

For more exciting news and updates, follow @BrianSchmisek on Twitter and @LoyolaIPS on Instagram!

10-30-2014 | Comments Off

Dr. M. Therese Lysaught promoted to Associate Director of the Institute of Pastoral Studies

We are very proud to announce that Dr. M. Therese Lysaught has been promoted to Associate Director at IPS. Dr. Lysaught joined IPS last year as a Professor and also as Graduate Program Director of the MA in Pastoral Studies and the MA in Healthcare Mission Leadership. At Loyola University Chicago she also holds a joint appointment with the Neiswanger Institute for Bioethics. Click on this link to learn more about Dr. Lysaught. And join us in congratulating her on this new position!

6-27-2014 | Comments Off

IPS Director Participates in Dialogue with Council on Foreign Relations on Pope Francis’ First Year

IPS Director, Dr. Brian Schmisek, participated in a conference call last week with the council on foreign relations regarding the first year of pope Francis. A question he asked around the 30 minute mark sparked a provocative response about the pope’s leader of the council of 8 cardinals. Listen to the audio here:

http://www.cfr.org/religion/pope-francis-vatican/p32800

5-02-2014 | Comments Off

Teaching and Learning: Field Education and the Business of Curiosity

This semester in the IPS Foundations of Social Justice course, students began the semester by thinking about what it means to teach and learn. They were challenged to not only think of themselves as students or learners, but also as teachers who will share the knowledge they learn as they practice social justice in their communities. This week we’re featuring some of their reflections on teaching and learning at IPS.

As part of the Masters of Divinity program, students participate in a Field Education experience. This experience is comprised of a yearlong internship and weekly group gatherings in which members of the group present case studies that are then discussed by the whole group. It is within this context that I experienced education as a transformational, liberating, empowering, communal, engaging, and curiosity-filled process. It is also within this context that I experienced teachers as learners and learners as teachers. The leadership roles were fluid and the group engaged in a common purpose that moved and motivated our reflection. This common purpose was one of awareness, understanding, learning, and growing.

bell hooks (1994) in her book, Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom writes so much of education as a practice and process that frees, liberates, empowers, excites/enthuses, and engages.

hooks writes of education as a communal effort when writing, “As a classroom community, our capacity to generate excitement is deeply affected by our interests in one another, in hearing one another’s voices, in recognizing one another’s presence” (p 8). In reflection, the field education group was not trying to transfer knowledge. Rather, they were walking with me, in community, to help me see and discover those things that were otherwise hidden to me. The communal activity of sharing and engaging story helped me to work through my own story, be present with it, engage it, look at its various dimensions, interact with it, allow it to speak to me and me to it, and then work towards some sort of resolution.

When preparing a case study, we were asked to look for moments in our experience of ministry that challenged us, made us uncomfortable, brought us joy, and, essentially, left us thinking, “What the heck is this all about?”

The case studies began with experience and curiosity. I had many, many cases that brought me right up against fear, uncertainty, and confusion. Often my identity as a person and as a minister was brought under the microscope and, always, I was being asked to take a critical look at myself.

Paulo Freire (1998) beautifully writes about curiosity in his book, Pedagogy of Freedom: Ethics, Democracy, and Civic Courage, saying,

“Curiosity as restless questioning, as movement toward the revelation of something hidden, as question verbalized or not, as a search for clarity, as moment of attention, suggestion, and vigilance, constitutes an integral part of the phenomenon of being alive. There could be no creativity without curiosity that moves us and set us patiently impatient before a world that we did not make, to add to it something of our making” (p 37-38).

This beautifully written statement was true of my experience of field education. The curiosity embedded in the very process of the work of field education, of critically examining cases in ministry, led to a sense of wonder and awe that resulted from the sharing of story and communal learning that took place. The type of questioning the took place “forced” us, in a way, to be very honest with ourselves and with one another as we, together, searched for the hidden treasures, questioned, and noticed the movements at play.

More than anything, though, this process gave my classmates and me a passion for curiosity. To be curious is to know, and to have a passion for knowing, that the world is full of things yet to be seen, grasped, explored, learned, and understood. As Freire suggests, this process is never quite done.

Thank goodness for that, too! The business of curiosity is the business of passion. It is what moves and motivates, it is what yearns, it is what makes us alive, and it is what grants us the hope that anything is possible.

—
Abby Gapinski is a Master of Divinity student in her third year of the program. She currently works at St. Gertrude parish as a youth minister.

11-01-2013 | Comments Off

Elizabeth Madeo: Reflection on Discernment

Do we find fulfillment in careers or callings? While careers pay the bills, our calling invites us into a deeper relationship with God. However, the millennial generation seem to associate the word “calling” to “church work.” If ministry is the fruit of discipleship, we must change the language to invite many into the fulfillment that comes with living out their calling, no matter what profession or major. We know that Jesus changes the language for parables and utilizes symbolism in order to invite and appeal to the masses. While there is mystery in symbolism, upon reflection we see invitation.

Jesus never said “Follow me, I will make you ministers of churches”. In the calling forth of the disciples to be “fishers of men, ” these fishermen were busy doing their job after experiencing Jesus, but weren’t all that ready to follow him too closely. So Jesus came to them, using the language of a fisherman, and forever changing their lives. Fisherman don’t go catching, they go fishing because sometimes they actually catch something, but not always. The water changes, the bait changes, methods have to change based on where we are, fishing is never that easy.

The same quandary still remains, how can the church “catch” the millennial generation? We need to know the bait, be patient, not expecting them to jump in the boat, but pointing them in the right direction. We need to be encouraging each student that they are called and chosen to live out their Baptismal call no matter what major they choose, no matter what job they get. Do they know that they have a call to the sacred….FROM the Sacred? God is always inviting, we are the ones that look away. As people are searching and searching and searching outside, who is going to tell them that what they are looking for can only be found within? God is not something to be reached for, it is something to acknowledge at our deepest core. We must not only acknowledge that but give them the language to realize that.

The definition of profession must be changed to mean a profession of our faith, our beliefs, a profession of who we are, not something we say at Mass. Students must profess their faith with their vocation and embrace their gifts which lead to calling as they leave behind careers, jobs and professions that have no fulfillment but pay the bills. Catholics need to change the map, refocus the lens and fish around until we find something that catches on. Why is our mission as a Catholic university any different than our mission as church? To invite, unite, excite, and ignite the flame that is in each of us. We know that the language is changing but the territory is also changing, Routes are changing, roads are changing, speed limits are changing and we can’t use a map from 1975 to get from Chicago to Florida, therefore we need to update the map that is ministry to avoid being lost.

We need to build bridges from experiences to beliefs, from careers to callings, from professions to professions of ourselves, from doing to being. Then we can connect the humanity in our daily lives, to the divine that is ever present, ever in motion and ever calling us His chosen ones, inviting us, over and over, and over again into the Mystery that is God. Let us continue to be open and discuss this conversation as we constantly update the map and language on an ever changing territory that is Church.

11-26-2013 | Comments Off

MASJCD Student Xochitil Anda on the Migrant Worker, from the Motherland

To my dearest child, the immigrant:
I am Tenochtitlan, land of the Aztecs, your motherland. Gone are the days when we were the dominant culture. We have been conquered by a stranger, who tore down our beliefs and placed a cross in our hands. Our worship forever changed; our language replaced with their language. My dearest child, you are no longer just an Aztec. Now you are the product of a painful war between us and them. I wish we had joined other tribes from our land and fought against them. But the reality is that now we are a different culture. You were once called an Aztec, now you are called a Mexican. Do not be ashamed, instead remember me, your motherland.
Remember me as you travel to another land. You leave me because I can no longer feed your hunger, quench your thirst and protect you from the modern day conquistadors. These modern day conquistadors are wealthy just like the first conquistadors. They use their wealth to build monuments of power at the cost of people like you. It saddens me that you must leave me, but I understand that you have a family to provide for. I hope that as you travel and settle in the other motherland that you teach your children about me. Teach them about your motherland.
It is likely that this new land will not richly mention our history or their current involvement with your motherland. You must teach them about us, the Aztecs, the Mexicans, and even all of us Latin Americans. Now that you are in this new land, treasure it just at its original natives did at one point in history. Prior to being forced out of their lands, just like you, they were conquered by a stranger. They were taken out of their own homes and made slaves. They were perceived to incompetent, though you and I know that given our cultural and historical similarities, they were much more incompetent. This new land that you are going to is beautifully chaotic. It possess a complicated history marked by slavery, oppression, and injustices.
I must warn you of the sufferings you will encounter in this new land. You may find yourself working in the fields or meat packing factories for long hours only to receive a minuscule paycheck and harassment as a tip. At times you will be haunted like animals, to be packed in a bus and shipped back to “where you came from”. Do not let what happened in Postville Iowa, 2008, frighten you. Yes, it was an outrageous I.C.E. raid. Be wary my child, this new land is not always welcoming. So as you wipe the sweat of your face and feel your back ache remember that I will always be your motherland loving you from afar. The new land is rich because of people like you and others cultures who share our tragic history of oppression.
I hope that in this new land you follow the urgency of Martin Luther King Jr. and join hands with your new African-American brothers and sisters. They too were conquered, though unlike you their ancestors were forced into this land. Eat with them, share your stories and have discussions. Embrace the Hotinoshonni’s vision of coexistence. My dearest child, join hands with every color of skin and stop these conquistadors from stealing innocent cultures. Echoing Alice Walker, do not believe them when they tell you this is not your land. It is your land. I leave you with a gift, it is a simple lens. This lens is made up of compassion, empathy, and marvelous creativity. Use it wisely and pass it down only as a gift. This way it will be free for everyone to use. So march on my dearest child, I Tenochtitlan, your mother land will always love you.
Sincerely,
Your motherland, Tenochtitlan.

Disclaimer:
Inspired by Dr. King’s letter and Welch, I decided to write a letter to a migrant worker from the perspective of Tenochtitlan. Tenochtitlan is modern day Mexico City. This city was founded by the Aztecs. Legend has it that the Aztecs build the city after seeing an eagle holding a snake by its peak while resting on a cactus. This was a sign from their god to build their kingdom. To make the long story short, the Spaniards conquered the Aztecs and other tribes. Spain ruled over Mexico for a long time and it was not until September 16th 1810 that Mexico gain its independence. Thus with this date in mind, I reflected on my personal cultural history while incorporating some of the struggles migrant workers face. Such as the raid in Postville, Iowa. This a small town with a large amount of Latin American immigrants. ICE basically showed up at a meat packing factory and deported a significant amount people. For more info on this raid: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/15/magazine/postville-iowa-is-up-for-grabs.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

12-06-2013 | Comments Off

IPS Mourns the loss of Richard Westley, Ph.D.

Dick Wesley, a mainstay of the IPS summer program spanning three decades, died on February 9th. His courses at IPS, among them, ‘Redemptive Intimacy” and “Morality and its Beyond” reflected his rootedness in and commitment to the voice and vision of Vatican II. Dick, with good humor and depth of insight, combined his prophetic edge with pastoral sensitivity both in his courses and in his many publications. He and his late wife, Ethel were long time members of St. Gertrude Parish in Edgewater, and in recent years resided in the Adorata Villa retirement community in Wheeling, Illinois.

2-17-2014 | Comments Off