Monthly Archives: June 2012

Connie Johnson

Entry #1

May 26, 2012 8:37am Amsterdam Airport

As I sit at  gate F6 awaiting to board the second and final flight to Nairobi I am reminded of a question. While in line to check in at Chicago O’Hare I became engaged with a tall, cultured woman wearing a pink silk blouse. She asked the normal questions a fellow traveler would ask, What is your destination?, What is the reason for your trip?, How long will you be visiting? Our conversation was pretty standard for two complete strangers when it suddenly took a turn that took me by surprise. The information the woman gathered from her friendly but brief interrogation reminded her of her own journeys to Northern Africa. She shared a little about her experiences and then it happened. She asked a question so profound that I couldn’t give her an honest answer. She looked me square in the eyes and said “Are you ready for the poverty?” I tried my best to process the question and give her a scholarly answer,since I am a graduate student. But I could only come with “I don’t know.” Over the past few days several people have inquired about my feelings towards this trip. The standard questions were Are you ready?, Are you excited?, Do you have everything you need? But no one asked neither did I consider the question, Are you ready for the poverty? It never dawned on me that Kenyan poverty will probably look much different from American poverty, of which I am quite familiar with. I never considered that I could possibly, for once be considered a “have” in a land of extreme “have nots”. I walk into this experience as a blank canvas waiting for an inspired artists to skillfully cover me with brilliant, vibrant strokes of self discovery.

A note regarding a career opportunity from Dr. Eileen Daily:

The Archdiocese of Chicago’s Office for Catechesis and Youth Ministry (OFCYM) is located at the Cardinal Meyer Center at 35^th Street and S. Lake Park Avenue. In other words it is a bit off the beaten path for most busy IPS students. Kristen Hempsted McGann, OFCYM Associate Director, is conscious of the busy lives of IPS students and alums and is doing something to make life a tad easier. On Thursday, June 28 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. she will be conducting interviews at IPS. OFCYM is both hiring directly (see the job description at http://www.archchicago.org/Employment/Details.aspx?JONumber=163) and assisting parishes in making their selection. Parish employment opportunities are available full- or part-time. If you would like to be considered for an interview, please send an email with time availability information and a resume to kmcgann@archchicago.org. Even if you aren’t ready to work right now, the OFCYM is always looking for qualified candidates that might be interested down the road.

If this works out, we would like to make this an event that occurs 2 or 3 times per year. In the future, we might even induce the Diocese of Joliet to conduct interviews at IPS on the same day and make a mini-career-fair of sorts. If you have thoughts about the idea of organizations conducting interviews at IPS, please comment below.

Dear IPS Faculty and Students,

            Cecilia Escajadillo will be remembered in prayer tonight (Monday, June 18) at a candle-light vigil in Madonna Della Strada Chapel on Loyola’s Lake Shore Campus. The memorial service will be held at 5 PM.  All are welcome. 

            Her remains will be cremated and returned to her family in Lima, Peru.

            This coming Thursday, June 21, IPS will sponsor another memorial service at the Water Tower Campus.  We will be hosting a ceremony and luncheon in memory of Cecilia in the Terry Center (3rd floor, Wabash & Pearson).  The memorial will take place in All Saints Chapel at 11:30 am with lunch following.  Please RSVP to Randy Gibbons rgibbon@luc.edu if you can attend.

            The suddenness of this tragedy is mellowed by our faith that Cecilia is with God, with the martyrs and saints, and with those who have gone before her.  We pray for her mourning family and that she rest in eternal peace.  I hope you can join us in prayer either this evening or on Thursday.   

                                                                                    Sincerely,

                                                                                   Robert A. Ludwig, Director

Recently a group of  eight IPS students and two IPS faculty members returned from a 2 week trip to Kenya. 

The Social Justice and East Africa course offered its participants an opportunity for personal and educational interactions with communities of folks in local schools, churches and hospitals, women’s cooperatives, AIDS support organizations, homes for orphans, and cultural centers of East Africa.

Themes of the course included geography and history, racism and the effects of colonialism, African Christianity and inculturation, and social justice practices. A focus on African issues of social justice explored areas such as the effects of HIV/AIDS on community life in East Africa and the need for empowerment of disadvantaged groups and communities.

Catholic University of Eastern Africa’s Center for Social Justice and Ethics served as the group’s academic and residential base. The group also visited urban Nairobi and in rural Naivasha, in addition to observing the wildlife at Lake Nakuru National Park.  

Brittany Barton, MASJ alumna, created a powerful video documenting her experience on the trip. You can view it here: http://vimeo.com/43871583

Dr. Eileen Daily, Director of our Master of Arts in Religious Education program is featured in the June 8 edition of the National Catholic Reporter! Eileen created an android/iPhone app called art/y/fact.Xn. It helps users analyze Christian Art. Way to go, Eileen! Here is the story behind the story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=pL9psV_co4w

To access the full article, you must be a NCR subscriber. If you get the chance, stop by the IPS office where we will have several copies of the feature story! Also, don’t forget that you can purchase art/y/fact.Xn in your App Store for only $1.99!