Pearson, Dan

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epublications@Marquette

Conversations on Jesuit Higher EducationVolume 40 Re-creating Jesuit Higher Education: TheGeneral's Challenge Article 49-1-2011Calling Faith Out of ServiceDan PearsonFollow this and additional works at: http://epublications.marquette.edu/conversationsRecommended CitationPearson, Dan (2011) "Calling Faith Out of Service," Conversations on Jesuit Higher Education: Vol. 40, Article 4.Available at: http://epublications.marquette.edu/conversations/vol40/iss1/4Conversations 5Faith life at Seattle University thrives in the stu-dents and community members that I served inthe Chapel of St. Ignatius. For three and a halfyears of my undergraduate education, I had theprivilege of being a student sacristan for theUniversity sacred spaces, a position which cen-tered me in the beating heart of spiritual vitality shelters itselffrom the Seattle rain in the arching white walls of the Chapelof St. Ignatius.  Step outside of the Chapel’s cedar doors,however, and faith life needed to hustle back ondefense. Seattle is among the most agnostic andreligiously unaffiliated areas of the United States,and the student body at Seattle Universityreflects this demographic. Discussions of spiritu-ality on campus were all too often swept underthe rug.  Many students at SU were disinclinedto discuss God or religion, even if only to enter-tain the idea academically.  Student disengagement with faith often sti-fles the academic possibilities for theologicalstudy. I cannot blame my peers who had noprior theological education causing many classesto start with the very basics of theologicalmethodologies. General apathy towards thecourse material, which is a phenomenon thattranscends the boundaries of course and subject,was not even especially detrimental to the aca-demic environment. The problem arose whenstudents showed outright hostility towards theprospect of engaging in discussions of God or faith based rea-soning, a trend which I only experienced in theology classes.Most students were at least willing to entertain the principles ofutilitarianism in philosophy courses for the sake of academicstudy, and I did not witness anyone making a fuss about behav-iorism in my psychology courses. Comparatively, I regularlyfound the atmosphere in theology courses very tense becauseindividuals were opposed to engaging in theological inquiry onthe basis of its relationship to faith.   However, students were not opposed to the work of jus-tice. Students at SU spent their time volunteering sortingclothes, serving food, or being an attentive ear. Studentsembrace the homeless, the prisoner, the hungry, and the sickthrough work in organizations which seek to provide servic-es to the vulnerable. It is here that I see faith inspired edu-cation brought to life; it is here that students grow in love fortheir neighbor and vigor to change the world. Fr. Adolfo Nicolás’ Mexico City address from April 23, 2010charged Jesuit institutions with the task of cultivating the edu-cational environment necessary for students to construct “amore humane, just, sustainable, and faith-filled world.” Hestressed the importance of cultivating the creative imaginationto meet the new challenges of globalized higher education. Fr.Nicolás’ words echo the mission of Seattle University, which is“dedicated to educating the whole person, to professional for-mation, and to empowering leaders for a just and humaneworld.” The Jesuit mission which is inexorably linked to faith isnot lost on students who do not claim faith or religious prac-tice. Seattle U students hold promise for praxis of a faith thatdoes justice, despite apprehension about identifying with reli-gion, through dedication to service adopting global education.The SU student body embraces this mission, is fecund with atrue fervor for service, and is committed to imaginative solutionsto systemic problems of injustice.  I witnessed the mission in action as my professors in thetheology and religious studies department attempted to over-come the difficulties of teaching in the secular PacificNorthwest. They addressed issuesin organized religion and callingupon students to become the faceof change. Students are often disen-chanted by a church that, in theireyes, is perpetuating injustice. Whybe a part of an institution whichexcludes women and teachesagainst the loving relationships ofsame sex individuals? What they arenot disenchanted with are the goodfruits of service called out of theuniversity mission. In true Jesuitform, the best professors at SUrespond by challenging students toexplore the religious structureswhich perpetuate injustice andaddress them using feminist or lib-eration theologies, as well as thehermeneutics of peace and justice.It is the Jesuit university which fos-ters theological dialogue into action, embraces the missionFr. Nicolás set before all Jesuit educated individuals, andembodies the possibility of a just and faith-filled world. ■Daniel Pearson graduated as member of Seattle University’sclass of 2011 with a degree in theology and religious studies. He is currently a patient care volunteer withProvidence Hospice of Seattle.Calling Faith Out Of ServiceBy Dan Pearson1Pearson: Calling Faith Out of ServicePublished by e-Publications@Marquette, 2011

Calling Faith Out of Service

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