When I was an undergraduate student at Campion College, I began to really connect with Ignatian spirituality and with the Jesuits themselves. I saw in them a community of people for whom intellect and imagination were fully integrated into an understanding of faith. I saw men who were dreamers, but also people with purpose, and I wanted to be a part of it.
I am never going to be a Jesuit, because I am a woman, but also because it’s not my calling. But through organizations like CJI, I can still be part of the global mission of the Society of Jesus.
In July 2018, I joined a group of educators on the Caribbean Solidarity Tour, a trip organized by CJI to visit the Dominican Republic and Haiti. We went to reflect on our place in the work for justice. During a visit to a school in Haiti, our host, Father Pérard Monestime SJ, talked about how ambitious projects come to fruition. He said, “Jesuits, we dream. And we say, let’s dream together. And then make dreams reality.”
“Let’s dream together” is an acknowledgement that it takes community action to create a just world. It can’t be done by Jesuits alone – and it shouldn’t be! The world we want to build needs the dreams of workers, parents, young people, children, and, yes,donors. And when we see ourselves being on the mission together, the dreams start to become reality.
Banner photo: Sarah Greenwood in Dajabon, Dominican Republic during the CJI Solidarity Trip.
