Beginning Nov. 13 and continuing through Wednesday, Nov. 20, the Office of University Mission and Ministry and its partners will sponsor a series of discussions, meals, and prayer centered on the legacy of St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus, and the unique spirituality that characterizes the Jesuit Order.

“The Jesuits are renowned the world over for excellence in education, focusing on liberal arts, value-centered education of the whole person, and a commitment to lifelong learning, social justice, and service,” said Carol Gibney, associate director for campus ministry at Lincoln Center and director of Ignatian Programs.

“As a Jesuit institution, the University’s principles are based on the 450-year old teaching traditions of St. Ignatius… The Ignatian Week events highlight our rich Ignatian heritage and what it means to be part of a Jesuit university.”

The festivities commence on the Rose Hill campus with “Law and Order: The Jesuit Factor,” presented by Msgr. Thomas J. Shelley, professor emeritus of theology. Msgr. Shelley will discuss the case of New York-based Jesuit Anthony Kohlmann—after whom Fordham’s Kohlmann Hall is named—who was integral to the landmark legal case about the Seal of the Confessional, which prohibits priests from disclosing information learned during the sacrament of penance.

Ignatian Week continues later that evening at the Lincoln Center campus with the fall McGinley Lecture, “To Be a Pilgrim: A Geography of Faith for Jews, Christians, and Muslims,” presented by Patrick J. Ryan, S.J., the Laurence J. McGinley Professor of Religion and Society.

Other upcoming events include:

• A discussion and guided meditation with Zen roshi (“master”) and Jesuit priest Robert Kennedy, S.J.;
• An outing at Pugsley’s with America Magazine editor-in-chief Matt Malone, S.J., who will discuss the recent interview with Pope Francis;
• A trip to Washington, D.C., to participate in the Ignatian Family Teach-In, lobbying for issues of humane comprehensive immigration reform and raising minimum wage;
• An interactive video conference with Catholic feminist theologians in Asia;

…and more!

To see a full list of Ignatian Week events, visit Campus Ministry’s website.

With temperatures hovering in the mid-30s and light snow falling over Manhattan, nearly 500 Fordham alumni, friends, and families, braved the weather—perhaps warmed by recent news of the election of the first-ever Jesuit pope, Pope Francis.

“We’re secretly—no, not so secretly—very proud,” said Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham, as he welcomed 150 alumni and friends to a pre-parade brunch at the Yale University Club of New York City. The Rev. Msgr. Thomas J. Shelley, professor emeritus of theology at Fordham, shared jovial and informative stories of Irish Catholic history in New York City, and asked the Fordham group to remember “all of the contributions [Irish Americans] have made to the multicultural and polyglot communities that make up the Catholic Church today.”

For the march, alumni and their families donned Fordham hats (embroidered with shamrocks) and Irish fisherman’s sweaters—and reveled in the frequent cheers from the sidewalk crowds.

“We love it,” said Tamara Conway, LAW ’06, who marched with her three children, Aishlynn, Fiona, and Ronan. “They have a great time.”

For Katie Fitzgerald, FCRH ’06, it was a day for some father-daughter bonding. “We loved the atmosphere and energy of the crowd and passing by St. Patrick’s Cathedral,” she said. “It will certainly be memorable for both of us.”

Mark O’Connor, FCRH ’73, whose two sons are undergraduates at Fordham, was making it a Fordham-filled weekend. O’Connor attended the brunch and carried an American flag during the march.

Later Saturday night, he cheered on the women’s basketball team at the Atlantic 10 Championship game at the Barclays Center (the Rams lost to the Saint Joseph’s Hawks 47-46)—and will be attending the Fordham Founder’s Dinner at the Waldorf Astoria this evening.

“I check the Fordham website every day and then I saw this event and thought ‘great.’ I couldn’t go to sleep last night,” he exclaimed.

—Rachel Buttner
Additional photos by Chris Taggart.