How does ISN's work provide a vision for those who wish to commit to a life of faith and justice?
John,
Each year, members of the Ignatian family share with us the ways in which ISN's work has impacted how they integrate faith and justice into their careers and lives.
Below, read a story shared with us by Erika Franey, a teacher and campus minister at Bellarmine College Preparatory in San Jose, California, who attended the Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice in Georgia as a student, and is still returning each year, now as an educator herself.
Justice, Solidarity, Vocation:
One Teacher's Story
[ISN and the Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice] have truly been an integral part of my discernment of my vocation as an Ignatian educator. I first came to the Teach-In at Fort Benning [in Georgia] as a senior in high school knowing almost nothing about the Jesuit martyrs and their companions, nor about ISN's ongoing work and witness. I left the weekend on fire, and upon my return home shocked my parents with my announcement that I was going to do whatever it took to study theology at a Jesuit university.
The road from that point has certainly been richer and more complicated than my seventeen year old self could have ever imagined, but at each critical juncture the Ignatian family, at the Teach-In and beyond, has renewed my hope and commitment to our shared work of justice and solidarity.
All the best parts of my life—my work with students, my community, and my encounters with the One who is Love—are interwoven with the songs, stories, and relationships I first encountered at the Teach-In years ago. Returning to the Teach-In with my own students over the past several years has been a tremendous gift, and it is a privilege to walk with so many other wonderful people as we all journey toward a more hopeful future.
Your gift of $25 or more will support ISN’s vision of seeking change through transformational programs and resources that deepen faith and lead to dismantling systemic injustice—for students and teachers like Erika.
Please help us keep this vision alive,John,by making a gift today!
P.S. You can make a gift of stocks, bonds, mutual fund shares, and other securities or a matching corporate gift, by contacting Sharayle Forest at 216-200-5256 or [email protected].
