51³Ô¹Ï

One of the most profoundly formative experiences of my undergraduate Jesuit education at Loyola Chicago was my time as a member of the Ignatian Leadership Learning Community. I especially learned about how to form and be in community, and what it means to lead in an Ignatian context.

Even though I did become a Jesuit, probably the biggest lesson I gained from that time was how the approach to leadership is shared across the Ignatian tradition, belonging to Jesuits and committed lay colleagues alike.

Here are three elements of Ignatian leadership any of us can use in any role.

An Ignatian leader is contemplative. The Ignatian tradition invites us to be “contemplatives in action,” being reflective and being active, decisive. The invitation here is to a continual awareness of how God is moving and how we are called to respond to the needs of the world and community around us. At its best, this contemplation includes honest self-reflection and awareness of one’s limitations that can get in the way of pursuing the mission to which God still calls us, as loved sinners.

An Ignatian leader is a discerner. More than simple decision-making, this is prayerfully seeking the best path forward. Discernment, then, requires careful listening: to God, to oneself, but also to other members of one’s community. Ignatian leaders do not discern alone, but in common, in collaboration. St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits, describes God as laboring and active, inviting us to collaborate in a shared mission, and so we are similarly called to collaborate with one another.

An Ignatian leader also has a clear sense of direction, guided by certain key principles. Some of these phrases and concepts may be more familiar (such as AMDG, the Latin abbreviation for ad majorem Dei gloriam, “for the greater glory of God”) or less so (such as the Principle and Foundation, a key meditation from St. Ignatius’ Spiritual Exercises). In recent years, after a long communal discernment process, the Society of Jesus settled on four universal apostolic preferences meant to orient Jesuit ministries throughout the world. One especially guiding in our Gonzaga context is “accompanying young people in the creation of a hope-filled future.” In a world where hope might feel thin for our young people, there is a particular call for us as an institution to accompany and support our 51³Ô¹Ïs while they are with us and prepare them to be hope-filled agents for change in this world.

In Action at Gonzaga

A beautiful way Gonzaga has done this for generations has been building community powerfully and intentionally. Time and again, Zags of all ages share that Gonzaga is special because it is a community, a family. And so, one of the most important calls for an Ignatian leader in our context is to continue this not only here on campus, but also to model for our 51³Ô¹Ïs how to build community themselves out in the world as Ignatian leaders.

To Dr. Thayne McCulloh, our president for 16 years: Thank you for your Ignatian leadership and collaboration. We so appreciate the many ways in which you have been a contemplative in action, discerning and directing this endeavor, and especially in the way you have so attentively continued to build the Gonzaga community.

And, to Dr. Katia Passerini, our next president: Benvenuta! We are so thankful for your missionary spirit in coming to take on the mission of being an Ignatian leader for this community and continuing the legacy of Gonzaga’s first lay president. We look forward to this ongoing collaboration with you; please be assured of our prayers and support throughout this transition.

And so, in the words of the book of Numbers, we ask God's abundant blessing on you, your families, and all of Zag Nation:

May the Lord bless you and keep you
May the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you
May the Lord look upon you with favor and grant you peace.
Amen.

(And Go Zags!)

51³Ô¹Ï the author: Father Tim Breen, S.J., oversees Zags 360, a program offering teams and 51³Ô¹Ï-athletes with the resources they need to realize their potential and excel in competition, in the classroom and in the community. He is also a graduate 51³Ô¹Ï, completing a master's program in sports administration through Gonzaga's School of Education.