Division of Mission and Identity Programming

For each new employee, these mission video modules serve as an introduction to the Catholic Jesuit educational mission of Saint Louis University. Extending through the first year of employment, this program also offers opportunities for community-building through the formation of cohorts and the accompaniment of a mission mentor.

Once each semester, in preparation for Christmas (fall semester) and Easter (spring semester), an evening retreat is offered for all SLU colleagues to come away for quiet reflection and prayer during hectic holiday preparations to re-center and refresh.

Each semester, a mission-focused book is available to read, reflect on, and discuss for a month. An introductory gathering sets the tone for the read, optional small group discussions are offered, and a final luncheon with a related keynote presentation provides opportunities to reflect on SLU’s Jesuit, Catholic mission.

Soon after spring break, students, faculty and staff who participated in spring break immersion trips speak about their experiences through the lens of the Jesuit mission.

Every week during campus Masses and during the year at liturgical services, various ministries are needed to enhance the spiritual experience of the SLU community.

Operating year-round, these student-led organizations rely on volunteers to help prepare, package, and deliver meals to SLU students and neighbors who are food insecure.

Various service opportunities coordinated by the Saint Louis University Center for Social Action allow for short-term investment in becoming people for and with others.

Impromptu panel discussions are offered in collaboration with university partners, serving as a vehicle for dialogue when significant social, political, cultural or religious experiences affect our world.

Once a month, a topic that connects the Jesuit mission to SLU’s current reality will be presented by SLU faculty, staff or leadership. Offered during the lunch hour, each session treats a different aspect of the Ignatian identity at SLU:

• Ignatian Spirituality:  Contemplatives in Action
• Ignatian Prayer 
• Discernment of Spirits 
• Integrating Spirituality and Action 
• Ignatian Pedagogy:  The Mission Enacted
• The Ignatian Pedagogical Paradigm, Explained 
• The Jesuit University in a Divided World 
• Leading from Mission 
• Ignatian Service:  The Faith that Does Justice
• St. Ignatius and SLU’s Mission Today 
• Becoming Men and Women for and with Others 
• The Intersection of Mission and DICE  

This four-week lunchtime series occurs annually on SLU's campuses, deepening participants’ understanding of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius.  

Once each semester, an Ignatian retreat is offered off-campus, beginning on Friday evening and concluding on Saturday evening.  This allows participants to sink more deeply into Ignatian spirituality personally and professionally. In coordination with the Billiken Teacher Corps, faculty or staff members meet monthly with a Billiken Teacher Corps participant, serving as a mentor for teaching in the Jesuit tradition.

For two years, participants commit to monthly meetings, an annual retreat, and an annual service experience with a diverse SLU cohort (staff, faculty, leadership.)  Modeled on the national Ignatian Colleagues Program of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities, the ICP @ SLU allows participants to be immersed in Ignatian spirituality, the faith that does justice (service,) and Ignatian pedagogy in ways that further the mission for themselves personally and professionally.

In collaboration with the Reinert Center, full-time faculty members commit to a year of study and small group work to develop interdisciplinary and mission-driven courses.

Participants commit to weekly meetings with a spiritual director for the academic year, immersing themselves in the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius as a “contemplative in action.” 

Participants join an alternative spring break student group in collaboration with Campus Ministry.

In collaboration with the Prison Education Program, participants commit to a year of service with our brothers and sisters who are incarcerated or working with the incarcerated.

Collaborating with the Transformative Workforce Academy, participants commit to a year of personal and/or professional accompaniment for persons returning to the workforce after incarceration.

In collaboration with the University Undergraduate Core, faculty or staff teach a section of Cura Personalis 1, 2, or 3. 

In collaboration with the University Undergraduate Core, faculty teach an Ignite First Year Seminar.

In collaboration with the College of Philosophy and Letters, faculty register one (or more) of their courses for inclusion in the Ignatian Service Minor.

A year-long capstone program after completion of the ICP @ SLU, culminating in an Ignatian pilgrimage in Spain with colleagues from other Jesuit universities in the AJCU.

An expansion of the Jesuit mission and identity through participation in a national mission program with other Jesuit universities in the AJCU.

A six-day silent Ignatian retreat offered in collaboration with colleagues from other Jesuit universities.

A year-long professional development program designed for the mission formation of administrators and faculty in leadership positions, offered in collaboration with colleagues from other Jesuit universities in the AJCU.