Friendship: The Foundation and Fruit of Our Mission

“We are formed by the great friendships of our lives.” So reflected Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe, O.P., at a recent Santa Clara University gathering, organized by our Jesuit School of Theology. He invited those in attendance to reflect on friendship as the special vocation of people moved by faith and the spirit, and he suggested that if we truly lived out this vocation it could transform our human community around the globe. In a powerful way, friendship overcomes the differences and divisions which can seem so apparent today, and it offers a pathway to compassionate, engaged solidarity and shared flourishing. 

Cardinal Radcliffe went on to articulate three key features of friendship, which resonate deeply with the work we do in Mission and Ministry at Santa Clara. First, he noted that friendship consists of “patient attention,” in which we truly see and revere our friend. In a world marked by inattention, distraction, and the rush and tumble of scrolling feeds, giving our focus and care to another is a striking, countercultural gesture. It communicates that I value you. You are the most important thing right now. And I am more alive when I am engaged with you.

Next, friendship can arise in unlikely places, and this is one of its particular joys. Cardinal Radcliffe noted famous friendships in which the individuals had profoundly different worldviews, but found connection in a shared interest. Caring about the same thing – art, literature, nature, a pastime, even God – gave them the opportunity to shift their perspective. Instead of gazing adversarially at each other across the table, they became like a couple seated together on a bench, looking together at the same world, the same reality. In solidarity, and ultimately in friendship. 

Finally, friendship expresses itself in a kind of exquisite reciprocity. It is not about a complementary division of labor, but rather a dynamic mutuality in which each gives and each receives in an ever evolving, responsive way. St. Ignatius described this kind of reciprocity in his Spiritual Exercises, where he states that “love consists in interchange between the two parties; that is to say in the lover's giving and communicating to the beloved what the one has or out of what one has or can; and so, on the contrary, the beloved to the lover.” Friendship is, wonderfully, this kind of love.

In this issue of our newsletter, I invite you to read about friendships cultivated in three aspects of Mission and Ministry’s programs. First, Jesuit scholastic Chris Castañeda reflects on the friendships that formed among students as they asked questions about their faith and place in the world, and the meaning they found together in OCIA, the program that leads to sacramental incorporation into the faith community of the Catholic Church. Next, student marketing intern Camila Perez (‘27), traces out the relationships of respect and mutuality that are cultivated among participants in our community-based Abriendo Puertas and Caminos al Bienestar programs. And closing this issue, director of the Bannan Forum Aaron Willis describes a new program that draws together faculty members to hone their skills in Ignatian pedagogy; through shared reflection, mentorship, and engagement, they become ever more fully friends in our shared Jesuit mission. 

MISSION EXEMPLIFIED | Stories of Impact

A More Intentional Journey

Accompanying Santa Clara University students as they move through the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) is a gift and a privilege for Chris Castaneda, SJ, Campus Minister for Ignatian Spirituality. 

Partnership Through Humility and Mutual Learning

What does it mean to partner with a community? At Santa Clara University, that question is not just theoretical. It shows up in real relationships, in classrooms, and in community spaces like Thriving Neighbors'  Abriendo Puertas and Caminos Al Bienestar. At the core, the work is not just about programs and outcomes. It is about how people choose to show up for one another. When partnership is rooted in humility and mutual learning, it creates a space for trust, growth, and lasting impact on all sides.

Enriching the Classroom Experience

As a Jesuit university, our values and tradition are brought to life in a variety of contexts, but the relationship between educator and student makes the classroom a critical space for shaping students’ hearts and minds. Over the course of the 2025-2026 academic year, thirteen SCU faculty met to explore the Ignatian Pedagogical Paradigm and the values of Jesuit education.

MISSION ENGAGEMENT | Join Us for Mission & Ministry Events

MISSION IN ACTION | A Collection of Mission & Ministry Happenings

February 3 | Mission and Ministry hosted a panel discussion Leading with our Jesuit Values in Challenging Times, featuring SCU scholars discussing ways in which our Jesuit values can serve the present moment. 

Feb 10 | Ash Wednesday drew 1540 people to mass and hundreds more receiving ashes in various locations throughout campus.

Feb 18 - April 1 | Campus Ministry hosted a number of events honoring the Ramadan season - including two Iftar dinners, daily Ramadan snack distribution for our Muslim community during this season of fasting, and culminating with an Eid Banquet.

Feb 25 & April 28 | The Ignatian Center hosted two Search for What Matters presentations - one with Dr. Andrew Ishak and the other with Fr. Bill O’Neill, SJ. with a combined attendance of over 200 people. 

March 6-8 | The Ignatian Center and Campus Ministry hosted 14 students for Awareness - a Spiritual (but not religious) Retreat. 

March 19 | Mission and Ministry hosted the University’s Founders Day Mass and Lunch, with over 150 in attendance to celebrate.

March 20 - 28 | This past Spring Break, the Ignatian Center’s Immersions team accompanied 16 students on Immersion trips to Appalachia and San Francisco.

March 29 - April 5 | Campus Ministry hosted over 2900 people at the Holy Week Liturgies, including Palm Sunday Masses, Holy Thursday Liturgy, Good Friday Liturgy, Holy Saturday Easter Vigil, and Easter Sunday Mass.

March 30 - April 3 | The Ignatian Center's Arrupe Engagement completed Spring quarter registration, placing 320 students with community partners to fulfill their Experiential Learning for Social Justice Core requirement, for a grand total of 1232 students for the academic year.

April 8 | This year’s Day of Giving was a great success for Mission and Ministry, bringing in over $350K in donations from over 200 donors. Thank you all for your tremendous support.

April 17 | SCU’s Jesuit School of Theology hosted the second annual "Together at the Table: An International Gathering Inspiring Synodal Action in Mission" featuring Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe as the keynote speaker.

April 29 | The Ignatian Center's Community Engaged Student Learning team hosted students, faculty and staff for a workshop on Building Power through Relational Organizing.