Mission and Ministry
The Division of Mission and Ministry is charged with clearly articulating and broadly communicating Santa Clara University’s Jesuit, Catholic mission and character. In the diverse and dynamic region of Silicon Valley, this entails developing new strategies to meet the evolving needs of the campus, church, and local community, while strengthening Santa Clara University’s position as a nationally recognized Jesuit, Catholic university.
The Division of Mission and Ministry is comprised of Campus Ministry, the Ignatian Center for Jesuit Education, and the Mission Church. Building on a strong campus commitment to the University’s Jesuit, Catholic mission, the Division oversees the development and implementation of initiatives to engage students, faculty, staff, administrators, trustees, alumni, and benefactors in deeper education and ongoing formation, helping these groups to make the mission their own and apply it concretely to their work and life. The Division will collaborate closely with the new vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion and other Cabinet members to accomplish shared goals that allow Santa Clara University to live more authentically its Jesuit, Catholic mission.
News
This past November, the Division of Mission and Ministry hosted SCU's inaugural Mission Week. This week-long celebration of the University's mission centered on its Jesuit roots and brought together staff, faculty and students. As we look back at the many events and gatherings that comprised the week, it is clear that this is what mission looks like at SCU.
Inspired by the Pope's encyclical Laudato Si': On Care For Our Common Home, the Center for Sustainability and Division of Mission and Ministry are embarking on the expansive planning process to set SCU's goals and strategies for building a more humane, just, and sustainable world through 2030. Our environmental justice and sustainability work over more than a decade have made this moment possible.
This past year's Mission Integration Grant recipients certainly answered the call to engage issues of contemporary significance within the Catholic intellectual tradition and extend the Jesuit, Catholic vocation of SCU as a transformative social force.
Last Spring, the Ignatian Center co-hosted a workshop for ministers, staff, and administrators in Catholic parishes and diocese led by Julie Hanlon Rubio (JST) and Paul J. Schutz (SCU), which presented new research on factors contributing to clergy sexual abuse and assess their implications for Catholic institutions.
As an Ignatian Fellow, Afton Burrell '21 spent the winter quarter of her senior year working with A Step Ahead Foundation. The experience was so fulfilling that she stayed on with the non-profit organization and upon graduation was offered her current position as Marketing Communications Manager.