Thanksgiving Greetings from Mission and Ministry!

As we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving, we are profoundly aware of how blessed we are to be a part of this Santa Clara community with its distinct, Jesuit mission in the world.

One of the greatest treasures of that Jesuit tradition is the way it invites us to cultivate our spiritual lives. With openness to the diversity of our experiences and contexts, Ignatian spirituality offers tools for reflection, prayer, and discernment. It helps us encounter God and transcendence in the wondrously beautiful and sometimes challenging realities of our real lives, and it offers us guideposts and encouragement as we conscientiously choose how to act in the world. 

In his speech to the International Association of Jesuit Universities in Bogota, Colombia, this past summer, Fr. General Arturo Sosa noted that it can often seem that we live in an “increasingly secular” culture, but that “this does not necessarily mean that people are less spiritual.” Indeed, he holds that Jesuit education has the resources to respond to the longings of the heart of today’s young people, especially when it “rethink[s] the way we present the richness of our spiritual heritage so that it echoes in the hearts of our contemporaries, not as an imposition but as an invitation to a living fount of meaning, courage, and love.” 

Mission and Ministry at Santa Clara embraces this invitational approach, and in recent months our team has accompanied students in several deeply transformative spiritual experiences. This issue highlights some of these efforts – including a creative collaboration with Boston College that will culminate in a pilgrimage in the footsteps of St. Ignatius Loyola, and a new retreat headlined by a Jesuit scholastic that introduced students to a variety of prayer practices that can sustain them over a lifetime. 

Our Jesuit tradition has shown itself adaptable to every age, offering entry points and pathways for generations of students and community members to – through reflection, prayer, and discernment – uncover their unique meanings, purposes, and vocations. We could not be more excited to share how this is continuing to take shape in our Santa Clara community today, and we look forward to the lasting impact it will have in our lives and world. 

Finding Stillness in the Midst of the Quarter

By the time week five arrives at Santa Clara University, the quarter can feel like a runaway train. Midterms, projects, practices, club meetings, and social commitments pile up quickly. With the constant buzz of campus life all around, many students find it difficult to hear God's whisper in the midst of so much noice. In response to hearing again and again from students sharing how much they long for peace, rest, and a place to pray, our team offered a The Teach Me How to Pray retreat, inviting students to step away for a moment, breathe, and rediscover the art of prayer.

Bringing the Love and Generosity of God to Life for SCU Students

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (AMDG) is Latin phrase is the motto of the Society of Jesus (aka the Jesuits) and translates as “for the greater glory of God.” It's also the name of a unique year-long commitment that offers SCU students the opportunity to deepen their understanding of Ignatian Spirituality and reflect upon their Catholic faith identity. SCU students join other participants from Jesuit universities, high schools and parish communities with a common goal of growing in their Catholic faith and understanding of Ignatian Spirituality. 

Bannan Mission Integration Grants and Student Formation

Since restarting the Bannan Forum’s grant program in 2020, the Ignatian Center has funded over 30 projects across a range of disciplines and departments at Santa Clara University. While the Bannan Forum is focused on engaging and supporting our faculty and staff, the grants offered often have a direct impact on SCU students. Oriented towards action, and often towards building solidarity and community, Bannan Mission Integration Grants are an important part of bringing the mission to life for students, as much as for faculty, at Santa Clara.

Fall 2025 | This quarter, Campus Ministry launched the Wednesday Night Candlelight Student Mass, with an average of 35 students in attendance for this Mass rooted in prayerful stillness, simple music, and reflective space.

Oct 4 | The Ignatian Center's Thriving Neighbors launched its 14th year of the iPad program, providing iPad-based tutoring in Mathematics and Literacy for Pre-K to 2nd-grade students in San Jose's Great Washington Neighborhood.

Oct 21 | Mission & Ministry hosted a launch party for the Capeltic Coffee/SCU collaboration, joining Jesuit universities in Mexico in bringing this mission-driven, Indigenous-owned and -run cooperative to our campus community - the first US university to do so!

Oct 27-Nov 2 | Mission and Ministry hosted the 4th annual Jesuit Heritage Week (formerly known as Mission Week), offering over a dozen events guided by this year's theme Faith that does Justice.

Oct 29 | Mission & Ministry hosted our 4th annual New Faculty and Staff Dinner with over 50 new Broncos in attendance.

Nov 4 | The Ignatian Center hosted 90+ SCU faculty, staff, and students for a special film screening and conversation about American Agitators, a documentary by Fred Ross

Nov 11 | Campus Ministry hosted 32 SCU students, faculty, and staff members for the second Mosaic Dinner of the school year, focusing on the importance of gratitude and how it is practiced in various faith traditions.

Nov 15-17 | Campus Ministry and the Ignatian Center lead 8 students to the Ignatian Family Teach-in for Justice In Washington DC.

Dec 1 | The Ignatian Center will open applications to SCU undergrads for the 26th year of the Jean Donovan Fellowship, providing students with the opportunity to deepen their understanding of social justice issues.