By FRANCESA LEITE
STAFF WRITER
Fordham celebrated Ignatian Week from Wednesday, Oct. 17 to Wednesday, Oct. 24. During this week, Mission and Ministry hosted several events and activities on all three campuses. These events included mealtime discussions, special guest lectures, masses and a pilgrimage.
The discussions and lectures included topics such as the life of St. Ignatius of Loyola, Ignatian Spirituality, the history of Jesuit education and living the Jesuit mission.
Rev. Patrick Conroy, chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives, was one of the special guest lecturers. He spoke to Fordham students at the Rose Hill campus on Tuesday, Oct. 22 about “faithful citizenship in a presidential election year,” according to Fordham’s website.
“Father Conroy himself had a career as a priest, which spanned defending Native American tribes, teaching theology at Georgetown and coaching JV girls high school baseball,” Dan Stracquadanio, FCRH ’15, said. “The Society of Jesus works with all walks of life and all aspects of it, which is what makes the Jesuits so remarkable to me.”
On Saturday, Oct. 20, a few students and campus ministry leaders attended the pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Martyrs in Auriesville, New York.
“I thought it was a profound experience,” Jedd Vergara, FCRH ’15, said. “Part of what made it remarkable was that Martyrs’ Feast Day was the day before, and we also went to the shrine of Kateri.”
Auriesville, New York is the birthplace of St. Kateri Tekakwitha who was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI the day after the pilgrimage on Oct. 21.
“One of the greatest parts of the trip was being able to see the holy spring, the water where she [Kateri] was baptized in was surreal,” Wanda Medina, FCLC ’15, said. “It was located in a forest and it was just so peaceful. The sun was shining and I felt like God’s presence truly could be felt.”
“I’d never been to a saint’s shrine before, and walking where they [the martyrs and Kateri] walked — standing on holy ground — gave me a sense of humility and a profound sense of reverence,” Vergara said.
To close out the week, Mission and Ministry held two events to put a close to a week meant to, according to the Mission and Ministry website, “celebrate the rich Ignatian heritage with which Fordham is blessed.” A discussion entitled “The Spirit of Solidarity” told the stories of the lives of the martyrs of El Salvador who “dedicated their lives to solidarity and justice through Jesuit teachings and traditions.” Finally, the week came to an end with a praise and worship ceremony held in Our Lady’s Chapel.
The purpose of the annual week was to help the Fordham community “appreciate the rich and rewarding Jesuit heritage through the work of local Jesuits and colleagues.”
