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Who are the Jesuits? Why are such projects “Jesuit,” other than the fact that the projects you highlight happen to be administered or connected to Jesuit institutions?

The Jesuits are a Catholic religious order of priests and brothers. The Jesuit Commons primarily deals with education, humanitarian, and social service projects for the very poor.

 

Deeply embedded in the Catholic (and more specifically, Jesuit) traditions is the conviction that a mature faith must incorporate an active determination to make this world a more just place, that is, where each person has what is his or her “due.” The same idea runs deeply through all the world’s great faith and spiritual traditions, and so we welcome visitors of every faith and no faith who share our dedication to this goal, whatever their inspiration.

 

For those who want to delve more deeply into how this commitment has been articulated within the Catholic, Jesuit tradition, here are a few excerpts and related links:

 

Pope John Paul II, enumerating some of the proper concerns of a Catholic university in the document, Ex Corde Ecclesiae: "The dignity of human life, the promotion of justice for all, the quality of personal and family life, the protection of nature, the search for peace and political stability, a more just sharing in the world's resources, and a new economic and political order that will better serve the human community at a national and international level." [read the whole text]

 

Rev. Pedro Arrupe, S.J, former general of the Society of Jesus, addressing alumni of Jesuit schools in 1973, told them that Jesuit schools ought to produce: “men who will live not for themselves but for God and his Christ – for the God-man who lived and died for all the world; men who cannot even conceive of love of God which does not include love for the least of their neighbors; men completely convinced that love of God which does not issue in justice for men is a farce.” [read the whole text]

 

Rev. Hans Peter Kolvenbach, former general of the Society of Jesus, spoke at Santa Clara University and explained some of the vital concerns of a Jesuit university, “To make sure that the real concerns of the poor find their place in research, faculty members need an organic collaboration with those in the Church and in society who work among and for the poor and actively seek justice. They should be involved together in all aspects: presence among the poor, designing the research, gathering the data, thinking through problems, planning and action, doing evaluation and theological reflection. In each Jesuit Province where our universities are found, the faculty’s privileged working relationships should be with projects of the Jesuit social apostolate – on issues such as poverty and exclusion, housing, AIDS, ecology and Third World debt – and with the Jesuit Refugee Service helping refugees and forcibly displaced people.” [read the whole text]

How is the “Jesuit Commons” structured? Who “owns” it? Is there a board of directors?

The Jesuit Commons is legally incorporated in the United States and is organized as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and maintains an office on the campus of Georgetown University, although it is not an affiliate of the university. At the present time, the Jesuit Commons board is comprised primarily of Jesuits.

Why is the organization called Jesuit Commons? What is a Commons anyway?

We call it "commons" because that captures in one word the many things we are trying to do. A medieval "commons" was the tract of land owned and used jointly by the village, for shared livestock grazing land, for example. In modern days, a "commons" is a website for sharing information and resources. At universities, the "commons" is the large hall where all eat; while in church, the "commons" is a form of service used during a festival and also the ordinary of the Mass itself. The root of "commons" is "munus" meaning a task, a duty, or a gift. We hope to follow all of these aspects of "commons" in our program: jointly using our gifts to feed, to teach, and to serve.

What is the mission and vision?

Our vision:

“The World Becomes Our Home.“

Like the sixteenth-century Jesuit who coined this phrase, we envision Jesuit institutions filled with individuals who see their colleagues, classmates, fellow alumni, and neighbors not just as those across the hallway, but those in need around the world. We envision a moment when our world will truly “become a home” for all those who today lack the education, resources, or hope that befit their innate human dignity.

 

Our mission:

To foster collaborations across the global Jesuit network that will benefit extremely poor communities.

How did Jesuit Commons originate? What’s its history?

The idea of Jesuit Commons was brainstormed “bottom up” by Jesuits and lay colleagues a couple of years ago, at a conference for administrators at Jesuit universities that are involved in adult, online, and distance education. During one session, an Australian Jesuit described an ambitious project: residents of a Southeast Asia refugee camp were using an Internet hookup to work toward a university-level degree at an Australian university.

This moment sparked the imagination of many in the room, leading to the thought process leading to Jesuit Commons, which we could summarize as follows:

1. The Jesuit network is an extraordinary resource all over the world, filled with dedicated people affiliated with wonderful schools and social service organizations.

2. But the network is underutilized. Too few people know about each other’s efforts and concerns.

3. We want the network to “work” better. Faculty, administrators, alumni, students, and parishioners of Jesuit schools and institutions often feel a shared sense of mission. We want to collaborate with each other by sharing our ideas, money, course materials, and prayers in ways that could benefit poor communities.

4. Emerging internet technologies can help us achieve this goal by making collaborative partnerships more feasible.

The website you’re now visiting is one of our attempts to turn this thought process into action.

Does the Jesuit Commons have other major initiatives beside this website?

Our major initiative at the moment, called Jesuit Commons, Higher Education at the Margins, is a partnership among a number of Jesuit universities and the Jesuit Refugee Service to use online learning technologies to enable refugee students do university-level coursework toward a diploma in liberal studies. At the moment, there are pilots for this program in UNHCR refugee camps in Kenya and Malawi, and another pilot that works with urban refugees in Syria. You can learn more about this project here.

This website refers to the “Jesuit network” around the world. What exactly is this network?

Jesuits and their lay partners operate one of the world’s most extensive and expert education and social service networks. You’ll find universities, high schools, refugee centers, churches, vocational training, or poverty eradication programs in more than 100 countries. A few summary statistics help to convey the breadth and depth of this network:

 

• More than 200 Jesuit universities and higher education centers around the world, and some 700 high schools or primary schools
• More than two million living alumni of these institutions
• The Jesuit Refugee Service reaches more than 300,000 students in poor and displaced communities in 29 countries, offering everything from primary education to vocational education to counseling for trauma survivors.
• The Fe y Alegria network in some 15 Latin American countries specializes in education for extremely poor communities. Some million or more people are served annually by hundreds of schools, nearly 70 radio stations, and a thousand more centers for vocational training or alternative education.

Statistics like these only scratch the surface. There are thousands of other efforts, including organizations like the African Jesuit AIDS network, other social service efforts, and countless smaller “grassroots” initiatives sponsored by Jesuits through a single parish or neighborhood.

How can I get involved with the Jesuit Commons itself? Are you hiring?

The Jesuit Commons is primarily a volunteer-driven organization. We have plenty of needs! University-level faculty, course designers, technology experts, or administrators can be of great help in our Higher Education at the Margins program. If you have these skills and would like to consider volunteering, please leave a note for us in the Contact Us page. 

Can I find information on your site about the Spiritual Exercises, about becoming a Jesuit priest, or about how the Jesuits are organized around the world?

Our specific focus is to support the social service and education ministries organized by the Jesuits for the benefit of very poor communities. We don’t want to duplicate any of the excellent sites that already deal specifically with Jesuit spirituality; nor are we providing the same basic functions as the official websites of Jesuit provinces or schools.

 

Undoubtedly, some of our site visitors will want to explore spiritual conversation, lend prayerful support to some of the projects listed here, or make online connections with fellow alumni of one or another Jesuit school, and we certainly welcome those activities.

 

For those who want to learn more about Jesuit spirituality or visit the official websites of the Jesuits, here are a few places to start:

 

General Information about the Jesuits:

http://www.sjweb.info/ is the global information site about the Jesuits, organized by the Jesuit Communication Office in Rome

 

http://www.jesuit.org/ is a website sponsored and maintained by the Jesuits of the United States; it includes information about the activities of Jesuits in the U.S., information about pursuing a Jesuit vocation, and so on.

 

Jesuit spirituality and prayer:

http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/cmo-retreat.html

This site, maintained by Creighton University in Nebraska in the United States, provides an opportunity to participate in an online version of the Spiritual Exercises.

 

http://www.sacredspace.ie/ is a site maintained by the Jesuits of the Irish province. It provides a daily prayer and reflection opportunity.