What It Means To Be Jesuit

Members of the Regis University community will particpate in the Heartland-Delta Number VI which will be held at Xavier University in Cincinnati, OH, May 25-28, 2010. The theme will be “THE WORLD IS OUR HOUSE.”

American Jesuit Higher Education has entered a new phase of its history. Increasingly, Jesuit colleges and universities are staffed and led by committed lay people who are interested in advancing the missions of their schools, but have less familiarity with the principles of Jesuit education and Ignatian spirituality than the Jesuits who preceded them. Heartland-Delta events offer an opportunity for participants to immerse themselves in a three-day learning experience on these topics and build fruitful, lasting connections with their colleagues at 12 Jesuit schools in the Midwest and Delta regions. Participants at past Heartland-Delta gatherings have found the experience enriching and even transforming for their work.

Participating Jesuit institutions: St John’s College (Belize), Creighton, John Carroll, Loyola Chicago, Loyola New Orleans, Marquette, Regis, Rockhurst, St Louis, Spring Hill, Detroit Mercy, Xavier

Past Heartlands:
1994 [Loyola Chicago] – “Discourse and Leadership in Service to Others”
1997 [St Louis] – “Listening to the Voices Shaping Our Future”
2000 [Creighton] – “Choosing to Make a Difference”
2004 [Marquette] – “The Way of the Future: Companions in Mission”
2007 [John Carroll] – “Learning From Each Other: Companions in Mission”

Keynote speakers for Heartland-Delta VI at Xavier University:
Howard Gray, SJ – well-loved interpreter of Jesuit mission and spirituality.
John Allen – prize winning Senior Correspondent for the National Catholic Register and Senior Vatican Analyst for CNN.
Sr. Kathleen Erickson, RSM – an advocate for immigrant rights, Sr. Kathleen is co-founder and director of the Women’s Intercultural Center in Anthony, New Mexico, which shelters undocumented immigrant women. She has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Border Network for Human Rights.
Larry Gillick, SJ – director of the Deglman Center for Ignatian Spirituality at Creighton University.

Other Heartland-Delta VI opportunities:
Meeting colleagues from other Jesuit universities; getting to know Regis people better; learning more about the Jesuit educational mission; experiencing liturgy and spiritual reflection; feasting on “President’s Night Out” [dinner on the town hosted by the president of each university];
attending a reception at Cincinnati’s renowned “National Underground Railroad Freedom Center;”
finding quiet moments of personal retreat; re-living dormitory life; eating cafeteria food; trying to find the restroom down the hall at midnight.

The process:
Of the 300 participants, Regis anticipates sending 30 delegates.
The group will meet prior to the conference to build bonds and prepare for the experience.
Follow-up at Regis includes sharing the experience with others. Many members of the Jesuit Mission Group today are Heartland-Delta alums.

For additional information visit Xavier University Heartland Delta VI.

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