Ignatian Family Teach-in for Justice

Learn, pray, and advocate for justice at the largest annual Catholic social justice gathering in the United States.

In 2023, featured speakers were Monique Trusclair Maddox, Sr. Norma Pimentel, and Ellie Hidalgo.

The 2023 Ignatian Family Teach-in for Justice theme was Boundless and Beloved. We are boundless: unified in difference. We are beloved: working for justice witnesses to that love. God imbues us with immeasurable creativity and collaboration as we approach this work. We cannot set bounds or limits on God’s love–therefore, the promised vision of God’s justice is beyond what we can possibly imagine. Our striving for our collective liberation will never be complete, and that in and of itself empowers us to pursue that work.

The Schlegel Center for Service and Justice led a delegation of 33 students, faculty and staff to the 2023 Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice (IFTJ). IFTJ is an annual gathering for the Ignatian family (Jesuit and other Catholic schools, parishes, organizations, and individuals) to come together in the context of social justice and solidarity to learn, reflect, pray, network, and advocate together. It is a place where people are empowered, re-energized, inspired, challenged, and supported by a community that sees faith and justice integrally linked. Now in its 26th year, the Teach-In has a rich history rooted in honoring the Jesuits and their companions who were martyred in El Salvador in 1989. Creighton University and St. John’s Parish have been sending delegations since 1997. The Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice is a program of the Ignatian Solidarity Network. Thanks to Dr. Laura Roost for hosting the campus watch party. The recordings are now available at IFTJ 2023 Livestream - Ignatian Solidarity Network. The group was grateful to meet with the offices of Senators Ricketts and Fischer and Representatives Bacon and Flood to support ecology and migration. 

Magis Exchange student Odette Bonilla presented a breakout session called “Shaping a Just Future: El Salvador, Migration and Advocacy.”

Each fall thousands of people from Jesuit high schools, colleges, parishes and other Ignatian organizations in Washington, D.C. at the Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice. This event keeps alive the legacy of many who have worked for justice, particularly the legacy of the six Jesuits, their housekeeper, and her daughter who were all killed in El Salvador in 1989. Come join this three-day learning experience where we meet today’s prophets confronting injustice, poverty, and oppression both nationally and internationally; network with other justice-oriented students; and have our voices heard through legislative visits in the nation's capitol.  

The Ignatian Family Teach-In is hosted by the Ignatian Solidarity Network (ISN), an organization that works to promote and enhance the advocacy efforts of Jesuit institutions like Creighton. More information about this year's Teach-In can be found on the ISN Website.

For Further Reflection:

• Last year's IFTJ keynotes are available on YouTube.  
• Read Fr. Dean Brackley, S.J. 
• Ignacio Ellacuria, S.J.'s 1982 Commencement Address at Santa Clara University
   

Known as the largest annual Catholic social justice gathering in the U.S., the Teach-In attracts young people ages 16 to 22, representing over 120 Jesuit and other Catholic universities, high schools, and parishes in the U.S., as well as Canada, Mexico and El Salvador.

Initiated in 1997 in Columbus, Georgia, the Teach-In is held each fall to coincide with the commemoration of the Jesuit martyrs of El Salvador. The six Jesuit priests and their two companions were murdered Nov. 16, 1989, for speaking out against El Salvador’s tumultuous civil war. The Teach-In relocated from Georgia to Washington, D.C. in 2010 in response to the growing interest in legislative advocacy and accompanying educational opportunities.

While in Washington, D.C. students will meet with elected officials to share their hopes and concerns. 

Livestream coverage of the Teach-In will also be available.