Did you know that the word Jesuit used to be derogatory? It meant “one who uses the name ‘Jesus’ too much.” This is one of the many facts that a student can find on any sign around campus during Loyola Week.
This year, the Jesuit Center and Student Government Association sponsored Loyola Week, which is geared toward celebrating the heritage of Loyola and Jesuit culture.
“Loyola week is week that celebrates our Jesuit identity and formed to educate our campus of our Jesuit traditions,” said finance senior and Jesuit Center intern Rebecca Gardner. “It’s a week to combine a campus spirit with the real core of our identity and history.”
Gardner said that Loyola Week started in the ‘90s as a one-day event and then later expanded to a full week of events.
This year the Rev. Ted Dziak S.J., vice-president of Mission and Ministry, partnered with SGA, University Programming Board and the Maroon Platoon to put Loyola Week back into the limelight.
“We did it to really gain student involvement and to attract the most amount of students to all the events,” Gardner said.
English senior Bobby Tonnies believes Loyola Week is more noticeable than in the past.
“When I was a freshman, some people said after Loyola week, ‘wait, it was Loyola week?’ and I don’t see any way that someone could not notice it this year.” Tonnies said. “It seems like each year it becomes more collaborative, as in, more groups and organizations are involved.”
Gardner believes that Loyola Week is a great education tool for students and brings them closer together.
“I feel like sometimes our campus struggles to gain school spirit and this week brings us to a realization of our Jesuit identity and connects us with every other Jesuit university,” Gardner said. “It makes us realize why we are so great and why our campus is so different than other schools.”
Shirts saying “I heart Iggy” were sold all week where all proceeds went towards the Ignacio Belize and Jamaica trips.
Loyola Week kicked off on Sunday with an outdoor mass on the Marquette lawn organized by associate chaplain for liturgy and music, Ken Weber.
Because Monday was All Souls Day, there was an outdoor showing of “The Exorcist.”
“There are Jesuit ties to the movie The Exorcist so we decided to use that one,” Garder said.
Tuesday, the Jesuit Social Research Institute held a panel discussion on Katrina’s internally displaced people and a lecture on people’s migration to the South.
According to Jesuit Social Research Institute’s mission statement they strive to “offer participatory research, social analysis, theological reflection and practical strategies for improving the social and economic conditions in the Gulf South states and in select countries of the Caribbean and Latin America, with a particular focus on issues of migration, poverty and racism.”
Students were encouraged to dress up and mingle with the Jesuits in the St. Charles room during dinner with the Jesuits on Wednesday night.
Loyola’s Career Development Center held a blending of Jesuit callings and professionals. This event included a panel discussion of Jesuits talking about employment opportunities in the Jesuit field.
Playing off the Battle of Pamplona, where Ignatius of Loyola injured his leg, which led to his life of service to the church, a capture the flag game was held Thursday where the winning team of 12 won $600 worth of prize money.
Friday Nov. 7 is the Carnivale: a Interfaith/Intercultural Bazaar. This event combines many organizations on campus such as Loyola Asian Student Organization and the Muslim Student Association, for various types of food and fun including a performance by Loyola student band The Blue Party.
In true Jesuit style, Loyola Week ends with the 10th anniversary of Wolves on the Prowl, a day of service around the country on Saturday, Nov. 7.
John Adams can be reached at [email protected]
