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Ignatian Leadership Program and Footsteps of Ignatius Pilgrimage

The Ignatian Leadership Program

The Ignatian Leadership Program meets monthly to prepare participants for the capstone of the Footsteps of Ignatius Pilgrimage.  The Pilgrimage will bring participants to Spain and Italy visiting the important sites in the life of St. Ignatius Loyola and early Jesuits.  Sacred sites include Loyola Castle (family home, birthplace, and location of St. Ignatius’ conversion), the cave of Manresa, Montserrat, Vatican City, Church of the Gesu, and Gregorian University.  The Footsteps of Ignatius Pilgrimage will take place from May 26 through June 5, 2024. 

About the Pilgrimage

The University of Scranton draws from a rich heritage that goes back to 16th century Spain when a visionary young man, Ignatius of Loyola, responded to God’s call. A select group of university faculty and staff will travel together to Spain and Rome in the footsteps of St. Ignatius and the early Jesuits. We will visit places that shaped Saint Ignatius’ life and spirituality and gain an appreciation for the historical and cultural context that gave birth to the Society of Jesus. In places of great historical and religious significance – such as Loyola, Xavier, Montserrat, Manresa, Barcelona and Rome – we will have a chance to learn about Ignatius and gain an appreciation for our role as members of the Ignatian family and as those who preserve his heritage in our own day and time. Our program combines guided visits, liturgies in moving historical sites, and cultural and culinary activities in the breathtaking Spanish countryside and the fascinating urban center of Rome. Throughout the program, we will have an opportunity to discuss how St. Ignatius’ work and life shape the mission and identity of our institution and how this heritage continues to be relevant in our own day and implemented in the work we do.

Want to Apply?

In order to apply for the program please answer the following questions and email the document to Ryan Sheehan ryan.sheehan@scranton.edu no later than Friday, October 27. 

1. Please explain the reasons for wanting to take part in the Footsteps of Ignatius Pilgrimage and accompanying Ignatian Leadership Program.

2. Have you engaged in other mission-related programming or activities in your time at The University of Scranton? Please explain. (Examples can include service to your local community outside of the university.)

3. How do you anticipate this experience to enrich and animate your work at The University of Scranton? Please feel free to draw from other experiences you listed above to answer this question.

4. This program will be open to all from our diverse faculty and staff. Our time abroad will include stops in places of significance in the spiritual life of St. Ignatius and will include mass daily and discussions on how to bring that spiritual understanding back to The University of Scranton. In other words, it will help us to better understand that part of our mission that states we are “animated by the spiritual vision and the tradition of excellence characteristic of the Society of Jesus and those who share in its way of proceeding.” Are you open to this type of experience, and can you support your colleagues in this type of endeavor?

© 2024 University of Scranton

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