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Campus Ministry Launches Faith in Action Program
Gonzaga’s Campus Ministry department has created a program called Faith in Action as a way to reconstitute service and justice offerings in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. Although students cannot take part in local service opportunities in the same ways they have in the past, the new Faith in Action program gives students opportunities to participate in challenges that fall into four categories: Simplicity and Solidarity Challenges, Advocacy Challenges, Responding to Community Needs Challenges, and Faith Justice Prayer services.
The plan draws together elements of the successful virtual June Justice Week that took place this summer as well as a variety of ideas gleaned from other Jesuit schools. This year, Gonzaga’s students won’t be counting hours of service, but rather challenges completed as they deepen their commitment to do justice.
While some challenges can be completed at any point, others fit within a calendar of scheduled virtual gatherings. During this period of distance learning, those online gatherings will bring students together from diverse classes to build community while putting their faith into action.
The first virtual Faith in Action challenge took place on Wednesday, September 9, when Campus Ministry hosted an online Care of Creation prayer service. In the months ahead, boys will write advocacy letters on diverse issues and develop posters for justice campaigns. As they respond to community needs, they will participate in the JRS-promoted postcard campaign, run neighborhood food drives, and send letters to local community partners or residents in the communities typically visited for summer immersions. Simplicity and solidarity challenges will include nights when students make electricity fasts, give up having a bed, or go vegetarian.
Finally, as part of the program, they will attend prayer services facilitated by clubs like the Latin American Student Association or those to be hosted virtually by the Ignatian Solidarity Network. Says Director of Campus Ministry Dr. Stephen Szolosi: “All in all, the reset is opening new collaborative efforts within the school community and otherwise!”
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The plan draws together elements of the successful virtual June Justice Week that took place this summer as well as a variety of ideas gleaned from other Jesuit schools. This year, Gonzaga’s students won’t be counting hours of service, but rather challenges completed as they deepen their commitment to do justice.
While some challenges can be completed at any point, others fit within a calendar of scheduled virtual gatherings. During this period of distance learning, those online gatherings will bring students together from diverse classes to build community while putting their faith into action.
The first virtual Faith in Action challenge took place on Wednesday, September 9, when Campus Ministry hosted an online Care of Creation prayer service. In the months ahead, boys will write advocacy letters on diverse issues and develop posters for justice campaigns. As they respond to community needs, they will participate in the JRS-promoted postcard campaign, run neighborhood food drives, and send letters to local community partners or residents in the communities typically visited for summer immersions. Simplicity and solidarity challenges will include nights when students make electricity fasts, give up having a bed, or go vegetarian.
Finally, as part of the program, they will attend prayer services facilitated by clubs like the Latin American Student Association or those to be hosted virtually by the Ignatian Solidarity Network. Says Director of Campus Ministry Dr. Stephen Szolosi: “All in all, the reset is opening new collaborative efforts within the school community and otherwise!”
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