Dear PCEs and All the Principals of Jesuit Schools

Greetings of Love and Peace from JEA office!

Here I am sending you a better way of celebrating Ignatius Day this year. Prepare well in advance and make sure that we impart the following values to all. Take a theme during the days mentioned in the module for Assembly and deal as a prayer session. Distribute the theme to a class, entrust a teacher to guide them and the Principal kindly monitor it. Let us do our part. The situation warrants, such imparting of values without any delay. 

All the best for your preparation for the feast. May St. Ignatius help us all!

With warm regards,

Sunny Jacob SJ

JEA Secretary SA

 

 

 

Feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola (2015)

Igniting Ignatian Values

(Forum: Morning School Assembly)

 

Tentative Plan: Themes

21 July, 2015: Day 1 - Know St. Ignatius of Loyola

22 July, 2015: Day 2 - Finding God in All Things

23 July, 2015: Day 3 - 'Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam' (AMDG)

24 July, 2015: Day 4 - 'Cura Personalis' or 'Care for the Whole Person'

27 July, 2015: Day 5 - 'Magis' - 'More' - Commitment to Excellence

28 July, 2015: Day 6 - Promoting Justice

29 July, 2015: Day 7 - Care for the Environment

30 July, 2015: Day 8 - Respect for Other Faiths

 

Objective

• To prepare teachers and students for a meaningful celebration of St. Ignatius feast.
• To bring to awareness some important Ignatian values, - sharing of Ignatian legacy.
• To create a school culture and ethos based on Ignatian values.

 

Practical Tips

• The above plan (date and theme) is tentative. Contextualize it to your school needs.
• Make visuals (posters) of your school plan (Igniting Ignatian Values) for the notice boards.
• Delegate each theme to a teacher or group of teachers.
• The school assembly should be maximum 15 minutes (Inputs & activities etc. on the day’s theme)
• Illustrations, stories, examples should be connected to our context.
• The class teacher should conduct a brief period (5-10 minutes) of personal reflection on the theme, class sharing by one or two students, and pair sharing (to ensure engaged classroom) in the first period.
• Add your creativity to make the theme meaningful.
• Conclude each theme by St. Ignatius’ prayer of Generosity (Make every student repeat aloud)

 

Teach us, good Lord, to serve you as you deserve;
to give, and not to count the cost,
to fight, and not to heed the wounds,
to toil, and not to seek for rest,
to labor, and not to ask for reward,
except that of knowing that we are doing your will.

 

21 July, 2015: Day 1 - Know St. Ignatius of Loyola

 

Notice Board: Pictures of St. Ignatius, an outline of important dates of St. Ignatius life.

St. Ignatius Loyola was born in 1491, one of 13 children of a family of minor nobility in northern Spain. As a young man Ignatius Loyola was inflamed by the ideals of courtly love and knighthood and dreamed of doing great deeds.

 

In the spring of 1521, a very large French army attacked the fortress town of Pamplona. A tiny band of Spanish soldiers trying to defend the town were ready to surrender; all of them except Iñigo de Loyola. He would hold off the French single-handedly. But a French cannonball shattered his leg and put an end to his stand. The French admired the courage of the man. They carried him on a litter back home to his castle of Loyola. His leg was not the only thing that had been shattered. His image of himself as a handsome, dashing courtier - everything that he had ever lived for - was shattered, too.

 

To pass the time while he recovered, he asked for the kind of books he enjoyed reading: romances of chivalry. But the only reading available in the house was an illustrated Life of Christ and a book of saints' legends. He spent hours dreaming. Gradually, he began to reflect on these experiences; he noticed what was going on within. Both kinds of daydreams engaged him completely, but after the romantic chivalry dreaming was over, he felt empty and dissatisfied, whereas after the spiritual dreaming ended, he still felt a deep peace, a quiet happiness. "[H]e did not consider nor did he stop to examine this difference until one day his eyes were partially opened and he began to wonder at this difference and to reflect upon it. From experience he knew that some thoughts left him sad while others made him happy, and little by little he came to perceive the different spirits that were moving him..."

 

Over the years, Ignatius became expert in the art of spiritual direction. He collected his insights, prayers, and suggestions in his book the Spiritual Exercises, one of the most influential books on the spiritual life ever written. With a small group of friends, Ignatius Loyola founded the Society of Jesus in 1540, or the Jesuits. Ignatius conceived the Jesuits as “contemplatives in action.”

(http://www.ignatianspirituality.com/ignatian-voices/st-ignatius-loyola#s...)

 

Activity/Reflection:

• Is the dream of your future life connected to enhancing your talents and potential along with God experience (growing in one’s faith) and serving others? Or is it merely focused on your personal gain and comfort?
• What is your criterion for a good choice and bad choice? (skit: two inner voices in us)
• Why do we struggle to put into action the inspiration of small acts of kindness for others? (skit, personal sharing, speech)
• Input on Examination of Consciousness (Examen)

 

 

22 July, 2015: Day 2 - Finding God in All Things

 

This value stresses that we need to seek God in every one, in every place and in everything. It invites a person to search for and find God in every circumstance of life. God is present everywhere and can be found in all of creation. We are aware that the world and human beings are not perfect. It has its own brokenness, contradictions and failures. But we need not run away from this reality or reject it. Through socio-political, religious-cultural analysis, we need to discover what promotes better human life for all. Hence the process of discernment calls us to recognize, and then choose the good and reject evil.

 

Activity/Reflection

• Start your day by offering to God your dear ones at home, teachers and classmates, studies, difficulties and challenges, our country, India. (Encourage students to make this morning offering)
• Commit yourself (2-3 small acts of kindness) to use your talents, strengths, imagination, skills and dreams, etc. to serve God and the people of our country especially the poor. (skit – finding God among the poor)
• Make your failures, limitations, and weakness as an invitation to work smartly and make them stepping stones of success. (Skit, story, speech – not to get discourage with failure, but resolve to make it a success)

 

 

23 July, 2015: Day 3 - 'Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam' (AMDG)

 

In English it means 'to the greater glory of God'. For St. Ignatius, regardless of who we are, we should focus on seeking and serving 'the greater glory of God'. We should not be satisfied with the status quo. We must not only do good things, but we should do them for the right reasons. It is said ‘the glory of God is in the human person fully alive’. Hence living life of integrity and helping others to live in human dignity denotes the worth purpose of all our actions.

 

Activity/Reflection

 

• Am I developing my talents and other abilities? (academic and co-curricular activities).
• Do I use my talents to help my friends, class and the house/school team? (help my friends in studies, in need, etc.)
• How do I respect people of poorer socio-economic backgrounds? (servants at home, maintenance staff at school, poor and homeless on the streets, etc.)

• (Ask students to develop skits based on the above three points)

 

24 July, 2015: Day 4 - 'Cura Personalis' or 'Care for the Whole Person'

 

‘Cura Personalis’ is a Latin phrase which means "care for the whole person." It denotes having concern and care for the personal development of the whole person- intellectually, spiritually, physically, emotionally and socially. Our talents, abilities, physical attributes, personalities, desires, hearts, faith, and minds are all equally worthy of care and attention. Hence Jesuit schools seek to nurture and promote the best in everyone, and help each one to reach his/her greatest human potential. This core value also implies a commitment to inclusivity, a caring for students of all backgrounds especially for students at risk.

Activity/Reflection

 

• Skit – How is ‘Cura Personalis’ displayed in the school?
• Speech- Importance of Holistic Development.
• Share Your Thoughts  on the below quotes:

 

Quote 1: “We each came to this earth with natural talents, things we’re just naturally good at. These gifts were given to you for a reason: to use and share with others.” – T. Harv Eker, Secrets of the Millionaire Mind

 

Quote 2: “We are each gifted in a unique and important way. It is our privilege and our adventure to discover our own special light. – Mary Dunbar, novelist & teacher

 

27 July, 2015: Day 5 - 'Magis' - 'More' - Commitment to Excellence

 

Magis (pronounced màh-gis), roughly translated, means “the more.” It’s about doing more, being more and achieving more than originally thought possible. It is the value of striving for the better. Ignatius placed great emphasis on seeking 'greater good' in every choice we make. Hence the core value, 'Magis' instills in students the desire to strive for something that is better, greater, more challenging, and more difficult. This is reflected in the individual’s desire for constant improvement, and in the attitude of being a life-long learner. It is an antidote or counters the gravitational pull for mediocrity.

 

Excellence is when we demand more of ourselves. It is something that happens when we make right choices over and over again, especially when no one is looking. Excellence is the pursuit of highest quality in whatever one is doing and it warrants our persistent commitment. In Jesuit schools, commitment to excellence means a commitment to human excellence. This implies the pursuit of academic excellence along with growth in attitudes, values and skills. Academic excellence pushes students to achieve beyond their current level of performance. It also includes a love for learning, discovery, and integration across a wide range of disciplines and interests.

 

Activity/Reflection

 

• Discuss in groups or write an essay on, ‘Essential features of a Person of Magis’
• Skit to highlight ‘magis’ and/or ‘commitment to excellence’
• Students Panel: How can students promote the culture of ‘excellence and magis’ in the school?

 

 

28 July, 2015: Day 6 - Promoting Justice

Jesuit education affirms educating students for justice. It strives to foster social awareness at the global and local level through its outreach and curricular activities. This creates a sense of solidarity with and care for all who struggle for justice.  As Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon put it: “As we seek to build the world we want, let us intensify our efforts to achieve a more inclusive, equitable and sustainable development path built on dialogue, transparency and social justice.” Thus social justice is an underlying principle for a peaceful and prosperous coexistence.

 

Activity/Reflection

 

• Do all Indians enjoy in practice the basic right to fair and equal treatment in hospitals, courts, schools, and other social benefits?
• Speech on the Preamble of the Indian Constitution.
• Skit on the present reality of Justice, Liberty, Equality, Fraternity in our country.
• Repeating aloud the Preamble of the Indian Constitution.

 

WE, THE PEOPLE OF INDIA, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a SOVEREIGN SOCIALIST SECULAR DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC and to secure to all its citizens:

 

JUSTICE, social, economic and political;

LIBERTY of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship;

EQUALITY of status and of opportunity; and to promote among them all

FRATERNITY assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity and integrity of the Nation;

 

IN OUR CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY this twenty-sixth day of November, 1949, do HEREBY ADOPT, ENACT AND GIVE TO OURSELVES THIS CONSTITUTION

 

29 July, 2015: Day 7 - Care for the Environment

 

We are all stewards of God’s creation. Hence we have the responsibility to care for the earth and prevent environmental degradation. Jesuit education creates awareness of our planet and promotes affirmative action for the care and protection of Mother Earth. Our survival depends on the environment and it is everyone's responsibility to take care of it. The pollution in various areas (air, water, sound, etc.) needs everyone's cooperation in order to save the environment from further destruction. Jesuit education supports eco-clubs and eco-friendly behaviours that express care for the environment and the desire to make Mother Earth a better place to live in.

 

Activity/Reflection

• Skit, speech- Conservation of water, Making the school a plastic-free zone, Reducing carbon footprints, etc.
• Essay writing on ‘Climate Change, A Blessing or A Curse’
• Pair-share- How can students become ‘Green Advocate’ to prevent further environmental degradation?

 

 

30 July, 2015: Day 8 - Respect for Other Faiths

In India, people belonging to various religious faiths have lived in harmony and peace. Genuine religious leaders of all faiths have always preached the lesson of love, harmony, co-operation and respect for each other’s beliefs and practices. The values and traditions in our culture have promoted integration among different communities. Hence our country is called a land of unity in diversity. People from diverse communities have lived together. People of our country have accepted this reality, worked together and moved forward for the welfare of the society.

 

Most political parties or candidates play the communal card to win elections. They polarize or divide people in various ways, turning friends into enemies for their own gain. Hence as enlightened citizens we must discourage all divisive forces from the social, political and electoral process in order to make these forces irrelevant. They are to be opposed and stopped, and not to be appeased.

 

Today pluralism of faiths is a reality in many countries.  Teaching respect for other faiths and appreciating religious diversity is critical in maintaining peace and security in the world. Jesuit education fosters inclusivity by having students of diverse faiths, and encourages them to explore common values and building bridges among diverse faiths through varied enrichment programmes.

 

Activity/Reflection

 

• Many traditions have similar core values, such as helping the needy, leading a moral, ethical life, and being loyal to the faith. How can we be proactive in being informed about other faiths and customs? (speech, pair-share, poster-making)
• Panel: How can the youth promote secularism in their local community?
• The beliefs of those following other faiths were most likely learned much the same way you learned your own, from family, community, and participation in religious instruction. How can we show respect to people of other faiths?

 

 

JEA Secretariat