Boston College graduate, Jesuit scholastic, SLU student

Ryan Quinn / Photo Editor

Originally, Jesuit-in-training Dan Kennedy did not think he wanted to come to Saint Louis University to complete the mandatory philosophy studies required by the Society of Jesus.

“I was actually attracted to Fordham and Loyola Chicago more because they were bigger cities that I knew about,” Kennedy said. “I had never been to St. Louis before moving down here this past August.”

Such is the life of a Jesuit, though – going wherever called – and Kennedy appreciates where his superiors have sent him.

“Sometimes they can see things that I can’t,” he said, referencing Jesuit leadership. “And I think that that worked out here.”

Kennedy is a native of Toledo, Ohio, and it was at his Jesuit high school there that he began to seriously consider life as a priest.

“I met some wonderful Jesuits at my high school [who] really showed me how Jesuit life could be a very happy life,” Kennedy said.

A Boston College graduate, Kennedy spent two years in the Jesuit novitiate in St. Paul, Minnesota, before moving to St. Louis. He said that although he had a strong calling – even in high school – he did not want to enter the Society without having a true collegiate experience. At Boston College, Kennedy said that his call was reinforced (he was accepted in the Society before he graduated), but not before he made good friends and enjoyed the fun of undergraduate life.

“I was one of those über-involved people, that when it came time to planning my schedule … there were more color spaces on my Google calendar than white, open spaces,” he said.

“I think that my favorite times [at Boston College] were late night conversations with my roommates over current affairs or something we had just heard about in a class we might be taking together,” he added.

Kennedy said he has found these types of experiences at SLU, too. Jesuits who are at SLU to study – and train for the priesthood – live in the Bellarmine House of Studies just north of campus. Here Kennedy has found a community of fellow priests-in-training with whom he can share the process of becoming a Jesuit, which includes prayer and learning – and fun.

“We watch movies … a lot of Netflix,” Kennedy replied when asked what young Jesuits do for fun. “We like to go out, so we’ll go out on Saturday nights … to dinner. I play racquetball; that’s one of my favorite things.”

Kennedy is also active with campus life at SLU. He is an SGA senator, and he sits on the student government’s committee for mission and ministry.

Though he had not been to the city before, Kennedy now sees St. Louis as a good place to be a Jesuit.

“The city is hurting right now,” he said, referencing the Ferguson shooting and protests and the city’s crime and poverty issues. “[but] these are the realities that Jesuits are called to turn towards, not turn away from … I’m proud to be a Jesuit to it [the city] – in learning how I can be helpful for the sake of justice and equality in the city.”

Bishop: Des Moine’s bishop, Richard Pates, visited SLU on Jan. 29 to discuss Catholicism as a catalyst for peace. Ryan Quinn / Photo Editor

For three years, Bishop Richard Pates served as the chairman of the Committee on International Justice and Peace for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, and on Thursday, Jan. 29, Pates – currently the bishop of Des Moines, Iowa – came to the CGC to join SLU’s Catholic Studies program in a discussion about the Catholic and American response to global peace issues. As chairman of the Committee on International Peace and Justice, Pates brought a wealth of experience to the discussion.  On behalf of the Catholic Church in the United States, he has traveled extensively and has experience the struggle for peace in some of the world’s most dangerous areas. And he feels that the Church has a lot to offer in terms of building world peace.

“We must not fear or be hesitant to let that faith [Catholicism] be a vehicle of influence,” Pates said to the audience. “The Church teaches that peace can only be built on the firm foundation of justice. The Church seeks at creating the authentic culture of peace in which the defense and protections of human rights is essential for the building up of a peaceful society.”

In addressing the idea that peace can only be built by achieving justice, Pates took the audience what he called “a world tour of peace and justice issues.”  His talk encompassed three areas where he says that achieving peace is the most pressing issue: Israel/Palestine, Afghanistan/Pakistan, and Latin America. People in these areas, he said, are stuck in cycles of violence that breed conflict and stifle peace-building efforts.

In his remarks on the Israel-Palestine relationship, Pates noted that while the geographical area that these two entities encompass is the Holy Land – the spiritual center for billions of people worldwide – “Tragically, it is also a land where people have known violence for decades and yearn for a joining peace…concrete negotiations have been frustrating, as each party seems to set conditions that the other is unwilling to meet. These past two years have been particularly difficult for those on both sides seeking a lasting peace,” he said.

Highlighting the difficulties in creating lasting peace between Israel and Palestine, Pates asserted that while Israel has a right to defend itself, its military responses have often been disproportionate and dangerous to civilians.

“In the wake of the latest Gaza war,” he said, “I visited the Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza, in September, on a U.S. Bishop’s pilgrimage for peace. The destruction…was devastating to see. Hundreds of innocent civilians lost their lives.”

But internal Palestinian tensions and conflict also cause damage to the struggle for peace, Pates iterated.

“In different ways, the actions of both Hamas and Israel increase the misery and tensions that breed violence and impede the creation of a viable Palestine and a secure Israel,” he said.

“Both Israelis and Palestinians as people, have dreams similar to ours,” he added. “Both are trapped in a cycle of violence and isolation that makes peace and reconciliation distant hopes.”

But the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Pates said, is seeking to build peace in this area.

“In Washington, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops works for a just peace that curbs violence, provides recognition and security for Israel…and establishes an internationally recognized, and viable, Palestinian state,” he said.

Pates’ discussion of Afghanistan and Pakistan centered on the U.S. involvement in the area following the 9/11 attacks, but he highlighted the military nature of this prolonged interaction; $686 billion have been spent since 2001 for combat operations, with only $13 billion for aid over the same period. But Pates said that the Conference of Catholic Bishops has continued to offer “pastoral messages” to the U.S. government concerning its war on terrorism – notably to use restraint with military forces and to address – and alleviate – the root causes of terrorism.

Pates’ presentation also briefly touched on Latin America and issues of justice surrounding immigration policy in the U.S.  People in Latin American countries, Pates said, are often faced with a difficult choice: stay where there is rampant crime and corruption, or risk the journey to the United States.

And, “tragically,” he said, “even of those fortunate to reach the U.S., the journey often ends with imprisonment and deportation at the hands of our country’s criminal justice and immigration system.”

Pates called for a re-evaluation of the immigration system in the United States so that it better addresses the needs of people desperate to restart their lives in a safe place. And he called for the United States – and American Catholics – to heed the call to serve the poor and work for peace and justice.

“We, living in the wealthiest country in history, basically ignore the people to the south. While a washed in abundance, we are unresponsive to the poverty at our doorstep,” he said. “Can we, American Catholics, be a poor church for the poor?”

Last week, when Saint Louis University President Fred Pestello sent a university wide email, SLU actively began its search for a person to fill the new position created out of the accords reached in October between members of Occupy SLU and the administration: Assistant to the President for Diversity and Community Engagement.

“[The job] is being advertised now on the University’s website,” said Father Richard Buhler, S.J., Rector of the Jesuit Hall community and chair of the search committee for the new position.

Buhler leads a search committee that consists of Kent Porterfield, Vice President of Student Development, as well as a number of other University representatives, from alumni relations to the College of Public Health and Social Justice. Several students are also present on the committee, including a member of the Black Student Alliance and Mikaela Romo, the Vice President for Diversity and Social Justice for the Student Government Association.

But, Romo says, all student input is valuable.

“The administration, staff, and faculty are always wanting and needing student input. After the selection of the candidate, it will be one of his or her responsibilities to work closely with SLU students,” she said. “SGA plans on being one of the greatest avenues for students to accomplish this kind of collaboration.”

The Assistant to the President for Diversity and Community Engagement is a position created from the 13 “Clock Tower Accords” reached between SLU student demonstrators and the administration in October. And, for University officials, it is a position rife with opportunity.

“We, who are Saint Louis University,” said Pestello in the email, “have the opportunity to lead, to be beacons of truth and champions for social justice.”

Big Brothers Big Sisters opens history wall;  SLU grad student’s actions showcased

2014 marked the 100th anniversary of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri, and to mark this milestone — and usher in a new era — BBBSEMO’s St. Louis office held a public reception on Wednesday, Jan. 21 to introduce a new history display, dubbed the Centennial Collection, that its leaders say commemorates both the agency’s history and the history of the building in which it is housed. BBBSEMO officials said it took time during much of 2014 to do research and compile photo records for the Centennial Collection.

“The end result is the Centennial Collection, a set of agency historic documents, photos and other memorabilia that are displayed prominently on the walls of the St. Louis office’s first floor,” BBBSEMO said in a news release.

The Centennial Collection includes documents pertaining to the history of Big Brothers Big Sisters itself, but also to the organization’s physical headquarters on the corner of Grand Boulevard and Olive Street — only a couple of blocks from the Saint Louis University campus. The history of the headquarters — the old Woolworth building — is important, BBBSEMO says, because it is a history rife with instances of ordinary St. Louisans making a stand for civil rights and social equality for all—something BBBSEMO sees as intimately tied to its mission.

“It is absolutely a significant part of history we had to cover,” BBBSEMO President and CEO Becky James-Hatter said in the news release, referencing the importance of the Centennial Collection’s inclusion of photographs detailing the headquarters’ history. “It is important to acknowledge the history of a building where now all people are welcome and embraced.”

As a part of this commemoration of the building’s history — and its significance in the civil rights movement — the Centennial Collection display will include a number of photographs of Irene Williams, a SLU graduate student in the 1950s who helped desegregate businesses in St. Louis, including the Woolworth store.

“Irene Williams was an African-American student in speech and language therapy at St. Louis University when she helped CORE (Committee of Racial Equality) to integrate eating establishments near the university,” said Vivian Gibson, Senior Director of Volunteer Recruitment at Big Brothers Big Sisters in an email.

According to Gibson and a book on the topic of non-violent civil protest, “Victory Without Violence” by Mary Kimbrough, in 1953, Williams went to Woolworth’s every Wednesday, sat on an assigned stool near the back of the store and waited to be served. It was two months before workers behind the counter offered her service. After being served, she was eventually told by the Woolworth’s manager that she was no longer limited to her seat in the back of the store; she could sit anywhere.

“[Irene] sat there alone until all were welcome to sit and eat freely,” the BBBSEMO statement said.

In addition to Irene’s legacy, BBBSEMO and SLU have a good relationship, said Mary Jane Daum, Senior Director of Communications at Big Brothers Big Sisters.

“We have other connections as far as SLU goes because [SLU’s] student base volunteers to serve as Big Brothers and Big Sisters, so we appreciate that, and [SLU’s] commitment and focus to service,” she said. “I think that from my observations students at SLU feel like this is their community while they’re here, and they want to give back, so we certainly appreciate that.”

But for BBBSEMO, the story of Irene Williams fits particularly well with their mission, and its commemoration as part of the Centennial Collection is a testament to its goal of being an inclusive organization.

Wednesday’s gathering, the BBBSEMO statement said, “honor[ed] the thousands who have made the impossible possible for children of the community.”

Jessica Park/ Chief Illustrator

President stresses SLU’s role in peaceful dialogue

In September, only weeks removed from the events in Ferguson, Mo., Saint Louis University President Dr. Fred Pestello expressed his belief that SLU had a unique role in steering the St. Louis community to confront and address the societal problems brought to light by the death of Michael Brown.

“I think what’s incumbent upon us is to consider both as a university and as a community, what must be done … to try and address and alleviate some of these problems, realizing that anything that’s very short term or superficial is not going to have a lasting impact. These are problems that require deep and sustained engagement to make progress. But, if anything, it has called our community to thought and action, and I would like to see our University participate in that,” Pestello said in an interview in September.

And now, with the grand jury’s decision to not indict Officer Darren Wilson, Pestello has reiterated the University’s opportunity to once again facilitate dialogue, and he praised SLU’s response to the grand jury decision and the protests that followed it.

“I was heartened that we continued to respond in ways that are consistent with our Jesuit mission and values,” Pestello said in a recent email to the University News. “Many of our students, faculty, and staff joined in prayer, formal conversations and peaceful protesting. I am proud of everyone who is struggling to understand, engaging in conversations on related topics and acting to make a difference.”

SLU has hosted a number of dialogues, peaceful protests, prayer vigils and community events in the months following Michael Brown’s death, and all of these are part of the University’s response to what is widely recognized as a realization of racial social conflict highlighted by the events in Ferguson, and the grand jury’s decision to not indict.

“[Here] you take a case where it’s one case, and it’s standing in for a whole group of problems, and then we fight about the facts of the case, which are not the systemic problems in and of themselves,” said SLU Political Science professor Dr. Morgan Hazelton, who holds a law degree.

But Pestello said that he thinks the peaceful dialogues and prayer vigils hosted by SLU have gone “very well.” In addition, he noted, “we have sought common ground, rather than dwelling on our differences or fueling suspicion and fear … I am enormously proud of how our SLU community has responded during this difficult time for our city and region.”

While peaceful discussion about the facts of the case have been important, campus safety following the grand jury’s decision to not indict has been at the forefront of the SLU administration’s agenda. After protesters — both students and non-students — camped out at SLU in what has become known as “Occupy SLU,” Pestello and the administration moved quickly to understand the situation, from the perspective of both the protesters and those not demonstrating.

“In October,” Pestello said, “I convened a working group that includes community activists, as well as SLU faculty, administrators, staff and students. We have been meeting to discuss an array of issues, including ways we can enhance the ability of minority students to access a SLU education and to be successful once they are enrolled.”

When asked what role SLU can play in the evolving discussions on race relations that have come from the grand jury’s decision to not indict, however, Pestello’s response echoed what he said in September.

“As a premier Jesuit research university, we have an important role to play,” he said. “We must bring to bear the creative, intellectual and economic energy we have at SLU, combined with the compassion that lies at the center of our faith, to join with others in leading St. Louis to a better place … Our collective response as a region can and should serve as a model for addressing the entrenched problems that have surfaced.”

Pestello: SLU’s president stressed maintaining a balance between safety and peaceful protesting on campus.
Javier Muro de Nadal / Staff Photographer

International Education Week returns

Next week marks the beginning of SLU’s second annual celebration of International Education Week – an event with a 15-year history of highlighting the benefits of learning in today’s globalized educational environment. And although this is only the second year that SLU has been recognizing, and celebrating, this week, the organizers of the week’s activities – many of which will be held at the Center for Global Citizenship – are excited for what role SLU can play in stressing the importance of international education.

“This year we are offering a wide variety of events, and we hope that IEW offers something for the entire SLU community,” said CGC program manager Katie Gauthier Donnelly. “Events include scholarly lectures on topics of global significance, events that promote international student engagement, live international debates, faculty workshops, and of course celebrations.”

International Education Week is a nationwide event that was created by the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Department of Education, and participation and recognition of the week by individuals, businesses and schools are encouraged, so as to foster appreciation for the importance of cultural exchange in various educational media.

“International education as celebrated through IEW is a combination of study abroad, international students on American campuses, and a curriculum and events or speakers on a campus that provide international or global content and understanding,” said Dr. Diana Carlin, the Associate Vice President for Graduate Education in SLU’s communications department. And, Carlin stressed, SLU has a lot to offer in these regards.

“SLU plays an important role through our campus in Madrid [because this campus] benefits SLU students who study abroad, other American students, and international students from 50 countries, [all of whom] receive an American-style education in an international setting,” Carlin said. “SLU also contributes through exchange programs, offering our programs through distance learning…and by attracting 1,000 international students to our campus,” she added.

In addition to offering members of the SLU community the chance to understand and appreciate the benefits of globalized education, International Education Week events also provide a glimpse into different cultures and ways of life. Various styles of international food, for example, will be offered for free at some of the week’s events.

“The Cultural Tastes Series will celebrate SLU Madrid and our Spanish students on Wednesday and the Tastes of the World event on Friday will be a fantastic opportunity to sample free food. It isn’t all about food, but sharing food is one way we can celebrate the diversity of our campus community and gather together,” Gauthier Donnelly said.

Gauthier Donnelly and other organizers of International Education Week also hope that that next week’s events encourage people to recognize all that the CGC has to offer – namely that it is a place where international awareness can be cultivated.

“The CGC is a fantastic place for collaboration and continues to be a vibrant event space and student commons,” Gauthier Donnelly said. “The committee that put together IEW comes from diverse campus departments and offices. We are grateful for their commitment to making this a great week.”