March
24, 2017 — Alumni and friends of Jesuit institutions in the United States will
have a historic opportunity this summer to connect and learn from fellow Jesuit
alumni from across the globe. For the first time ever, the World Union of
Jesuit Alumni (WUJA) Congress will take place in North America at John Carroll
University in Cleveland from June 28 to July 2.
“John
Carroll’s beautiful campus is our gift to North America’s first-ever WUJA
gathering,” said Jesuit Father Robert L. Niehoff, president of the university.
With
the theme of “Uniting Our Jesuit
Frontiers: To Know God, To Love God, To Serve God,” experts in a
variety of fields will present on topics that include the arts, business,
science, law, spirituality, theology, faith and leadership, service, and
justice.
Founded
in 1956 in commemoration of the 400th anniversary of Saint Ignatius
Loyola’s death, WUJA holds an international Congress every four years to gather
attendees – from as many as 50 countries – to represent and build a global
network of Jesuit ministries. The previous Congress was held in Colombia in
2013 and drew more than 700 attendees.
WUJA
also provides a unique platform for participants to take those shared
experiences back to their own countries to help shape our society for the
common good, using Jesuit-centric values.
The
keynote speakers include:
- Fr. Timothy P. Kesicki, SJ, president of the Jesuit
Conference of Canada and the United States - Fr. Greg Boyle, SJ, founder and executive
director of Homeboy Industries, which provides job training and services to
former gang members in Los Angeles - Katherine Marshall, senior fellow at
Georgetown University’s Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs, where
she leads the Center’s program on Religion and Global Development and is
Professor of the Practice of Development, Conflict, and Religion - Dikembe Mutombo, Georgetown alumnus, former NBA star and chairman and
president of the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation, which he created in 1997 to
improve the health, education and quality of life for the people in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo - Fr. Peter Balleis, SJ, director of Jesuit
Worldwide Learning – Higher Education at the Margins, a collaborative global
initiative that provides certificate and diploma programs to those who live in
refugee camps and in places where higher learning is out of reach
The
conference will offer liturgy services as well as ample opportunity to
network, socialize and explore Cleveland, including a reception at the Rock and
Roll Hall of Fame.
“We’re
delighted to welcome you, so please, come and join us and help us unite the
Jesuit frontiers to make the world a better place,” said Fr. Niehoff.
Visit www.wujacongress2017.org for more information and to register to attend. [Sources: WUJA, Cleveland.com]
