Hello!
Saint Peter’s Prep is proud of its Ignatian Identity and to be a part of a global Jesuit community. The story of the Jesuits begins with a young man and a cannonball. Inigo Lopez de Loyola, a pampered Spanish nobleman, found his life irrevocably changed when a battlefield injury led him to discover a deep, unexpected desire to serve God. He went on to become St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus and the Jesuit educational tradition.
Ignatian education is grounded in claiming that we are physical and spiritual beings. In order to be our best selves and create the most just society, we must attend to the whole person through accepting that we are sacred, because we are created in God’s image, and seeking to find God in all things. Education is a prime avenue for such growth. Here at Saint Peter’s Prep, we embrace this mission and nurture the development of certain virtues: reflectiveness, open to growth, creative, loving, intellectually competent, empowering to others, companions with the poor and marginalized, and committed to doing justice work.
How do we specifically do this? We have several programs that are designed to help students and our community experience God and learn how to see and hear God in our daily lives. On our retreats, students reflect on God’s presence in their relationships and passions. Through our service and justice programs, students encounter God in people who are poor and marginalized, join with communities that are different from our own, and work to create a better world. In the celebration of liturgy and participation in daily prayer, students discover God through the scriptures, silence, music, and being in community.
The 2022-23 academic year theme is “Sacred Space.” As a community, we are striving to claim and honor the sacred space that is Saint Peter’s Prep. We understand that the sacredness of our community expands beyond the walls of our buildings and transcends the years we spend at Grand and Warren–there is an infinitude that is present in all of us and around all of us and we want to truly see God in all things.
If the story of St. Ignatius of Loyola teaches us anything, it’s that God often speaks to us in unexpected ways. Who knows what your cannonball could be and in what sacred space it will happen?
Peace and love,
Susan Woolever
Director of Campus Ministry