Social Ministry at College Church

Ignatian Context

“The sixteenth century was a time that valued personal experience above all and ours does too. Peter Favre said that the problems of his time were such that they could not be met by argument, only by an experience of Christ. Theirs was a personal approach that began with a conversation. It was never a matter of imposing Christ but of recommending him, proposing him as attractive because, first and foremost, he was supremely attractive to them.

“They managed to do what we find it hard to do: they evangelised the whole person. They operated, as they said, spiritu, corde, practice, ‘in the spirit, from the heart, practically’. Their work involved an encounter with Christ in some form of the Spiritual Exercises, which was often built upon by faith education and then found expression in what today we call social ministries, an involvement in the work of the Church for the poor. Theirs was not "one-off" work: formation was sustained in groups. And it all had a clear aim, a deeper insertion in the life of the Church with the more frequent reception of the sacraments and generous service to others.

“It all made the living of Catholic Christianity possible and not least because it was made credible by the men who taught it. Eschewing clerical ambition, they followed the poor and humble Christ, above all in the service of the poorest. Ignatius instructed the two men he sent to the Council of Trent in 1545 to work in hospitals and prisons before they got involved in theological debate. This was a Catholicism that was self-recommending.”

Michael Holman, SJ, writing in The Tablet, 2 December 2006

The Role of the Parish Community in Social Ministry

“The primary quality of community is a deep sense of being gathered by God. When Francis Xavier traveled alone across many continents he found strength in the sure knowledge that he belonged to a community that supported him with prayer and brotherly care. And many Christians who show great perseverance in hard and lonely tasks find their strength in the deep bond with the community in whose name they do their work ….”

“We are able to do many hard things, tolerate many conflicts, overcome many obstacles, and persevere under many pressures, but when we no longer experience ourselves as part of a caring, supporting, praying community, we quickly lose faith. This is because faith in God’s compassionate presence can never be separated from experiencing God’s presence in the community to which we belong.” (Henry Nouwen, Compassion, pp.60-61)

If you have any questions about Social Ministry at the College Church or if you wish to express an interest in any of Social Ministry’s current or future endeavors, please contact Vicki Simon, Director of Social Ministry, at 314-977-7309 or vsimon1@slu.edu