Posts Tagged ‘Creighton University’

Jesuit Father Greg Carlson, a professor at Creighton University, said that “Creighton is the kind of place where people talk about our Jesuit, Catholic mission a lot. And people get lots of creative ideas about how to implement it.”

Fr. Carlson’s idea was to create “All Things Ignatian,” where faculty, administration and staff could create posters presenting recent initiatives that implement the school’s Ignatian mission.

“Our idea was they could enliven each other, celebrate each other’s accomplishments and even touch off new and creative ideas in people from around the campus and maybe inspire similar efforts from them,” said Fr. Carlson.

On Feb. 3, 68 colleagues presented posters describing their initiatives. The posters are online at Creighton’s website and the video below highlights a few of the presentations.

Jesuit Father Tom Shanahan has served as the chaplain for the Creighton University men’s basketball team for close to 10 years, mixing counsel with a dash of team spirit. His presence on the bench provides a reminder to students, alumni, staff and visitors of the important role faith plays in all aspects of university life.

Fr. Shanahan said his prayer for the team is a cross between a prayer and a cheer — focusing on fun, joy and victory.

“Alumni have said to me ‘I’m really glad you’re there.’ And that makes me feel good that they see that as an important part of Creighton athletics,” said Shanahan.

“It’s a great experience to have Father on the bench helping us not only see the basketball side but also the faith side,” said player Taylor Stormberg.

Creighton University student Maria DeMeuse had a problem, and so, like countless Bluejays over the past decade, she called Jesuit Father John Schlegel and scheduled a sit-down.

She expected maybe 10 minutes of the university president’s time. Instead, they debated whether Creighton had strayed from its Catholic mission and the meaning of Catholic identity.

They discussed the school’s class offerings and its faculty.

An hour passed, then 90 minutes. It got so late the president’s secretary went home.

Fr. Schlegel stayed. He listened.

“It’s very easy, being in this atmosphere, to cater to the administrators, to the board,” DeMeuse said Wednesday. “He sees his mission as being here for the students. … We’re definitely going to miss him.”

Schlegel, the longtime Creighton president, announced Wednesday that he planned to retire in July 2011. You can read more about Schlegel’s legacy at Creighton in this article from the Omaha World-Herald.

Magis Productions, founded by noted photojournalist Jesuit Father Don Doll of Creighton University, will receive the 2010 Chief Standing Bear Organizational Award this Friday, May 14 in the Nebraska State Capitol Rotunda.

Awarded by the Nebraska Commission on Indian Affairs, the honor recognizes Fr. Doll and his colleague Carol McCabe for their work in the field of photography, particularly portrait photography, which gives “voice to Native American peoples and promotes social justice for all.”

Members of the Kateri Drum Group of St. Augustine Indian Mission, Winnebago, Neb., will perform at the awards event.

“It’s an honor to accept this award,” said Doll who was introduced to photography when he was assigned to the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota as a young Jesuit in the late 1960s. “It’s been a privilege to make photographs that in some small way assist Native Americans in the pride they take in their heritage and their identity.”

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Jesuit Father Bill Johnson was in the Dominican Republic when the earthquake struck Haiti on January 12. Fr. Johnson is the director for pastoral care at the Institute of Latin American Concern (ILAC) of Creighton University located just outside of Santiago. ILAC is a Catholic, Ignatian-inspired, collaborative health care and educational organization offering service-learning and immersion experience opportunities in dental, medical, nursing, pharmacy, law, physical therapy and occupational therapy for undergraduate and high school students, and also to faculty-led groups, medical/surgical teams and other colleges in the rural Dominican Republic.

When the call went out for help in the days after the earthquake, Johnson answered it by offering his services as a translator and as a helper to the Creighton medical team assembled to come to Haiti to provide emergency medical care to the wounded and critically injured.

Jesuit Fr. Bill Johnson (center) poses with Jim Jalovec (right) and John Ward (left) in front of Jalovec's helicopter as they deliver supplies during relief efforts in Haiti.

Johnson experienced another tragedy in the days that followed the earthquake when his good friend, Jim Jalovec, was killed while providing help during the Haiti relief efforts. Jalovec had phoned Johnson immediately after the earthquake in Haiti to offer the services of his helicopter in the relief efforts. Good Samaritan Hospital in Jimaní, Dominican Republic, where Johnson and Creighton University’s medical teams were working, invited Jalovec and his pilot, John Ward, to come and fly doctors and medicine into Haiti. Three days into their rescue efforts, they died when their helicopter hit a mountain on the foggy night of Feb. 4. Johnson presided at Jalovec’s funeral in Chicago and Ward’s in Ft. Myers, Fla.

In memory of Jalovec, ILAC is selling “Show Your Goodness” t-shirts to help the ongoing relief efforts in Haiti. All profits will be sent to the Jesuit Refugee Service in Haiti to help children suffering from the earthquake. The shirts can be purchased by visiting the showyourgoodness.com website.

Johnson shared his reflections with nationaljesuitnews.com on his time helping at Good Samaritan hospital in the days following the earthquake. You can read his reflections and see his photos by clicking below.

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