The Jesuit Center will foster faculty and staff participation in the Jesuit higher educational mission, support faculty teaching and scholarship that advances the University’s Catholic and Jesuit character, and promote Ignatian spirituality within an interreligious context.

“The establishment of The Jesuit Center at The University of Scranton was a personal priority because our Catholic and Jesuit mission and identity is central to all that we do,” said Jesuit Father Kevin P. Quinn, University president. “Because I have so many hopes for the role that the center will play in the life of our community, I am delighted that Father Maher has agreed to join us. He is an accomplished professor and administrator and an articulate champion for the collaborative role that faculty and staff must play in maintaining the vitality of our mission.”

The executive director of The Jesuit Center will report to Jesuit Father Richard G. Malloy, Vice President for University mission and ministry, and will serve on the President’s Cabinet.

In addition to serving as associate dean, Maher is a professorial lecturer in theology and Catholic studies at Georgetown University. He previously served as the director of Catholic studies and was the founding faculty member of Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service campus in Doha, Qatar. In the Middle East, he taught theology to the school’s predominantly Muslim student body.

“The University of Scranton, a Jesuit university, can and should excel in providing its students an education that is engaged, integrated and global,” Fr. Quinn said during his address. “We can do something special here. Of that I am very certain.”

Quinn, who was most recently executive director of the Ignatian Center for Jesuit Education and a professor of law at Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, Calif., assumed the post in July.

Among attendees were college presidents and other delegates from 75 universities, and three former University of Scranton presidents: Jesuit William Byron, who served from 1975 to 1982 and is now a business professor at St. Joseph’s University; Jesuit Father Joseph McShane, who served from 1998 to 2003 and is now president of Fordham University; Jesuit Father Scott Pilarz, who served from 2003 until this summer and is now president of Marquette University.

Jesuit Father James Shea, provincial of the Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus, charged Quinn to shepherd the mission of Jesuit education. Fr. Quinn was then presented with the charter, presidential medallion and university mace.

In his address, he said providing greater opportunity for international study, increasing diversity on campus and expanding multicultural experiences would help students think globally.

“To deliver a transformative education in the Jesuit tradition … requires the integration of academic, moral and spiritual learning – the union of mind, heart and soul,” he said.

“Fr. Boyle has compiled an admirable record of community service through his innovative work with gang-involved youth in Los Angeles. His work is a living example and inspiration of the Ignatian ideal of service,” said Jesuit Father Scott R. Pilarz, president of the University of Scranton.

In 1988, Boyle created Jobs For a Future (JFF) in an effort to address the escalating problems and unmet needs of gang-involved youth. Four years later, he launched Homeboy Bakery, which provided training, work experience and, above all, the opportunity for rival gang members to work side-by-side. The success of the bakery led him to establish additional businesses, and JFF became Homeboy Industries, an independent nonprofit organization, in 2001.

The Arrupe Award is named in honor of the late Jesuit Father Pedro Arrupe, the superior general of the Society of Jesus from 1965 to 1983. The University of Scranton instituted the award in 1995 to further its namesake’s vision by recognizing men and women for outstanding contributions in a wide variety of Ignatian-inspired ministries. For more information, visit the University of Scranton’s website.

“Fr. Boyle has compiled an admirable record of community service through his innovative work with gang-involved youth in Los Angeles. His work is a living example and inspiration of the Ignatian ideal of service,” said Jesuit Father Scott R. Pilarz, president of the University of Scranton.

In 1988, Boyle created Jobs For a Future (JFF) in an effort to address the escalating problems and unmet needs of gang-involved youth. Four years later, he launched Homeboy Bakery, which provided training, work experience and, above all, the opportunity for rival gang members to work side-by-side. The success of the bakery led him to establish additional businesses, and JFF became Homeboy Industries, an independent nonprofit organization, in 2001.

The Arrupe Award is named in honor of the late Jesuit Father Pedro Arrupe, the superior general of the Society of Jesus from 1965 to 1983. The University of Scranton instituted the award in 1995 to further its namesake’s vision by recognizing men and women for outstanding contributions in a wide variety of Ignatian-inspired ministries. For more information, visit the University of Scranton’s website.

Jesuit Father Kevin Quinn, recently named the next president of the University of Scranton, takes great pride in Jesuit education, which he said is motivated in the gospel messages of Jesus Christ through engaged, integrated and global means.

“It’s my contemporary spin on a tradition that’s 500 years old,” he said.

Fr. Quinn said he expects to find a balance between respecting Catholic beliefs and the need for intellectual exploration when it comes to hosting events and speakers at the university who may not share the same Catholic values.

One of his roles in his current position as executive director of the Ignatian Center for Jesuit Education at Santa Clara University is to promote a Jesuit vision within the school’s faculty and staff. He said he plans to address the problem of the declining number of Jesuits and Catholic priests, especially on campus.

“The key is for our traditions to be carried on by our lay colleagues,” Quinn said, who succeeds Jesuit Father Scott Pilarz as president in July 2011.

Read more about Quinn in an article from the Scranton Times Tribune.

To mark the 20th anniversary of their murders, the U.S. House of Representatives passed House Resolution 761, “Remembering and commemorating the lives and work of (the Jesuit Fathers, their housekeeper and her daughter) on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of their deaths at the University of Central America Jose Simeon Canas in San Salvador, El Salvador.” The resolution was sponsored by Rep. James McGovern (D) of Massachusetts.

Killed in the attack were Ignacio Ellacuria, S.J., 59; Amando Lopez, S.J., 53; Joaquin Lopez y Lopez, S.J., 71; Ignacio Martín-Baró, S.J., 50; Juan Ramon Moreno, S.J., 56; Segundo Montes, S.J., 56; Julia Elba Ramos, 42, the housekeeper of the Jesuit residence, and her daughter Cecilia Ramos, 15.

In remembrance of those who lost their lives, various Jesuit apostolates, including colleges, universities and parishes, are commemorating November 16th, 2009 with memorials, Masses and religious services. A list of institutions participating appear below with events listed if available. Please check back regularly as this list is ever growing.

Xavier University:
http://www.xavier.edu/news/Xavier-commemorates-the-20th-anniversary-of-six-Jesuit-priests-martyred-in-El-Salvador.cfm

• Saturday, Nov. 14, at 7:00 p.m. in Bellarmine Chapel: A live feed from El Salvador allowing viewers to see the procession and vigil in San Salvador in remembrance of the Jesuit martyrs.
• Sunday, Nov. 15, at 4:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m.: Student Masses in Bellarmine Chape with Mass petitions for the Jesuit martyrs in El Salvador.
• Monday, Nov. 16, from 1:15 p.m.-3:30 p.m. on Xavier’s Academic Mall: Human display of martyred Jesuits.
• Monday, Nov. 16, at 8:00 p.m. in Room 330 of the Gallagher Student Center: Showing of the film “Question of Conscience” to learn more about the six Jesuits and what they died for.
• Tuesday, Nov. 17, at 7:30 p.m. in Kelley Auditorium in Xavier’s Alter Hall: Brian Derouen discusses his act of civil disobedience crossing the line at the School of the Americas and how it has affected his life.
• Thursday, Nov. 19, at 8:30 p.m. in Bellarmine Chapel: Solemn procession and reflective vigil. Those traveling to Georgia for the annual School of the America’s protest from Nov. 20-Nov. 22 are meeting at Xavier’s Brueggeman Center and processing to Bellarmine Chapel in remembrance and to reflect on their role in this struggle.

Fordham University:
http://www.fordham.edu/Campus_Resources/eNewsroom/topstories_1711.asp

University of San Francisco:
http://www.usfca.edu/usfnews/news_stories/Stand4Conference.html

The Stand 4 Conference, with events scheduled from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., will provide a forum to discuss issues of justice, workshops, and a candlelight vigil on Monday, November 16, 2009.
•    9 a.m. – A Reflection on Ignatian Spirituality, Jesuit education, and the martyrs of UCA. (Maraschi Room, Fromm Hall)
•    10:30 a.m. – Mass of Commemoration by Fr. Privett (St. Ignatius Church)
•    12:30 p.m. – Keynote speaker Kevin Burke, S.J., academic dean and acting president of the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley, and author of The Ground Beneath the Cross: The Theology of Ignacio Ellacuria. (St. Ignatius Church)
•    1:45 p.m. – Workshops: A series of workshops on lobbying, advocacy, civil rights, and litigation presented by the Leo T. McCarthy Center for Public Service and the Common Good, the Central American Resource Center, and the Center for Justice and Accountability. (McLaren Complex)
•    6:00 p.m. – Candlelight Vigil: Procession from St. Ignatius Church to Lone Mountain.

Creighton University:
http://www.creighton.edu/publicrelations/newscenter/news/2009/november2009/november122009/martyrsnr111209/index.php

On Monday, Nov. 16, Creighton University, along with Jesuits and the world-wide Catholic community,will commemorate the 20th anniversary of the assassination of six Jesuits, their housekeeper and her daughter in El Salvador. A special 5 p.m. bilingual Mass will be held at St. John’s Church on Creighton’s campus.
On Saturday, Nov. 14, at 4 p.m., students will construct a Martyrs Memorial on the church steps that will include visual displays honoring the victims and their commitment to faith. The memorial will be available for viewing over the weekend through Monday, Nov. 16.

Boston College:
http://www.bc.edu/offices/pubaf/news/Jesuit_Murders_Anniversary20091028.html

Wednesday, Nov. 4, 7 p.m., Gasson 100: Boston College Chancellor J. Donald Monan, SJ will moderate a program titled “Living Legacies: the 20th Anniversary of the Martyrs of El Salvador.” The panel will include Rodolfo Cardenal, SJ, former vice rector at the University of Central America who lived with the six Jesuits; Elizabeth Lira, a faculty member and director of the Centro de Etica at Universidad Alberto Hurtado in Santiago, Chile; and US Rep. James McGovern (D-Mass.), who as an aide to the late US Rep. Joseph Moakley (D-Mass.) was instrumental in reshaping American policy toward the nation where the murders occurred.

Monday, Nov. 30, 4:30 p.m., Robsham Theater: Fr. Monan will moderate a discussion with historian Noam Chomsky and University of Central America co-founder Jon Sobrino, SJ — who was away from the Jesuit residence the night of the murders — titled “Memory and Its Strength: The Martyrs of El Salvador.”

Loyola New Orleans:
http://www.loyno.edu/news/story/2009/11/13/1970

•    Martyr’s Mass, Sunday, Nov. 15, 9 p.m., Ignatius Chapel in Bobet Hall.
•    General LUCAP Meeting, Monday, Nov. 16, 5– 6 p.m., Magis Lounge, with torture survivor Carlos Maurico and friends, who will speak about their experiences and the School of the Americas peace vigil caravan, Journey for Justice.
•    “Refugees and Asylum Seekers: Human Rights and Catholic Social Teaching” lecture, Danna Student Center St. Charles Room, 7:30 p.m., with Katrine Camilleri, Ph.D., assistant director, Jesuit Refugee Services, Malta.
•    “Romero” film screening, Wednesday, Nov. 18, 7 p.m., Magis Lounge.
•    Prayer Service for Peace, Thursday, Nov. 19, 5:30 p.m., Peace Quad.

Holy Cross:
http://www.holycross.edu/publicaffairs/features/2009-2010/el_salvador_anniversary

“Twenty Years Later: A Reflection on Holy Cross in Light of the University of Central America Martyrs” on Monday, Nov. 16 at 7:30 p.m. in Rehm Library.

Seattle University:
http://seattleu.edu/events/detail.asp?sID=26800

The greater Seattle University community, including alumni, students, faculty, staff and the public, is invited to this event to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the tragic murders of six Jesuit priests and two women at the University of Central America in El Salvador. Please be sure to join us in this very special commemorative event.�
When: Monday, November 16, 2009  (7 PM – 9 PM)
Where: Student Center
(LeRoux Room and Chapel of St. Ignatius)

University of Scranton:
http://matrix.scranton.edu/news/elsalvador/index.shtml
Banners commemorate Jesuit Martyrs: http://matrix.scranton.edu/news/articles/2009/11/Banners-Commemorate-Jesuit-Martyrs.shtml

Spring Hill College:
http://www.shc.edu/news-and-events/news/2009/november-2009/spring-hill-college-to-commemorate-20th-anniversary-of-jesuit-martyrs

Rev. Ted Arroyo, S.J., rector of the Jesuit community, will present “Reflections on the Martyrs of El Salvador” at a Table Talk luncheon on Wednesday, Nov. 11.
The student liturgy at 9 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 15 will remember the 20th anniversary of the Jesuit martyrs. The Mass will commission students, faculty and staff to participate in the Ignatian Family Teach-In in Columbus, Ga., Nov. 20-22.

LeMoyne College:
http://www.lemoyne.edu/JESUITHERITAGE/tabid/482/Default.aspx

Grewen Hall at Le Moyne College in Syracuse, New York
Monday November 16 2009, 5-6 p.m.
 All are welcome at a candle vigil at dusk and brief ceremony to be held in solidarity with the Society of Jesus and the UCA-JSC, as we mark the 20th anniversary of the massacre in El Salvador and commemorate all who give their lives in the long struggle for justice. 

Gesu Parish Detroit:
(in partnership with their SHARE Sister Community) will be have a commemoration of the 20th anniversary on November 16th at 7:00pm;  A recollection will be offered by Bishop Tom Gumbleton.