Ignatian Cosmopolitanism : Educating to the Frontiers of Depth and Universality

Thesis advisor: Margaret GuiderIn July of 2009, Adolfo Nicolas, SJ, the Superior General of the Society of Jesus, spoke about the role of Jesuit education in a rapidly changing world. In an address to Jesuit university deans and presidents, Nicolas noted two emerging frontiers in education: the frontier of depth and the frontier of universality. Students gain depth when the education they receive helps them “decide from inside” or be people of discernment. A Jesuit education on the frontier of universality provides students with an “Ignatian sense of breadth of belonging and wideness of concern and responsibility.” His remarks, based in part on the writings of the Jesuit’s 35th General Congregation (GC 35), offer a direction and framework for my research. This paper seeks to articulate just what is meant by Nicolas words, examining how the Society has carried out this mission and how this mission might best be appropriated in Jesuit colleges and universities given the contemporary globalized culture.Thesis (STL) — Boston College, 2010.Submitted to: Boston College. School of Theology and Ministry.Discipline: Sacred Theology