What We Mean When We Talk About Jesuit Values
The beginning of Jesuit values came from Saint Ignatius of Loyola when he was deciding how to best educate his priests and sent them out on missionary trips. He wanted to shape their character along with their intellect. Regis University aims to do the same with its students by educating us on character as much as on our selected majors. Overall, the Jesuit values aim to create graduates who are empathetic and honest leaders, but we will break down all of the values to get a closer look.
Cura Personalis
Cura personalis, or “care for the whole person,” is about being able to step outside of ourselves and see another person fully for who they are. College is a place where you will become so consumed by your own life that it will become even more important to practice empathy and perspective-taking. Cura personalis also invites us to have natural curiosity about other people that guides our understanding of them. People are complex beings, and we all share the same needs, which means we should approach others with curiosity about how to meet those needs. It takes a great leader to be able to see the individual in every person and accept them as they are.
People For and With Others
Activism is another example of what makes a leader great, whether it is through big or small acts. In a college setting, this looks like standing up for a classmate who is getting mistreated or calling out acts of injustice committed by people in your community. That is how this value of “people for others” takes place; it is taking a stand for people who don’t have a voice of their own. The other aspect, “people with others,” means playing a part in your community. If you pay attention to the location of each Jesuit University, you will notice a theme. Jesuits historically placed their universities in locations in poorer areas that could benefit from having a community that was dedicated to helping those in need.
Regis University itself serves as a communal anchor — a park for families to come play in or for people to walk their dogs — and even offers jobs to those in need of work. This allows our students to more readily participate in the local scene here and improve it. You will find many inclusive clubs that exist as a space for those who have felt like outsiders most of their lives. This value is meant to teach our students the importance of building communities of support and for sticking up for marginalized voices.
Contemplatives in Action
This next value may sound confusing, but history explains that it ensures you practice what you preach. When Saint Ignatius was building his sector of priests, he understood that some religious institutes simply contemplated how we ought to treat others. Ignatius wanted people to think about how to be good to others while actually doing it, too. He said it best: “Love is shown more in deeds than words.”
This value is translated into the classroom through experiential learning. In my Landscapes of Loss and Longing class, we are reading literature about apocalyptic worlds that have been destroyed by the climate crisis. One of our unofficial assignments was to choose a tree on campus and watch it. The goal was to be more mindful of nature and notice the ways it is changing along with our current climate crisis. This is just one example of how a Regis education encourages students to apply their knowledge to real-life experiences and grow outside of the classroom.
Magis
Magis is Latin for “more,” and this Jesuit value asks us: How can I be better today? Magis doesn’t aim to exhaust our students and faculty but encourages them to wonder how they can improve. Professors always ask for feedback on their courses at the end of the semester to see what more they can do for their students. Regis itself encourages us to do more for ourselves by offering various clubs and services like yoga, spin classes and outdoor trips. All of these are great ways to improve your health and to participate in your community by gaining new experiences. Magis pushes us to strive for this growth and to give back to our community in return.
Unity of Minds and Hearts
Unity of minds and hearts seeks to teach people how to use their reason and emotions together. Often, we find ourselves in crucial conversations where our heated emotions can cause us to lash out at others or avoid them. This value reminds us that we should have a balance between our heart and mind, allowing them to work together instead of warring between them. We also are reminded to use this approach to come into unity with others. Everyone has different levels of sensitivity, and everyone thinks differently; we should respect that. This doesn’t mean we should always be agreeable, but it calls us to seek to understand others with mutual respect and find common ground.
Finding God in All Things
Finding God in all things is not necessarily about the literal. What it really asks of us is to see beauty and love in the mundane. It is tricky to make art out of the most boring parts of life, but that's why this challenge is worthwhile. We are called to be mindful here, especially in our hardships and when we are mistreated. When we find love and beauty in all things, we can become a conductor for that grace. Even though this is the last of the Jesuit values, it is by far the greatest. When we realize that we are the gatekeepers of what is loved and deemed beautiful, we can begin to understand what a gift it is to give our love and to notice the beauty in all things.
Your Character Arc
Now you see that Jesuit values are simply a means to ensure we use education to grow our character. Humans often agree upon what good morals are and what makes someone a great person. These values aim to include those universal values that most people hold and lay out guidelines of how to achieve them. So, which value will you practice today?