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In an essay included in the book An Ignatian Spirituality Reader (a great resource for Ignatian educators), Howard Gray, S.J., offers this helpful way of understanding the relationship between Ignatian spirituality and education. I found it helpful as I prepare for the upcoming year:

In short, Ignatian spirituality is a spirituality of pedagogy, teaching ways to make the gospel tradition, Church tradition, and humanist tradition available to people. It is no wonder, then, that the Jesuits found their development of a school system totally compatible with their “way of proceeding.” For them education was a spirituality, a way to teach future generations how to find God in all things.

 

Matt Emerson is the author of Why Faith? A Journey of Discovery (Paulist Press, 2016). His writing has appeared in numerous publications, including America and The Wall Street Journal.