‘Helping Souls’ was a primary concern for Ignatius and came from his desire, like Jesus, to be at the service of those who are left out, ostracised, isolated and/or thought to be unimportant. It is these other people living on the margins of our society that Ignatius chose to be with and it is these same people that we are challenged to stand with and for today in the churches.
Our Ignatian tradition calls us to enter into solidarity with the poor, the marginalised, and the voiceless, in order to enable their participation in the processes that shape the society in which we all live and work. They in turn teach us about our own poverty as no document can.
In keeping with this essential component of the Ignatian tradition we ask our students to participate in an Ignatian Service program that requires them to complete 15 hours of service in Years 7–10 and 20 hours in Year 11.
By asking our students to engage in the service we are striving to break down barriers of fear and prejudice, reduce the impact of stereotypical images and bring a human face to those in our community who might not normally be seen. The end result of which, are students with an increased awareness of justice in the world who will actively seek to transform it.
The Service program embodies the Ignatian Process of Experience, Reflection and Action and asks each student to:
- Organise a suitable form of Ignatian Service in their local community that they can participate in for 15 hours or more.
- Complete a journal which asks them to reflect on the deeper meaning of the experience.
- Consider how the experience may have changed their choices and actions in the future.
We recognise that the age difference of the students will have an impact on the types of service the boys are capable of. With this in mind we are asking the students in Years 7 and 8 to focus on the experiences of being ‘for others’ while the students in tYears 9–11 will be challenged to find ways of being ‘with others.’
