OUR MISSION
Network, educate, and form advocates for social justice animated by the spirituality of St. Ignatius of Loyola and the witness of the Jesuit martyrs of El Salvador and their companions.
Our Vision
Rooted in the spiritual tradition of St. Ignatius of Loyola and Catholic Social Teaching, we seek change through transformational programs and resources that deepen faith and lead to dismantling systemic injustice; collaborative initiatives that bridge divides and overcome exclusion; and collective action to defend and promote the inherent dignity of all God’s creation—both people and planet.
Our Guiding Values
Faith Doing Justice
- We ground ourselves in Catholic Social Teaching and the spirituality of Saint Ignatius of Loyola; encounter and ally with those who are marginalized; commit to solidarity and kinship.
Collaboration
- We connect local, national, and global communities; form lay leaders and co-labor with the Society of Jesus and the Catholic Church.
Transformation
- We invite people of goodwill, across generations, to be prophetic and effective leaders in personal, social and ecological conversion.
FAITH IN ACTION
ISN was founded in 2004 and is a lay-led 501(c)(3) organization working in partnership with hundreds of Catholic universities, high schools, and parishes across the country, with a special affinity to institutions sponsored by the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits).
Through in-person and virtual programs and campaigns, ISN provides social justice education grounded in Catholic Social Teaching, and works to mobilize its 90,000+ network members to take action on timely issues related to migration, care for creation, racial justice, and economic justice. The focus of ISN’s work is always with an eye toward forming individuals with a life-long commitment to the “service of faith and the promotion of justice.”
In addition to hosting leadership programs and advocacy efforts throughout the country, ISN organizes the yearly Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice in Washington, D.C., which draws more than 2,000 people each year to the nation’s largest annual Catholic social justice gathering and advocacy day.
we are guided by our roots.
Ignatian Spirituality
At its foundation, Ignatian spirituality asserts that God is present and active in our world and our lives—incorporating prayer, discernment, and service to others.
In the 20th century, Fr. Pedro Arrupe, S.J., former superior general of the Jesuits, updated the Jesuit mission of “helping souls” by coining the term “men and women for others.” Both point to “a deep commitment to social justice and the radical giving of oneself to others” as the outcome of loving God.
Salvadoran Martyrs
On November 16, 1989, Ignacio Ellacuría, S.J., Ignacio Martín-Baró, S.J., Segundo Montes, S.J., Juan Ramón Moreno, S.J., Joaquín López y López, S.J., Amando López, S.J., their housekeeper Elba Ramos, and her 15 year-old daughter Celina Ramos were murdered at the University of Central America in San Salvador, El Salvador for their unwavering commitment to the dignity of and justice for the impoverished and oppressed.
ISN finds its roots in the legacy of the martyrs and their commitment to “a faith that does justice.”
The
Tent
Often referred to as “The Tent,” the ISN logo expresses the importance of solidarity and unity among the Ignatian family and its affiliates. Further, it symbolizes the ever-welcoming “home” to all who continue to dialogue and to seek positive change as an extension of one’s deeper desire to more fully live a “faith that does justice.”
The idea of the tent originated from Bob Holstein, a compassionate and devoted Companion to both the Society of Jesus and its lay collaborators. His contagious desire to create a more just world was evident in both his faith and his actions.