Engaging the Ignatian Network in Advocacy

During our Ignatian Family Advocacy Month (IFAM) in February, students, faculty, staff, and parishioners from our nationwide member institutions advocated for environmental justice, immigration reform, and humane U.S. policy toward Central America. Advocacy efforts ranged from in-district Congressional office visits to gathering signatures for the Catholic Climate Covenant’s St. Francis Pledge. In total, over 4,000 people across the country participated in IFAM 2015.

In July, ISN led another effort in which 1,200 alumni of Jesuit universities and high schools sent a letter to Jesuit-educated members of the U.S. House of Representatives, calling on them to “seek comprehensive immigration reform without delay.” The 43 Congressional members, who included former House Speaker John Boehner (Xavier University ’77), attended one or more of the 28 universities and 60 high schools sponsored by the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) in the United States.

Citing the “Jesuit spirit of generous service to people in need and a persevering commitment to the common good,” the letter called for immigration reform that includes: a process for earned citizenship for the undocumented, respect for the rights of workers, preservation and protection of family unity and human dignity, and the restoration of fairness and accountability to the U.S. immigration system.