Going Forth
It’s what we go forth to do that makes it possible to leave, knowing that the flame we carry within us, the flame we hope to share with the world, is a product of all who have touched our lives and sustained us.
Anna Ferguson is a junior studying theology and journalism at Creighton University. She is originally from Wheaton, IL, which is a suburb just West of Chicago, and, yes, a PROUD Cubs fan! The oldest of six girls, she comes from a lively family who instilled in her a desire to serve the less fortunate and learn as much as she can about the world around her. She came into Creighton with the dream of becoming a big reporter one day, but the Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice, the service trip she attended, the volunteering she participated in, and her theology class convinced her otherwise throughout her freshman year. She couldn't ignore her passion for service and love for the Catholic faith, so she tacked on a theology major, and dove deeper into service, social justice, and advocacy through her job in the Creighton Center for Service and Justice. Throughout these experiences, she realized that she wanted to use her writing skills for so much more than a big newspaper job. Today, her dream is to be a kind of missionary-journalist, engaging the world in the "gritty reality" around them (to borrow from Fr. Peter Hans Kolvenbach). (Follow Anna on Twitter @AnnaFeguson832).
It’s what we go forth to do that makes it possible to leave, knowing that the flame we carry within us, the flame we hope to share with the world, is a product of all who have touched our lives and sustained us.
About a month ago I attended the National March for Life in Washington, D.C., for the first time. I was in a group of thirty-five other Creighton students among thousands of others—young and old, Catholics, Protestants and non-religious, conservatives and liberals—who were braving the cold to participate in one of the largest and most controversial public witnesses of our time.
In this yes, I am not saying that one cannot work for justice or serve others through different vocations, or that my yes is somehow more important or bigger than yours. Rather, I am embracing a yes that perhaps looks different or less common than others, but a yes that hopes to do the same as all great yes’s do: breathe life and love into this world.
Sign up now to connect with the Jesuit network and learn how you can learn, educate, pray, and advocate for justice year-round.
T: (855) 789-2004
E: info@ignatiansolidarity.net
Ignatian Solidarity Network
1 John Carroll Blvd.
University Heights, OH 44118
The Ignatian Solidarity Network (ISN) is a national social justice network inspired by the spirituality of St. Ignatius of Loyola. ISN was founded in 2004 and is a lay-led 501(c)3 organization working in partnership with Jesuit universities, high schools, and parishes, along with many other Catholic institutions and social justice partners.