Fairfield University announces its second " Ignatian Heritage Week" taking place March 17, 2013, through March 22, 2013. Events take place throughout the Fairfield University campus. All events are free, with many open to the public. A highlight of the week's activities features the Annual Ignatian Lecture with P hilip Endean, S.J., Professor of Theology at Oxford and the current holder of the Gasson Chair at Boston College presenting the lecture: "Jesuit Education: Some Awkward Questions." The lecture takes place at 8 p.m. Thursday, March 21, 2013, at Fairfield University's Dolan School of Business Dining Room and is open to the public. Ignatian Heritage Week is held in collaboration with Jesuit Mission Initiatives, Campus Ministry , the Center for Catholic Studies , and the Center for Faith and Public Life . Other events open to the public include:

Special Mass of the Feast of St. Ignatius
9 p.m., Sunday, March 17, 2013
Egan Chapel of St. Ignatius Loyola.

Rev. Paul Holland, S.J., will be the celebrant and homilist, and Lord's Chords will provide the music. This Ignatian celebration allows all to participate in the spiritual event that Ignatius's life revolved around: the Eucharistic liturgy. Refreshments will be served after Mass in the McGrath Room.

Interfaith Prayer Service
5:30 p.m., Monday, March 18, 2013
Egan Chapel of St. Ignatius Loyola

Fairfield University President Rev. Jeffrey von Arx, S.J. will co- preside with Fr. George Collins, S.J., Rabbi Suri Kriege, and Chaplain Safi Haider - the three individuals who provide spiritual guidance to our Catholic, Jewish, and Muslim students on campus. Dr. Carol Ann Maxwell and members of the Fairfield University Glee Club will provide the musical component. The purpose of this celebration will be to highlight Fairfield University's commitment to the tradition of interreligious dialogue within its Ignatian heritage, and to support and uphold the vibrant, emerging interreligious collaboration in which the community is fortunate enough to be engaged.

"Our Ignatian Spirit" Poster Project and Social
3 p.m.-5 p.m., Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Barone Campus Center Lower Level

This first-of-its-kind-event for the Fairfield community highlights the many ways Jesuit and Catholic charism is fostered on campus. Poster projects and presentations created by faculty, staff, departments, and student leaders will be on display in the BCC lower level for all to see the many ways Ignatian spirit is active on campus. Good company and conversation, snacks, and beverages will be available as Ignatian spirit is celebrated. The event is hosted by Dr. Joseph DeFeo, Associate Dean of Students and Director of Student Development.

Vocation Conversation and Dinner
5:15 p.m., Tuesday, March 19, 2013
The Jesuit Community Center (JCC)

All are invited to the JCC for Mass, a social, dinner, and reflection on discerning life choices. Tools which St. Ignatius suggests for making good decisions about the journey beyond Fairfield will be discussed. Special guest is Fr. Chuck Frederico, S.J., Director of Vocations for the three Jesuit provinces of the East Coast. The evening will also consider the vocation to marriage and to other expressions of leadership in the Christian community.

Service Showcase: "Quest for the Magis in Our Experiences Beyond Fairfield"
11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Barone Campus Center Lower Level

Participants will publicly explore how students, faculty, and staff live out the Ignatian Magis through community service, international and domestic service trips, and service learning. Participants will see and hear how members of the University community make Magis (the more), striving for excellence, an integral part of their personal and academic lives. The event is hosted by Dr. Robbin Crabtree, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.

Panel Discussion of Conversations on Jesuit Higher Education
4 p.m.-5:30 p.m., Wednesday, March 20, 2013
McGrath Room, Arrupe Campus Ministry Center

A wine and cheese panel discussion of "Eloquentia Perfecta" in the current issue of Conversations on Jesuit Higher Education. Three faculty members from Fairfield University will discuss the tradition of teaching "perfect eloquence" in Jesuit education and their particular "take" on it. Panel includes Cinthia Gannett, Associate Professor of English; Laura Nash, Associate Professor of Music; and David Schmidt, Associate Professor of Business Ethics. Convener is Mark Scalese, S.J., Associate Professor of Visual & Performing Arts.

"Deconversion" Lecture: When Catholics Change Their Minds about the Faith: Disaffiliation and 'Deconversion' in the Church Today
8 p.m., Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Dolan School of Business Dining Room

Dr. Tom Beaudoin and Dr. Patrick Hornbeck of Fordham University will explore the contours of what they call "deconversion," or the changes in heart and mind that many American Catholics are experiencing with regard to their relationship with Catholicism. They will discuss the history of deconversion research and address the implications of this work for the Catholic Church, Catholic theology, and society at large. Recent studies by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life have found that one third of U.S. adults under the age of 30 claim no religious affiliation and that nearly one quarter of adults raised Catholic no longer identify themselves as such. Disaffiliation is now a regular feature of the U.S. Catholic landscape. At the same time, many Catholics decide to stay on in the Church, living with substantial disagreements, "deconverting" in place.

Annual Ignatian Lecture: "Jesuit Education: Some Awkward Questions"
8 p.m., Thursday, March 21, 2013
Dolan School of Business Dining Room

Philip Endean, S.J., Professor of Theology at Oxford and the current holder of the Gasson Chair at Boston College, presents the Annual Ignatian Lecture.As Jesuit universities entered the mainstream of U.S. educational culture in the latter part of the twentieth century, they drew on a vision of Ignatian Spirituality as 'finding God in all things' and as fostering a rich Christian humanism. This lecture will raise a few questions about this way of thinking. Does such an account of Jesuit and Ignatian identity make historical sense? How do we relate the ideas of Jesuit education and good education? Can this way of thinking inspire a distinctive style of university life into the future? Visit www.philipendean.com .

Fairfield University is located at 1073 North Benson Road in Fairfield, Connecticut. Visit www.fairfield.edu/ignatianweek , for information on all Ignatian Heritage Week events.

Posted On: 03-05-2013 11:03 AM

Volume: 45 Number: 210