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From the time I started my own Jesuit education, the words “Men and Women for Others” became part of my personal foundation and approach. This orientation towards serving others greatest needs stems from the early activities of St. Ignatius Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits, and other early Jesuit companions. While many of the religious orders were monastic at the time of their founding, the Jesuits were out in the community. In addition to a regular prayer life, they sought to serve their community’s greatest needs.
It only stands to reason then that our students’ education includes the ways they serve the community. Students do service work at soup kitchens or food banks. They work at nonprofits that provide clothing to people who need it for job interviews. They serve their parishes and churches in the many outreach ministries of these organizations. In addition, our Campus Ministry office provides specific opportunities for students. Students participate in our Labre program to help the homeless. We partner with a local food bank to host an Advent food drive where we give 20 tons of food away to the community. Students have also led canned good drives, coat drives, and other charitable work to help people in our community.
As an institution, we seek to make a difference in our community, especially in our immediate neighborhood. From the time we opened our school doors in Clarke Square, we began to engage our neighbors - the business people and residents who work and live around our school campus. Historically, Clarke Square and National Avenue have always been places where people of all walks of life have encountered one another. So, now we have the responsibility to care for the community as those who’ve come before us. This means taking action when our community is detrimentally impacted by the actions of a few.
In partnership with our Alderperson, police, community members, and businesses, we were involved in helping to shutter a house adjacent to our campus that had drawn many serious problems for many years. We were pleased to be part of this effort to create a safer neighborhood not only for our school and our students, but for the community that welcomed us eleven years ago. While the house was, unfortunately, beyond repair, neighbors expressed their appreciation and hope that this change could bring a new beginning to the property now vacated and demolished.
As “men and women for others” at a Jesuit and Catholic school, our mission is to bring new life to the world through serving others, particularly in their greatest need. Between the service our students perform for the community and the actions our school is taking to work with the community to make it safer, I know that our school has and will continue to be a beacon of hope and partner in service to make Milwaukee a better place.
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