Alumni Blog

On March 1, the Seattle U Alumni Association (SUAA) officially started its partnership with the Ignatian Spirituality Center (ISC) to offer Ignatian program offerings directly to Seattle University alumni. Already a partner with other areas of the university, ISC responds to the spiritual hunger in our world by providing spiritual direction services and programs intended to “assist persons of all faiths to serve Christ’s mission of compassion, healing and justice.”

The ISC offers a wide variety of programs and retreats to meet you where you are in your spiritual journey and to help you deepen and explore your relationship with God. By using the Ignatian lens to faith, which focuses on discernment, finding God in all things and becoming contemplatives in action, the ISC is able to serve alumni of all faith traditions and stages of life.

“We are excited to bring an expanded suite of quality spirituality offerings to our alumni in partnership with the Ignatian Spirituality Center. They are leaders in Ignatian formation and spiritual development in the Seattle area. Through this partnership, we are able to meet our alumni’s requests for more spirituality programming,” says Jonathan Brown, Assistant Vice President of the Seattle University Alumni Association.

Weekend and one-day retreats invite you to engage in reflection and discernment and experience the gifts of Ignatian prayer and contemplation. Spiritual direction services connect alumni with spiritual directors who can support them as they navigate life choices. This Ignatian Life series explores the intersection of Ignatian spirituality and current issues, such as immigration and the climate crisis, in daily life and culture. A series for men invites them to reflect on relevant life issues using an Ignatian lens.

ISC has two program for younger alumni. IgNite program retreats are geared toward the specific needs and interests of our alumni aged 21-35. Contemplative Leaders in Action (CLA) is a two-year faith formation and leadership development program for young adults (20's and 30's) that nurtures individual growth and strives to develop a cohort of leaders who can bring the dynamics of faith and justice to lead their families, co-workers and communities.

While ISC programs are not exclusively for Seattle U alumni, as we look toward the future, we have the possibility of SU-only programming and bringing ISC programs to campus.

A few of the upcoming events:

Novena of Grace
Tuesday, March 10—Wednesday, March 18

WEEKDAYS
12:30 pm at Chapel of St. Ignatius, Seattle University (Eucharist)
6:30 pm at St. Joseph Church, Seattle (Contemplative Prayer)*
SATURDAY: 
1:00 pm at St. Joseph Church (Eucharist)
SUNDAY:
1:00 pm at Chapel of St. Ignatius (Eucharist)
Gerry Scully, Mary Pauline Diaz-Frasene, and Fr. Mike Bayard, Retreat Presenters

This Ignatian Life: Reimagining Racial Justice
Sunday, March 29, 2020
1-4 p.m.
St. Joseph Parish Center, Seattle
Jimmy McCarty & Marilyn Nash, Presenters

God at Work: Young Adults Practicing Ignatian Spirituality in the Workplace
Tuesday, March 31, 2020
6:30-9 p.m.
Seattle Preparatory School, Seattle

Learn more about the Ignatian Spirituality Center and their retreats and programs.

This year Seattle University will provide two residential high school academic enrichment summer camps for current ninth, tenth, and eleventh grade students. At the foundation of both programs are social justice and innovation. As alumni of Seattle University, we welcome applications from your children and youth you work with to provide this opportunity that will allow them to explore higher education in a fun, challenging, hands-on, empowering way while earning college credits.

Seattle University’s Summer Business Institute is an Albers School of Business & Economics (Albers SBI) program focused on social entrepreneurship. The weeklong overnight program operates from July 5-10, 2020. Young scholars will stay in residential halls, dine at Cherry Street Market and engage with our corporate partners. Also, Albers SBI provides young scholars the opportunity to explore entrepreneurship, marketing, data visualization, accounting, economics and more.

The Seattle University AI4ALL is a two-week residential experience from July 12-24, 2020, for high school students interested in criminal law and artificial intelligence (AI). Throughout the two weeks, young scholars will learn about the intersection of modern technology and criminal justice issues, such as facial recognition, bias, and equity. This program is hands-on and will include engagement with law enforcement and Seattle area tech companies.

Nonetheless, Seattle University’s Summer Scholars Institutes are about more than the classes. Scholars who successfully complete their programs will receive support in college essays, scholarship searches, resume writing and more! Priority deadline for applications close on March 30, 2020. Also, scholarships are available for Washington state students and children of alumni to Seattle University.