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Jesuit Higher Education Events

As part of the national Catholic movement to lift a unified voice for integral ecology and the importance of care for creation, the Initiative co-organized a “Pilgrimage of Hope for Creation and Indigenous Reconciliation” at ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ. Faculty, staff, and students walked and reflected on the history of Mission Santa Clara and the university’s current reconciliation work with the descendants of the Ohlone and Muwekma Ohlone people who were missionized here. The first stop was The Forge Garden's Ohlone Native Plant Garden, where Muwekma Ohlone Vice-Chairwoman Monica V. Arellano and Professor Amy Lueck spoke about ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ’s Ohlone Youth Camp and Muwekma Ohlone scholarship. Proceeding to the heart of campus, participants learned from Professor of Anthropology Lee Panich about the original Muwekma Ohlone settlement there. In front of the Santa Clara Mission, Panich spoke about the missionization period and recent collaborations with tribal leaders to incorporate their perspectives and experiences into campus history exhibits at the de Saisset Museum, and a Google Earth site and augmented reality app created by the Community Heritage Lab.  At the Saint Clare Garden, Aaron Willis and Paulina Salinas of the Ignatian Center for Jesuit Education explained how the plantings told the story of the stages of Clare of Assisi’s life. The pilgrimage of hope ended at the de Saisset Museum, which held an artist’s reception for Californiana, Monica Rodriguez’s installation exploring the enduring impact of this history on the people, land, and culture of California. This event was organized in collaboration with the ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Center for Sustainability, The Forge Garden, Ignatian Center for Jesuit Education, de Saisset Museum, and Community Heritage Lab.

Chris Bacon moderated a at the in Bogotá, Colombia, hosted by Pontificia Universidad Javeriana. The session—“Responding to the Cry of the Earth and the Poor”—addressed attendees from around the world, including senior leadership from Jesuit universities in over 50 countries. Bacon led a panel including Nancy Tuchman (Founding Dean, School of Environmental Sustainability, Loyola University Chicago), Provost Maria Adelaida Farah (Javeriana), Fr. Roberto Jaramillo, SJ (Secretary for Social Justice and Ecology, Rome), Rev. Dr. Pravene Martis, SJ (St. Aloysius University, India), and Fr. François Kabore, SJ (founding President, Kosyam Jesuit University of Science, Burkina Faso), who explored how Jesuit institutions can scale climate action and deepen community-engaged environmental justice.

The Initiative’s Chad Raphael and ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Center for Sustainability’s Lindsey Kalkbrenner and Veronica Johnson taught three online workshops on integrating sustainability and justice into the curriculum to over 75 faculty and sustainability staff participants from ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ and   17 other institutions across the country. The new curricula that participants developed in the workshops will reach thousands of students per year in fields such as Anthropology, Biology, Business, Economics, Education, Engineering, English, Ethnic Studies, History, Psychology, Sociology, and Spanish; and in  community-based learning placements, fellowships, and immersions. Participants teach at private and public universities around the U.S., California Community Colleges, and Jesuit high schools. All participants agreed that the workshops fulfilled their goals and 96% said that they would recommend the workshops to a colleague. The workshops are offered each summer by the Initiative and ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ's Center for Sustainability, which is a national training center affiliated with the Association for Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. Anyone interested in joining next summer’s workshops can apply using the link on our webpage.

Chad Raphael was an invited delegate from the Jesuits West province and a plenary speaker at , which was organized by the U.S. and Canadian Jesuit provinces, the Ignatian Solidarity Network and the Jesuit Conference Office of Justice and Ecology, and held at Loyola University Chicago. The Assembly convened leaders from across the provinces to deepen the Society of Jesus’ commitment to caring for our common home by strengthening cross-sector collaboration and working more closely with vulnerable communities most deeply impacted by the ecological crisis. In his on Juneteenth, Raphael discussed four ways in which today’s ecological advocates can emulate the rising U.S. Environmental Justice movement’s success in the politically hostile environment of the 1980s: building an inclusive movement based on solidarity across social groups, appealing to common values, building grassroots-led networks, and practicing community-driven research and community lawyering.

Iris Stewart-Frey was an invited presenter at a conference on , organized by the Vatican’s Pontificia Università Gregoriana to mark the 2025 Jubilee and the 10th anniversary of Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’. The conference explored what has been done to implement Laudato Si’ at Jesuit Institutions globally in education, and to address social justice and environmental challenges, climate transition, and the future of theology related to integral ecology. Representing ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ (ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ), Stewart-Frey spoke about integral ecology in teaching and practice at ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ. The conference was co-sponsored by the Pontificia Università Gregoriana; the Jesuit Curia Generalizia, Secretariats for University Education and Social Justice and Ecology and  La Civiltà Cattolica; the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana; Loyola University Chicago School of Environmental Sustainability; Ateneo de Manila University; Georgetown University; Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs; Institut de Théologie de la Compagnie de Jésus (ITCJ); the Integral Ecology Research Network (IERN); and the Laudato Si’ Research Institute (LSRI) at the University of Oxford. Image: Laudato Si’ Action Platform.

Iris Stewart-Frey and several ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ colleagues (Allan Baez Morales, Rocio Lilen Segura, and David DeCosse) presented their transdisciplinary community-engaged research on a panel at the , held at the Loyola University of Seville, Spain. The conference convened administrative and academic leaders from Jesuit universities worldwide to deepen Jesuit universities' collaboration on academic, research, and advocacy endeavours. Conference organizers developed joint research projects and organized special issues in indexed scientific journals to ensure wider academic dissemination of the results. The gathering was held in collaboration with the UNIJES network, the European Kircher Network of Jesuit Universities, and the International Association of Jesuit Universities (IAJU).

For five years, the Initiative’s Food and Climate Justice Program has partnered with Dr. Pedro Walpole, SJ, of (APC) in the Philippines and formerly EcoJesuit to advance Laudato Si’s inspired work across global networks. In 2024, after Chris Bacon shared agroecology and food security methods from long-term community-based participatory action research work in Nicaragua, Pedro teamed up with Indigenous youth and researchers from the to adapt methods from the Nicaragua project to their local context. As part of the dissemination of their results, Pedro’s team convened a workshop for 70 neighboring youth and presented findings from their survey and focus groups, opening up an important and sometimes overlooked conversation about how to address seasonal hunger and improve access to safe drinking water in the context of a climate change and other hazards. In 2025, the Climate and Food Justice program and APC launched a project to expand community-engaged agroecology to address climate change, food insecurity, and vulnerability, and to prepare an educational case study of the youth experiences and the use of Indigenous environmental knowledge to foster resilience responses. These results will be shared in the case study, a short comparative article, and potentially as part of a delegation to the United Nation’s

The Initiative’s Chris Bacon participated in (Switzerland) from August 25 to 29, 2024. The conference, which had a competitive abstract submission process, included experts in academia, politics, business, and social development from over twenty countries and focused on making hope tangible by expanding transdisciplinary cooperation in socio-ecological transformation. It is one of the largest Jesuit higher education conferences in Europe. Chris Bacon, with co-author Michael Schuck (Loyola University Chicago), gave a paper that drew on their work as co-chairs of the to analyze collective achievements, as well as obstacles and opportunities, for using integral ecology to accelerate cross-institutional cooperation and transformations for sustainability and environmental justice. Chris was also invited to chair a panel featuring speakers from the Xavierian Pontifical University in Colombia and Jesuit Worldwide Learning. 

Members of the Initiative played leadership roles in the , which presented proposals for expanding learning about integral ecology at the , held at Loyola University Chicago. The Assembly is a triennial gathering focusing on how Jesuit higher education institutions can advance justice in all they do.

Christopher Bacon co-chaired the Laudato Si’ Commission, Chad Raphael led the Commission’s subgroup on networking and organized a panel on , and Iris Stewart-Frey organized a panel on fostering environmental & social justice through community-engaged research. (Lindsey Kalkbrenner of ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ’s Center for Sustainability also served on the Commission.)

The Laudato Si’ Commission was one of six charged with envisioning a hope-filled future for Jesuit education by AJCU President and Initiative Advisory Board member, Fr. Michael Garanzini, SJ. The Commission conducted an inventory of existing contributions to integral ecology across the AJCUs and issued recommendations for making environmental justice and sustainability a hallmark of Jesuit colleges and universities in their operations, academic affairs, community formation, and civic engagement. Commission members enthusiastically committed to continuing to work together after the Assembly.

The Initiative’s Chad Raphael co-hosted over 30 Jesuit and Catholic secondary school educators at ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ for a three-day summit on incorporating environmental justice and integral ecology across the high school curriculum. Participants learned about promising practices for teaching about sustainability and justice in secondary education, how to make whole-school curricular transformation, connecting with Jesuit and Catholic educational networks and social ministry organizations, and forming a new professional development network. ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ’s Center for Sustainability and de Saisset Museum offered environmental justice tours of the campus, and hosted participants for lunch in their campus garden.

The Summit helped participating teachers and administrators move from narrow approaches to sustainability toward education for integral ecology and environmental justice, and from individualistic approaches toward learning and action for systemic change. The need to address environmental justice in relation to racial and economic justice, and a more inclusive approach to Catholic education, resonated especially with educators from who attended. 

Co-organized with Michael Downs of and Brenna Davis of the , the summit was generously supported by ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ’s Ignatian Center for Jesuit Education and Inclusive Excellence Division, and John Burns (ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ ‘66).

The Initiative’s Chad Raphael and ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Center for Sustainability’s Lindsey Kalkbrenner, Veronica Johnson, and Leslie Gray taught three-week-long online workshops for 49 faculty and sustainability officers from ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ and 26 other institutions, including many Jesuit and Catholic universities. A grant from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) supported California Community College instructors in participating for free. Many participants completed multiple workshops, which focused on integrating sustainability and justice across the curriculum, teaching environmental justice and integral ecology, and pedagogy for sustainability and justice. Each workshop included two tracks: one for faculty to design new courses and modules, and one for sustainability officers to design training programs to offer at their own institutions. Participant evaluations highlighted the wealth of resources provided and the value of the individualized feedback from instructors. This professional development program is a collaboration between the initiative’s Laudato Si’ across the Curriculum program and the ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Center for Sustainability, which is a national training center affiliated with AASHE.

The Initiative’s Christopher Bacon, ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Center for Sustainability Director Lindsey Kalkbrenner, and ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Vice-President of Mission and Ministry Alison M. Benders presented to Chief Mission Officers and Campus Ministry Directors from Jesuit institutions, who visited ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ in November for an Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU) meeting. Bacon, Kalkbrenner, and Benders summarized how Jesuit higher education is engaging with Pope Francis’ Laudato Si’ encyclical and recent exhortation Laudato Deum, which calls for urgent action for climate and environmental justice. The trio also presented a case study of ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ's collaborative Laudato Si’ Action Planning process, sharing strategies for sustainability governance, integration with university-wide strategic planning, and community engagement. As part of his work as Co-Chair of AJCU’s Laudato Si’ Commission, Bacon shared his research conducted with students Annika Sodergren, Mary Xiang, and Katie Duffy, showing that more than 90% of the Jesuit higher education institutions in the U.S. and Canada have committed to Pope Francis’ , and preliminary results of a carbon emissions and climate action inventory. The Laudato Si’ Commission is currently developing transformative proposals for Jesuit higher education as they prepare for high-level presentations at the July 16-19, 2024.

The Initiative’s Chad Raphael presented at a workshop about the integration of environmental and climate justice into K-12 science classrooms for visiting science teachers and Education Board Officers from Incheon, South Korea, hosted by Dr. Won Jung Kim (ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ School of Education and Counseling Psychology). Raphael discussed examples of community science research and learning projects for environmental justice. He also gave feedback on an example project the visiting educators developed through previous workshop sessions with Dr. Kim.  

The Initiative’s Chad Raphael presented on how to integrate environmental justice and integral ecology into Jesuit K-12 schools’ curriculum and pedagogy. The workshop for educators, entitled Bringing the Universal Apostolic Preferences to Life in Our Schools, was organized by the USA East Province of the Society of Jesus. Raphael introduced an approach to designing curriculum and pedagogy for sustainability and justice, shared a variety of curriculum development resources, and engaged the group in reflective writing to inform their discussions and plans.

Chris Bacon and Chad Raphael led workshops for the Ecojesuit 2023 Meeting in Bukidnon, Mindanao, Philippines, which convened Jesuit educational leaders from Africa, Asia, Australia, India, and Europe to strengthen their shared commitment, collaboration, and communication for integral ecology. Bacon led a workshop on “.” Raphael led a workshop on ".”  The Initiative has a longstanding collaboration with and , who sits on the Initiative’s advisory board.

The Initiative’s Chad Raphael and ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Center for Sustainability’s Lindsey Kalkbrenner, Veronica Johnson, and Leslie Gray taught three week-long online workshops for 58 faculty and sustainability officers from ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ and 18 other institutions, including many Jesuit and Catholic universities, and our first high school participants. Many participants completed multiple workshops, which focused on integrating sustainability and justice across the curriculum, teaching environmental justice and integral ecology, and pedagogy for sustainability and justice. Each workshop included two tracks: one for faculty to design new courses and modules, and one for sustainability officers to design training programs to offer at their own institutions. Participant evaluations highlighted the value of the individualized feedback from instructors and the wealth of resources provided. This professional development program is a collaboration between the initiative’s Laudato Si’ across the Curriculum program and the ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Center for Sustainability, which is a national training center affiliated with the Association for Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE).

at Loyola University Chicago Chris Bacon, Iris Stewart-Frey, and their research students:Ben Grundy; Emma McCurry; Julia Jenak; Lilah A. Foster; Chloe Gentile-Montgomery; Daniel McCabe; Erica Martinez; Gabi Ballardo; John W. Rzepczynski; Paige Whittaker; Raeleigh Price and Skyler Kriese presented a total of 6 posters on food justice and the disparate impacts of agricultural activities in the Central Valley:        

A student assessment of Food Security and Sovereignty as Universities Respond to COVID-19

Toward Real Food and Climate Neutrality on Campus: Assessing new tools for measuring institutional food system sustainability, transformation, and change

A Participatory Assessment of Diversification, Food Security, and use of Agroecology for Food System Change with Organized Smallholders in Nicaragua

The Environmental Justice and the Common Good Initiative at  ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ,in collaboration with and organized an online dialogue on ‘Using agroecology to drive food system change : Responses and collaborations to address the present economic-ecological crisis‘. 150 plus participants from USA, Latin America, India, Philippines and other parts of the world participated in the webinar on Zoom platform. The event was also live broadcasted on Youtube to reach out to the wider audience. , Coordinator – Ecojesuit Global Network, , founder of Navdanya International and  Dr. Chris Bacon, from ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ enriched the audience with their sharing on the concerns and issues related to poisoning of Agricultural production due to extensive use of chemical fertilizers, Food and Health Security for All, Ecology and Sustainable Agriculture and Covid-19 in a global context. Video testimonies from the Community Food System & Urban Agricultural Model in the Bay Area, California, , whose mission is to improve access to healthy food in California,  , a network of Urban Gardeners and  creating access to healthy and culturally appropriate food for everyone; provided the audience with examples of various initiatives emerging in the context to meaningfully engage and respond as individuals, communities and organizations. The Q&A and Round Table Dialogue sessions addressed the concerns of the audience and the broader issue and mandate in the field of Agroecology.

11.17.2020 Agroecology and Food Systems Change CB Presentation

The testimonial videos: , , and

Post event article:

Chris Bacon presented on Community-based action research to build back a fairer food system as a breakout session during the Ignatian Family Teach-in for Justice virtual conference, entitled ." This is the largest annual Catholic social justice conference in the U.S.  After the talk, participants shared ideas about how to address rural hunger and food justice, including responses to food insecurity induced by Covid-19.

Chad Raphael organized a session entitled “” at the annual conference of the Association for Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). Chad presented on the value of community-driven research for producing actionable knowledge about environmental justice at Jesuit and other universities, drawing on a he wrote on this subject. Co-presenters discussed research collaborations that have shaped sustainability policies and practices in the conference’s host city of Milwaukee. Kate Nelson (Chief Sustainability Officer, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee) and Willie Karidis (Rails to Trails Conservancy) presented their of how to make access to bike trails more accessible and equitable  in neighborhoods of color. Chelsea Wait (Ph.D. candidate and Adjunct Professor, School of Architecture and Urban Planning) presented on the , a university-community partnership that engages community members and students in storytelling, ecological conservation, heritage preservation, and civic engagement.

The Initiative’s Chris Bacon, Iris Stewart-Frey, and Chad Raphael helped organize and presented to the Community-Based Research (CBR) in Environmental Justice (EJ) at Jesuit Universities workshop. Leaders in Jesuit education for sustainability attended, including Nancy Tuchman (Loyola Chicago’s Dean of Sustainability, Fr. Pedro Walpole (Ecojesuit), and  Fr. Michael Garanzini, Secretary for Higher Education for the Society of Jesus, who said  that CBR for environmental justice and sustainability is a key strategy for the future of Jesuit higher education. Raphael led a workshop on forming community-university research partnerships.  Bacon and Stewart-Frey co-presented with Raul Diaz (CII-ASDENIC) and Misael Rivas (PRODECOOP), who traveled from Nicaragua to co-present lessons learned from a decade of participatory action research for food and water security in the context of climate change and other hazards. Bill Sundstrom (Economics) and the Initiative’s Ed Maurer (Sustainable Engineering) also contributed analysis to this presentation. The ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ research team was one of three that the conference organizers funded to travel to the workshop.See this on the event in the International Association of Jesuit Universities' newsletter.  

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