SLU education for refugees

Saint Louis University is partnering with Jesuit Worldwide Learning to offer a bachelor’s degree to international students displaced by conflict, lack of opportunity and poverty. The first cohort of students will start in October 2023 and are presently located in refugee camps in Kenya and Malawi.

Jesuit Worldwide Learning (JWL) is a Jesuit-sponsored international higher education program founded in 2010 and designed to serve students at the margins. Those students are typically in war zones, refugee camps and impoverished countries. It operates more than 50 learning centers in 20 countries across Asia, Africa and South America.

Based in Switzerland, Jesuit Worldwide Learning has partnerships with Creighton University and Georgetown University to provide educational opportunities to students at the margins. JWL’s programs are developed within the framework of the Ignatian experience, which seeks to develop the whole person. Students will begin their time at SLU with 30 credits already completed through either Creighton University or Xavier Institute of Management in India’s one-year certificate program. Once enrolled, they will be full-time students with access to SLU support and are anticipated to complete a bachelor’s degree in general studies through SLU’s School for Professional Studies within three years.

Loyola Academy expansion

Loyola Academy of St. Louis will expand its school by piloting a mixed-age classroom of fourth- and fifth-grade students in the 2023-24 school year. The Jesuit-sponsored middle school for young men from underserved areas of St. Louis opened in 1999. In the past few years, the school has experienced an increased gap in learning among incoming middle school students. In response, Loyola Academy is launching the fourth- and fifth-grade program to assist young men with proficiency in core subject areas, while also providing support in social-emotional learning and executive functioning skill development.

“The need to expand into the upper elementary grades is great. We know that more and more children in under-resourced neighborhoods are struggling academically, so we have put the supports in place to address the needs of these young men beginning in grade four,” said principal Ashley Chapman.

John Mozeliak to speak to Young Catholic Professionals

John Mozeliak, president of baseball operations of the St. Louis Cardinals, will talk about strategic change and faith at a relaunch event of the Young Catholic Professionals on Wednesday, Jan. 25, from 6-8 p.m. at Vue 17 in Richmond Heights. The event is free, but attendance is limited to 150 people, ages 21 and older. The mission of Young Catholic Professionals is to form, develop and strengthen the interior life of Catholic professionals ages 21-39 in the St. Louis area, so they may lead their lives in witness for Christ. To RSVP for the event, visit stlreview.com/3ICMHTa.

Pilgrimage in East St. Louis

The East Side Heart & Home Family Center in East St. Louis, Illinois, is hosting a pilgrimage retreat on Saturday, Feb. 4, from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. The pilgrimage is structured so that people can create connections with East St. Louis, Illinois, including its history and the present reality of the people who live there. Through conversations, reflections and prayer, participants will be invited to learn more about how the history impacts the city today, to challenge a dominant narrative surrounding East St. Louis and confront preconceived ideas and discern action.

Several Sparkill Dominican sisters minister at East Side Heart & Home Family Center, which has provided quality, affordable housing for low-income families in East St. Louis and other programs, including a senior program with transportation; a Women’s Circle, a monthly group to learn, discuss and share with each other about relevant topics and issues that affect their lives; an after-school program assisting with homework and improved math and reading skills; and a summer program for children, with older youth hired as counselors. The organization is constructing a new Family Center, which is expected to be completed in the spring.

For more information on the pilgrimage or to sign up, contact Lara Peterson at (618) 875-7295 or [email protected].

World Marriage Day

Auxiliary Bishop Mark S. Rivituso will celebrate a Mass for World Marriage Day at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 12, at the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis. A reception will follow in Boland Hall. Married couples are invited to attend and celebrate the gift of marriage. World Marriage Day honors the husband and wife as the foundation of the family, the basic unit of society. It emphasizes the faithfulness, sacrifice and joy of daily married life. World Marriage Day started in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in 1981 and was later adopted by Worldwide Marriage Encounter, who now sponsors the event on Feb. 12.