Labels

Forming Minds and Hearts for a Global Age

A Commentary and Personal Reflection on Fr. Adolfo Nicolás, SJ’s “Depth, Universality and Learned Ministry”

Globalization has transformed the contours of human life. Borders are porous, ideas travel with unprecedented speed, and cultures converge in ways unimaginable a generation ago. Yet, amid this dynamic movement, Rev. Fr. Adolfo Nicolás, SJ challenged Jesuit institutions to resist the temptation to drift into superficiality and instead cultivate depth, universality, and learned ministry. His call is not merely academic—it is deeply spiritual and profoundly pastoral. It asks universities to become places where minds are sharpened, hearts are opened, and commitments to justice are formed.

In this reflection, I revisit Fr. Nicolás’s insights and explore what they mean for Catholic and Jesuit higher education today, especially in an era when the Church, society, and young people face unprecedented global challenges. Drawing from Church documents, lived experiences, and practical case studies, this discussion invites educators, students, and ministers to rediscover Jesuit education as a transformative force for the global common good.

To cultivate deeper reading and reflection in an age of distractions, tools such as the Kindle Paperwhite can greatly help students and faculty maintain focus while accessing vast global literature. Likewise, educators may find value in resources like Jesuitical: A Young Catholic’s Guide to Discernment, which offers pathways for forming reflective and globally aware young adults.

“Jesuit education thrives when it fosters conversation, collaboration, and a deep commitment to truth.”

Jesuit Higher Education in a Globalized World

Pope Benedict XVI described globalization as “the explosion of worldwide interdependence” (Caritas in Veritate, 2009, no. 33). This interdependence brings both promise and peril. On the one hand, globalization creates avenues for collaboration, access to knowledge, and intercultural exchange. On the other, it amplifies inequality, fosters consumerism, and fragments communities. Jesuit higher education finds itself at the crossroads of these tensions.

Jesuit institutions historically arose to form persons “for others,” equipped with intellectual depth, spiritual maturity, and moral clarity. Today, these aims remain unchanged—but they require new expressions. Fr. Nicolás proposed three priorities for this moment: promoting depth of thought and imagination, rediscovering universality, and renewing the learned ministry.

I. Promoting Depth of Thought and Imagination

The first challenge Fr. Nicolás identifies is the “globalization of superficiality”—a phenomenon accelerated by digital culture, information overload, and the commodification of human experience. Students today have unprecedented access to data, yet often lack the reflective formation necessary to discern truth, meaning, and purpose.

“The globalization of superficiality challenges Jesuit higher education to promote in creative new ways the depth of thought and imagination that are distinguishing marks of the Ignatian tradition.”

Jesuit pedagogy, rooted in cura personalis and the Ignatian imperative to “find God in all things,” resists superficiality by forming the whole person—mind, heart, and spirit. As Ex Corde Ecclesiae emphasizes, a Catholic university must integrate knowledge with “the ethical and religious dimension” of life (John Paul II, 1990, no. 7). Depth emerges not simply from academic rigor but from reflective engagement with reality.

To help students cultivate stillness amid digital noise, tools such as a guided Ignatian meditation journal can aid learners in integrating prayer, discernment, and study.

Case Study: Ateneo de Davao University’s Environmental Initiatives

Ateneo de Davao University integrates formation into academic life. Its “Ecology Appreciation Program,” for instance, immerses students in forest conservation, Indigenous community partnerships, and environmental protection. What begins as coursework becomes a spiritual encounter with creation. Students testify that these experiences deepen their imagination about justice and stewardship—an embodiment of Laudato Si’’s call to ecological conversion.

Practical Applications

  • Integrate reflection papers and spiritual conversations into major academic programs.
  • Create interdisciplinary courses bridging theology, ethics, technology, and global challenges.
  • Encourage contemplative pedagogy—periods of silence, discernment, and deep reading.
  • Develop formation modules on digital discernment and critical media literacy.

II. Rediscovering Universality

Jesuit education has always been global. From its early missions in Asia, Africa, and the Americas, the Society of Jesus understood education as a universal apostolate. Fr. Nicolás urges contemporary institutions to reclaim this universality—not as uniformity but as intercultural openness, intellectual exchange, and solidarity.

In Evangelii Gaudium, Pope Francis calls the Church to build a “culture of encounter” (2013, no. 220). Jesuit universities are uniquely positioned to model this culture through international collaborations, online knowledge sharing, cultural immersion programs, and joint research initiatives.

“If each university, working alone, can accomplish so much good, how much more could we do together as a single global proyecto social?”

Case Study: The Jesuit Worldwide Learning Project

Jesuit Worldwide Learning (JWL) offers higher education opportunities to refugees and marginalized communities worldwide. Students in camps in Kenya or Jordan can earn diplomas through learning centers connected to universities in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. This project embodies universality—knowledge becomes a bridge across cultures, borders, and economic barriers.

Practical Applications

  • Strengthen cross-border academic partnerships for research on poverty, migration, and human rights.
  • Create shared online libraries and open-access resources among Jesuit institutions.
  • Promote student exchanges, immersion trips, and interreligious dialogue programs.
  • Develop competencies on global ethics, cross-cultural communication, and peacebuilding.

III. Renewing the Learned Ministry

Research and scholarship are not luxuries; they are ministries. Jesuit higher education is called to produce knowledge that uplifts human dignity, shapes public policy, and responds to the world’s most urgent cries.

“Knowledge in Jesuit universities must not remain a privilege of the few but a resource for the many, especially the poor and excluded.”

Veritatis Gaudium invites Catholic institutions to a “continuous search for truth… for the good of society” (2017, no. 1). This means prioritizing research that confronts injustice, amplifies marginalized voices, and advances ecological healing.

Case Study: Research for Indigenous Peoples’ Rights

Several Jesuit institutions in the Philippines engage in participatory research with Indigenous communities affected by mining, environmental degradation, and displacement. Faculty and students collaborate with tribal leaders to document land claims, protect ancestral domains, and develop culturally rooted educational materials. This is “learned ministry” in action—scholarship placed at the service of justice.

In many of these field settings, portable tools like the Zoom H1n portable audio recorder help researchers capture interviews, oral histories, and community stories—making scholarship more accurate and deeply human.

Practical Applications

  • Create research centers dedicated to poverty alleviation, peace studies, and ecological transition.
  • Offer community-based participatory research opportunities for students.
  • Prioritize publications addressing social issues, Catholic social teaching, and moral theology.
  • Partner with dioceses, NGOs, and local communities for mission-oriented research.

A Call for Courage and Imagination

Fr. Nicolás’s invitation is ultimately a call for moral courage and creative fidelity. Depth counters superficiality. Universality bridges divides. Learned ministry puts knowledge at the service of the poor. Together, these priorities form a vision of Jesuit education capable of transforming globalization into a force for renewal rather than fragmentation.

The future of Jesuit higher education depends on how boldly institutions embrace this mission. In the spirit of St. Ignatius, Jesuit universities are called to form men and women who will shape history—not through power, but through service; not through prestige, but through depth; not through ambition, but through love grounded in justice.

As we reflect on these challenges, we are reminded that education, when rooted in the Gospel, becomes more than a profession—it becomes a vocation of hope.

Related Posts

Recommended Resources

Amazon Resources

Shopee Resources

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting this blog.

Call to Action: How has Jesuit education or Catholic social teaching shaped your approach to depth, universality, or service? Share your insights or experiences in the comments below.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular Posts