Ignatian Family Teach-in for Justice
27TH ANNUAL IGNATIAN FAMILY TEACH-IN FOR JUSTICE
In Fall 2024 Creighton University joined 1700+ attendees to examine issues including racial justice, immigration, and environmental justice through the lens of Catholic Social Teaching. Members of the Ignatian family gather annually for the Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice in Washington, D.C.
Creighton University’s 2024 delegation included: 18 undergraduate students, 1 Phoenix pharmacy student, 3 Jesuits, 2 Phoenix Medical Faculty members, and 4 staff members. Creighton University partnered with Creighton Preparatory School for legislative visits with the offices of Senators Deb Fischer and Pete Ricketts and Representatives Mike Flood and Don Bacon.
Two breakout sessions were offered by our Creighton Community including: “Liberation Medicine: Being Agents of Change for Global Health Equity” by School of Medicine faculty Sara Beste and Jason Beste and “20th Century Saints and Martyrs: Faith, Discernment, and Justice” by Eric Immel, S.J., (co-presented with Brendan Gottschall, S.J.)
Magis Catholic Teacher Corps tabled at the event as well.
Initiated in 1997, the Teach-In commences yearly to commemorate the lives of the Jesuit martyrs of El Salvador. The six Jesuit priests, their housekeeper, and her teenage daughter were murdered on November 16, 1989, for speaking out against the country’s tumultuous civil war. Through work with the poor and marginalized, the Catholic Church and its leaders, including the Jesuits and Saint Óscar Romero, sought to address the long history of inequality and injustice in the country.
The Teach-In connects Catholic faith and justice by addressing timely issues through two days of dynamic speakers, breakout sessions, and networking opportunities. As the largest annual Catholic social justice gathering in the U.S., the gathering attracts attendees from nearly 120 Jesuit and other Catholic universities, high schools, parishes, and organizations in the U.S. and El Salvador. While all ages are represented at the event, the majority of attendees are ages 16-22.
The keynote speakers over the weekend were Fr. Bryan Massingale, a social justice scholar and professor of theology and ethics at Fordham University; Ruben Garcia, executive director of Annunciation House in El Paso, Texas; and Sister Peggy O’Neill, S.C., director of Centro de Arte Para la Paz in El Salvador.
Videos and pictures of the conference are posted at: IFTJ 2024 YouTube playlist and Flickr albums
Check back in August for 2026 applications!
Questions? Please contact Kelly Tadeo Orbik
Learn, pray, and advocate for justice at the largest annual Catholic social justice gathering in the United States.
The Schlegel Center for Service and Justice leads a delegation of students, faculty and staff to the Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice (IFTJ) each year. IFTJ is an annual gathering for the Ignatian family (Jesuit and other Catholic schools, parishes, organizations, and individuals) to come together in the context of social justice and solidarity to learn, reflect, pray, network, and advocate together. It is a place where people are empowered, re-energized, inspired, challenged, and supported by a community that sees faith and justice integrally linked.
The Teach-In has a rich history rooted in honoring the Jesuits and their companions who were martyred in El Salvador in 1989. Creighton University and St. John’s Parish have been sending delegations since 1997. The Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice is a program of the Ignatian Solidarity Network.
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IFTJ Highlights
Creighton alumnus Nico Sandi's video on the UCA Martyrs and our university's call to a Faith That Does Justice
Each fall thousands of people from Jesuit high schools, colleges, parishes and other Ignatian organizations in Washington, D.C. at the Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice. This event keeps alive the legacy of many who have worked for justice, particularly the legacy of the six Jesuits, their housekeeper, and her daughter who were all killed in El Salvador in 1989. Come join this three-day learning experience where we meet today’s prophets confronting injustice, poverty, and oppression both nationally and internationally; network with other justice-oriented students; and have our voices heard through legislative visits in the nation's capitol.
The Ignatian Family Teach-In is hosted by the Ignatian Solidarity Network (ISN), an organization that works to promote and enhance the advocacy efforts of Jesuit institutions like Creighton.
For Further Reflection:
- Read Fr. Dean Brackley, S.J.
- Ignacio Ellacuria, S.J.'s 1982 Commencement Address at Santa Clara University
Known as the largest annual Catholic social justice gathering in the U.S., the Teach-In attracts young people ages 16 to 22, representing over 120 Jesuit and other Catholic universities, high schools, and parishes in the U.S., as well as Canada, Mexico and El Salvador.
Initiated in 1997 in Columbus, Georgia, the Teach-In is held each fall to coincide with the commemoration of the Jesuit martyrs of El Salvador. The six Jesuit priests and their two companions were murdered Nov. 16, 1989, for speaking out against El Salvador’s tumultuous civil war. The Teach-In relocated from Georgia to Washington, D.C. in 2010 in response to the growing interest in legislative advocacy and accompanying educational opportunities.
While in Washington, D.C. students will meet with elected officials to share their hopes and concerns.
