Every four years, leaders in the Jesuit community undertake a mission to uncover their true Ignatian identity, discovering their true desire to serve. This highly-coveted program, named the Ignatian Leadership Seminar, occurs in two weeklong sessions over a span of three years, with numerous Jesuit staff members already participating and many others verbally committed.
Three of these participants, Mr. Tim Host, Jesuit Admissions Counselor, Mr. Anthony Mattacchione, Rugby Coach and head of the Community Service Department, and Mr. Mark Wester, head of the Jesuit Information Commons, undertook this task. Before the seminar began, most participants prepared by bringing in leadership guides from other organizations and orders, such as the Marine Corps.
Mr. Wester, among this deluge of radically over-prepared participants, surpassed the unsurpassable. Wester not only brought such guidebooks, but prepared challenging questions in order to maintain flourishing conversation over numerous leadership topics.
Mr. Host, extremely pleased with the program, expressed his support, “Very often we let our emotions and egos get in the way of being a good leader or follower. I am still guilty of that, but these seminars really forced me to be aware of it, to put the emotions aside, and listen to what the real needs in each situation are.”
Through such an undertaking, many participants highlight how the program strengthened their ability to properly assess situations within and outside of the Jesuit Community. “This program not only allowed me to become a better leader in the community, but taught me to properly assess all issues outside of the school setting to achieve the desired end result,” remarked Wester.
Mr. Mattacchione, capitalizing on the seminar by strengthening his Ignatian character, described the seminar as “a foundation for moving forward,” underscoring how the experience allowed him to truly find his “center through activities such as the Examen.” During the Examen, Mattacchione now molds the exercise into an even more personal experience, viewing his life through an “Ignatian lens.”
Of the many activities that each participant completes outside of the classroom, the journal entries prove to be the most vital exercise in spiritual growth. During each entry that he writes, he asks himself questions such as: “What would Jesus do?” and “How can I improve my actions today?”
Not only did this experience allow Mattacchione to grow spiritually, but it affected him in all the other folds of the Profile Of a Jesuit Faculty Member, such as his weight loss over the summer break. Mattacchione emphasized that the seminar grew his Ignatian will, empowering him to undertake the tasks ahead and open his eyes to what he truly values the most, his family.
Although each highlighted participant in the seminar experienced different changes in themselves, they all maintained at least one similar experience- the evolution of their character and seeking of the Magis.
