BY CINDY SCHMERSAL AND HUBERT BENITEZ
Companions.
Etymologically, the word comes from the Latin words com, meaning “with,” and panis, meaning “bread.” This understanding of a companion as one with whom we break and share bread highlights a central feature of what – for so many of us – makes Rockhurst so special: our community.
Yet, this treasured experience of community was markedly disrupted by the pandemic’s unyielding demand for social distancing.
If you visit Rockhurst University for any meaningful length of time, we are confident you will hear the term “companion” surface with some regularity. The academic year begins with an “All Companions Gathering,” a time for all faculty and staff to gather in community and engage around our shared mission. We welcome our newest companions at new-student and new-hire orientations. The students in our prison education program are known as our companions at Chillicothe. Communications are regularly addressed to “Companions.” You get the idea! Use of the term is pervasive, particularly among faculty and staff. It both underscores the centrality – in our mission-driven way of proceeding – of relationship rooted in accompaniment and nods to our heritage, La Compañía de Jesús.
With the familiar rhythms of community disrupted and strapped into the roller coaster of society’s new “normal,” we find ourselves returning often to reflect on Jesus’ instruction in sending the Apostles. “He ordered them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics” (Mark 6:8-9).
No bread. No bag. No money in their belt. No doubt, we could all add to the list from our own experiences these past 20-plus months: a global pandemic, raised consciousness around social justice issues and systemic racism, pronounced political turmoil, climate crisis, calls for greater inclusivity and a quest for a sense of belonging. However, there is no map, no definitive timeline, no easy button and no end in sight. Yet, our sandals are strapped, and we lean in.
At Rockhurst’s most recent faculty and staff virtual town hall, we reflected on the image of St. Ignatius as pilgrim, an image of him leaning into the journey’s unknown, one foot raised. (The statue of Ignatius at the Jesuit Centre in Guelph depicts it well.) Such is our invitation at this moment. Sandals on, we lean in or, at minimum, strive to do so; the insistent call of our mission demands nothing less.
We lean into care. Care for others – cura personalis – and care for the work – cura apostolica – have long been part of our institutional vernacular and are instrumental in shaping our discerning way of proceeding. Prompted by the inspiration of Debra Mooney at Xavier University, this past fall, we introduced a third leg to the proverbial “care stool,” care for oneself – cura propria – for it is only in nurturing our own needs and spirits that effective pursuit of something greater is possible.
We lean into the Principles for Ignatian Conversation, advice St. Ignatius offered the Jesuits attending the Council of Trent. At a moment in history when emotions are uniquely frayed and dialogue across differences strained to say the least, we strive to assume the best, to – whenever possible – allow conversations the time they need, to seek genuine understanding, and to proceed always in love.
We lean into the liminality of our contemporary context. In doing so, we strive to embrace the freedom and creativity that this space of the unknown invites, trusting in the transformation the discomfort of the liminal fosters.
We lean into and strive to become more inclusive. Inclusion, which is often tied to or interrelated with diversity, is a choice, and becoming inclusive is a vital act for all members of an educational community and for the community at large, especially for those who have been marginalized and historically underrepresented. Calls for greater justice emerged throughout the country following the death of George Floyd. Our mission demands that we listen to and respond to these calls, and so we lean in, laboring to ever more fully realize a mission-inspired “home for all” at Rockhurst University.
After a jury determined that a former Minneapolis police officer was guilty of murdering George Floyd, Rockhurst University companions gathered as a community (above) to ponder the question, “Where do we go from here?,” in building a mission-inspired home for all Rockhurst community members.
Photo courtesy of Rockhurst University.
We are a community that leans into hope, the hope to which our shared mission as co-creators with God calls us. We lean in recognizing that our strength continues to lie in our companions. This strength is in their pervasive commitment to our shared mission and in their willingness – together – to emulate St. Ignatius in leaning into the journey’s unknown, all the while committed to care and to co-laboring with God and with one another toward an always greater good.
Cindy Schmersal is vice president for Mission and Ministry at Rockhurst University. Hubert Benitez is vice president for Strategic Initiatives and Academic Innovation and also as acting chief inclusion officer at Rockhurst University.
The featured cover photo (above) is courtesy of Brett Jordan via Unsplash.