tvc.dsj.org | November 20, 2018
CATHOLIC SCHOOLS
17
Ignite Youth Group Sparks Joy and Devotion at Saint Francis High School
Saint Francis High School has a new
youth group on campus for students
who want to live their faith more deeply
further and be in a community of like-
minded peers.
Each month, several opportunities
exist for students to participate in Ig-
nite, a youth group that gives students
a space to refl ect, build connections and
engage in leadership roles with campus
ministry.
Senior Ana Brockmann, whose idea
it was to start this group, explains that
faith is not a topic that naturally comes
up during lunch conversation so it has
been good for her to have a place to
discuss with others something that is
integral to who she is.
“You have people to share your
values and beliefs with,” she said. “My
reason for doing Ignite is that I want to
be a disciple of Christ, and I want to help
others be a disciple and love their faith.”
Designed to be a welcoming group
that is open to all students from all faith
backgrounds, Ignite has given students
the chance to practice Catholic tradi-
tions that are not otherwise performed
at school. For example, at a recent morn-
ing meeting, students explained how to
pray the rosary, and at a retreat that they
organized, they entered into the ancient
practice of praying before the Blessed
Sacrament. There are also social gath-
erings in the evenings where students
gather in small groups to refl ect and
discuss life issues.
For many students, the appeal of the
youth group is knowing they will grow
in their faith alongside their peers.
“I want to build relationships with
friends and with God, and I see those
worlds collide,” said senior Klarissa Yap.
Student leaders of the youth group
say their goal is to help classmates see
how their faith is applicable and rel-
evant to all parts of their life, not just
when they are at school or even at Ignite
meetings.
“We want to foster a safe environ-
ment for people to express their faith
and help students discover more of
who they are in a spiritual aspect,” said
senior Aristotle Vergara.
Santa Clara University Explores Tech and The Human Spirit
What can Ignatian discernment
teach us about our relationship to tech-
nology? That was a question posed by
Diocese of San Jose Coadjutor Bishop
Oscar Cantú, who recently visited
Santa Clara University as part of an
18-month series of talks exploring Tech
and the Human Spirit.
Bishop Cantú went on to explore
the myriad benefi ts of technology; how
memory works; and how we should
stay alert to elements of our humanity
that technology ignores or harms.
“Our unconscious mind does not
engage the problem until we’ve con-
sciously defi ned the problem,” he said,
quoting author Nicholas Carr. “We
need larger schemas of values by which
to organize information.”
At SCU’s Ignatian Center for Jesuit
Education, the new Tech and the Hu-
man Spirit program is a response to the
fact that technology has changed us, and
will continue to shape our lives, our or-
ganizations, our communities, and our
future. The program will invite speakers
to address the question: how can we
steward technology’s advance to benefi t
humanity to the fullest – supporting
human endeavor, and contributing to
human fl ourishing in all its dimensions?
Santa Clara University brings the in-
clusive perspective of Jesuit education
to Silicon Valley to pursue answers.
“One of the major topics discussed
at the recent Synod on Young People,
the Faith and Vocational Discernment
in Rome was young people’s relation-
ship with technology, a relationship
with both lights and shadows,” said
Dorian Llywelyn, S.J., executive direc-
tor of the Ignatian Center for Jesuit
Education. “We try to teach our chil-
dren to do and say what it right and
what is wrong. But that task is harder
when we ourselves don’t always know
SAN DAMIANO RETREAT
where the truth lies. So it’s important
for us to discern carefully the daily
choices that face people of all ages in
this digital age.”
From ubiquitous Internet access and
its infl uence on human communication
and relationships, to artificial intel-
ligence, bioengineering, and quantum
computing – poised to transform ev-
erything from business to education to
healthcare – we are experiencing an un-
precedented wave of tech-driven change
– a ”Fourth Industrial Revolution.”
Santa Clara seeks to be a rare forum
for exploring the most profound and
complex questions about technology’s
impact on what it means to be human.
At Santa Clara University, such topics
are the domain of the human spirit –
the place in each of us where questions
of identity, meaning, purpose, and hu-
man interconnection dwell. If we are to
steward technology to its highest good,
shouldn’t spirit be part of the conversa-
tion – and an inspiration for action?
Tech and the Human Spirit is a
one-of-a-kind initiative that will en-
gage a diverse array of partners in
conversation, reflection, and action
at the intersection of technology and
the human spirit. The inquiry SCU
convenes will transcend ethical and
technological considerations to explore
the full spectrum of human fl ourish-
ing: Mind, body, and spirit. Together,
we will pursue questions at the very
heart of our humanness: In the midst of
this Fourth Industrial Revolution, what
does it mean to be fully human? And
who, as technology creators shaped by
our own creation, are we becoming?
To view Bishop Cantú’s talk visit
http://bit.ly/CantuSCU.
More information on Tech and
the Human Spirit can be found at
https://www.scu.edu/ic/ths/.
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