BUFFALO, NY – Canisius University students joined more than 1,700 attendees who gathered for the 27th annual Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice in Washington, D.C. from October 26-28. The Teach-In connects Catholic faith and justice by addressing timely issues through two days of speakers, breakout sessions and networking opportunities. This year’s event centered on the theme of “Steadfast Hope in Precarious Times” and examined issues including racial justice, immigration and environmental justice through the lens of Catholic Social teaching.
The Teach-In is the largest annual Catholic social justice gathering in the U.S., attracting attendees from nearly 120 Jesuit and other Catholic universities, high schools, parishes and organizations in the U.S. and El Salvador. It was initiated in 1997 to commemorate the lives of the Jesuit martyrs of El Salvador: Six Jesuit priests, their housekeeper and her teenage daughter were murdered Nov. 16, 1989 for speaking out against the country’s tumultuous civil work. Through work with the poor and marginalized, the Catholic Church and its leaders, including the Jesuits and Saint Oscar Romero, sought to address the long history of inequality and injustice in the country.
The keynote speakers during the weekend event included Rev. 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, SC, director of Centro de Arte Para la Paz in El Salvador. A vigial of remembrance was held on Saturday, Oct. 26 to mark the 35th anniversary of the Jesuit martyrs of El Salvador. The weekend concluded with a closing Mass presided by Rev. Adam DeLeon, SJ, director of mission at Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory.
Canisius was founded in 1870 in Buffalo, NY, and is one of 27 Jesuit colleges and universities in the U.S. Consistently ranked among the top institutions in the Northeast, Canisius offers undergraduate, graduate and pre-professional programs distinguished by close student-faculty collaboration, mentoring and an emphasis on ethical, purpose-driven leadership.
