Mind and Spirit: Jesuit Guidance Towards Holistic Formation

The Ateneo de Manila University is an institution that emphasizes the intertwining of the mental and the spiritual, committing to provide students, faculty and staff support in their everyday effort of maintaining psycho-spiritual health and wellness. This commitment is embodied by units from both the Professional Schools and the Loyola Schools, the APS Campus Ministry Office and the Ateneo LS Office of Campus Ministry. Together, they foster among the members of the community a culture of spirituality anchored on the Ignatian tradition that consequently inspires and leads towards sharing in the mission of social formation and responsibility.

Formation and support come in various forms: (1) Given the context of the pandemic and the increasing role social media plays in higher education and university culture, daily masses once practiced on campus are now made accessible online. Titled “KEEP THE FAITH: Daily Mass for Hope and Healing,” these masses facilitated by the Jesuit Communications and sponsored by the various units of Ateneo, along with other weekly or special religious events, serve as an avenue for communal reflection and prayer. (2) Regular recollections designed to meet the students' needs and to be in harmony with the core curriculum for an integrated Ateneo formation are organized and facilitated. Retreats, discernment talks, Weekly Examen, the First Spiritual Exercises or the Retreat in Daily Life, Breathing Space, Ignatian Circles, and small group conversations are offered for those who seek a mindful pause, a space of processing and deepening of faith. (3) Spiritual Accompaniment and Pastoral Counseling, especially during this challenging time of the pandemic, are special services offered at no cost. In a safe space and in the context of an individual conversation, students, faculty and staff are listened to and accompanied by the Campus Ministers and Chaplains to help them get in touch with the core self, notice interior movements, and discern God's presence and invitations in the midst of their life experiences.

Both offices also reach out to the community by optimizing the online platform through their respective websites/pages. Helpful resources on various relevant topics are provided (e.g. mindfulness, examen, mental health, general tips for well-being, the importance of daily affirmations, prayers, etc). Through commentaries on weekly affairs, as well as catchy or insightful quotations from religious or psycho-spiritual thinkers and wisdom figures, and constant references to sacred scripture and other reputable sources, guidance and evocative points for reflection and prayer in an everyday context are extended. Besides this, a radio show titled “Campus Ministers On-Air (CMO)” regularly streams episodes centering on finding God in the different aspects of life and culture, and of the Ateneo and Ignatian way, making sound faith advice, and psycho-spiritual reflections accessible and relevant to the university community.