Justice and Ignatian Advocacy

Connect, learn and engage with students and advocacy partners.

At the Schlegel Center for Service and Justice (SCSJ), we invite students to serve and to work for change with—and sometimes on behalf of—those experiencing poverty and injustice. We look to resources such as the “two feet of love in action,” which assert that we need service, as well as the work of social change to build a better world. We do this in community and with key partners drawing from our Ignatian and Catholic traditions.

Ignatian Family Teach-in for Justice

Initiated in 1997, the Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice (IFTJ) commemorates the lives of the Jesuit martyrs of El Salvador. The six Jesuit priests, their coworker and her teenage daughter were murdered on November 16, 1989, for speaking out against the country’s tumultuous civil war. Through work with the poor and marginalized, the Catholic Church and its leaders, including the Jesuits and Saint Óscar Romero, sought to address the long history of inequality and injustice in the country.

IFTJ connects Catholic faith and justice by addressing timely issues through two days of dynamic speakers, breakout sessions, and networking followed by a day of legislative visits. As the largest annual Catholic social justice gathering in the U.S., IFTJ attracts attendees from nearly 120 Jesuit and other Catholic universities, high schools, parishes, and organizations in the U.S. and El Salvador. While all ages are represented at the event, most attendees are ages 16-22. 

Videos and pictures of the 2024 conference are posted at: IFTJ 2024 YouTube playlist and Flickr albums.

Creighton University will join this memorable experience this year. Nov. 14-17 including major keynotes and breakouts, networking, reflection, prayer and advocacy! Applications for current students are now live: Ignatian Family Teach In for Justice (login required)

Applications and payment are due by August 28. More information about the conference can be found at https://ignatiansolidarity.net/iftj/. 

Faith-Justice Conferences, Internships and Formation Opportunities

We hope you will join us for a faith-justice conference, internship or one-time workshop experience, and we invite all SCSJ program participants to learn about Ignatian advocacy. If interested in these or other opportunities, contact our Associate Director Kelly Tadeo Orbik.

Catholic Social Ministry Gathering

  • For more than 40 years, the Catholic Social Ministry Gathering (CSMG) has brought together hundreds of participants whose faith inspires them to address pressing current domestic and global challenges affecting our most vulnerable brothers and sisters at home and around the world. The 2025 theme is “Missionaries of Hope, Advocates for Justice,” and recognizes the call to be beacons of God’s love. The gathering will include:
    • Inspiring speakers and grassroots voices in the Church and society
    • Workshops with policy experts and community leaders
    • Intentional opportunities for best practice-sharing among participants
    • Resources from dozens of Catholic social ministry organizations
    • Advocacy visits with elected officials
       

Ecumenical Legislative Briefing Day

  • We invite you to join the SCSJ's delegation for the Ecumenical Legislative Briefing Day on Saturday, February 14, 2026. The event will provide information about concerns we all share, including restorative justice, school safety, mental health, the environment, education, economics and housing. Attendees will learn about general advocacy: what it is, what it includes, how to do it and how not to do it!
  • The event is free to students, and transportation is provided. For more information, contact Kelly Tadeo Orbik.  
     

Faith-Justice Internship Opportunities 

Students participating in faith-justice internships will:

  • Become faith justice leaders among their Jesuit/Catholic University peers
  • Lead others in engaging the legislative system to change structures with and on behalf of the poor and marginalized
  • Gain connections for personal and professional discernment and development in fields including social justice policy
  • Reflect on their own talents and passions as they connect with the needs of our world
  • Internships available during the academic year and/or summer

Voting: A Crucial Method for Engaging in Your Community

The SCSJ seeks to provide students, faculty, staff and alumni with civic responsibility resources to promote community engagement and serve the common good.
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