Faith Life

Student Formation

At Saint Ignatius College Prep, we celebrate the active presence of God in our lives through prayer, retreats, liturgy, the Sacraments, and working with and for others in service to bring God’s justice more fully into the world. The Director of Student Formation, Peter Corrigan (peter.corrigan@ignatius.org), and the class-year student chaplains coordinate opportunities for students’ spiritual growth, leadership, and service to others. Formation and Ministry's peer ministry approach empowers students to lead their classmates into deeper relationship with Jesus Christ.

"To Praise, Reverence and Serve"

Modeled on the words of St. Paul, "Do everything for the glory of God" (1 Cor. 10:31b), Saint Ignatius College Prep's Formation and Ministry Program provides opportunities for prayer and ministry that nourish the faith life of our students. Through liturgies, retreats, service and social justice programs, our integrated ministries promote the religious development of our students. Our students form Christian community and connect with the larger Catholic Church. We pray that our students receive fruits of the Holy Spirit as they follow the call of Christ to become women and men for and with others.

To Praise & Reverence…

As a Christian, Catholic community, with a particular Jesuit charism, Saint Ignatius College Prep invites our entire student and adult community to full participation in the celebration of the Eucharist. There are many opportunities for our students to come to the Table of the Lord.

The Gonzaga Society is the St. Ignatius College Prep liturgical leadership group. We strive to grow together as ministers as we learn about the various ways to serve the Church in liturgical functions. The Gonzaga Society is comprised of students as well as faculty and staff who serve as Eucharistic Ministers, Lectors, Altar Servers, and many others. We offer targeted time to learn about various ministries to reflect and pray about them, and to practice them in a meaningful way. This is all done as an answer to the call we receive from our baptism to live Christ-like lives by following his example as Priest, Prophet, and King.

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Daily Mass & First Friday Spirit Masses

The Eucharist is offered every day before school for faculty and students at 7:30 A.M. in the Cuneo Chapel of the North American Martyrs located on the 5th floor. On the First Friday of each month we gather for an all-school Mass in the Church of the Holy Family to honor the Jesuit devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
All-School Masses

Our school year is highlighted by all-school liturgies planned by a team of students and Formation and Ministry staff. Students and faculty gather in the Church of the Holy Family, the landmark church directly west of Saint Ignatius founded by Father Arnold Damen, SJ in the middle of the Nineteenth Century, to pray as a school community. The school year begins with the Mass of the Holy Spirit, and concludes with our year-end liturgy. The school year is then punctuated by Catholic Feast days such as the Solemnity of All Saints, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, and Ash Wednesday.
Class Masses

Though we worship together quite frequently, each class at Saint Ignatius is invited to celebrate the ways they are united in the Spirit as One Body in Christ at a Sunday or special liturgy at Holy Family Church during the school year. The Freshman and Sophomore Family Masses and the Junior Family Mass & Ring Blessing are communal celebrations for the families and friends of Ignatians to join in the Spirit of our faith community. This experience culminates in the Baccalaureate Mass offered before graduation. Baccalaureate is a time of thanksgiving in which the entire class, their family, and friends rejoice as they celebrate their final liturgy and their faith journey as Ignatians.
Celebrating the Sacraments at SICP

The Sacraments are the lifeblood of the Church as they are tangible expressions of God’s grace. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is offered on various retreats and during the seasons of Advent and Lent. Students who wish to become Catholic can be connected to a parish to receive their sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Reconciliation, and First Holy Communion). We are currently working with the Archdiocese on an alternative Confirmation program for students who wish to receive this sacrament here at Saint Ignatius. Our chaplains are always willing to connect students to faith communities and faith leaders outside of their spiritual home at Saint Ignatius College Prep.
Retreats

Jesuit education seeks to provide every student with the opportunity to hear and respond to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Retreats are an integral part of the way each student is challenged to grow in Christian self-understanding, to develop a life of prayer and worship, and to respond to Christ's call to serve others.

Retreats are considered so essential that the academic year for freshmen, sophomores and juniors is incomplete without one. Every student is required to make a retreat in his or her first, second and third years at Saint Ignatius College Prep. Our retreat program reflects a developmental approach to our students’ lives. Building on successive themes, the first three retreats incorporate elements of service, prayer, small group process, and large group activities to introduce students to faith sharing, prayerful reflection, and various forms of prayer conversant with the history of various spiritualities in the Catholic tradition. For example, all retreats incorporate some form of the Liturgy of the Hours, Sophomore through Senior retreats incorporate the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and Freshmen retreat seeks to introduce our students to the inextricable connection between faith and justice. The Freshman Retreat is Corpus, or the Body, and is built around the concept of Christian community. The Sophomore Retreat is Living Word: People for and with Others, which focuses on the students' dependence on God and interdependence with others. The Junior Retreat is A Disciple's Journey, and serves as a review of the Junior’s path through Ignatius and invites her or him to begin a process of Christian discernment in regard to future choices. The Senior retreats are voluntary experiences. Students can currently choose between Kairos and Oramus, which reinforce themes developed in the first three experiences and provide a much deeper, personal experience of God’s grace through experiences designed for students who have developed more maturity in their faith and express an earnest desire to know God more deeply. More information on each retreat is found on the respective pages of the class-level formation found in your left-hand navigation.
Mission Reflection - Ignatian Values Days

IVDs are days of prayer, mission-reflection, and worship. As a community, Saint Ignatius College Prep engages in creative, faculty and student-generated reflection activities that feature speakers, prayer experiences, and alternative cross-curricular programming that seek to form students and adults alike in the vision of the Graduate at Graduation Statement. IVDs are planned and facilitated by a committee comprised of student leaders, faculty, and staff who share in the responsibilities of providing an experience for the entire community on these days.

Being part of the Gonzaga Society allows students, faculty and staff alike to dive deeper into the Mass, which the Second Vatican Council calls the "source and summit of our faith", and to live out our call to be servant leaders to our school community and the greater Church universal.

To Serve ... Christian Service

Christ worship ideally moves us to participate more fully in God’s unfolding Kingdom, which invites our co-laboring in the work of peace and justice. Our faith that does justice calls all of us to become increasingly more Women and Men with and for Others in the model of Jesus Christ, our ultimate hope. Service and immersion opportunities are offered throughout the year under the guidance of class year chaplains. Additionally, all members of the Saint Ignatius community are encouraged to undertake service work at appropriate department-approved locations. Service is an opportunity to build relationship directly with people in need. Ideally, service mutually empowers the servant and the recipient. The true gift of service is found in the reciprocal relationships that we develop through the love of God. Excellent opportunities are available through tutoring programs, nursing homes, soup kitchens, hospitals, parish outreach, advocacy organizations, and other not-for-profit organizations.

Information Regarding Non-Tuition Assistance for Retreats and Service Immersions

All families are eligible to apply for assistance for Formation and Ministry programming such as retreats and service projects. Please contact our office for more information regarding Non-Tuition Assistance.

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Freshmen

Freshmen commit themselves to complete 10 hours of service. All Freshmen must complete at least 5 of their 10 total hours of service in the first semester by December 6, 2022. The total 10 hours must be completed by April 25, 2023. Failure to meet this deadline will result in the retention of the student’s report card in June and the student’s schedule of classes for the 2023-24 school year. In addition, students who have not completed their hours will not be allowed to attend classes or participate in any school-sponsored activities until the service commitment is fulfilled. Service hours may be fulfilled through school-sponsored service projects or other projects PRE-APPROVED by Formation and Ministry. Completed service must be documented and tracked using the service website. Freshmen will receive step-by-step registration instructions at the beginning of the school year.
Sophomores

Sophomores commit themselves to complete 25 hours of service and more fully reflect on this experience through their Theology class. Sophomores must engage in a prolonged service experience of at least 20 hours at one PRE-APPROVED social service organization. The deadline for site approval and completion of 10 hours is Thursday, December 8, 2022. Service hours must be documented and reported to the First Years chaplain by Thursday, April 27, 2023. Failure to meet this deadline will result in the retention of the student’s report card in June and their schedule of classes for the 2023-24 school year. In addition, students who have not completed their hours will not be allowed to attend classes or participate in any school-sponsored activities until the service commitment is fulfilled.
Juniors & Seniors

Ideally, Juniors and Seniors, rooted in their required service commitment and their growing Christian faith of their underclass years, are then moved to a lifelong commitment of service, justice work, and faith. This can be highlighted by participation in the summer immersion program leading up to the student’s senior year, as well as enrolling in the senior Theology honors class, which includes a service learning opportunity.