June 1, 2020

George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Eric Garner, Philando Castile, Trayvon Martin, Sandra Bland, Freddie Gray, Emmett Till, and those whose names we do not know but for whom we pray. 

Each of these victims stands out in a long list of racist and unjust actions that have long shaped and held up the fabric of American society. Systemic racism is ever present in our society, its institutions, and our ways of life and breathtakingly obvious to see in our nation’s educational system. 

Black lives matter at Saint Ignatius Loyola Academy.  We stand with communities in Baltimore, Maryland, and throughout the nation who seek new awareness and a change in our institutions to unlearn our pervasive system of racism. 

We journey with our students so that they will learn to make counter-cultural choices to recognize and stand apart from injustice, selfishness, and superficiality while learning to embrace compassion, integrity, and depth of thought and imagination in order to become well educated, successful citizens, role models, and leaders in their communities.

We ask all Academy supporters and everyone in our community to join us in working towards awareness of and an end to racism. Reflect on what actions you can take and how to continue a dialogue about this important issue in your family and community. 

We remain ready to accompany our students to be a generation of citizens who will bring about a more just and peaceful world as Men With and For Others. 

As we pray with our students each day these words of St. Ignatius of Loyola,

“Dearest Lord,

Teach me to be generous.

Teach me to serve you as you deserve.

To give and not to count the cost.

To fight and not to heed the wounds.

To toil and not to seek for rest.

To labor and not to ask for any reward,

Save that of knowing that I do your holy will.

Amen.”