Ignatian Legacy Fellows discover self and solidarity through observation, reflection and travel
By Alison Wigart
Special to the Herald
The Ignatian Legacy Fellows, or ILF, was founded in 2018 by a small group of thoughtful leaders wanting to provide enrichment to individuals in the third chapter of their lives. As the name suggests, ILF is inspired by the teachings and traditions of Ignatian spirituality. Just as Jesuits are guided to be “contemplatives in action” so too are members of ILF, through observation, theological reflection, and personal engagement.
The full scope of the year-long commitment consists of in-person gatherings for one week every two months, enriched by digital connections monthly. Each month carries a different theme applied through lectures, readings, liturgy and discussions. In the U.S., members travel to Boston College, Santa Clara University, and Georgetown University. Globally, fellows travel together to Peru, Spain and Rome. Although travel destinations remain consistent for every annual cohort, the leadership makes strides to tailor the curriculum to the interests and proclivities of the cohort.
ILF co-founder Mariann McCorkle explains how the curriculum “wraps around the fellows,” taking their professions, personalities, questions, and gifts into consideration when crafting discussions and activities. Just as St. Ignatius is depicted as having one foot raised and ready to engage a new part of the world, so are its members. It’s this forward momentum that catalyzes fellows to pack their bags for a year of discovery, reflection and service.
At the root of it, McCorkle remarks how the program is about “getting in touch with your interior journey and what you learned in your life as a professional and carrying that wisdom into this new time.”
Retirement can be a real vocational moment for members because they are living longer lives and have more time to dedicate to ultimate questions and outreach. ILF sets the table for this chapter, allowing members to “fill up their baskets,” she says, with personal enrichment, travel, and outward service. “We’ve seen people really grow to understand themselves better.”
The spiritual center of the program is co-founder Jesuit Father Michael Garanzini, a clinical psychotherapist, published author and former president of Loyola University Chicago. “We want to educate the whole person in conjunction with their community,” he says, by “getting in touch with your inner self, freedom and inner calling.” Father Garanzini shepherds the fellows through this journey, focusing on key elements of Ignatian spirituality: “What am I grateful for? What gifts have I been given? What do I give?” Discovering and appreciating these gifts is a difficult task but comes easier with age and experience. In Father Garanzini’s words, “wisdom is clarity of who I am and what I have been given.”
Father Garanzini’s robust experience as a priest and in academia combined with McCorkle’s career in teaching, philanthropy, and poetry, has created a holistically structured yet empathically diverse curriculum for the fellows. “This final journey needs to be authentic”, says Garanzini. Now in its third cohort, the ILF program demonstrates that discovering one’s authenticity during the pilgrimage relies heavily on the authenticity of the cohort.
After applications are submitted, a group of roughly 15 people are thoughtfully chosen with a keen focus on complementarity, intellectual curiosity and a heart that seeks to understand. The result is a symbiosis of varying spiritualities, socioeconomic backgrounds, countries of residence and gender identities who spend the year learning, traveling, reflecting, bonding, and supporting one another. Members leave with a greater clarity of purpose and a responsibility to aid the poor and most vulnerable, home and abroad.
As the ILF curriculum continues to develop, so will its members, even in this later stage of life. As the saying goes, “you can’t start the next chapter of your life if you keep re-reading the last one.”
If you’re interested in learning more about the Ignatian Legacy Fellows or joining their annual pilgrimage, visit www.ignatianlegacyfellows.org.
