Mission and Identity
Why this website?
UDM's c. 1,300 employees are expected to bring competence to their job descriptions. The relatively recent (2005- ) Office of Mission & Identity (M&I) is explicitly charged with nourishing employee conversations about the soul of the University as it is integrated with the body. M&I's nine programs integrate UDM's "soul" (research, teaching, Mercy and Jesuit traditions, Roman Catholic and urban commitments, etc.) with UDM's "body" (budget management, public image management, capital projects, long-term maintenance, etc.).
Mission & Identity YouTube Links
- Half-Day Retreat talks
The identity of UDM changes every time a person brings her/his convictions to bear on her/his skillset. The half-day retreat makes this process communal. Three talks from John M. Staudenmaier, S.J., frame retreatant discussions. - Secular and Sacred, the 2011 Leonardo daVinci Medal Talk
Fr. Staudenmaier responds autobiographically to a compelling question from an MIT atheist scholar-friend: "How did I find my way to an integration of my secularity with my faith life?" - Learning the Spiritual Exercises: Lunch Hour Series
In four c. 50 minute lunch hour talks, Fr. Staudenmaier introduces lessons about prayer taken from The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola.
Spiritual Exercises: Articles
Texts provided in Adobe Reader (PDF) format
- "Sensual Prayer - Electronic Context: Ignatian Prayer for Internet Users"
A look at the electronic media, including the Internet, as important influences on our lives. Which disciplines of prayer can help us meet God in the electronic dimensions of life? Download text - "Electric Lights Cast Long Shadows: Seeking the Greater Good in a World of Competing Clarities"
This lecture considers a commonplace technology, electric lights, and how an interrogation of artificial lighting might help us understand the Ignatian form of prayer known as "seeking the greater good." Download text
