The Spiritual Work of Racial Justice: A Month of Meditations with Ignatius of Loyola

by Patrick Saint-Jean

"The Spiritual Work of Racial Justice is a meaningful and practical resource for our times. Through Ignatian Spiritual Exercises, Patrick Saint-Jean, S.J. offers an opportunity to continue the pursuit of racial justice as a necessary component of faith. Each meditation includes relevant history and grounded spiritual practices. The book is refreshing and accessible to all."—Barbara Holmes, author of Joy Contemplative Practices of the Black Church and Liberation and the Cosmos"For more than 150 years, legislation has led the peoples of the United States in a clever and deceitful, serpentine path from genocide to reservations, from enslavement to terrorism, from segregation to discrimination, and back again and again. Legislation may make the healing of our fractured racial-ethnic relations possible, but only love can heal us. Jesuit Patrick Saint-Jean offers us a way to heal our battered souls and bereaved hearts, using reflection, journaling, and reading in openness, humility, and prayer to lead us to concrete acts of love for our neighbors. Saint-Jean coaches us along this road and uncovers the necessity of spirituality in the work of racial justice."—M. Shawn Copeland, author of Enfleshing Body, Race, and Being"Saint-Jean’s book beautifully weaves together several the author’s personal experience as a Jesuit in formation who is both an immigrant and a Black man; poignant reminders of the long history of race-based violence; calls for racial justice; and the perennial wisdom of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola, with their focus on examining our sin so that we are free to love God and neighbor. The end result is an invitation to the interior work necessary to deepen our commitment to racial justice."—Very Rev. Brian G. Paulson, S.J., Provincial Superior, USA Midwest Province of the Society of JesusPatrick Saint-Jean, S.J., PsyD, currently teaches in the psychology department at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, where he is also a psychotherapist. He enjoys jazz, traveling, and learning new languages; and he plays the guitar, harmonica, and drums. He also likes a cup of hot water in the morning.

Genres: Theology, Anti Racist

404 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 4, 2021

Reviews

[Rick Rapp · Rating 4 out of 5]

I heard Fr. Saint-Jean speak at St. Mary of the Lake. I thought he had some good things to say, but the talk overall seemed scattered to me. I'm glad I decided to read this book. It is not an easy read for a white person. There are countless indictments of white privilege and asking what we are doing to make the necessary changes. He includes dozens of atrocities that make me ashamed of the Church and our country about how little is being done. People can't wait to condemn the BLM movement because of their fear and their discomfort at being a silent party to the outrages. This book took quite a while to read because there are (difficult) journal activities to address at the end of each chapter. It blends the words of St. Ignatius (founder of the Jesuits) with words by Black activists and passages from the Bible. It is disturbing and thought-provoking. And more than a little depressing, because I'm not sure what I can do to make changes.

[Drick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Patrick Saint-Jean is a Jesuit priest and a Person of color who applies the spiritual exercises of Ignatius (founder of the Jesuit Order) to the issues of racism that exist today. He calls for us to see racism as at heart an evil that requires a spiritual response grounded in justice-oriented, compassionate action. Drawing on his personal experiences, as well as the experiences and insights of many authors on the subject of racism.

The book is arranged by weeks and days, with journal exercises, prayers and relevant statements looking at the various dimensions of racism and how as Christian’s we can address them in concrete, community oriented way. The book is a sort of devotional that one can go back to time and time again.

[Joseph Tyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting read about Racial Justice, reviewed with references to St Ignatius Loyola’s Spiritual Exercices.

[Louelle Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Challenge for All People

This book was an exceptional read and challenge for me as a Black woman. It forced me to look at myself and my personal prejudices. I think everyone should read this not as just something to read but to experience and look with introspect into their own heart.

[George · Rating 4 out of 5]

Practical, wise, and deeply inspiring.

[Izzy Senechal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is phenomenal! Patrick Saint-Jean, SJ provides a sobering, hard look at racism in our modern world, juxtaposed with the passion and suffering of Jesus Christ. The spiritual journey of St. Ignatius of Loyola is also beautifully paralleled with antiracist work, ultimately resounding a call for effective love, humility, and pursuing justice for all God’s children. At times, this book struck me like a lightning bolt, forcing me to look back on the times that I have faltered and succumbed to the wickedness of white supremacy. At other times, I found myself in mourning and deep sorrow for the violence—slow and fast—committed regularly against people of color. But ultimately, this book was hopeful, reinvigorating, and intentional in its message, inviting me to imagine a more just, loving, equal world.

I truly hope I get the chance to encounter Patrick sometime during my next year and a half at Creighton. His words really inspired me.

[Xavier University Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

SRC 2022 #1: A very powerful read. Not only does it provide background into Ignatius Loyola's biography and the Spiritual Exercises, it provides the reader with his or her own "exercises" in the form of thought-provoking questions, prayers, journal topics, to approach the issue of racism and diversity and inclusion. It does help one examine their own beliefs, attitudes, and actions.

SRC 2022 #2: Saint-Jean deftly weaves together spiritual wisdom for social awareness and transformation, providing an outstanding resource for both Ignatian spirituality and dismantling racism. Should be required reading for anyone affiliated with a Jesuit institution or ministry. A book to savor and reread often.

[Kevin McShane · Rating 5 out of 5]

A topical application of the Spiritual Exercises that motivate for racial justice and love.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant collection of both racial justice information and deeply spiritual reflection. I’m grateful to have found this book and anticipate rereading it many times.