Alumni and friends of Jesuit institutions in the United States will have a historic opportunity this summer to connect and learn from fellow Jesuit alumni from across the globe. For the first time ever, the World Union of Jesuit Alumni (WUJA) Congress will take place in North America at John Carroll University in Cleveland from June 28 to July 2.

“John Carroll’s beautiful campus is our gift to North America’s first-ever WUJA gathering,” said Jesuit Fr. Robert L. Niehoff, president of the university.

With the theme of “Uniting Our Jesuit Frontiers: To Know God, To Love God, To Serve God,” experts in a variety of fields will present on topics that include the arts, business, science, law, spirituality, theology, faith and leadership, service, and justice.

Founded in 1956 in commemoration of the 400th anniversary of Saint Ignatius Loyola’s death, WUJA holds an international Congress every four years to gather attendees — from as many as 50 countries — to represent and build a global network of Jesuit ministries. The previous Congress was held in Colombia in 2013 and drew more than 700 attendees.

WUJA also provides a unique platform for participants to take those shared experiences back to their own countries to help shape our society for the common good, using Jesuit-centric values.

The keynote speakers include:

• Fr. Timothy P. Kesicki, SJ, president of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States
• Fr. Greg Boyle, SJ, founder and executive director of Homeboy Industries, which provides job training and services to former gang members in Los Angeles
• Katherine Marshall, senior fellow at Georgetown University’s Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs, where she leads the Center’s program on Religion and Global Development and is professor of the Practice of Development, Conflict, and Religion
• Dikembe Mutombo, Georgetown alumnus, former NBA star, and chairman and president of the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation, which he created in 1997 to improve the health, education, and quality of life for the people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Fr. Peter Balleis, SJ, director of Jesuit Worldwide Learning – Higher Education at the Margins, a collaborative global initiative that provides certificate and diploma programs to those who live in refugee camps and in places where higher learning is out of reach

The conference will offer liturgy services as well as ample opportunity to network, socialize, and explore Cleveland, including a reception at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

“We’re delighted to welcome you, so please, come and join us and help us unite the Jesuit frontiers to make the world a better place,” said Fr. Niehoff.

Visit www.wujacongress2017.org for more information and to register to attend. [Sources: WUJA, Cleveland.com]