Georgetown Makes Connections with Jesuit Universities at JASPA 

By: Jennon Bell Hoffmann

Sharing knowledge and ideas is a cornerstone of Jesuit education. To facilitate that, the Jesuit Association of Student Personnel Administrators (JASPA) conference hosts an annual gathering, where administrators from 27 Jesuit universities come together as a community to share ideas, tips, programs, and camaraderie. Owen Ruggiero, Associate Director for Catholic Life, attended his first JASPA conference this July, and shared his experience and takeaways with us. 

Campus Ministry: Thank you for chatting with us. This was your first JASPA conference, which also happened to be the Five-Year Institute — a multi-day event at Loyola University New Orleans. Tell us about your experience. What expectations did you have going in?

Owen Ruggiero: This was the first Five-Year Institute in a decade, since the pandemic cancelled the last one. So much has changed for students, universities, and the way we interact, both in person and online. I attended a panel on community space and another on creating a home for LGBTQ+ students in Campus Ministry. I believe our Catholic community on campus should be an inclusive, diverse space where everyone feels they belong and are celebrated. These panels and discussions helped translate those conceptual ideas into practical steps we can take to foster that kind of community here on the Hilltop.

CM: It sounds like JASPA helps bridge the gap between big ideas and actionable items. It takes it from the why of a mission statement into how to live it out.

OR: Exactly. Another thing that JASPA incorporated into the Five-Year Institute was being joyful. Part of my role involves supervising and providing formation opportunities for student leaders in Catholic Ministry. One of my favorite panels discussed ways to incorporate joy into student leader formation, not incidentally or accidentally, but as part of the curriculum. It follows Pope Francis’ [apostolic exhortation] Evangelii Gaudium about incorporating joy and gratitude, and sharing it with others. I think highlighting it at JASPA was important because we’re all united around this goal, and we’re all thinking about how to meet the students where they are with what they need in this moment.

CM: In your role as Associate Director for Catholic Life, how do you plan to bring these ideas into your work at Georgetown?

OR: Making space and creating community are important drivers of our work in the Catholic Life office—we’re always thinking about the entry points for students. Right now, the main entry point is Dahlgren Chapel, where students connect with Catholic Life because they already attend Mass or stop by for other events.  I spend a lot of time thinking about other avenues for students to engage, especially students who have doubts or questions about whether they belong in the Catholic community. I approach this by thinking and talking a lot about the identities we hold that intersect with Catholic identity. What does it mean to be LGBTQ+ and Catholic? Feminist and Catholic? Catholic and frustrated with the Church? Or, maybe, wrestling with the perception that you’re a “bad” or “lapsed” Catholic? I want to create a space where students — with all the diverse, complicated, intersecting identities they hold — can openly and comfortably be welcomed and feel part of the fabric of the community, just as they are.

CM: Meeting people where they are is a cornerstone of Jesuit education. 

OR: Exactly. We’re developing a new peer-to-peer student engagement program in Catholic Ministry this year called Catholic Life Fellows, which will serve as a bridge for students who want to learn more. There are many more Catholic students at Georgetown than we currently reach, so having a dedicated team of students, each connected to campus in different ways and representing identities we don’t, can greatly expand our reach. Even if a conversation with a Catholic Life Fellow doesn’t lead a student to join a Catholic Ministry program, it still provides a meaningful touchpoint that encourages them to reflect on their Catholic identity.

CM: What’s your favorite part of your job as Associate Director of Campus Life? 

OR: The student life aspect of my job is definitely my favorite. I’m not a chaplain, and I don’t provide pastoral care or spiritual direction for students, but I love talking with them, asking, “What does it mean to be Catholic? How do you embody your Catholic identity here?” I enjoy learning how their Catholic identity is shaped by their other identities and how those interact. That connection is what I love most.

Attending JASPA was also energizing. Hearing colleagues from our fellow Jesuit universities share what excites them about their work and what we’re all striving for was inspiring, and it felt great to bring that excitement back to Georgetown.

Owen Ruggiero is the Associate Director of Catholic Life, coordinating Catholic liturgy and worship programs, supporting Encounter (Campus Ministry’s interreligious pre-orientation program), and building a diverse, inclusive Catholic community at Georgetown. When he is not at work, Owen may be found hiking, reading the labels on museum exhibits, or cheering on the New York Mets. 

Jennon Bell Hoffmann is a freelance writer and editor living in Chicago. 

Photos courtesy of Owen Ruggiero.