L’Arche Presence at the Ignatian Family Teach-In

L’Arche St. Louis has had deep connections with the Ignatian Order, supporting each other in our mutual missions to create a more just and compassionate world.

Last month Abby and Bryce from L’Arche St. Louis attended the 27th annual Ignatian Solidarity Network Teach-In in Virginia with St. Louis University, where they heard speakers, attended break-out sessions, and met with legislators to discuss and learn more about advocacy and justice work. Check out their reflections on how their time at the conference speaks into their work with L’Arche St. Louis, and their experience connecting there with other L’Arche communities!

Bryce:

The Ignatian Family Teach-in for Justice was a wonderful experience that allowed me to explore Catholic Social Teaching and learn how to advocate to legislators about important social justice issues. The conference itself was broken into three main sessions and three breakout sessions. While I might be biased, my favorite part of this trip was the L’Arche breakout session with the L’Arche community in Washington DC. I met some amazing people and talked to their core members about their favorite parts of L’Arche. While they were in a different city there were many commonalities between our Saint Louis community and the DC community. These include the importance of celebrations, having fun, building community, controlled chaos, and loving a good Subway sandwich! Seeing the great work that L’Arche does nationwide and participating in an experience that benefited our greater L’Arche community was a blessing. To end the conference, we talked to legislators and their staffers about social justice issues. My advocacy focused on criminal justice reform. It was amazing to experience the ins and outs of Congress and learn these important skills. Overall, IFTJ was a blessing, and I am beyond grateful for my experience at the conference and for being able to work with L’Arche!

Abby:

The 2024 Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. Through connecting with equally passionate peers and drafting advocacy plans, I feel more connected to the legislative process and I feel more strongly that my voice has an indispensable power to drive change. My time on Capitol Hill was spent advocating for Senate Bill 1863, the Prove It Act of 2024, which would ask the Department of Energy to perform a survey about specific emissions, as well as post the results, every five years. Most exciting, however, was meeting L'Arche of Greater Washington, D.C.! I loved meeting Sito and two of the Core members of GWDC. Together, they hosted an education session about community and were proud to tell the session about how they foster community and each other's wellbeing.

I am so grateful to SLU's Campus Ministry for this opportunity, and thankful to the L'Arche community for welcoming my friends and I with open arms.