2016 New Student Convocation and Family Welcome

Saint Louis University celebrated our 2016 New Student Convocation and Family Welcome on Thursday, August 18 in Chaifetz Arena. Senior Corey James gave the student address, which we share here in its entirety. Corey focused his address around his experience with Benedict Joseph Labre Ministry With the Homeless.

Be a Billiken, Be The Pilgrim

Welcome new Saint Louis University Billikens. Three years ago, before I spent my Fall Welcomes sporting exclusively orange, I sat exactly where you are now; and I’d like to start today by talking about something that I know you will see hundreds of times while at this university: that is the statue of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus, that is located on the center of Saint Louis University’s quad. Entitled The Pilgrim, this statue of St. Ignatius, as pointed out to me by a Philosophy professor here, has a bit of an unusual gaze. When looking at Ignatius’ eyes, you’ll notice that it is actually difficult to see whether he is looking far off into the distance or whether he is focused on something up close. This quality, I think, is undoubtedly intentional. St. Ignatius spent his life looking at both the far and near, the large and small, the future and present, the details and the big picture. Now, Ignatius’ eyes are important to note, but even more so when you notice that whatever it is he is looking at, he is stepping towards it. He is pursuing it.

In many ways, this statue of St. Ignatius embodies what it is to be a SLU student. Ignatius was an innovator, a visionary, a doer, and a dreamer. He was an incredibly dedicated student, a selfless man of faith, and a loving saint. The SLU community is filled with people like this, and now, you are being welcomed into that community. You are being invited to become someone greater than you are now. You are being welcomed home.

Much like Ignatius’s gaze and step, both of which are aimed in some direction – I’d like to recommend to you all three things to aim at, to look for, to pursue during your time here: this city of St. Louis, this incredible university (Go Bills), and, of course, yourselves.

Firstly, get to know this city. St. Louis is a place with a vibrant culture, rich history, amazing cuisine, growing arts and innovation scenes, and entertaining sports. Briefly focusing on the last of these, just look at this city’s sports teams: the Blues made a great run in the playoffs last year, the Cards almost always play in October, and the St. Louis Rams, from what I hear, are destined to go undefeated this year. So this is an awesome college city, with so many unique and accessible things for college students to do. I remember coming here from New Orleans my first year, and honestly thinking that no city would ever compete for my love like my hometown. But this place has. So my first advice is to branch out from SLU. Get out and explore the city. Go downtown. Go run in Forrest Park. Shop at the farmer’s market in Tower Grove. See a concert at the Pageant or a poetry slam at Legacy’s. Go out and do things, because this is an incredible city to see.

But keep in mind that seeing a city can be done from a lot of different perspectives – many of which may be much different from your own. Take, for instance, my friend Marvin. I met Marvin about a year ago while he was camping under a bridge downtown near the Mississippi. He told me about what it is like to walk these streets and to feel abandoned, targeted, and lonely. One time, he even wept while he told me how badly he wanted a job. But most days he gets up, reads a little, and then strolls around the city looking for a way to make ends meet.  Marvin, as you may have guessed, is currently experiencing homelessness. This means that his circumstances give him a unique view of the city: one from ground zero, from the bottom up. Seeing from Marvin’s perspective has taught me that St. Louis provides an opportunity to learn really important things about the world. So why is Marvin’s story and perspective relevant to you? Because SLU encourages and facilitates finding, learning from, and being changed by these perspectives.  

Next, get to know this university. Saint Louis University is a Catholic, Jesuit institution that “[pursues] truth for the greater glory of God and for the service of humanity.” This mission means that during your time here, you’ll learn how to be women and men for and with others. Just like Ignatius, you’ll learn to use your ears – to listen to the poor and the marginalized. You’ll be taught what it means to strive for justice; and not only does this institution teach you these things, it provides you the opportunity to live them out. Take Labre Ministry with the Homeless – the student organization through which I met Marvin. I have been fortunate enough to be a part of this organization since my first year here, and the encounters and conversations with people I’ve had through Labre have changed who I am and how I see the world. But SLU doesn’t stop there. There are dozens of organizations here with faith, service, and justice missions, all teaching you how to live a life of meaning and purpose. Teaching us how to take experiences like a friendship with Marvin and to bring those into ways of transforming the places we live.

All of these things about SLU are infinitely important; but, like Ignatius, don’t overlook the smaller things, the specifics and the details. Get to know the people who work here: the groundskeepers – stop to talk to Tony and Tommy as they are keeping this campus beautiful. Thank the food workers for their selfless service – like Delores and Frank in the Center for Global Citizenship.  Get to know the administration, the staff, and even get to know the squirrels – they’re celebrities around here. But especially, get to know your professors – they’re incredible, and it is an honor to be educated by them. Take time to take in what makes this university who we are.

And lastly, get to know yourself. Being a university student will come with some of the greatest challenges you’ve faced in your life. Challenges to your integrity and authenticity. Challenges to your character and worldviews. Challenges from friends and from classrooms. Allow everything you learn during your time here sink into you and impact you. These experiences are important in this phase of life, and important to us at this university. The late Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, former Superior General of the Jesuits, captured this spirit well when he spoke to Jesuit university students just like yourselves saying, “Students, in the course of their formation, must let the gritty reality of this world into their lives, so they can learn to feel it, think about it critically, respond to its suffering and engage it constructively.”

So welcome home, Billikens. You have come here to change and to be changed. Just like Ignatius, you are on a journey. A great pilgrimage in some direction towards something much bigger than just yourselves. So don’t forget to take it all in. The large and the small. The present and the future. And in doing so, challenge yourselves, the world around you, and keep moving forward.

“Go Forth and Set the World on Fire”

Thank you. And God bless you all.