O’Keefe Named New CIS Director

“I didn’t say Jesuit student affairs, I didn’t say Catholic student affairs, I said student affairs in an Ignatian context,” O’Keefe said. “Ignatian entails Jesuit and Catholic, absolutely, but to me, Jesuit describes a certain historical reality—often steeped in Ignatian world view—but the Ignatian world view isn’t limited to Jesuits.”

In his recent research on faith-based educational institutions around the world, O’Keefe has pinpointed a common struggle faced by these establishments—a struggle to which he believes BC is not immune.

“I think, given secular culture, unless you’re attentive in a proactive way to that religious identity, the dynamics of institutional life and secular culture will evaporate [the religious presence].”

O’Keefe hopes to use his new position to help keep BC’s ties to its Jesuit, Catholic, and Ignatian principles strong. He stated the mission of the Center as, “To enhance the understanding of what Ignatian identity is, and to avail people of the opportunities in new and creative ways to integrate that mission into their own values and lives.”