Members of Jesuit institutions nationwide will gather for a weekend of learning, prayer, networking and legislative advocacy at the Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice 2011 this weekend.

The program is held every November to commemorate six Jesuit priests who were murdered in El Salvador for their work advocating on behalf of the poor.

This will be the second year the conference heads to the Hilltop, after being held the 12 years previous at the U.S. Army School of the Americas in Fort Benning, Ga

“We want to take advantage of the location of Georgetown. Being [in] D.C. allows our participants to engage in direct advocacy with Congress and other policymakers,” Christopher Kerr, executive director of the Ignatian Solidarity Network, said.

The national planning committee for the Teach-In consisted of about 50 people from Jesuit institutions across the country. The group included David Monaco, Roman Catholic program director of Georgetown’s Campus Ministry.

University engagement with the conference has expanded under Monaco’s direction.

“Prior to my arrival at Georgetown, our involvement was limited to one trip with members of the GU Knights of Columbus and a staff person from Campus Ministry and another trip led by [the] Georgetown Solidarity Committee,” he said. “Our combined trips were excellent learning trips that brought together diverse groups.”

The weekend’s theme is “The Gritty Reality: Feel It, Think It, Engage It,” which is taken from a speech given by former Jesuit Superior General Fr. Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, S.J, according to Kerr.

“This weekend’s main objective is to inform high school and college students on the key issues of their time and [to construct] a broader network of activists,” Kerr said.

Nearly 1,100 individuals from more than 60 institutions, including 26 Jesuit universities, 20 Jesuit high schools and many Jesuit parishes, are registered to attend the weekend events. About 30 Georgetown students plan to take part.

“We won’t just be attending the conference, but we’ll also have time to come back to our own group afterward and talk about what we learned,” Jordan Denari (SFS ’13) said.

“This is a group of people who I know I can go back to share my thoughts with, because they share the same passion to work for social justice.”

Student who have attended the Teach-In said they left the conference with a deeper understanding of the connections between social justice, the Catholic faith and their studies.

“This will be my fourth year attending the Teach-In,” Denari said. “I think it does a good job at re-energizing the participants’ passion for certain global issues. It allows those of us who are studying these social justice issues to reflect on what we’re doing and put it into perspective and recommit to our studies and work.”

Kieran Halloran (SFS ’14), a student who also attended last year’s Teach-In, said that the conference gave him a chance to better understand his faith.

“It brought the values of social justice closer to my faith,” he said. “Especially when so often Georgetown students get so caught in their studies, this is a great way to widen the scope and understanding toward global issues.”