What is a Global Encounter?
Ignacio Companions is an invitation to live out Pope Francis’s call to all people of goodwill to create a culture of encounter.
Encounter means not just seeing, but looking; not just hearing, but listening; not just passing people by, but stopping with them; and allowing yourself to be moved with compassion to action.
Participants are challenged to expand their worldview, open themselves to the reality of all they encounter on the journey, and to find God in all things. Through creating a global culture of encounter, IC trips encourage participants to lean into curiosity and generosity in the face of discomfort.
An Ignacio Companions Encounter is not a mission trip or a service-immersion trip. The purpose of an encounter is to immerse oneself in another context in order to learn about the realities of others' lives as well as the structures that continue to shape these realties. Every Ignacio Companions Encounter has a theme inspired by our Jesuit & Marymount traditions of living a life that seeks global justice and loving our dear neighbor without distinction.
3 Components of an Encounter
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Preparation & Community Building
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Encounter
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Post-Encounter Reflection
Applications for IC 2027/2028 will be released in March during the Spring 2027 Semester.
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- Preparation & Community Building
- On-going spiritual formation & exploration, Ignatian reflection, and community building focused on preparing the hearts & minds of small groups for encounter
- Weekly Tuesday Formation Nights – Tuesdays 7-9 PM in the Cave from September through February
- Opening program Retreat
- Encounter
- Tentative 2027 Travel Dates: 1/1/27 - 1/10/27 (Give or take a few days)
- Tentative 2027 Travel Dates: 1/6/28 - 1/16/28 (Give or take a few days)
- Preparation & Community Building
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- Curiosity
- Spiritual Exploration
- Transformation
- Global Community
- Intersectional Justice
- Sustainability
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2027 Trips January 1-10th (Tentatively)
Community Partners & Trip Emphases:
- IC Care for Creation - John & Donna from Xplore Galapagos
- This trip is focused completely on encountering creation. The hope for this encounter is that participants create a relationship with the living environment around them and from that relationship feel inspired to global seek environmental justice.
- IC Radical Accompaniment - Altruvista & Casa Generación
- This trip focuses on walking with Peruvian youth and young adults and seeing Peru through their perspective and experiences of violence, systemic injustice, and inequality. This trip will focus on how the youth have been able to rebuild their lives and become leaders in their own communities due to the support of human rights organizations. Students will also learn about the Gen Z Political Movement in Peru and how their collective generational voice against corruption and crime has created waves in demanding dignity and change.
- IC Reconciliation & Justice - The Proposed Hekima University
- This trip is focused on the peace, reconciliation, & community-building efforts of the Jesuits in Molo, Kenya. These efforts begun after political uprisings in 2007, and are continuing with the installation of a proposed Jesuit University in the area. The hope for this encounter is that participants learn about the power of reconciliation and are able to draw upon reconciliatory practices in their own lives.
- IC Indigenous Rights & Spirituality - Altruvista
- This trip focuses on indigenous rights and indigenous spirituality in Oaxaca, Mexico. Students will learn the history of this place which has been inhabited since 11,000 B.C. as well as the history of colonization and its deep effects on human rights, maintaining and preserving local culture, art, spirituality, and tradition. The hope for this encounter is for students to gain a greater appreciation for the beauty of indigenous practices and to understand how the erasure of indigenous rights and traditions through colonization continues today.
- IC Care for Creation - John & Donna from Xplore Galapagos
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Information forthcoming!
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- Non-refundable program fee of $1,000 due July 1, 2026
- Small Group Fundraising goal of $12,000
- Financial assistance is available
- We never want money to be the reason students cannot join us on a trip. If you have financial concerns, we will work with you to facilitate your participation. Please note, we will be in conversation with the Financial Aid office to better understand your financial needs.
- To pay your IC program fee, Click Here!
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If I’m unable to attend Tuesday meetings, can I still join IC?
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While IC involves a travel component, our Tuesday formation meetings are the heart of the IC experience, and as such, they are mandatory.
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Do I need to get vaccinated before we travel?
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While we do not require students to get vaccinated to participate in the program, we recommend consulting with your doctor and checking the CDC website to discern what is best for your health.
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What if I need my phone during encounter?
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A significant aspect of this experience is to detach from technology in order to be truly present. You will have your cell phone during travel to and from the destination. After arrival, phones will be collected and safely stored by mentors. Mentors on immersion will have their phones at all times. Additionally, during the program, emails will be sent to your emergency contacts with travel updates.
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Do I need to come from a faith background to participate?
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No, while IC is a faith-based experience influenced by the Jesuit Catholic tradition and prayer and reflection are involved in this experience, all are welcome. IC encourages open dialogues between people of all backgrounds. Being open to respectful engagement with diverse perspectives is a core tenet of the IC experience.
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How long are the trips?
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7 to 10 days over the winter break.
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What is not included in my IC program fee?
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Your IC program fee covers all of your lodging, transportation, and meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) while on encounter starting when we land in-country. Anything supplemental such as food at the airports, snacks, drinks that are separate from what is provided during meals, and souvenirs are all personal expenses.
- To pay your IC program fee, Click Here!
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How big will our groups be?
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Each group will have two student leaders, three mentors, and around nine to twelve participants.
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What if I don’t get the trip I want?
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While we understand that it might be disappointing to not get the Encounter you prefer, we take into consideration your top choices as well as the needs of the community. The process for creating small groups is a long and intentional process with a focus on building out growth-fostering small groups and placing people to the best of our ability with their first or second choice of themes. Typically, I do not allow folks to shift groups because of the intentionality that has gone on behind the scenes.
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Will I be safe?
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We have strong relationships with the partner organizations that work and live in these areas. We will not send you anywhere that will not be safe for our students, faculty, and staff. Additionally, our program is vetted annually by our Director of Global Safety and Security, Cynthia Orms. She is in constant contact with mentors throughout the entirety of encounter.
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faith seeking global justice
