Each year, newly appointed university professionals at IQS, both teaching staff and PTGAS personnel, take part in an initial training programme that the organisation refers to as “Course 0”. This activity forms part of the welcoming process at IQS and complements the introductory sessions held at the beginning of the academic year in September.
In January, the new staff complete their induction with a day at the Sanctuary of La Cova in Manresa, where they are greeted by the Chair of the IQS Board of Trustees and attend several talks on the figure of Saint Ignatius, the mission of Jesuit universities, and, finally, a short workshop on professional vocation.
This year, around twenty new professionals took part in this training, organised into two groups according to language. At the university premises, the Chair of the IQS Board of Trustees, Dr Vicenç Pedret, explained the work and functions of the Board and expressed the university mission of IQS using the same words as the Society of Jesus: to accompany young people in creating a hopeful future.
Once in Manresa, the first talk, focused on the life of Saint Ignatius, made it possible to connect this mission with its deepest root: the way in which God led the founder of the Society of Jesus to desire and embrace the mission of “helping souls”. None of the tasks carried out by IQS professionals is merely technical; all of them, as reflected upon in the final workshop, have as their ultimate aim the accompaniment of students so that they may live their academic, personal and professional lives with joy, meaning and responsibility, especially towards the victims of injustice.
The day also included moments of fellowship and a guided visit to the magnificent mosaics of the church. Participants also enjoyed a brief time of silence and prayer in the spiritual heart of the sanctuary: the cave where Ignatius of Loyola would withdraw to pray during his stay in the city.
This “Course 0” not only concludes the initial training process in the mission of IQS, but also opens the door to participation in other identity and mission programmes that new professionals will follow throughout their time at the institute. In this way, IQS ensures that the founding spirit and the institution’s vocation for service remain fully present in the people called to embody them.