At Loyola Marymount University, our shared mission is not an abstract statement on paper — it is something lived and embodied in community. This fall, two opportunities invite faculty and staff to engage more deeply with LMU’s Jesuit and Marymount traditions: Companions in Mission and the Silent Retreat.
Companions in Mission: Building Community and Purpose
As LMU navigates a time of transition and change, Companions in Mission offers faculty and staff the opportunity to reflect on our institutional identity and values. The yearlong program meets monthly, creating space to learn about LMU’s Catholic, Jesuit, and Marymount roots while also building meaningful relationships across disciplines and roles.
“Participants regularly describe the experience as not only informative but transformative in terms of how they understand their work,” said Kat Brown, director of Mission and Identity Programs. “We focus on LMU’s shared values and commitments, as well as how these foundations shape our community, educational goals, and orientation toward justice.”
Jamal Epperson, assistant director for Mission Integration for Staff, and a member of the 2024–25 cohort, reflected on their experience: “This program helped me reimagine not just my work but how I truly live a life of purpose. The opportunities for discernment made me reflect so much not just on my work but on my own personhood and how I can continue to grow and develop as a person,” they said. “Through this program, I was able to be in community with folks who are not often in the same spaces as me and I loved learning about all the different approaches through our dialogues while having so many ‘I never thought about it that way’ moments with others.”
Applications for this year’s cohort are open through Sept. 12. All materials and program costs are covered by the Center for Mission and Identity.
“Participation in Companions in Mission is an opportunity for each of us to deepen and clarify our understanding of what LMU’s mission means for us,” Brown added. “We also benefit from learning with and from one another — community, belonging, and shared purpose bring insight and grounding, even as we navigate uncertainty. Everyone in the cohort benefits from every other person’s voice. We hope you’ll add yours!”
Silent Retreat: Finding God in the Exercises
The Center for Ignatian Spirituality will host a Silent Retreat at the Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center in Sierra Madre, Sept. 26–28. Rooted in the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola, the retreat blends silence, guided prayer, reflection, and one-on-one spiritual conversation.
“Retreatants often describe the weekend as a gift: a time to step away from constant distractions, reconnect with God and themselves, and return with renewed clarity, balance, and hope,” said Dorian Llywelyn, S.J., director of the center.
Feedback from past participants is overwhelmingly positive. “Many are surprised by what unfolds for them over the course of a few days in silence,” Llywelyn said. “People often describe the experience as a chance to step back from daily pressures, to reconnect with themselves and with God, and to leave with a renewed sense of balance, deeper gratitude, greater hope, or simply a feeling of refreshment.”
That was certainly true for Michele Hammers, professor of communication studies, who attended the retreat last year. “Ultimately, it was an amazing experience; one that I still cherish and benefit from, and those around me have benefited from as well, a calmer, more empathetic, and more open ‘me,’” said Hammers.
The retreat offers faculty and staff a break from intellectual work and, as Llywelyn noted, “is much more along the lines of a prayerful journey that involves both the imagination and the heart. Along the way, we might learn new things about ourselves, but more importantly, we encounter the God who is at work in our lives and who always invites us into a more authentic and integrated way of being. I very much like St. Teresa of Ávila’s definition of prayer: ‘spending time in the company of the One who loves us.’”
Living Mission, Together
Whether through the shared dialogue of Companions in Mission or the quiet prayer of the Silent Retreat, these programs invite LMU faculty and staff to reflect, grow, and discover anew how LMU’s mission can shape their work and lives.
For more information or to register: