¡El Futuro Is Here!
¡El Futuro Is Here! Hosted by the PASOS Network at Dominican University in Chicago since 2018, this biennial conference assembles students, staff, and faculty from colleges and universities around the country to advance, as it says, “the practices of culturally responsive ministry in higher education.” Albertus has participated in these El Futuro conferences from the start – often virtually. As chair of the Department of Philosophy and Religion, I was enthused to make the trek to Chicago to take part in person this year with two of our students: Esteban Perez ‘27 and Pedro Torres Diaz ‘27.
What are “the practices of culturally responsive ministry”? At the event, Esteban, Pedro and I learned more about that. Campus ministries often do not take full advantage of their own students’ rich cultural experiences. But they can do more – and we can do more! By listening to students, asking questions, and being “responsive” to what they hear, leaders in campus ministry can help enrich the experience of students who arrive at college from highly diverse and faith-rich communities. How best to achieve this? That’s what El Futuro is about.
The three of us met outside the Campus Center early on Monday, July 28 to drive to the airport in Hartford. The drive and the flight was a chance for us to get to know each other better. There are, of course, few more effective bonding experiences than navigating Chicago’s O’Hare Airport and locating and catching an Uber!
Things got started right away on Tuesday for the 250 or so attendees. There was a breakfast, a keynote, then small group sessions for students and faculty and staff – and there were so many people to meet! The energy was high in the cafeteria and the auditorium; the hallways and the meeting rooms. From across the country, Esteban, Pedro and I interacted with people whose experiences of college and campus ministry – and of life – were in many ways similar to our own. This recognition brought with it an immediate sense of solidarity and common purpose.
The event featured more than campus meetings. The group toured the National Museum of Mexican Art and, on the last night, sampled some of Chicago’s best hispanic cuisine from four outstandingly good food trucks. When it was time to depart, we found ourselves with some hours to spare before our flight and decided to visit the National Puerto Rican Museum across town. At the airport, we sat down to share, debrief, and envision how our El Futuro experience could enrich campus life at Albertus.
What was the takeaway? There were many, of course, but maybe most importantly, we realized the scale of the opportunity being offered to us at Albertus. The rich traditions of our students of Hispanic descent can be drawn upon not only to support those students themselves, but to enrich the lives of everyone on campus and deepen the college’s tradition – not least its tradition of faith. Indeed, the future is here! And we at Albertus are ready to meet it.
Contributed by: Jonathan Sozek, Ph.D.
Chair of the Department of Philosophy and Religion