Art of the Mission

I didn't know how much Gonzaga's Jesuit Mission meant to me until I felt its absence. After graduating, I missed being part of an organization that valued me as a whole person and encouraged the pursuit of faith that does justice.

As a result, after four years in the workforce, I felt the urge to return to Gonzaga. In Fall 2021 I was hired as an undergraduate admission counselor, and shortly after arriving in Spokane, I joined a staff Mission Formation cohort organized by the Office of Mission Engagement. This program gathered 20 employees for conversations about the distinctiveness of Jesuit higher education. It was during one of these conversations that I learned the Jesuit’s Universal Apostolic Preferences (UAPs). I quickly realized I wanted to introduce them to people across campus – including my Admissions colleagues and the prospective students I worked with.

Showcasing the UAPs became the focus of my final project in the staff formation program, through art. I do not have artistic talent, so the chair of the art department, Mat Rude, and I issued a call for proposals.

The submission received from first-year student Sophie Micciche (’28) blew us away. Her vision incorporated stained glass patterns from St. Al’s Church, College Hall, and the sculpture of St. Ignatius. Here was her vision for each UAP:

1. A labyrinth (the winding journey of Ignatian spirituality and discernment)
2. Hands sharing bread (care for the poor and hungry, as well as spiritual nourishment of the Eucharist)
3. A child and an elder lifting a paper lantern into the sky (a hope-filled future lit by God's light)
4. A dove flying over a natural landscape (care for creation and God's presence throughout it)

Gonzaga’s Mission says the institution exists to “educate students for lives of leadership and service for the common good” – individuals who stand in solidarity with the poor, advocate for creation, and believe in a better tomorrow. The UAPs remind us of this vision, and Sophie’s artwork does, too.

As Sophie brought her vision to life, my passion for this work brought me into a new role on campus. I joined the Mission Engagement team as a specialist to lead those same formation programs that reintroduced me to Gonzaga’s Jesuit identity. I hope that through my work I can share the gift of the UAPs with staff and faculty across campus, encouraging them to animate the Jesuit spirit at the heart of our education. That way, more students will realize the value of the Mission before they walk across the graduation stage.

^{About the Art: 24x32, ink pen, watercolor, gold leaf.
Installation in the John J. Hemmingson Center is planned for summer 2026.}