LMU Campaign Exceeds $400 Million with Gift from Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange

LOS ANGELES, May 7, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Loyola Marymount University's capital campaign has raised more than $400 million, exceeding its campaign goal by greater than $20 million, the university announced today.

The campaign was put over the $400 million mark by a $1 million donation from the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange, which will be used to establish a Center for Reconciliation at LMU.

This gift, on the occasion of the congregation's 100th Jubilee and in recognition of LMU's Centennial, honors the C.S.J. heritage and the sisters' many contributions to the university since they came to the Westchester campus with Marymount College in 1968. The order, which is based in the City of Orange, Calif., traces its beginning to Eureka, Calif., in 1912.

According to Mary Beth Ingham, C.S.J., an LMU trustee and emerita professor of philosophy, the new center will help students, staff, and faculty better appreciate the special charism of the Sisters of St. Joseph, which is based on the Gospel of St. John 17:21: "that all may be one." This spiritual orientation leads to the congregation's work for reconciliation and unity in the world, and their efforts on behalf of justice.

"This is a very exciting moment for us, the Sisters of St. Joseph, in our relationship to LMU," said Ingham. The Jesuits' Center for Ignatian Spirituality promotes "the spiritual heritage that is common to all three religious communities present at LMU and shapes our distinctiveness as a Jesuit institution," she added. 

"For many years the Marymount Institute for Faith, Culture and the Arts has celebrated the special gifts of the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary. Now, the Center for Reconciliation will make better known the many ways in which the Sisters of St. Joseph reach out to fulfill their mission of responding to the unmet needs of 'the dear neighbor,'" Ingham said.

From the earliest conceptual stages, President David W. Burcham encouraged development of the Center for Reconciliation and expressed the university's appreciation for the $1 million gift that will make it a reality. "We are very grateful for this generous donation. It is fitting that the Sisters of St. Joseph should have a dedicated presence at LMU. The new center will mark their place in both our history and our future."

A permanent director for the center has not yet been announced, but pilot programs will be started next year, building on the Voices for Justice series initiated by Judith Royer, C.S.J., professor of theatre arts, as part of this year's Bellarmine Forum.

About Loyola Marymount University
Located between the Pacific Ocean and downtown Los Angeles, Loyola Marymount University is a comprehensive university offering 60 major programs, 38 master's degrees and a doctoral degree in education from four colleges, two schools and Loyola Law School. Founded in 1911, LMU is ranked fourth in "Best Regional Universities/West" by U.S. News & World Report. LMU is the largest Jesuit Catholic university for undergraduates on the West Coast with more than 5,900 undergraduate students and more than 3,000 graduate and law students. For more LMU news and events, please visit www.lmu.edu/news.

SOURCE Loyola Marymount University