Sophia Magazine vol.2 / WINTER 2015
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On walking from Yotsuya Station to Sophia Univer-sity one notices an edifice commanding the view, and that is St. Ignatius Church. Established in 1947, it ranks among the largest Catholic churches of Tokyo, and, as a Jesuit church, enjoys close links to Sophia University.Following the Second World War, Sophia University and the Japan Province of the Society of Jesus bene-fited from the assistance of scores of missionaries who served in Jesuit churches and educational institutions in diverse areas of the world. A sturdy network of Jesuit educational institutions was created worldwide, and a foreign language education system was founded which continues to enhance Sophia’s international ambience to this very day.To quote Professor Hitoshi Kawanaka, Vice-President for Student and General Affairs, “Nurturing corporate warriors who succeed globally is indeed vital, and yet it is not our final objective. Our mission is to foster gradu-ates capable of contributing to the universal values of humanity.” What he stressed was a core element in Je-suit training, a maxim embodied in the words, “Men and Women for Others, with Others,” which also hap-pens to be Sophia’s academic goal. Integrating this atti-tude of service to others with self-realization enables the growth of authentic global citizens. The task of Sophia is to develop the faculties of its students so as to enable them to attain peak levels of education, and, as a Jesuit university, to impart to them an openness and liberal spirit that respects others regardless of differences in culture or religion.St. Ignatius Church:Background of Global EducationTop Left: Main Church Top right: Stained glass of St. Ignatius Bottom Left: Stained glass windows along the spiral staircase to the Crypt Bottom Center: Statue of the Res-urrection of Jesus Christ Bottom Right: St. Ignatius Church adjacent to Sophia UniversityEpisodeST. IGNATIUS CHURCH2Dr. Hitoshi Kawanaka SJVice-President for Student and General AffairsProfessor, Faculty of Theology29Catholic Heritage

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