On this episode, we sit down with Cecilia Gonzalez-Andrieu, Ph.D., a beloved theologian from Loyola Marymount University (LMU), who introduces us to Jesus “Paco” Estrada, a recent LMU graduate who is integrating his Catholic faith with political advocacy. Paco’s efforts to speak up for the most vulnerable in his community has taken him from local rallies all the way to a personal audience with Pope Francis, which he speaks about on the podcast. Dr. Cecilia and Paco are wonderful examples of what it means to put gospel values into action, especially in the face of immoral family separations from immigration authorities affecting the LA community and beyond.

Paco became fired up about immigration advocacy after attending the 2021 Migration Justice Summit. Read more about the 2025 iteration of that same summit here: https://ignatiansolidarity.net/blog/2025/07/02/seeking-justice-through-an-ignatian-lens-at-the-2025-migration-justice-summit/

Paco mentioned the huge state advocacy summit that led to hundreds of California youth from Jesuit schools converging on the Capitol in Sacramento to advocate for climate justice: https://ignatiansolidarity.net/blog/2025/04/24/california-pilgrims-of-hope-for-creation/

Dr. Cecilia is a widely published, influential theologian. Read one of her most recent pieces responding to the current migrant crisis in America Magazine here: https://www.americamagazine.org/politics-society/2025/06/09/immigration-crisis-pope-francis-250880

Dr. Cecilia has also contributed richly to ISN’s Lenten series. Read her powerful 2025 Easter Sunday reflection here: https://ignatiansolidarity.net/blog/2025/04/20/the-power-of-good/

One of Dr. Cecilia’s former students at LMU attended the Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice and took what they were doing at LMU on a local level to a national level in what eventually became ISN’s Undocu Network. Read more about that history here: https://ignatiansolidarity.net/blog/2025/02/07/action-alert-undocu-summit-2025-fostering-community-advocacy-and-joy/

Engage your elected officials on just immigration reform through our easy-to-use action alert: https://ignatiansolidarity.net/blog/2025/02/13/action-alert-love-your-neighbor-immigration/

Patrick Cavanaugh, a student at St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati, Ohio, shares his wisdom on restoring and ecological spaces on the podcast and demonstrates how caring for our common home is integral to his faith.

Patrick has had incredible mentorship from his teachers, including Katie Collins, a great friend of ISN, who has taken her students to the IFTJ, Arrupe Leaders Summits, the first Student Eco Summit, and has even participated in the Eco Educators Summit. Read about her participation in the Eco Educators Summit: https://ignatiansolidarity.net/blog/2023/06/30/integral-ecology-comes-alive-at-first-ignatian-eco-educator-summit/

In this episode, both Patrick and Katie talk about the outdoor classroom space at St. X. Read more about how that incredible space came to be both the location and the primary material for the course Katie designed, Faith in the Wild: https://ignatiansolidarity.net/blog/2024/08/29/faith-in-the-wild/

Listen to Patrick’s speech in front of Capitol Hill, galvanizing the participants of the 2024 IFTJ Advocacy Day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zb8JyXie7QA&pp=0gcJCcEJAYcqIYzv

Patrick participated in ISN’s first Student Eco Summit. Read more about that program: https://ignatiansolidarity.net/blog/2025/03/13/catholic-ecology-rooted-in-gratitude/

In June 2025, ISN co-organized the Jesuit Integral Ecology Assembly, bringing ecological leaders across Jesuit apostolates for strategic action planning. Read about that assembly here: igsol.net/jiea

Brice Hansen, an undergraduate student at Mercyhurst University in Erie, Pennsylvania, joins the podcast to talk about moving her campus towards ethical purchasing and procurement of the clothes and food that are sold on campus. Brice has had great mentorship from one of her professors, Dr. Elizabeth Pyne, and also from Grace Adams, ISN’s coordinator for the Catholic Ethical Purchasing Alliance (CEPA).

Steeped in the Catholic social thought that grounds this issue, Brice tells wonderful stories about growing a movement on campus to help the university align its purchasing with its Catholic values.

Explore the Catholic Ethical Purchasing Alliance: ethicalcatholic.org

Read about all the sustainability efforts going on at Mercyhurst: https://ignatiansolidarity.net/blog/2024/08/30/mercyhurst-university-adds-to-sustainability-initiatives-through-cepa-club/

Read about the Ignatian Justice Summit, which helped Brice and her peers form a vision for starting Mercyhurst’s ethical purchasing club: https://ignatiansolidarity.net/blog/2024/08/09/ijs-cia/

Members of Education for Justice can access the Virtual IFTJ breakout session where Brice chats with Br. Ken Homan, S.J. about the ethical purchasing club journey: https://educationforjustice.org/resource/creating-a-community-filled-with-hope/

Voices for Justice landing page — https://igsol.net/vfj

Give us feedback or recommend a future guest — https://ignatiansolidarity.wufoo.com/forms/z1773jgl0ardd19/