The way of the Cross: Ignatian Exercises in Jerusalem

Dr. Alison M. Benders, Senior Lecturer Emerita, Systematics (Santa Clara University, Jesuit School of Theology), recently retired after twenty-five years of leadership and teaching in Catholic higher education. She served as the inaugural Vice President for Mission and Ministry at Santa Clara University (2021-2024) and held faculty and administrative roles at the Jesuit School of Theology (2014-2021), where she has been awarded emerita status. Her teaching and scholarship focus on racial justice, ministry, and Ignatian spirituality. She is the author of America’s Original Sin: A Pilgrimage of Race and Grace (2022) and three prayer books designed to deepen spiritual practice, including the award-winning Just Prayer: A Book of Hours for Peacemakers and Justice Seekers (2015).  Dr. Benders continues to offer formation and professional development grounded in Catholic identity and mission, Ignatian spirituality, and racial justice. She teaches at the Ignatian Spirituality Institute at John Carroll University and serves as the chair of the board for NETWORK Advocates (Washington, DC).  Alison ministers as a spiritual director, writer and consultant for Catholic and Jesuit institutions.

‍