In 1591, a baby was born into an upper-class Parisian family who would become a friend and advocate to the poor, the widowed, the orphan, and the prisoner—and an inspiration to today’s Franciscan University social work students and faculty.
In God’s creative and often unexpected way, young Louise’s life had twists and turns as her call to live the Christian life unfolded. She wanted to join the Capuchin sisters, but she was denied entrance to the order. Later, her father nudged her to marry. She married a good man, and they were blessed with one son. She devoted herself to them, her family, and her parish.
When her husband died, Louise began responding to the lifelong tugs on her heart to tend to the needy. Together with St. Vincent de Paul, whom she befriended upon her husband’s death as a confessor and spiritual guide, she started the Daughters of Charity of Vincent de Paul. The religious community was comprised of poor country women who were accustomed to living and working among orphans and widows and with soldiers and prisoners. They went out from behind cloister walls with joy, humility, and zeal to serve people whom society had abandoned.
Louise worked with mayors and community leaders with a goal of ensuring every village in France could have institutions to serve the forgotten persons of society, including children, older adults, and men and women suffering with mental illness. Devotee of the poor, Louise de Marillac was canonized in 1934 and declared the patroness of Christian social workers by Pope John XXIII in 1960.
St. Louise de Marillac and the Christian call to serve forgotten and marginalized persons continue to influence thousands of people who have chosen to take up the vocation of social worker. To answer this call, most engage in personal and professional training that helps them become caring, ethical servants of people in need.
This year, Franciscan University’s undergraduate program in social work celebrates its 30th anniversary of preparing and training students who, like St. Louise, experience an inner striving to place their lives in the service of others. Since it began, the Social Work Program has graduated over 325 students who work in a vast array of settings and positions, such as licensed clinical social workers, adoption and foster care specialists, medical and hospice social workers, immigration specialists, grant writers, public policy advocates, researchers, and pastoral care specialists, among many others.
Franciscan University’s Social Work Program has always been uniquely grounded in its commitment to prepare Catholic social workers who embody the virtues and values of our patroness. The program challenges students to shape their intellect on the central issues social workers encounter, to develop interpersonal and advocacy skills, and to foster their faith life, especially through frequent reception of the sacraments. It aims to help students draw on the teachings of the Church as a foundation for their professional work, with a particular commitment to protecting the dignity and worth of every person, as well as promoting justice for all.
On this, the 30th anniversary of the Bachelor of Science in Social Work, the program leaders, Dr. Ricardo ChaparroPacheco and Father Luke Robertson, TOR, have proposed a Master of Social Work Program as a way to expand this good work of service. The master’s program will seek to further prepare Franciscan students and bachelor-level professionals to take on leadership roles in their work settings, as well as deepen their clinical experiences and skills. The proposed program, which has been approved internally and is pending approval by the University’s accrediting bodies, seeks to offer a faithfully Catholic formation in the spirit of St. Louise de Marillac and a fully professional training experience that will help today’s social workers be a greater force for good in the world!
Dr. Christin Jungers serves as dean of the School of Professional Programs and professor of clinical mental health counseling at Franciscan University.
