Job Title: Junior Research Fellow in Spiritual Practice
Location: Campion Hall, University of Oxford
Salary: £29,614 to £35,326
Hours: Full time
Start Date: 1 November 2022
Application Deadline: 30 September 2022, noon
Interview Date: Early October
Campion Hall and the Jesuits in Britain are seeking to appoint a Junior Research Fellow in Spiritual Practice. The postholder will pursue academic research and engage in its dissemination, in the area of Spirituality, with a special focus on Ignatian and Jesuit spirituality. Topics of research will generally lie on the interface between theory and practice. They may include such areas as the contemporary experience of the Spiritual Exercises; the Ignatian practice of spiritual accompaniment; spiritual discernment and discernment in common; spirituality in everyday life; spirituality and literature, film, or the arts; spirituality and social justice; spirituality and integral ecology; the role of imagination in spirituality; and formation for mission. The postholder will work with other academics at Campion Hall in areas such as Theology, Integral Ecology, Literature, Ethics, and History.
In addition, the postholder will offer Ignatian spiritual accompaniment and input especially to members of Campion Hall and to students referred by the Oxford University Catholic Chaplaincy or by the Jesuits in Britain. Spiritual accompaniment will be offered primarily to students and early career researchers; young adults looking for help with discerning their life-choices; and those developing a way of life of service in company with others.
Background
Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1896, Campion Hall is one of six Permanent Private Halls at the University of Oxford. It is an international community of fellows, graduate students, and staff, who share the motivation to understand and promote all that is truly human on our shared planet. Its unique character combines the intellectual and educational traditions of Oxford and the Society of Jesus. It places special value on community, interdisciplinary conversation, and cura personalis – care for every person and the whole person. Together, Students, Fellows and Staff contribute to the ethos and culture of this hospitable community. As one of the smaller graduate communities in the University of Oxford, Campion Hall offers a supportive learning environment that carefully attends to each student’s academic and non-academic development. Through participation in the academic and communal life of Campion Hall, graduate students are formed in the qualities of character and intellect that fit them to contribute to the greater good.
The Hall is also home to the Laudato Si’ Research Institute (LSRI). Formed in 2019, the mission of the LSRI is to build the intellectual foundations for a reordering of society toward care for the earth and the poor. It engages in research that incorporates a wide range of disciplinary perspectives, including the wisdom of religious traditions and marginalised voices, and is oriented toward practice. Campion Hall’s research, inspired by the Jesuit tradition, promotes an academic endeavour and dialogue that serves all that is truly human. To this end, it focuses especially on four areas: the Humanities, Theology and Spirituality, Ethics and Social Justice, and Integral Ecology. The Hall has a specific interest in promoting research on Ignatian spirituality, with reference to its source texts in the Spiritual Exercises, Ignatius’s Letters and Autobiography, and the Constitutions of the Society of Jesus, and in a way that learns from and informs contemporary practice.
Ministries inspired by the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius lie at the heart of the engagements of the Jesuits in Britain and of their partners in mission. The Jesuits in Britain also make accompaniment of young adults a priority in their ministry, and this priority is well expressed in the presence of Campion Hall in Oxford, and the Jesuits’ staffing of the Catholic Chaplaincy: many young adults at the University, especially undergraduates, postgraduates, and early career researchers, seek to be informed and accompanied in developing a spiritual life.
Duties and Responsibilities
Research and its Dissemination
- Manage and advance own academic research activities in Spiritual Practice (Ignatian Spirituality) and writing research articles for peer-reviewed journals, book chapters, and reviews.
- Contribute to collaborative projects with colleagues in Campion Hall and partner institutions and research groups.
- Liaise with stakeholders and researchers in related fields to share information and expertise.
- Present papers at conferences and lead seminars to disseminate research findings.
- Ensure all research is conducted in accord with the ethics processes and policies of the University of Oxford.
Ignatian Practice
- Offer ongoing spiritual direction to students, early career academics, and others (the support of a trained supervisor will be provided for this work).
- Deliver an introductory course in ‘Ignatian praying and living’.
- Lead groups or courses such as, for example, those focused on the discernment of life-choices.
- Offer occasional talks at the Hall or Chaplaincy.
- Give some form of the Spiritual Exercises in daily life.
Person Specification / Skills Required
Although the capacities listed below are inherent in the role, training can be offered to enhance the appointee’s current competences. This training may involve guided reading in the Ignatian sources, and supervised giving of the Spiritual Exercises at St Beuno’s Jesuit Spirituality Centre.
- Doctorate in a relevant area such as Theology, Literature, Psychology.
- Have a good knowledge of the Jesuit and Ignatian traditions.
- Have a research record appropriate to the stage of their career and familiarity with the existing literature and research in the field.
- Demonstrate a readiness to collaborate with colleagues within and outside the University.
- Possess excellent oral and written communication.
- Demonstrate understanding of, and sympathy with, the Jesuit character of Campion Hall.
- Demonstrate a willingness to participate in the common life of the Hall
- Experience and competence in offering spiritual accompaniment, in guiding those making different forms of the Spiritual Exercises, and supporting people in their vocational discernment.
- Group facilitation skills.
- Capacity to give non-specialist courses related to Ignatian spirituality.
- Basic competence in administration, communications and IT.
- Willingness to work with others in the Jesuits’ collective ministries of Ignatian spirituality.
- Offering training or ‘supervision’ to others engaged in spiritual accompaniment or in retreat-giving.
- A commitment to the Ignatian/Jesuit value of cura personalis (care for the whole person).
Terms and Conditions
All staff at Campion Hall are employed by the Jesuits in Britain under its legal name the Society of Jesus Trust registered charity numbers 230165 /SC040490.
The appointment will be made subject to proof of right to work in the UK and at least two references which will include one from the applicant’s present employer.
Pension rights: Pension contributions to TRCP Pension Scheme (Jesuits in Britain).
Meals: Free meals are provided in Hall when on duty.
Hours of working: Full-time, 40 hours per week with paid breaks Monday – Friday.
Annual leave entitlement: The post-holder will be entitled to 25 days’ paid leave plus 8 days Bank Holidays in each year.
Notice period: During the initial probationary period, notice will be a fortnight on either side. Subsequent to satisfactory review and confirmation in the post, the notice period will be one month on either side.
Other Information
This is a Hall vacancy, and the University Terms and Conditions found elsewhere do not apply. Campion Hall is an Equal Opportunities Employer. Conduct against fellow employees and College members which is offensive, or detrimental to them on grounds of age, colour, disability, ethnic origin, marital status, nationality, national origin, parental status, race, religion or belief, gender, or sexual orientation will not be tolerated.
How to Apply
To apply, please send your CV and a covering letter outlining how you meet the selection criteria and the names and contact details of two referees to admin@campion.ox.ac.uk
The closing date for all applications is 12.00 noon on 30th September 2022. Interviews will be held in person at Campion Hall in Early October.
Data Protection - Personal data is processed in accordance with Campion Hall’s Privacy Policy which is available here.
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