Title:Mission & Ministry team welcomes Andrew Downing, S.J.

Father Andrew Downing, S.J., has joined the Georgetown community to serve as the Director of Ignatian Programs in the Office of Mission & Ministry.

Prior to coming to Georgetown in August 2024, he was committed to similar work at Saint Peter’s University, where he was the Vice President for Mission & Ministry, and at the Pontifical Gregorian University, the Jesuit university in Rome, where he taught the theology faculty.

Among his responsibilities at Georgetown is planning special events for Jesuit Heritage Month each November. “Some will be educational, some participatory. I’d like to involve the community in different ways—through religious, academic, and even artistic experiences,” he says.

Fr. Downing will also oversee Spiritual Exercises in Everyday Life, a program that helps faculty and staff incorporate meditation and prayer into their daily routines with work, family, and other pursuits.

“The spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius are at the heart of the Jesuit spirituality: how to live with God and live with others,” explains Downing. “It’s what we as Jesuits try to model and it’s a key part of the spirit that we want to infuse throughout Georgetown.”

Downing looks forward to his work with faculty and staff, including retreats on the Hilltop and at Georgetown’s Calcagnini Contemplative Center in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. He’ll also be working with students, especially those who are part of the Alpha Sigma Nu honor society. Each year 50 students are inducted into this national honor society. Only juniors and seniors in the top 15% of their class who have demonstrated both a commitment to service and a dedication to Jesuit ideals are eligible for membership.

“That’s one of the things I have enjoyed most in my career: working with students,” adds Downing. “I look forward to getting to know the community and helping them better understand the spirit behind Georgetown’s Jesuit values.”