Mission and History

The mission statement of Creighton University.

Creighton is a Catholic and Jesuit comprehensive university committed to excellence in its selected undergraduate, graduate and professional programs.

As Catholic, Creighton is dedicated to the pursuit of truth in all its forms and is guided by the living tradition of the Catholic Church.

As Jesuit, Creighton participates in the tradition of the Society of Jesus, which provides an integrating vision of the world that arises out of a knowledge and love of Jesus Christ.

As comprehensive, Creighton’s education embraces several colleges and professional schools and is directed to the intellectual, social, spiritual, physical and recreational aspects of students’ lives and to the promotion of justice.

Contribute to the Betterment of Society

Creighton exists for students and learning. Members of the Creighton community are challenged to reflect on transcendent values, including their relationship with God, in an atmosphere of freedom of inquiry, belief and religious worship. Service to others, the importance of family life, the inalienable worth of each individual and appreciation of ethnic and cultural diversity are core values of Creighton.

Creighton faculty members conduct research to enhance teaching, to contribute to the betterment of society, and to discover new knowledge. Faculty and staff stimulate critical and creative thinking and provide ethical perspectives for dealing with an increasingly complex world.

Mission Week: A Fall Tradition

Mission Week is an opportunity for students, faculty and staff, along with community partners, to come together to listen, learn, reflect and explore themes that emerge from our Jesuit, Catholic mission.

Started in 2019, with a break due to COVID-19 in 2020, the 2022 Mission Week celebration carried the theme “Walking Toward a Hope-Filled Future.” The themes follow the four Universal Apostolic Preferences announced by the Jesuits in 2019.

2022 Mission Week Highlights

Mass of the Holy Spirit

Central to Creighton’s Mission Week celebration is the Mass of the Holy Spirit. Held annually on both the Omaha and Phoenix campuses, the Mass of the Holy Spirit is a centuries-old tradition among Jesuit institutions of higher learning whereby the community offers thanksgiving to God for the gifts of creation and asks for blessings upon the academic year.

Keynote Adress: The Rev. Sam Sawyer, SJ

The keynote address was presented by The Rev. Sam Sawyer, SJ, Incoming editor-in-chief of America Magazine. “Hope invites us to a conversion of imagination, where we begin to see how even suffering, how even loss, can be a way that God opens up new possibility.”
Watch the Keynote Address

Journeys in Hope

Six students from various areas of Creighton shared their stories of hope in short, TEDx-style talks.
“Hope draws us out of ourselves to receive life for the gift that it is.”
—Jon Herrington, Senior Theology Major.
Watch the Journeys in Hope presentations