"Is It Just Labor? A Catholic Conversation"

Join Jesuit Brother and St. Louis University Assistant Professor of History Ken Homan, SJ, for a wide ranging-conversation about the history of Jesuits in the labor movement, the current state of Catholic labor activism, and the future of labor in the age of AI.

All are welcome to join this important and interactive conversation about how Catholic social teaching can influence how we look at labor, and learn about how Jesuits have been involved in labor movements in the United State and around the world. Free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served! RSVPs are appreciated but not required. 

Thursday, October 22, 2026 

4pm - 5:15pm

Campion Ballroom, Seattle University

Sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences, the Department of English, the Department of Political Science, the Intercommunity Peace and Justice Center, Jesuits West, and the Catholic Labor Network. Made possible with a grant from the SU Endowed Mission Fund.

About Br. Ken: 

Ken Homan, SJ, is a Jesuit brother from St. Louis, Missouri, where he grew up with his parents and three older sisters. While attending St. Louis University High (SLUH), Ken traveled to the Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice (IFTJ) where he first heard the call to be a Jesuit. He attended Creighton University for two years where he majored in history and theology and was involved in Amnesty International, ultimate Frisbee, the Center for Service and Justice, campus ministry, GreenJays, the Gender-Sexuality Alliance and the Cortina service-learning community.

After two years at Creighton, he entered the Midwest Province of the Jesuits. Ken completed his two years of novitiate in St. Paul, Minnesota, concluding by taking vows as a brother. He attended Fordham in the Bronx for first studies, completing his master’s and bachelor’s. He wrote his master’s thesis on Jesuits and the labor movement in St. Louis’ 20th century. Ken spent the next three years teaching freshman Scripture and junior Catholic social teaching at Marquette High in Milwaukee, where he also coached wrestling and weightlifting, led the group to IFTJ, led retreats and chaperoned backpacking trips. Ken spent two years in Boston completing an Master of Theological Studies. He was an active member of the Boston College graduate worker union. Ken graduated with his PhD from Georgetown in 2025. He is currently assistant professor of history at Saint Louis University and sits on the board of the Catholic Labor Network. In his free time, Ken builds furniture, hikes, and competes in powerlifting.

Questions? Email mpetterson@seattleu.edu