Fr. General Sosa relieves Johannes Siebner of duties. Due to the health problems of Fr. Provincial Johannes Siebner, Fr. General has appointed Fr. Jan Roser, who had been in office since September 2019, as Vice-Provincial, with all the powers of a Provincial. The former Socius Fr. Martin Stark took over the office of Socius again.

The Presidium of the Committee of Analytical Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences examined the applications submitted for the competition 'The best doctoral dissertations 2020'. PhD theses defended in 2018 and 2019 could be submitted to the competition. Applications could be submitted by members of the CCA, promoters and reviewers of doctoral dissertations, and deans of faculties where the doctoral dissertation was held. The 3rd year student of theology Collegium Bobolanum, Mateusz Kowalcze SJ, became the laureate of this year's edition of the competition in the category for the best doctoral dissertation on the introduction of metrology principles in chemical measurements. His doctoral dissertation was entitled: "The use of chemometric methods in voltammetric testing of selected oxygen derivatives of ring terpenes" and presented new procedures related to chemometry, metrology and analytical measurements. This work was created in the Department of Analytical Chemistry of the Faculty of Materials Science and Ceramics AGH, and its supervisor was dr hab. Małgorzata Jakubowska, prof. AGH.

The real DNA of the school:  "uniting people, hearts and experiences" Teaching at the Colleges of the Jesuit Education Foundation has not been halted. “A great effort has been made by all the schools to set up a combined virtual system that is allowing the continuity of on-line teaching and formation: these include video conferences, video and audio lessons and power point presentations prepared by the teachers. Platforms have been set up to carry out on-line lessons and shared activities until we return to the irreplaceable value of the physical presence of teachers and their students " Fabrizio Olati, the webmaster of the Jesuit Education Foundation highlights "Let us make well use of our time during this period of reflection and prayer, support each other and enhance the charisms of all". This invitation has been made by Fr. Jimmy Bartolo SJ, President of the Jesuit Education Foundation. “A Thank you goes to the teachers who are embracing this difficult and painful time as an opportunity to test and "practice" new teaching methods, to acquire skills that can then be used profitably to develop, for example, the "flipped classroom" model even when we are back to a "normal" situation. These settings and technologies are being used to continue to develop relationships, because today more than any other time the true DNA of the school is : "not the building but a community of people journeying together"” emphasizes Anna Martini, computer teacher at the primary school of the Social Institute of Turin  "a connection between people, a connection of hearts and experiences".

The people in refugee camps are in big threat due to the outbreak of COVID-19. The refugee camps are not prepared to deal with the coronavirus and immediate action is needed in order to avoid even more dramatic consequences. Advocating for all the migrants that are in risk, JRS and a long list of Ong’s and organizations addressed the following letter to the main European Authorities.   President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen President of the European Parliament, David Sassoli President of the European Council, Charles Michel Prime Minister of the Hellenic Republic, Kyriakos Mitsotakis   We urge the immediate evacuation of the refugee camps and hotspots on the Greek islands to avert a catastrophe amidst the coronavirus pandemic. More than 42,000 people are trapped on the islands in hopelessly overcrowded camps and in horrific conditions. Recommended measures like social distancing or frequent hand washing are simply impossible. There is no hope of containing any outbreak within the camps. It would endanger the elderly and those with underlying health conditions, both refugees and the local population. Time is of the essence. We urge emergency action to guarantee the health and safety of the asylum seekers, the local population and the humanitarian aid workers on the islands. The European Commission, the European Council and the European Parliament must make every effort to urge member states to fulfil their responsibilities and accept asylum seekers from Greece. We demand that access to the universal human right to seek and be granted asylum, as guaranteed by the European Charter of Fundamental Rights, should immediately be restored and upheld. This includes accepting asylum applications and considering them in fair asylum procedures, not punishing people who cross borders in order to make an asylum application, and fully respecting the principle of non-refoulement, which is currently being circumvented by illegal pushbacks. We, the undersigned civil society organisations are confident, given our long experience in caring for and advising refugees, that it is well within the EU’s capacity to cope with the current crisis on its external borders. We stand in solidarity with the refugees and offer our help to avoid this looming humanitarian catastrophe. List of all signatories Picture: Moria camp, on the Greek island of Lesbos (Photo: JRS Greece)

Heaven March 2020, Earth time Dear people on earth, I see you're having a hard time finding the right attitude to the coronavirus. That's not strange. Over the past few decades, science has made such progress that you have come to believe that a solution to every problem can be found in no time. Now it's becoming clear all over the world that this is an illusion. For many of you this is quite confusing. I myself have been struggling with chronic illness for over thirty years. As Superior General of the rapidly growing Jesuit order, I was confronted with all possible and impossible problems day in and day out for fifteen years. I would like to give you four tips to get through these difficult times. They are taken from my own experience. At the time of this coronavirus, obey the doctors, the scientists, and the competent authorities as if it were God Himself. Even if you disagree with their decisions or do not understand them well, have the humility to accept that it is worth relying on their knowledge and experience. It will give you a clear conscience and allow you to make your contribution to the solution of the crisis. Beware of fear. Fear never comes from God and does not lead to God. Fear often suggests to you all possible reasons why you should be afraid. Much of it is true. Only, you don't have to be afraid of it. The Lord takes care of you now, too. I know that from a well-informed celestial source. Experience has shown that He can write straight on the curved earthly lines. Dare to believe in them. In times of crisis you do not benefit less, but more from prayer. Grant it to yourself to indulge in His love. It is the best antidote to fear. Finally, do not forget to live and enjoy life in all this. Whatever happens, every second you are given is a unique and precious gift. There's nothing the coronavirus can do to change that. United with you in everlasting prayer, + Ignatius

After almost 120 years as a Jesuit culture magazine, Brotéria came out of the paper and moved to Bairro Alto with the desire to become the meeting point between the Christian faith and contemporary urban cultures. The new cultural space of the Jesuits, located in the heart of Lisbon, was opened to the public on January 25th, in a former Palace and is the result of a partnership with the Santa Casa da Misericórdia of Lisbon. This is a project that has been under construction for two years, but which began to be dreamed and thought about almost thirty years ago. The opening program was born from the relationship with the street, since the cultural activity of Brotéria will try to give voice to the concerns of people who are entering the cultural game that is offered, where there is space for time, spontaneity and discussion. It included conferences about urban life, the relation between tradition, women and the city with the church, artistically performances and DJ actuation.   Until May the gallery will have an exhibition where the historical journey of Brotéria is recreated. The magazine will continue its regular publication. The Portuguese President of the Republic made a private visit to the new cultural center during the inauguration days. Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa underlined the importance of putting the different dimensions of live in relation with one another as desired by the new cultural center. "What we believe is that the relevance of Brotéria as a cultural agent depends on constant attention to the urban reality, from a multiplicity of angles, always cemented in five strands of activity: research, dialogues, communication, spirituality and gallery", explains Fr. Francisco Mota SJ, director of Brotéria, adding that "for this to happen, we have a group of people we call Observatory, which meets regularly to listen to reality. We need to continue to nourish a joint reflection that guarantees the vitality, relevance and organicity of all the activity promoted by Brotéria. Then it is from this collective and plural view that new initiatives emerge and from which the themes explored in the programme emerge. Each theme is this: a process of integrated, dynamic and collective research and reflection that takes advantage of the multidisciplinary character of the centre and the programming to look for possible paths to the initial question brought by the exercise of listening to reality". The space includes a gallery, a bookshop, a cafeteria with a patio and rooms for debates, conferences or meetings, among which two large halls stand out, both with worked ceilings and capacity for 80 people each, and the Leather Room, the ex-libris of the building, with walls fully lined with worked leather. The building will also host the famous and vast library of the Jesuit community, which contains more than 160 thousand volumes that are now more accessible to the public. The top floor of the building will house the Jesuit Community House involved in the life of Brotéria. From research to debate, from art to spirituality, through digital and paper communication, Brotéria brings together people from different areas and sensibilities, as well as different institutions, with the desire to generate social transformation. It will be energized by a team of Jesuits in collaboration with people of various ages and areas of interest. For society, Brotéria hopes to be a place of plural, intelligent and creative dialogue, where cultural work has a social impact, be it through awareness raising, research and publications, as well as local intervention projects. For the Church, Brotéria hopes to be a place of theological and aesthetic reflection, with a contemporary language.