The following article was written with information provided by Fr Michael Zammit Mangion, SJ – the Provincial of the Near East and Maghreb Province since 2020. He provided an on-the-ground testimony of Jesuit relief efforts in Lebanon.  The Near East and Maghreb Province has been one of the members of the JCEP since almost the beginning of the Conference. Although apparently peripheral to the European focus of the Conference, the Near East and Maghreb Province gives the Conference a very strong missional and interreligious dimension and introduces a view of the Christian faith that can counteract the effects of strong European secularism in the actions of the Jesuits in Europe. Jesuit Coalition rushes to serve those displaced by Israel's war on Lebanon As the war against Iran rages on, there has been little attention paid to the fact that Israel has also been conducting a war in Lebanon. Claiming that they are rooting out Hezbollah fighters, Israel’s bombing campaign – according to the United Nations – has displaced nearly 700,000 people from their lands. That number includes 200,000 children, with hundreds of confirmed deaths of noncombatants. While 120,000 have found refuge in government shelters, the vast majority have nowhere to turn as the Israeli Defense Force continues to demand the evacuation of some of the most densely populated areas of the country. In response, a coalition of Jesuit works and affiliated institutions in Lebanon have shifted their emergency response to adapt to these needs amid continuing violence. Unlike the crisis of 18 months ago, demand for emergency shelter in traditional refuge areas in west Lebanon has sharply declined. In the Bekaa Valley town of Taanayel, only a small number of displaced families have sought accommodation, with the organization Arc en Ciel hosting ten families at one of its facilities. At the same time, shelters in the town of Bikfaya remain largely empty as many Christian residents of southern Lebanon have chosen not to leave their communities. This reflects both ongoing population movements and a weariness among survivors. At a meeting this past Sunday, Jesuit superiors and directors of works met to review the population displacement and coordinate future responses. The situation is markedly different in Beirut, where migrant workers – many of them African families – have filled a shelter opened by the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) and the Arrupe Migrants Center (AMC) at St Joseph Jesuit Church. Designed for 80 people, the shelter quickly reached nearly twice its capacity, housing 150 by the second day. Staff members, led by Michael Petro, SJ, and the parish council have expanded facilities by converting the church crypt into a dormitory and installing portable sanitation units, while volunteers and parish leaders coordinate daily operations. The Centre de la Jeunesse Catholique (CJC), a Social Center attached to St Joseph’s church, has focused its efforts on families who have decided to remain in southern Lebanon despite the risks. The first shipment of food and clothing should be on its way these days. Its route will take it through the village of Qawzah, a community that had been previously rebuilt with the Jesuit coalition and international assistance, which now sits largely abandoned as residents seek safety in nearby towns, hoping that their homes will not be destroyed yet again. These have been the main prongs of the Jesuit coalition’s emergency responses: JRS and AMC providing accommodation for migrant workers (who are mostly Muslim), and CJC supporting Christian families who have decided to stay. The Xavier Network has been coordinating requests for aid with JRS handling as much as of the immediate need as resources allow. Educational institutions are attempting a partial return to normalcy even as conflict continues. Saint Joseph University of Beirut (USJ) moved classes online, while the Collège Notre-Dame de Jamhour (NDJ) resumed in-person instruction earlier this week, welcoming about 80 percent of its students despite transportation disruptions. Across the country, however, hundreds of public schools have been converted into refuges, housing a portion of the 200,000 people who are staying in the 480 open accommodation shelters, leaving much of Lebanon’s public education system effectively suspended. Airstrikes continue across Beirut and other areas, many of them clearly assassination attempts of specific targets. This has led to unbearable anxiety among the population because while warnings are usually given before an Israel Defense Force strike, assassination bombings come without such notifications - targeting specific apartments or rooms within hotels. The Jesuit coalition has found a special ministry among the chaos by ministering to those with nowhere else to turn. Security forces have increased their monitoring of relief sites, including Jesuit-run shelters, which remain notable for accepting migrant workers as they are turned away from the government-run facilities.

From the 8th to 15th of March, a delegation of teachers from the Colegio Mateus Ricci in Macau carried out an educational exchange in Belgium focused on Jesuit school-to-school collaboration. Supported by the network of the Jesuit European Committee for Primary and Secondary Education, known as JECSE, , one of the main networks of the Conference of Jesuit European Provincials. The visit made visible a lived Ignatian unity: different languages, different systems, yet a common commitment to educating men and women for and with others, formed with competence, compassion, conscience, and commitment. Two anchor visits shaped the journey, College Notre-Dame de la Paix in Erpent and College Matteo Ricci in Brussels, and the exchange concluded with the signing of memoranda of understanding with both schools, marking a concrete step from dialogue to long-term partnership.  The delegation first major school encounter happened at the College Notre-Dame de la Paix in Erpent, where hospitality immediately set the tone for the entire journey. In a gesture both formal and heartfelt, the school hoisted the flag of the Macau Special Administrative Region alongside the flag of Belgium. For the visitors from Macau, the moment symbolised the capacity of education to honour identity while building relationship, especially when language is not shared by everyone in the same way. Beyond the ceremony, classroom observations and dialogue highlighted resonances between Macau and Belgium, particularly around educational choice and the role of public support in keeping schooling accessible across different types of institutions. The delegation was especially struck by practices that expressed adaptive development in tangible ways: learning that can move outdoors even in less-than-perfect weather. On the day of visit, Kindergarten children were having outdoor Maths class in the rain. The Primary and Secondary sections emphasised flexible learning spaces that encourage student agency, pathways and electives that respect interests and pace of students. What stood out was not simply methodology, but culture: students appeared to engage through intrinsic motivation rather than constant comparison, an atmosphere the visitors connected to Cura Personalis, the Jesuit education value to care for each learner as a whole person.  If the Notre-Dame de la Paix in Erpent offered an opening experience of welcome, the College Matteo Ricci in Brussels provided the emotional and symbolic centre of the exchange. Hearing the anthem of the school from Macau played far from home created an immediate sense of kinship: two institutions carrying the name of Matteo Ricci encountering each other not as strangers, but as partners with a shared lineage and purpose. The formal exchange sessions deepened that connection. Both schools compared how they articulate holistic formation and student dignity, sustain Jesuit identity while responding to contemporary needs, educate for service, inclusion, and reconciliation in diverse societies. A key theme was language and culture as formation, not merely as logistics. In Brussels, shaped by French, Dutch, and international realities, leaders described how students are supported to navigate multilingual life with confidence. A defining outcome of the Belgium exchange was its move from inspiration to institution-building. During the visit, memoranda of understanding were signed with both the College Notre-Dame de la Paix in Erpent and the College Matteo Ricci in Brussels, setting a framework for sustained collaboration. These agreements open realistic next steps such as teacher learning and formation exchanges, student encounter projects in person or hybrid, joint pedagogical sharing especially around language learning and student agency, shared reflection on Jesuit educational priorities and safeguarding cultures. In short: the visit did not end as a one-off tour, it became a structured relationship with shared commitments. Recognising the richness of Jesuit education in Belgium, an additional stop at the College Saint-Michel in Brussels was arranged. The encounter contributed to the broader picture of Jesuit educational diversity in the region and offered further points of contact for possible future collaboration. In addition to these school visits, a detailed presentation of the Cocéjé, the Coordination of Jesuit Colleges and Schools, was given by Ms. Anne L'Olivier, EOF-Belgium South Education Delegate, and Mr. Vincent Sohet, Coordinator of School Pastoral Care and Religious Education Courses. This presentation highlighted the support provided to all Cocéjé schools through six common recurring themes along with other core Jesuit educational values, such as awakening hope in the world and forming just global citizens, as emphasized by Father General Arturo Sosa, SJ. This Belgium exchange illustrates the practical role of JECSE in connecting schools across borders and supporting a European Jesuit educational ecosystem, with a higher level of agency and strategic stance, linked to a wider global Jesuit collaboration. For the delegation from Macau, the core takeaway was not a model to copy, but a renewed sense of belonging to a worldwide mission that expresses itself through local languages and contexts. With memoranda of understanding now signed with two sister schools, the most important work begins after the flight home: turning encounters into enduring programmes that help students in Macau and Belgium learn with and for others, across languages, cultures, and distance.

The Xavier Network is an international mission and development partnership bringing together Jesuit organisations working in faith to promote justice worldwide. Given that the majority of the Jesuit organization that compose the Xavier Network are from the European provinces, Xavier Network is canonically dependent of the Jesuit Conference of European Provincials. This collaboration at a higher level allows the different Jesuit organization to reach a higher and more global level of agency that would be impossible for them just on their own. Closely connected to the mission of the Jesuit Conference of European Provincials, the network serves as a key expression of Jesuit collaboration in the field of development and humanitarian action, linking European provinces with global partners and apostolates. Find out more about Xavier Network Here. Hosted by MAGIS Italy (NGO), the Xavier Network (XN) concluded on their 3-day meeting this week in Rome on March 11-13. Operating for over 22 years, the 14 Jesuit Mission Offices and NGOs from Europe, North America and Australia support Jesuit development programs, apostolates and networks serving vulnerable communities in over 75 countries annually. XN Coordinator, Martin Iriberri SJ (Alboan – Entreculturas) and former XN Coordinator Jenny Cafiso (Canadian Jesuits International). The meeting gave opportunity to strengthen collaboration with the Society of Jesus Curia in Rome, including re-affirming communication channels between XN and the Curia for coordinated responses to humanitarian emergencies.  Since the first emergency joint response in 2004 to the Tsumani in Indonesia, the XN has responded to 20 joint emergencies. With this month’s initiation of the XN Middle East Emergency Response, the meeting gave opportunity to apply successes and learnings from XN’s on-going responses including XN’s Ukraine Response over the last 4 years with key Jesuit partners. The approval of the XN Strategic Reflection at the meeting, re-enforced the XN commitment to applying the XN minimum requirements in safeguarding with all partners. XN members reflected on the  safeguarding supports provided to Jesuit partners since 2019, including the encouragement of a minimum of 3% safeguarding budget line for our partners to apply across all their proposals. John Dardis SJ, General Counsellor for Discernment and Apostolic Planning of the Society of Jesus, Chukwuyenum (Chuks) Afiawari SJ, Director of Communications for the General Curia and Roberto Jaramillo SJ, Director of the Secretariat for Social Justice and Ecology (SJES). Given the participation of the General Treasurer of the Society of Jesus at the meeting, chance was taken to summarise the financial investment of the XN annually to our Jesuit partners, which has ranged from €56 – €77 million each year over the last 20 years. Strategic Partnerships with Fe y Alegria and JRS were explored in more detail, inviting Directors at International level to give valuable inputs to strategy going forward. Heartfelt farewells were shared with two long-term serving Directors – Teresa Paiva Couceiro of Fundação Gonçalo da Silveira (FGS) and Paul Chitnis of Jesuit Missions in Britain – two pillars within the XN who dedicated 21 and 14 years respectively to their Jesuit NGOs.

On 25 March, around 25 collaborators from various European Jesuit works in Brussels - Jesuit Conference of European Provincials (JCEP), Jesuit Refugee Service - Europe (JRS), Jesuit European Social Centre (JESC), Chapel for Europe and the coordination of Religion Teaching at the European Schools - came together for a formation day organised within the framework of the Jesuit Conference of European Provincials. The session was led by Fr Gonzalo Villagrán SJ, Socius of the Conference, and focused on the theme of Ignatian leadership. Drawing on both academic insight and spiritual tradition, Fr Villagrán traced the development of leadership as a concept—from its linguistic roots to its emergence as a contemporary field of study—highlighting how Ignatian spirituality offers a distinctive and meaningful contribution to today’s leadership challenges. The programme continued with small-group exchanges, where participants reflected on their own experiences and explored how Ignatian principles can be lived out in their professional contexts. The day concluded with an informal moment of fellowship over coffee and biscuits at the Chapel of Europe, offering space to deepen connections across works and ministries. Bringing together collaborators from different apostolates, the formation day embodied the spirit of shared mission within JCEP, fostering both professional development and spiritual growth. The European Works of the JCEP give the Society of Jesus a new level of agency beyond the more local and limited provincial dimension, as well as enrich the provincial work. Given that the tasks in these works are growing in size and complexity, new Jesuits and lay people are being integrated into them. This formation for mission partnership offered by the JCEP follows the Society’s demand to share its charism and seeks to help pass from a mere working relationship to a true partnership in mission between Jesuits and lay people. Find out More about the European Works of the Jesuits in Brussels: Jesuit Conference of European Provincials Jesuit European Social Centre Jesuit Refugee Service - Europe Chapel for Europe  

Father General Arturo Sosa has appointed Fr Mateusz Janyga as the new Provincial of the Province of Southern Poland of the Society of Jesus, one of the 15 provinces and 1 region that conforms the JCEP. Born in 1978 in Wodzisław Śląski, Fr Janyga completed his secondary education in Rybnik before pursuing studies at AGH University of Science and Technology in Kraków, where he earned a Master of Engineering degree in Electronics and Telecommunications. After working in the IT industry for one year, Fr Janyga entered the Society of Jesus in Stara Wieś in 2003. After completing his novitiate, he went on to study philosophy at Ignatianum in Kraków (2005-2007). His formation continued with a two-year pastoral internship in New York, where he served as a mathematics and religion teacher at Brooklyn Jesuit Prep, a Jesuit school serving underprivileged children. Fr Janyga pursued theological studies at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome (2009-2012), Palacký University in Olomouc (2012-2013), and the Collegium Bobolanum of the Catholic Academy in Warsaw, where he earned a master’s degree in theology. He was ordained a priest on June 29, 2013, in Kraków. Throughout his priestly ministry, Fr Janyga has served in parishes in Český Těšín (2013-2015) and Gliwice (2015-2020). He completed his Tertianship in Nairobi, Kenya (2021), and pronounced his Final Vows in Gliwice in 2023. For the past five years, he has served as superior of the community and director of the Jesuit Public Elementary School in Mysłowice. Fr Janyga will begin his new role as Provincial on 31 July 2026.

Fr Jakub Garčár has been appointed as the new Provincial of the Slovakia Province of the Society of Jesus, one of the 15 provinces and 1 region that conforms the JCEP. Father General Arturo Sosa signed the decree of his appointment on 19 March 2026. Born in 1987, Fr Garčár entered the Society in 2005 in Ružomberok. After his First Vows, he studied philosophy in Cracow and Bratislava. He then spent two years of Regency at Belvedere College in Dublin. Following that, he went on to study theology in Rome and was ordained a deacon in 2014. He then continued his studies in Madrid, completing a Master Ignatiana and earning a licentiate in spiritual theology. He was ordained a priest in 2015. From 2016, Fr Garčár has served at the Jesuit Retreat House in Piešťany (Slovakia). In 2021, he was appointed Socius ad interim and, in 2022, ordinary Socius to the Slovak Provincial.He also serves as the national ecclesiastical assistant for the Christian Life Community (CLC). In 2024, he completed his Tertianship in Bergas, Indonesia and pronounced his Final Vows in 2025. He has also been the superior of the community in Bratislava since 2024. Fr Garčár takes up his new role as Provincial on 27 September 2026.