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The first edition of the "Évora Spirituality Encounters" brought together about 150 people who, throughout the day, were able to reflect on the theme of death, starting from different approaches. With the support of the CLC-Além-Tejo and the Eugénio de Almeida Foundation, the Jesuits of Évora hope to organise this meeting every two years. The opening of the meeting was attended by the Archbishop of Évora, Bishop Francisco Senra Coelho and the welcoming words of Fr. Alberto Brito, sj, superior of the Jesuit community in Évora. The first conference of the day was given by Walter Osswald, who spoke of "death and the fear of speaking of it", underlining that "it is important to prepare for death and for this it is necessary to think about dying. In the following moment, tracing an itinerary of the representation of death throughout the history of art, José Alberto Machado, from the University of Évora, made an intervention starting from the theme "Re(a)presentar a morte". In the afternoon, it was possible to participate in an interdisciplinary debate in which death was treated from psychological, philosophical and theological perspectives. This discussion was raised by the interventions of Isabel Mesquita and Teresa Santos, from the University of Évora, and Fr. António Vaz Pinto, sj. The day ended with a conference by Fr. Vasco Pinto de Magalhães, sj entitled "Death does not kill". In his speech, the Jesuit said that "we are in process, continuously dying physically, but it is not from this dying that we should fear, the great death is the end of relationships. There are three great things that kill us: the break with the transcendent, which destroys our ability to love and be loved, and the loss of a place in life".

He had always been against the printing of homilies, but his followers were not of the same opinion and eventually he had to give up. "The idea had been in mind for a long time until a tourist," Roberto explains, a retired engineer in charge of pharmaceutical companies and a lover of publications, "entered the Gesù church during the 10 o’clock Sunday mass, and came out deeply impressed. Signing up to a mailing list of the community that had been launched for 3 years he proposed to make a homily book. "He thought of writing them down and publishing them," he explained. "I had the same idea also because every Sunday around 700 people participate in the celebration. So, we discussed it with Fr. Ottavio De Bertolis SJ who presides over the 10 o’clock liturgy at the Gesù Church. He was rather perplexed. "The homily is an oral literary genre, and not a written one, unless we speak of those formidable reflections left to us by the fathers of the Church. Furthermore, the vital context is the liturgical assembly, where the Word is proclaimed to the community gathered for that liturgy," Fr. Ottavio writes in the introduction to the "Homilies in the Gesù Church ", a small volume, published by StreetLib, which is a collection of the transcripts of his Sunday homilies from November 27, 2016 to November 26, 2017. "In the end, however, he accepted" continues Roberto who had already started working on publishing the homilies of year B and C. "It is a faithful transcription of his speech with all the limits and advantages of a publication that is not intended to be transformed into a text". There was a lot of positive feedback in particular there was a demand to add the QR Code to the text so that one can listen to the homily. "I surrendered to their enthusiasm" the Jesuit father confided "a lot of thought has gone into this book – a book which is not common at all – especially for those who cannot read because of old age or more serious problems". We hope that these recordings, as Saint Ignatius would say - can really help many souls ". This is an example of the audio, relating to the first Sunday of Advent

Thanks to of its location, since ancient times the Faculty of Theology of Granada (Spain) has been particularly interested in Islam-Christian dialogue. Already in 1992 a first study centre on the subject was created, which was transformed into the current Andalusian Chair for the Dialogue of Religions (CANDIR) in 2009, an organ that centralizes the activity of the Faculty of Theology of Granada in this field. The current team of the Chair is formed by the Director of the Chair and Rector of the Faculty, Gonzalo Villagrán SJ, the Deputy Director, Fermín Rodríguez CMF and the Coordinator of Formation, Mª Carmen Benítez. This Chair has organized multiple congresses and conferences since its creation and currently has two main action items: research and knowledge transfer.  Research On the one hand, the Chair animates two research groups: a joint group with the Loyola Andalusia University - and other institutions - integrated into the Pluriel network that works on "Islam and society in contemporary Spain"; and an internal seminar of teachers of the Faculty (CANDIR Seminar) on religious pluralism and the Islam-Christian relationship that seeks to put this dialogue at the middle of the Faculty's research. The Chair's research activity is integrated into two main international networks: The Pluriel network, created by the Federation of Catholic Universities in Europe, for the study of Islam in Europe and Lebanon; and the Christianity and Islam cluster of the HEST (Higher Education for Social Transformation) programme within the Kircher Network of Jesuit university institutions in Europe. The work in this items seeks the publication of academic articles on this subject with the idea of developing the tradition of thought of the Faculty in this field. Knowledge centre The other important mission is knowledge transfer. It means offer formation and training in Islamo-Christian dialogue in the field of education, especially in the Catholic school. This training includes sessions with students, with the faculty, with the management and with the families who seek to train the educational community to be able to face the encounter in the centre with the Muslim tradition. This requires helping to develop a dialogical openness to this tradition while at the same time taking care of and growing in the center's own identity and primary inspiration. Research and knowledge transfer are mutually nourishing. If, on the one hand, research offers materials, resources and answers to the specific problems that arise in educational centres, on the other hand, contact with the reality of religious pluralism in schools makes it possible to grasp the real problems and priorities that need to be investigated in the Islam-Christian relationship.

In Portugal, the commemorations of the 175 years of the Apostleship of Prayer (AP) now the pope's worldwide network of prayer, ended during the weekend of October 19-20, in Fatima, with two great events: a Colloquium on the Heart of Jesus on Saturday, October 19, in which about 600 people participated; and the national pilgrimage of the AP on Sunday, October 20, which brought together one hundred thousand people from all over the country in the Shrine of Fatima. José Frazão Correia, sj, Provincial of the Jesuits in Portugal said during the colloquium that devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus must leave the "kitsch images" and find "its treasures" yet to show "the Christian faith" and the world. The Jesuit emphasized that the  devotion to the "Heart of Jesus" holds "many treasures that have not yet been sufficiently exposed, and they are what the Christian faith most needs to show to the life of believers, at a time when the Church must live on the margins, in the concrete reality of lives and families". The Final Eucharist took place on Sunday and was presided  by the Cardinal Patriarch of Lisbon, Manuel Clemente, and concelebrated by 200 priests, 38 bishops , including Cardinal António Marto, Bishop of Leiria-Fatima. In the words of D. Manuel Clemente, the Apostleship of Prayer, "a movement that spread most in Portuguese parishes" in the middle of the 19th century and during the first half of the 20th century, guaranteed "the life of faith" in "particularly difficult periods for the very survival of Christian communities". Today, the connection between prayer and apostolate "has relaunched the Church and the mission", as "Pope Francis recently wished, taking it up again as the World Network of the Pope's Prayer". "The same fruits will surely reappear", exhorted the president of the Portuguese Episcopal Conference. At the end of the Eucharist, the Portuguese dioceses were consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in front of the monument located in the center of the enclosure of the Shrine of Fatima.

Fr. General, Card. Turkson and Card. Czerny at the opening of the Congress In 1969, at the invitation of Fr. Pedro Arrupe, the Social Secretariat was born with the name of the Jesuit Secretariat for Socio-Economic Development. Thus, the Secretariat, now called Social Justice and Ecology Secretariat (SJES), will commemorate 50 years of its mission of promoting social justice and reconciliation in 2019. It is a historic moment for the entire Society of Jesus and a great occasion to reinvigorate the social and ecological dimension within the Society of Jesus and other third parties. The commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the SJES should be a kairos moment for Jesuits, lay collaborators of the social apostolate and others to come together.  It will be an opportunity to recall our past: the achievements, milestones reached and lessons learned. It will be a time to reflect on the challenges that we face today and how we can strengthen our collaboration and networking. It will allow for a collective discernment on the best way to move forward and plan strategically in accordance with the Universal Apostolic Preferences (UAPs). The 50th anniversary will be an occasion to work on how we can better contribute to the fulfilment of human rights and the fundamental freedoms of the people we work with all over the world. It will be commemorated during 2019 and 2020 in different phases at the province, conference and universal level of the Society of Jesus. Have a look at the Congress Website Press release

Bela, Ciara Eddy, Jacques, Margarida and Xavier, have caught the Ecojesuit bug, which means they want to think and live big, but it’s not the kind of big which was big in the past. Old-big was about getting more for yourself - and no one else. When it comes to the selfish ways of old-big, small is truly beautiful, but new-big has a beauty all its own. It’s about big vision and about sharing our one big beautiful home.  It’s about being the European part of the global EcoJesuit network - https://www.ecojesuit.com/ On the Philippine island of Mindanao, Pedro Walpole, Mr. Ecojesuit himself, lives in a house with two floors, one roof and no walls see-for-yourself. It stretches to the horizon. He, along with his friends on different continents, remind us of a big world beyond Europe. The Society of Jesus, in some ways, is old-big with lots of big properties and big names. Old-big is all about boasting, but the Jesuit story, at its best, is about our one big home with no walls - new-big. The Ecojesuit bug is about care for our common come sought in solidarity with others who are part of the Jesuit story. Fr. General has told Pedro to spread the Ecojesuit-bug far and wide and Pedro is now pestering people in Europe which, as we all know, is the biggest and most important continent of all. It has left its mark everywhere and there are lots of links between Europe and the rest of the world. We Europeans may not see them all, but there are those in other parts who want to help us. Because of Pedro’s pestering, Bela, Ciara Eddy, Jacques, Margarida and Xavier are calling out for friends in Europe. Click on each name and meet them. You will see that each of them has the Ecojesuit bug, but they are not the only ones! Some we know about. Some we have yet to meet! If the above has not given you enough food for thought, you might try these questions: Are you part of the Jesuit story which has recently been spilling beyond the Society of Jesus? Do you want to think and live big in caring for our common home? Do you want to start a conversation with others like yourself around Europe? Do you believe the Holy Spirit might surprise you in this conversation? If your answer to all the above questions is yes, you may contact Edmond Grace SJ, Secretary for Ecology at the Jesuit European Social Centre – JESC to its friends. He would like to hear of how you caught the Ecojesuit bug (max. 2000 characters). Please email edmond.grace@jesc.eu with the subject heading ‘Think big in Europe.’ Unless you indicate otherwise, you will also be placed on the mailing list for ‘Eco Bites,’ the world’s greatest newsletter, published by JESC - www.jesc.eu.

Brussels, 21 October 2019 – Last week national directors from 17 JRS offices in Europe came together with the JRS Europe team in the bi-annual Regional Coordination Meeting (RCM) in Leuven. The aim of the two days was to strengthen synergies and to reinforce our work to serve, accompany and advocate on behalf of refugees and other forcibly displaced people. The agenda for the meeting included key updates from each country. These meetings are an opportunity to learn about the situation of asylum seekers and refugees in the different national contexts and about what JRS is doing to support these people in the different areas of our work, such as integration, reception and support to migrants and asylum seekers in detention.  This year JRS International Director Tom Smolich attended the meeting to present global strategies and to share the work JRS is doing in other regions. As refugee participation is an important value for JRS around the world, JRS Europe staff organized a session to reflect on what refugee participation looks like for the different national JRS offices. “There is a strong sense throughout JRS in Europe that we need to increase the participation of refugees in our programmes. This has to be done in a way that respects the concrete situations, can give real opportunities to those refugees that want to join efforts with JRS. We need to overcome our logical resistances, but the experience of some national teams give us the means to move forward,” said JRS Europe director Jose Ignacio Garcia SJ. The advocacy session included a revision of the positive results of the JRS campaign “The Power of Vote,” a presentation on EU political developments and the state of play of EU migration legislation, and a discussion concerning  the next steps to continue advocating as JRS in Europe. In this meeting, the programmes department drew on key programmatic areas for JRS in Europe to imagine future common European projects that can strengthen the work JRS does, with a focus on what we consider to be the most needed areas in the current European context . The next RCM will take place in Lisbon in April 2019 together with the Annual General Meeting, which gathers around 60 staff members of JRS in Europe.

A network of non-profit organizations has been set-up in Palermo, coordinated by the Jesuits’ Gonzaga Institute, which will manage Universal Civil Service (SCU) Projects and which includes “Pedro Arrupe” Institute for Political Formation, Palermo’s Centro Astalli, Polisportiva Gonzaga, Arces and social cooperatives Al Azis and Parsifal. After a long and rigorous procedure, which began in June 2018 and took just over a year, the Department for Youth Policies and Universal Civil Service has registered the network and the school, as lead institution, in the new National Register established by the recent Third Sector Reform.  In the spirit of an educational tradition that this year is a hundred years old, the registration will now enable the Institute, and other Network’s entities, to select  young people aged between 18 and 28 years who will offer their voluntary collaboration in specific projects and support the many activities in place. A network made up of 7 entities, providing 31 possible sites for young volunteers, enabling to overcome barriers and “protagonisms” in order to serve the community in a new and creative way. According to Father Vitangelo Denora SJ, director of Gonzaga Institute, responsible and coordinator of the Network, "the Universal Civil Service provides an extraordinary opportunity of growth for our young people. It is an opportunity to get involved and be confronted with the deepest desires of the heart, by opening up to meaningful relationships in a community context”. The next step of the newly established Network will be to elaborate and submit project proposals to the Department for Youth Policies and Universal Civil Service. The next phase will be, instead, that in which the young volunteers will be selected, and introduced in the different projects and in the various agencies. Projects will cover the following areas: care of the historical, artistic and cultural heritage; education and promotion of local culture, landscape and environment, sustainable and social tourism, sport; peace promotion between peoples, non-violence and unarmed defense; promotion and protection of human rights; development cooperation; promotion of the Italian culture abroad and support to Italian communities abroad.

Pascal and Benoit took part in Magis' summer week in Latvia and Lithuania last summer. One for the first time as a Jesuit, the other just for the first time. Pascal Calu sj: Magis is a paradox for me: it is completely different every time and at the same time completely the same. Every time again miracles happen during that summer programme. Young people who may not often have the opportunity or the courage to speak openly about their faith in daily life, will find a refuge in Magis to share their faith and their doubts with each other and to grow together in faith and relationship with God and the universal Church. Benoit: It would be my first Magis. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I had only heard positive stories. Whenever I met someone who had already taken part, they advised me to go along with them. It also became my first pilgrimage. I already had some experience with traveling, but that got a whole new dimension. Pascal: We travelled through Latgala, the eastern part of Latvia, as pilgrims with fifteen or so young people. Our goal was the Marian place of pilgrimage Aglona, but as with every pilgrimage, the road is more important than the finishing point. Latgala is predominantly Russian, very extensive and has few inhabitants. The nature is very beautiful. On quiet roads we walked an average of twenty kilometers every day with all our luggage. One day ended in a kayak, with which we crossed one of the many lakes in the region. Benoit: We celebrated the Eucharist every day. In the beginning this felt a bit uncomfortable. I did my utmost not to 'do anything wrong'. But there was no chance to hide in a side aisle: with our group of sixteen it was always an intimate mass. As the pilgrimage progressed, the celebration began to feel more and more like coming home. After a long day of walking, we found peace in the house of God. The group also became closer, so that my earlier diffidence disappeared. The Mass gradually became more of a celebration than a mass. Our group was a fascinating mixture of different nationalities. Each and every one of us brought our own habits, desires and doubts. However, it soon became clear that these differences hardly made a difference. When it came down to it, we seemed to have known each other for years. As if someone had anticipated that. At the end of the day we held the Magis circle. I had already heard of it, but had never really understood why everyone was so special about it. It seemed like a simple round of reflection. But it is precisely in the circle that Magis really becomes Magis. It is an opportunity to dig deeper, often with surprising results. In the circle you realize that you were alone in nothing that day. It is a moment where you can share those insights and experiences with each other. Pascal: I experienced this first Magis as a Jesuit in a different way than the other times. While I was always interested in meeting others and then being personally enriched by their experience of faith in order to learn to make God more central in my life, there was now an additional aspect. As a Jesuit, I was allowed to witness God's actions in the lives of the young people and to accompany them to discover God in their lives. This made this experience comforting and went to the heart of my vocation as a Jesuit: to help people discover that God is very close to them. Benoit: When I look back on my first Magis, I feel gratitude. Gratitude for the good friends I have from this adventure. Gratitude for getting to know God a little better. And gratitude for everything He has given us. In any case, my journey is far from over. In 2020, the MAGIS meeting will take place in Hungary and neighbouring countries. From 1 to 9 September. Highly recommended for all young people who want to have a joyful international experience in the summer.

From 14 to 18 October 2019, Le Caousou school in Toulouse hosted the 5th edition of the "Jesuit Weeks". Coming from France and Belgium, more than 20 Jesuits have testified about their mission and their commitments to the 2150 students and 130 teachers of Caousou. The objective of this week is to enable students and the educational community to meet Jesuits, to get to know the Society of Jesus better and to understand the foundation of the educational project of the school by linking it to its Ignatian roots (of St Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits). Like a "Jesuit festival", the programme combines festive, spiritual and cultural proposals with testimonies, conferences, shows, themed meals, workshops, games, cinema club, sports activities, courses co-hosted by the Jesuits... This festival started on October 14 with a gathering of all the students, and ended on Friday afternoon, after a giant country meal and a morning devoted to a big mass in the cathedral, as well as various educational workshops (film clubs, conferences, ecological games...). Testimonials and specific workshops for students... During the week, all the students were able to meet in class a Jesuit who came to testify to his call, his journey, his current missions, his lifestyle... and answer all the questions... All have also discovered the Society of Jesus through a magic show, and through conferences testifying to actions of solidarity with which they can associate themselves, especially during the famous spring solidarity march of Le Caousou: for high schools, the Jesuit Refugee Service; for high school students, ARPEJ31 and tutoring in Toulouse; for schoolchildren, Inigo and volunteering abroad... And everyone could experience moments of silent meditation... During the week, students were also invited to experience additional activities: games, cooking workshops, sports, drawing competitions, exhibitions, cross country classes, celebrations and prayers, a morning of reflection on decision-making for senior high school students, work on oratory games in junior high school, literary café for senior high school students, etc... ...and thematic conferences for adults Conferences open to all took also place: - Jesuits for Dummies,- Jesuit spirituality,- Laudato Si and the social commitments of the Jesuits Beyond all these events, "Jesuit Week" is also an opportunity for many more informal encounters, in a hallway or classroom, in the refectory or in the courtyard... A simple and joyful experience of life and a foretaste of the joy of the fraternal Kingdom...

ESADE (Barcelona) belongs to the university sector of the Spanish Province, but has a projection towards the social sector. An example of this projection is the SUD. The SUD is our development cooperation office. Indeed, "SUD" is an acronym for "Servei Universitari per la Desenvolupament", (University Service for development). The SUD is dedicated to training and sending members of the ESADE community to developing countries to carry out university development cooperation activities. The main programme of the SUD is that of Solidary Professional Practices, in which students from different programs (Grades, Masters of Science, MBA) put their academic knowledge at the service of organizations and communities in countries in Latin America, Africa and Asia. In this academic year 2019-2020, around 110 students will spend a minimum of 10 weeks in the field, helping to promote cooperatives, small businesses, microcredit banks, NGOs supporting refugees, law firms, courts, etc. Since its foundation in 2003, more than 700 students have participated in the Solidary Professional Practices Program, contributing to more than 400 projects with more than 250,000 consulting hours, valued at around 6.5 million euros. A long and intensive preparation But the SUD experience begins long before fieldwork. Candidates must take various credits in relation to development cooperation, follow a process of personal discernment and selection by the SUD office, and participate in an intensive weekend of final training. In addition, on their return they must present reports on the main personal and professional lessons learned from their stay in the South and meet with the SUD team to integrate their field experience into their vital and professional project. Iustitia, utilitas, fides and humanitas It is important to note that the participants will develop their professional activity in the field, because we want them to link work for justice with their profession. We want supportive and responsible professionals: not just professionals who practice solidarity outside their working life. In the terms of the Ledesma-Kolvenbach paradigm, the SUD invites you to relate "iustitia" (engaged) and "utilitas" (competent). But we also encourage the competencies of fides" (conscious) and "humanitas" (compassionate). Indeed, throughout the formation, on the ground and on the way back, the SUD office accompanies the candidates and cooperators to make a deep discernment in relation to the experience (working motions). It also equips them with forms of meditation and prayer (e.g., Ignatian examination) so that they can live their stay on the ground from inner peace and a deep empathy with the people and communities they have chosen to serve. SUD programs are open to believers and non-believers, but are deeply Ignatian in inspiration. They therefore constitute a way of making present the mission of the Society of Jesus in a plural environment, in which people of different religious sensibilities live together. In short, the SUD is working on some of the frontiers to which the Society of Jesus is called: mainly poverty, injustice, dialogue with various forms of belief/belief or the formation of young people.

Welcome to the new and improved website for Online-Retreats. After 17 years the German Jesuits continue this offer together with the sisters of the Ignatian institute "Congregatio Jesu". Online-Retreats are aimed at people who want to try out how to meet and to talk to God in their daily life. They are a digital help in trying to get into conversation with God and a suggestion to clarify one's own relationship to God. Experience in accompaniment shows that especially those far away from the church are interested in this offer and see it as an opportunity to approach the topic of faith anew for themselves, reports Sr. Hilmtrud Wendorff CJ, who is coordinating this offer. The sister of the Congregatio Jesu has taken over the supervision of the Online-Retreats of Fr. Heribert Graab SJ at the beginning of this year. She coordinates the dates, takes over the initial contact with the participants and assigns them to the companions. In the following video she introduces (in German) the new homepage www.online-exerzitien.org

A HEST Science & Religion Conference in Paris. After almost three years of the existence, the Science and Religion Cluster of HEST reached the highest point of its activities, the conference: “A Powerful Universe – Levels of Powers: Dispositions and Their Applications in Science, Metaphysics, and Theology”. It was a fully academic event which took place 8-9th of October 2019 in Centre Sèvres Jesuit Theological Faculty in Paris. The planning of the conference and our preparations to it took almost two years. The conference was prepared by the survey among the members, the formulation of the research programme, two workshops (in Kraków and Braga) as well as almost 15 skype meetings. During the conference we had a great privilege to host prof. Stephen Mumford (Durham University / GB), the most renowned scholar on the question of dispositions and powers in metaphysics. He was very kind to accept our invitation and was very actively involved in the discussions sharing his deep knowledge of the topic as we presented our own papers. We hosted also prof. Douglas Porpora (Drexel University / USA), a sociologist, prof. William Abraham (Southern Methodist University / USA), a theologian, prof. Alvaro Moreno (University of the Basque Country, San Sebastian / Spain), a biologist. On Skype joined us prof. Ruth Groff (Saint Louis University / USA), a political scientist. A unified philosophical perspective Each one of them presented a paper. All of them are interested in metaphysical underpinning of their work, and the topic of dispositions and powers is an important perspective for them. The group of speakers was very diverse, because we intended to cover all the levels of reality (see the title of the conference) and to ask how the dispositional metaphysics can work on them. We would like to investigated the possibilities of a unified philosophical perspective on the reality which opens space for the divine presence and action in the world in a new way. The discussions were long and very intense (each paper was followed by around 30 minutes discussion session). It was inspiring to have so many people with very different backgrounds, but united in the philosophical quest for deeper understanding of various aspects of the reality. We should stress the fact that all guests stayed from the first to the last hour of the conference. It is also important to notice the presence of some other collaborators from our home institutions. From Newman Institute in Uppsala joined us for the whole conference: Erik Åkerlund, Lapo Lappin, Christoffer Skogholt; from Innsbruck University – Rev. Raphael Weichlein; from Centre Sèvres – for some sessions: Éric Charmetant SJ and Philip Endean SJ. To sum up, we covered a lot of areas started from metaphysical problems, then going to biology, sociology, anthropology, ethics and theology. As the members of Cluster we made a lot of progress in getting the idea on dispositional metaphysics. Book prospectus In the near future we would like to put together a book prospectus and to research the publishing possibilities in a renowned publisher house. In the long run we would like to continue the work of the Cluster and to take on board other important questions in the field of Science and Religion. Last but not least, the Centre Sèvres college and community is a very welcoming and convenient place for such conferences. Many thanks go to François Euvé for keeping eye on all the organizational issues. We are grateful to the Rector of the Community for the kind welcome in the community dinning room and the Rector of the Faculty for the financial support (venue and coffee breaks).

The Weekend Seminar Call to Public Life was held from the 11th to the 13th of October in Brussels, hosted majorly by the facilities of the new Jesuit Collège Matteo Ricci. The intention of this three-day Seminar was to Call people to engage actively in their Community and Public Life. A set of questions were raised during the sessions, hence, creating a space for dialogue and aiming to build upon a constructive approach on the European Union Project and besides, understand our rights and responsibilities from different levels of advocacy and citizenship. Social matters were alternated with spiritual sessions for an in and out conscience experience. ¨To be engaged, aware of huge problems in our society: How do we achieve our goals in political life? ​¨Can we rediscover our passion by sharing our hopes for a better world?¨ ¨How to develop its social leadership: Ensure that people are respectful, listening to each other, sharing common values?¨ The Jesuit European Social Centre, jointly with the Jesuit Alumni of Europe (Part of the World Union Jesuit Alumni), were the organisers of the Seminar. The activities were potential insights into the functioning of the European Union, to Living in Community following Spiritual guidance and to provide with further understanding of the concept of Leadership. This was especially interesting from the point of view of the European Leadership Programme Fellows, who also participated in every session of the Seminar. The idea of organizing a Seminar to shed a light on Public life matters emerged from the assumption that it is a Social pillar which enables people to understand current realities and find solutions to make visionary changes for a better future. Given we share a Common Home, Public life cannot survive without a shared consciousness that gets a say on direct representation organisms and is projected by decision making bodies in this case of the European Union. Even at the best of times, civility should not be a trivial concern. Beneath this surface lie all kinds of passions and irrationality that needs to be listened to and be expressed as common objectives. Leadership today is about finding ways to become a citizen that is conscience about himself and has consciousness on his surroundings and people. The opening session, held at the Jesuit Collège Matteo Ricci, started with an introductory speech by JESC Secretary for Justice and Ecology Edmond Grace SJ on Faith and Politics. Alain Deneef, president of World Union of Jesuit Alumni (WUJA) and the President of the Pouvoir Organisateur at the l’asbl ‘Collège Matteo Ricci’, greeted all the participants and gave the word to JESC Secretary for Leadership Botond Feledy, who introduced the audience to the session’s speakers; Marton Hajdu, Joint Research Center, working at the European Commission, and Victoria Martin de la Torre, spokesperson for the President of the Socialist and Democrats Group in the European Parliament. Ms Martin de la Torre based her speech on her book “Europe, a Leap into the Unknown: A Journey Back in Time to Meet the Founders of the European Union”, an investigation into the ambitions and purposes of the Founding Fathers of the EU. She also gave an account on her experience working for the European Parliament. She was confident in her European values and set a comfortable environment for the commencement day of the CtPL Seminar.   On Saturday morning, Edmond Grace SJ led a meditation and prayer session that sought self-reflection. It was followed by the “Fishbanks” Role Play simulation exercise. “Fishbanks” is a simulation game about natural resource management in a competitive environment. Participants played the role of managers of a fishing company and their goal was to ensure the long-term success of their business. Several companies are fishing on the same sea at the same time – this leads to a business challenges and sometimes hard, strategic dilemmas as well. After some mental stimulation, it was time for some body awakening in the format of a Tour around the European Quarters led by Alain Deneef. The second day of the Seminar concluded with an evening with Mr Diego Canga Fano, Former Head of the Cabinet of the European Parliament’s Former President Antonio Tajani. He gave his testimony on the European Union and the future of the institutions as an experienced EU staff member. The moderator this time was JESC Director Peter Rožič SJ, who opened the event with a reflection on the importance to exercise body and mind. The day ended with a nice dinner where there was space for some conviviality and conversation. Sunday was the closing day. Edmond Grace SJ concluded the Seminar with morning meditation and prayer, followed by a solidarity, conscience and reconciliation workshop. The Collège Matteo Ricci hosted a moment of discussion on paramount values and reflections from the impacts and thoughts on the weekend. To finalise, the ELP Fellows had one last simulation game monitored by Bela Kuslits, Sustainability Expert. The STRATAGEM  is a computer-assisted simulation game developed for the UN and the World Bank to train senior experts. The Fellows impersonated ministers of a government through 10 election cycles (game rounds). They had to develop a developing country and convert it into a sustainable nation. They had to face decisions, circumscribed to a given description and portfolio, in five ministries: Food & Environment, Goods & Services, Energy, Population, Finance. While the model is relatively simple, its results are surprisingly realistic and often these can be directly compared to real-world historical pathways. All in all, it was a weekend where the highlights were community building, creating bonds, sharing values and debating about our European shared reality. Alba Requejo

The launch of the DCU Jesuit Library Partnership took place in All Hallows College Dublin on Tuesday 1 Oct at 4.30 pm. The Irish Jesuit Provincial Leonard Moloney SJ and Brian MacCraith, (front of photo) President of Dublin City University signed a partnership agreement in which the Jesuit Province confirmed the transfer of its renowned Milltown Park library collection to Dublin City University. Professor MacCraith said the library would mark “a massive advance for the university but also for scholarship in general in Ireland. It will be a great resource for anyone interested in the areas covered by the library.” Daire Keogh, (photo back left) Deputy President of Dublin City University who played a key role in the negotiations surrounding the move, said the partnership “will transform the student experience”, in the university. Professor Keogh was speaking at the launch (listen here) attended by Jesuits, colleagues, former Milltown staff, and current staff and students from DCU. He said the library transfer was not a ‘transaction’ but a ‘partnership. “Effectively what has happened is that the Milltown Park community and the Jesuit Order have decided to move their library here where we will mind it for them… It’s not about ownership but it’s a way of maximising its accessibility and again it’s a way of inviting students to engage with the collection.” Commenting on the quality, range and academic value of the books in the library, Daire Keogh said, “It’s a hugely significant collection in terms of classical, and contemporary theological issues.”  He said the library will be of great benefit to the 400 students in DCU in taught under-graduate and postgraduate studies many of whom are studying theology along with the 20 postgraduate research students. As well as housing an impressive collection of philosophical and theological works spanning many centuries, the library also hosts significant books in the field of literature and history. The transfer of the library to Woodlock Hall in the All Hallows campus is a mammoth task involving the registering of 140,00 volumes that are subsequently packed into 25,000 boxes. In an attempt to give a sense of the size of the library Daire Keogh said that if all the books were laid flat, one after the other from  All Hallows outwards they would reach back to Milltown Park or beyond!

This year, in Spain, a new degree in Ignatian Pedagogy has begun as a result of the cooperation between Educsi (Jesuit Schools from Spain) and the universities of Deusto, Comillas and Loyola Andalucía. The Master in Ignatian Pedagogy is an interdisciplinary and semi-presential postgraduate course that draws from the sources of Ignatian spirituality and the educational tradition of the Society of Jesus, and aims to offer advanced training on how to update the essential elements of this practice - animated by a concrete vision of the human being and his mission in the world - to the contexts in which education is currently developed. It has five subjects that are taught over five semesters. Accordong to Antonio Allende, the Jesuit Education Delegate in Spain,  the ultimate goal of the Master is "to provide people in Educsi who are able to think beyond the classroom. We need people in the sector who know not only how to do things, but why we do them.” More information about the Master of Ignatian Pedagogy: https://www.deusto.es/cs/Satellite/deusto/es/masteres/estudios-masteres/pedagogia-ignaciana/programa

Opening of the Tertianship in Dublin. Greetings from the European tertianship in Dublin. This is the fourteenth year of the tertianship in Ireland, and once more we have a group of 11 tertians, from 10 different countries, and provinces, from four different continents: the Czech Republic, France, Poland, Slovakia, Syria, Canada, China, Guyana, Indonesia, and the United States. The ministries they come from are equally varied: some were university professors or researchers, others involved in Jesuit formation, in direct pastoral ministries in parishes and chaplaincies, others with CLC and JRS. Now they will be spending 8 months in the ‘school of the heart’: after the long years spent at the school of the mind, and a few years of ordained ministry, they will have the opportunity to have a good look at their Jesuit life and vocation in the light of their experience as Jesuits. The most important experience of tertianship is certainly the Spiritual Exercises, which will start on November 18th: do keep us in your prayers. During the weeks before the retreat we are having another look at the writings of St Ignatius, and after the retreat the tertians will go for a ten week experiment, mostly in situations that are new to them. This is a time of great blessing and insight for the tertians. As someone once said, every group of tertians refounds the Society of Jesus anew, and this sounds even more true in these times of profound change. Do keep us in your prayer from time to time.

They’re between 22 and 43 years old. They are graduates in Economics, Philosophy, Medicine but also in Energy and Nuclear Engineering, Physics, Performing Arts, Law. Among them there is also a craftsman, specialized in painting canvases. They share a common desire for searching in depth, a desire to pursue something "better"; it is not ambition that these young men are after, but a certain quality of life that can generate serenity. It’s in parishes or through friends, teachers and acquaintances, that they came in touch with the Society of Jesus, the Religious Institute to which Pope Francis also belongs. They are fascinated by the inner freedom of the religious who are part of it, "by their style of spiritual accompaniment, their approach to reality, the depth of their prayer life and their capacity of finding God in all things" explains Nicola, 32 years of age, currently in the Novitiate in Genoa with 16 other young men, for two years of discernment. Many are deeply marked by the important experience of the Spiritual Exercises: "My relationship with the Lord has changed, as I understand now that it is intimately connected to my emotions and my desires, a relationship that will continue to grow, no matter what happens during my journey", shares Nello, 43 years old. Some are already priests such as Giovanni: "I was experiencing a certain uneasiness. Then the Exercises and a conversation with two young Jesuits put me back on my journey, which is a vocation within a vocation". In Genoa, the Jesuit house welcoming young people for a discernment process is located in Castelletto.  The windows and the terrace overlook the big harbour and the vastly open horizon. The young people spend two years here seeking to understand well whether their deepest desire can be fulfilled by joining the Society and journeying within it. Fr. Agostino Caletti, master of novices together with Fr. Raymond, Br. Paride and Fr. Ignazio are available to accompany them in this discernment process. "This is a two-years’ period of experience and of community life; it’s a deeply interior experience that can confirm one’s profound desire to follow the Lord," Fr Caletti explains. This experience is based on three main elements: "The most important is daily prayer (personal and in community); some profound and particular experiences are proposed, such as Thirty Days retreat, a month of service in a hospital, a pilgrimage in poverty and insertion in a community preparing for Lent. The second element is community life: "this includes from studying to serving, from sport to free time enabling to build up relationships.  Finally, the third element is the introduction to our Charism carried out reading the most important Ignatian texts. These young people are attracted to this vocation through experiences offered by Jesuits, such as programs for young people in Selva, Bologna, Milan, through the Eucharistic Youth Mouvement, and in other ways, "including Internet, which they access with their desire for fulfillment". They make contact at the local level with the various vocation promotors before arriving at the novitiate. "Ours is not just a novitiate for Italians" Fr. Caletti highlights " but rather for Europeans, since it welcomes also novices from other countries such as Malta, Slovenia and Romania. This Novitiate has been in this city for 30 years after the previous novitiates of the former Italian Provinces were united into one". These two years are a privileged time of formation.  "In order to help young persons to discern their vocation well, it is important to allow them the freedom to be themselves, to talk about themselves and to become authentic in their strengths and limitations.  It is necessary that together we both encourage and challenge them to grow, in order for them to be confirmed in this vocation which is beautiful but also demanding.” The formation process is indeed long and demanding. The basis of it is the discernment of spirits. "Through it, we learn to recognize the good existing in each situation and to choose the one that leads to the greater good". The overall formation process consists of two years in the novitiate, three years devoted to Philosophy studies in Rome and from one to three years dedicated to apostolic work (Regency). Three more years are devoted to Theology studies, two years for the Licence and six months for Tertianship which is the last stage that re-reads, confirms and deepens this Way that continues with ongoing formation. Pope Francis himself entered the Society as an ordained priest, after a time of illness which culminated in the removal of the upper part of his right lung. He had a strong desire for missionary work. Discernment is the most precious legacy that he treasures as a Jesuit, that is that quest to understand better the Lord’s will and to follow him closely, looking upon reality just as Jesus did. This art of discerning is also what the families of the young men who are on this journey appreciate. Last March they spent a day together with their sons in the novitiate. "Ignatian way of proceeding is particularly necessary nowadays, considering the situation of the world," one of the dads highlighted. "I am delighted because, with the help of their Novice Master, they are learning to understand through the Holy Spirit what is really important and what they are called for." Getting to know how to choose every day. This is what the Jesuits of the future dream. This is a great gift for these religious, but also for the many lay people, who are being formed within this charism and who collaborate with them in the various works. This is a treasure that urgently needs to be disclosed and shared with many contemporary women, men and young people in search of a direction for their life.

Since the beginning of the Society of Jesus, the main governing unit of Jesuits in a region has been the “Province”. The Provinces were defined mostly within the geographical limits of the countries in which the Society was working. However, for the past fifteen years, under the generalate of Fr. Adolfo Nicolás, and now with Fr. Arturo Sosa, these national or regional borders are breaking down as new Jesuit Provinces are created. The new Provinces are sometimes multicultural and even multilingual. These organizational changes, like any change in the course of human life, have created tensions here and there. Jesuits from neighbouring regions or countries, who previously had little contact with one another, were now being urged to communicate, to collaborate, and to think about their future together. Among the projects for creating new Provinces is that of Central Europe, which will soon be completed. The new province will bring together the current Provinces of Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Lithuania. The decrease in the number of Jesuits is quite often suggested as the main reason for consolidating Provinces, some of which have had a long tradition of “national” autonomy. Since the Swiss Jesuits were involved in one of these regroupings, they raised the issue directly with Father General during his visit to their country last September. Father Sosa’s response offers a much broader and deeper perspective than considerations of only a mathematical or geographical nature. The General recalled the essentially universal character of the Society of Jesus since its foundation. See above for what he has to say about this question.

First vows, last vows, diaconal ordinations and priestly ordinations.