From March 23 to 29, 2019, the school of La Providence in Amiens hosted the 4th edition of the "Jesuit Weeks". Fr. Pascal Gauderon sj, coordinator of these Weeks, reflects on this event which brought together more than 20 Jesuits from France and Belgium, 2000 students and 175 teachers.

What is a "Jesuit Week"?

During Jesuit Week, a school in the Jesuit network organizes a range of activities to raise awareness of Jesuits and the Society of Jesus in a lively and entertaining way. The proposals are varied: exhibitions, conferences, educational workshops, friendly meetings, spiritual times, testimonies, meals, recreational and cultural activities... follow one another in just a few days. 

These Jesuit Weeks are intended for students and their families, the educational community, administrative staff, volunteers and elders.

The Jesuit Weeks are thus a wonderful opportunity - especially where the Society is less visible on a daily basis - to reaffirm who it is, to recall the spiritual roots that underlie its pedagogy, its missions and its ways of proceeding, and especially to make them live through shared experiences and encounters.

La Providence in Amiens

During the Week organized within the La Providence establishment in Amiens, from March 23 to 29, twenty Jesuits testified to their vocation, animated celebrations and conferences.

We highlight some of the highlights. The giant IHS filmed by a drone (the video is available on Facebook - LINK), with the 1600 students gathered, was an opportunity to discover and bless the school's new logo. The 1st and 12th disputatios (grade contests) allowed us to reconnect with old traditions. The scenic dimension was well honoured, with several sketches and shows.

Jesuit Week also took place at the boarding school with various initiatives: cineclub, prayer, indoor football tournament, skits vigil. At the Lycée des Métiers, the classics "Olympiads of Saint Joseph" had a very special flavour this year!

Among the originalities, let us note: the conference "Jesuits for Dummies" in connection with the Day of the Elders, and broadcast live on social networks, the solemn opening Mass for the Annunciation in the cathedral of Amiens and a prayer-reconciliation vigil.

At the primary level, a particularly generous programme, framed by an inaugural show and a reading and celebration snack: the pupils had a different intervention each day, based on testimonies, "Laudato Si" challenges, interiority exercises, commitments...

In the school, in addition to the classical testimonies, "Laudato si" workshops allowed each class to live with Jesuits with concrete reflections and exercises - such as making a salad with organic fruit, listening to birds, participating in a drawing competition on the IHS logo, or on the portraits of Saint Ignatius of Loyola. All this will permanently decorate the walls, in addition to the many exhibitions brought by the Jesuits!

In short, this Jesuit Week in Amiens confirmed the relevance of a model that at the same time is being tested and renewed from one time to the next.