In the Society of Jesus, every Province must create, keep and develop a fund exclusively for financing the formation of young Jesuits, its assets cannot be diverted to other uses. With the demographic changes in the Society across the different areas of the world, and occasional historical incidents, it happens that today there are Provinces with very strong formation trusts but very few young Jesuits and, at the same time, Provinces with many young men in formation but not enough resources to support them.

On May 2020, following a recommendation of the General Congregation 36 to give continuity to an initiative of Fr. Nicolás in 2013, Fr. General decided to establish a Solidarity in Formation Council (SFC), composed by the six Conference Presidents, the General Counsellor for Formation and the General Treasurer, to assist him “in discerning how best to prioritize and respond to the most pressing formation funding situations around the globe”.

 As a first step, it was asked that each Conference make a discernment in order to identify and prioritise, in their own area, both the unresolved needs and the resources available to be shared regarding Jesuit formation – be they financial, in personnel, expertise or any other kind.

Since November 2020, the JCEP has been doing that work. A questionnaire was sent out to gather quantitative data for an informed overview of the situation in the Conference. On February 6th, the Major Superiors met online to evaluate that information and discern the guidelines for the report to send to the SFC, which will meet this Spring.

Independently of the Province that welcomes him, every young man that enters a Novitiate joins the one world body of the Society of Jesus. The steps being taken want to assure that all the formation funds, wherever they may be gathered and administered, may ultimately help to support the formation of all young Jesuits worldwide. Each donation, offered anywhere, is a contribution to sustain the future of the global mission of the Society of Jesus, by supporting its new members.

Thank you for continuing to support Jesuit formation.

Herminio Rico SJ. – JCEP Socius