A few changes in JESC: Peter Rožič and Edmond Grace leaving and Filipe Martins will be the new director.

Franck Janin SJ, President of the Jesuit Conference of European Provincials, announced that Peter Rožič SJ will leave his position as Director of JESC and European Coordinator of the Social Apostolate on 6 September 2022. He will be succeeded by Filipe Martins SJ.

Filipe Martins started working at JESC in September 2021, becoming, at the same time, a member of the St. Benedict Community in Brussels. He was JESC Justice Renewal Assistant and Congress Officer for the Justice and Ecology Congress that took place in Loyola in March 2022.

Filipe was born in Lisbon in 1970, got a degree in Electronics Engineering, and before entering the Society of Jesus in 1995, did one year of volunteer work in Mozambique. He studied Theology in Madrid and Rome. After returning to Portugal, Filipe served the province successively as Vocations Promoter and Director of the University Pastoral Centre of Coimbra, then as Coordinator of the Social Sector and Director of a Centre for homeless people in Oporto, and then as Socius to the Provincial. For the last three years before arriving in Brussels he was engaged in the renewal process of a Jesuit School in the North of Portugal.

Edmond Grace will also leave this role as Secretary for Ecology in JESC and pursue a different mission in his beloved Ireland. Creative, sensitive, empathic, visionary, artistic, committed, kind-and-big-hearted, an inspirational speaker and writer… These are some words that could describe Edmond Grace SJ.

During his time as JESC’s Secretary for Ecology, Edmond had a number of relevant accomplishments: 

Together with Willem Vriesendorp, founder of #SustainablePublicAffairs, he prepared a European Parliament event through Article 17. 

He published the book Business and the Earth and worked hard to promote its messages. He launched the book in 2021 at COMECE headquarters with Janez Potočnik, members and authorities of COMECE and UCSIA. He also participated in the recent JESC webinar ‘Business and the Earth’, with Josianne Gauthier from CIDSE, Enrique Meroño from Iberdrola, and Cédric Pacheco from Laudes Foundation. 

He gave lectures and talks at several venues and events including at the European Parliament, the Passion for Europe retreat, ELP, Faith & Politics, and Casa Velha in Portugal. 

We are grateful to Filipe Martins for accepting this position and would also like to thank Peter Rožič and Edmond Grace warmly for the years they have dedicated to JESC.