The rich fruit of a discernment process in The European Network of Jesuit Schools.

There are 205 primary and secondary Jesuit and Companion* schools in Europe and the Near East. Together they provide education to almost 180,000 young people. If we also take into account their families, the teachers and their families, the alumni of the schools etc - the schools’ sector represents one of the largest evangelisation works of the Society of Jesus in Europe. At the same time, the number of Jesuits ministering in our schools is decreasing year by year. For this reason, there is a growing need for school staff formation and training programmes, so that Jesuit schools can shape and maintain their identity and be faithful to the mission entrusted to them. The Jesuit Committee for Primary and Secondary Education (JECSE) serves this purpose.

JECSE is a network of Jesuit schools and is an interprovincial structure to support on-going communication and collaboration between our schools in Europe, Russia, Egypt and Lebanon. Initially, it operated as an informal organisation enabling education delegates to come together and share good practice. Since 2011, when it became a registered non-profit association, it began to support the staff of our schools in a systematic and continuous way.

JECSE’s mission is to provide support to Jesuit schools and Provinces as they aim to fulfil the Society’s mission ‘to form leaders in service, in imitation of Christ Jesus, Men and Women of Competence, Conscience and Compassionate Commitment’ (The 4Cs).

In the light of the changing educational and social contexts in Europe and the more recent statements emanating from Rome about the nature and purposes of Jesuit Education, JECSE undertook a two-year process of discernment, which ultimately led to the Strategic Development Plan for the 2022-2026 period.

“The Strategic Plan should be understood as part of an overall trajectory, building on the work of previous directors and moving towards a stronger and better resourced Office for the Delegates and Provinces in the European network. The plan is true to our essential character as a discerning organisation as we have carefully refined our understanding of how we will most effectively achieve our vision. The plan also responds to the task given to us by Father General Arturo Sosa SJ in 2020 to strengthen our European network of Jesuit schools.” (From the Foreword)

The plan sets out five main priorities for the JECSE network in the coming years:

• To promote reflective and collaborative processes of discernment.
• To provide complementary programmes of formation for school leaders and staff.
• To support schools in their efforts to offer in-depth faith formation and the skills to dialogue with other religions and worldviews.
• To foster a sense of being a part of the global community with a shared responsibility for our common mission.
• To support schools in the creation of a safe and healthy environment for all.

“The five strategic priorities demonstrate our commitment to the common mission of the Society of Jesus, which is most recently expressed in the four Universal Apostolic Preferences (UAPs). The priorities relate to the themes of spirituality, justice and the environment and most especially to our desire to ‘accompany young people in the creation of a hope filled future’. “(From the Foreword)

The Strategic Development Plan also contains important information about the history of our network, its structure and JECSE activities and programmes.

The JECSE network now faces the important task of implementing the plan’s objectives. It requires strengthening the structure of JECSE as an organisation, building an executive team, creating new support and formation programmes for schools. Increasing professionalization also requires the search for new financial sources so that JECSE is a strong and stable organisation supporting schools to meet the challenges of our current times.

*Companion schools – schools who share in the same educational mission as Jesuit schools, but are not formally regarded as one of the Works of the Society

Group picture: The previous members of the JECSE Steering Committee - the group that has been working on our Development Plan for two years - from right to left: Mr Brian Flannery, JECSE Deputy Director, Ms Ilse Dekker - JECSE Director till 2022, Fr Bernard Peters SJ from Belgium South, Fr Antonio Allende SJ from Spain, Peter Knapen from Belgium North, Fr Ferenz Holzinger SJ from Hungary.

JECSE