52 heads of Jesuit schools from France and Belgium met on January 18, 19 and 20 at the school La Providence in Amiens, France.

All of these principals are secular. They meet regularly by country or by region, and between Belgians and French, once every two or three years. This was the case in Amiens, in January.

We benefited from a newly renovated auditorium and colourful decorations in the corridors of the school thanks to the Jesuit Week which had taken place a few days before.

These three days, around the theme of discernment, were animated by a team from the Ignatian Pedagogical Centre.

Fr. Pascal Sevez sj had invited Patrick Goujon sj for an intervention which immediately set the tone: the art of Ignatian discernment must help those in charge in the school world; take the time to discern when circumstances push for quick decisions; devote this time to getting back into indifference; do the exercise of giving weight to the alternative towards which we do not spontaneously lean. Obviously, these words seemed to hit the bull's eye with the heads of establishments.

On the second day, Fr. Nikolaas Sintobin sj, a Flemish Jesuit, presented parts of the Exercises of Saint Ignatius.

Lastly, we discovered Amiens’ cathedral thanks to a local clergy guide whose enthusiasm and culture made it possible to forget the freezing cold of the evening.

It was good that the Jesuits could share what is at the heart of their experience; it was good to see how lay people appropriated this experience; it was very good for French and Belgians to meet and share their qualities. The next seminar will take place in Belgium, probably in two years.

Fr. Thierry Dobbelstein sj, Coordination of Jesuit Colleges and Schools (Cocéjé), and member of the Jesuit community of Namur