From the 17^th to the 21^st of June, the Jesuit Social Centres in Europe gathered for the Ignatian Social Thinking week, a revival of earlier Eurojess meetings. Along with Ignatian partners such as CLC (Christian Life Community) or universities, about 30 Jesuits and lay collaborators came together to exchange and deepen their understanding of a common mission.

The theme of the meeting was the 10th anniversary of Laudato Si’. The aim of the meeting was threefold. Firstly, to take the pulse of the current situation in ecology politics, the state of mobilisation and the rise of opposing forces. To this end, we welcomed Eamon Ryan, former leader of the Green Party in Ireland and former Minister for the Environment and Transport (2020-2025). He spoke about the origins of his commitment, how he witnessed the development of ecological awareness and, while noting the current downturn, outlined the places where support is still present and where to press for action.

This overview was then enriched by a sharing of experiences by the various centres (8 centres present!), which presented, in the form of workshops and case studies, one or other initiative they developed along the lines of Laudato Si’. These workshops covered a wide range of topics: the launch of neighbourhood gardens, various formation initiatives aimed at young adults, or the Future Generations Initiative.

Finally, the meeting was an opportunity for the centres to share one or other future initiative. Alongside these three main aims, the meeting also provided an opportunity to discover the Châtelard eco-centre, under the guidance of Xavier de Bénazé.

As core elements of the final evaluation of the meeting, participants spoke of the importance of learning about different realities and experiences, sharing good practices and initiatives, and a renewed sense of common mission among teams.

Benoit Willemaers SJ
JESC Secretary for European Affairs