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European Jesuits in Formation (EJIF) is a group that gathers together all European Jesuits who are in formation, from scholastics in their philosophy to brothers and young priests who haven't yet taken their final vows.

Every year, the young Jesuits are invited to participate in an EJIF meeting that is held in one of the European Jesuit provinces. Usually this meeting includes a group experiment or meeting (pilgrimage, social work, conferences around formation topics), an individual guided retreat of eight days and finally a formation session.

Many young Jesuits live in international formation houses. Still these meetings aim to foster broader knowledge of the Society of Jesus, by giving the Jesuits the opportunity to get to know others in formation and to learn more about our Jesuit life and spirituality.

One or two scholastics from each province – depending on the size of the province – are invited to participate, thus getting the chance of gaining a unique experience of what it´s like to be a member of a Society of Jesus that goes beyond the borders of his own province. It is also a means to connect the scholastics more closely to the level of the “Conference of European Provincials” (CEP), thus fostering interprovincial collaboration as an important element of “noster modus procedendi” (our way of proceeding) as it was again stressed by GC 36. Prepared by the so called “Coordination Committee”, EJIF is characterized each year by some topic as it was closely linked to MAGIS and World Youth Day in Poland last year, for example.

The next meeting will be from 1st to 24th of August 2017 in Lebanon. It is titled by the letter of GC 36 ‘Witnesses to Friendship and Reconciliation’ (GC36). The central idea of EJIF 2017 is for the European scholastics to respond to the request of GC36 as well as the letter addressed to the Society by Fr Nicolás of the 27th July 2016 (2016/10) exhorting Jesuits to a greater solidarity with their companions missioned to the Middle East. In response to this letter, the European scholastics at EJIF 2016 felt called to hold EJIF 2017 in Lebanon. We believe that this call has been confirmed by GC36 (Decree 1) and the letter addressed to Jesuits and collaborators living in zones of war and conflict.

Previous EJIF meetings show that the best way of getting to know each other comes from common experiences, a shared mission. In concrete terms, this implies an engagement and immersion with the activities of the Jesuit Refugee Service and other NGOs in Lebanon. We hope as young Jesuits to encounter those who bear ‘witness to friendship and reconciliation’ in a country which has itself suffered conflict and which still bears the signs of ongoing tensions in neighbouring Syria, including Oriental Christians and Muslims.

Important parts of the program include an introduction to work of JRS in the Middle East by Fr. José Ignacio García Jimenéz (new director of JRS Europe), an immersion part for ten days (Working with refugees in groups of 4-5 scholastics, accompanied by Fr. García Jimenéz), encounters with Islam and Oriental Churches, 8 days at the Jesuit Retreat House in Taanael in the Bekaa valley and finally concluding days, evaluation and departures.

EJIF 2017 will give delegates the possibility to have contact with fellow Jesuits from Europe and around the world. We are working closely with the Jesuits of the Near East Province in all the preparations for this year’s EJIF.

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