Meeting of the Czech and Slovak scholastics.

At the turn of the year, from December 28, 2017 to January 1, 2018, an annual meeting of scholastics from the Czech and Slovak provinces took place at the Jesuit cottage in the Trlenska valley near Ruzomberok in Slovakia. Among the participants, there were students of philosophy in Poland (Krakow) and Germany (Munich), young Jesuits on regency in Slovakia and one deacon. During the whole period, eleven young Jesuits were accompanied by the Czech  Provincial Josef Stuchly. Scholastics studying in Italy were missing because they attended an ordination of their confreres in Rome.

The meeting gave to the young Jesuits an opportunity to share their lives in the Society and their experiences of the formation. They talked about their studies and regencies in different European countries (Germany, Poland, Slovakia), and they also discussed current themes of  both provinces. An important topic was the merging the Czech and Slovak provinces that will take place in the future. Participants shared their ideas and feelings about that merging and they also tried to identify the most important questions to be addressed regarding this topic. Talks were followed by less formal sharing and discussions. For this part of the program also the Slovak Provincial Rudolf Uher joined the group.

Serious themes were balanced by a lot of spontaneous encounters, conversations and a leisure time spent together. The participants had a time for the rest, for walks, trips and swimming, for visits in Ruzomberok, and thanks to the weather that brought a lot of show also for skiing in the adjacent mountains.

Every day there was a common Eucharist and adoration. On the New Year's Eve, sisters from the Congregatio Jesu community in Ruzomberok and several other guests joined the group for the Holy Mass and a festive dinner. They welcomed the New Year during common midnight adoration in Ruzomberok, followed by a celebratory drink in a nearby parish premises. The whole meeting that took place in an atmosphere of peace, joy and a mutual support was concluded by a morning Mass on Monday, January 1^st.