On the 5th of August the official dedication of the Jesuit residence in Riga took place. The residence is dedicated to the first Jesuit companion St. Peter Faber whose charisma was the Spiritual Exercises. The patron was intentionally choses since the essential part of the Jesuit mission in Latvia is ministry in spirituality as spiritual directors and retreat ministry. During the ceremony the bishop of Riga Zbignevs Stankevics emphasised the importance of this Jesuit calling to provide spiritual accompaniment to people of Riga. Additionally, the bishop stressed the need to maintain ecumenical relationships that are so well established in Riga because the Lutheran Church is interested in Ignatian spirituality. There were many guests from Lithuania and Latvia especially many Christian Life Community members who continue supporting the Riga Jesuit community in our mission. 

The provincial of the Lithuanian-Latvian province Vidmantas Simkunas SJ expressed his gratitude for this beautiful day we could celebrate the blessing of the residence 5 years later since the Jesuits started a permanent presence in Latvia in 2013. Thanks to many benefactors including some European provinces such as the British, Dutch, German, Irish, and also the American Bishops conference and individual donators the house was purchased in 2015. On this day we could truly join the choir “Exaudi” from Kaunas, Lithuania in singing Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam. Currently in this new community live three members from three different cultural and linguistic backgrounds: Fr. Janis Melnikovs (Latvia); Fr. Gintaras Vitkus (Lithuania) and Fr. Tadeusz Cieslak (Poland).