It was 11 years ago that Krystian Sowa became the director of the Chapel for Europe in Brussels. It is a unique Chapel, located in the middle of the EU quarter and it has a clear ecumenical, European and inter-religious mission.  Thanks to Krystian this very special place of worship has become the Soul for Europe where people meet, pray, exchange views, learn, enjoy, deepen their faith, discover….  It all happened thanks to Krystian’s natural ability to bring people together. When I started working with him 9 years ago it was one of the first things he told me about as his vision for the Chapel. To connect people in faith and create understanding through knowledge. It was clear that is was his calling and this is what he has been doing for the last 11 years. It is not an easy task but he managed to create a common space, friendly atmosphere and an exceptional welcoming spirit within the Chapel so that anyone who comes by, regardless of background, opinions or beliefs can feel like at home.  It has been a wonderful experience for me to work with Krystian through all these years. He is an exceptional person, dedicated to his work and his friends and I am honored to say I am one of them.  I am of Spanish origin and with Krystian I rediscovered my own country. He is a enthusiastic lover of the Camino de Santiago, which he has walked at least five times! And he still plans to walk it in new, other ways. He speaks Spanish like a native and listens to Spanish audio-books while riding his bike.  His next adventure will take him to Rome, working at Radio Vaticana in the Polish section. He already has experience in making of a radio show thanks to collaborating in our monthly radio program “A Soul for Europe” in RCF station in Brussels.  He will be much missed by all our team, Esmeralda, Laura and myself, and also by all the friends of the Chapel. For his new chapter in life we all wish him a MUY BUEN CAMINO and he will be in our prayers!  Thank you Krystian for being you and sharing it with all of us!   Sabina Gonzalez Vilas Communications and Fundraising Manager at the Chapel for Europe - Brussels

On September 20 we celebrated at the Chapel for Europe our Ecumenical Opening Prayer that marks the start of the social year activities after the summer break. In this occasion, the Prayer was also the opportunity to say farewell to the director of the Chapel for 11 years, Fr Krystian Sowa sj who will leave his post in mid October. We were honored by the participation in the common prayer of Rev. Sarah-Jane King (Anglican Church), Pasteur Laurence Flacon (Belgian Protestant Church), Fr Zadik Avedikian (Apostolic Armenian Church), Rev. Ar Evangelos Psallas (Orthodox Church) and Mgr Noël Treanor (Apostolic Nuncio to the EU). The Chapel was filled with friends who wanted to share with Fr Krystian his last Ecumenical Prayer at the Chapel. It was an evening of emotions, with words from Mr Herman Van Rompuy, exalting the dedication and work of Fr Krystian at the Chapel and also thank you words from his team, represented by Sabina González (Communications and Fundraising Manager). During the celebration the new director was introduced, Fr Bernd Günther SJ., a German jesuit who is really excited about his new post. As a symbol we shared the Bread with all our friends and GPS Trio - Chanter la Bible put music to the evening On the right - Bernd Günther, the new director of the Chapel for Europe

This round table was organized in the Chapel for Europe just before the summer break. It reflected on the role of religions (Christianity, Judaism and Islam) and non-denominational spiritual convictions (Buddhism) in civil society.  Are religions still considered an empowering factor able to inspire positive changes in the lives of individuals and societies? What do individuals and societies expect from them today? What is the social vision and the “added value” they  can offer?  These were the questions, and many more we reflected on with our invited guests: Herman Van Rompuy (President Emeritus of the European Council and Minister of State), Carlo Luyckx (President of the European Buddhist Union, author of the book: Integrity in politics: a utopia?) Marc Neiger (Rabbi at the Liberal Jewish Community of Belgium, Beth Hillel Synagogue), Taoufik Amzile (political scientist and entrepreneur, president LEAD Belgium Entrepreneurs Association, author of the book: A Muslim is someone normal). The event was moderated by Aldegonde Brenninkmeijer (Founder of The Center for the Study of Christianity, Jerusalem, and the Cardinal Bea Centre for Judaic Studies, Rome).   All our speakers agreed that, absolutely, religions and non-denominational spiritual convictions are an empowering factor in our society thus there is an important spiritual need. Nevertheless, they need to find ways or strategies to be more responsive and outward in understanding and satisfying the actual and evolving needs of modern society. Religions and traditions, in all their diversity, are called upon to work for the common good with humility, to inspire everyone with their authentic testimony, and share their spiritual wealth with each other. Each one of us has the important role of "ambassador" and testimonial living our faith/belief in the authentic way.  The evening was organized together with our partner Association InTOUCH in the framework of HOPE the interreligious department of the Chapel for Europe.   Chapel for Europe 

On April 17th, JESC and the Passion for Europe group held an event titled “What Hope for Europe? Rethinking the Christian contribution” at the Chapel for Europe. Guest speakers included Archbishop Noel Treanor, Apostolic Nuncio to the European Union, Revd. Sarah-Jane King, Anglican priest and EU official, Clemens Ladenburger, Deputy Director of the Legal Service in the European Commission, and Victoria Vdovychenko, associate professor at Borys Grichenko Kyiv University and Fellow at Aston University. Their speeches offered insightful reflections on the Christian contribution in the context of European Affairs and Politics. In that, pertinent points were brought regarding the possibility of building bridges between Eastern and Western Europe, the opportunity for dialogue thanks to the Church, and the unity of the wider community to bring about change. Participants were able to follow the discussion online, whilst in-person participants were able to enjoy an informal cocktail afterwards with the speakers. A more comprehensive description of the speeches can be found here, and the recording of the event is available here.  JESC 

The theme of women's leadership took over the Chapel for Europe during the month of March. Five weeks, five evenings, organised jointly with the Vicariate of Brussels, a veritable five-pack of complementary events: a conference on “The Catholic Church and women. Herstory in a nutshell”, a movie night: “The Swimmers”, a photo exhibition about “Beguines: wounded memories”, an interreligious artistic evening: “Sacred dances and songs”, and above all an interconfessional panel “The women’s spiritual leadership” which brought together six women in positions of leadership and responsibility within different religious and spiritual traditions. Each of the invited speakers presented respectively her own background: Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, Jewish, Muslim, and Tibetan Buddhist and her current commitment. Without evading the difficulties encountered in winning the recognition of their communities and institutions, they witnessed their enthusiasm and their gradual insertion - sometimes by pushing the doors open not enough - into circles still predominantly represented by men. What they shared, was both down-to-earth and serene. A real complicity between them that transcended their differences could be felt, a determination to continue step by step on their path of faith and leadership in their respective institutions with a very open mind and a great dose of humour. The meeting was so encouraging that the participants decided to meet again to deepen their dialogue and create a circle of exchange. A follow-up is thus assured. Chapel for Europe

Europe 2023. Seeds of Hope. The word “unprecedented” is starting to feel over-used. But the past 12 months have been unprecedented in terms of the challenges Europe has encountered. In the face of this, where do we find hope for the future? What are the “seed events”, the harbingers of change, “les faits porteurs d’avenir” that we can identify and address, to ensure that we continue to work towards the success of the European project and the European dream? To share about all this we invited in February Ms Roberta Metsola, within the framework of series of meetings with high-level politicians at our Chapel. It was not easy to get her after she became the President of the European Parliament, however the former Jesuit alumna did her best to find a free evening. It was to be an informal conversation, without any reading of boring statements, to hear her take on what current events mean for Europe, now and in the future, and her hopes for the EU over the next 12 months and beyond. She spoke among others about Russia’s war in Ukraine and European Solidarity, European democracy facing populisms and disinformation, Qatargate and integrity in politics, gender equality in public live… but perhaps the part that was most enjoyed was when she shared in a very personal and humorous way how she combines her professional and family life as a mother of four kids. The initial sharing moderated by Rev Sarah-Jane King (Pastor of the Anglican Church, works also at the European Commission) from the ecumenical team of the Chapel was followed by a Q&A with the audience and then informal talks over a traditional reception that followed the conference. All in all, an enlightening and encouraging evening. The video from the evening will appear soon at the YouTube channel of the Chapel.