The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah has led to mass displacement in Lebanon and emergency aid is needed urgently. Around the world, members of the Xavier Network are mobilizing support for the work of the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) in Lebanon.  Your support is crucial. According to the UN and Lebanese authorities over a million people, including some JRS staff,  have been forced to flee their homes due to the escalating conflict.  At this time, JRS Lebanon is shifting its focus and resources to provide emergency aid and shelter. Teams have been distributing basic hygiene items, mattresses, and food in the shelters near the JRS Lebanon centers located in safer regions. Additionally, JRS has set up a space to accommodate displaced people, including migrants.. By Friday, September 27, JRS was caring for 3,428 displaced individuals who had taken shelter in Bar Elias, the Arrupe Migrant Center, Qabelias Elementary School, and other areas. Our friends and partners on the ground are in urgent need of support for this endeavor in the short term and will need continued aid as the situation develops in the long term. To make a donation: Austria – Jesuitenmission Austria Canada – Canadian Jesuits International  Germany – Jesuitenmission Germany Spain – Entreculturas and Alboan Switzerland – Stiftung Jesuiten weltweit Schweiz United States – JRS USA Hungary - Jesuits Hungary

The member organizations of the Xavier Network met in Dublin, Ireland from March 13 to 15, 2024. The meeting brought together the directors and international programs coordinators of participating organizations from Europe, North America, and Australia, and were generously hosted by Irish Jesuits International (IJI).  The meeting began with a time of spiritual conversation on our mission and identity as a network, led by Fr. Martin Iriberri SJ, president of the Spanish member organizations Alboan and Entreculturas. We drew inspiration from the Gospel stories of the disciples on the road to Emmaus who failed to recognize Jesus and on Jesus’ exhortation to serve him by serving the least of our brothers and sisters. We reflected on the Xavier Network as a community of solidarity which journeys together to recognize and serve Jesus in the most marginalized women and men in the Global South.   We heard from three of our key strategic partners. Caroline Sanga and Fr. Allan Ggita SJ from the Eastern Africa Jesuit Province joined us via Zoom to talk  about the work in South Sudan which is being supported by members of the Xavier Network. Michael Schöpf SJ, International Director of Jesuit Refugee Service and Nacho Eguizábal , Associate Director, as well as Fr. Dani Villanueva SJ, General Coordinator of the international Federation of Fe y  Alegria also joined the meeting. Together, we explored how all of us as international networks of the Society of Jesus, can together best serve people on the margins of society and live out the Universal Apostolic Preferences. We also reviewed the status of current emergencies to which the Xavier Network is responding, including Syria, Ukraine, Haiti, and Nepal.   As always, the president of the conference of European Provincials, Fr Dalibor Renić SJ and the coordinator of the social apostolate, Fr Filipe  Martins SJ were also present.  The Provincial of the Irish Jesuits Fr Shane Daly SJ welcomed the group and encouraged  the Xavier Network in our journey  of reimagining the mission offices. He expressed the belief that the Xavier Network plays a key role in helping Jesuit Provinces be reminded that there is a bigger world that we are called to serve as part of the universal mission of the Society of Jesus.   The rich conversations among directors, programs coordinator and our guests helped us to acknowledge the significant ways in which the Xavier Network has grown as a community of solidarity over the years since its inception. Much has been accomplished at the level  of coordination in programming emergency and disaster response, and the development of common policies such as safeguarding policies. Much remains to be done but we share a commitment to cooperation and service.     Jenny CafisoCoordinator, Xavier NetworkExecutive Director, Canadian Jesuits International  

Since the start of the war in Ukraine, the organizations of the Jesuits have served and accompanied 100.765 people fleeing violence. Coordinated by JRS Europe and the Xavier Network, in collaboration with NGOs and local partners, the Society of Jesus has provided emergency aid, shelter, psychosocial support, education, and integration, among other services.  “Since day one, we have been accompanying refugees fleeing the war with a coordinated holistic response in Ukraine, neighbouring countries, and across Europe. While it might not be on newspapers covers anymore, this crisis is still unfolding, and we are committed to provide long term support”.  “Our hearts are filled with hope from the many testimonies of both refugees and host communities that embrace solidarity and integration. They continue to show us that in a context full of pain, stress and sorrow, hope is still alive. We are immensely thankful to the continuous solidarity of many generous people, foundations and organizations who trust in the work of the Society of Jesus”.  As the emergency continues, the needs of the refugees have evolved, and the response has adapted. While during the first year more than half of the support activities were aimed at short-term and emergency aid, in 2023 that has dropped to 17%. Meanwhile, medium-term activities, such as housing and education, have more than doubled from 20% to 52% in 2023. However, the biggest increase was in long term accompaniment, more than tripling from less than 10% in 2022 to 31% in 2023.  The One Proposal, which was presented in July 2022 after an in-depth needs assessment, encompasses a wide range of services to be provided to an originally projected 73,168 people over the course of 3 years. Since then, it has been continuously revised and expanded with yearly needs assessments.  It addresses the needs of forcibly displaced Ukrainians across Europe, from immediate humanitarian response and emergency assistance in Ukraine and its neighbours, to long-term programmes to promote and integrate refugees. Therefore, it will benefit internally displaced people, refugees of Ukrainian nationality and refugees of other nationalities, displaced by the conflict in Ukraine.  The report, as well as dozens of stories of the people being helped through the One Proposal, are available at jrseurope.org/en/project/the-one-proposal/. You will find a summary and testimonies in the attached factsheets. You can also find more information about how to donate and/or take action to help refugees and other forcibly displaced people.  We remain united in working together on this common response in Ukraine, as well as on other common projects where we accompany, serve and advocate for so many refugees and forcibly displaced people across Europe.

Directors from the Xavier Network (XN)–the network of Jesuit mission offices and development NGOs from Europe and North America–met in Zurich from 18-20 October for one of its two annual meetings. In addition to the leaders of each member organisation, the XN was joined by Jesuit Conference of European Provincials (JCEP) social delegate Filipe Martins, SJ, and, for the first time, JCEP President Dalibor Renić, SJ. Among the topics discussed were the emergencies and recovery projects supported by the network, an update on safeguarding, as well as individual organisation updates. One of the most intense moments of the meeting was the reflection on strategic partnerships with international partners established by the network over 10 years ago. Directors shared reflections on the current partnerships, with a view to formulate a vision for the future. It was noted that the significant progress made by the network was in no small part due to the work of the Projects Working Group. The meeting also marked a significant transition as Fr Klaus Väthröder, SJ, former director of Jesuitenmission Germany–ended his tenure as coordinator of the Xavier Network and Jenny Cafiso, Executive Director of Canadian Jesuits International (CJI) was elected to assume the role. Members of the network celebrated and thanked Klaus for his years of service and leadership in the network, marked by a spirit of collaboration and strong vision. It was also an opportunity to renew the leadership of the Executive Committee. Martín Iriberri, SJ (President,  ALBOAN-Entreculturas) and Katrin Morales (jesuitenweltweit Austria) were elected as new members to the Executive Committee, joining existing members Jenny Cafiso and Paul Chitnis (Jesuit Missions UK). The three days of meetings and working sessions served as an important space to continue the work in light of the network’s common mission. The Xavier Network, which takes its name and inspiration from St. Francis Xavier, was founded in 2004.  Member organisations collaborate in four areas: response to humanitarian emergencies, advocacy, development projects, and overseas volunteer programs. While the network is under the responsibility of the European Conference of Provincials, it brings together Jesuit organisations from across the globe. The next Directors Meeting will take place 13-15 March in Dublin, Ireland.

The meeting of the Jesuit missions and Jesuit development aid organisations from Europe, North America and Australia from 14 to 17 March in London was marked by friendly encounters and substantive work. 1.5 days were dedicated to the joint training of the Directors and project managers in safeguarding. The training was greatly enriched by the expertise of Dr. Sandra Racionero Plaza, who is working with the Jesuits’ project based in Rome : "Promoting a consistent culture of protection". There was discussion about joint projects and strategic cooperation with other networks of the Society of Jesus,  such as Jesuit Refugee Service, the education network, Fe y Alegria and the Ignatian advocacy group, "Justice in Mining". We were joined by the leader of this group, Guillermo Otano, and also, Richard Solly, Coordinator of the London Mining Network. With Alberto Ares SJ, Regional Director of JRS Europe, there was discussion about the Xavier Network’s support for Ukraine which is being coordinated with JRS. The Fundraising and Communication working group’s work was warmly encouraged at a time when many members face significant challenges to their income. Gill Donoghue, a collaborator with Mark Raper Sj the Regional Superior in Myanmar, updated the Network about the situation in Myanmar and the work of the Jesuits. Finally, the Directors heard encouraging and appreciative words from the Provincial of the British Province, Fr. Damian Howard SJ, who rounded off the very successful meeting.

The Advocacy Group of the Xavier Network, the Europe-based Jesuit social network of institutions dedicated to emergencies and development in the Global South, had their annual meeting on the 11th-12th January in the JCEP (Jesuit Conference of European Provincials) office in Brussels. The group mainly addressed the topics of Caring for our Home (advocacy in Ecology), Justice in Mining (in partnership with overseas institutions), as well as strategies and resources needed for successful advocacy campaigns (in alignment with the Jesuit Province structures). JESC’s Director Filipe Martins sj, and Ecology Officer, Béla Kuslits, were invited to participate in a segment of the meeting, and the entire group then visited JESC to share about the projects in which each institution is involved with. In a world full of complex and urgent challenges (ranging from growing refugee flows to climate change), solutions require focused, collaborative and long-term advocacy work, like the one this group has been engaged in.