Although we know that we belong to a larger network of Jesuit works, the word “network” can often feel vague and abstract. What does it really mean to be part of a network? We know the numbers: more than 200 Jesuit schools in Europe and nearly 1,000 worldwide. We are also aware that the Society of Jesus carries out many different missions—parishes, retreat houses, social centres, universities and work with refugees through the global network of Jesuit Refugee Service. Yet most of the time, this vast reality remains something we know about, rather than something we tangibly experience. Educate Magis map of Jesuit Schools and Universities When the Network Becomes Real From time to time, however, moments arise when the network becomes real—visible, concrete, and deeply human. These are moments of encounter, of accompaniment, of what in the Ignatian tradition we would call Cura Personalis—care for the whole person. The story of Joseph, which we share here, is one such example.  Joseph was a student at Gonzaga College SJ in Dublin. As an immigrant, he received a scholarship and quickly distinguished himself as an excellent student—curious, committed, and full of promise. Yet despite his integration and achievements, his family’s application for residency was rejected, and they were deported back to Africa (the whole story of Joseph, written by his teachers). Just like the Holy Family, who were forced to cross borders, Joseph’s family arrived in South Africa but were refused entry; they were held in a detention centre until they were eventually deported back to Lagos, in Nigeria. This decision meant that the family had to leave with nothing but the clothes on their backs, enduring an ordeal that lasted almost a week and covering a distance of over 13,500 km.  At that moment, Joseph did not remain alone. Thanks to the regional office of Jesuit Refugee Service Europe in Brussels and the support of Fr Alberto Ares SJ, contact was immediately established with Jesuit partners in Africa. Even though it was a Saturday evening, the director of JRS South Africa answered the call without hesitation. She reached out to Joseph’s family and began exploring how support could be offered upon their arrival. As she said simply: “For us, there are no weekends when it comes to helping—this is our mission.” This is Ignatian networking in action. It is not planned, not programmed, and not limited by structures. It is a readiness to respond—sentir con la Iglesia, to feel with the Church and with those who suffer, and to act promptly where the need is greatest. It is a form of apostolic availability rooted in discernment: seeing where God is already at work and choosing to collaborate. A Deeper Understanding of Mission Today, Joseph and his family are in Nigeria. Yet the story does not end there. The global Jesuit network continues to accompany him, seeking ways for him to continue his education in his home country. As one reflection beautifully expresses it: “though Joseph is now in Lagos, he remains a child of our global Ignatian family. We may have lost him to a border, but we must not lose him to the cracks of a broken system. He still dreams of becoming a scientist. He still hopes to change the world. And perhaps, together, we can ensure that he still has that chance”. This invites us into a deeper understanding of mission. In the Ignatian tradition, we are called to serve also through accompaniment— to walk with others, especially at moments of uncertainty and transition. Networking, in this sense, becomes a form of shared discernment and shared responsibility. It is about recognizing that the mission entrusted to us is always communal and universal. No One Left Alone The strength of Jesuit networking lies precisely here—in these quiet, often unseen acts of solidarity. Joseph’s story is only one among many, most of which unfold silently and without recognition. We see this in communities affected by conflict, war, and instability, where our colleagues and students continue to teach, learn, and hope even in the most fragile circumstances. We encounter it in the daily generosity of educators who go beyond what is required, in moments of accompaniment that will never be recorded, and in the shared commitment to forming young people as global citizens—aware of their responsibility for others and for the world. At the same time, through our brothers and sisters at JRS, we are part of a family that accompany, serve and advocate for the rights of migrants and refugees, placing human dignity at the heart of our work, in over 50 countries and serving 1 million displaced people in dire need every year.  These stories rarely make headlines, yet together they reveal something profound: a network that does not disappear when borders close, when systems fail, or when circumstances become difficult. A network that remains present, attentive, and faithful. They remind us that we are not isolated institutions, but part of a living, global body. And in that body, each person matters. Each story matters. And no one should ever be left alone.

From the 8th to 15th of March, a delegation of teachers from the Colegio Mateus Ricci in Macau carried out an educational exchange in Belgium focused on Jesuit school-to-school collaboration. Supported by the network of the Jesuit European Committee for Primary and Secondary Education, known as JECSE, , one of the main networks of the Conference of Jesuit European Provincials. The visit made visible a lived Ignatian unity: different languages, different systems, yet a common commitment to educating men and women for and with others, formed with competence, compassion, conscience, and commitment. Two anchor visits shaped the journey, College Notre-Dame de la Paix in Erpent and College Matteo Ricci in Brussels, and the exchange concluded with the signing of memoranda of understanding with both schools, marking a concrete step from dialogue to long-term partnership.  The delegation first major school encounter happened at the College Notre-Dame de la Paix in Erpent, where hospitality immediately set the tone for the entire journey. In a gesture both formal and heartfelt, the school hoisted the flag of the Macau Special Administrative Region alongside the flag of Belgium. For the visitors from Macau, the moment symbolised the capacity of education to honour identity while building relationship, especially when language is not shared by everyone in the same way. Beyond the ceremony, classroom observations and dialogue highlighted resonances between Macau and Belgium, particularly around educational choice and the role of public support in keeping schooling accessible across different types of institutions. The delegation was especially struck by practices that expressed adaptive development in tangible ways: learning that can move outdoors even in less-than-perfect weather. On the day of visit, Kindergarten children were having outdoor Maths class in the rain. The Primary and Secondary sections emphasised flexible learning spaces that encourage student agency, pathways and electives that respect interests and pace of students. What stood out was not simply methodology, but culture: students appeared to engage through intrinsic motivation rather than constant comparison, an atmosphere the visitors connected to Cura Personalis, the Jesuit education value to care for each learner as a whole person.  If the Notre-Dame de la Paix in Erpent offered an opening experience of welcome, the College Matteo Ricci in Brussels provided the emotional and symbolic centre of the exchange. Hearing the anthem of the school from Macau played far from home created an immediate sense of kinship: two institutions carrying the name of Matteo Ricci encountering each other not as strangers, but as partners with a shared lineage and purpose. The formal exchange sessions deepened that connection. Both schools compared how they articulate holistic formation and student dignity, sustain Jesuit identity while responding to contemporary needs, educate for service, inclusion, and reconciliation in diverse societies. A key theme was language and culture as formation, not merely as logistics. In Brussels, shaped by French, Dutch, and international realities, leaders described how students are supported to navigate multilingual life with confidence. A defining outcome of the Belgium exchange was its move from inspiration to institution-building. During the visit, memoranda of understanding were signed with both the College Notre-Dame de la Paix in Erpent and the College Matteo Ricci in Brussels, setting a framework for sustained collaboration. These agreements open realistic next steps such as teacher learning and formation exchanges, student encounter projects in person or hybrid, joint pedagogical sharing especially around language learning and student agency, shared reflection on Jesuit educational priorities and safeguarding cultures. In short: the visit did not end as a one-off tour, it became a structured relationship with shared commitments. Recognising the richness of Jesuit education in Belgium, an additional stop at the College Saint-Michel in Brussels was arranged. The encounter contributed to the broader picture of Jesuit educational diversity in the region and offered further points of contact for possible future collaboration. In addition to these school visits, a detailed presentation of the Cocéjé, the Coordination of Jesuit Colleges and Schools, was given by Ms. Anne L'Olivier, EOF-Belgium South Education Delegate, and Mr. Vincent Sohet, Coordinator of School Pastoral Care and Religious Education Courses. This presentation highlighted the support provided to all Cocéjé schools through six common recurring themes along with other core Jesuit educational values, such as awakening hope in the world and forming just global citizens, as emphasized by Father General Arturo Sosa, SJ. This Belgium exchange illustrates the practical role of JECSE in connecting schools across borders and supporting a European Jesuit educational ecosystem, with a higher level of agency and strategic stance, linked to a wider global Jesuit collaboration. For the delegation from Macau, the core takeaway was not a model to copy, but a renewed sense of belonging to a worldwide mission that expresses itself through local languages and contexts. With memoranda of understanding now signed with two sister schools, the most important work begins after the flight home: turning encounters into enduring programmes that help students in Macau and Belgium learn with and for others, across languages, cultures, and distance.

The Jesuit European Committee for Secondary Education brings together Jesuit secondary schools across Europe, fostering collaboration, shared vision, and innovation in education. As part of the broader mission of the Jesuit Conference of European Provincials, JECSE plays a key role in strengthening the Jesuit educational apostolate, ensuring that schools remain places where academic excellence and human formation go hand in hand, and allowing them to have an actual European stance --  a key level given the influence of the European Union in Education – beyond the particular provinces and a voice in a more globalized educational reality. At the heart of this mission lies JECSE’s Ignatian Leadership Programme, an initiative designed to form school leaders—both Jesuit and lay—in the spirit of Ignatian pedagogy. Rooted in discernment, service, and reflection, the programme equips participants with the tools to lead institutions in a way that is both professionally effective and deeply aligned with Jesuit values. JECSE reports us about the beginning of another edition of the Ignatian Leadership Programme. 13 school leaders from 9 different countries travelled to Portugal in early March, to begin their JECSE Ignatian Leadership Programme (ILP). This first module (of three) took place over a week in the beautiful coastal setting of Rodizio. The course was facilitated by Ms Agnieszka Baran (JECSE director), Mr Paul Yperman, Mr Brian Flannery and Fr Bart Van Emmerik SJ who were ably assisted by Débora Duarte from the JECSE office working on logistics.  As the various groupings of participants arrived and were collected from the airport excitement and anticipation of what lay ahead began to build. For those of us that arrived early in the first group, we got to see what Rodizio had to offer, with a walk of the surrounding area, including along the beach.  The full group met at 6pm on Monday 9th of March with a tour of the house, dinner and our first introductory session. It was really interesting to learn about other people’s contexts and school settings. Later we had our first ‘social’ session, where participants we invited to bring a sample of food or drink from their country. We enjoyed everything from Albania biscuits, Italian Cannoli and Polish sausage to a local Portuguese wine, Belgian beer and Irish whiskey.  Tuesday morning began early for some with the optional walk along the beach led by Bart at 7:30am. After breakfast we had 4 working sessions on Leadership and Self-Assessment, Managing our inner states, Communication and Examen in Leadership and Discernment, as well as our first ‘small group’ reflection and mass. A busy day left everyone tired and with a lot to think about. The fatigue was however lifted again at our 2nd social gathering.  On Wednesday morning, after an even earlier beach walk for some, we discussed Power and Roles and Emotional and Social Intelligence followed by further small group reflections. That afternoon, we were brought to the beautiful city of Sintra and we took a guided tour of Palacio da Pena – a must on any visitors to-do list! We enjoyed some local cuisine followed by the traditional ILP dinner round of speeches.  Thursday’s focus was around communal discernment as well as personal and group reflections. We also look looked at working in teams and conflict management.  This was followed by an interview by Brian Flannery with Fr Lourenco Eiro SJ, a veteran of the ILP programme and currently the director of the Jesuit Youth Centre in Lisbon. The group would unanimously agree that his story and his journey were truly inspiring and added great depth to the reflections that followed. After mass, celebrated by Fr Eiro, we prepared for our final social and attempted to get through the remaining bounty of international delicacies.  On Friday morning we drew the threads together on all that we have explored over the past week, and while exhausted, we also felt uplifted. The various travel groups made their way to the airport, and thankfully everyone reached their destinations without complication. A key feature of the week was the opportunity for participants to work in smaller groups, allowing for deeper discernment and more personal sharing. These groups will continue to meet online in advance of the second module in October..  Overall, the week-long module 1 of the ILP was a truly enriching experience, and one that will certainly stick with us. We cannot wait for everyone to meet up again for Module 2 in Krakow next October.  We’d like to offer a huge thank you to the organisers and facilitators of the course and also to our fellow participants for accompanying us on this journey.   

The Jesuit European Committee for Secondary and Pre-secondary Education (JECSE) brings together Jesuit schools across Europe to strengthen collaboration in mission, share best practices, and nurture a common Ignatian vision of education. In a rapidly shifting cultural, social, and ecclesial landscape, JECSE plays a vital role in helping schools developing a truly universal – a core trait of Ignatian spirituality – and common European approach to education through the links and bonds among people and institutions of different countries, remain rooted in their Catholic and Ignatian identity while responding creatively to contemporary challenges. One of the key spaces for this shared reflection is the Pastoral Conference, where those responsible for pastoral care and mission come together to discern how Jesuit education can continue forming young people as persons of depth, competence, conscience, and compassion. We invited JECSE team to write an article about this event We live and serve within a complex and rapidly changing context. Schools today differ significantly from those of just a few years ago. We feel this shift when teaching math or history, and we experience it even more acutely in pastoral activities and ministry. The question before us is clear: how can we adapt and respond to new challenges in an evolving reality while maintaining courageous fidelity to our Catholic identity and Ignatian traditions? From February 10 to 13, around 100 pastoral team members, chaplains, mission & identity officers and ethos directors from across the JECSE network gathered in Loyola, the birthplace of Saint Ignatius, to explore these questions together.  We immersed ourselves in the sources of our spirituality, sharing not only doubts and fears but also practical solutions and different approaches to common concerns. A global horizon: dreaming Pastoral Ministry in light of JESEDU – Jogja 24 The arrival of the JECSE bus brought sudden life to the expectant Loyola Spirituality Centre. Laughter and heartfelt reunions filled the space before giving way to attentive silence as the 2026 Pastoral Conference began. Fr. Jimmy Bartolo SJ, Secretary for Secondary and Pre-secondary Education in the Society of Jesus, set the stage for our work with a powerful question: What pastoral work can we dream for Jesuit schools in Europe today in light of Jogja’s Vision Statement? This question framed our conference within a global mission, opening our horizons far beyond European borders. Ms. Gabriele Hüdepohl from Germany, Mr. Ovi Menendez from Spain, and Mr. Limarley Kingsale from the Netherlands led us into a fruitful discussion on how the global Jesuit mission is dialoguing with the concrete realities of our schools. Returning to the sources: nourished by the Spiritual Exercises The following morning brought us to the heart of our Ignatian spirituality. Fr. Juanjo Aguado SJ, offered profound insights into the Spiritual Exercises, revealing the timeless wisdom of Saint Ignatius that remains vital for us today. The morning sessions continued with inspiring examples from our schools of serving from the heart. Ms. Marion Bernard from France and Fr. Alexis Bueno SJ, from Spain shared about the importance of caring for our own spiritual nurturance, and how they have implemented the experience of the Spiritual Exercises within their school communities. That afternoon, Saint Ignatius himself became our retreat master: we visited and prayed at the sacred places central to his life and spiritual journey. It was a deeply meaningful time of personal prayer and reflection, small-group faith sharing, and communal celebration of the Eucharist together in the Loyola Basilica. Rooted once more in the sources of our spirituality, we were renewed in our desire to serve with greater depth, freedom, and fidelity. Discerning the way forward together On the third day, we deepened our understanding of Ignatian spirituality through both conceptual learning and lived experience. Mr. Francisco Machado led us through a workshop on Ignatian discernment, exploring the question of how we can help ourselves and our students seek God’s will when facing important decisions. In the afternoon, we gathered in small groups after a time of individual prayer to practice spiritual conversation, and prayerfully explore the question: “what steps might be God asking us to take in our pastoral ministry in schools?” As evening approached, we engaged in facilitated conversations where different delegations shared their best practices and innovative approaches to pastoral challenges and diverse school realities. Inspired by the life of Saint Ignatius and eager to deepen our community bonds, we ventured out to experience the local culture and gastronomy. The tortilla, cider and meat provided us with a wonderful evening, offering us the opportunity to socialise in an informal setting. The next day, our conference came to an end with a final round of facilitated conversations, and an Eucharist in the Chapel of the Conversion of Saint Ignatius. We spent these three days sharing the best we have: faith, community, and mission, trying to find common ground for the diverse challenges our schools face today. While we know that one universal solution would be neither possible nor desirable, we were profoundly encouraged to understand that we are not alone in seeking our way forward.

This is the second edition of a series of interviews with the secretaries and directors of works of JCEP. This time, the interviewee is Agnieszka Baran, the secretary for Primary and Secondary Education of the Jesuit Conference of European Provincials and director of JECSE - Jesuit Committee for Primary and Secondary Education.  Jesuit education across Europe, the Near East, North Africa, and Central Asia is navigating a period of profound transformation—marked by cultural diversity, secularisation, technological change, and growing social and ecological challenges. At the heart of this dynamic landscape stands JECSE, the network that connects Jesuit and companion schools across the region, fostering collaboration, formation, and fidelity to the Ignatian mission. In this interview, we speak with Agnieszka Baran about her personal journey into Jesuit education, the vocation of lay leadership, the evolving role of women within Jesuit structures, and the challenges and hopes shaping Jesuit education today. Drawing on her experience at both local and international levels, she reflects on how Jesuit schools continue to form young people as competent, compassionate, and committed agents of hope in an increasingly complex world.   1 - JCEP: To begin, could you tell us a bit about your personal and professional background, and what led you to work in Jesuit education? Agnieszka Baran: Thank you for the invitation to share my reflections on our educational apostolate. I have a degree in psychology and pedagogy, and from the beginning of my studies I focused on adult education—working as a trainer, coordinating educational projects, and later teaching psychology at the university. This early engagement with education in its many forms helped me realize how much I value creating learning environments that support growth, reflection, and personal development. A decisive moment came when the first Jesuit school was established in my hometown, and I was invited to support the community as a school psychologist. What began as an additional commitment soon became my main professional focus. This experience revealed the importance of working in a setting coherent with my personal values and faith. Jesuit education offered not only professional challenges but also a deep sense of meaning, rooted in care for the whole person and a mission that integrates education, faith, and service. It naturally led me to a deeper, lasting engagement with Jesuit education at both local and international levels—a journey that now guides my work with JECSE.   2 - You are a lay woman serving as JCEP Secretary for Education and leading a key Jesuit education network, JECSE. How do you understand the role of lay collaborators in leadership positions within the Society of Jesus, particularly in the field of education? Do you see this as a specific vocation within the mission? How do you see the role of women in Jesuit structures and institutions? In the educational apostolate of our region, lay collaborators have been exercising leadership roles for many years. Many of us have consciously chosen to work in institutions of the Society of Jesus because we value the possibility of integrating professional responsibility with a clear educational vision grounded in human dignity, justice, and care for the whole person. Lay leaders take on leadership not only because of their expertise, but because they feel personally connected to the mission and want to serve it with responsibility and commitment. I understand lay leadership not as a functional or delegated task, but as shared responsibility for the Jesuit mission. The current reality of Jesuit education makes it clear that lay collaborators are not supporting the mission from the margins; we are co-responsible for shaping its future. In the context of a Synodal Church, this shared leadership also becomes a form of witness: lay leaders, living and working in diverse cultural, social, professional or even family contexts, help translate the Gospel values and Ignatian vision into educational practice that is credible and accessible to all. In this sense, I do see lay leadership in Jesuit education as a specific vocation within the mission, even when it is not expressed in explicitly religious terms. For many lay leaders this vocation is discovered and shaped within professional life itself, through commitment to education, service, and ethical leadership. While lay leaders usually come with strong professional formation, we are invited to grow into the Ignatian way of proceeding through ongoing human, pedagogical, but also spiritual and faith formation. This path requires formation, intentional accompaniment and support adapted to our personal journeys. It allows for a deep and authentic appropriation of Ignatian values such as discernment, reflection, justice, and care for persons, in ways that respect religious and cultural diversity. As a woman, I am particularly attentive to the role of women in Jesuit structures and institutions. Women have always been central to Jesuit education—most staff members in our schools are women—yet their leadership has not always been sufficiently visible or structurally recognized. When I attended my first JECSE delegates’ meeting, I was the only woman present; today, there are several women in our Education Commission. There is a growing awareness within the Society of Jesus that women’s voices and leadership are essential for sound discernment and governance. This is not simply a matter of representation, but of fidelity to the mission. I see the presence of women in Jesuit structures as both a gift and a responsibility: a gift that enriches perspectives and decision-making, and a responsibility to continue building inclusive, collaborative, and mission-driven institutions—especially in education, where the formation of the whole person is at the heart of our apostolic commitment. 3 -  Could you briefly introduce JECSE to our readers and describe its current priorities, team structure, and main activities? JECSE is the network of Jesuit and companion schools in Europe, the Near East, North Africa, and Central Asia. Its mission is to promote Jesuit education in creative fidelity to the Ignatian tradition, supporting schools in responding to contemporary challenges while remaining rooted in their spiritual and educational identity. In the academic year 2024/2025, JECSE brings together 222 institutions, making it the second largest regional Jesuit school network in the world after South Asia. Together, these schools educate 173,216 students and work with 15,910 staff members, including 149 Jesuits. Each Province or Region of the Jesuit Conference of European Provincials (JCEP) is represented by an Education Delegate. Together with Regional Coordinators, they form the JECSE Education Commission, which guides the network. A small central office supports daily operations by coordinating collaboration, communication, formation programmes, and strategic priorities. JECSE’s priorities focus on fostering reflective and collaborative discernment, strengthening formation for leaders and staff, supporting faith formation and interreligious dialogue, deepening a sense of global mission, and ensuring safe and healthy school environments for all. JECSE provides spaces for Education Delegates and school communities to meet, share experience, and work together in service of a shared mission. It supports the formation of staff in Jesuit and companion schools through programmes that complement provincial initiatives, including training for formators and facilitators. Current formation proposals include accompaniment of the Education Commission, a Pastoral Conference, annual thematic conferences for school leaders, the Ignatian Leadership Programme, the Ignatian Pedagogical Formation Programme, and support in the areas of Global Citizenship and Safeguarding.   4  - Can you please describe the current landscape of Jesuit education in Europe, the Middle East and Northern Africa today? What are its main strengths and tensions? Jesuit education in Europe, the Middle East, and Northern Africa today is marked by great diversity of contexts, histories, and educational models. The JECSE network brings together schools operating in very different social, cultural, political, and religious environments— in pour network we gave both public and private institutions; Jesuit and companion schools; institutions from early childhood education to secondary level (including sixth-form) and even offer vocational training. This diversity is both a richness and a challenge, shaping how schools live the mission, offer faith formation, and implement Ignatian pedagogy. A key strength of Jesuit education in the region is its strong sense of mission and identity, rooted in the Ignatian tradition. This is expressed through care for the whole person, commitment to justice, and a culture of discernment. While deeply embedded in their local contexts, schools are also connected through a strong international network that fosters collaboration, mutual learning, and solidarity. At the same time, Jesuit education faces significant tensions. Increasing secularization, declining religious literacy, and the rise of religiously unaffiliated young people challenge how faith is proposed and lived. Schools also respond to the rapid impact of AI and social media, socio-environmental crises, youth loneliness and mental health concerns, teacher shortages, and demographic shifts. In some regions, political instability, migration, and limited resources add further pressure. Despite these challenges, Jesuit schools remain spaces of hope, seeking to form young people who are intellectually competent, socially responsible, resilient, and open to faith, dialogue, and engagement with a complex and changing world. 5 - How would you describe the role of JECSE in the above mentioned context? In today’s complex and rapidly changing educational landscape, JECSE serves as both a bridge between schools and the global Jesuit mission, and as a support network for Jesuit and companion schools in our region. Its primary role is to foster collaboration, mutual learning, and solidarity, while helping each school remain rooted in the Ignatian tradition and committed to its mission. JECSE provides formation and professional support for school staff to help them navigate contemporary challenges. An important place in this work is held by the Ignatian Leadership Programme, which prepares school leaders to facilitate Spirit-led change within their school communities. JECSE also promotes a sense of belonging to a wider Jesuit network, helping schools see themselves as part of a larger mission. In addition, JECSE acts as a hub for strategic reflection and exchange of good practices, supporting provinces and schools in clarifying priorities, assessing identity, and translating Jesuit values into concrete educational action. In short, JECSE helps schools respond to today’s challenges while growing as communities of learning, discernment, and hope—where students, staff, and leaders are empowered to make a meaningful, positive impact locally and globally.   6- Western societies are becoming increasingly secular and culturally diverse. How do Jesuit schools understand and live their Jesuit and Christian identity in this context, while remaining open and inclusive? Our schools today operate in increasingly secular and culturally diverse contexts, which brings both challenges and opportunities for living our Catholic and Jesuit identity. We understand this identity not as a rigid label, but as a commitment to the Ignatian mission: forming the whole person—head, heart, and soul—and inviting students to discover God in all things. This formation encourages students to encounter Christ through prayer, service, community, and critical engagement with the world, rooted in faith yet open to dialogue. Living this identity in pluralistic settings means being deeply rooted in our values while remaining open and inclusive. Most of our schools intentionally offer faith formation and spiritual experiences that are authentic, accessible, and respectful of diverse religious and cultural backgrounds. This includes fostering dialogue, empathy, and ethical engagement with complexity. We also recognize that faith formation must be strengthened—not only through pastoral care for students, but by providing opportunities for spiritual and faith growth for staff. Jesuit schools focus on building communities of encounter, where students and staff listen deeply, reflect together, and act with conscience and courage. Being faithful to Ignatian spirituality does not mean excluding those with different beliefs; rather, it calls us to witness through presence, attentive listening, and accompaniment—engaging with others in a spirit of respect and dialogue. In short, Jesuit schools live their identity by being both rooted and relational: rooted in Christian values and Ignatian spirituality, yet open to diversity, forming young people who can navigate complexity, embrace dialogue, and bring hope and justice to their communities. 7 - Looking ahead, what do you see as the main challenges—and sources of hope—for Jesuit education in Europe over the next decade? As I mentioned, our schools operate in increasingly secular, culturally diverse, and technologically transformed societies, where social media, AI, and shifting worldviews challenge how truth, dialogue, and faith are understood and lived. Persistent teacher shortages, growing individualism, youth mental health concerns, and socio-environmental crises place additional pressures on both students and educators. At the same time, demographic shifts and the rise of religiously unaffiliated or spiritually “nones” call for renewed creativity in forming young people capable of ethical discernment, empathy, and service. Yet these very challenges are also sources of hope. The Ignatian tradition, with its focus on forming the whole person—head, heart, and soul—offers a framework for nurturing intellectual competence, moral courage, and spiritual depth, even in a pluralistic context. Jesuit schools foster communities of encounter, where students and staff learn to listen deeply, act with conscience, and engage in dialogue. The strength of our international network encourages solidarity, exchange of good practices, and shared reflection, helping schools remain connected to a broader mission and inspired by common values. In this light, the coming decade, while demanding careful discernment, strategic formation, and creative responses to new realities, is also full of possibilities: for deepening faith, strengthening identity, cultivating hope, and equipping young people to bring justice, care, and hope to their communities and the wider world. 8 - How do you bring together such an intensive and demanding mission as yours with your own spiritual life? Give us some hints on how you try to be contemplative in action in your circumstances. Bringing together an intensive and demanding mission with one’s own spiritual life requires intentional choices and constant discernment. In roles like mine, caring for a healthy work–life balance is not a luxury, but a real necessity. Without it, even the most meaningful mission risks becoming disconnected from its source. For me, being “contemplative in action” first means accepting that I cannot live this mission alone. I intentionally look for people who accompany me—spiritually and humanly—because we need others to act as mirrors, helping us remain truthful, grounded, and attentive to what is happening within us. In this context, I think with gratitude of my colleagues with whom I completed the Ignatian Leadership Programme in JECSE a few years ago; they continue to be an invaluable source of support, reflection, and encouragement on this shared journey in mission. One of the challenges of this work is that when you are constantly engaged in supporting others’ formation and mission, it is easy to neglect your own formation and growth. I therefore try to protect spaces of silence and reflection, allowing myself to be not only a coordinator or facilitator, but also a recipient of formation and grace. Very concretely, being part of a faith-sharing and formation group where I can speak openly and listen deeply is one of the most important experiences for me. At the same time, I see participation in retreats, the Spiritual Exercises, and spiritual accompaniment as essential elements of Ignatian practice—not only for me personally, but as vital supports for anyone engaged in mission and leadership. In this way, contemplation and action are not opposed, but are gradually woven together into a way of living and serving the mission with freedom, depth, and hope. 9 - Finally, if you could convey one message to the educators and pupils of the JECSE network, what would it be?  To educators: Never underestimate the impact of your daily presence and care: through your work, you shape not only minds but also hearts, build character, share hope, and have a real impact on the world.  To pupils: Be curious, courageous, and attentive to others; make the most of everything Jesuit education offers, draw on the richness of our global network, and trust that your talents, nurtured in our community, can help make the world more just and humane.

Débora Duarte, the current office assistant of JECSE, recently published an insightful article synthesizing the core principles of Safeguarding and the protection of minors within the Society of Jesus today, specifically in the educational sector. Given its value as a comprehensive overview of the Jesuit schools' position on this vital issue, we would like to share it here. The theme of safeguarding and the protection of minors stands today at the very heart of the Jesuit educational mission. More than a set of procedures, it represents a culture of care that draws deeply from Ignatian spirituality and pedagogy. At the centre of the Ignatian Educational Ethos lies the person and, more profoundly, the heart of each person: a heart that must be protected, accompanied, and formed. The cura personalis, or care for the whole person, cannot truly be realised without safe and trusting environments where every child and young person feels welcomed and respected. In recent years, the Jesuit European Committee for Primary and Secondary Education (JECSE) has engaged in a shared journey to strengthen the culture of protection across Jesuit and companion schools throughout Europe and the Near East. Through dialogue, formation, and collaboration, Provinces have exchanged experiences, shared resources, and developed practical tools to embed safeguarding in the daily life of their communities. The article “A Living Tradition Calls for Beating Hearts” explores these themes in depth, tracing the common path undertaken by the JECSE and its partners to promote aculture of protection inspired by the Gospel and Ignatian anthropology. Prepared by JECSE, it invites all educational communities to see safeguarding not as an external obligation but as shared grace to be lived. It is a concrete sign of a living tradition that continues to educate for life, trust, and hope. You can read the article here.