In May 2024 members of the International Commission on the Apostolate of Jesuit Education (ICAJE) – comprised of Education Delegates from the six Jesuit global regions, which includes our JECSE Network – gathered with Fr. General’s Secretary for Education for annual meeting in Rome. We also were joined by representatives of Fe y Algeria and Educate Magis.
During this meeting:
1. The Secretary for Education shared updates on various projects and initiatives, emphasizing their alignment with the Universal Apostolic Preferences (UAPs) and their ongoing support to global educational collaboration. Then each ICAJE member delivered a presentation on the current state of Jesuit education in their region, focusing on the preparation for the II Seminar JESEDU-Jogja2024, engagement with Educate Magis, and the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in education. The reports highlighted the enduring impact of the pandemic, including long-term changes in educational practices and strategies for fostering resilience among schools.
2. ICAJE members were also engaged in a spiritual conversation to discern ways for Educating for Faith in the 21st Century. This dialogue builds on the topics that a group of Jesuit educators from around the world will be discussing in the Global II Seminar JESEDU-Jogja2024, that will take place in June 2024 in Jogjakarta, Indonesia. Fr. James Hanvey SJ, Secretary of the Service of Faith participated in this conversation.
3. Part of the meeting was also dedicated to discuss our global collaboration. We shared our proposals on initiatives for enhancing inter-regional collaboration, sharing best practices, and establishing spaces for joint reflection. Educate Magispresented updates on their projects, emphasizing their role in building an online apostolic community of Jesuit educators. The feedback from ICAJE was gathered to better meet the needs of the network and enhance their offerings.
4. We also had a chance to meet with Fr. John Guiney SJ and Dr. Sandra Racionero who share with ICAJE the details of the PCCP Project (Promoting a Consistent Culture of Protection in our Schools), that was introduced by Fr. General Arturo Sosa SJ in late 2023.
This year’s ICAJE meeting included a special audience with Pope Francis!
We were privileged to meet with Pope Francis in the Vatican to share with him the charter for the recently constituted Jesuit Global Network of Schools, of which JECSE is a member. We also provided him with a copy of the the document Jesuit Schools: A Living Tradition in the 21st Century, and a special edition of the Educate Magis Global Map of the Schools.
During the meeting, Pope Francis shared his insights on Jesuit education. He expressed his gratitude to all educators for their work in our Jesuit and Companion schools. He emphasised the importance of keeping Jesus at the centre of our mission and the transformative potential of Ignatian education. He urged our schools to place the formation of educators at the centre so that we are even better equipped to set an example for younger generations.
Pope Francis also referenced his Global Compact on Education, emphasizing the need for a shift from an “I” to a “we” culture and the importance of patience and perseverance in the long-term task of education.
The meeting concluded with a Eucharist in the “rooms of Ignatius,” where St. Ignatius of Loyola spent his final days. Fr. José Mesa SJ remarked, “This meeting was pivotal in reinforcing our mission as a global network. The topics we addressed are crucial for the future of Jesuit education, and ICAJE remains a vital force in our journey toward becoming a universal body with a universal mission.”
After the Eucharist, the participants went to St. Ignatius Church asking, before the tomb of St. John Berchman’s -patron of the Jesuit Global Network of Schools, for strength and perseverance in our service to the mission of the Society entrusted to us by the Church.