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The European Confederation of Jesuit Alumni expresses its support for the independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine, a country belonging to the European family. It will in particular encourage any initiative of the Society of Jesus aiming at establishing a Jesuit institution of education in the Ukrainian territory as internationally recognized.

Adopted by the general assembly of the confederation in Vienna on 25 September 2022

At the founding act in Vienna, 24 September 2022, the representatives of the national federation / association who were present, established a new ECJA, compliant to the Belgian Law. Till approval and publication by the Belgian Authority, the new ECJA remains an "ASBL in formation" (ASBL for Association Sans But Lucratif).

The founding documents were signed by the representatives of 12 countries, which are now members of the new ECJA:

• Hans Hammerschmied** for Austria
• François Marinx* for Belgium South
• Chris Thurlimann** for Britain
• François-Xavier Camenen* for France
• Joachim Wollensak* for Germany
• Boglárka Novella** for Hungary
• Chris Thurlimann** for Ireland
• Marija Dudaite** for Lithuania
• Stephen Gatt* for Malta
• Ricardo Manuel Rodrigues** for Portugal
• Javier de Pablo** for Spain
• Chris Thurlimann** for Switzerland

(*) ... with declaration to attend in person (president)
(**)... with written proxy to represent the respective country

Not present or represented in Vienna was the following national federation / association / group of Jesuit alumni:

• FEDEREX Italia
• Federation of Belgium North
• Association of Jesuit Alumni in Gdynia, Poland
• Group of Jesuit Alumni from Shkoder, Albania

By signing the required documents and handing them in to the secretary and treasurer before the next meeting, the 4 countries can too become a member by getting the approval of the general assembly at the ECJA meeting in spring 2023.

Composition of the new board of ECJA

President Filipe Farelo (Portugal, new)

Secretary Boglárka Novella (Hungary, new)

Treasurer Marc Dittmayer (Germany, new, since 2022 Lisbon meeting)

Vice President Juan Carlos Ovejero (Spain, continuing)

Vice President François Lombard (France, continuing)

Vice President Hans Hammerschmied (Austria, new)

Vice President Stephen Gatt (Malta, continuing)

Vice President Akvilė Minčinkaitė (Lithuania, new)

The general assembly in Vienna, 24 September 2022 elected by secret ballot voting the above members of the ECJA Board, except for the treasurer who was elected at the previous ECJA Meeting in Lisbon, 29 May 2022.
The required quorum of effective members to be present and the required 1/2 votes of present votes was reached.

The outgoing officers, Enrique Rebés (president from 2015 till 2022), Chris Thurlimann (secretary from 2011 to 2022), Gianpaolo Marini (treasurer from 1994 to 2022) and Sebastian Schindler (vice president 2018 to 2022) wish the new board plenty of energy and endurance but also joy and camaraderie to tackle the challenges ahead.

General Assembly in Vienna 24/09/2022 approves the proposed new statutes
Click here to read, to see the new statutes.
In a first vote, the proposal to include supranational federations as members in the statutes was rejected. With this result,
ECJA is compliant to WUJA. The required quorum of 2/3 of the effective members to be present was reached, the required 2/3 of the votes present to modify the statutes by adding supranational federations to the statutes - so that supranational members can become member of ECJA - was not reached.
In the second vote, the proposed new statutes, compliant to the Belgian Law, were approved. The required quorum of 2/3 of the effective members to be present and the required 2/3 of the votes present to be able to modify the statutes, to replace the old statutes with the new statutes, was reached.
For both votes, secret ballot voting was used.

Presentations and photos from the World Congress are online

To read the presentations and see photos from the World Congress, click here.

Join the European Confederation of Jesuit Alumni/ae (ECJA) in supporting the Ukrainian refugees in Poland & Romania and in Hungary.
The Jesuits in Poland and the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) are helping Ukrainian refugees in Poland and Romania.
And the Jesuits in Hungary are helping Ukrainian refugees in Hungary.
Thank you very much for your donation,

Enrique Rébes
President ECJA
and
Chris Thurlimann
Secretary ECJA

Accounts of the Society of Jesus in Poland – please add the remark “JEZUICKA POMOC DLA UKRAINY” (Polish for JESUIT AID TO UKRAINE)

EUR

Nazwa rachunku:
Biuro Misyjne
BNP Paribas S.A.
Nr konta: PL27 2030 0045 3110 0000 0021 0310
BIC: PPABPLPKXXX
Adres:
ul. Rakowiecka 61
02-532 Warszawa
Polska
„JEZUICKA POMOC DLA UKRAINY”

USD :

Nazwa rachunku:
Biuro Misyjne
BNP Paribas S.A.
Nr konta: PL82 2030 0045 3110 0000 0003 5690
BIC: PPABPLPKXXX
Adres:
ul. Rakowiecka 61
02-532 Warszawa
Polska
„JEZUICKA POMOC DLA UKRAINY”

GBP :

Nazwa rachunku: Biuro Misyjne
BNP Paribas S.A.
Nr konta: PL48 2030 0045 3110 0000 0025 1060
BIC: PPABPLPKXXX
Adres:
ul. Rakowiecka 61
02-532 Warszawa
Polska
„JEZUICKA POMOC DLA UKRAINY”

Account of the Society of Jesus in Hungary – please add the remark “JEZSUITA SEGÉLY UKRAJNÁNAK” (Hungarian for JESUIT AID TO UKRAINE)

EUR

Name: JTMR Adományszámla
IBAN: HU23 10702019-19014056-55200004
BIC: CIBHHUHB
Name of bank: CiB Bank Ltd
Street: Petrezselyem u. 2-8
City: 1024 Budapest
“JEZSUITA SEGÉLY UKRAJNÁNAK”

The Ignatian Year, which commemorates the fifth centenary of the conversion of Ignatius of Loyola, began in Pamplona on 20 May last year. An important commemoration event took place on Friday 30 July 2021 in Barcelona, the mass celebrated in the Basilica of Santa Maria del Mar was presided by the Cardinal Archbishop of Barcelona, Juan José Omella SJ and co-celebrated with Fr General Arturo Sosa SJ.
The Eucharistic took place where St. Ignatian begged for alms to be distributed to the poor during his stay in Barcelona between 1524 and 1526.
Francisco Guarner - Vice President of WUJA and Director of the Organisation Committee of the World Congress of Jesuit Alumni in Barcelona - offered a wreath of flowers to Saint Ignatian in the name of the Jesuit Alumni to commend the World Congress of Jesuit Alumni Barcelona 2022. To read the full text of the offering, click on

Jacques Monnet, President of the Ginette Alumni in Versailles interviewed on May 3rd 2021 Stéphane Bancel, President of Moderna and Jesuit alumni from Provence in Marseilles and Ginette in Versailles - in preparation for a meeting of the European Confederation of Jesuit Alumni/ae which takes place Saturday 8 May 2021 as one of the contributions of the French Federation under its President, François-Xavier Camenen.

Click here to watch the video.

Click here to open a Google EXCEL sheet with all of the Wiki links we could find so far for the Jesuit Colleges in Europe
(included are also Jesuit Colleges in Egypt and the Lebanon).

The research for ECJA was done by members of the Jesuit Alumni Irleand (JAI) organisation:
Cormac Yalloway, John O'Reilly and John Treacy.

ECJA launches call to support the people in distress in the Lebanon

The general assembly was informed at its online meeting on September 26th, 2020 by Elias Matta from Beirut - living now in France and member of the French Federation of Jesuit Alumni - about the actual situation in the Lebanon.

The blast in Beirut on August 4^th, 2020 has caused almost 200 dead, 3000 wounded and 300000 became displaced persons because 50000 homes were destroyed.
The Lebanon faces now at the same time a multitude of crisis: a political, sanitarian, financial and humanitarian crisis. The poverty rate has reached 50%. The crisis has also struck heavily the Lebanese education system, especially the around 330 Christian schools. 20% of all students in the Lebanon are Christians. Many schools will have to close this year because many families can no longer afford to pay the school fees.

We ask you to be generous and to support one of the following foundations/associations we recommend, click on:

Association Mondiale Pedro Arrupe

OMCFAA (Jesuit)

ŒUVRE d’ORIENT

ARCENCIEL

OFFREJOIE

If you would like to make a tax-deductible transnational donation, use Transnational Giving Europe (TGE):
https://www.transnationalgiving.eu/

Contact first the partner organisation in your country of TGE to find out which of the 5 foundations/associations above are registered with them and ask them to send you the necessary information to make the bank transfer.
Partner organization in your country:
https://www.transnationalgiving.eu/category/partner

The minimum amount per donation is 500 Swiss Francs or the equivalent amount in Euros or Pound Sterling.
A 5% contribution is taken on each donated amount by TGE to cover its operational and administrative costs, as well as to promote philanthropy.

Jesuits Alumni Conversations

In a series of live debates, a Jesuit father and an Alumnus/a will discuss a theme of interest to Jesuit Alumni, allowing us to discover the Jesuit action in this field and to learn how we can take part in it.

We invite you to join the WUJA Facebook group which will allow you to attend the debates live.

The 3 first appointments are:

Wednesday, October 14 at 15:00 CET : Refugees and Migrants
• Tom Smolich - Director of JRS International
• Miren Mendiluce - Alumna of Deusto University in Bilbao
will talk about refugees and migrants, articulating a global vision and concrete experiences.

Saturday 14 November at 16.00 CET : Discernment
• John Dardis sj - Counselor for Discernment and Planning
• Chris Miller - Alumnus of Santa Clara University (Santa Clara, California

Wednesday 9 December at 16.00 CET : Education
• Jose Mesa sj - Secretary for International Secondary Education (Educate Magis)
• Alumnus/a to be determined

AMDG,
The WUJA Team

The General Assembly of ECJA extended at its online conference call meeting on September 26th, 2020 the mandate of the existing officers and elected 2 new board members to hold office till the end of 2021 - or the end of 2022 if the World Congress in Barcelona will be held in summer 2022 (depending on the decision of WUJA):

François Lombard represents the French Federation of Jesuit Alumni and
Francisco Guarner is director of the organizing committee for the World Congress of Jesuit Alumni in Barcelona.

In Europe, where Jesuit schools have traditioally catered to pupils from middle- to high-income families, the Collège Matteo Ricci which opened its doors in September 2019 and which is located between a homeless shelter and large avenues leading to a busy train station, is setting a precedent.

For Alain Deneef, president of WUJA, who launched the project and later became one of the school’s board members, Matteo Ricci represents a pilot project that could be emulated elsewhere in Europe.

Read the full article about the Collège Matteo Ricci in the prestigious America magazine, published by the American Jesuits by clicking here.

World Chapter of Jesuit Alumni

What is the Brussels Chapter?

Do you want to know more about the Brussels Chapter Project - and share it with other Alumni?

World Chapter of Jesuit Alumni

Brussels Chapter

The joint project of the European Confederation of Jesuit Alumni (ECJA) and the Jesuit European Social Centre (JESC) aims to expand the network of Jesuit alumni living and working in Brussels. Former students from Jesuit universities, colleges, secondary schools and Jesuit-led educational programs will find a way to meet, exchange experiences and participate in exclusive events.

For more information and contact address, see PDF-Flyer:

Seminar "Call to Public Life: Reshaping Europe" - Report can soon be downloaded
in Brussels, Friday 11 to Sunday 13 October 2019

1. Public service is a form of civic engagement and has its origins in a personal awareness of conflict.
2. It is inspired by a vision or dream which is attractive and empowering.
3. It involves personal interaction with people in a context of conflicting views and interests.
4. It ‘happens', i.e it is never experienced purely on ‘our’ terms and can leave us bewildered and discouraged.
5. If we are to serve, and not just react to the world around us, we need to stop and reflect on what we have seen and heard and its impact on our own lives.
6. The calling to public service is nurtured by conscientious living which involves three steps:

a. Attending to social realities which we find troubling.
b. Engaging in conversation with others about these realities.
c. Forming networks of solidarity and action in the light of this conversation.

Photo by Jay Lee on Unsplash

Annual Meeting of the Spanish Federation 2019

The annual General Meeting of the Spanish Federation of Associations of Jesuits Alumni was held in Bilbao on June 8^th 2019.
Download the letter of the new president in Spanish in English in French
The agenda included, the:

Appointment of the new National Board Members

Máximo Caturla - from the Inmaculada College in Alicante - has been elected as new President of the Spanish Federation.

World Congress 2021 in Barcelona

The sessions will begin on July 14^th, with an Opening Eucharist at Sta. María del Mar Basilic to be presided by Father General and the Archbishop of Barcelona and will end on July 18th.
There will be a previous Pilgrimage from Loyola-Verdú-Montserrat-La Cova. This pilgrimage will be included in the celebration of the V Centennial of the Conversion of Saint Ignatius. It will be a meeting of young people where they will talk about reconciliation: between people, with the creation and with God.

The 10th World Congress of Jesuit Alumni/ae takes place in Barcelona, from 14th to 18th July 2021.
You can download the official announcement
in EN
in FR
in ES

You are very welcome to collaborate and share your ideas for making the Barcelona congress a milestone!
Write to the organizers at SARRIA SANT IGNASI: antics.santignasi@fje.edu

Watch the official video presentation ot the 2021 Congress in Barcelona ! Click here.
Download the presentation of Barcelona as host city for the World Union Congress in 2021

A Jesuit Networking initiative led by Entreculturas launched in 2017 a survey for better understanding the dynamics of collaboration in the worldwide mission of the Society of Jesus. The survey was answered by more than 2,700 people, including alumni, collaborators, Jesuits, professors/teachers, members of the Christian Life Community and other groups linked to the Jesuit Mission around the world.
The results help to understand the main factors that favor or hinder international collaboration.

Click here to see the results and / or to download them.

And click here to read about the conclusions on the website of Jesuit Networking.

In the interview with Educate Magis - after the International Congress of JESEDU (Jesuit Education) in Rio de Janeiro from October 15 to 20 October 2017 - Fr General Arturo Sosa SJ speaks about the opportunities of Jesuit Education. Fr General points out how Jesuit Schools have undergone an incredible, creative and bold process of renewal and how this process is still happening today in an even more challenging context.
The interview is in Spanish. You have the possibility to switch on subtitles, click on "CC" in the lower right corner of the video.

Cleveland Congress Resolutions

Read the Resolutions taken by the Jesuit alumni at the World Congress 2017 in Cleveland and published on 25 August 2017 by wuja.orga.

The John Caroll University in Cleveland

General Fr Arturo Sosa's message to the Jesuit Alumni

General Fr Arturo Sosa SJ at the World Congress 2017 in Cleveland (via life streaming from Rome):

“We are called to an attitude of encountering, getting out of our normal way of doing things, figuring out how to reach people where they are".

Fr General also emphasised the importance of collaboration and networking in light of the last General Congregation and invited the Jesuit alumni to think along these lines:

“Today we are more aware of the potential that we have if we work together. Our schools are attended by men and women from a great variety of socio-economic, cultural and religious backgrounds. You have an incredible reach in the world and we can only dream of what you could do if the strong local associations were united at the level of strong national and regional associations that form an even stronger world association.”

More about the World Congress in Cleveland

Read a summary and watch the videos about the World Congress in Cleveland 2017 from jesuits.org and ignatiansolidarity.net !

Global Network of Jesuit Schools

Educate Magis has recently released an updated version of the Jesuit Schools Global Map (version July 2017).
Take a look, print it out, hang it up and share within your school and/or organization.

Dr Roberta Metsola's video message to the Jesuit Alumni at the Meeting of the European Confederation March 11th, 2017

Dr Metsola, member of the European Parliament from Malta, pays tribute to the Jesuit way of protecting human dignity above all and to the inspiration and work being done by JRS on migration, sometimes in very difficult conditions. There is no quick fix to migration. We need a sustainable long-term vision. Solidarity must be the principle upon which any action on migration is based. Metsola addresses measures and decisions to be taken by European Union and emphasizes that migration is above all a human issue: 'We cannot allow ourselves to become desensitised to the fact that migration is above all a human issue, with real people with real lives, with many running from real danger'.

Pope Francis to Jesuit alumni: ‘Hospitality and mercy against the drama of immigration’

Radio Vatican reports about Pope Francis' address to the Jesuit alumni present at the private audience in the Consistory Hall of the Vatican on September 17th, 2017:
Refugees and migrants are more than statistics, Pope Francis told members of the European Confederation and World Union of Jesuit Alumni and Alumnae; they are no different than our own family and friends.
The Jesuit group had been participating in a conference in Rome this week entitled “Global Migration and Refugee Crisis: Time to Contemplate and Act”.
In the face of tens of thousands of persons forcibly displaced worldwide, the Pope stressed that it is important to move beyond the statistics, and realize that migrants and refugees “are no different than our own family members and friends.” “Each of them has a name, a face, and a story,” the Holy Father said,” as well as an inalienable right to live ...