SJES ROME

The first gathering of the Irish Jesuit Province’s social justice apostolates took place in the Arrupe Room, Milltown Park, Dublin on Wednesday, 3 May 2023. A day of networking and showcasing work and activities, the gathering was a chance to get to know one another and create opportunities for collaboration and support.

Members of the Magis community in Myanmar gathered in Taunggyi from 11 to 13 April with a shared purpose – to deepen their understanding of Ignatian Spirituality and put it into practice by serving the communities in Loi Long Monastery and Infant Jesus Convent, where they spent time with orphans and people with disabilities, lending a helping hand wherever they could.

The Arrupe Nanmin Center has been bestowed the Human Rights Award by the Kanagawa Bar Association for its significant contribution to human rights protection.

Back in 1993, the General Assembly decided in a resolution that 15th May of every year should be observed as The International Day of Families. This day provides an opportunity to promote awareness of issues relating to families and to increase the knowledge of the socio-cultural and economic issues affecting families.

From 17th to 19th May 2023, the Bakhita Partnership for Education (BPE) will convene an Indaba in Lusaka, Zambia dubbed “Keep-the-Girls in School” to consider the state of girls’ education in Africa in the wake of the unprecedented school closures caused by COVID-19.

As the canonical part of the Congregation begins, further discussion of key themes chosen by Fr. General will take place. In some weeks, Fr. General will publish the definitive version of his text based on this intense process of discernment in common. De Statu Societatis, revised after the Congregation of Procurators, will be shared with the whole Society as a renewed call to go forward on its journey of conversion.

The just concluded JCAM bi-annual plenary that took place from the 24th to the 28th of April 2023 was special because it saw an important encounter with Father John Guiney, SJ (HIB) and Ms. Sandra Racionero-Plaza, who serve at the Jesuit Social Justice and Ecology Secretariat of the Jesuit Curia in Rome.

Recent U.S. decisions regarding the termination of Title 42 (in effect until Thursday, May 11, 2023) and agreements with other countries in the region are generating major impacts that violate the guarantee of Human Rights, particularly the right to request International Protection.

The MAGIS Foundation's support for the project Rebuilding Communities Affected by Leprosy, HIV/AIDS and Physical Disability in Vijayapura (India), which officially started in February 2023 at St Joseph's Health and Community Centre in Vijayapura, continues.

In response to the humanitarian crisis in Sudan, the Jesuit Justice and Ecology Network Africa (JENA) echoes the words of Pope Francis in his encyclical Fratelli Tutti, "Every human being has the right to life, and this right is not negotiable."