Celebrating the First Anniversary of JESEDU-Rio2017

By Secretariat for Jesuit Education
Oct 17th, 2018

The Global Network of Jesuit Schools is celebrating the first anniversary of JESEDU-Rio2017! The first International Congress of Jesuit Education Delegates which took place in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil from the 16th to the 20th of October, 2017.

The Education Delegates are lay people and Jesuits who animate and coordinate the global networking of more than 800 Jesuit schools in 72 countries around the world. During JESEDU-Rio2017 the Delegates carried out a reflection process to define 13 priority actions to be implemented in the schools of our global network, with the objective of “Acting as a universal body with a universal mission” (CG35, D.2 #20)

To celebrate this first anniversary, we want to show you how, one year later, the impact of this meeting is visible in our communities and educational networks.

The results of JESEDU-Rio2017 involve us all; Delegates, management teams, teachers, students and families, because we are all actors in this shared mission. If you want to know more about JESEDU-Rio2017, please visit this section JESEDU-Rio2017.

Remembering the JESEDU-Rio2017 Congress.-


After the JESEDU-Rio2017 Congress.-

What is happening in the global network of Jesuit and Ignatian schools?

Many things are happening, which should fill us with joy and inspire us. Below are some of the news items and highlights of what has been happening since JESEDU-Rio2017. If you would like to share your news follow this link Actions after JESEDU-Rio2017

  • FLACSI (Latin America): Fr. Saúl Cuautle, President of FLACSI, shares that FLACSI recently held its Triennial Meeting with the rectors and directors of schools, where the JESEDU-Rio2017 Action Statement was put at the center of planning. In addition, after the Meeting, in the General Assembly, the Delegates reported on the progress on each of the commitments. Read more information here FLACSI Gathering: Directors Meeting in Buenos Aires 2018
  • JECSE (Europe): Ilse Dekker, Director of JECSE, reports that in her region the emphasis has been the development of interiority and our experience of God, which is a challenge in a multi-convictional context, highlighting experiences in schools in Belgium, the Euro-Mediterranean province (Malta, Italy, Albania) as well as in Lithuania. But it has not been the only focus, the director also shares how in Holland the focus has been on how to become part of the global network. Read more here On the Impact of JESEDU-Rio in the European Region
  • JEASA (South Asia): Fr. Sunny Jacob SJ, Secretary of JEASA, reports on the organization of a Global Citizenship program, which seeks to promote the formation of educators and companions of our shared mission in Global Citizenship, Democracy, Constitution and Human Rights, focusing efforts on reflection and action on these issues, of great importance for the global network and high contingency in this region. In addition JEASA have created an Ecological module and a Collaboration module for their schools in response to the JESEDU-Rio Action Statement. View more information on these here Global Citizenship Collaboration Program and Global Citizenship and Human Rights Education in Schools
  • JCAP (Asia Pacific): Fr. Johnny Go SJ, Secretary for secondary education in Asia Pacific, reports on ongoing efforts to strengthen the networking among the schools in the region through very concrete collaborative projects. These include the ongoing IGNITE staff formation workshops conducted three times a year, an International Conference on Educational Frontiers held in Manila earlier this month and attended by over 300 delegates from 12 countries, where administrators and teachers planned two concrete projects: (i) using Educate Magis’ Connected Classrooms to bring students together (ii) Teacher Volunteer Program to enable schools to send mentors and teachers to those schools in need. The education delegates in Asia Pacific are also preparing for the next colloquium in 2020, which is expected to be yet another milestone to create a greater awareness of our global network. Read more here Introducing: JESEDU-Jogja2020
  • JSN (North America): Fr. Bill Muller SJ, Executive Director of JSN, tells us that this summer they gathered three working groups around the themes of GC 36 and JESEDU-Rio: The Ignatian prayer, the Examen, global education and the creation of networks and reconciliation. The time spent was very fruitful and they will continue working with these groups throughout the year, both remotely and through participation in the cohort meetings. They hope that some of these groups will be presented at the Ignatian Research Sessions at the JSN Colloquium in June. More information in Responding to JESEDU-Rio2017 Actions -USA (Central & Southern Province) and Canadian Jesuit Schools Respond to the Rio Action Statement 
  • JESAMED (Africa & Madagascar): Fr. Joe Arimoso, SJ, Secretary of JESAMED and Rector of St. George’s College in Harare, Zimbabwe, and is the president of JESAMED. From this perspective he informs us about the work on the creation of JASBEAM, the Association of Basic and Secondary Education in Africa and Madagascar as a step to strengthen networking in that region. He also tells us about the actions carried out by St. George’s College in almost all of the 13 actions from the JESEDU-Rio Action Statement. Read more here St. Georges College/Hartmann House Response to the Rio Action Statement

Letter from the Secretary of Education to the Education Delegates.-

The Secretary of Education, Fr. José Alberto Mesa, SJ has written a letter to communicate with the Delegates and all the members of the global network of Jesuit and Ignatian schools on the occasion of this first anniversary.

In his message, the Secretary of Education expresses his gratitude to the Delegates and to all the educators for the advances that have been reported from all the networks and provinces. In addition, he reminds us of the challenges we must address, once we have celebrated this first anniversary and begin the journey towards the second anniversary.

Read the letter here Commemoration of the First Anniversary of the International Congress of Jesuit Education Delegates, JESEDU-Rio2017.

Speech by Fr. General Arturo Sosa SJ in Bolivia.-

On the occasion of the celebration of this first anniversary, the Secretariat has released the translation into English, French and Portuguese of the speech which Fr. General gave at San Calixto School in La Paz, Bolivia, (original version in Spanish here) where together with offering an enriching reflection on Jesuit Education, Fr. General spoke about the work carried out at JESEDU-Rio2017:

I would like to finish by giving you what my teachers would give me: homework. […] Here it is: study the thirteen proposals for the next five years. Get to know them and put together a program to make them a reality, so that each institution can do so. Some institutions are most likely alive to some of them, but they can improve and learn from others. This is your assignment, and I will close with a word that summarizes so many things: thanks! Thank you for all your generosity, love, faith and hope! Fr. General´s Address in Colegio San Calixto school in La Paz, Bolivia.

Journey Towards the Second Anniversary.-

The JESEDU cycles of reflection and work are a permanent “pilgrimage” to experiences and learning. These cycles allow us to serve better. In this way, just as we are preparing the journey towards the Second International Colloquium on Jesuit Education JESEDU-Jogja2020, the Secretary of Education has encouraged us so to keep the 13 Actions from the Action Statement in mind at the beginning of this new cycle, placing emphasis on transforming these agreements into action plans for the next 5 years, as Fr. General encouraged us to do in his speech in Bolivia. Share the updates from your region about JESEDU-Rio2017 13 Actions 

Top Ten most memorable moments of JESEDU-Rio2017, arranged chronologically.-

#1 The Secretariat of the Congress. A group of 5 people; 4 Jesuits and the Executive Director of FLACSI carried out the work of the Congress Secretariat by preparing a daily article to summarise the day in Spanish, French and English.

#2. A Congress which cares for the Environment. The Congress organizing committee compensated for the carbon footprint produced by participants’ air travel by avoiding the use of disposable bottles and cups.

#3 Building through dialogue. Each day at the Congress there was quality time for conversation and the exchange of ideas among the Delegates.

#4 Coffee break interviews. At each break the Delegates connected via live streaming to the global education community to share their impressions of the progress of the Congress.

#5. Time for action and contemplation. The Education Delegates took a pilgrimage to some symbolic places in Rio de Janeiro to reflect from a real context on the challenges for the global network.

#6. Plenary Sessions. Personal work, group work and finally work in a plenary session to share the progress that allowed the definition of the 13 actions outlined in the Action Statement.

#7. The “echoes”, which contributed towards the synthesis work resulting in the definition of the 13 actions for the global network. Every day the delegates summed up the main topics in “echoes”. The last day these were written and stuck onto the map of the network. Fr. General also joined in on the last day.

#8. The surprise appearance of the student choir. A choir of students from Colegio Santo Inacio surprised the Education Delegates with a live presentation of the Congress anthem “I will sing forever”.

#9. The female Education Delegates with Fr. General.

#10. The official picture. In fact it was not the official photo, but it ended up becoming the official one because it shows not only the Delegates but all those who made the Congress possible.