Following The Path of Renewal – The Educate Magis Annual Meeting

Par Educate Magis
Mai 17th, 2017

“Because of the magnitude and interconnectedness of the challenges we face, it is important to support and encourage the growing collaboration among Jesuits and Jesuit apostolates through networks. International and intersectoral networks are an opportunity to strengthen our identity, as we share our capacities and local engagements in order together to serve a universal mission”. General Congregation 36, D.1 #35

May has been an exciting month for Educate Magis so far. As well as welcoming the beginning of summer here in Ireland, the first week in May saw us host our Annual General Meeting for Company Members and Directors as well as our second 2017 planning meeting together with Fr. José Mesa, SJ, Secretariat for Jesuit Education for the Society of Jesus. We were joined for part of our planning meeting by the Irish Delegate for Jesuit Education, Brian Flannery.   Educate Magis Planning

We gathered in the Irish Jesuits’ Community in Dublin and spent 3 days reflecting, discussing, listening and planning. We gratefully listened to some of Fr. José Mesa’s reflections and observations, post GC 36, about the contemporary path to renewal we, in Jesuit Education are on. We listened in order to ensure our strategic plans are in line with the pillars of Discernment, Collaboration and Networking which were highlighted by GC 36 as important perspectives on our contemporary way of proceeding.Educate Magis Working

Through our discussion it became clear that now, more than ever, we must promote and facilitate coming together as a network, a global family; to be with one another; to learn and to share. The four themes of the JESEDU-Rio Virtual Congress were again highlighted as important topics we should be focussing on and addressing in our Provinces and Schools. Although we have a long way to go on the contemporary path to renewal and towards truly working as a global network of Jesuit schools and will no doubt be faced with challenges along the way, there was a notable underlying sense of excitement and hope for the possibilities presented to us on this journey, at our meetings.  

On our last evening together, the newly elected Irish Provincial, Fr. Leonard Moloney, celebrated a mass of gratitude for the Educate Magis team (Éamonn, Ciara, Gellért, Mark, Karina) and some members of the Irish Province (Fr. Jim, Fr. Liam, Brian, Ruth). We were then invited to Loyola House where we shared a wonderful meal in great company.