“We have to present our identity not only convinced, but in a convincing way”
“In these confusing times, the important thing is clarity. The religious identity will make a difference from other schools”
“In social networks there is a lot of viscerality and there is no room for nuance. We must prepare our students so they know how to question themselves and face reality with a deeper vision”
Álvaro Lobo, SJ, Delegate of the Youth and Collegiate Pastoral Subcommittee of the Province of Spain of the Society of Jesus and coordinator of Pastoral SJ has visited some of SAFA Foundation schools in October, where he has had the opportunity to know first-hand the work of our schools. Throughout his journey he has highlighted the great value of the diversity that exists in schools and points out their marked identity as the maximum pillar.
Álvaro is also a writer and has become a reference voice in the social networks. He has been the coordinator of EDUCSI’s presence at World Youth Day, which was attended by a total of 537 students from Jesuit schools throughout Spain.
You have had the opportunity to take the feel of several of the SAFA schools. What has been your impression?
Álvaro Lobo (AL): Well, first, I have been able to check the great diversity that exists in all the schools of the SAFA Foundation; this helps you outline the way of working from the perspective of the 68 Educsi schools. Another aspect to highlight is the feeling of family both from the schools themselves and the relationship between the SAFA Foundation schools, which have a very strong identity and that is very good. I have also seen that in many schools the difficulty of schooling is being an opportunity to underline their identity as Catholic Christian schools run by the Company and what is being a problem, they are turning it into a virtue.
To tackle this drop in birth rates and achieve the loyalty of our families and the trust of those who are not yet families, we are working on this search for identity. What advice would you give us to further define this identity in SAFA schools?
AL: I think there are usually several points. First, identity is not sought outside, but in the history and origin of the schools themselves, and identity can make a difference with other schools. Parents, sometimes, do not know very well what determines each school. And second, when we talk about Christian, Jesuit, and Catholic identity, we must not be afraid to make it explicit, not go with half measures, so we seem to be believers, but we are not… In these very confusing times, clarity is important. If we drown what we are, we will dissolve in the sea and we will become like so many other schools.
In your text on “The art of building cathedrals” you talk about the great responsibility that schools have and one of the bases or pillars that you point out is precisely that, building the cathedral from faith.
AL: Yes, we cannot forget faith. We must ask ourselves: do we believe that a society with faith is a better society? Sometimes, we consider faith as a complement for people, but faith appears as a resource, some help, a complement in moments of greatest difficulty. The most important moments of our lives pass through a church and a hospital, and that is where faith becomes most necessary; but sometimes, we do not realize that. There are times that we think that since there are people who do not believe in that, so as not to offend… but transmitting a God who is love and love for others cannot offend anyone.
To make sense of where we are going, it is necessary to know where we are starting from, where is Ignatian pedagogy at SAFA schools and what should be the common message?
AL: We have the challenge as schools to go deeper into our Christian identity and an identity in dialogue with other visions of the world. This is not a war, it is not the reconquest, it is a way of presenting our option, not only convinced, but in a convincing way. From the pastoral subsector we propose three axes: transmission of faith, vocational culture and a pastoral care that permeate all dimensions of the school.
The line of action is to convey that faith is something good and that we are all complicit in its good transmission, not all of us are pastoralists or Jesuits, but we do have to provide the means so that that candle lights other candles.
How can we get closer to Educsi from the classrooms?
AL: The best way is to feel part of a great network and not be afraid to be part of this great family that is the Society of Jesus. Deep down, what unites us is not a logo but a mission and a passion for faith in Jesus and a way that is Ignatian spirituality. If we take care of this, we will have the other. If there is only logo identity, without getting to the bottom of the spiritual, we will have a fictitious bond.
A tool to sow the Ignatian footprint is Youth Pastoral. How was it for you to organize the experience of World Youth Day, where more than half a thousand young people from Jesuit schools participated, of which 50 were from SAFA?
AL: Well, it is a project that took up more than 30% of my time last year and this requires, on the one hand, convincing people and building a team and then a big administrative struggle to manage the documents of 537 people. But it is something that is worth it. I do not know any people who have regretted going, but I know many who have regretted not going. It is a very hard and very demanding experience, but God works there and does his miracles and what might seem hard to us, for the kids is a great experience of God and unique in their lives.
Does it require much preparation or training for the people who attend?
AL: It requires knowing what you are going for. It is as if it were an urban pilgrim road to Santiago, it is hard, you are hot, you eat poorly and you sleep worse, we are not going to deny that. That is why you must know how to tune and know what you are going for. If you go like a tourist, everything will be a problem; if you go like a pilgrim, everything will be moments of encounters with your neighbour and with God. When there has been some difficulty with someone it is because they did not know what they were going for. Those who do know have worked very well.
Having the opportunity to talk to you seems like a very good opportunity to convey a more modern and fresh vision of spirituality to Jesuit schools. What messages do you think these schools should provide?
AL: I would like people to work as a network, to feel not just like SAFA but like members of the great Company of Jesus, part of the 68 schools in the Educsi network, and the 2,000 schools that we have all over the world. Another clear message is that we must transmit passion for announcing the Kingdom of God. We have eager people among our students, in a world in which there is a lack of references and where a lot of meaning is missing. And we have a message of Ignatian spirituality and the Gospel where time and culture do not matter because it remains new. Now in this crisis-war between Israel and Palestine it is clearly seen how Jesus’ message against an eye for an eye is more relevant than ever. Which shows that the Gospel has something to say to men and women of the 21st century.
We thought we had found direction in our inner search during the coronavirus, but I do not know if that was the case. How do you think the pandemic affected the way we teach in our schools? How do you think it affected society in general?
AL: The coronavirus created many mental health problems, such as anorexia, addiction to screens and even life changes that would not occur in another context. I think it has also enabled a more hybrid model with the implementation of technologies, which are now more effective in the classroom, which is a very positive thing. However, society has a fragile memory unfortunately, so I do not think it has learned much more because of the coronavirus. I would have liked that we had learned to create more bonds or more fraternal approaches. I am somehow skeptical in this regard. The forms of leisure have also changed. But we will have to consider everything, because this analysis will become clearer in decades, not in years.
You have opened important communication windows for young people in social networks. What is the main message you would like to give to young people?
AL: One of the main messages is for them to dare to live their lives seriously and not to be carried away by the mainstream or by trends. The world does not stop offering leisure proposals, ideologies, identities, which in general do not satisfy people’s lives. I want to make a call to live seriously and discover what God dreamed for each of them. My message is a proposal of happiness and good for the world, which does not mean being free of suffering.
You manage to send your messages through different communication channels that successfully reach thousands of people. Which platform do you consider most effective and safe in the 21st century?
AL: I increasingly experience social networks as a mission more than as leisure, because in the end they wear you down. The first thing I would tell these young people who follow me is, mainly, to read deeper things; but if I had to choose how to convey my message, I would opt for Twitter rather than Instagram. But even so, I am not quite convinced by this way of communicating because there is a lot of viscerality and there is no room for nuance. We must prepare our students so they know how to question themselves and not get carried away by what they can see on social networks, because that differs greatly from reality.
The subject of Religion suffers ups and downs every time there are changes in the legislative processes. What role does it play today in the comprehensive education of students?
AL: Religion is subject to political ups and downs without a doubt. It must be clear that it is a subject just like the others, so its development is the responsibility not only of Pastoral, but also of the school management, heads of studies and all teachers. Deep down it has a spiritual and transcendent component of the person and another important cultural component. We cannot enjoy a visit to the Prado Museum without having some notions of History or Theology. The worldview on this side of the world, no matter how secularized it is, is still a Christian worldview, so if we do not have these roots, we cannot understand the world today and that is what we want our students to do.
After the great challenge of organizing WYD 2023, what projects are you currently embarking on?
AL: I usually spend a lot of time writing, but right now I do not have any. Several projects are planned for Educsi, but it must be defined whether they are for this year or next. There is a book in mind, but to write you must find time to read. For now, it is a future project.
You wanted to be a journalist and a historian, you studied nursing and anthropology, and now you have been a Jesuit for 13 years, what awakens your faith to finally follow God?
AL: The truth is that when I lived in Paris, I was very happy, what’s more, I get a certain nostalgia for that time. My vocation was not the result of any cannon shot. But I realized that the next step that God was calling me to take was to be a Jesuit. And second, a motion that I believe God has given me is to realize that the best way to serve the world is to be a Jesuit. If I were not a Jesuit, I would be a normal nurse, neither good nor bad, but being a Jesuit I believe I can help the world more and from that perspective is where I read my vocation.
I read that your mother didn’t want you to dress like a priest, why?
AL: (Laughs). Well, I have dressed as a priest when it’s been necessary, but it is true that in society there is a lot of prejudice towards religion. I can hear comments against the Church, and I can defend myself, but people are very tolerant of many things but not of religion, and it can hurt a family member and my mother was worried, it hurt her, and it still hurts her, because, I insist, people are not tolerant of religion.
You have said on some occasion that each Jesuit is different from another, due to the different missions entrusted to you. What defines you?
AL: During my deacon ordination I really liked the service to the word of God and as a communicator I try to translate God’s word adapted to today. And then, I try to light fires and get people moving. That’s what I really try, and I think that’s what defines me.
And finally, you have collaborated with a coworking space helping young entrepreneurs. How does a Jesuit help society in this entrepreneurial mission?
AL: Well, that was during my study stay in Paris. At that time there were several dimensions. On the one hand, the spiritual accompaniment of some who came to talk to you, because deep inside people thirst for God; We always have certain aspects that are difficult for us to work on, doubts, fears, questions that one asks… and there was my accompanying work. Another dimension was to give the school a Jesuit identity. Ultimately, a coworking space is a very innovative space that did not exist in the time of San Ignacio. But why can’t a coworking space have a Jesuit touch? This is something that is in process. We also did workshops to help discover the professional purpose. Ultimately, we helped give a name to the vocation that each one had. Coworking spaces are also places where slightly broken people go; In some cases, because they are people who have been able to have a brilliant professional career and at the age of 30 they crack and realize that is not for them, or they have a burnout and then restart their project. But, of course, not just any project is worth it. There is a lot of uncertainty, because your money, your future and your life are at stake. It is a quite curious space to work. This coworking space is still active in Paris.
Having completed your Parisian training, you now carry out your mission from Zaragoza. Will we see you soon, again in Andalusia?
Yes, of course, in two weeks I am going to visit the schools in Malaga. I go to Andalusia on a recurring basis and the truth is that for me it is a gift to both go to the schools of the Loyola Foundation and those of the SAFA Foundation and, furthermore, I love going down to Andalusia.
