Jesuit schools Vision, Faith, Passion, Freedom Conference of European Jesuit Provincials JECSE October 2013. El Escorial, MADRID
My presentation Our context today Gospel and Ignatian response 3 key activities for your school 2
Do you ever feel like this? 3
BUT FIRST Is there a new big vision for what you want to do together in Europe? 4
A: CONTEXT Europe in crisis Economic Social Political Cultural Religious 5
European challenges European elections 2014. Extreme parties on the rise Reconciliation still a challenge The dream? 6
Social and Financial Crisis- much anger and pain. Spain - Los Indignados 7
Social Relationship issues Screen Shot 2013-10-02 at 12.57.42 8
Syria and Egypt 9
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How to evangelise in increasingly secular contexts 11
Strong History of Christianity 12
Europe Secularised..yet searching 13
Camino de Santiago - People on the journey - Searching - Like Ignatius of Loyola - Informal - Loose link with Church - Depth 14
Pope Francis A papacy of Hope 15
B: Is there a Gospel Response? 16
Good News Jesus eats with sinners Jesus Forgives, heals, celebrates Kingdom radically new https://vimeo.com/50117634 17
And the Jesuit perspective on this? Weltfreundlichkeit world friendly. God is part of the world, involved. Our mission is to find his footprints and show them to others Frontier spirituality See Jim Corkery s Paper for JECSE, Easter 2011. GC 35, FRONTIERS, AND SHARING OUR FAITH WITH YOUNG PEOPLE 18
Footprints and Frontiers 19
Rooted in reality. There ARE Difficulties Ignatius does not sweeten or falsify painful realities. Rather he begins with them, exactly as they are poverty, forced displacement, violence between people, abandonment, structural injustice, sin but then he points to how God s Son was born into these realities. General Congregation 35 20
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Children at risk 22
Limit Situations of Anguish Cambodia Bantea Preab Malta Detention Centre 23
Cross and Resistance 24
Summary God is at work in the world In joyful places In places of pain We are called to contemplate reality AS IT IS Can you catch onto what He is doing in YOUR situation? 25
C: How can we link in with what God is doing? 26
Jesuit Schools in Europe Europe: Over 5000 Jesuits and circa 60,000 other people working on the SJ mission in Europe 153 schools, 152,308 students Benedict XVI: educational emergency http://vimeo.com/66230821 27
Key aspects of Ignatian spirit? Respect for the individual Weltfreundlch open to the world Building a relationship World network Nurturing talents Students being participants rather than passive observers a sense of the transcendent - each person is yearning for God in his or her heart Freedom: The spiritual exercises of St Ignatius are about radical freedom 28
Future steps? More Ignatian schools? School(s) for Roma? Schools in Muslim contexts 29
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Primary School Romania 31
1. Help them discover God A real experience of God How: Simple prayer exercises Ignatian contemplation Talk less ABOUT God and help them meet God 32
2. Service experience Learn to help Learn about poverty 33
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3. Help them to Freedom. Discern the Ideologies and isms today Capitalism Stalinism Socialism Fascism Consumerism Racism 35
A call to liberation 36
Can we imagine our students Leaving school with the belief that they matter That their skills can make a difference That they can change the world Leaving school having met God in a personal way Able to discern the culture around them Able to make choices that are free 37
Our Pupils 38
Questions for groups. How does my school give the teachers, pupils,parents an experience of God? Does our education for faith help our students find God in a personal and passionate way? What new ideas can I use? How does my school give the teacher, pupils, parents an experience of discerned service? Are there new ideas we can use? Where is grace, the Kingdom, freedom present in my school? What things make my students/teachers unfree? What -isms or ideologies? How does my school lead people to freedom? Are there ways we can use the Spiritual exercises and lead people to liberation? 39