JESUITJESUIT SOCIALSOCIAL CENTRESCENTRES

STRUCTURINGSTRUCTURING THETHE SOCIALSOCIAL APOSTOLATEAPOSTOLATE

Social Justice Secretariat Rome Secretariat

C.P. 6139 – 00195 ROMA PRATI – ITALY +39 06688 06418 (fax) [email protected] http://www.sjweb.info/sjs/ JESUIT SOCIAL CENTRES

STRUCTURING THE SOCIAL APOSTOLATE

Social Justice Secretariat

Rome, February 2005

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

his study could not have seen the light of print without the work of an entire team, of various groups of people contributing from far-flung lands at different moments in time, and of people nearer home who put it all together. It was at a meeting of Assistancy Social Coordinators that the idea of bringing outT a study of Jesuit Social Centres was first mooted, and they have worked with the Social Secretariat through the whole process, collecting data and responses. The definition of a Jesuit Social Centre as used in this study was finalised at that meeting in May 2004. The Assistancy Coordinators read the first draft of the study, made valuable suggestions, and were also involved in the Recommendations made to Fr General and presented in Chapter 10 of the present work.

For all this we are especially grateful to:

Fr. Antoine Berilengar AOC, Fr. Jorge Julio Mejia COL, Fr. Rafael Moreno Villa MEX, Fr. Paulo Sérgio Vaillant DIA – BHA, Fr. Javier Arellano Yanguas LOY, Fr. Christopher Boles BRI, Fr. Francesco De Luccia ITA, Fr. Andreas Gösele GSU, Fr. Robin Schweiger SVN, Fr. Roberto Yap PHI, Fr. Joseph Xavier MDU, Fr. Jim Stormes USA.

Thanks also to:

Costanza Pagnini, Coordinator of Networks and Editor of Headlines, who was in charge of the entire study from start to finish, providing the initial definition of Jesuit Social Centres, which was discussed and finalised by the Assistancy Social Coordinators, preparing the questionnaire, analysing, editing, and putting together all the material that came in; to Daniele Frigeri SJ, who helped with the analysis, was responsible for data entry, managing the statistical analysis and designing the layout; and to Suguna Ramanathan in Ahmedabad, who edited each chapter as it came.

The final responsibility for the study lies with the Secretary of the SJS, Fernando F. Franco SJ, who planned the design and led the implementation of the project. Such mistakes and omissions as occur here are to be laid at his door.

Fr. Fernando F. Franco SJ Social Justice Secretary

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Curia Generalizia della Compagnia di Gesù Borgo S. Spirito, 4 C.P. 6139 / 00195 ROMA-PRATI (Italia) Tel . 06/689.771 – Fax 06/686.8214

To the Jesuits and lay partners who carry forward the Jesuit mission of the Social Centres

MESSAGE OF FATHER PETER–HANS KOLVENBACH

Dear friends,

The word ‘Social Centre’ evokes in all of us both, a memory of a dynamic and creative period in the history of the Social Apostolate in many parts of the world, and a concern about the difficulties and crises that have besieged them over the last ten, perhaps fifteen, years.

At the last meeting of Assistancy Coordinators of the Social Apostolate held in Rome in May 2004, I had the opportunity to see the first, more modest draft of this study, and to receive a set of documents dealing with the new characterization of Jesuit Social Centres, presenting their strengths and weaknesses and making some recommendations. I am glad to note that these three documents have been reproduced in various chapters of the present study.

As I mentioned in the course of my earlier address to all of you (Promotio Iustitiae, 2004/4, p. 6), I am grateful for the practical recommendations you were able to work out. I have talked about them at meetings with various groups of Provincials. I would like here to stress again the need to bring greater clarity to the apostolic orientation of each Assistancy and Province, to integrate the Social Apostolate, more specifically the Socia