On 2 October, Father Joseph Christie, SJ, secretary for higher education at the Jesuit curia in Rome, visited IQS and ESADE. Held at the IQS campus, the gathering brought together a solid number of members from both institutions. The morning session was primarily attended by members of the IQS and ESADE identity and mission teams, as well as the representative of the Jesuits of the Apostolic Platform of Catalonia, Pau Vidal, SJ.
During his initial presentation, Fr Christie, SJ, presented the main challenges that Jesuit higher education institutions face in promoting their specific identity. He presented the International Association of Jesuit Universities (IAJU) as a commitment for the future to achieve the integration of the mission at a global level.
Regarding the speeches by the participants, at the end of his presentation, Fr Christie, SJ, highlighted some examples of Jesuit higher education institutions that must face the reality of existing within multicultural contexts and in countries where Catholicism may even be a cultural minority. Even in such cases, a mission can and should be shared, and there is a convergence in the values proposed by Jesuit education.
During the second part of the morning, members of the identity and mission teams met in small groups to discuss which points of the university’s identity and mission were considered most central, as well as which elements of the mission communities (which are already underway at the two institutions) should be enhanced to increase their impact and better serve their purposes.
After the meeting and during the fraternal lunch at IQS itself, Fr Christie, SJ, met with members of the administration and board of trustees of IQS and ESADE, who were joined by members of the Ramon Llull University rector’s office. Fr Christie, SJ, took the opportunity to insist on some of the points he made in the morning and responded to questions by attendees.
The next day, Fr Christie, SJ, and Pau Vidal, SJ, joined the ESADE mission community and were responsible for presenting the speeches that inspired the subsequent conversations. The first speech focused on the educational mission of the Society of Jesus on a global scale, noting that the International Association of Jesuit Universities (IAJU) is currently affiliated with 177 Jesuit universities around the world. Then, Pau Vidal, SJ, recalled to the participants the ultimate purpose that moved Ignacio de Loyola to found the Society: to help people. From ESADE’s perspective, this involves accompanying students to discover the professional field in which they wish to dedicate themselves and helping them to develop a solid human, moral, and spiritual foundation that supports them during times of difficulty.
Their words not only illuminated our educational mission, but reinforced our responsibility to live by Ignatian values in our daily lives.