First International Colloquium of the Jesuit Secondary Education
July 24, 2012: An international colloquium of the Jesuit secondary Education will
be held in Boston, USA, from 29 July to 2nd August. The Colloquium is dedicated
to the theme "The world is our home." The event, will bringing together for the first
time in the history of the Society of Jesus, leaders of high schools from around the
world, aims to address common challenges, the mission and identity of the Jesuits,
in particular in the field of education.
The organizers hope that the Colloquium
answers the call set forth to Jesuit educators in their General Congregation 35, which
said “Serving Christ’s mission today means paying special attention to its global
context. This context requires us to act as a universal body with a universal mission,
realizing at the same time the radical diversity of our situations. It is as a worldwide
community – and, simultaneously, as a network of local communities – that we seek
to serve others across the world.”
Jesuit secondary schools today are dedicated
to forming the next generation of leaders for our church in the world. This will require
training students to think globally, working collaboratively as a network of schools,
and exchanging ideas, strategies and practices. Many years ago the Society of
Jesus recognized the necessity to build national and regional networks of Jesuit schools
that encouraged collaboration between Jesuits and their lay partners. These national
and regional service networks, because of the collaboration and trust that has developed,
have strengthened the Jesuit mission in these regions.
By gathering as a global
network of Jesuit schools for the very first time, we will begin to work collectively
to best prepare not only our students, but ourselves as educators to truly become
global citizens. We will address common challenges, share resources and strengthen
our educational network while we strive to maintain our Jesuit identity.