Held at Campion Hall from 2–15 July, the Summer School brought together 12 participants – ten Jesuits, one religious sister and one lay colleague from Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) – for two weeks of study, reflection and formation.
Participants came from ministries in Kenya, Peru, the United States, Mexico, Brazil, Nepal, Bangladesh, and other international contexts, bringing experience ranging from pastoral work with undocumented migrants and legal and social advocacy to livelihoods programmes in refugee settlements and academic research. Several had themselves experienced migration or forced displacement.
Organised by Campion Hall in partnership with JRS and Boston College, the programme responds to one of the most pressing humanitarian challenges of our time by equipping those working with displaced people with intellectual, practical and spiritual resources for their ministry.
Participants explored the causes of forced migration and international refugee protection alongside Catholic Social Teaching, theology and Ignatian spirituality. Sessions addressed subjects including legal protections for migrants, reconciliation, hospitality, the common good, gender and violence, while a visit to JRS UK brought participants into direct engagement with the experiences of refugees and migrants.
The international nature of the Summer School also enabled participants to share challenges and successful approaches from their own ministries, building relationships across the global Jesuit network and exploring how JRS’s mission of accompaniment, service and advocacy can respond to very different local realities.
Participants spoke of leaving Oxford with renewed hope and a deeper commitment to their work. One described the Summer School as “a time of deep consolation”, while another said:
“Together, we expressed our shared zeal to participate in and contribute to accompanying the excluded children of God.”
Another participant spoke of returning to their ministry with “renewed hope, inspiring dreams, fresh insights” and a deeper desire to accompany those in need of solidarity.
Since its inception, the Pedro Arrupe Summer School has formed around 50–60 Jesuits, religious sisters and lay collaborators who now serve refugees and migrants in ministries around the world.
The Summer School is made possible through financial support from Jesuits in Britain, enabling participants from across the global Society of Jesus to access this specialist formation. The programme forms part of Campion Hall’s wider Jesuit commitment to refugees and migrants, which also includes its Pedro Arrupe Research Fellow in Forced Migration Studies.
By bringing together international expertise, frontline experience and Ignatian formation, the Summer School is helping strengthen the Society of Jesus’ global response to forced migration.
The video below, filmed during the 2025 Summer School, offers a glimpse into the programme and the experiences of those who take part.
