Over the course of the visit, partners engaged with supporters through school visits, parish appeals, shared celebrations of Mass and the organisation’s Annual Reception at the London Jesuit Centre. The week provided an opportunity to deepen relationships, exchange ideas and reflect on the realities facing communities in a rapidly changing world.
Founded in the 1960s, Jesuit Missions is the international mission and development arm of the Jesuits in Britain. Working with partner organisations across Africa, Asia and Latin America, it supports local communities to build a more just and sustainable future through projects focused on education, environmental justice, livelihoods and humanitarian response. This work is rooted in Catholic Social Teaching and inspired by Laudato Si’, Pope Francis’ call to care for our common home, which highlights the close relationship between environmental and social justice.
A key part of the visit was the opportunity for international partners to meet directly with students from Jesuit schools in the UK, offering a powerful exchange of perspectives.
Caroline Sanga, who works with Jesuits in South Sudan, reflected: “It’s very important to meet with students studying here in the UK who support our works through Jesuit Missions. They didn’t know about how some of their counterparts [in South Sudan] are not going to school, they have to do other things like go to the cattle camp.”
For many young people, these encounters challenged assumptions about life beyond the UK. As James Potter, Chaplain at Wimbledon College, explained: “Our students are global citizens to some extent in their TikTok and they see other people around the world, but often they are seeing other people who are fairly similar to them and in fairly similar circumstances.”
Partners also emphasised the urgency of amplifying voices that are too often overlooked. Daniela Alba, an Indigenous Colombian working with the Jesuit Curia in Rome, said: “Unless you really paint the picture and bring the voices of the territories that are often silenced on purpose, you’re not going to really see or feel connected to what you’re supporting.”
Discussions throughout the week also highlighted the importance of culturally rooted approaches to development, particularly in education. Fr Paul Martin SJ noted: “There was a need for an appropriate model of education that valued the language and culture of indigenous people. And that’s something that we [the Jesuits] had already begun.”
Students reflected deeply on what they had learned, particularly around the global impact of climate change. Pupils from St Joseph’s in Hurst Green shared: “We’ve learned lots of things about Madagascar and especially how the weather changes effect them.” One girl added: “It made me feel really sad that what the US and the UK are doing is affecting other countries that haven’t done anything and it’s really affecting them.”
Despite the serious challenges discussed, the week was marked by a strong sense of shared purpose and hope for the future. Lauren and Jules from Jesuit Missions said: “It’s been a wonderful day celebrating our partners and their projects, where pupils have been able to engage with the projects they are partnered with.”
As the visit concluded, it was clear that these moments of encounter — across classrooms, parishes and communities — remain central to Jesuit Missions’ work, strengthening a shared commitment to walking alongside those at the margins and responding to the urgent challenges facing communities around the world.
To find out more about the work of Jesuit Missions please visit the website: Jesuit Missions
