To all Alumni and friends of the Jesuits.
Dear Friends
I am writing to introduce myself as the Director of the British Jesuit Alumni Charitable Trust, also known as Eagle Aid. Where I use the term Alumni I am including all those who are friends of the Jesuits!
Celebrating anniversaries
I am hoping to meet many new faces at a special dinner in London planned to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the restoration of the Society of Jesus in 1814. For more details and to book the event please see the enclosed flyer. For more information about the suppression and restoration of the Society take a look at sj2014.net.
The British Jesuit Alumni started in 1989/90 with a project in Lithuania after the Jesuit Education Secretariat (Alan McKell) invited the Presidents/Chairmen of the alumni associations of the five active secondary education colleges in Britain to meet together. In 1994 the British Jesuit Alumni Charitable Trust (BJACT) became a registered charity. So we are celebrating our 20th anniversary this year! The purpose of the charitable trust is to promote:
• The advancement of Catholic education
• The relief of poverty, sickness and/or physical and mental disabilities, anywhere in the world
• The charitable work of the Society of Jesus
Fundraising
Our first project provided the equipment for a language laboratory for the Jesuit College in Kaunus, Lithuania We are very grateful to all the contributors who have supported our projects over the years. Recently we contributed to the Makumbi Mission by reroofing the orphanage buildings and helping to provide new furniture. We have supported the Gorsilaure Project, a school and orphanage in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and continue to support the Clinic in Harare with its cancer and stomaltherapy work.
I would encourage all of you to get involved in our fundraising initiatives. I am looking for your ideas on projects to fund, as well as ideas for fundraising events. Because it is part of our charitable purpose to support projects which are in line with those of the Society of Jesus, I have recently been in contact with Jesuit Missions and the Jesuit development office to see how we might better work together to identify needs.
World alumni networks
The BJACT is part of a global network of Jesuit Alumni Associations: The World Union of Jesuit Alumni (WUJA) and the European Confederation of Jesuit Alumni. Both hold a congress every four years. The next European Congress will be in Rome in September 2015; and the next WUJA Congress will be in Cleveland, Ohio from 27 June to 2 July 2017. In the week before each congress there is an opportunity for (usually younger) participants to join in a Jesuit Experiment by becoming involved with a local Jesuit alumni project or taking part in a pilgrimage. The last WUJA Congress took place in Medellin, Colombia in July 2013 and these photos were taken during the youth experiments. A short video gives a flavour of the event and can be found at http://www.jezuieten.org/nl/nieuw/wereldcongres-oudleerlingen-in-medellin
The village of Caldas, Colombia, credit World Union Young Alumni
Ongoing formation with alumni around Europe
Our involvement in the network also means that we are able to provide opportunities for all our ‘members’ to participate in other events. For example, On-going Formation Events. In November 2013 a first event for alumni working in banking and finance took place in Vienna. A second one is being planned for April 2015. A similar event took place in Paris in April 2014 for those working in medical fields. An event is being planned for those working in Law in September 2015 in Brussels and another for those in politics in 2016. Participants bring not only their professional knowledge to these events but also their Ignatian values and how they implement these in their work. If you would like to know more about these opportunities please contact me.
Finally
Thank you for your continued support. If you would be happy to receive information via e-mail, please contact me using either of the e-mail addresses below.
Yours sincerely
Bernard Thompson, Director, BJACT
22 Elm Grove, Hildenborough, Tonbridge, Kent TN11 9HF 01732 832396
bjact@btinternet.com eagle.aid@btinternet.com