European Association of Jesuit Alumni/ae

Working for others

"En Todo Amar Y Servir"

Presidents' Conference, Wien, 8-10 March 2002

REPORT OF THE MEETING OF THE EUROPEAN CONFEDERATION

Extended report in French version, a summary in English

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Present:

- Germany: Bernard Kottrup (vice president), Sascha Moser , Hermann v. Braunmühl
- Austria: Max Kindler, Hans Portisch, Wolfgang Wildner
- Belgium (North): Luk Arts S.J. (European councelar), Louis Cooreman (president of the meeting), Frank Judo, Olivier Wouters
- Belgium (South): Alain Deneef, Maurice Pilette S.J.
- France: Frederic Bustorf, Hervé Carrera (vice president), Eric de Langsdorff, Denis Larcher
- Spain: Cristobal Sarrias S.J., José Maria Cabezudo
- Italy: Vincenzo Gallinoni, Gianpaolo Marini (finance responsible)
- Portugal: Felipe Garrizo
- United Kingdom: Charlotte Dugdale, John F. Grumitt S.J., Paul Rogers , Bernard Thompson
- Asked to be excused: all the other members.
 

1. Prayer by Luk Arts s.j.

2. News of the European federations (update since the Malta congress of November 2001)

Germany (Herman von Braunmühl)

• Recently the German federation has held elections for its administrative council. Alumni are elected. Sascha Moser has been elected as vice-president of the German federation. A new working system has been implemented: each of the five administrators is now assisted by a younger member. This system seems to work quite well.

• The German federation has been composed by people from all over Germany.

• The German federation organises a writing contest in October 2002 in Berlin. The subject will be the present situation in Africa. By this the German federation wants to follow the appeal of Father-General in Malta.

• Finally, the German federation asks to pay extra notice to point 11, an initiative of Sascha Moser

Austria (Hans Portisch)

• The Austrian federation has also held elections. Hans Portisch has become the new president and as such he is the successor of Wolfgang Wildner.

• Although there no longer are father Jesuits in the colleges, the Austrian federation wants to intensify the contacts between the schools and the alumni.

Belgium-North (Louis Cooreman)

• The Flemish federation was largely represented at the Malta-congress thanks to the encouragement of the different boards. After the Malta congress the wish was expressed to create a mini-congress in Flanders following the same working strategy as the one followed in Malta. This congress will be held 26 and 27 October 2002. This congress will particularly focus on the young alumni;

Belgium-Sud (Maurice Pilette s.j.)

• A new president has been chosen. His name is Alain Bayard (bayard@bayardavocats.be). Due to unforeseen circumstances he could participate at the Vienna weekend.

• The federation has seen certain communities of father Jesuits leave some colleges, which it regrets heavily (and had opposed heavily as well).

• Only 4 of the 7 colleges are active concerning alumni.

• There is a lot of local activity.

• One of the most supported projects is the "Stanislas Kostka"project directed by Maurice Griffé s.j.)

France (Eric de Langsdorff)

• Also the French federation has held elections: Eric de Langsdorff has been re-elected as president.

• Because of the declining number of father Jesuits in the colleges, it's difficult to motivate young people for the ignatian spirituality. The federation will ask father Delobre to organise formation sessions.

• The French federation is very pleased with the fact that all colleges are associated to African colleges.

• The French federation wants to stress its desire to help Calcutta. 'We have to show an inspired enthusiastic response, not a sceptic and materialistic message"

Spain (José Maria Cabezudo)

• Although the number of father Jesuits is declining fast, not even one college has had to close. Today there are still three Jesuit universities, thirty colleges, six education centres and twenty primary schools.

• The Spanish federation organises a third Spanish congress on 3,4 and 5 October 2002. Everybody is warmly invited.

Italy (Gianni Galloni)

• Ciro Cacchione has been elected as president

Malta (Louis Cooreman, in name of Stephen Gatt, excused)

• Although not a lot of young Maltese participated at the Malta congress, a lot of them joined a recent reunion.

Portugal (Felipe Garrizo)

• Because there is no official Portuguese federation Felipe Garrizo reports only the activities of the Lisbon association. These activities comprise: the colleges: preparing youngsters for the professional life; establishing a database of alumni and collaborating with the organisations of the Company: Jesuit Refugee Service Portugal etc. A booklet is published three-monthly.

United Kingdom (Paul Rogers & Bernard Thompson)

• The federation wants to stress that the biggest part of its English participants to Malta congress were young people.

• The federation is examining which project of the Fondation Pedro Arrupe can be supported on top of the projects that are already supported.

3. Evaluation of the Malta Congress (November 2001)

3.1 Organisation

Experiences/positive remarks

- very positive that the congress is organised because it's the only activity organised by the European Confederation
- the huge number of young participants
- the fact that a lot of Maltese personalities such as the President and the PM wanted to help the congress
- the excellent organisation
- the fact that the document "En todo amar y servir" has been approved so generously and widely, especially by the young
- the experience of the confrontation of the ignation spirituality with every day-life
- meeting like-minded people
- the first congress where the participant has been confronted with his inner self
- "the congress has been an exercise real, serious and profound"
- the collaboration during the workshops
- Father Delobre's interventions and the quality of the testimonies
- the enthusiasm of the participation

Experiences/negative remarks

- too many workshops; and they should be monitored better
- the reorganisation of the programme
- too intensive
- vocabulary-difficulties which made that some people felt lost

3.2 Finances

• The Maltese Federation has signaled the Bureau of the European Confederation a deficit of more or less 3,000 EUR and asks for an intervention of the European Confederation.

• The deficit was caused by the fixation of the participation price calculated on three instead of four nights. because the initial price was already communicated to the different associations, it was no longer possible to modify the price.

• Although it is up to the organising federation to handle the finances, the presidents of the federations have decided with unanimity of votes to donate 2,000 EUR. Of course this is a very exceptional and unique intervention.

4 Global financial Rapport

4.1 Gianpaolo Marini

4.2 Decisions

    4.2.1. Overdue Accounts

• The Spanish federation as well as the Belgium-South and English federation will take care of their overdue accounts.

• Gianpaolo Marini has not been able to contact the Irish Federation to finalise the overdue accounts. Paul Rogers will contact them.

• The Maltese Federation as organisation of the congress was exempted of certain costs.

    4.2.2. Costs for 2002/2003

The 2002/2003 cost has been set at 260 EUR.

4.2.3. Other costs

- In the following edition of ETC an appeal will be held to donate 100 EUR to the Global Union. The national federations are asked to send the payments (cheque) to Denis Larcher of the Global Union.

The presidents of the federations have decided with unanimity of voice to donate exceptionally 2,000 EUR to the Global Union. Gianpaolo Marini will take care of this.

It has also been decided to discuss the financial relation between the Global Union and the different federations at the next reunion.

- With unanimity of voice the presidents of the federations have decided to intervene for 2,000 EUR for the costs for the president and the chaplain of the European Confederation for the global congress in Calcutta in January 2003.

5 Website

• Following address has been used to distribute information about the Vienna congress and will also be used for the following congresses. You can also leave messages on this site.

• If you need information about this website contact father Rik De Gendt s.j.

6 Communication with Eastern-European Countries

• Bernard Kottrup has tried to establish contacts in Eastern Europe:

- Poland: no alumni

- Hungary: a young college, not yet alumni

- Lithuania: two colleges; one of them wants to participate at the following reunion.

• Bernard Kottrup has also tried to contact the responsibles of the Copenhagen College (Denmark)

It is suggested to contact father Xavier Griffé s.j. (Belgium) who has established contacts thanks to the 'Stanislas Kostka'organisation (x.griffé@gramme.be)

7 Preparations for the reunion (October 2002)

The next reunion of the Confederation will be held during the weekend of 18 October 2002 in Paris. In August the Bureau of The Confederation will prepare this reunion

8 Propositions for the new presidency of the European Confederation

New elections will be held in Paris. Candidates please contact Bernard Kottrup (kottrup@druckerei-wahl.de)

9 Global Congress (Calcutta –  21 - 25 January 2003)

• all information can be found on www.jawcon.org and on the website of the Global Union

• the next edition of ETC will be available in PDF-format and it will as such be possible to distribute it via e-mail (which should reduce the costs!)

• new statutes can be found on the website of the Global union

• the theme will go in the direction of "Social Justice"

• the French federation wants to stress that this will be the first congress outside the Western World. Europe should be represented well and the "En todo amar y servir"-document should be presented as well

• everybody should encourage youngsters to participate

10 Candidates for the representation of the Confederation in the governing body of the Global Union

The British federation supports the candidature of Bernard Thompson as president of the Global Union. The Confederation approves this candidature. All federations are invited to send in the coordinations of their candidates to Bernard Kottrup (kottrup@druckerei-wahl.de) before the October reunion in Paris

11 Sascha Moser presents a Project

Sascha Moser, Vice-president of the German Federation, has presented his project of exchange and collaboration between the schools. A work group has been composed: Sascha Moser, Hermann von Braunmühl and Alain Deneef.

[Based on the report made by Olivier Wouters, secretary]

 

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