History of the Conference of European Provincials S.J.
1972 - 2004

Update: 24.10.2005

[Italiano]

• 18th - 20th May 1972. A first ever meeting was held in Paris of the Provincials of Western Europe in the presence of Fr General Pedro Arrupe. At this meeting Fr Arrupe said that the Society needed to consider what it might do specifically in the "European milieu".
   
  
• 30th September 1972. Fr General established the Committee of European Provincials (AR.XV.957). Fr Simon Decloux (BME) appointed President. Members ESP, GAL, BRI, HIB, NER, BSE, POR, the Delegate for Italy, and the President of the German Provincials' Committee.
   
  
• 14th - 15th January 1974. The Committee met at Villa Cavaletti, Rome to review formation at the European level, the European institutions and other areas of possible European collaboration.
   
• 26th - 29th January 1976. The Committee met again at Villa Cavaletti. The Statutes of the Committee were discussed. The Committee's existence was reconfirmed after CG32. Fr General consulted on a President and wider membership.
   
• Fr Luk de Hovre (BSE) named as President, and Fr Jean Weydart (GAL) as Secretary. The Committee made up of Belgium (BME & BSE), France, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, and Yugoslavia.
   
• 25th - 29th January 1977. A meeting at the General Curia in Rome discussed areas of co-operation at the European level.
   
  
• 31st January - 4th February 1978. A meeting was held at Heverlee in Belgium. A visit was made to the European institutions.
   
  
• 1st - 4th February 1979. A meeting at Southwell House, London discussed the Jesuit contribution to the European institutions.
   
  
• 31st January - 3rd February 1980. Meeting at Berchmanskolleg in Munich. The composition and role of the Committee were discussed
   
  
• 29th January - 1st February 1981. Meeting at Gallarate, Italy. Eurojess was set up. Luk De Hovre's mandate ended.
   
  
• 28th - 31st January 1982. A meeting planned for Barcelona was cancelled and a small group of Provincials met in Rome with Fr Dezza, the Pontifical Delegate.
   
• Fr Guy Jacqmotte (BSE) named as new President in June 1982. Secretary: Fr Paul Symonds (BRI).
     
  
• 27th - 30th January 1983. A meeting held in Barcelona prepared for GC32 and the nomination of a new General.
   
• 9th - 13th February 1984. A meeting was held In Marseilles in the presence of Fr General Peter-Hans Kolvenbach. The future of the Committee was discussed. At present it was made up of only half the European Provincials. Should something be set up along the lines of the USA Conference? Knowledge of English would be necessary for all members. A document The Mission of the Society in Europe was produced.
   
  
• 21st - 24th March 1985. The Committee met at Campion Hall, Oxford. It proposed that there should be a Directorate made up of eight Jesuits. They should establish a permanent Secretariat of the Committee, to be made up of an Executive Secretary, a person responsible for contacts and liaisons, and an administrative secretary. The first two should be appointed by Fr General for a period of three years. The Directorate should determine the work of the Secretariat.
   
  
• 24th - 25th May 1985. The Directorate met at Heverlee, Belgium to discuss the setting-up of a Secretariat.
   
  
• 6th - 10th February 1986. At a meeting in Lisbon the idea of a Secretariat began to take shape. The role and powers of a possible President of a Committee of European Provincials was discussed. A terna was prepared for Fr General.
  
  
• Fr Ignasi Salvat (TAR) was appointed as President of the Committee of European Provincials by Fr General on 23rd April 1986.
   
  
• 5th - 10th March 1987. First meeting of the Conference of European Provincials in Zagreb. Henceforth the term 'Committee' would be used for a smaller meeting of Provincials in the years when the full Conference did not meet. The Statutes of the C.E.P. were agreed at Zagreb. After this meeting Fr Paul Symonds ceased to be Secretary. Fr Salvat appointed Fr Jean Beckers (BME) in his place.
   
  
• 17th - 22nd May 1988. The Committee met in Mosta, Malta. Theme: 'What does Europe mean to you and how is it lived in your Province?' It approved the budget for the next two years. It also proposed a 'European Year' for scholastics as part of their formation and set up a committee led by Fr Jacques Gellard to study this. It also set up a committee led by Fr Mark Rotsaert to look at increasing collaboration between our centres of study, especially of theology.
  
  
• 20th - 25th April 1989. The Committee met in Vienna. It considered Fr Mark Rotsaert's report on European collaboration in the formation of our scholastics. There had been strong resistance to the idea of a 'European year' because it would increase the length of formation.
  
  
• 2nd - 6th March 1990. Second General Assembly of C.E.P. in Brussels. The GA heard reports on the current state of the Provinces in Eastern Europe and discussed the assistance given by the Provinces of Western Europe; this was at the explicit request of Fr General. Formation was discussed and the President was asked to set up Euro-groups for Directors of Formation Centres and for lecturers in Philosophy. The future of OCIPE, the Foyer Catholique and the European Schools was discussed.
   
  
• February 1991. First meeting of Directors of Formation Centre Euro-group in Chantilly, France
   
  
• 11th - 15th April 1991. The Committee met in Warsaw. Nineteen Provincials took part. Once again Fr Mark Rotsaert's report on Formation in Europe was discussed. There was discussion about setting up a 'European Community' in Strasbourg. OCIPE was also discussed at length.
  
  
• ?? 1992. The Committee met in Dublin. President Mary Robinson met the Provincials. They also visited Belfast.
  
  
• 18th - 22nd March 1993. Third General Assembly of the C.E.P. in Geneva. Fr General was present throughout. A new version of the Statutes (21 March 1993) was approved. Henceforth the General Assembly would meet every two years with a Committee meeting in alternate years. (The Committee would now be made up of two Provincials from each Assistancy.) The Provincials voted on a terna for a new President. Fr Philip Harnett (HIB) received a large majority. Fr General immediately announced that he would appoint Fr Harnett President of the C.E.P. but deferred his appointment as Major Superior until he could clarify the latter's functions. The GA approved a Declaration on OCIPE and another on the Foyer Catholique.
   
  
• 1st October 1993. Fr Philip Harnett (HIB) takes over as President of the C.E.P. He is the first full-time President of the C.E.P.
   
  
• 14th - 18th April 1994. The Committee met in Berlin. They discussed a Strategy Document prepared by Fr Harnett (with assistance from Fr Calvez). The Statutes of the C.E.P. were again revised and it was decided that in future meetings of the C.E.P. should be held in November. There was discussion about whether the President should reside in Brussels of Strasbourg.
   
  
• 11th July 1994. Fr Philip Harnett appointed Major Superior. He moves his residence from Brussels to Strasbourg.
   
  
• 26th - 31st October 1995. Fourth General Assembly of the C.E.P. in Manresa. Fr General was in attendance from 28th - 30th. The opening day was a workshop on the challenges presented by contemporary Europe. Two scholastics made a presentation on EJIF. The possibility of a Europe-wide Jesuit Cultural Review was discussed.
   
  
• 1st September 1996. Fr Gerwin Komma (ASR) appointed acting President. Fr Harnett had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and Fr Komma had been in Strasbourg helping him since July. Fr Harnett died in December 1996.
   
  
• November (?) 1996. The Committee met in Rome.
   
  
• 23rd - 28th October 1997. Fifth General Assembly of the C.E.P. in Dobogokö, Hungary. Fr General attended the latter part of the meeting. The Document The Mission of the Society in Europe was discussed and adopted. The Statutes of the C.E.P. were once again revised and provision made for Fr General to appoint an Executive Secretary of the C.E.P. who would be Assistant/Socius to the President. The Provincials unanimously decided not to meet annually. The Provincials prepared a terna for Fr General for a new President.
   
  
• 25th March 1988. Fr Alfred Darmanin (MAL) is appointed President of the C.E.P. by Fr General.
   
  
• 12th - 16th November 1998. The Committee met in Seville, Spain.
   
  
• 25th March 1999. Fr Chris Dyckhoff (BRI) is appointed Assistant to the President.
   
  
• 21st - 26th October 1999. Sixth General Assembly of C.E.P. in Rodízio, Portugal. Fr General was present throughout. This meeting took The Movement of Peoples in Europe as its main theme and it was decided that the C.E.P. should issue a statement on this subject. To the surprise of many the GA voted down a proposal to set up a C.E.P. Task Force on Formation.
   
  
• 8th May 2000. Fr General appoints Fr Mark Rotsaert (BSE) as Acting President of the C.E.P. This followed Fr General's acceptance of the resignation of Fr Alfred Darmanin.
   
  
• 29th September 2000. Extraordinary General Assembly of the C.E.P. in Loyola. Fr General was present throughout. [This meeting followed on from the world meeting of Provincials] This meeting prepared a terna for Fr General. It also decided that the General Assembly should meet every year and insisted that the President should be full-time.
   
  
• 3rd October 2001. Fr General appoints Fr Mark Rotsaert as President of the C.E.P. Fr Rotsaert continues to be Provincial of BSE.
   
  
• 14th November 2000. The office of the C.E.P. moves to Brussels from Strasbourg.
   
  
• 17th - 20th November 2000. The last meeting of the Committee. Ways to take forward the work of the C.E.P. were discussed. The changes necessary to the Statutes in the light of the Loyola meeting were decided upon. The Statement on the Movement of Peoples in Europe was agreed and issued.
   
• 19th - 24th October 2001. Seventh General Assembly of the C.E.P. held at Le Châtelard, Lyons, France. Generally agreed to be a most successful meeting. The ECE, EOC and EOR assistancies all held preparatory meetings at Le Châtelard from the 17th. A 'Formation Committee' was set up to determine criteria for assessing our European Formation Centres by 2002, make an assessment of these by 2003, and make reasoned proposals for the future by 2004. Fr David Smolira (BRI) is named as chairman of this committee which is made up of one Provincial and one ‘formation person’ from each Assistancy. The necessary changes to the Statutes were agreed (and approved by Fr General in November 2001).
   
• 26th - 30th October 2002. Eighth General Assembly of the C.EP. at Lainz, Vienna, Austria. All members arrived on 24th October and separate Assistancy meetings were held until 26th October. On Friday 25th October EMR and EOC held their first ever joint meeting. Fr David Smolira (BRI) reports on the progress made by the Formation Committee and announces that it should be possible to make firm proposals at the General Assembly in 2003. A document The Mission of our Common Apostolic Works in Brussels and Strasbourg was discussed. The General Assembly mandated the President to set up a Task Force on the Movement of Peoples to be chaired by John Dardis (HIB). Fr General attended the meeting from 27th October until its conclusion.
   
• 27th September 2003. Fr Mark Rotsaert (BSE) becomes full-time President of the C.E.P.
   
• 25th – 29th October 2003. Ninth General Assembly of the C.E.P. at Czêstochowa, Poland. The proposals of the CEP Commission on European Centres of Jesuit Formation weren’t approved. The Assembly mandated the President, in consultation with Fr. General, to appoint a small group of Provincials with the task to assist the President in taking forward the process of recommending to the General Assembly certain Centres as European Centres of Jesuit Formation. This President’s group was mandated to report to the CEP General Assembly in October 2004 with a modified proposal.
   
• 30th October 2003. Fr Tommaso Guadagno (ITA) succeeds Fr Chris Dyckhoff as Assistant to the President.
   
• 23rd – 27th October 2004. Tenth General Assembly of the C.E.P. at Napoli, Italy.

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