It’s tempting to view the Secretariat for Social Justice (SJES) as simply another office of the Society of Jesus in Rome. It operates in the same halls as the other offices, abides by the same rules as the other offices, and is under the same General Superior as the other offices... and yet to think of SJES as just another office in the Curia would be to trivialize the influence that the secretariat has held across the world for decades.

Since the time of Father Arrupe, SJES has been dedicated to finding and implementing strategies to encourage social justice, equality between individuals and peoples, and a proper ecological balance that doesn’t destroy the sustainability of our planet. In that time, an incredible diversity of Jesuits and non-Jesuits have tirelessly worked in SJES aware that their mission could only be accomplished by embracing the cacophony of voices from societies and cultures across the world.

All these years after its founding, the Secretariat for Social Justice has set aside its 50th year to mark the anniversary of its founding. It is their hope that this year will be an opportunity to remind themselves and others of the Society of Jesus' diverse commitments to the social apostolate; an opportunity to rekindle the flame for commitments with a social dimension; an opportunity to help the Society live out its newly established commitment to the Universal Apostolic Preferences.

The short video featured here gives the floor to the six Delegates for Social Apostolate of the six Jesuit Conferences of the world. Each of them tells us in a few words about the programme of commitments and anniversary celebrations in his or her continent. A series of great opportunities to raise awareness about social issues, designed according to the needs and cultures of each continent, in preparation for the major congress to be held in Rome in November 2019.