The Major Superiors of the Jesuit Conference of South Asia (JCSA) are meeting again, this time in Kozhikade, South India, in the Kerala Province. These meetings are held twice a year for the 19 Provincials and 2 Regional Superiors of the Conference, which covers not only India but also Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and Sri Lanka. The agenda for the meeting includes sessions on a process of re-imagining the Society in the region and on the implementation of the new Instruction for Administration and Finances (IAF). We asked the Conference President, Fr Stany D’Souza, to tell us more.

JCSA meets twice a year, in October and February. Usually, we explore a theme and make decisions during the October meeting. Last October, we discerned on the theme: Reimagining and Restructuring of the Society of Jesus in South Asia (RRSJSA) and took two concrete decisions: first, to constitute a team which would prepare inputs and tools to initiate the reimagining process in the Provinces/Regions. Second, to set up a task force to initiate the process itself in the Provinces/Regions. Now, in February, the JCSA meeting will receive the inputs from the team working on the reimagining of the Jesuit presence, the RRSJSA, and the Major Superiors will continue to orient, sharpen and approve the processes so that they could easily be implemented in the Provinces/Regions.

The goal of the reimagining is not only to make our ministries more efficient and effective but also transformative. Most of the Major Superiors stressed the importance of spiritual and intellectual depth to make our life-mission fruitful. The idea is that we need to be discerning people, perceptive, so as to read the signs of the times.

During the last October meeting, we also provided a communication platform for the Conference Secretaries, the assistants to the President for the various apostolic fields. Its goal is to help them share about their works so that the Major Superiors could listen to them, learn from them and guide them to make their mission of coordinating the ministries more efficient and effective. In fact, these Secretaries will accompany the reimagining processes within the various ministries of the Conference.

And why did you incorporate sessions on the Instruction for Administration and Finances in the agenda and how do these discussions will take into account the evolving socio-political and economic conditions in 2024?

Since the IAF has been approved and promulgated by Fr General, it is important that we understand them and implement them in our Provinces and Regions. The JCSA meeting is the best platform to initiate this process as the Major Superiors have to take it forward in their respective areas. Moreover, we want to understand how “our way of proceeding” enunciated by the IAF could enhance our efficiency and efficacy in the administration and management of finances.

Could you elaborate on any strategies or plans that are being discussed during the meeting to ensure the financial sustainability of the Society’s projects and initiatives, considering the economic challenges prevalent in today’s world?

The financial sustainability is an important aspect of our way of proceeding. So, while planning and implementing projects and initiatives, the Provinces/Regions do give it due attention. Moreover, every Province and Region has a Development Office. Most of these offices work really hard to procure resources to insure the sustainability of our ministries. Recently, we have been exploring ways to raise local resources. In this context, the Secretariat for Inclusive Development has made not only some efforts but also enabled and equipped the Development Directors of the Provinces and Regions through training programmes focused on raising local resources.

Considering the diverse Provinces and Regions within the JCSA, how does the Conference intend to foster collaboration and exchange of ideas among its members, particularly in the context of the current global uncertainties?

Thanks to the constant and consistent efforts over the years, the JCSA is slowly growing as a community of discernment. Since we discern together, we have become co-responsible, and hence, we are slowly emerging as a platform for collaboration and networking. We share personnel and financial resources among us. I am glad to tell that in times of need and crisis, the Provinces and Regions have shown great generosity. Lately, we have been consistently thinking beyond the Conference to reach out to other Conferences and the universal Society. We have shared our material and human resources with other Conferences as well. We are on the way to do more in this line.