On 27 September the General Curia in Rome welcomed staff and their families into its garden for an Open Garden event. This annual event, though it might seem at first like a simple social gathering, carried both a deep sense of community and history. The date itself is significant: on 27 September 1540, Pope Paul III formally established the Society of Jesus with the bull Regimini militantis Ecclesiae.This year’s Open Garden event was coloured, therefore, by this important moment in the history of the Church.

The General Curia is usually a workplace, functioning as the administrative centre of the Society of Jesus in the world, but for a few hours during the Open Garden event, it transforms into something different. Members of staff, collaborators, their families, and relatives were received not only in the garden at the heart of the Curia grounds but also entered other parts of the building. They were led on guided tours through some parts that many do not get to see when they visit. These tours connected them more directly with the life of the Society, helping them to broaden their understanding of the functioning of the General Curia.

The garden itself was the setting for an entertaining evening. Children were invited to join in games, creating an atmosphere of play and lightness that contrasts with the formality normally associated with the Curia. Music also added to the evening event. There were sing-alongs of popular songs led by some Jesuits from the Curia community and the families of the staff. Everyone singing together gave each person an easy way to participate, instinctually joining in a chorus or a verse of the chosen songs – no need for rehearsals or explanations.

Food was another important feature of the evening. As shared meals have a way of building community, tables set up in the garden offered more than nourishment but also gave colleagues and their relatives a chance to linger and speak with each other. The hope is that these connections would extend beyond the walls of the Curia into everyday life.

Reflecting on the significance of the date – 27 September – in some sense, the establishment of the Society 485 years ago, by extension, is the backdrop for the community gathered for the Open Garden event. St Ignatius of Loyola and his first companions could not have imagined the administrative structure that today sustains the Society of Jesus in the 21^st century, yet the principles that guided them – faith, service, companionship, and friendship – were quietly present in the evening’s activities. Opening the Curia’s grounds to the staff’s families echoes the Society’s mission to be with people in concrete, everyday ways.

In fact, events like the Open Garden matter for the life of the institution. They create memories on a personal level for the staff and Jesuits at the Curia. This event also allows them to feel part of a larger story – one that began almost five centuries ago. Open Garden 2025 is more than just a staff event – it gives new expression to the life of those who today continue to carry out the mission of the Society.