10th World Union of Jesuit Alumni/ae Congress Report
Friday, 24 February 2023
The 10th World Union of Jesuit Alumni/ae Congress was held in Barcelona, Spain at Sant Ignasi School, Sarria from 13 - 17 July 2022. 

The link to the program is  www.jesuitsalumnibcn2022.org.  Here you will find the program content, activities and presentations. Key themes addressed at the Congress were Education, Ecology, Spirituality, Migration and Women.  For Saint Ignatius, Barcelona was very much at the crossroads in his interior and exterior pilgrimage. Father General in his hour long address made numerous references to the Apostolic Preferences of:-
  1. Showing the Way to God.
  2. Walking with the Excluded.
  3. Journeying with Youth.
  4. Caring for Our Common Home.
We had outstanding addresses by Fr Jose Alberto Mesa SJ on Education, Fr Dani Villaneuva, SJ on Networking and Chris Lowney, of ‘Heroic Leadership’ fame and the Cannonball Experience; along with many others. We had a one day visit to Montserrat, Manresa and, of course, La Cova - all central to the formation of Ignatius. There was a visit to Sagrada Familia, the magnificent Gaudi creation, which was preceded by an address by Fr J-P Hernandez, SJ who is an expert in art and theology.

There were numerous social events and networking occasions with alumni, Jesuits and friends from around the world. Of interest was the fact that the Examen, central to Ignatian Spirituality, was introduced to schools first in Australia. Now it is universally practised in Jesuit schools. At the Congress, our President of 9 years, Alain Deneef (Belgium) retired and Francisco Guarner (Spain) was elected as the new WUJA President.

Our next WUJA Congress will be in Yogjakarta, Indonesia in 2025.

Andrew Horsley
Oceania Representative
World Union of Jesuit Alumni