Melodies of change

In the vibrant landscape of Dili, Timor-Leste, the impact of your generosity shines brightly, touching the lives of hundreds of students like Joana. With support from our Australian Jesuit Mission family, the Jesuit-run secondary school, Colégio de Santo Inácio de Loiola (Loyola College), provides quality education to over 830 students from rural Timor-Leste, forming the nation's future leaders.

The multi-purpose extension hall at Loyola College is a space where talents are nurtured and dreams take flight, bringing in a new era of possibilities for Timor's youth. The hall now includes a permanent stage, music and drama rooms, and storage for sports and musical equipment.

For students like Joana, the impact is profound; they now have a sanctuary to explore their passion for music and creative arts.

[break height=20]

"Before, we could only learn about musical theory, but now we can practise with instruments,” said Joana.

"The extended hall is amazing; it can accommodate 40 or more students to play instruments like guitars and flutes.”

The hall is a treasure trove of musical delights, boasting 40 classical guitars, 40 flutes, a drum set, and even a few electric guitars. While there's only one piano keyboard at present, the possibilities are endless.

"We are not experts yet, but we're learning together, and it's much easier in a big space like this.”

Here, education isn't just a privilege; it's a transformative force, nurturing young minds and shaping futures.

At Loyola College, students are encouraged to study well and take up extra-curricular activities including music, sport, dance and the arts. They are supported to succeed with counselling and educated following the rich tradition of Ignatian spirituality and formation.

The President of Timor-Leste recognised the excellence of the standard of education at the school by awarding the College with the ‘Medal of Merit of the Order of Timor-Leste’ in 2023.

Thanks to your compassionate support, Loyola College continues to be a beacon of hope, where education transcends boundaries, and dreams know no limits. As Joana and her friends embark on their educational journey, the future is bright, echoing a symphony of positive change.

On Saturday, 4 May, over 5,000 people entered the gates of Xavier College, Kew in Melbourne, to attend the 2024 Jesuit Mission Maytime Fair.

Melbourne’s sunny weather attracted large crowds, leading to many stalls selling out. Schools, parishes, teachers, students and supporters, both new and long-standing, came together to uplift vulnerable communities worldwide.

The vibrant atmosphere and palpable community spirit made it a day to remember.

[break height=20]

"Every year, the Maytime Fair brings out the best in our community. The dedication and enthusiasm of everyone involved, from volunteers to attendees, all contribute to making a real difference in the lives of marginalised communities around the world,” said Katrina Varis, Jesuit Mission’s Events Coordinator.

For many, the Maytime Fair is an opportunity to laugh and make new friends, reconnect with others and above all it is a powerful reminder of the positive impact we can make together as one Jesuit Mission family.

"Our collective efforts at the Maytime Fair reflect a commitment to social justice and global solidarity. The unwavering support from volunteers and attendees, year after year, highlights the enduring strength of our mission to create a more equitable world," said Katrina.

The Jesuit Mission Maytime Fair has been held at Xavier College on the first Saturday in May every year since 1952, except for the lockdown years. The fair's success is a testament to the year-round preparation and support of countless volunteers.

The funds raised support Jesuit Mission’s outreach programs overseas, benefiting at-risk communities in over 10 countries in Asia and Africa, including Cambodia, Timor-Leste, India, Myanmar, Thailand, and Malawi.

Your continued generosity made the fair a huge success. See you all next year.

Read more about Maytime Fair 2024 by Julian Butler SJ - "Jam Packed" [External link to Australian Jesuit Province website]

On Mother's Day this month we celebrated the incredible mothers in our lives. We honoured all mothers in our world, especially those like Leela in India.

"When my daughter was three years old, she was malnourished and weighed only eight kilograms,” recalls Leela, Anika’s mother.

"But now she weighs over ten kilograms and stands tall. It fills my heart with joy to see her thriving,” says Leela.

[break height=20]

Leela, a mother of six, embodies the spirit of resilience in the face of adversity. Her husband works nearly 600km away in Goa, India, farming and gardening, while she takes on casual labour jobs in their village to make ends meet.

Despite their challenges, Leela remains steadfast in her commitment to providing a better life for her children.

In 2023, Jesuit Mission’s Sustainable Development of Indigenous Tribal Populations program, supported over 1,300 Indigenous tribal people, including Leela, in education, addressing malnutrition and empowering women through self-help groups to advocate for their rights.

These resilient mothers are becoming educated on nutrition and are working with the community childcare centre (Angawadi) to claim food from the government, such as milk and eggs.

"This fantastic program also encourages mothers to grow vegetables together and contribute to the well-being of the whole community,” says Helen Forde, CEO of Jesuit Mission.

Run by North Karnataka Jesuit Educational and Charitable Society, and supported by Jesuit Mission, the maternal health centre attended by Leela is providing transformative assistance to her and her family’s health.    

"At three years old, Anika was fragile, but I refused to give up hope. I became determined to ensure her well-being and happiness," says Leela.

Leela’s story echoes the experiences of countless mothers around the world who face adversity with courage and resilience. Despite the challenges they encounter, they remain steadfast in their commitment to nurturing and protecting their children.

Through Jesuit Mission’s Gifts for Change program, you can honour the sacrifices, strength and love of mothers like Leela by investing in initiatives that empower families and communities.

"Every child should have the right to a quality education. I want Anika to study more, to be independent."

Click here to support our Gifts for Change program and make meaningful impact in the lives of families around the world.

For your strength does not depend on numbers, nor your might on the powerful. But you are the God of the lowly, helper of the oppressed, upholder of the weak, protector of the forsaken, saviour of those without hope.

Please, please, God of my father, Lord of heaven and earth, Creator of the waters, King of all your creation, hear my prayer!

Judith 9:11-13.

We pray for Dalit women and men in India, may they receive the quality education they need to bring hope and opportunity to uplift their families and communities. 

1. Desire...

I ask the Spirit for the gift of Hope.

I imagine I am in a dark room. Unafraid, I feel the dark. I sense how I would need to trust the hand of a helper to make my way forward in this darkness. Likewise, I wait in the dark in this prayer, as one full of hope, ready for the help and hand of the guiding Spirit.

I read the prayer texts seeing God’s help and protection as the foundation of my hope.

I ask the Spirit for a patient and sure hope when I most need it – even in the dark, frightening, hopeless situations.

2. Relish...

Today I live in the Hopeful Trinity.

Now I imagine I am surrounded in a circle by the Trinity, Creator, Jesus and Spirit. Each person addresses me by name, saying, ‘I have plans for your welfare, plans to give you a future with hope.’

Without knowing how such hope will hold me firm when I feel abandoned and forsaken, I sit humbly in the mystery of the Hopeful Trinity and my desire.

I relish feeling hopeful.

3. Hope...

I breathe in the Spirit of Hope.

Then I imagine and feel the Spirit breathing the gift of Hope into me. I breathe it in deep, wait, then breathe it out to renew my relationships, and into those whose hope has been whittled away by loss and seemingly endless disappointment.

I repeat as desired – breathing, hopeful, renewed.

I conclude in thanks, blindfold in hand, seeing my world with greater hope.

PRAYER TIME: 10 minutes.

Click here to download the prayer of Awakening Hope.

Thanks to kind gifts left by Jesuit Mission supporters in their Wills, the lives of vulnerable young people in Cambodia are being transformed through educational scholarships.

Before receiving a scholarship to Xavier Jesuit School (XJS), Rany never imagined she’d have the opportunity to complete her schooling. 

"If I wasn’t in this program, I may have already stopped studying,” she says.

Like many in her rural community in northern Cambodia, Rany’s family has faced many challenges.

With little education, her parents worked tirelessly to provide for the family, often crossing the border to work in Thailand for extended periods.

But thanks to the scholarship she received four years ago, Rany is now getting the education  she needs to build a pathway out of poverty  for her and her family.

With the inspiring objective “Dare to Dream of a Brighter Future”, XJS was founded in 2015 by our local Jesuit partner Jesuit Service Cambodia.

The school offers more than 800 students in one of the poorest regions of Cambodia affordable,  comprehensive education across the full Cambodian curriculum, including English, Khmer, maths and computer studies.

For scholarship students, like Rany, the costs of food, accommodation, school fees, and uniforms are funded by bequest gifts from  Jesuit Mission supporters like you, allowing students to fully participate in school without placing any financial burden on their families.

Now in Year 12, Rany has been thriving at XJS, regularly receiving class honours. She plans  to go on to study Khmer Literature at university and one day become a middle school teacher.

"I hope I can return to my village and share my knowledge. I want to do this because I know not many kids in my village have the opportunity to learn." she says.

We are deeply grateful to every compassionate person who has left a gift in their Will  to Jesuit Mission. The impact of their  legacy is profound and will be felt for generations to come by students like Rany,  her family and community.

Click here to learn more about leaving your own legacy, or for a confidential discussion, you can contact Susan Vaz on 02 8918 4109 or susan.vaz@jesuitmission.org.au

This story is from our 2023 Gratitude Report. Click the link below to read more about your impact last year in uplifting over 550,000 people around the world.

"I want the children to see and be awakened just like I was,” said Chanchla, a Dalit woman who now recognises the value of her rights, her voice and her entitlements.

In coastal communities of India, Dalit people face ongoing challenges, lacking resources and quality education as well as experiencing exclusion and discrimination. Chanchla, a member of one such community, found hope through the Lok Manch program, run by our partner, the Jesuit Research and Development Society.

She joined a women's group and learnt about her rights and entitlements.

Empowerment is key to the project – uplifting women like Chanchla and amplifying their voices to bring opportunity and independence. 

Chanchla dropped out of school at an early age, married young and had never known about government schemes to support her and her community, or the value of education.

[break height=10]

"Chanchla herself is uneducated and illiterate, but her passion and commitment to get her children educated is touching,” said Liz Kim, International Programs Coordinator of Jesuit Mission, who met Chanchla on her recent project-monitoring trip to India with Kath Rosic, International Programs Director of Jesuit Mission.

[break height=10]

"Liz and I attended a community meeting with more than 100 people. It was my first time to visit the Lok Manch project, and I was overwhelmed by the excitement and gratitude that was shared,” said Kath.

"Chanchla was so happy to be included in the program, to learn and have the ability and support to access her entitlements,” said Kath.

Through the transformative impact of education, Chanchla and her community can begin to build pathways out of poverty, to stand up for their rights and live with dignity.

Her passion to ‘awaken others’ by encouraging them to prioritise education will uplift her community today and for generations to come.

Save the date! The Jesuit Mission Maytime Fair is on Saturday 4 May at Xavier College, Kew in Melbourne. 

The Maytime Fair is a grassroots community event attracting over 5,000 participants acting in solidarity to create a more inclusive and just world. 

The Maytime Fair has been held at Xavier College on the first Saturday in May every year since 1952 (except for the ‘lockdown years’), raising funds to support Jesuit Mission’s life-giving development programs overseas. 

All proceeds from the day will support the work of Jesuit Mission to empower vulnerable communities in over 10 countries in Asia and Africa, including Cambodia, Timor-Leste, India, Myanmar, Thailand, Malawi and more. 

"I look forward to this celebration of hope and resilience. We stand together at the Maytime Fair, united in our mission to create positive change for our vulnerable sisters and brothers around the world,” said Helen Forde, CEO of Jesuit Mission.

Since the year 2000, the Melbourne community has raised over $3 million from the Maytime Fair. This is a substantial amount of funds that has empowered thousands of women, men and children to develop the skills and capacity to lift themselves out of poverty and injustice. 

The Fair will include entertainment for parents and children with a huge array of food, music, rides, arts and crafts, games, plant stalls, book stalls, a wine auction, sports, face painting, raffles, showbags and lots more. 

"I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the incredible team of generous volunteers, the Maytime Fair Committee, local parishes and to all schools involved, without you this wonderful day would not be possible,” said Ms Forde. 

You are invited to join the Xavier College community in supporting Jesuit Mission at the Maytime Fair on Saturday 4 May. 

When: 9:00am – 5:00pm Saturday 4 May 2024 Where: Xavier College Senior Campus, 135 Barkers Road, Kew 

Click here for more information on the Maytime Fair, including purchasing rides passes, donating wine for our popular wine auction and more. 

Thanks to the incredible generosity of the Australian Catholic community in 2023, over half a million people were empowered through Jesuit Mission Australia-supported programs in 14 countries around the world.

Jesuit Mission’s latest annual Gratitude Report reveals the continuing impact of the legacy of the first six young Australian Jesuits who travelled to India in 1951. Their mission sparked a movement of uplift that brought quality education and opportunity for marginalised communities in Hazaribag, India and later expanded around the world.

"Last year, 25,000 individuals in remote communities gained access to vital healthcare, 23,000 people received clean water facilities and over 25,000 refugees received much needed education, livelihood training, psychosocial support and housing assistance,” said Helen Forde, CEO of Jesuit Mission.

"I want to sincerely thank our whole Jesuit Mission family – for the support you’ve provided throughout the year.”

[break height=20]

The project partners of Jesuit Mission accompany vulnerable communities, delivering programs in areas of education, livelihoods, agriculture, water and sanitation, emergency response, refugee accompaniment, and pastoral services.

These Jesuit partners have also stood in solidarity alongside 171,000 people in crisis around the world, providing emergency relief and long-term assistance to people in Myanmar, Ukraine, Syria and South Sudan.  

"Please join me in a moment of reflection as you read our Gratitude Report. Every story of hope and transformative change is only possible through the love, compassion and generosity from people like you in our community,” said Ms Forde.

Jesuit Mission Australia invites you to read the 2023 Gratitude Report, a salute to the courage, the zeal, and the audacity of all of the Australian Hazaribag Jesuits, past and present and the impact of their legacy in inspiring positive change around the world today.  

Jesuit Mission Australia and The Xavier Network strongly support the statement issued by the Society of Jesus on 29 March condemning the on-going violence in Gaza and other areas of Israel/Palestine, spilling over into the surrounding countries in the Middle East, echoing its words: “We cannot be silent.”

These Jesuit organisations involved in responding to humanitarian crises around the world, are shocked at the killing of seven aid workers who were delivering essential food aid on 2 April. It is reported that 196 aid workers have been killed in Gaza since last October. This is the latest horrific event in a war in which tens of thousands of civilians, many of them children, continue to be the main victims.

Jesuit Mission and the Xavier Network, join the Jesuits’ call for “an immediate ceasefire, for the release of all the 7 October hostages, for negotiations and for the beginning of a process that will bring freedom, liberty and justice for all in the Middle East, the only road to true peace.”

"The human cost of inaction is simply too high. As leaders committed to the Jesuit values of compassion and justice, let us stand together, united in our commitment to peace and compassion,” said Helen Forde, CEO of Jesuit Mission.

The Xavier Network brings together Jesuit mission offices and non-governmental organisations from across Europe, North America and Australia. It responds to the needs of victims of conflict, many of whom are civilians, in many parts of the world, including in Syria and Lebanon.

For this reason, members of the Xavier Network are deeply disturbed by the current conflict in the Middle East, just as it also deplores the violence inflicted on innocent victims of other conflicts such as those in Sudan, South Sudan, Myanmar, Haiti, Ukraine and many other places.

The members of the Xavier Network call for:

• an immediate ceasefire in Gaza

• the opening of a humanitarian corridor to allow the immediate delivery of aid to Gaza with guaranteed safe passage of all aid workers

• respect for international humanitarian law and the Geneva conventions governing the legal use of force in armed conflict

• the unconditional release of all hostages abducted on 7 October 2023

• an end to all arms sales which are fuelling this conflict

• the resumption of negotiations towards a political agreement which guarantees the right of the two peoples to self-determination, security and freedom

In his Easter message on 31 March, Pope Francis appealed for a ceasefire: “Let us not allow the current hostilities to continue to have grave repercussions on the civil population, by now at the limit of its endurance, and above all on the children….War is always an absurdity and a defeat.”

The Xavier Network supports international solidarity and the universal mission of the Society of Jesus as stated in its General Congregation 36: “Our vision is to place faith, justice, and solidarity with the poor and excluded as central elements of the mission of reconciliation.” (D1 para 3)

The members of the Xavier Network are:

· ALBOAN, Spain

· Canadian Jesuits International, Canada

· Entreculturas, Spain

· Fundação Gonçalo da Silveira, Portugal

· Irish Jesuits International, Ireland

· Jesuit Mission Australia

· Jesuit Missions, Britain

· Menschen für Andere-jesuitenweltweit, Austria

· Jesuitenmission, Germany

· MAGIS Italy

· Magis Americas, USA

· Oeuvre des Missions Catholiques Françaises d’Asie et d’Afrique, France

· Stiftung Jesuiten weltweit, Switzerland

On this World Water Day, Jesuit Mission Australia would like to thank the generous support of the Australian Catholic community in providing clean and safe water to over 137,000 people in Timor-Leste and Vietnam over the last four years.

Jesuit Mission’s water projects bring life-changing new water systems to remote and coastal villages, ensuring children have access to safe drinking water, accessible toilet facilities and practice good hygiene to contribute to their well-being and vitality.

This year’s World Water Day theme ‘Water for Peace’ highlights the ripple effect and critical role of clean water in providing stability and prosperity around the world.

"Today we are reminded of the profound impact that access to safe water and sanitation has on individuals and communities," said Helen forde, CEO of Jesuit Mission Australia.

[break height=10]

"In rural Timor-Leste, the burden of collecting water often falls to women and children, who have to walk up to five hours each day, carrying heavy containers of water. This limits the hours in the day women have to earn income and partake in other opportunities, while many children also miss out on receiving an education."

"Access to clean water is life-giving, encourages school attendance, and inspires new livelihood opportunities and healthier environments," said Ms Forde.

Project partner of Jesuit Mission Australia, Jesuit Social Service Timor-Leste (JSS), last year installed six new water systems and 15 sanitation facilities in rural Timorese communities.

The average time for a round-trip to collect water has been substantially reduced to less than 30 minutes. Community members are empowered to take ownership of the management of water in their villages and learn how to protect and conserve an ecosystem that supports the sustainability of water.  

"After 20 years of independence, many Timorese living in rural areas still do not have access to basic water facilities," says Fr Júlio Sosa SJ, Director of JSS Timor-Leste.

"We thought that as Jesuits we could help lessen this burden." says Fr Júlio Sosa SJ, Director of JSS Timor-Leste.

[break height=20]

"Water helps our children grow. We want them to be teachers, doctors, and engineers. We want them to have a good life," said Jonia, a mother, and village chief in the community of Railaco in Timor-Leste.

In coastal regions of Vietnam, contamination of surface water by agricultural activities and pollution has meant vulnerable local fishing families have had to choose between buying expensive bottled water or risking severe illness from unsafe tap water.

"Due to chemical farming, the water sources in Hong Ky village in Nghe An Province, and their neighbouring areas are highly contaminated. Currently there are 60 villagers who got cancer due to using polluted water," said Fr Peter Truong Van Phuc SJ, Program Director.

Thanks to Australia supporters, UV-sterilised water stations have been installed in high risk communities in Central Vietnam, and villagers can now access clean water, having an immediate impact on their health and dignity.