Tag: Board of Directors

Fe y Alegría continues to grow

Posted on by John Byrd

It started with one community. 

Fr. José María Vélaz, SJ—a  Chilean priest living in Venezuela—was visiting Catia, a marginalized neighborhood on the outskirts of Caracas. In conversation, he asked members of the community what they needed most. Their answer? A school. With that, Fe y Alegría was born. 

There was no 10-point business plan. Fe y Alegría was never intended to grow beyond the borders of Venezuela. It started with one school back in 1955. But people—first around the region and then around the globe—were and still are inspired by the school’s vision of inclusive and transformative education. The dream grew, slowly and organically, from a single school to an international movement in over 22 countries and counting.

Fe y Alegría first expanded beyond the borders of Venezuela in 1964 when a school was opened in Ecuador. Over the following decade, communities in seven additional Latin American countries would also begin adapting and implementing the Fe y Alegría model. These are some of the “classic” Fe y Alegría offices that many people associate the movement with–Bolivia, Peru, the Dominican Republic. These offices hold a vast majority of Fe y Alegría’s formal education centers, as they were founded at a time of great educational need in the region . Each country adapted the model to their context, but the origins, tradition, and importance of these “classic” Fe y Alegría offices laid the foundation for continued growth on “New Frontiers” in the decades that followed.

This growth–from Venezuela to Ecuador to Panama, and so on–was quite organic in nature and really depended on people to push its movement forward. Religious congregations, lay people, and marginalized communities came together and worked in collaboration to address situations of injustice and poverty in their communities, with education at the heart of their vision of change. It wasn’t until 1987 that these disparate Fe y Alegría offices formally united in  an overarching body, a common platform to help them coordinate transnational efforts and interests.

Since the creation of the International Federation of Fe y Alegría–or Fe y Alegría International–in 2016, responsibility for the growth of the movement has been coordinated by this single body.  One of the four priority areas of Fe y Alegría International since its formation has been to identify  “New Frontiers” for the movement. Time, personnel, and resources have been dedicated to strategically planning the growth of the movement, both in terms of geographic presence as well as in thematic priorities. For example, Fe y Alegría’s is expanding globally in places like Guyana, Nepal, and Guinea and the Federation is also expanding their work for justice in areas such as migration and child safeguarding. All of this growth is due in no small part to Fe y Alegría International’s commitment to “New Frontiers” as a priority area.

Today, this area focuses on three main tasks:

  • Develop new initiatives that contribute to the social, cultural, and labor insertion of people who are victims of violence, discrimination, or new forms of social exclusion. This is done in countries where Fe y Alegría is already present.
  • Study, promote, and accompany the creation and strengthening of Fe y Alegría in new countries, enriching the socio-educational proposal of Fe y Alegría according to contexts and cultures, prioritizing the places where there is greater need or exclusion. This is done in places where Fe y Alegría is not yet present or has recently begun operations.
  • Promote the institutional mission by attending to the development of new topics for reflection and responding to the challenges of the context for action. This includes topics such as education in emergency due to the post-COVID-19 health crisis, humanitarian aid, spirituality, and care for our common home.

All of this work to internationalize and grow Fe y Alegría is dependent on people. That is the beauty of the Fe y Alegría story; it has always been about people: Fr. Vélaz who listened to the needs of the community in Catia Caracas and responded to their desire for a new school;  Abraham & Patricia Reyes, who donated half their home to start that first school and supported the vision of Fr. Vélaz in so many ways;  The community in Ecuador who first adapted the Fe y Alegría model for a new cultural, geopolitical context and expanded the movement beyond the borders of Venezuela.

People like Ernesto and Leocadia are part of that story as well. Their desire to further their education and transform their lives and communities are just two examples of how Fe y Alegría continues to expand its presence at the margins. In countries like Cuba and Mexico in Latin America, Angola and Kenya in Africa, and Cambodia and Nepal in Asia.

You and I are also part of that story. Fe y Alegría was built and continues to grow through the solidarity of many. Your support of Magis Americas contributes to the lives of individuals like Ernesto and Leocadia. Your support allows us to accompany Fe y Alegría in places like Batey Lechería in the Dominican Republic, San Javier del Valle in Venezuela, and San Pedro in Paraguay.

On behalf of all of the Ernestos and Leocadias out there, thank you for being a part of the story.

Magis Americas Staff connect with supporters in California

Posted on by John Byrd

Over the past several years, California has become a more and more prominent destination on my travel bucket list. Although I was born in Washington State, and have made a few treks to the Pacific Northwest, I’ve never had the opportunity to stand in awe of the redwoods, experience the pulse of Los Angeles, pray at the Spanish mission churches, or marvel at Yosemite. That finally changed last month when our Executive Director, Nate Radomski, and I were able to travel to the Bay Area in California. During our trip we were able to meet with some of our generous donors, share a memorable dinner with a member of our board of directors, and, of course, spend time with the remarkable Fr. Pete Henriot, S.J.

A real highlight of this trip was the opportunity to meet with several passionate and generous donors.  These men and women are truly dedicated to making a positive difference in the world and they believe in the mission of our organization. Their commitment to the work of our partners, especially Fe y Alegría and Centro Ignacio Ellacuría (CIE), was communicated most poignantly through their continued connections to the people at the heart of the work. Many conversations centered around the communities of Fe y Alegría and CIE and the impact these people had on the lives of our donors. These conversations reminded me to keep the faces and hearts of our partners in my mind during my work day.

One of the most memorable evenings of my trip was spent in the company of a remarkable member of our board of directors, Pam Hennard. As we gathered around a table, Pam, Nate, and I took time to share what has brought each of us to Magis Americas and the reasons that we are passionate about the causes we support. One theme that stood out to me was the influence of our parents in bringing us to this work.  While we are all successful adults now, their encouragement, support, and examples continue to motivate each of us. 

Finally, the pinnacle of my trip was undoubtedly the opportunity to meet Fr. Pete Henriot, S.J., a legendary figure in the Society of Jesus and a true “man for others.” Originally from Tacoma, Washington, Fr. Pete is an internationally respected Jesuit researcher, speaker, and writer on social justice, globalization, and Africa. Most recently, Fr. Pete has served as Development Director for Loyola Jesuit Secondary School (LJSS) in Malawi.  His work for the school and in other similar roles he has had as a Jesuit is about much more than simply raising funds;Fr. Pete is committed to creating sustainable change, empowering communities, and fostering a sense of hope and faith.

As I returned home from my trip, I carried with me the lessons learned from these incredible individuals. Their examples of compassion, leadership, and commitment continue to inspire me daily in my role here at Magis Americas. California will always hold a special place in my heart as the backdrop to this transformative journey, where I witnessed the power of generosity and the incredible impact it can have on the lives of those in need.

 

How the UAPs Open Conversations Across Ministry Areas

Posted on by John Byrd

For Fr. Ted Penton S.J. The Universal Apostolic Preferences (UAPs) of the Global Society of Jesus are an invitation to collaboration and shared mission. ”With the UAPs, these are the four ways that all Jesuits and all Jesuit Ministries are called to live out their mission. So to me it opens a lot of conversations across ministry areas that have historically been siloed to a significant degree,” Fr. Penton explained. Published in February of 2019, the UAPs are a set of four areas that focus the work of the Jesuits during this decade. Showing the Way to God, Walking with the Excluded, Journeying with Youth, Caring for our Common Home. These Preferences are not strategic goals or objectives but rather a horizon that shapes and guides the work of all Jesuits and lay collaborators. Penton continued “The question is how are we doing this in our high schools and in our parishes and in our social ministries. Our social ministries, for example, are walking with the excluded; they are promoting care for our common home; but they are also showing the way to God.”

This June, Fr. Penton will finish his mission as the Secretary of the Jesuit Conference Office of Justice and Ecology (OJE) and will begin his tertianship, the next phase of his formation as a Jesuit, in Lebanon. Based in Washington, DC, OJE brings the voice of U.S. Jesuit leadership to the federal government, advocating for policies that promote social and ecological justice. Fr. Penton joined OJE in the summer of 2018 and has seen the office through the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as a crucial period of internal growth. He has played an important role in the office’s response to the Universal Apostolic Preferences and has been a leading voice in the Society of Jesus’ effort to examine the history of Jesuit-led boarding schools for Native students and begin a process of healing.

Among his many responsibilities in his role as Secretary, Fr. Penton has served on the Board of Directors for many Ignatian social justice organizations including the Ignatian Solidarity Network (ISN), the Jesuit Volunteer Corps (JVC) and Magis Americas (MA). This diverse portfolio of responsibilities reflects the complex and inspiring breadth of the work being carried out by Jesuits and lay partners throughout the Conference. 

Speaking about the diversity of these organizations, Fr. Penton shared, “Each organization has its own strengths, its own areas where it can bring the most to bear, where it can have the most impact.” At the same time the impact of each organization is amplified by working in coordination with the greater Jesuit network. 

“Sharing with one another, knowing what each other are doing contributes to the overall impact of the whole network,” he explains. “We each have our own distinctive kind of strategic vision of where our particular organization is going. But for each of these organizations, an important part of that is precisely to be working in conjunction with and in partnership with the others.” 

Since their publication in early 2019, the UAPs have not only set a horizon for all Jesuits and lay collaborators to work toward. They also unite us in a common mission and give us a common language to discuss and understand our work. Fr. General Sosa, S.J. underlined this point in a letter to the global Society on the occasion of their publication. “The implementation of the Universal Apostolic Preferences,” the letter explains, “has as a condition the deepening of collaboration among Jesuits and our companions in mission and among the ministries and apostolic units.”  

Fr. Penton elaborated on this point, explaining that the Preferences provide a common language and framework to discuss our shared work, further facilitating this “deepening of collaboration” within the extended Jesuit ecosystem and when this work includes individuals who are less familiar with the Society. “Jesuit jargon can make it more difficult to collaborate with those who are less familiar with us whereas my experience with the UAPs has been that the people very quickly and immediately understand (or at least it makes much easier quicker to understand) our mission when it’s laid out in that way.” 

Working to unite diverse organizations around the Society of Jesus’s core apostolic mission, as reflected in the UAPs,  also means working across sectors, such as parishes, high schools, and ministries. During Fr. Penton’s time as secretary, he made a point of pursuing concrete actions that would foster community amongst Ignatian organizations. For example, he organized Ignatian Advocacy Leader trainings to equip people across the network to conduct meetings with their federal representatives. Fr. Penton made a point to include leaders from various backgrounds–high school principals, university campus ministers, directors of social ministries– so that these organizations could learn to advocate on important justice issues. This effort to unify people from diverse professional and personal backgrounds toward the common goal of policy change has been a central focus of Fr. Penton’s work at OJE and has been aided by the common language provided in the UAPs.

Still, moving from these common ideals to concrete actions is not always a simple task, so it is important to recognize the leadership of OJE and Fr. Penton in particular in this work. “Ted has a keen understanding of the value of relationships in the work toward justice. More than focusing on policies or political moments, he has strengthened the partnership between national level Ignatian organizations,” explained Fr. Sean Michaelson, S.J., Socius and Treasurer of JCCU. “These relationships not only make our advocacy more effective, they nourish our spirits for the long journey toward social transformation. In this way, Ted embodies the message of the Universal Apostolic Preferences, recognizing they’re not objective ideals but actions that call us into a profound relationship with God and one another.”

The Jesuits and the many organizations that support their broad justice initiatives, including JVC, ISN, Magis Americas, and so many more, will continue to be guided and shaped by the UAPs over the next six years or so. We are, in some ways, just beginning to understand how these Preferences are calling us to refocus, re-evaluate or collaborate more effectively and efficiently. However, in the context of OJE, under the guidance of Fr. Penton, the common language provided in these Preferences has already contributed to a clearer understanding and expression of our shared mission.