The Association of Jesuit Collaborators (AJC) of the St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) organised the first workshop on February 24 and 25, 2024 at Parasmani, Santiniketan, the research outfit of SXUK.

The theme of the 2-day workshop was ‘Jesuit Philosophy and Principles.’ While delivering the inaugural speech, Fr. Dr. John Felix Raj, S.J., Hon’ble President of AJC and also the Vice-Chancellor of SXUK said, “I am happy to see that our faculty members and officers have willingly joined the association to carry forward the Jesuit philosophy and principles in their life and work. This workshop aimed to imbibe the culture of Jesuit life, ethics and principles among the participants.”

The welcome address was delivered by Prof. Ashis Mitra, Registrar of SXUK, who is also a member of the association. Fr. Dr. Julian Sahaya Das, S.J. was the resource person in this workshop.

The theme of the first day of the workshop was ‘Revisiting Ignatian charism and its roots in the context of higher education.’ It had four sessions starting with the session of Fr. Dr. Julian Sahaya Das, S.J. who narrated the life history of St. Ignatius of Loyola with a detailed outlook of how the ‘Cannonball moment’ transformed his life from a soldier to a priest.

The second session was also conducted by Fr. Julian on ‘Jesuit Life and Mission.’ Here he narrated how a person after sacrificing various material comforts of the world becomes a Jesuit and serves for the sake of humanity.

The third session was taken by Fr. Dr. A Arockiasamy, S.J. on ‘Jesuit Education and Worldview’. He narrated five enduring values of Ignatian Mission and Jesuit Education – Cura Personalis (Care for the individual person), Men and Women for and with others, Unity of heart and mind, Magis (more), and Contemplatives in Action. The last one is related to finding God in all things amidst the ups and downs of one’s daily experiences.

In the same session, Fr. Dr. Mourlin K, S.J. delivered a delightful lecture on ‘Personal reading and reflection’, thus, enabling the participants to realise the key concepts and philosophies of the Jesuit life and mission.

The fourth session was group discussion and presentation of day-long learning by the participants. All the participants were divided into two groups, led by two secretaries Dr. Sitangshu Khatua and Dr. Jacob Islary respectively. Each group discussed among themselves and then the secretaries respectively presented the views of their teams. The general session was moderated by Fr. Dr. Mourlin K, S.J. and Dr. Manodip Ray Chaudhuri.

The first day ended with the reviewing of the entire learnings of the day by Fr. Julian. The theme of the second day of the workshop was ‘Engaging association of Jesuit collaborators for apostolic effectiveness.’ The day started with meditation in the prayer hall, located in the premises of Parasmani. All participants joined the meditation guided by Fr. Dr. Julian Das, S.J.

The fifth session started with a recap of previous day’s activities by Dr. Manodip Ray Chaudhuri. It was followed by a speech by Fr. Dr. Felix Raj, S.J. who deliberated on the relevance of Association of Jesuit Collaborators. He said, “The Jesuit Collaborators, if guided and trained, may fulfill the mission of the Society of Jesus.”

Prof. Ashis Mitra, Registrar of SXUK said that his association with a Jesuit institution for more than three decades enabled him to realise the principles of Jesuit life and mission. He also said, “My further inclusion in the society will definitely help me to move forward to accomplish my goals.”

The fifth session concluded with a group discussion, moderated by Fr. Dr. Mourlin K, S.J. and Dr. Manodip Ray Chaudhuri. The group reporting was moderated by Fr. Dr. Julian Das.

The sixth and concluding session was conducted by Dr. Jacob Islary and Dr. Manodip Ray Chaudhuri where the participants discussed the future action plan of the association. Everyone shared their views and the review was done by Fr. Dr. Mourlin K, S.J. The vote of thanks was delivered by Dr. Somak Sen. Participants found the workshop highly enriching and informative.

Dr. Somak Sen