In the first days of the month of June, a series of important meetings took place in the Spain-Italy Province, with which we wanted to continue taking steps towards the Fundación Educativa Jesuitinas [Jesuitinas Educational Foundation], the apostolic work of the Daughters of Jesus in the province that will assume the ownership of the 21 schools in Spain next year 2018-19.
On the one hand, on June 8, the Educational Works team once again convened all the Management Teams to a meeting this school year (read the full report on the day here). It was, as Raquel Amigot FI emphasized, “the last meeting in which the Congregation holds the schools before the Foundation assumes ownership of them.” For her part, MªCarmen Martín FI, Provincial Superior, recalled that 147 years after the founding of the Congregation “our history is widening with new educational steps” and that it is not a closure nor an opening, but a change in continuity. At the moment of greetings, Rosa Romo FI, president of the Board of Trustees of the Foundation, took the floor, mentioning the names of the 21 schools and reminding them that each one has something specific to contribute to the Foundation.
She also took charge, after an explanation about the identity and structure of the Foundation, of presenting the Jesuitinas Ownership Team (read here the news about the appointment of the same and its composition). They were responsible for facilitating most of the rest of the meeting, introducing to those present the competencies, structure and objectives of the annual plan of each of the areas that make up the Ownership Team.
After the closing remarks and farewell from the Educational Works Team, the day concluded with the celebration of the Eucharist and then sharing a Spanish wine.
The next day, May 9, Saturday, those who gathered were the Daughters of Jesus, especially the Local Superiors and those who are still doing some active service in the schools. The meeting, attended by more than 60 sisters from the province, took place in the Colegio María Virgen in Madrid (read the full chronicle of the meeting written by MªLuisa Berzosa FI). It was a day to remember the process that took place and deepen in the documents that indicate the constitution of the Jesuitinas Educational Foundation: charter, statutes, collaboration agreements …
A special May 31:
And it was the date of the birth anniversary of Mother Candida that was chosen to celebrate at local levels the birth of the Educational Foundation Jesuitinas. For that reason, from each school, and following common guidelines sent from the Educational Works Team, a celebration was prepared in which to symbolize the step taken by the Congregation to found this new apostolic work.
The motto given for this day was “173 years later, her life gives life”, a motto that captures the reason for the celebration: in the person of Mother Candida a charism is born in the Church, and she is the source from whom the Congregation and the Foundation imbibe to recreate and update the charism today.
On the website of Spain-Italy you have an entry with links to the celebrations of the 21 schools of the province (link to the report on May 31) as well as a video created by everyone for that day. (link to video)
