Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of Fr Arrupe's "Persons for Others" Speech (Memo U2324-029)

On July 31, 1973, Fr Pedro Arrupe SJ, then the Superior General of the Society of Jesus, asked a gathering of alumni of Jesuit schools, “Have we Jesuits educated you for justice?” This was the speech where he also stated that Jesuit schools must form persons for others.

On the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of that historic speech, and as most units start the new school year, I would like to invite the entire Ateneo de Manila community, Jesuits, faculty, professionals, maintenance, staff and administrators, students, parents, alumni, benefactors, and all other stakeholders to take some time this school year to reflect once more on the questions raised and the challenges posed by Fr Arrupe.

Do we educate for justice and form persons for others? What does it mean to be a person for others today? We might want to consider, for example, asking what it might mean to be a person for others not just in our personal lives but also in our professional lives. In the spirit of magis, we ask ourselves what greater good we can do today in terms of our formation activities and in terms of our respective vocations.

Some school units have already rolled out activities and laid out plans for the school year in line with these points for reflection. The Mission Integration Cluster will also provide spaces for various groups to reflect on these questions. Members of the community who may wish to initiate their own activities in line with this theme may approach the Mission Integration Cluster (through sdece@ateneo.edu) for possible support.

I hope that we enter into this period of reflection prayerfully and in a spirit of dialogue. In the second half of the school year, the Mission Integration Cluster will report on the fruits of the communal reflection and make recommendations on how we can deepen our commitment to our enduring mission to educate for justice and form persons for others.