Accompany
Detainees

Country Offices

                                                                                                               
JRS, putting refugees first
A tribute to the vision of former Fr General Pedro Arrupe SJ

Celebration of the centenary of the birth of Fr Arrupe
and inauguration of photo exhibition “Man on Fire”

9 November at 19.00, Chiesa del Gesù, Rome

In the late 1970s, as thousands of Vietnamese refugees risked their lives seeking safety, Fr Pedro Arrupe became convinced that the Jesuits, based throughout the world, were in a position to respond to this desperate situation. On 14 November 1980, coincidentally his birthday, he established JRS.

As a tribute to his vision, JRS inaugurates a photo exhibition, A Man on Fire, on 9 November. The event will be preceded by a mass celebrated by the Fr General of the Society of Jesus, Adolfo Nicolás SJ at 19.00, held in Chiesa del Gesù, Rome.

“Fr Arrupe SJ understood the importance of meeting more than the material needs of refugees. From the beginning the work of our staff has reflected this personal and pastoral approach, of ‘being with’ rather than ‘doing for’ refugees”, stated JRS International Director, Peter Balleis SJ.

With his prophetic foresight, nearly thirty years later, JRS has become an international humanitarian organisation with projects throughout the world, serving approximately half a million refugees. Remaining faithful to its founding vision, to this day the Jesuit organisation serves those in the most vulnerable circumstances, particularly where other agencies are not present.

“Accompaniment is the heart of this approach. Our place is close to refugees, being touched by their reality: in camps, conflict zones, detention centres, or wherever else they may be. This closeness teaches us how best to serve and advocate on behalf of refugees, promoting justice and reconciliation. Although JRS provides a range of services, it specialises in education, offering refugees hope of a future”, added Fr Balleis.

The exhibition, marking the closure of the centenary celebrations of Fr Arrupe’s birth, traces the history of this global service for refugees. Each aspect of the Jesuit organisation’s mission: to accompany, serve and advocate, will be explored, particularly its proximity to refugees and its role in promoting peace and reconciliation. The exhibition closes on 28 November.

Background
The Jesuit Refugee Service
JRS employs more than 1,400 staff: lay, Jesuits and other religious to meet the education, health, social and other needs of 500,000 refugees and other forcibly displaced persons, over half of whom are women. Its services are provided to refugees regardless of their race, ethnic origin, or religious beliefs.

Pedro Arrupe SJ, former Father General of the Society of Jesus
From 1942 until 1965, Fr Arrupe served first as a missionary and later as Jesuit provincial in Japan. In the immediate aftermath of the atomic bomb in August 1945, he used his training as a medical doctor to tend to the injured, an experience which would greatly influence his perception of the Vietnamese refugee crisis in the late seventies.

In 1965, he was elected order's twenty-eighth Father General and presided over promulgation of the decree which called on all Jesuits to promote justice as an integral dimension of faith.

In August 1981, Fr Arrupe suffered a stroke and was paralysed on his right side. Due to his deteriorating condition he resigned as Superior General in 1983. From that time on he lived in the infirmary at the Roman Jesuit Curia until his death in 1991.

Click here to see a clip of 'The Legacy of Arrupe'