Xavier Network meeting
The Xavier Network (XN), of which CJI is a member, met in Nuremberg, Germany, in early March 2019. The top agenda items were the Venezuela Crisis (see page 6), international disaster relief coordination and child protection in projects worldwide. There were also several international guests. CJI Director Jenny Cafiso, who is on the XN executive committee, and International Programs Coordinator Mercedes Arango-Vasquez, who is on the XN projects working group, participated in the meeting.
The XN is an international mission and development partnership between Jesuit organizations based in Australia, Canada and Europe. Recently, XN has been coordinating its response to Cyclone Idai (see page 6), which made landfall in southern Africa a week after the Nuremberg meeting.
IFTJ: At the Crossroads
In November 2018, CJI led a delegation of 24 Canadians—from Campion College in Regina, St Paul’s High School in Winnipeg and St Bonaventure’s College in St John’s—to the Ignatian Family Teach-in for Justice (IFTJ) in Washington, DC. The theme of the conference was “Discipleship at the crossroads.” There were many workshops available for the approximately 2000 delegates, on topics ranging from climate justice to racial equality.
A highlight for the Canadian delegation was a meeting with students from Ibero College in Tijuana, Mexico. The Ibero students shared what they witnessed of the courage and desperation of migrants passing through or waiting in Tijuana while trying to cross into the United States.
Thank you, Kenneth!
CJI said farewell to Kenneth Vaz in December 2018. Kenneth was our Office Administrator and an integral member of our team for more than three-and-a-half years. Calm, competent, caring, committed—Kenneth was all these things and more. He kept us all organized and moving forward with his consummate technical and troubleshooting skills and he encouraged staff and supporters alike with his open, cheerful manner. Ken continues to provide key services for CJI on a part-time basis during a transition period. Looking ahead, we wish him all the best in his future career and say a big THANK YOU to him for being with us!