40 years of “Our Secondary Schools: Today and Tomorrow”

September 13th, 2020, we celebrated 40 years since Fr. Pedro Arrupe SJ delivered his Address “Our Secondary Schools: Today and Tomorrow” at the General Curia in Rome.  “This document is of great importance because, after the restoration of the Society of Jesus in 1814, it was the first and most comprehensive statement by the central Jesuit government on the approach to the educational apostolate in a school today, and can be considered the refoundation of Jesuit schools.”

We invite you to celebrate this milestone by taking some time to reflect on the following videos and resources, which have been produced in collaboration by Educate Magis and EduRed, the consortium of the three educational networks of the Society of Jesus in Latin America and the Caribbean – AUSJAL, Fe y Alegría and FLACSI.

Presentation marking the 40th Anniversary of “Our Secondary Schools: Today and Tomorrow”, created by Fr. Luiz Fernando Klein SJ, Education Delegate for CPAL. Download the presentation here

Video – “Our Secondary Schools: Today and Tomorrow” 40th Anniversary Message and Historical Context. Watch the video here

Video – In what way is “Our Secondary Schools: Today and Tomorrow” still relevant and how has this Address impacted our education today? Watch the video here

Prayer to celebrate 40 years of education inspired by Father Arrupe’s speech, which continues to be the voice of the spirit for our schools today and tomorrow. (Spanish) Download the prayer here

Our Secondary Schools: Today and Tomorrow 1980, Pedro Arrupe, S.J. 
This speech is directly addressed to the Jesuit communities involved in secondary education and outlines key aspects of Jesuit Secondary education.
“I realize that, in spite of the length of this address, there is much more to be said. As a matter of fact, for each of the topics I have treated, a veritable library exists! It was not my intention to say everything, but only to recall to your minds some of the matters that I consider more urgent or important; matters that you yourselves have suggested to me. I ask you to carry back to your Provinces a message of my heartfelt encouragement and my constant concern for your fellow educators, and for the work they are doing in education. The words of one of our most famous Jesuit educators remain true today: “Puerilis insitutio est renovation mundi” – the education of youth is the transformation of the world!  Juan de Bonifacio, 1538‐1606; cf. Mon. Paed. III, 402, note 15” Pedro Arrupe SJ, “Our Secondary Schools: Today and Tomorrow” Download the Address here

This article was originally published by Educate Magis