Mission Statement

We, the Jesuits of Madurai Province, having gone through a process of discernment this year and gathered in the Province Assembly at St. Joseph’s College, Tiruchirappalli, on 27-28 December 2018, heed the call of the Eternal King who invites us to the peripheries of society.

Rampant casteism and corruption, unfettered crony capitalism, fast spreading fascist fundamentalism, alienating technological culture, pervasive criminalization of politics, alarming erosion of moral and spiritual values and gross degradation of the environment in our country stare at us defiantly. Untouchability, discrimination, oppression and violence of varied forms have become almost the order of the day. The commercialization and corporatization of healthcare and education and other basic services and the denial of human rights appall us.

The worst affected are the Dalits, especially Dalit Christians, Tribals, Refugees, Women, Migrants and other vulnerable sections of society. Being made poor, disenfranchised and pushed to the peripheries, they feel helpless. Human rights defenders struggling with these downtrodden people for their rights are stifled, terrorized and silenced.

However, the daring assertions and willing sacrifices of the oppressed people for the cause of their dignity, truth, and justice embolden us. Committed efforts of activists, movements, forums, organizations, institutions and social media to uphold the values enshrined in the Indian Constitution rekindle our spirits. The protests of farmers, workers, Dalits, women, sexual minorities, and environmentalists bring in a ray of hope. All these are powerful manifestations of God’s redeeming Presence.

These signs impel us to respond with Ignatian generosity to the mission of reconciliation with God, with one another and with creation. “The task of reconciliation is always a work of justice, a justice discerned and enacted in local communities and contexts” (GC 36. D. 1. N.21).

We, therefore, prioritize this mission for us today in Madurai Province as:

  Empowering the Dalits, especially Dalit Christians, Tribals, Refugees, Migrants, and other marginalized and disadvantaged groups;
 Preserving and protecting the environment and safeguarding the rights of those affected by environmental degradation;
 Providing holistic and integral formation to youth to be agents of social transformation;
  Promoting peace, justice, reconciliation and secular values in response to all forms of fundamentalism and casteism;
  Forming our men to be rooted in Ignatian spirituality and credible in life and mission.

Our commitment to this mission flows from our steadfast faith and hope in God and passionate concern and love for the marginalized people we have chosen to journey with. Their liberation becomes our goal, their hopes our inspiration and their struggles our challenges. Charting our course with their perspectives, we refocus our energies and resources towards this mission with utmost fidelity. We seek to network and collaborate with all like-minded women and men of different churches, religions, ideologies and nations who labour for a just world.

We commit ourselves to this mission of reconciliation with a prophetic audacity by anchoring ourselves on the rich and pioneering legacy of our forefathers and the progressive spirit of our recent General Congregations. The landmark Province Vision Statement of 1984 and the path-breaking ventures of our men and collaborators in the province today will spur us on to move further and forward in our journey.

We seek nothing for ourselves but the Greater Glory of God who always labours with the oppressed. This may cost us much, yet enlightened by the wisdom of God, strengthened by the Crucified and Risen Lord, empowered by the Spirit, and assisted by Our Lady of the Way, we, the Companions of Jesus, march forward with the marginalized for a world of reconciliation and justice.