As Jesuit Mission Australia celebrates 75 years of faith in action, the organisation has honoured the generosity and faithfulness of Australian supporters who have walked alongside the mission for generations.
“There’s something unique about the relationship that Jesuit Mission has with our supporters and family of friends. There’s trust, and there’s an intense interest in the work,” said Helen Forde, CEO of Jesuit Mission Australia. “It’s not a relationship that’s just about a financial gift. It’s a movement of the heart.”
From left to right: Fr Rob Davoren SJ, Fr Paul Mullins SJ, Fr Bob Slattery SJ and Fr Tony Herbert SJ at the 75th anniversary Mass in Hazaribag last month. PHOTO: Australian Jesuits website.
The foundations of Jesuit Mission Australia were laid on 6 February 1951, when the first Australian Jesuit missionaries travelled to Hazaribag in India’s Jharkhand state to serve Indigenous communities. Answering their vocation, these men began a legacy of accompaniment that expanded beyond India in the 1990s and continues today.
“It’s humbling to reflect on how one act of courage and faith 75 years ago has grown into a global mission of hope,” Ms Forde said.
The milestone was recently marked at a 75th anniversary celebration in Hazaribag, attended by hundreds of local community members, including two Melbourne-based Australian Jesuits – Fr Paul Mullins SJ and Fr Rob Davoren SJ – as well as Fr Tony Herbert SJ and Fr Bob Slattery SJ, both of whom have been Hazaribag missionaries for more than 50 years.
“I’m very, very grateful, and for all my ups and downs as a Jesuit of Hazaribag, so many sisters and lay people have supported me. And therefore I’ve had a very happy life in the Jesuits, and I’ve been very, very blessed,” said Fr Bob at the celebration.
Reflecting on the legacy of the Australian Jesuits, Fr Vincent Hansdak SJ, Provincial of the Hazaribag Jesuits, said, “The Australian Jesuits, with their profound spiritual yearning, simplicity and hard work, and their dedicated service, have won trust in the hearts of millions and inspired countless individuals to seek God’s will and to serve others with compassion and enthusiasm.”
Today, in Hazaribag alone, more than 25,000 students are educated each year in Jesuit schools built and funded in partnership with generous and compassionate Australians. What began as a single mission in 1951, six years after the end of World War II, has since become its own flourishing Province, with 12 parishes, supporting nearly 700 villages with healthcare, livelihood programmes, emergency assistance and education.
Jesuit Mission Australia now works in over 10 countries across Asia. As the organisation marks its 75th anniversary, it honours the faithfulness of supporters who have given life to this mission and helped grow and preserve the fruits of justice, compassion, and hope.
This article was published on the Australian Jesuits website.