Nairobi, 31 July, 2025 / 12:33 pm (ACI Africa).
The Provincial Superior of the Southern Africa Province (SAP) of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) has described the July 26 rebranding of the Jesuit Collaboration Network (JCN) to Jesuit Partners in Mission (JEPAM) as a new chapter in the Jesuit mission in Southern Africa.
The Provincial of the Jesuits in Southern Africa, Fr. Leonard Chiti, reported on social media that the rebranding “signals a renewed focus on the core values of the Society of Jesus and its partners-in-mission, rooted in Ignatian spirituality and discernment.”
“This transformation marks a deepened commitment to shared mission, discernment, and holistic formation for the society at large,” said Fr. Chiti in a message the Society’s Delegate of the Education Apostolate, Fr. Joseph Arimoso delivered on his behalf on Sunday, July 27.
He explained that the new identity following the rebranding of JCN at St. Francis Xavier House Novitiate in Zambia’s Catholic Archdiocese of Lusaka, captures the spirit of calling all their partners in mission “not only to work for the mission, but to journey with the Jesuits as co-discerners of God’s will in their respective contexts.”
"To be a Partner in Mission is to be formed in the Spiritual Exercises," said the Jesuit Catholic Priest alluding to the first Universal Apostolic Preference (UAP): To show the way to God through the Spiritual Exercises and discernment.
