Jesuit education has produced great leaders over the years. This is no coincidence. It is indeed one of the principles of Jesuit formation to form leaders who will be catalysts of change and advancement in different spheres of society.

This aspect of Jesuit life goes back to our founder, St Ignatius, who wanted to form a group of people who could change society for the better and leave their mark, inspired by the Gospel values.

As a past pupil of a Jesuit college as well as now being a Jesuit myself, I am convinced of the profound effect this type of formation has on a person. St Ignatius, the founder of the Jesuits, followed by the contribution of various experts in the Jesuit way of life, integrated his deep spiritual experience into a pedagogy for the formation of youth based on sound values that shape a person’s character.

Jesuit principles are vast and visionary, but in brief the main characteristics of this type of education focus on forming persons with a radical desire to serve others, persons committed wholeheartedly to the common good, persons with a mature conscience which influences all the important choices they make, persons who feel compassion for those who are suffering and who do their utmost to use their position of leadership to ease that suffering and empower those in difficult social situations, persons with a strong sense of justice which permeates their whole being and drives them to positive action, and last but definitely not least, a deep love for God which gives a deeper and more complete sense to all the previous principles.

Some political leaders are a very faithful reflection of the Jesuit principles they received during their years of formation…while others do not reflect these principles at all!

As the provincial of the Jesuits in Malta, I often find myself before people who ask me how it is that we Jesuits produce so many political leaders in the world, some of whom are a very faithful reflection of the Jesuit principles they received during their years of formation in a school of ours somewhere in the world, while others do not reflect these principles at all!

I must be honest and say that despite the many very commendable successes we have seen throughout history, this kind of question sometimes makes me feel very uncomfortable, as it also makes me face the reality that Jesuit education does not always turn out to be as effective as I would like.

From my personal experience, I can comfortably say that the education I received from St Aloysius College, to­get­her with my family background, have led me to make radical choices to be able to make a difference, no matter how small this may be, in the world around me.

I love meeting past pupils who are leaders in very many different spheres of Maltese society and seeing how the education they received has left an indelible mark on the way they live and take decisions to the benefit of so many others.

But it also hurts me profoundly to see past pupils who, after having gone through several years of Jesuit education, are bad examples of what it means to be a leader and through their words and actions go against the core principles of the education they received from us Jesuits.

The present protagonists of the political scene in our country also received a Jesuit education, and all publicly say they are proud of the education they received.

I would therefore like to make a wholehearted appeal to all of them, no matter which political party they belong to, to do some soul-searching and revisit the Jesuit education they received, to choose the common good over personal interest, to set a good example of what it means to be men and women who work hard for the good of others, to be persons outstanding in their quest for justice and last but de­finitely not least, to let their faith in God guide them in all they think and do.

Fr Patrick Magro, SJ, is provincial of the Maltese Jesuit province.

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