Jesuit Refugee Service marks 25 years of helping displaced people

Published: 2005-10-21

ROME (CNS) -- Jesuit Refugee Service marked its 25th anniversary by sharing reflections on the spiritual experience of serving those forced to leave their homes and on the importance of education even in the most desperate emergency situations. Jesuit Father Lluis Magrina, JRS international director, told a Rome press conference Oct. 21 that the organization's anniversary seemed an appropriate time to formally reflect on "the shared experience of death and life, hope and difficulty" of both JRS staffers and the refugees with whom they work. The Jesuit ministry began in Asia in 1980; 25 years later JRS is working in 57 countries on six continents, and it employs more than 1,000 people. The centerpiece of the anniversary celebration in Rome was the publication of two books: "God in Exile: Towards a Shared Spirituality With Refugees" and "Horizons of Learning: 25 Years of JRS Education."

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