It has almost been three years to the day that the members of the Commission on the Role and Responsibilities of Women in the Society of Jesus were appointed by Fr General Arturo Sosa SJ. In 2021, the world was a very different place—many of the members were confined to their homes and away from their usual places of work or apostolates due to Covid 19-related restrictions.
Most of us had never met nor crossed paths in any capacity. We were limited to conversations online, separated by many, many time zones, and (in the beginning) individual understandings of our charge as a Commission. As a representative of the Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific, a region that I barely knew outside of my own engagement as a faculty member and administrator at the Ateneo de Manila University in the Philippines, I recall the trepidation brought about by the challenging topic—what was the role of women in an all-male religious order—but also the challenge of completing the task in the middle of an unthinkable context: a global pandemic.
We began in earnest: getting to know each other through our sometimes shaky internet connections, and relying on the wonderful leadership of brave and unshakable moderators: Cecilia Vanneste of the Jesuit Conference of European Provincials, who a number of times walked us through the confusing first steps, making sure that we were all on the same page on the goals and objectives of the commission and providing constant reassurance in the first year. Cecilia asked us early on to reflect on the objectives of the commission and the relationship between these goals and the Universal Apostolic Preferences, which eventually led us to speak to the authors of Decree 14.
Our objectives as a Commission are: 1. To evaluate the appropriation of Decree 14, General Congregation (GC) 34 in the life and apostolates of the Society. 2. To evaluate the participation and position of women and the structures of collaboration at all levels in institutions of the Society of Jesus and its apostolic work. 3. To make recommendations to the different levels of leadership in the Society of Jesus to strengthen the mission of the Society with the active participation of women.
Donna Andrade of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States, the resident “volunteller” of the Commission inspired us to run and complete the global survey on which a good part of our recommendations will be based. Donna’s indefatigable spirit and enthusiastic interrogation of our processes and outcomes put us on the right track.
Catherine Waiyaki of the Jesuit Conference of Africa and Madagascar, who has recognised the strengths (and weaknesses) of each member of the Commission, ably put our individual and collective strengths to good use. Catherine has also provided an external voice for the Commission as we begin to engage the larger Jesuit community post-pandemic.
During the time we have been together, we have had the privilege of spending time in conversation and reflection with Father General, the authors of Dec 14, GC 34, Sr Nathalie Becquart, the conference presidents, and the socii, among others. The expectation in our last year is to deepen these connections and amplify the voices we first heard via the initial survey results and two years of conversation, prayer, and reflection.
And, yes, we eventually did get to see each other in person in November 2022 as the entire Commission gathered in Rome for a week of meetings and activities. Meaningful conversations on the differences between cultures and across Jesuit conferences made the pilot findings of the survey more real for the Commission. The days in Rome were well spent in prayer and reflection, discussion and debate, and in solidarity with one another. It was a fitting pause to our work as a Commission and a recognition that what once was a task to be fulfilled as a Commission has now become a journey to be shared together as brothers and sisters fulfilling God’s mission.
Maria Elissa “Melissa” Jayme Lao is an Associate Professor at the Political Science Department of the Ateneo de Manila University. She is also currently a board member of the Women and Gender Studies Association of the Philippines (WSAP) and a member of the Commission on the Role and Responsibilities of Women in the Society of Jesus. This article was originally published in the March 2024 edition of Jivan, the magazine of the Jesuits in South Asia.