With a deep spirit of discernment and commitment, the Pan-Amazonian Jesuit Service (SJPAM) Meeting, held from November 30 to December 2 in Manaus (Brazil), came to a close. For three days, representatives of the works, networks, articulations, and presences of the Society of Jesus in the Pan-Amazon region reflected together on the challenges, pains, and hopes of this territory, which is vital for the planet.
The meeting was attended by religious men and women, lay people, and Jesuits from the countries that make up the region and other provinces: Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, the Caribbean, Colombia, Ecuador, Spain, Peru, and Venezuela. It was a fraternal space to look at the Pan-Amazonian reality, recognize ongoing initiatives, and strengthen the common mission.
CEAMA was represented by Sister Marbelis Monroy, coordinator of the Amazonian Bilingual Intercultural Education Network (REIBA) and member of the Executive Secretariat, and by Mauricio López, vice president of CEAMA and director and founder of the Amazonian University Program (PUAM). Both contributed their synodal perspective and experience in the process of the Church with an Amazonian face, highlighting the importance of joining forces between networks, congregations, and communities to respond to the cries of the peoples and of our Common Home.
Among the central themes were:
- Listening to the different services and works of SJPAM and its territorial presence.
- Coordination with other ecclesial networks such as CEAMA, PUAM, REIBA, and REPAM.
- Reflection and joint construction of the Apostolic Plan, seeking ways to do together what is not possible alone.
- Discernment about the structures, governance, and next steps of the Jesuit mission in the Pan-Amazon region.
The meeting also included moments of prayer, spiritual conversation, a networking fair, and celebrations, which allowed for a deepening of communion and a renewal of the sense of apostolic body.
At the end of the process, participants reaffirmed the call to continue Christ’s mission in the Pan-Amazon region, strengthening the presence of the Society of Jesus in ongoing dialogue with indigenous, riverine, and urban communities; promoting socio-environmental justice; and nurturing hope in the midst of a territory marked by resistance and burgeoning life.
CEAMA celebrates this space of communion and renewal and reaffirms its willingness to continue walking alongside ecclesial networks and Amazonian communities in building a more just, fraternal, and sustainable future for the entire region.