IMCS-MIEC Pax Romana joins JEC Spain’s 75th Anniversary

JEC Spain celebrated its 75th anniversary and the IMCS Pax Romana was invited to join them and share the joy. The International President, Ravi Tissera was present in Madrid on 19th and 20th of November 2022. He contributed to the session as a panelist together with European coordinator Anna Holtkamp and former Spanish regional and international representatives. He shared from the international perspective of the students Movement and how the Spanish students Movement can benefit by collaborating with the catholic students’ global mission.

Pax Romana dialogues at COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt

Victor Ayertey, Secretary-General of Pax Romana moderated and shared some highlights the contributions of young people, especially from the global south, towards climate action from diverse faith traditions. Pax Romana is addressing the climate change crisis through the Continued Learning ann Action Program (CLAP), Laudato Si’ Commission actions, National Movements country-specific action projects. A message from a youth during the Interfaith dialogue reads “If your house is burning, you don’t plan how to put out the fire. You just put out the fire. We are in an urgent situation that requires action. We know that climate change is real. The science is there, the reality is there for us to see with our own eyes, the lived experience is there. We need action”

As part of the Catholic Actors present at #COP27 and having met with the Holy See delegation, we presented the following key calls and recommendations in our appeal to for more immediate, inclusive, and impactful climate actions at COP27 and beyond to take care of our Common Home (Laudato Si’):

Message to IYCS 75th Anniversary

Pax Romana begins another milestone from the Centennial Celebration Closing ceremony

On July 23, 2022, during the closing ceremony of the Pax Romana Centennial celebration, the Movement symbolically set the tone for a “Curtain-raiser for the next milestone: mobilizing Catholic students and professionals for a peaceful, just, inclusive and a green world”. It is worth noting that during the year-long celebrations, the Movement – IMCS Pax Romana and ICMICA – had been embarking on several projects and implementing activities at all levels.

Thus, Pope Francis in his letter to the Pax Romana movements on 22 July 2022, called on leaders to work for the spread of the Gospel, its values of justice, peace and solidarity, and to be agents of social change. The Pope also acknowledged the contribution to the Church that the two Pax Romana movements, the International Movement of Catholic Students (IMCS) and the International Movement for Intellectual and Cultural Affairs (ICMICA) have made to the Church over the century since the foundation of the IMCS in 1921

From the local, and regional to the international, we joined hands to celebrate our identity and impact within our communities and appreciate everyone. This was reiterated by the President of ICMICA Pax Romana, Prof Ana Maria Bidegain that through the years, Pax Romana has resisted and reorganized and continues to strengthen its faith and spiritual journey and engaging about 70 to 80 national federations from Africa, Latin America to Europe and Asia-Pacific. With our presence, we are committed as men and women and seek to have an impact on public policies and cultural changes needed to challenges in our communities as we walk and work together

While the world is evolving, Pax Romana is also developing new frontiers to continue working together with members and National Movements across the world. Hence, it is prudent to see and know that you are with us on this journey as we begin another milestone towards mobilizing Catholic students and professionals for a peaceful, just, inclusive and a green world. IMCS Pax Romana President Ravi Tissera invited every student to continue to engage and be willing to collaborate through networking, training and leading community development.  “Let’s bring our ideas, talents, resources and networks to transform Pax Romana to the next version, so Pax Romana will continue her mission for another 100 years”. This also reflects the call to duty to message from Pope Francis

“Dear young friends, at this stage of your lives, you have much energy and a plethora of opportunities and choices before you. Yet, while you have many wishes and interests that you want to explore, not all of you live in environments that easily facilitate the pursuit of your dreams or that help you to grow in faith. Support one another in the life of faith and the pursuit of virtue” – Pope Francis, Letter to Pax Romana July 22, 2022

Fr Douglas MARCOUILLER SJ, Vicarius ad Tempus of the Jesuit Curia offered the Centennial blessings to all students and professionals

“To all students and professionals gathered here and around the world, “May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord shine divine light upon you, and be gracious to you. May the Risen Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace” (Numbers 6: 24-26) 

And may Almighty God bless all of you, in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. 

#PaxRomana #CentennialClosingCeremony #Since1921 #SocialJustice #Peace #IMCSMIEC #ICMICA #PaxRomana100 #IMCS #MIEC

IMCS President’s Message for Pax Romana Centennial Year Closing Ceremony

Dear friends, I bring you the greetings of the International Coordination Team of the International Movement of Catholic Students Pax Romana!

Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, a member of FUCI or the Federation of Catholic University Students of Italy, who was a  strong supporter of Pax Romana wrote this quote in a letter to another delegate who participated in the Pax Romana foundational meetings in 1921. And I quote “If all people were to have it as their inner spirit, Pax Romana will bring peace and justice”. After 100  years, we are coming together as one global family, carrying the same mantle of Peace and Justice in our hearts.

The 100th milestone year of the movement gave us an opportunity to reminisce and celebrate the path we have walked as advocates of Peace and Justice.

Recently I heard this quote from a documentary. I quote “The past will never come back. And unless you are willing to invest in the future there’s no use even trying to exist anymore”. As a 100 years old movement with a young spirit, I believe this message is very much relevant to our movement. All the momentums created and contributions made in the past are stars guiding us to the future. But as a people’s movement, Pax Romana still carries a very relevant mission to society. our contribution for today and tomorrow matters more. The investments for the future, or for the ones yet to come matter more.

In the extremely troubled world today, the responsibility of people’s movements such as Pax Romana extends even further. In the past 100 years, we mostly responded to the existing social-economic-cultural religious issues. But in the fast-changing today’s world, Pax Ramana has to create solutions for problems we don’t yet know exist. Rather than problem-solving, we need to problem seek. The centennial initiatives of establishing Pax Romana centres around the world will serve this purpose.

In our diversity exists our uniqueness to share ideas, support students and professionals, implement projects and individually establish networks to grow our social capital and net worth. As we envisage the future of the Movement together through this occasion with the “Curtain-raiser for the next milestone: mobilising Catholic students and professionals for a peaceful, just, inclusive and a green world”, we are in communion together. The life of this Movement is a life of a community, service seeking social justice and the spirituality of action in our daily lives. We are evolving as a Movement. We have moved from one century and beginning another. In a time like this, we celebrate the torchbearers; and we come together to support ourselves to continue transforming our communities, one national movement at a time.

Let’s bring our ideas, talents, resources and networks to transform Pax Romana to the next version, so Pax Romana will continue her mission for another 100 years. 

God bless Pax Romana global family!

Ravi Tissera – President, IMCS Pax Romana

Paris. July 23, 2022

Pope Francis to Pax Romana: Be agents of social change

In a letter to the Pax Romana movements on 22 July 2022, Pope Francis has called on leaders to work for the spread of the Gospel, its values of justice, peace and solidarity, and to be agents of social change.

The pope also acknowledged the contribution to the Church that the two Pax Romana movements, the International Movement of Catholic Students (IMCS) and the International Movement for Intellectual and Cultural Affairs (ICMICA) have made to the Church over the century since the foundation of the IMCS in 1921.

To the Members of the International Movement of Catholic Students (IMCS-MIEC) Pax Romana and the International Catholic Movement for Intellectual and Cultural Affairs (ICMCA-MIIC) Pax Romana

I send prayerful good wishes to the students and professionals celebrating the hundredth anniversary of the International Movement of Catholic Students – Pax Romana. Your Movement received official recognition by the Holy See in 1921, and I am pleased that you have maintained your spirituality of action and fulfilled your mission of addressing the spiritual and material needs of young people in tertiary educational institutions throughout the world. I am likewise appreciative of the contribution you have made within the Church over this period, and for the notable fruits that have been borne in nurturing leaders and supporting the faithful in promoting Catholic social leaching in the Americas, Africa and Asia. Your vital apostolate encourages young people to take the lead in striving for a more just social order within their countries.

Over the past Century, Pox Romana has enabled many university students and young professionals to grow in their faith and to work for the spread or the Gospel and its values of justice, peace and solidarity. I encourage you to continue to be agents of social change, steadfast in your efforts to help build a more inclusive, harmonious and sustainable world. Be ever ready to give the best of yourselves in meeting the challenges that lie ahead, attentive to the signs of the times and committed to the service of the poor, the vulnerable and the underprivileged.

Dear young friends, at this stage of your lives, you have much energy and a plethora of opportunities and choices before you. Yet, while you have many wishes and interests that you want to explore, not all of you live in environments that easily facilitate the pursuit of your dreams or that help you to grow in faith. Support one another in the life of faith and the pursuit of virtue. In a world of widespread inequality, may you be mindful too of your fellow students and peers in so many parts of our world whose dreams arc threatened by war, injustice, and political, economic and ecological crises. Keep them in your prayers and support them by works of practical solidarity.

As you know, young Catholics are preparing to meet in Lisbon in August 2023 for World Youth Day, with the motto, “Mary arose and went with haste” (Lk 1:39), I look forward to seeing many of you there! I urge you to “arise” like Mary, and work for the change you want to experience within your communities. Demonstrate and spread the values of “Respect and Integrity, Trust and Solidarity. Diversity and Inclusivity, Transparency and Accountability” that your Strategic Plan highlights. In this way, your service to the liberating message or the Gospel wall be effective and will bear tasting fruit.

With these sentiments, I send my blessing to all the members of lMCS and ICMICA, I ask you, please, to pray for me, and for peace in our world, that young people everywhere may enjoy a future filled with hope and joy.

Rome, Saint John Lateran, 22 July 2022

SOURCE
Pope Francis, Letter to Pax Romana

Pax Romana Journal 2020