One afternoon in Herat, almost 15 years ago, Jerome invited me to the Technical Institute to see the electrical engineering lab that JRS built. That afternoon, I began to understand how that lab was the cornerstone of something enduring – Jerome, the school director (Mr Karimi), and the students were engaged, talking together about building their future. Formation and education, cultivating a generation of leaders, grounded on principles of integrity and the common good. This was my introduction to the Jesuit way of integral human development. Thank you for that formation.

 

There are times in life where I have found myself at the right time and place, and in the company of the right people. These are the surest times of grace. Vicel and I look back on moments with our JRS friends with deep gratitude, sitting on the floor around a simple table, breaking bread, grounded, hearing the humble reflections of our JRS brothers. With the call to prayers reverberating at sunset. These were the first days of our marriage, sowing good seeds in our experience of faith. Thank you, brothers, for making us part of your journey then, and giving us a chance to reflect on it now.