Warmly welcomed in Warsaw
A warm welcome from Polish Jesuits and colleagues was extended to attendees of the annual JesWeb meeting for those engaged in Jesuit communication work across Europe, held in Warsaw from Monday, 5 May to Thursday, 8 May 2026. Pat Coyle from Irish Jesuit Communications joined with her counterparts from France, Spain, Portugal, Slovenia, Italy, Germany, Hungary, Poland and the Netherlands.
Gonzalo Villagrán, Socius to the Jesuit Council of European Provincials (JCEP), chaired a variety of sessions and kick-started proceedings with an update on the work and mission of the JCEP, including the first steps of their apostolic planning for 2027 -2032, defining a mission for Europe. The JCEP brings together the 16 Jesuit provinces and regions in Europe, as well as the Province of the Near East.
Over the remaining four days, the participants gave updates on the various activities in their communications apostolates, outlining the challenges and opportunities arising across different provinces. Useful tips were shared on emerging digital and AI tools that might help those editing videos and podcasts. A practical and helpful workshop on creating short video clips known as ‘reels’ was delivered by influencer Ewa Novak from Poland. She focused on the theological and practical necessity of digital evangelisation and helpfully demonstrated how to create said ‘reels’. Wojciech Zmudzinski SJ and Olena Tkachuk gave an inspiring presentation on the presence of the Polish Jesuits in social media.
Three Jesuits from the Russian province (one of whom was ordained a bishop shortly after the conference) offered fascinating insights into their work. In Belarus, Jesuits manage their digital presence within certain parameters. They use Telegram, not Instagram, and there are Russian/Belarusian versions of the online prayer website Sacred Space » and the La Civilta Cattolica » newspaper. In Russia, Jesuits run the Inigo Cultural Centre in Novosibirsk, and in Kyrgyzstan, they carry out their mission, discerning their role in a place where 92% of the population is Muslim.
As ever, a lot of informal catching up was done at the ‘social’ each night. On the Wednesday afternoon, the traditional outing was a trip around the old town in Warsaw, including places associated with the Jesuits, under the expert guidance of historian Fr. Robert Danieluk SJ. A long but well-worth-it climb up the many stairs of the Tower of the Jesuit Sanctuary of Our Lady of Grace, offered a magnificent view of the city from the top.
Prayer each morning was led by one of the particpants and Mass was celebrated each evening.
One of the main takeaways of the event was the commitment to formulate a mission statement for the group, meet more regularly than once a year, and share comms resources where possible.
Laura Galimberti from Italy presented a proposal for a joint training programme for the Jesuit Communications Offices of all the European provinces. The online course would be aimed primarily at communications professionals, though also open to other interested parties, and would entail ongoing interactions among JesWeb participants throughout the year. Modules for the training included developing a communications strategy, editorial planning, audio storytelling, podcasting, social media content creation, AI and digital platforms.
At the final session, it was agreed that, along with online meetings during the year, the group would meet again next year in person, in Milan. A welcome prospect for all!
