Almost 40 years ago, Fr. Pedro Arrupe thirty-seven years ago, Fr Pedro Arrupe SJ decided, as the Suprior General of the Society of Jesus, that the Jesuits needed to better and greater to respond to the plight of the Vietnamese people seeking to escape their homeland by boat, and to aid refugees fleeing Ethiopia, Somalia, Cambodia, and Laos. This principle of living and doing better and greater – or, “the Magis” – has since been a part of the fabric of JRS.

We are grateful to our many friends and supporters for helping us to live the Magis for refugees. Your support and partnership has helped us to accompany, serve, and advocate for the rights of refugees and other forcibly displaced persons for the past 37 years. Your support has allowed us to provide for those we serve to heal, to have the opportunity to learn, and ultimately to thrive for a better future.

This year, JRS/USA is recognizing one of our supporters, Thomas S. Murphy, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Emeritus of Capital Cities/ABC, Inc., for his extraordinary contribution providing education for refugee children in Africa. Mr. Murphy will receive the first-ever Magis Philanthropy Award for his exceptional support. Mr. Murphy’s support has directly impacted the lives of tens of thousands of refugees served by JRS. His unparalleled support provides scholarships for refugee children in Kenya, teacher training in eastern Chad, school supplies and textbooks in Malawi, a school sustainability program for parents and children in Zimbabwe, and access to education for Congolese refugees in Burundi.

Thomas S. Murphy’s philanthropy is changing lives and providing hope, and his commitment to refugees is a living example of the Jesuit principle of “the Magis,” doing better or greater.

Thank you for being a part of our Jesuit Refugee Service family and for generously supporting us over the years.