Fr. Fratern Masawe, SJ, Honored with Prestigious 2025 Canisius Medal
Fr. Fratern Masawe, SJ, Honored with Prestigious 2025 Canisius Medal
The Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities in Africa and Madagascar (AJCU-AM) has announced the nomination of Fr. Fratern Masawe, SJ, for the 2025 St. Peter Canisius Medal, one of the highest honors in Jesuit education.
The award recognizes his transformative and visionary leadership in shaping a sustainable future for Jesuit higher education across the African continent.
Currently serving as Assistant ad Providentiam at the Jesuit General Curia in Rome, Fr. Masawe has been a central figure in the strategic development of Jesuit institutions in Africa. The AJCU-AM citation highlights his pivotal role in discerning and championing a distinctly African model for Jesuit higher learning, ensuring it remains deeply rooted in the mission and values of the Society of Jesus.
“Fr. Masawe has long been a champion of African Jesuit education,” the association stated. The nomination credits him with guiding the strategic decision that sustainable, mission-aligned growth would be best achieved through institutions run directly by Jesuit Provinces, a model that has since defined the character and direction of schools within the Jesuit Conference of Africa and Madagascar (JCAM).
The St. Peter Canisius Medal is awarded to individuals who exemplify the spirit of its namesake, a 16th-century Jesuit Doctor of the Church renowned for his foundational work in education. St. Peter Canisius founded over a dozen colleges across Central Europe and was known for his effective leadership, commitment to dialogue, and courageous engagement.
This year’ awardees are selected for their “resilience, their willingness to engage and accompany, and their courage in the face of hostility,” qualities that align directly with the Society of Jesus's universal mission priorities.
The award ceremony will place Fr. Masawe among a global cohort of educational leaders honored for their extraordinary contributions. His work is seen as a modern embodiment of St. Peter Canisius’s legacy: building robust educational institutions that are both authentically Jesuit and responsive to the needs of their local context.
The AJCU-AM and the broader Jesuit educational community celebrate Fr. Masawe and his fellow honorees in 2025 for their dedication to forging a vibrant and sustainable future for learning and formation.
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