History

History

In 1994 the Open Year (Open Jaar) was founded. The concept was devised by the Dutch Jesuit Father Harry Schelbergen. The target group was students who wanted to start higher studies, but still were looking for orientation. The objective was to help them to make a sound decision. Students followed a half time program in philosophy and a half time program devised for them and based on tree pillars: a cultural, a social and a spiritual.

In 2000 the project was reoriented: the name changed into Dondeyne House. The target group now consisted of full time students from all years and all faculties of the KU Leuven. The tree pillars were maintained as well as the original objectives: the orientation of students in study and life and the formation of critical intellectuals.

In 2003-2004 the Dondeyne House started cooperating with Lerkeveld, another students’ house of the Jesuits in Heverlee - Leuven.

In 2005-2006 another important step was taken: we moved from the Tiensestraat 120 to the Tervuursestraat 56, 3000 Leuven.

Identity

Jesuits

The leading figures in this story are the Jesuits. Together with other benefactors, they founded in 1994 the Open Year, today the Dondeynehuis. Lerkeveld is part of the Philosophical and Theological College, a former formation house of the Flemish Jesuits where in 2003 we started a similar project as in the Dondeyne House.

If you want to know more about the Jesuits in the low countries: http://www.jezuieten.org/ (only in Dutch).
More on the Jesuits wordlwide: http://www.sjweb.info/.

The spirituality and the educational tradition of the Jesuits play of course an important role in the way we think about studying and living together in the Dondeyne House and Lerkeveld. The spirituality and the educational tradition and ideas of the Jesuits are at the core of how we shape studies and community life in the Dondeyne House. More specifically, this means that we want to encourage our students to:

• Develop a broad and open social, cultural and religious or spiritual background
• Reflect critically on their own person, study and society
• Learn how to discuss and dialogue with fellow students in an open way
• Take action and engage themselves stimulated by a substantial spiritualityAnd this from the view that the development of a personal identity is only possible in confrontation with other scientific disciplines, cultures, convictions, attitudes, choices, and so on.

Dondeyne

From the very beginning, the promoters of the Dondeyne Project (Jesuits, Catholic University of Leuven and a number of benefactors) wanted to make a clear link with philosopher, priest and professor Albert Dondeyne (1901-1985), founder of Universitas, a life and study community that influenced many generations of students in the fifties, sixties and seventies of the 20th. century. A lot of these students later became important politicians, cultural leaders, religious authorities, etc… The former rector of the University and co-founder of the current Dondeyne Project, prof. Roger Dillemans is a good example of this.

The ‘Dondeyne House’ wants to continue spreading Albert Dondeyne’s ideals: the formation of critical intellectuals who are open to the social, cultural and spiritual life of our society.