In just a few days, the Congregation of Procurators will begin in Loyola, Spain and over 100 Jesuits from every continent will take part. A key moment will be the presentation of the De Statu Societatis - the State of the Society of Jesus - by Fr. General, Arturo Sosa. Among other topics, the De Statu will reflect on the Universal Apostolic Preferences and how they are shaping our life and mission.

“The Congregation of Procurators is a unique opportunity to listen to the Spirit,” said Fr. Sosa. “We live in a period of enormous change and the Universal Apostolic Preferences have launched us on an adventure of discovery. Our common home is threatened as never before; poverty is on the increase and people feel increasingly alienated and marginalised; men and women are hungry for the life-giving Spirit; the young long for a hope-filled future. The meeting here in Loyola will be a chance to reflect on how this adventure is going and help us to deepen it.”

On May 6^th, the participants begin an 8-day retreat. It will be led by General Counsellors, Frs Victor Assouad, Claudio Paul and Mark Ravizza. Retreat points will be presented, with translation, on successive days in French, Spanish and English. The retreat runs from May 6-14. The canonical part of the Procurators’ Congregation runs from May 15^th and ends on Ascension Day, May 21^st with a closing mass in the Loyola basilica.

The Procurators’ Congregation is not an isolated or stand-alone event. It comes after extensive discernment at local level through Province Congregations. In addition, after his election, each Procurator has gone around his Province, listening and discerning with communities and individuals. These visits culminated in a written report to Fr. General and each procurator will have a chance to discuss his report in a private meeting with Fr. General during the Loyola meeting. This process has resulted in a wealth of information on how the Society is moving and responding to new calls. After the Congregation, Fr. General will be asking the whole Society to reflect on the de statu Societatis and to discern how to deepen our way forward in our life and in our mission.

“This meeting in Loyola is a chance for us to listen deeply to the Spirit, a gentle breeze which blows where it wills,” says Fr. Sosa. “St John tells us that ‘we do not know where this Spirit is coming from... or where it is going’. And so we hear a call toenter into a space of vulnerability, to admit that we do not know where we are being led, to let go of our own plans and dreams and, instead, let God dream in us. Just as Ignatius and his Companions, when they met in Venice, had to let go of their dream of going to Jerusalem, can we also be open to a new future, letting go of past dreams in order to embrace more fully the dreams of the Spirit? That is the invitation to each of us, every day, but especially so in this Congregation of Procurators.”

All Jesuits and mission partners are invited to join in this unique moment of Spirit-led discernment by saying the prayer for the Congregation. This can be used at meetings of communities or apostolates or in private prayer; it is available in a variety of languages on the site below. Provinces are encouraged to translate it into local languages.

In particular, you are warmly invited to join the morning prayer of the Congregation which will be live streamed every day at 09.30 from May 16-21 inclusive (Central Europe time). The video of the prayer will be available afterwards on the special CP 71 communications site where a variety of photos and other documents can be viewed and downloaded.

Further information: Fr. Robert Ballecer SJ or Fr. Pierre Bélanger SJ.