On 25 January, the International Commission on the Jesuit Brother (ICJB) completed its inaugural meeting in Rome. The week-long meeting launched an ambitious three-year process to deepen the identity, formation, and vocation promotion of the Jesuit Brother. Through this multi-year process, the Commission also hopes to shed light on the unique call to consecrated life that all Jesuits share, and to explore how this shared charism can speak anew to today’s world.

Established by Fr General Arturo Sosa, the ICJB builds on the work of the International Assembly of Jesuit Brothers that was held in Rome in July 2022. One way that the ICJB seeks to advance the fruits of the Assembly is by broadening the conversation about Jesuit Brothers to include not only Brothers from all parts of the universal Society, but also priests, religious women, and lay partners on mission. Toward this end, the ICJB itself was constituted with a diverse membership, including six Jesuit Brothers, one from each Conference – Raymund Belleza, SJ (JCAP), Davidson Braga Santos, SJ (CPAL), Théophile Désarmeaux, SJ (JCEP), James Boynton, SJ (JCCU), Thomas Vaz, SJ (JCSA), and James Edema, SJ (JCAM) – a religious sister, Noelle Corscadden, IBVM, a lay woman, Jennie Hickey, and two Jesuit priests, Clemens Blattert, SJ and Mark Ravizza, SJ. This diversity greatly enhanced the conversation of the ICJB, and it led to a firm commitment to carry forward the work of the Commission by engaging a similarly broad and representative group of conversation partners.

The Commission’s meeting began with a day of prayer and sharing, led by Fr. General who gave both an opening reflection and points for prayer. He started by noting that his reasons for establishing the Commission stem not from worry, but from gratitude for the vocation of the Jesuit Brother and for the many Brothers who have shaped his own vocation. He stressed the “prophetic witness” that Jesuit Brothers offer by embodying the essence of religious life and illuminating the Jesuit charism. Drawing on the Pauline image of the body, he reflected on how the Jesuit charism is incarnated in a variety of ways, and he encouraged the Commission to return to our Sources to understand better how the first Jesuits imagined that consecrated lay religious could be “coadjutors” helping (ayudar) or “co-helping” (co-ayudar) the rest of the body. His points for prayer returned to the theme of the prophetic dimension of a Jesuit life-mission, underscoring how the special vocation of Brothers contributes to the minima Compañia de Jesús,and offers hope to our secularized world.

The next three days of the Commission continued a process of discernment, focusing on the themes of identity and mission, the formation of Brothers, and vocation promotion. After initial presentations each morning, the ICJB followed a process of prayer, spiritual conversation, and reflection to listen to how the Spirit was inviting the group to develop each of the respective themes. Especially appreciated were inputs from Br Wenceslao Soto Artuñedo, SJ and Br Brent Gordon, SJ who provided insightful historical analysis of the brother’s vocation, and shared their own vocation stories.

The final step of the meeting drew together the fruits of the previous days and developed a plan of action for the year ahead. Central to this plan was the desire to expand the conversation and to continue to listen to the Spirit speaking through Brother Jesuits, partners on mission, and the wider society. To accomplish this goal, a new moderator was elected – Br Davidson Braga Santos, SJ – and three working groups were formed. The first group will focus on returning to our foundational documents, listening to how earlier generations of Jesuits understood the vocation of Brothers and their important role as coadjutors. The second working group will seek to listen broadly to different parts of the Society of Jesus, learning how Jesuits and partners in mission understand the identity of the Brother, and how the formation and vocation of Brothers can best be advanced. Finally, a third working group will attempt to engage the broader society, listening to the hopes and desires of young people shaped by an increasingly secularized world. The aim here is to attend to how the Spirit is moving in this new generation and to discern how they might be attracted and inspired by the example of religious life, especially as it is lived by Jesuit brothers.

The ICJB will continue to meet monthly by Zoom and it invites anyone with feedback or suggestions to reach out to any of the member of the Commission.