At the end of July 2025, hundreds of thousands of young adults from around the world will descend upon Rome. Invited by Pope Francis at the start of the Jubilee year of Hope, these “Pilgrims of Hope” will be welcomed by Pope Leo XIV for the Youth Jubilee from July 28 - August 3. The Society of Jesus is no stranger to supporting young adults on pilgrimage at large gatherings, having sponsored and led “MAGIS/World Youth Day” pilgrimages for almost 3 decades. In that time, Jesuits involved in the planning, execution and support of those events have had the opportunity to listen to the young adults to whom they have ministered, and in turn that knowledge has emboldened them to try different ways of ministering to the future leaders of the Catholic Church.

This willingness to accompany young adults and listen to THEIR visions for the future of the Church was concretely detailed in the Universal Apostolic Preferences (UAPs) – the mission that Pope Francis gave to the Society of Jesus in 2019. The UAPs contained four “accents” for ministry – one of which was “Walking with the Youth”. This particular Preference invited Jesuits and Jesuit partners to not only find ways to connect with young adults and support their growth, but it also emphasized the need to LISTEN to the youth and accompany them on their faith journeys.

While large events like MAGIS, World Youth Day will always find Jesuits who are ready and willing to serve, “Walking with the Youth” asked more of Jesuits. Specifically, it challenged Jesuits to find new ways of working with young adults – and the Society was more than ready for the challenge.

In 2024, a group of Jesuits travelled through the heartland of the United States, giving “Hearts on Fire” retreats for young adults at local parishes. They aimed the language, prayers and talks of the retreat at the issues and challenges that are faced by Millennials and Gen Z. In the best of Jesuit traditions, the Jesuit retreat directors “met the retreatants where they are” in order to give them a glimpse of Ignatian Spirituality, as well as the resources to seek more. That spirit of empowerment was mirrored this year by the “Youth Empowering Service – Jesuits” (YES-J) in Andhra Province, India. Together with the “All India Catholic University Federation”, YES-J provided more than 55,000 young adults in rural areas of India with faith formation, English training, social services, and leadership skills through their “Summer Shapes” program.

The Jesuits don’t limit their youth outreach to retreats and “In real life” encounters alone. Reaching out to “Digital Natives”, the Jesuit Curia in Rome launched “Magis Digital Home” – an online platform based in South Asia that provides an online environment for those looking for spiritual and social support and encouragement.

The idea is to foster digital relationships between young adults who can support and challenge one another in a healthy environment in which different experiences can connect and build upon each other. In the same vein, the Jesuits in Europe launched “Walking with Ignatius” during the Ignatian year. With a series of videos that addressed contemporary challenges submitted by young adults, Jesuits in formation – along with lay and religious partners – gave young adults real-life examples of applying Ignatian Spirituality to issues of the day.

There are but a handful of ways that the Society has been trying to reach out to a new generation of young adults. From Jesuits who are active on Social Media, to those who are trying new ways of engaging young adults at our universities and high schools, to Jesuits who are engaging the youth in completely unconventional ministries, the Society of Jesus has invested itself in ensuring that the next generation of Catholic leaders will have all the tools they need to succeed.