This August, the Integral Ecology Research Network (IERN), based at the Laudato Si’ Research Institute in Oxford, invites Jesuits in formation – along with a small group of other religious and lay people –, to join its second Integral Ecology Summer School. The two-week programme, running from 1 to 14 August 2026, offers a rare blend of intellectual reflection, spiritual grounding, and hands-on ecological practice, all rooted in the vision of Pope Francis’s Laudato si’.

The first week takes place at Campion Hall, University of Oxford, a quiet, scholarly setting where participants will dive into seminars, small-group conversations, shared prayer, and dialogue with researchers and practitioners. The week provides a space to slow down, ask questions, and reconnect with the call to care for our common home – not just as a moral duty, but as a spiritual vocation.

The group then moves to Belmont Abbey, a Benedictine monastery nestled in the green hills of Herefordshire. There the learning becomes embodied: participants will join in contemplative fieldwork, agro-ecological activities, and visits to local farms and conservation sites. It’s a chance for participants to get soil on their hands, walk the land, and allow the rhythm of nature to shape ones understanding of ecology, not as an abstract concept, but as a lived, shared, and sacred practice.

Led by Jesuit Scholars, Rooted in Global Collaboration

IERN, led by Fr Peter Rožič, SJ, was created to help researchers and practitioners around the world connect across disciplines and cultures, especially with partners in the Global South. The Summer School is one of its flagship initiatives, developed in partnership with the British Province of the Society of Jesus and the Laudato Si’ Research Institute. IERN recently joined forces with the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) to build digital tools and networks that support transdisciplinary ecological work, making sure voices from the margins are heard in global conversations.

Reflections from the First Gathering

Last year’s Summer School brought together Jesuits from across the world, from Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas, for a week of deep conversation, shared meals, and quiet walks through the English countryside. Participants explored how ecological justice, Ignatian spirituality, and local action can weave together into a more hopeful, grounded way of living. Many left with renewed clarity, and a few even with seeds, recipes, or soil samples from the gardens at Belmont Abbey.

What’s in Store for 2026

This year’s programme will again feature talks and workshops led by participants and guest speakers, names to be announced soon. The focus remains on creating space: space to listen, to wonder, to question, and to imagine what an integral ecology might look like in your own community, ministry, or daily life.

Applications are now open and will close on 23 January 2026. If you’re curious, committed, or just beginning to explore what integral ecology means for you, this might be the summer to take the next step.

Learn more at iern.org/iess2026