Discernment

Fr Joseph Xavier, SJ, a Jesuit priest from Madurai, India, shares his involvement with the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI), which oversees 132 dioceses. Over the past few years, he has facilitated a spiritual discernment process across 14 regions, engaging bishops, clergy...

In the 6th episode of Ignite the Way series, Fr David McCallum, SJ, Executive Director of the Discerning Leadership Program, presents a module titled “Secular Tools for Communal Discernment Processes”. He explains that while communal discernment has deep roots in the Ignatian tradition...

In the 5th episode of Ignite the Way series, Fr Juan Antonio Guerrero, SJ, the Director of the Centro de Espiritualidad San Ignacio (Center for Spirituality Saint Ignatius) in Salamanca, shares the process followed by the Jesuit Province of Spain to discern and establish their apostolic priorities...

In the fourth episode of the Ignite the Way series on Discernment in Common, Francis Pudhicherry, a Jesuit from Gujarat, India, reflects on the practice of discernment within a multi-religious and multicultural context such as India. Addressing those who facilitate discernment in common among interreligious...

In the third episode of Ignite the Way – Discernment in Common, Françoise Uylenbroeck from Belgium shares her experience facilitating a discernment process for two pastoral units – one urban, one rural. The goal was to explore whether these already-grouped parishes could deepen...

In the second episode of the Ignite the Way series on Discernment in Common, Kevin O’Brien, a Jesuit and educator at Fairfield University, explores how resistance emerges in group settings and how facilitators can navigate these challenging moments with wisdom and care.

A standout feature of the conference was a full day dedicated entirely to real-world application. Experts in the field led small-group sessions, dissecting specific case studies to show how discernment operates in practice rather than just in theory. These sessions covered a wide range...

After nine days in Salamanca, nearly 100 facilitators of discernment processes concluded the inaugural “Ignite the Way” meeting on 3 December. Participants – Jesuits, diocesan priests, religious women, and lay people from across the globe – are now preparing to bring their experience home...

Let us pray that we might again learn how to discern, to know how to choose paths of life and reject everything that leads us away from Christ and the Gospel.

Is there a connection between Ignatian spirituality and the Synod on Synodality? Yes! Ignatian discernment. Pope Francis’ experience as a Jesuit and his deep grasp of Ignatian Spirituality have clearly influenced his ways of thinking about what it is to be a synodal Church...

Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, SJ, the Synod’s Relator-General, emphasizes the importance of communal and ecclesial discernment towards building a Church where every Christian’s voice is heard and valued.

The document De Statu Societatis (DSS - State of the Society of Jesus) published after the 71st Congregation of Procurators, included a chapter entitled “Becoming collaborators in the mission of Christ”. In it, Superior General Fr Arturo Sosa said...