Discernment

Elías López, a Jesuit from Spain, addresses the challenge of discerning conflicts within groups and communities. He emphasizes the importance of collectively discerning the conflict itself as a path to healing and regenerating communion – an essential foundation for participation and mission...

Sr Nathalie Becquart, the undersecretary of the Synod of Bishops discusses how to accompany dioceses or local church communities in implementing a synodal process, based on experiences from the Secretariat General of the Synod. She emphasizes two foundational principles...

Alfonso Salgado Ruiz, a layperson and father, discusses the concept of discernment within the family context. He emphasizes that the family is the primary community where discernment naturally occurs, evolving constantly due to its dynamic nature. Discernment in families involves...

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.