By Tracey Primrose
How do you create a community of Jesuits and apostolic partners that fully embraces discernment in common? One great way to move the ball forward is to ask Fr. Steve Sundborg, SJ, to help.
Fr. Sundborg first became interested in communal discernment when serving as provincial of the former Oregon Province Jesuits. Years before, while earning a doctorate in spirituality at the Gregorian University in Rome, he became aware of a spiritual process that St. Ignatius and his companions had used to make important decisions. As provincial, he decided to use communal discernment to answer questions about the province’s future, quickly becoming convinced of its value.
When Fr. Sundborg became president of Seattle University in 1997, he did it again, this time gathering a group of Jesuits and lay leaders to discern questions of Catholic identity and strategic vision. He also led Seattle University’s trustees through a communal discernment process to set board priorities.
When he finished his tenure in 2021, Fr. Sundborg was tapped by Georgetown’s president to work with the university’s senior leadership team on communal discernment. This summer, Fr. Sean Carroll, SJ, provincial of Jesuits West, missioned Fr. Sundborg back to Seattle University to serve as chancellor with the hope that he would also lend his expertise to help Jesuits West lean into its vision of a province fully committed to discernment in common.
“Not only is Steve extremely knowledgeable, but he’s also an excellent facilitator with great insights about how to build capacity,” says Fr. Carroll. “We realize how important it is to build a foundation, so people become familiar with the practice and grow in relationship with one another. That’s the best way for our vision to become a reality.”
In August, Fr. Sundborg spent two half-day sessions with Fr. Carroll and his Cabinet at their annual retreat in Ben Lomond, California. He provided background on communal discernment, shared some of his own experiences and then led the group through a communal discernment process.
The Cabinet members, all provincial assistants who work in the province’s various sectors, have a practice of faith sharing at every meeting, which, according to Fr. Sundborg, makes for a good start because it means that a group has prayed together and shared friendship and trust. He says, “Discernment in common takes a suspension of our usual intellectual discussions and calls us to make decisions more from the heart.”
In September, Fr. Sundborg spent a morning with the superiors of Jesuit communities at their meeting in Federal Way, Washington, where his presentation focused on developing capacity in communities. And this month, he did his deepest dive to date when he spent three days in Scottsdale, Arizona, working with the province’s Companions in School Leadership (CSL) group of presidents, principals, board chairs and Jesuit superiors affiliated with the province’s 19 middle and high schools.
The work with the CSL group was both targeted and practical, with a concluding session on how attendees could apply and lead discernment in common in their schools. Fr. Sundborg is quick to say, though, that not every question is one for communal discernment. “You wouldn’t use it to figure out what to name a new school mascot, but it might be the right way to answer questions about mission and strategic vision.”
Fr. Sundborg and Cindy Reopelle, executive director of SEEL Spokane, are co-chairing a group of Jesuits and lay partners tasked by Fr. Carroll with developing communal discernment capacity. Tim Caslin, provincial assistant for pre-secondary and secondary education; Fr. Billy Biegler, SJ, provincial assistant for Jesuit life; Lisa Dennison, executive director, SEEL Puget Sound; and Fr. Allan Deck, SJ, provincial assistant for spiritual ministries, round out the group.
They are addressing questions of structure, organization and practical matters, such as how to train a cohort of facilitators. This year is about building capacity, but the hope is that next year, discernment in common will be applied in Jesuit communities and works and, by 2026, the province can begin using discernment in common for key decisions. The Cabinet is also working to develop an ability to integrate discernment in common into its way of proceeding.
“It is essential that we help people become familiar with and trust this dynamic process, which the Society of Jesus expects of every Jesuit work,” says Fr. Sundborg. “There is going to be a learning curve, but when you understand how to use communal discernment and recognize how God is working through your desires, inclinations and callings on a matter being discerned, that is not only training for a specific decision but training for life.”
Fr. Carroll says, “From its earliest days, the Society of Jesus has been a missionary order, which means that while we may not always follow a well-trod path, we always listen for and try to follow the invitation of the Holy Spirit. That’s what excites me about our apostolic planning vision, and thanks to the leadership of Steve Sundborg and his group, we are on our way.”