By Tracey Primrose
(May 6, 2025) The Jesuits West Province’s vision is to be a community of Jesuits and apostolic partners that fully embraces discernment in common as we seek to respond to God’s call. That vision, which was confirmed by Jesuit Superior General Fr. Arturo Sosa, SJ, reflects a synodal process involving more than 1,200 Jesuits and collaborators throughout the province. While Pope Francis did not weigh in on Jesuits West’s vision, it is fair to say that the Holy Father would have been supportive.
During his papacy, Pope Francis rarely missed an opportunity to talk about discernment. A former spiritual director, he witnessed the Holy Spirit at work in his own life and in the lives of those he accompanied. Fr. Steve Sundborg, SJ, the chancellor of Seattle University, says discernment in common seeks to elicit how a group of people is moved together at the “soul level” to make an important decision or choose a new direction. Given that Pope Francis always operated at the soul level, we can only assume that he would appreciate the analogy.
Over the last nine months, Fr. Steve has been working to develop capacity for Jesuits and apostolic partners to engage in discernment in common. He and Cindy Reopelle, the executive director of SEEL (Spiritual Exercises in Everyday Life) Spokane have chaired a small group of Jesuits and lay collaborators tasked with the important work of readying the province to engage in this centuries-old spiritual practice.
Together, Fr. Steve and Cindy have held capacity building sessions throughout the province, spending time with Jesuit superiors and nearly every sector—from pastors to spiritual ministries to higher education to middle and high schools and more. Their group has also produced a 10-Point Primer brochure, a video and other resources, which can be found here.
In the Society of Jesus, discernment in common dates to the earliest days of the Jesuit order. Even before the Society’s founding in 1540, Ignatius of Loyola and his companions gathered in Rome to discern God’s will for their future. In a sense, the province’s vision of discernment in common reclaims an important foundational practice of the Society of Jesus.
As Fr. Sosa said in a 2017 letter, “The conviction that God is acting in history and is constantly communicating with human beings is the assumption on which our efforts to discern in common are based. Thus, apostolic planning born of discernment in common becomes an instrument of our apostolic effectiveness, and we avoid the dangers of a trendy type of planning that makes use of only the techniques of corporate development.”
Practically speaking, discernment in common happens when a group with a common responsibility or connection comes together in prayer to try to determine how the Spirit is guiding them. According to Fr. Sosa, only 5% of decisions are significant enough to apply discernment in common. For an apostolate, that might be a question that affects the entire community regarding mission or future direction.
In recent months, apostolates have begun to engage in discernment in common. Please look for updates as we share their soul-level experiences.
