In a recent letter to Jesuits and apostolic partners, Fr. Sean Carroll, SJ, provincial of Jesuits West, announced the next and final phase of the province’s apostolic planning process: regional spiritual conversations bringing together Jesuits and lay collaborators.
Fr. Carroll identified 11 regions across Jesuits West where this work will soon begin: Los Angeles (1), Los Angeles (2), Montana, Phoenix, Portland, Puget Sound, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco/East Bay, South Bay (CA), and Spokane.
“Developing strong regions where relationships are forged prayerfully across sectors, apostolates and communities will allow us to be more responsive to local needs and opportunities,” Fr. Carroll said.
In the coming weeks, two conveners in each region will gather a group of Jesuits and lay colleagues to engage in discernment through spiritual conversations. They will reflect on which of the four apostolic directions—or combination of directions—the region feels called to pursue.
The directions, which largely mirror the Universal Apostolic Preferences of the Society of Jesus, are to:
- Ground our experience of God through the Spiritual Exercises, Ignatian spirituality and discernment.
- Promote and support mutual collaboration.
- Foster community and belonging.
- Exercise an apostolic preference for youth and the marginalized.
Fr. Carroll expressed his hope that “the Universal Apostolic Preferences will be part of the conversations and, in particular, that special attention will be given to the fourth UAP, care for our common home,” which serves as a thread through all our apostolic directions.
Led by the Spirit through their conversations, each region will then discern concrete proposals or action plans, to be submitted to the provincial by May 1. The provincial and his Cabinet will then engage the 11 regional proposals and discern in common the direction the Holy Spirit desires for the province. After this process, Fr. Carroll will share feedback with conveners, and the finalized regional plans will together form the province’s apostolic plan.
At its core, the apostolic planning initiative is grounded in a shared vision: to be a community of Jesuits and apostolic partners that fully embrace discernment in common as we seek to respond to God’s call, so that the Jesuits West Province can more deeply serve the Church and its mission.
The vision is both contemporary and deeply historical. Just as the first companions used communal discernment to hear how God was calling them to found a new religious order, a number of Jesuits West ministries today are using the same Ignatian practice to explore questions of mission and identity.
In addition to the regional work, two complementary initiatives will focus on the apostolic direction of accompanying youth and those at the margins. The next issue of Province News will provide updates on these initiatives.
