After the Ignatian gathering in Marseille on All Saints' Day 2021, the Jesuits organized an event on March 12, 2022, at the heart of the Ignatian year. On the anniversary date of the canonization of Saint Ignatius of Loyola and Saint Francis Xavier, Jesuits under 50 years old and all those working in the apostolic service to young people met in Paris for the event “Together, let’s hope more”.

To accompany young people

“In this somewhat gloomy time for the world and for the Church, we wanted to live fully the third Universal Apostolic Preference which guides the mission of the Society of Jesus: To accompany young people in the creation of a hope-filled future. To help the youth, we wanted to begin by cultivating this hope among ourselves, young Jesuits”, explained Fr. Manuel Grandin S.J., delegate of the Provincial for the Young Adult Ministry.

Coming from France, Belgium and Luxembourg, they were invited during this day to find the roots of their vocation and to nourish hope. They talked about their missions and their vocation through various workshops. They also met Fr. François Boëdec S.J., Provincial.

Back to Montmartre

In the evening, they went to the Butte Montmartre, a historic place for the Society of Jesus, as on August 15, 1534, Ignatius and his first companions pronounced their first vows in a small chapel on that hill. Then, the Jesuits as well as friends and “partners in the mission” gathered for an evening of Ignatian praise, which included testimony, songs and walks in the Montmartre district.

“We wanted to thank Ignatius and Francis Xavier for inspiring our dreams and actions. The testimony of their lives can help us reflect on what kind of holiness we are called to today.”