The Youth Vocation Festival took place in Paris, from April 29 to May 1. It brought together 150 young people on the theme “Your life is mission: discover it!  

In total, six Jesuits took part in the event – launch at the Saint-Ignace church by Fr. Nicolas Rousselot SJ, moment of prayer with the poor and various workshops – the interiority of Ignatius (by three scholastics, Étienne de Forges, Samuel Piffeteau and Eddy Bollard), religious life and work (by Fr. Dominique Degoul SJ) and the pitfalls of freedom and discernment (by myself).  

Other workshops focused, for example, on attention to freedom and inner desire. All were greatly appreciated. Yes, the treasure of the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius does mean a lot and must continue to be widely offered.  

Marie, sister of the Cenacle, talks of the weekend: “I keep in my heart the words of two young people. Both of them, full of desires, passion and projects said that they needed elders in the faith to help them on their way to Christ. Not for advice but to hear our testimonies of life, to compare our ideas, etc. 

At the end of this weekend with and for young people, I am full of joy to have shared the mission as Ignatian family, and I am eager to continue to walk with young people, because they have so much to bring us and because we have so much to give them!” 

“What a joy to feel that I belong to such a diversified Church, to contemplate its different faces representing all types of vocations and to discover the initiatives of young people. I was touched by the thirst of some of them who did all they could to make initiatives for young people widely known. And at the same time, they sought to grow in contact with their brothers and sisters in Christ, including consecrated lay persons. Lastly, as Fr. Adrien Candiard op said, Jesus Christ has already saved us all, so let us choose our own vocation freely, without pressure.” 
Gaetane, sister of the Sacred Heart of Jesus 

Grégoire Le Bel SJ (in charge of vocations in French-speaking Western European Province)