From May 18th to May 23rd, the members of the JCEP Groups on Vocation Promotion and Young Adult Ministry gathered together in Son Bono, the Jesuit retreat house in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. 22 participants from both groups, representing the majority of the provinces in Europe, came together to discuss the situation of these two strategic fields of apostolic work. Among the participants there were Jesuits but also some lay people, which made the group very rich and lively. The meeting had been prepared by the members of both steering committees: Benoît de Maintenant SJ, Fonfo Alonso Lasheras SJ, Duarte Rosado SJ, and Mislav Skelin SJ, from the Vocation Promotion Group; and Walter Ceyssens SJ and Leonardo Vezzani SJ from the Young Adult Ministry Group.

Young Adult Ministry and Vocation Promotion are two clear key apostolic fields for the Society of Jesus, and experience shows the need to approach them in a more global way rather than separately in each province. Young people travel more and more, and their concerns and questions have today a larger scope than just local problems. A Conference approach to these topics proves, therefore, to be essential today.

The meeting started with a time of sharing the joys and challenges of each member of the group, which helped the group to realize the personal moment of each one. We also had a workshop on the vocation of the Jesuit brother with José Mª Tejedor SJ and Théophile Desarmeaux SJ for the Vocation Promotion Group; and a workshop on the religious situation of contemporary youth by Sergio Gadea SJ, professor of philosophy at Comillas University. We also took some time to answer the JCEP President's question about the implication of the thirst for God that appears now in Europe as a means to contribute to the apostolic planning of the Conference. Finally, we had a time to think together about the future of each group and their developments, and to choose the new members of the steering committees.

Maybe one important topic that was present as a bottom line in all our encounter was the experience of the present revival of religion among young people – a new thirst for God –, a phenomenon always complex and with many ambiguities. The general impression among us is that, being conscious of its limitations, it presents an important call for the Society of Jesus that we should answer.

The meeting included also very nice fraternal moments, taking advantage of the deep Jesuit roots in Mallorca. We tend to think of Mallorca as a paradisiacal place for holidays and we forget that it is a place deeply present in the origins of the Society of Jesus. In this sense, we visited the town of Valldemossa, a small village in the mountains to the north of the island, 30 minutes away from Palma. Not only did this town have a Carthusian monastery in the past, but there is also a functioning hermitage in the mountains next to the sea. Jerónimo Nadal, a famous Jesuit of the first moments and the one who contributed to the implementation of the Constitutions in the early days, lived as an hermit in Valldemossa for some time until the reading of the letters by Saint Francis Xavier gave him the strength to decide to go to Rome and enter the Society of Jesus.

We also visited several places related to Saint Alonso Rodríguez, the great Saint and Jesuit brother, to whom Hopkins dedicated a famous poem, and who, among other things, helped Saint Peter Claver to find his path in the Society. We celebrated a Mass in the shrine where he had a vision of our Lady, and we had a prayer at his tomb in the Jesuit Church of Montesión.

We also had the opportunity to meet the lay people who are now in charge of the significant Jesuit presence on the Island, particularly in Montesión School, where we could spend some time with the pastoral team and some students. This was a strong sign of the enormous possibilities of collaboration in the mission when we put in place the proper formation and support for lay people.

We are particularly thankful to the local lay people, Rafael Mas and Emilia Torres, who, with Fonfo Alonso Lasheras SJ, ensured that all the details were perfect during our stay in Mallorca. It is also important to stress the beauty and quality of the Jesuit retreat house in Mallorca, Son Bono, that created the perfect setting for our exchanges.