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s2smodern

Meeting European Spirituality Centres in Manresa.

It is no secret that the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius of Loyola are at the heart of the Ignatian charisma and ethos. Likewise, they are one of the main sources of inspiration for most (if not all) of our works. They have this preferred status and they have this significance in value because the offer individuals a path of conversion in order to live a fuller life. The institutions that are responsible for promoting these Exercises as well as other pathways for conversion are what we nowadays call the Spirituality Centres.

In the Jesuit provinces and regions we find many different works that aim to help individuals grow in all their dimensions, amongst many types of works we find: social centres, universities and faculties, schools, cultural reviews, refugee services, etc. Most of these works have established networks that meet every so often to discuss how they can work together and strengthen their bonds to fulfil their mission better. It would be a surprise to most individuals to know that the spirituality centres not only do not have a network of their own but they had never met before... until now.

From all over Europe

From the 13th to the 16th of November 2018, the first ever meeting of spirituality centres at European and Near East level took place at the Cave of Saint Ignatius in Manresa (Spain). There were 27 participants from all around Europe and the Near East. All of these people represented institutions that are important for their local contexts and most of them offer different pathways to help individuals come closer to God and to reflect in the mystery of life.

During this gathering there were several presentations and sessions. These sessions expected to address several needs and goals that were of relevance to participants and to the wider Society of Jesus, these were:

  • Getting to know each other and to build a sense of community and shared mission
  • Identifying the needs and challenges that directors and delegates of spirituality centres can come across
  • Learning about the spiritual needs of the human being in the XXI century and how they can be addressed
  • Formalising ideas in concrete actionable steps by developing a strategy to foster change in each centre
  • Reach concrete proposals for the Ignatian Jubilee of Ignatius leaving Loyola and reaching Manresa (the places that were key for his conversion).

It is complicated to analyse all the interesting ideas and reflections that came up during this meeting, especially in a single news article. However, we should not despair, since this is not the end of it. We will surely hear much more from this group of spirituality centres since they have decided to establish themselves as a network with a formal Steering Committee formed by Fr. Piaras Jackson SJ from Ireland, Fr. János Lukács SJ from Hungary, and Fr. Lluís Magriñá SJ from Spain.

At the end of the event it was decided that a second meeting should take place to continue fostering the many ideas that were presented and the feeling of shared mission that was developed during this first gathering. This next meeting will be in Malta and will take place in May of 2020. There, these different pathways to find God in all things explored by the spirituality centres will converge once again.

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s2smodern